"Wow, isn't this cute?" Katherine asks.
Is that what she said? It was something to that affect. I don't even know. Nothing registers but this: Elena, the woman who told me we couldn't be together just a few short days ago, is in my arms. Her head is on my chest. She's so delicate and fragile that I'm afraid my urgent embrace will break her into a billion pieces. But it doesn't. She just holds on tighter.
Well, this rooms a bit crowded. Much to my dismay, I'll have to let her go- for now. After today, nothing will ever cause me to let go of Elena. I'm never giving up because I know now that everything we have is real. She was waiting for me, so no other obstacles matter. Nothing matters but this. Our happy ending is somewhere on the horizon.
I nod down at Elena to let her know that we'll talk later. For now, we have to strategize.
"I see Stefan's completely given up."
"He's tired," Elena defensively remarks.
Ah, there's the familiar scent of Stefan's cheerleader. But that's okay. Something's changed between Stefan and I tonight. We have some sort of understanding that's never been there before. I think it's all because he finally admitted that I'm the smarter, better looking brother who should've been winning this whole time. Good for him. Now he can finally give those eyebrows a rest.
"Well, it shouldn't be long before Klaus and Rebekah show up here. And you should know he's got a few pals with him. I think it's just a scare tactic. And Stefan's easily scared so."
Elena's barely listening, though. She's eyeing Katherine and Elijah up and down. I should probably explain who the mysterious man in a full suit is.
"Oh, this is Elijah, who I'm sure you've heard of. Klaus's brother. He's apparently here to help. And um, I don't think the second introduction is needed."
"Almost didn't recognize her. In all of my fantasies she's in an orange jumpsuit down at Georgie State Pen."
Katherine sarcastically smiles and shoots daggers in Elena's direction.
"Quite the charmer she is," Kat retorts.
"Put your claws away, ladies. I think it's time Elijah explains to you the entirety of Klaus's little scheme."
So, Elijah begins relaying the tale I heard on the flight over. Elena listens with intense interest and wide eyes. The story is pretty fascinating, but it's also deluded and proves how determined Klaus is. That's not a good thing. He's trying to start an international operation here. And a small-town brunette with a passion for protecting her family somehow stumbled upon his well calculated scheme. Clearly, he's got a problem. And a business man such as Klaus knows how to deal with his problems.
Elijah finishes after at least twenty minutes and at least twenty questions from Elena. Kat and I sit in the corner playing tic-tac-toe like the children we tend to be.
"Finally," I Mutter, "So, Klaus just wants Stefan. He doesn't really need you. You just need to leave with me, and Stefan will deal with the rest."
Elena's look of interest turns to concern and disgust.
"We can't just leave him to get sucked into a drug ring, Damon."
"But Elena, didn't you hear? This isn't about you. He just needs you to get to Stefan. And Stefan's willing to to work this out himself."
"Do you really think Klaus would allow me to get away? I know too much."
Elijah raises one hand.
"Not to interrupt your lovers' quarrel, but Elena has an excellent point."
I chuckle and flash a grin. Clearly, my associates don't know my brother as well as I do.
"Stefan's motive for dealing with the Klaus problem is to save you, Elena. That's all he cares about. He'll take care of it."
She shakes her head disapprovingly and then hangs it in what appears to be shame.
"Then what are you doing here? If it's going to be that easy for Stefan to get Klaus off my back, what did you come to do?"
Ouch, that one stung. Did we not just nonverbally establish how much we've needed each other?
"I came because I love you, Elena. Do I need more of a reason than that?"
She purses her lips and and crosses her arms defiantly.
"I'm sorry. I'm glad you're here, but we're not feeding Stefan to the wolves."
Speaking of Stefan, he's still passed out against the wall. Shouldn't he be strategizing with us? I pull him up by his prizewinning locks until he yells.
"Agh, ah! Damon!"
"Goodmorning, Goldy Locks. You've got company," I quip.
He nearly growls back at me. I've already given him a rough night, so I should probably lay off. I don't mean to be so hard on Stefan, but this is just my nature.
"What'd I miss?" He sleepily asks.
"Nothing," Kat steps forward, "But we're wondering what you're planning to do about Klaus."
"I'll talk to him. But I don't think he's going to listen. It's not like we're that close….but I'll try."
Must I hear Elijah tell the story again? One more time and I think I'll just do Klaus a favor and cut my ears off.
"Elijah will fill you in on what you're missing. Elena," I wave towards her.
She follows me out of the room and up a few flights of stairs. The roof seems like the best place to have a talk in private because we can still keep an eye out for Klaus. Not to mention, you can't beat the view up here. It's stunning. We're surrounded by green hills and pastures. The lights from the chateau are easily seen from this altitude. This is how you build a capital city. All of those class trips to D.C. as a child had me fooled. This is what the world really looks like, isn't it?
Elena reaches to intertwine our hands. It feels right. It's always felt right. And we're both here admitting it.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you," she starts.
"I get it."
She shakes her head.
"No, and I understand if you're upset. But Klaus didn't want me seeing you. I needed to work on Stefan for him, I guess. And I didn't want you to be in danger too. There's no doubt in my mind that you could handle yourself, but I couldn't bear putting you in that situation."
She actually thinks I could be upset with her. I hate how weak she makes me. I couldn't possibly hold a grudge against Elena if I tried. That's probably because everything she does, she does with the best of intentions.
"Really, Elena. I understand."
She smiles at me, a beautiful smile. And it's almost a real smile- I think.
"I'm glad you're here," she whispers as she places her head on my shoulder.
And that says it all.
We sit on the rooftop for at least twenty minutes saying little. Just being able to be here together is much more significant than words. There is more to discuss, though. How will she agree to leave with me? There's no way in hell she's staying here to deal with the fallout of all of this Klaus bullshit. She deserves to be at home going to school and doing the things she's dreamed of.
"Elena, you've got to let me take you out of here."
She looks up at me.
"No, Damon. You know I won't leave until everyone's okay, so I don't know why you keep asking."
"Because I'm hoping you'll change your mind."
"You need to take Jeremy home."
A laugh escapes me. I don't mean to sound insincere, but she can't be serious.
"Not to be a total jackass, but do you honestly think I'd take Jeremy back to Georgia? I'm not going to leave you here. You're the whole reason I came here."
"Damon. Someone needs to look out for my brother. Normally, that'd be my job but someone's also got to look out for Stefan and I owe him that much."
Once Elena makes up her mind, there's no changing it. But it's unlike me to care what she wants. I'll do what's best for her, even if she doesn't agree.
"Then I'll look out for Stefan. The two of you can go home. Rick's there, you'll be fine. I trust him for God knows why."
She rolls her eyes, smiles, and leans back into me.
"How I wish that could actually happen."
"But it could. You can go home and finally get your life back to normal."
"I don't think I could handle normal again. Not after all of this."
"Well, you'll try. Really, who do you think could better protect my brother? You or me?"
Elena slowly nods her head. Am I really offering to do this? Yes, yes I am. It took a lot for Stefan to trust me today. At the end of the day, he's my brother and I don't want to see him get hurt. I'll stand by his side against Klaus. It's a family matter, after all. Apparently Salvatore vs. Mikaelson is a historic feud. How could I miss being a part of this?
"I'm staying. I'll see you on the other side, kid."
I stand and kiss her on the forehead.
"I'm really proud of you, you know," she replies as she gets to her feet.
God, I hate being sentimental but this really gets to me. I don't think I've ever done anything worth being proud of. Maybe this is my first decent decision. If so, I'm going to do my best to make it one to remember. There's a part of me that tries to do the right thing and always loses, but Elena is strengthening that part of me every time we're together. As cliche as it sounds, she makes me a better man. And I'm going to do my best to be a man who deserves her: starting with helping my brother.
I nod to acknowledge I heard her, but I try not to make a big deal out of it. Despite this, she half-smiles and kisses me softly.
"I love you, Damon."
I hope you're enjoying the story! Please excuse any errors. I proofread the entire thing but I'm on a new computer and have yet to install Word. Thanks for your kind comments and reviews. They motivate me to write more and more.
Liz
