Hey guys! Very sorry this is up so late in the week but it's my birthday! I wanted to update as my gift to you! We get a little bit more information in this chapter! Let me know what you think!
Season 2 Episode 17 Know Thy Enemy
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of my cell phone blaring in my ear. I wasn't really in the mood, but I answered anyway. I wished I hadn't.
"What do you mean Isobel's back?" I asked shooting up out of my bed. My head was spinning and I wasn't sure if that was the head rush or because of this new information.
"She just showed up last night and freaked out Jenna." Elena explained. I held my head in my hands. "She won't talk to me."
"God… it's getting harder and harder to keep secrets in this town." I muttered. It seemed like everyone and their great aunt twice removed knew about our secret. It was starting to be concerning, because we didn't know who we could and could not trust anymore.
"Tell me about it." Elena replied. "So, get this, John shows up with Isobel this morning, claiming that they are trying to protect me."
I furrowed my brows and stood up. I went to my dresser and opened it up to grab a t shirt and some jeans. Honestly, I wouldn't put it past John to say that he was looking out for Elena and I. He did it all the time, and when he said he was looking out for us that meant he was trying to kill Damon and Stefan. They may have been vampires, and John may have had some twisted version of the Salvatores in his head, but Damon and Stefan weren't the bad guys here. If anything, the brothers were the ones I completely trusted as of now.
However, John and my mother… I wouldn't say they were dating but they were doing something. And him hanging out with Isobel was a big red flag.
"They started talking about Klaus…" Elena said, catching my attention. If Isobel was as good as getting information as I believed she was, maybe she had found something out about the guardian and how we are connected to Klaus.
"Did she say anything about me?" I asked hopefully. When I was met with a sigh and awkward silence, I got my answer. "That's ok… I didn't think she would anyway."
"Don't worry." Elena said. "We will figure this all out."
I smiled weakly. Elena was always trying to make everyone else feel better, and telling everyone that everything would be ok even when the whole world was falling apart. She was going to die unless we had something to say about it. I was also apparently going to die, trying to save her. I wondered if that was sooner or later. I bet on sooner considering she was about to be sacrificed unless we found a way to stop people from blabbing to Klaus that a doppelganger exists.
"I'm going to get ready." I told her, not up to hearing that everything was going to be fine. "See you later."
"Ok." She said. I could hear her apprehension but she didn't push it any further before she hung up. This was all a big mess. Jonas and Luca Martin were dead, Katherine was hanging out with my boyfriend, and the oldest vampire ever was hell bent on finding Elena and breaking this curse. On top of that I was some kind of super natural being that no one knew anything about it seemed. I debated on trying to find Isobel, asking her if she knew anything, but I voted against it. Isobel was not on our side, not after how she played with us last time. We had to be on our toes, both Isobel and Katherine hanging around gave me anxiety.
Once I was dressed and presentable, I walked out of my room and down the hall. I had planned to make myself some kind of breakfast, my stomach screaming at me to eat something. However, when I made my way to the kitchen, I finally realized I was not alone. I turned to the right, the living room inhabited by two persons, one standing the other at the door. I gulped and turned slightly to get a better view.
"Alex…" John's voice registered before I fully processed that he was standing in my living room, and standing at the door was Isobel. It set a fire in my stomach and I felt my temper flare. It didn't occur to me until later that they had broken into my house.
"What do you want?" I asked, calmly and carefully. If I didn't keep it together I would start screaming, and now wasn't the time for that. Isobel could kill both John and I, and I was without a weapon. I had to keep my cool for a little bit, just until I heard what they had to say. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't curious as to why Isobel was standing at my front door. I assumed it was like their little stunt with Elena this morning.
"I have information that may be pertinent to you." Isobel said calmly. I swallowed, but said nothing. "If you would invite me in-"
"Hell no." I said with a shake of my head. "I can't do that."
"I have no intention of harming you or your mother." Isobel said. "It would be better if you invited me in."
"Alex…" John warned me, giving me a look. I glared at him.
"You really want to bring her into this house?" I asked. "Whatever would my mother say?"
John set his jaw, but continued to give me that look.
"I do not wish to harm your mother in any way." Isobel said. "The information I have will help you."
I ground my teeth together before I begrudgingly let her in. I needed this information. She stepped inside and sat down in one of the chairs, making herself at home. I opted to continue standing.
"I researched Klaus for years… and I've never found him." Isobel said, sounding a bit irritated that she had never came across him. I licked my lips.
"Yeah, that's helpful." I muttered. John gave me a stern look, one I assumed a father would give his daughter. Isobel didn't seem phased by my attitude, and I guessed she was prepared for my dislike of her. She knew that John was dating my mom, and yet she still snuck around with him, that made me not be a big fan of her. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest as I waited for her to continue.
"And I never saw anything in regards to a guardian." Isobel said, making my stomach sink. "But I did find this."
She then placed something on the coffee table. Slowly and carefully I walked forward to retrieve it. All the while I was watching both vampire and hunter, just in case one were to strike when I was not aware. Neither did so, and I was safely back in my spot before I knew it. I then looked down at the photo in my hand. My jaw went slack and my eyes widened as I studied it.
"It was at a museum." Isobel explained. "No one knew who the drawing was from or who was in it. But I figured that you would find it interesting."
I swallowed hard as my eyes scanned the picture. The sketch itself was crude, very old as it would seem. Yellowed parchment, and the lines were not drawn from a modern pencil. In it was a man, had an angular face that was delicate but still held a strength to it in his jaw. His eyes were big and his hair was curly. It was only of his upper region, barely showing any of his torso. Even so, he looked like he was built strong, but it was his mischievous grin that was what really caught my attention.
As I moved from the man to the woman I felt my breathing start to speed up and my heart start to pound. She was small, very straight and thin. Her hair was curly, falling past her shoulders in long brown tresses. She had big eyes, just like the man standing next to her, that had a small twinkle of innocence in them. She didn't smile, but the happiness was there in her expression.
I could tell that the drawing, was of me. Or someone who looked like me. Even without color in the drawing, I could tell that this woman had my face. And since the drawing was so old, I knew that it wasn't actually me. I looked away from the picture and chewed on the inside of my mouth.
"How?" I asked finally. I knew that the question was one that would be hard to answer. Nothing made sense anymore. "How does she look like me?"
"Just like Katherine and Elena look alike…" John replied, trailing off. Katherine had said that her guardian, Maria, had looked exactly like me. I looked at the photo again and held back a sob.
"Is that…." I couldn't finish the question, but I didn't need to.
"We believe that this could be Klaus." She said. "Of course, we aren't sure."
I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. There was no questioning that Klaus and I were connected, this picture of him and a girl who looked exactly like me was all the proof I needed. The way that they were posed, it wasn't necessarily romantic, however it was protective and possessive. His arm was draped over her shoulder, but not in a friendly posture. Knowing that I was somehow connected to Klaus, I knew that this drawing meant something. The relationship was closer than I originally believed, and that terrified me. I placed the picture back on the coffee table and started to back away.
"Alex-"
"Thank you." I said, swallowing hard as I looked up at the vampire in my living room. "Thank you for showing me that."
"My pleasure." Isobel said with a nod. She held no emotion in her expression, if anything this little gesture was for John more than it was for me. Regardless, I was both overjoyed and upset to have this new information. I nodded to her and turned to leave the room.
I wanted to be alone, I didn't want to talk to them anymore. I thought I wanted answers, and in a way I was relieved that I now had a little bit more information than I did before. However, I also realized that I was not completely ready for those answers. This was not what I wanted to hear, and now I was feeling the effects of my inability to process this terrifying revelation.
I was pacing my bedroom, trying to figure out how to deal with this. I didn't get a lot of time to think to myself before I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I turned to the door and in came John. He had an expression of sympathy and although I should have been longing for comfort, John was the last person I wanted to cry on.
"Are you ok?" He asked. I nodded, but by the face he was giving me I knew that he wasn't buying it. He stepped further into my bedroom and looked around. It then occurred to me that this was the first time he had been in my room before. "Are you sure?"
"I'm fine." I replied, wanting to get him out of my house. Everything was bubbling up and I didn't think I could hold back anymore. He continued his assessment of my room before he turned back to me and sighed.
"I know this is a lot to process-"
"Yeah." I muttered, holding back an eye roll. "And I'd rather do that alone."
"Alex-"
"You tried to kill Damon." I said, finally letting the pot boil over. "Again."
John's mouth went into a straight line but he kept my gaze. I didn't back down. I crossed my arms over my chest and waiting for his explanation, but we both knew that whatever he said it wouldn't be good enough.
"I was only doing that for your own good." He said honestly. I scoffed. It was actually kind of sad that he thought killing Damon was good for me. In fact, if something happened to Damon, I felt like I would fall apart completely. "It's true."
"Well stop it." I barked. "When it comes to Damon you know nothing about my own good."
John tensed but said nothing more. When he realized that I was not going to say anything else he nodded. He visibly swallowed and turned back to the door to leave. I was prepared for him to go when he suddenly stopped at the doorframe.
"I don't want you seeing Isobel." I said. His eyes widened. "If you are going to be with my mother… you can't be around Isobel."
He stepped closer to me, staring me deep in the eyes. My main concern when it came to John was that he did not hurt my mother again. She wanted him around, so I would have to deal with it. But I would not have Isobel ruining this for her again.
"I will not hurt your mother again." John said. "I promise."
I stared at him for a long time before I nodded.
"You're my daughter." John said earnestly. "And I am going to do everything in my power to protect you."
I didn't move or say anything.
"And sometimes you aren't going to like that." John said. "I'm sorry."
He was gone then, and I felt a familiarity peek in my memory. Just last night Damon said the same thing. I'm going to do things that you don't like and I'm probably going to make you mad… a lot… but the only reason I do this stuff is because I want to make sure you are safe. John had basically said the same thing, only in lesser words. Both Damon and John seemed to have my best interests at heart, the only problem was that neither one of them ever even seemed to care what I thought.
Damon killed people, that's what he did. I knew what I was getting into when I started this relationship, when I fell in love with him. John killed vampires, and in a sick and twisted way he was trying to protect me. Both men were trying to protect me in the wrong ways. Their way was to kill the people who harmed me, instead of figuring out another way. I wondered if it was a male thing, or if maybe John and Damon weren't so different after all.
I smiled at little at the thought and voted against telling the theory to Damon. I don't know how long I sat there in my bedroom before I finally got the courage to leave. I ventured out of my room, not having much of an appetite anymore, and out onto the streets. It baffled me how walking in the fresh air used to clear my head, and now all I was doing was looking over my shoulder because I was afraid of who or what could be following me. I clutched my arms around myself, the cool air nipping at me. I should have brought a jacket.
The walk to the Salvatore house was uneventful, thankfully, and when I got inside the place seemed empty. I called out for someone, but I didn't hear a response. I walked up the stairs, going past Jace's bedroom and going to Damon's. He was not inside, so I plopped down on his bed to wait for him. Damon always had a knack for cheering me up when it came to my asshole of a father. He would distract me from this scary revelation about Klaus as well. He was good at that too.
"Well, if it isn't the other Gilbert girl."
I shot up from my spot on Damon's bed at the sound of Katherine's voice. Sure enough, she stood in the door way, a smug smirk plastered on her face. My eyes narrowed into slits. No matter what she did or how she helped us, I would never trust her, not after what she had done and the threat she placed upon my mother.
"And if it isn't the lying whore bag." I replied. Katherine glared a bit, but she didn't attack me like I thought she would. I slowly reached my hand to my belt loop where my stake was placed. If she got any ideas, I wouldn't hesitate to stab her in that bleeding heart of hers.
"You have been hanging around Damon too much." She said and then winked. "He's starting to taint your sweet demeanor."
"Or maybe I just don't like dirty bitches like you." I said back. Katherine chuckled at my comment as she started her way around Damon's room. "Where is Damon?"
"Went off to run a little errand with your witch friend and her little pet." Katherine said, picking up one of Damon's books and examined it. I was trying to look as calm as possible, trying not to let her see that I was on edge. But then I remembered she could hear my heart beat, so my anxiety was probably shining though.
"Where's Jace?" I asked cautiously. Katherine got a sick smile that curled on to her face like a snake.
"Truth be told, he isn't a big fan of me." Katherine mused. "He gets out of here as soon as he can."
"Can't say I blame him." I replied. Katherine shrugged. It burned me a little that she cared so little for my friend who had cared so much. Even without the compulsion, Jace had true feelings for Katherine and she just stomped all over them like they were nothing. It made me pretty upset at her.
"I'm starting to get the feeling you don't like me very much." She said, turning to me. I furrowed my brows.
"What gave you that idea?" I asked, not really expecting an answer. I watched her trot around the room, going around through Damon's stuff. It occurred to me then that she was looking for something.
"Well, when you staked me in the tomb that gave me a pretty good idea." She said, more amused then mad. I figured she would be coming at me with fangs and ready to tear me open. But killing me right now would do her no good, because she needed Damon and Stefan on her side right now.
"Can I tell you something?" She asked suddenly. I felt my eyes go wide in surprise and she chuckled a little at my reaction.
"I guess so." I replied. Katherine turned fully to me and crossed her arms over her chest. She was the complete opposite of Elena. While Elena was delicate and fragile, Katherine was lethal and tough. You could see it in their mannerisms. When Katherine was pretending to be Elena, all you had to do was look in the eyes. Katherine's were cold, iced over from years of running and being afraid. Elena's were warm and kind, and that was the true difference between Katherine and Elena. Katherine was mean because she had to be, Elena was kind because she had to be.
"I don't think Klaus is coming to kill you." Katherine said. I furrowed my brows. "When Maria died… Klaus wasn't the one to do it."
"Ok?" I said. "That doesn't mean he wouldn't try."
"No… no Klaus was different with Maria." Katherine said, looking like she was thinking back to another time. "No, Maria was doing what she was made to do. Klaus wouldn't have killed her."
"Why do you say that?" I asked. Katherine sighed. If Katherine was bonded to Maria, she had to have cared for her. Maria laid down her life for Katherine, because she was supposed to. I wondered if the time came I would feel scared or happy to do so if Elena were in danger.
"I think Klaus was trying to save her. When we first met him, it was like she already knew who he was… it was strange." Katherine admitted. Nothing about Katherine's tone made me believe she was lying. But how could I trust her? After everything she had done and all the people she hurt, how could I put my faith in her words?
"How did she die?" I asked. Katherine tensed, as if the memory haunted her. She swallowed hard before shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"I had just found out what Klaus planned to do with me." She explained. "I told Maria and she and Trevor arranged my escape. We were running, and then suddenly she pulled me to the side. She told me to hide and that she would lead them away from my location. I begged her not to go… but she hugged me… told me she loved me… and she was gone…"
Katherine didn't cry, but she didn't look happy about it either. I studied her for a long time before she pulled on her hard outer shell again.
"I found her after I had turned… she had her neck broken." She said and then met my gaze. "Losing the other half of the bond is one of the most excruciating pains I ever experienced. If you die… Elena will never be the same."
I swallowed hard.
"That's what makes it harder to forget them." She continued. "Maria was the only one who laid down her life for me and expected nothing in return. In time, I'm sure you will do the same."
I said nothing, and with the silence, Katherine turned around and walked out of the room. I was starting to get a head ache, with all of this new information I was still trying to make sense of everything. Was I a doppelgänger of someone from Klaus's past? What was the purpose of my bond with Elena and yet still having a bond to Klaus as well? I'm pretty sure that would be a conflict of interest.
I waited around the house for a very long time, and when I went down to the living room I found that Katherine had disappeared. I didn't mind though. I couldn't take another pow wow with her right now. I eventually settled down, grabbing an empty notebook I found and started drawing. I was so focused on the piece I barely heard the door open and close.
"I've been waiting for you all- what the hell?" I asked when I turned around. Damon came in, a limp John on his shoulder. He dropped John's body to the floor and when I jumped up from my seat and over to him, I realized he wasn't breathing.
"He's fine." Damon said. "Got his handy dandy ring."
"What happened?" I asked, looking over the lifeless body of my father. I could see the neck wound, and knew it was a vampire attack. But who?
"You're dad took a tumble." Damon said, looking down at his hands which had blood on it, along with his shirt. He grumbled to himself, obviously not in a good mood. I followed him up the stairs and back into his bedroom.
"Any idea who did this?" I asked. Damon shrugged, pulling his soiled shirt off and tossing it to the floor. I blushed a light pink at the sight of him.
"Well, John isn't very well liked in this town." Damon commented. "It could be anyone."
"As long as he wakes up soon." I said. "I don't want to have to explain to my mother that he got bitten by a vampire."
Damon scoffed. I watched him go into his bathroom, scrubbing his hands so the blood would come off. I bit my lip, watching the curves of his body as he moved. He surely was a beautiful specimen, and I was really glad to call him mine. I stood up then, walking over to him and standing next to him.
"You seem tense." I said. He scoffed, wiping the water from his hands. I let my hand travel up his arm, my touch feather like. Damon seemed to relax a little at my touch, something I took great pride in. His icy blue eyes fell down to me and I smiled a little bit.
"What has you in a good mood?" He asked. I sighed. Truth be told, I was in a very bad mood. I just wanted a distraction, and Damon was a very good distraction tool.
"I'm not." I admitted and then met his gaze. "But I missed you all day… and it was excruciating."
"Excruciating?" He repeated with a smirk. I nodded innocently, pulling him toward me by his belt loops.
"Excruciating." I replied, putting emphasis on the word. I then stood on my tip toes and pressed my lips to his in a tender kiss. Damon responded quickly, placing one hand on my waist and the other plummeting into my hair. In that moment, nothing really mattered. Not Klaus, or Katherine, or the fact that I was prophesized to die for Elena. Nothing mattered but me and Damon and the way he made my heart soar with every touch, with every kiss. This was what life truly was. This was what love was.
Ring
"You have got to be kidding me." Damon said, pulling back from the kiss. I pouted a little as he answered his phone, but opted to run my hands down his muscled chest and abdomen. The planes of his muscles still set my heart a blaze. How could someone be so beautiful? I didn't think someone could be so attractive.
"What?" Damon suddenly barked, catching my attention. He released his hold on me and slammed his phone down on the counter. He started looking through the bowl of soaps on the sink and then out of anger, tossed the bowl to the side of the room.
"Damon!" I shrieked at his sudden outburst. He ran an angry hand through his hair before he started pacing the room. "Damon, what's going on?"
"She got it." Damon said. "Katherine got the moonstone."
"What?" I asked eyes wide.
"And Isobel took Elena." Damon said, going to his closet for another shirt. I felt my stomach drop. I remembered then, Katherine looking around. She had gone into the bathroom. She must have been feeding me that story so I wouldn't notice.
"I feel so stupid." I mumbled.
"Why?" Damon asked, eyes narrowed. I sank onto his mattress in a pathetic heap. How could I have let her get away with something so important? I had let her fool me, and I felt completely used.
"She was right here." I said. "I let her get away with it… it's my fault."
I covered my face with my hands then, trying to hide my shame. Katherine could bargain off Elena and the moonstone for her life. That whole story about Maria was bull shit. Katherine doesn't care about anyone but herself. That made me feel bad for Maria, who put her life at risk for someone who couldn't give a damn about if she survived or not. It made me sick to my stomach that I believed her tale.
"Hey… hey…" Damon said, crouching down to my level. He pulled my wrists away from my face effortlessly, and I tried very hard not to cry. "Alex, it's not your fault."
"It is!" I said. Damon shook his head. "How can you be so calm about this?"
"Because I hate it when you cry." He said, reaching forward to wipe a stray tear away. "We will find her. I promise."
I bit my bottom lip and then nodded. He smiled at me, placing a small kiss to my forehead. He then pulled me up and we went down the stairs just as Stefan came inside followed by Jace. Obviously he looked like a nervous wreck. I didn't know if it was the bond or not, but I wasn't faring too well either.
"Come on." Stefan urged his brother. I started to follow Damon when he stopped me.
"You're staying here." Damon said.
"Are you kidding?" I asked. "I'm the guardian here."
"You're still not strong enough." Damon said. He then turned to Jace. "Keep her here."
Jace nodded, grabbing my arm so I couldn't follow Damon and Stefan out the door. I fought him a little bit, but Stefan and Damon were gone before I could get free. I huffed, going to the couch and plopping down on the surface with my arms crossed over my chest.
"Pouting is not an attractive look for you." Jace said with a chuckle. I narrowed my eyes and glared as I watched him sit across from me. "Come on, you should have known he wouldn't let you go."
"Yeah…" I admitted honestly. "I just wished this time would be different."
"Well, maybe if you haven't been shirking your training-"
"I haven't been shirking anything!" I told him. "You have been taking all the shifts at work."
Jace shrugged. I couldn't really blame him, and considering he is living with his ex-girlfriend, I let him take all the shifts I usually would have taken. It was weird, having someone else need the money more than I did, but I was happy to give them up for someone who really needed it.
"We need to make a time every week to practice." Jace said. "If Katherine goes to Klaus, then he will be here sooner rather than later."
"I'm not doing anything now." I suggested, standing up. Jace got that wicked grin that he usually sported and stood with me. We didn't go out to our usual spot, fearing Damon and Stefan would get home and we would be gone. So, we stayed in the back yard. We didn't bring out any guns or big weapons, just in case any neighbors saw us.
We instead worked hand to hand and with my stake. In the beginning, I was a bit rusty, but I eventually got back into the swing of things. I liked training. It made me feel like I was working toward something that could possibly save my life. On top of that, I was coming to terms that I was the one made to protect Elena. I couldn't be weak anymore, not if Klaus knew about her and was coming. No matter what it took, I was going to protect her.
"You're getting good at this." Jace said to me after I pinned him with the stake pointed to his chest. I smirked and pulled him and myself up. "Klaus better look out."
"Yeah right." I said with a grin. "You want to call it a day?"
"Sure." Jace said, rolling his shoulder around. "You really kicked my ass."
I giggled as he continued massaging his sore muscles. We went inside and I grabbed us two water bottles from the fridge. I tossed one to him as he plopped down on the couch unceremoniously. I sunk into the chair across from him and started sipping. The nice thing about Jace was that you didn't have to talk to him. The two of us could sit there in total silence and still be comfortable. There was no pressure with Jace, just two people who could be totally friendly and no weirdness.
"Do you think you're going to die?" Jace suddenly asked me. I looked at him, but I didn't respond. I just shrugged.
"If Klaus is as bad as everyone says…" I began. "We may all die."
"But do you think that you will really die trying to protect Elena?" He asked. He looked curious, but also concerned. I should have guessed he would act that way. Jace and I had this mutual understanding, and we cared about the others safety.
"I might." I said. "But I don't think I would really mind."
"Really?" He asked. I shrugged again.
"Dying for someone you care about is the best way to go I guess." I said, taking another sip from my bottle. Jace nodded and we fell back into silence. Did I want to die? No, but given the choice to survive but someone close to me has to die… I didn't think I would ever choose myself. It wasn't just the bond to Elena that had me thinking that way. It was the fact that I cared about everyone else over my own safety. Obviously, that put me in a position of me constantly getting into trouble and having near death experiences, but I believed it to be worth it. I wasn't a martyr or a saint because I felt this way. I believed everyone should feel that way. Would you rather die being selfish or selfless?
The front door opened and I jumped up. Damon came in, followed by Stefan and Elena. In a second I was up and I ran over to Elena. I enveloped her in my arms, glad to see that she was safe.
"Are you ok?" I asked her, pulling back to assess her. She nodded, and from my inspection she looked to be unharmed. However, she was fiddling with something in her hand. I looked down at it and found it was a blue necklace. As I continued to stare at it, I realized where I recognized it from. I met her gaze and saw small tears forming in her eyes and hugged her again.
"Isobel is dead." Stefan explained, I was assuming to Jace. "She was compelled to betray Katherine."
"So where is she?" Jace asked from behind me. I pulled back from Elena, not letting go of my hold on her arm. Regardless of how disappointing Isobel was to Elena, she was still her biological mother and there was a connection that neither could deny. From what I could tell, Isobel still had feelings regarding her daughters safety.
"We are assuming with Klaus." Stefan said. "We don't know his plans."
"So, he knows." I said gravely. Stefan nodded to me and I turned back to Elena. Her expression was one of fear, knowing now that Klaus was indeed coming to find her and try to break the curse. "We aren't going to let anything happen to you."
Elena nodded to me, swallowing hard so as to not let any tears flow. I admired her strength in that tense moment. I would probably be breaking down if it were me. But Elena was good at hiding her emotions when she needed to.
"Here." Damon said, handing Elena a large stack of papers. She looked down at it confused. "It's the deed to the house."
"You're giving me your house?" Elena asked confused. I myself was a bit baffled by the gesture.
"Isobel had the right idea with the safe house." Stefan said. "You'll just stay here till it's all over. That way, you can control who gets invited and who doesn't."
"Although I'll be super pissed if you lock me out." Damon commented. Elena rolled her eyes. Just then we heard a gasp from the doorway. We all turned and saw John sitting up, looking very disoriented. I guess coming back from the dead would do that to a person. Damon rushed over to John, picking him up off the floor as if he was about to hurt him.
"I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do." John said and then looked to Elena. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
"Damon, let him go." Elena said. "He and I need to talk."
Damon paused a second before dropping John to the ground. He fell in a heap to the floor, and Damon stepped over him. I looked to Elena, trying to gauge her reaction. She looked much less scared, and more determined than anything.
"Do you want me to stay?" I asked her. She shook her head, patting my arm.
"I got this." She said with a small smile. I nodded to her and then left the room with the others to let the two talk. I went back to Damon's room, the soap dish still lying on the floor where he had thrown it. I shivered a bit, remembering the loud sound it made when it hit the wall.
"This is a big mess." Damon mumbled behind me. I turned, seeing him sit on the edge of his bed. He looked much older when he was concentrating. I smiled weakly, walking over to him and sitting down in the spot beside him.
"It's going to be ok." I told him, taking his hand. "Elena will be safe."
"I want you to be safe." He said, giving me a look. I swallowed. "I would really like if you stay here where I can keep an eye on you."
"You know I can't do that." I reminded him. "Someone has to be there for my mom."
Damon huffed, but nodded because he knew it was true. I linked out fingers together, my smaller hand fitting perfectly into his large one. He squeezed it, studying the shape of our hands. He then placed a small kiss to mine before he turned to me.
"Can you stay tonight?" He asked. "Just to give me some peace of mind."
I nodded leaning forward to kiss his cheek. I pulled back, but he caught my chin, bringing my face back to his in a sweet kiss. Before he got any other ideas I pulled back and stood up. He watched me confused as I fished something out of my pocket. I handed him the picture that Isobel gave me that morning.
"This is what I think Klaus looks like." I told him. Damon studied the photo for a minute or two before he looked back at me. "Looks like he was buddy buddy with one of my doppelgängers."
"I'm not going to let him anywhere near you." Damon said, leaning forward and touching our foreheads together. "I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that promise." I said with a grin. The two of us then curled up under his blankets, falling into a deep sleep.
