Chapter 37

The sudden smell of smoke choked her lungs as she was dragged through the threshold of the rotting farm house. A strong concoction of cigarette and drug fumes filled the air so thick that Elena could particularly see it, so intense that it made her eyes red and runny from the irritation. The low murmur of voices in the room became suddenly mute, only the creaking of the floorboards and hum of the overhead light.

She winced as her foot caught on the door mat, spending her tumbling forward just as Mason released her arms. Elena throw her hands out to protect, letting the full impact of the fall vibrate up her arms and into her knees. A low groan escaped her lips as she tried to control her pain. She could not let them see how hurt she truly was. She had to be strong for Damon. He needed her now more than ever.

"My, my, look what's fallen into my lap...a scared little mouse."

Kol.

His laughter was sinister and evil, making her skin crawl and goosebumps speckle her body. Approaching her as if he were trying to tame a wild beast, Kol came closer, crouching down in front of her. One pale finger came out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before suddenly grasping her by the roots, yanking her head forward, his lips coming to rest by the shell of her ear.

"Hmm, I can't wait to take you home with me." He nipped her sensitive lobe, making her cringe away from him. "I've even got you a few housewarming...gifts. We're going to have so much fun together!"

Elena shuddered at the thought of his ideas of fun and the types of gifts he had prepared. She tried in vain to push the thought it to the back of her mind, focusing on her mission and her plan; to get Damon out and free, no matter the cost.

By now Klaus and Elijah would have surely realised she was missing. Rose would of told them of her plans and she was under no doubt they were on their way. They may not make it in time to save her, but Elena knew they would be there in time to save.

"What the fuck, Kol!" Elena winced as the high pitched screech entered her eardrums. "Who is this?"

"Who do you think?" Kol chuckled, standing to nudging her in the ribs with the tip of his boot. "The final plot point to our plan."

Elena swallowed and took a deep breath before lifting her head to survey her surroundings. The room was bare, apart from an old, moldy couch and coffee table. Wallpaper was peeling from the walls and blackened water stains leaked from the ceiling, seeping down to the floorboards. The stench from her position on the floor was that of a demand decay, even worse than that of the smoke fumes. The were only two windows to the outside world, halfboarded up and three doors; the front one she had come through, one to a worn-out kitchen area and the last sealed shut, hiding whatever was behind it.

As her vision focused more, Elena began to assess the room, the people inside and who she was up against. She could already hear the heavy breathing from Kol, his body heat radiating on to her back with how close he actually was. Masons bulky boots paced back and forth by the door; three steps left, one turn and repeat. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of John, almost cowering away, wringing his hands nervously. At the far side of the room were four men, one of which was Ben, but the other three Elena did not recognise, but judging from the suits, slicked hair and chain smoking, she was under no doubt that they worked for Kol.

"This is a surprise!"

Elena's ears perked up at the voice as a pair of pointy toed, red bottom stiletto boots came into view directly in front of her. Her eyes carefully traveled up the dark denim clad pins, the crimson red blouse, leather jacket before finally landing on the face. Elena prided herself on being prepared for most things and to control her reaction when it came to seeing the unexpected. However, this time, she could not contain the sudden gasp that escaped her throat and how her eyes widened at the sight.

The woman was not ugly, in fact many years ago she may have been considered a stunning creature. Her hair would have fallen in waves of curls down to her breasts that framed her face perfectly. Her neck would have been long, swan like and delicate, not a blemish in sight. Her features would have been perfectly suited to her face, lips full and pouted, noses suitably shaped and eyes that with one look would have got a man to do anything for her; from a single look.

But that was not the woman who stood before Elena now.

The left side of her face was hideously twisted so much so she could make out the taunt muscles under her melted skin. The skin that stretched between the length of her nose and cheekbone had moulded together, bridging them together with a thick band of scar tissue. The corner of her lip had been pulled by the flames, distorting the one perfectly angled cupid's bow. And her eyes; although the eye itself was undamaged, the fire had clearly traveled up top her brow bone, although this was now nearly as damaged as the rest of her face, charring the hair there and melting the lid downwards, drooping the outer edge of her eye.

The woman was once beautiful, but the hatred and ugliness inside her and seeped to her exterior.

The woman was Katherine Pierce.

"So, you must be the ever famous Elena Gilbert. We've been waiting for you." Her lip curled up menacingly, the scar tissue twisting her other features."Hmm, no wonder he had a thing for you; we could be twins!"

Carefully Katherine crouched down before Elena, looking her up and down before chuckling. From the close proximately, Elena could smell the sickly sweet aroma of her perfume and see the extent of her scar that disappeared down into her blouse. She tried not to stare, but Katherine caught her gaze, raising her right brow, the only one that functioned properly.

"An unfortunate accident," Katherine drawled, unfazed. "An accident caused by your lover."

"Where is he?" Elena demanded, glaring and unafraid to back down.

"Where's who?"

"Damon," She growled, barely containing her fury.

Katherine sniggered, shaking her head. "Now, now, Elena, you better be nice to me."

"Tell me!"

"Ooh, my, my, someone is a little impatient!"

Fury bubbled over inside her and she could not control herself, Elena lunged forward, launching a full scale attack on the viditavie and evil beast. She knocked Katherine to the ground, landing on her chest, fists and claws flying to get a hit somewhere on her. She felt one nail guide over her disfigured cheek, catching on a ridge edge of raised skin as she yanked hard. Katherine yet out an almighty scream that could penetrate eardrums just as arms came out from behind Elena, wrenching her back.

"Big fucking mistake!" Kol hissed in her ear, jerking her arms forcibly to the base of her spine as he warped thick rope around her wrists.

Once her hands were tied, Kol used one hand to grip the back of her neck, keeping her standing on her own two feet. Elena cursed herself and her stupidity, realising she had only made this worse for herself. She was now bound with the threat of a vengeful Miss Pierce before her, who had manage to stagger to her feet, gripped at the wound Elena had managed to rip through. She was seething, almost foaming at the mouth as she stormed towards Elena, reaching for her teased hair and tugging harshly.

"You fucking little bitch!" She snarled, spit hitting Elena's cheek. "I should gut you for that!"

Katherine reached for her back pocket, yanking out a hunter's blade, razor sharp with one side a serrated edge. She gripped Elena harshly by the throat, jamming her thumb into the bottom of her chin to jerk her face up. She held her breath as the blade came down, slicing across her already wounded right cheek. Elena gasped from the sudden pain, feeling blood instantly flow from the new craving.

Katherine pulled the knife back again, preparing to strike again, but Kol's hand shot out, gripping her wrist.

"Katherine, please, don't damage my prize anymore than she already is," Kol smirked down at Elena. "I'd like the pleasure of inflicting some of that by myself a little later on."

She felt physically sick and tried her best to push that feeling down. The thought of being alone with him and what he could have plan...Elena made a mental note to make sure he suffered the most when the time came to it.

She tried to wiggle herself away from him, but Kol merely pushed himself closer to her, bending down to bury his nose in the junction of her neck, nipping harshly at the soft skin. Elena jerked again, feeling that the material that tied her wrists together becoming slightly loose. A plan began to form in her head, all she needed to do was get her hands free.

"Fine!" Katherine pouted, stamping her feet, sliding the knife back into the pocket on her belt.

Elena made a mental note of that. She needed as many options as possible.

"Miss P-Pierce?"

All eyes turned to John as he timidly step forward, confusion clouding his gaze.

"What?!" She snapped.

"What does Kol mean? Y-you said Elena was going to be allowed to come home..with me, before all of this. You told me if I did as you asked, she could leave with me."

For a moment there was silent, before the whole room erupted into howls of laughter. Elena shock her head, lowering her gaze from John as it was began to click in his head. She knew everything her uncle had done was in her best interest to save Jeremy and herself, but the man was a fool for believing a word any of these monsters had to say.

"Oh John, you didn't think I was going to just give this beautiful little prize, did you?" Kol cruelly jibe, reaching a hand down and gripping Elena's cheeks, making sure to put extra pressure on the cut. "I told you my intentions were to take her with me. Did you think I was lying about that?"

"B-but...b-but…"

"Shut it, old man!" Katherine bit out. "Go and get the van ready. We'll be ready to move out soon."

John shock his head, moving towards Katherine. "But you promised!"

Katherine turned, swinging a hand out and backhanding him viciously, so much so that he stumbled, having to catch himself on the arm of the sofa. Elena jerked, wanting to go to him, help him up and tell him it was going to work out in the end. John clasped his cheek, shaking more than he hand before as if in utter disbelief.

"Now, do as I say, and get the fucking van ready!" Katherine repeated.

With uneasy legs, John arose from his position, tears welling in his eyes as he turned for the door as if in a trace. He briefly stopped on his way, catching Elena's eyes for a short moment as if to say how sorry he truly was. She could barely look at him without wanting to scream at him to run and find the others. To tell him help was on the way and all he had to do was stall a little for her while she tried to come up with a new plan.

This was John's mess. He has started all of this. She loved her Uncle dearly, being one of the only living members of her family left, but this betrayal had gone to far. She dropped her eyes, not wanting him to see her pain. He drew in a heavy breath before shuffling towards the door, leaving her to completely fend for herself.

"Right, now, are we ready to go?" Kol enquired.

"I want to see Damon!" Elena quickly begged, not meaning for it to come out so desperately.

"Haha, no chance!"

"We had a deal. I've stuck to my end of it. Now show me he's still alive."

Katherine pouted her lips, tapping a sharpened nail on her chin as if deep in thought and actually considering the request.

"Bring Damon in here." Katherine purred. "Now, Ben."

"What the fuck, Katherine?" Kol snapped, throwing his arms in the air. "This is it! We have what we want. Leave him here to rot, for all I care."

"Shut up, you idiot, and do as I have said!"

Elena gritted her teeth as Kol yanked her to her feet, jerking her wrists behind and clamping one large, clammy hand around her pulse point. She could feel his hot, sickly breath on the back of her neck, sending shivers down her. He noticed and sniggered behind her, stepping forward so every part of his front was pressed to her back. His hips rocked forward suggestively and Elena jolted, trying to escape his touch. Kol only squeezed her wrist harder to the point her knees went weak from the blinding pain radiating from that pressure point.

Ben slipped from the room and the room was silent. It gave Elena a chance to focus on a plan, any plan. Would Klaus and the others be on their way by now? Would they bring back up? How much time did she have before Katherine got tired of her little game?

She took a deep breath and relaxed for a moment. It was time to switch to her own plan B…that was if she even had a plan B to start with.

As Elena's mind raced frantically working on any sort of idea to get them out, Kol swung her around so she was facing the centre of the room. Katherine was perched on the armrest of a dusted old chair, a cruel and vindictive smile curling her lips and twisted flesh. Her fingers played with the tip of her blade, caressing it and deep in thought. Elena could see the malicious glint in her eyes. Even with the scars, Elena imagined Katherine as quite a beautiful woman, but years of bitterness and hatred had changed her completely.

Two figures emerged from the shadows of the other room. One, standing tall and the other stumbling and tripping, only being held up by the others harsh hold on his hair. The wind was knocked out of Elena immediately as they came to a stop, the other person slumping to their knees in the centre of the room.

"Damon!" She screamed.

Without giving it a second thought, she lunged forward, wanting to cover him in her arms and protecting him from their sicking gaze. Still holding her wrists painfully, Kol swung her backwards once again, jamming her arms in her sockets so hard she cried out. He kicked her in the back, hard, letting her collapse to her knees once again.

Damon was covered in bruises and blood, his arms bound tightly behind his back. His shirt was missing and more injuries steamed down to his once perfect chest. His head fell forward and he struggled to lift it. His eyes found hers immediately. It took a moment of recognition to pass over his face and through his drugged haze. Only then did his head drop again in almost defeat.

"No," He spoke in a broken whisper. "Please…no."

He struggled to make a movement, as if trying to crawl towards her. The moment was so small, but Katherine's hawk like eyes caught it. Coming fast up behind him, her boot curved out and kicked him squarely in the back, sending him face first to the hard, wooden floor.

"Stop it!" Elena shouted, struggling again in Kol's hold.

"Calm the fuck down!" He spat.

He yanked her again, almost at the point of dislocating her shoulders, but Elena was beyond caring. She pulled and fought with everything she had. Katherine giggled, high-pitched and sickly as she crouched down to Damon's battered body. Her hand reached out and began stroking his hair, running her fingers almost gently through. Every now and then she pulled and Damon groaned in pain.

Elena tried to focus, tried to drown out his broken sounds as she worked her wrists as carefully as she could against the rope that bound her. Her movements were tiny and discreet, trying not to draw any attention to herself as Katherine toyed with Damon. It hurt Elena to watch as the monster tormented him further, but she knew if she could just get the last knot undone, she'd at least have a way of defending herself and him better.

Just one more knot…

"I told you, Damon," She practically purred, pulling his head back to meet his eyes. "I always win. No matter what."

Elena's gaze snapped to her right as they argued, her eyes trained only on Damon. She could just make out his wheezed breathing. He was still lying face down on the floor, his body jerking with every breath he took. His back was painted painfully in layers of yellow, purple and red. Small, harsh cuts covered his upper arms as well as the rope holding his wrists together rubbing the flesh raw. Sweat dripped from his shaking body and she knew he couldn't take anymore. She had to do something. If Klaus and the others didn't make it in time, she needed to know that Damon would be safe with them. Even if that meant leaving him behind for them to get him and leaving with Kol.

It was the only option she had.

"We had a deal."

Her voice broke through the room and the arguing stopped, all eyes trained on her. Even Damon, with difficult, turned his head to gaze up at her, bewilderment clouding his eyes. The prickling of tears stung the corners of her vision as she stared down at him, watching every raw emotion pass through him at what she was doing. She was hurting him, she knew, by doing this. But it was all she could do to protect him.

"You have me now. You got what you wanted." She caught Kol's eyes from the corner of her gaze. "Please…let him go."

"No!" Damon rasped, shaking his head. "Don't. You. Fucking. Dare."

Elena drew in a breath and tried to block him from her mind. She could hardly stand to hear the desperation in his voice, the wheeze in his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. Focusing on that would lead to mistakes that she could not afford to make at this point.

"I wanted me and now you have me." She turned to Katherine. "You said you wanted Damon on his knee. You have that. You said that I was Kol's payment. You have that. You said you wanted Damon alive and suffer with me gone. I have done my part, now it's your turn. Let him go and take me. Just end this."

"No!" Damon gasped, tears slowly falling down his cheeks and dripping on to the floor. "Elena, please...please don't do this!"

Elena smiled, trying to reassure him, but knowing it failed. Nothing she could do would help him feel any better about this situation. The pain in his eyes was unlikely anything she had ever seen before. To see him, her Damon, cry in front of a room of people, tore her heart in two. He'd always been so strong, so brave and so capable of finding his emotions, that see him like this was almost too much for him to stand.

When Stefan had died, she saw it then, the raw emotion he had inside of him. During that time, she'd held him tight, been there for him and supported him as he supported her. This time, she could not even reach a hand out to stroke his cheek, to run a soothing hand down his back or kiss him softly to show him he was loved. That someone was there for him in the darkest moments on his life from now until the end.

And it was something, she now feared, she would never have the chance to do again.

"It's okay, Damon." She whispered softly, a single tear falling. "I'll be okay."

"How sweet and pathetic," Katherine sneered.

"Please, Katherine, we had a deal." Elena begged. "Just please let him go."

Her pleas were met with stonewalled silence as Katherine paced back and forth, her heels denting the wooden floorboards as she went. It seemed to be one of her favourite pastimes, like a cat with a mouse; playing with emotions and making Elena think there was even a shred of humanity inside of her.

Just as Katherine opened her mouth to speak an enormous explosion blasted from the outside, shattering the windows in an instant, sending glass flying. It was as though a fist of orange flame had decided to punch its way through the barn, shaking the already weakened structure. Smoke engulfed the room, making it difficult to see.

"What the fuck!?" Kol roared, his hands flying to his waist band to grip at his gun.

Shouts sounded from across the room, the walls quaking slightly as another explosion boomed somewhere from the outside. More cursing, more glass breaking, more smoke.

Elena used the distraction, launching her body forward and pulling her arms forward. The loosened ropes gave way with ease, blood coursing back through the veins and warming her all the way to her fingertips. She could barely see a thing stood, so ducked low down, just like Damon had taught her when they had escaped the manor fire before. It was still difficult, but she could now breathe easier.

She could also see better, just being able to make out Damon's prone figure at the other end of the room. Leaping to her feet, she made a beeline for him. As if sensing her plan, Kol's hand shot out, gripping ahold of her snarled hair tightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" He seethed.

A gunshot rang through out the room, bouncing off the walls, followed by wounded scream and then dead silence. Kol's grip slipped from her scalp, his hands coming forward to clasp is gun in both hands. He fired, three shoots in a row before the bullet chamber clicked, the bullets jamming in the cylinder. He roared in frustration as she escaped his hold, Elena slided on her knees towards the couch, using it for cover before she could get a clear path to Damon. The attention of the room now focused completely on the now busted open doorway.

"Good evening, brother," A thick accented voice spoke.

The smoke began to separating, clearing to reveal Klaus in opening where the door had been. He had his arm wrapped around Katherine's throat, dragging her further into the room with him. A pistol was pointed directly at the temple, silencing her with the threat of immediate death. All eyes were trained on him as he carefully stepped over the body of one of Kol's men. Elena could make out a single bullet wound to his chest that was still pumping out deep crimson blood, drenching the floor.

Katherine began to struggle, clawing at the arm that help her captive. Klaus merely tighten his grip, whistle four more figures appeared in the background behind them, all with weapons brandished on a thug in the room.

Klaus cocked his head to one side, glaring at his brother. "Surrender?"

Kol growled deep in his throat. A single bead of sweat slid from his brow bone. His teeth were bared and his body shaking, knowing that defeat was in sight for him. But Elena knew he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Never!" He roared.

Katherine used the distraction, sinking her teeth into Klaus's forearm. He cried out in pain, chucking her body away from his as Kol threw himself across the room to cover behind the couch.

Directly towards Elena's path.

I am so, incredible sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter. My life got crazy very quickly and so much has happened in the last 2 years. I graduated university as a professional makeup artist for TV and filmed. I now have a side job helping a juniors acting group with their makeup. I also have a full time job as a team leader for a hospital specialist diseases team and am training currently to be an operational manager. And that's just the basic stuff that's happened! I hope you can all forgive me. I never intended to make any of you wait this long!

This chapter has been in the works for a while, but I never had time to properly sit down and finish, or the others. And then, recently, I became ill, nothing too serious, but bad enough I had to be signed off from work to recover full. Let's be honest, if you've been ill, it's so boring just sitting in your bed or just trying to entertain yourself. So, I came back to my writing and I feel so much better for it!

My plan is to complete this story by 10th March, the final episode of VD. I feel it would be fitting to wrap this story up with VD, as well as my other stories, which I will try to finish also.

Thank you all for the love and support over the years, and I hope I can do this story justices for you, giving it a proper ending and send off. Please let me know what you think, review, send me a PM, anything. I'd love to hear from you and I may even send you a sneak peak for the next chapter ;)

My aim is for the next chapter to be posted this time next week, so look out! Also please excuse any spelling mistakes, this has been unchecked before publishing.

Next chapter: Back up has arrived, brawling begins and Elena fights to save Damon's life...even at the cost of her own. Stay tuned! x