Trying to ignore the restlessness that was brewing inside him, Damon stared at the abandoned house in front of him. Klaus was inside. Damon could feel his presence, which meant Klaus could probably feel his as well.
"What are you doing here?" Katherine's voice had Damon turning to face her. "You do realize it's a full moon tonight right? That means Klaus is at his most powerful. He'll kill you Damon."
Damon smirked. For someone who claimed to never have really loved him, Katherine had a funny way of showing it.
"This is serious, Damon," she hissed. When she saw the look of determination in his eyes, she gasped. "You can't seriously be thinking about fighting him! You don't stand a chance, especially tonight!"
"Why does everyone underestimate me so?" Damon snarled as the animal inside him fought for release. A deep, primal anger unlike anything he'd ever experienced before gnawed at him. He growled as his face and eyes changed.
Eyes wide with shock, Katherine backed away from him. "Oh my God. Your eyes. Holy shit. It's true isn't it? You're part wolf now?"
"It's time we find out, don't you think?" His skin tingling, Damon glanced to their left.
Stepping from the woods, Stefan looked warily at Damon. A few silent minutes passed as the two brothers stared at one another. Then Stefan nodded. "Come on Katherine. We must leave. It will be dark soon."
"What? You're just going to leave him here? Stefan, he's your brother! You can't let him do this! This is suicide!" Katherine grabbed Damon's arm. "Damon!"
The urge to go for Katherine's throat was so overwhelming that Damon almost followed it. Snarling, he yanked his arm away from her while stepping towards her at the same time. Gasping, Katherine stumbled backwards.
Stefan took her Katherine by the arm. "Let's go."
"No!" Katherine pulled away from him. "I can't believe this! Stefan, you have to talk him out of this!"
"He has to do this, Katherine," Stefan said quietly. "And there's nothing I can do to stop it. Now, let's go."
"Listen to him, Kat." Damon closed his eyes as he fought to keep the animal in him under control. "You don't need to be anywhere near this. You want to help me? Go take care of Elena."
"Katherine!" Stefan hissed as Damon felt Katherine's arms around him.
"You had better come back to us. Or I'm really going to be pissed." She sniffled in his ear.
Slowly opening his eyes, Damon was surprised to see that Katherine actually had tears in her eyes. And they were for him. Then she surprised him further by gently kissing his lips. And then both she and Stefan were gone, leaving Damon alone.
He turned to face the house once more. Silently telling Elena he loved her, he walked across the yard to the front door. It opened as soon as he stepped onto the porch. Klaus greeted him with a manic smile.
"So we're really going to do this?" Klaus laughed as Damon nodded. "Well okay then. Come on in my dear protégé."
"I am not your protégé." Damon shrugged out of his leather jacket and tossed it into a dusty corner.
"You may be unwilling, but you are definitely just that."
"I want to reach an understanding right now, Klaus. If I die tonight –"
"Which you will."
Damon gritted his teeth. "If I die tonight I want you to promise to take care of Elena. Protect her. Keep her human."
His head tilted in consideration, Klaus frowned. "But you'll be dead. I can agree to take care of her, but how do you know that I'll follow through?"
"Because you're old school. Your word means something to you." Damon flexed his hands. His skin tingled and his body ached. His stomach churned.
"Ahh yes." Klaus nodded. "It is rather uncomfortable isn't it? Your skin itches and tingles at the same time. Your joints ache. And then there's the nausea. It's the power of the full moon rushing through your body, igniting your nerve endings."
Damn it. Damon couldn't believe he actually had the ability now to turn into a stupid wolf. Just the thought of it made him want to break something. Or kill someone at least. A rush of power bloomed within him, creating such an excruciating pressure inside of him that Damon was surprised his head hadn't exploded from it.
"You're reaching your full potential tonight as a hybrid Damon. Give in to it. Will yourself to turn. The rush is amazing." Klaus grinned. "And after tonight you will be able to turn at will."
"So you really don't have to turn at the full moon anymore if you don't want to?" Damon asked.
"That is correct. The choice is yours, Damon. To turn or not to turn. Tonight I am choosing to turn because I love to fight in wolf form." He sighed. "I'd rather not kill you Damon. You're my first hybrid. So I'm going to give you a chance to change your mind. Why don't we work together instead of against each other?"
"You're a threat to Elena. The only way to keep you away from her is to kill you. So that's what I intend to do. Or die trying."
Heaving a huge sigh, Klaus shook his head. "Damon, this was never about Elena. It was blind luck actually that she turned out to be the Petrova Doppleganger."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Damon hissed.
Feeling much better, but worried about Damon Elena paced the study. Alaric and Matt watched her with matching gazes of concern. Caroline and Tyler were talking quietly in the corner. Bonnie and Jeremy were still off on some type of research mission.
The sound of the front door opening had Elena racing to the hallway. She stumbled to a stop at the sight of Stefan and Katherine entering the house. Alone. Panic seized her as she realized that Damon wasn't with them.
"Where is he?" Elena demanded.
"Elena." Katherine said as her teary gaze met Elena's.
Fuck. If Katherine was crying then the news wasn't good. Shaking her head, Elena stumbled backwards on legs of jelly. Stefan jumped forward to catch her as her legs gave out.
"No! Stefan where is Damon? Where is he?" Elena tried to shove away from him, but he held her to his chest. "No!" She began to pummel against his chest, his arms, wherever her fists could make contact.
"Elena, stop." Stefan said calmly.
The heartache in his voice had Elena stilling instantly. When she looked up into his eyes she saw the torture she felt reflected back at her. He was losing Damon too. But how could he just sit back and let it happen?
"Damon's fighting Klaus tonight," Elena heard Katherine explain. "He refused to listen to reason. And he sent us away." She turned to look at Elena. "Klaus is at his most powerful tonight. Stefan and I would be no match for him."
While Elena knew that that was true, she couldn't help but resent both Stefan and Katherine for giving up on Damon and leaving him to face Klaus alone. Although Damon appeared to be a lot stronger now that he was a hybrid (if that's what he was now), Elena couldn't help but fear that he was still no match for Klaus.
There was no way that Damon could beat Klaus. No matter how much stronger his blood had made Damon, Klaus would always be stronger simply because he was older. And he was an Original on top of that. Damon didn't stand a chance. He was going to die. And Elena was never going to see him again.
"Shhh. He has to do this Elena." Stefan scooped her into his arms and carried her to the couch. "You know how Damon is once he gets something in his head."
Sniffling as Stefan, still holding her in his steely embrace, sat down on the couch, Elena realized she was crying. The thought of never seeing Damon again turned her sniffles into gut wrenching sobs. She leaned into Stefan's chest, and he cradled her against him.
This was all her fault. Damon had been bitten because of her. Klaus had come here for her. Klaus wanted her. And now Damon was going to fight him because of her too. She couldn't let him. But how could she stop him?
Remembering what Bonnie had said about her necklace Elena grasped it. Closing her eyes, she pictured Damon's face in her mind. Pushing aside the pain in her heart, she willed her love for him to course through her. Silently, she begged for him to be protected.
"What was that?" Stefan stiffened.
"What was what?" Alaric asked. "I didn't hear anything."
"I felt it," Katherine said quietly.
"Me too," Caroline said.
"What's going on?" Tyler looked around the room.
"Felt what?" Irritation rang clearly in Matt's voice.
"A wave of power." Stefan sat forward, shifting Elena's in his lap. "Something is happening. Elena?"
Opening her eyes, Elena found both Stefan and Katherine staring at her in wonder. Was it possible? Had her wish worked? Was the necklace really magical?
Stefan's green gaze dropped to the pendant as Elena released it. Recognition flashed in his eyes before they focused back on Elena's hope filled eyes. "Damon gave that to you?"
Nodding, Elena smiled sadly. She knew she didn't have to tell him that it had been his mother's. The knowledge was clearly written all over his face.
The sound of the front door bursting open had everyone's heads turning to watch as Bonnie rushed into the room.
"Elena, you have to go to Damon," Bonnie said breathlessly.
Panic seized Elena's heart as she jumped to her feet. Stefan immediately stood up behind her. "Bonnie, what are you talking about?"
"I don't have time to explain." Bonnie looked anxiously at Stefan. "You have to get her to Damon as soon as possible. Otherwise, he is going to die. Elena is the only one who can stop it."
Shaking his head, Stefan said, "No way. I'm not putting her in danger. Klaus will go after her."
"Dammit Stefan just do it! Jeremy's on his way there right now."
"What?" Everyone exclaimed in unison.
"He has his ring." Bonnie said. "He's going to distract Klaus and Damon until you get there."