Chapter 38 WHN
"Damon wait! Damon please!" Elena cried after him, following him out to the lounge again frantically. Damon ignored her pleas and walked into Stefan, who as blocking his way.
"Don't walk away brother." Stefan advised calmly and Damon pushed him out of the way. "Don't be an idiot!"
Damon headed towards the staircase as Elena watched distressed and Stefan held himself tight.
"I told you, you couldn't handle it." Stefan said and Damon paused on the stairs holding the banister tight in his hand.
He lifted his head and looked at them and Stefan softened when he saw Damon's eyes full of pain and distress. This wasn't like his usual tantrums. This one was real. Stefan approached him and squeezed his shoulder affectionately.
"This isn't anyone's fault. We're all just trying to figure out how to survive now." Stefan said and Damon looked at him silently.
"I don't blame you for anything." Elena said, approaching them too. "I just don't want to hurt you with this anymore. This thing in my head feels like you and it can touch me. If I tried to defend myself and hurt you…" She explained and Damon closed his eyes and sighed.
Stefan stepped away to allow her to lean into Damon's back, kissing between his shoulder blades and she slipped her arms around his stomach.
"I never want to hurt you again. It's seems like that's all I've ever done." She whispered and Stefan could see Damon melting. Elena always had that power, especially over them.
"We need to stay together on this. If the witch is also looking for this cure and she can see us, know what Elena is thinking, then we have to come up with a plan." Stefan reasoned and Damon opened his eyes looking tired, but placed his hands on top of Elena's on his stomach. She rested her head into his back relieved and looked towards Stefan.
"You have to do it without me. I'm a liability now. You can't tell me anything." Elena pointed out and Damon brought her hands up to his mouth and kissed them before turning around and facing them both.
"We have to find this cure now. We've not got any time to waste. Where's Jeremy?" Damon asked her and she tightened. Stefan folded his arms feeling uncomfortable. He could read Elena like a book.
"He's the hunter Elena. This is the only way. He wants this for you." Stefan consoled and she looked to him torn. She didn't want any of this for Jeremy, especially if it ate away at Jeremy's soul like it had been.
"He's at the Lake house with Bonnie and the Professor. They're trying to teach him how to control his urge to kill me."
"Good. I'll go and help."
"No, but…" Elena grabbed his arm and he cooed at her and held her gaze as he spoke.
"Listen to me, I'll train him, I'll protect him and we'll get you this cure."
"You shouldn't tell me what you're going to do, I'll ruin everything!" She cried in distress and Stefan shook his head.
"No Elena, the witch has been in your head for a while now. She knows this is what we would do, she'll expect it." She thought on that and nodded grimly.
"What do I do?"
"Stay here, be an 18 year old girl and do whatever the hell 18 year old girls are supposed to do. Leave Stefan and I to the rest."
"What if Charlotte…"
"She won't come back here Elena, no way. She'll be running for the hills now." Damon snorted and Stefan frowned and chewed his lip. He wasn't so sure about that.
"Ok." She gave a weak smile and all three of them took a breath.
Despite how crazy everything was, this was the first time they had all been together and talking, planning, united. She smiled as she realised that as Stefan and Damon began to talk in code to each other. She listened, not understanding a word and hugged herself. They seemed almost like the two brothers they had been. She'd changed that, damaged that in so many ways. Strange that their sense of love and protection for her brought them together and forced them apart equally. If they got through all of this ordeal together hopefully they could repair their relationships. She looked at Stefan as he listened engrossed to Damon. There was such respect there. Stefan hadn't looked at Damon like that for weeks and it warmed her to see that. She missed seeing that side of Stefan. To her he had been a shadow of the boy she'd fallen in love with lately all because she had put him in this position. Of course Stefan would try to fight for her when he thought she may be under mind control – she would have done the same for him. Add to that, he had had to watch and suffer as she had taken his brother to bed and into her heart so intensely right under his nose. She couldn't really blame him for any of his behaviour.
She stepped forward and squeezed Stefan's arm affectionately and he looked to her in surprise. Things between them had been so awkward lately. She'd still felt so betrayed by him, but seeing everything as it was right now shone some perspective on it. Stefan loved her and although she didn't feel the same kind of love, she would always love him too.
"I'm going to go and see Caroline and do girl things. Be safe. Both of you." She looked form one to other and Stefan relaxed more than he had done for weeks.
He gave her a genuine smile. Damon seemed surprised at how calm she seemed and she went to him and hugged him, kissing him softly and chastely out of respect for Stefan. She left them both, walking away towards the door feeling better than she had for a long time as they both stared in wonder at her.
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"…and I am telling you, I have no clue how he got my number! I didn't give it to him. I mean does he have some freaky little minion sneaking around in cyberspace somewhere, stealing credit card information and people's cell numbers?" Caroline fumed, on a roll and Elena felt herself giggle and hold her hand over her mouth. Caroline blushed and huffed at her indignantly before breaking into a giggle too as she hit Elena with a cushion on the bed.
"I don't think he steals everyone's cell numbers Care. Just yours."
"God, why does everyone think that's funny though?" Caroline huffed again.
"He likes you." Elena commented and Caroline picked at her nails.
"He's the bad guy. You know he wants this cure so he can make you a little hybrid generator again. He's got no conscience."
"Care, please…I don't wanna talk about…"
"I'm sorry." Caroline apologised and squeezed her hand. "You were laughing. Haven't seen that for a while."
"I know. Can't believe how long ago it was that we could just hang out like this, not scared we were going to die, or have someone come after us or…"
"Hey. I know." Caroline pulled her into a hug. "At least you don't have 'Sir Smart-Ass' texting you in the middle of the night." Caroline tried to lighten the tone and Elena smiled.
"I just have Sir Pouts A-Lot." They both burst into fits of laughter.
"Sir Smoulder…" Caroline offered.
"Sir I'm-Damon-And-I-Do-What-I-like!" Elena imitated Damon's facial expressions as best as she could and Caroline held her stomach laughing. It felt cathartic and wonderful to laugh and talk about boys – this was what 18 year old girls were supposed to do. Damon asked for it!
"You looked just like him, does he know you can do that?"
"Nope. I got tons of practice when I was with Stefan and he was huffy all of the time." Elena admitted and Caroline smiled with a little hint of melancholy.
"You really don't love Stefan anymore do you?"
"I'll always love him, but…no. Even before I went to New Orleans I knew what I felt was real. Damon makes me feel alive. Stefan makes me feel like I'm broken, like I need to be fixed."
"Do you want to be fixed?"
"No. I'm not afraid of this anymore. I want this thing out of my head but now I know it's not him. I'm going to get my life back." Elena said with conviction and Caroline smiled at her in understanding.
"Are you going to try some of your hypnosis stuff tonight?"
"Yeah. I wanna try the hand tapping thing."
"You wanna stay here tonight?"
"I should probably go home." Elena mused and saw Caroline's smile falter a little. With all of the events happening around them she'd kind of neglected Caroline the past few days. "You know what? Sure. Let's slumber it." Elena smiled and Caroline cheered in excitement.
"Great! I've got exactly the kind of line up we need – popcorn, chocolate, a little O-Positive and…" Caroline reached under her bed jumping up and down like a school girl as Elena laughed and raised her eyebrows. "Mr-Nobody-Puts-Baby-in-The-Corner." Caroline drew a sultry look and fluttered his eyelashes as Elena cheered and they descended into retro chaos.
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It hadn't taken long for Damon to figure out that he'd been right about the Professor being shady. He held him upside down over the Lake as the professor struggled and shouted for him to let him down.
"Spill it or I'll drown you like last year's puppies." Damon threatened and the professor looked at him in equal measures of disgust and fear. Damon smiled confidently and threw him onto the pier again, wiping down his hands as the professor gasped and righted himself again.
"I know where it is ok. I can take you there."
"Oh really? That's convenient. And where did this epiphany come from?"
"I've always known. I just needed a bargaining tool for you to keep me alive till we get there."
"How so?" Damon smiled threateningly and tilted his head.
"I'm the only one that knows where it is. If you kill me, you'll never find it."
"Lie!" Damon snorted and folded his arms and Klaus walked over to join the conversation.
"Easy Damon mate, I'm intrigued." Klaus said standing at Damon's shoulder. Damon flinched and sighed. Did Klaus always have to be so creepy all of the time? His inclusion in this plan hadn't been welcomed once Damon had gotten up here. It spelled disaster he was sure, but he couldn't argue that Klaus would be able to get this job done quicker.
"I was there." The professor said confidently.
"When?" Damon asked and the professor stood up and looked at them in the eyes.
"A few years ago. I can take you there. You don't need Jeremy's mark."
"If we never needed the damn tattoo then what has this all been about?" Damon fumed and the professor smiled.
"Insurance."
"What?" Klaus asked calmly.
"Now that the mark is spreading it'll drive Jeremy mad. He'll want to kill all of you. I'm the only one who knows how to get rid of it."
"Nicely played. Perhaps you should come and work for me." Klaus smirked and Damon shot him a look of anger.
"Take us there."
"Not until I have your word that you'll help me get my wife back and then let us go in peace."
"I'll let you go in pieces…" Damon grinned threateningly, "…unless you take us there now."
"Easy, easy." Klaus gave a small chuckle and patted Damon's shoulder, making Damon recoil. "As you know my friend here is rather invested in getting this cure, as am I. So let's call it a truce shall we? You take us there, we get the cure for Elena and you get your ghost wife back. We'll all go our separate ways and live happily ever after." Klaus smiled and the professor searched his eyes.
"Your word?"
"On my life." Klaus placed his hand over his heart and Damon watched them closely.
"That's not much to pin my life on. Swear on something you care about." Klaus became serious as he thought on that. He hadn't intended to let the man live, there was no use for him after they got there – he didn't care about Jeremy going mad and killing them all. It'd save him some time, but then…Caroline. He'd promised Caroline he wouldn't hurt her by killing them all. He sighed and bit his lip as he considered that.
"Caroline." Damon offered and Klaus looked at him sharply in surprise.
"He swears on Caroline." Damon looked to him and he felt his blood boil. She was too big a weakness, even the Salvatore's' knew how to use that fact against him. The professor watched him, awaiting a response and he swallowed the fire he wanted to breathe in Damon's face and stood straighter.
"On her life then." He said and the professor nodded, convinced and pulled a map out of his back pocket. He unravelled it and flattened it out, holding it out to them as they moved closer and looked down.
"It's there." He pointed and Klaus and Damon both grunted in surprise.