A/N: I don't own anyone but my OC's….though I wished I owned the rest…*sighs*
"I said what the Hell is going on!"
Brooklyn narrowed her eyes as her facial features darkened. She remained silent as Andie stood within inches of the shorter woman's face. Her nostrils flared and eyes morphed into a pair of tiny pinholes yet didn't produce the desired results.
"What's it to you?" Brooklyn's voice rumbled low and dangerously. Damon rose to his feet, still feeling shaky from his encounter with Elijah.
"Andie, it's alright," the vampire intervened and caught her furious stare. "There's nothing wrong here. Brooklyn and Alaric were helping me."
"Oh she was helping you alright," the human pointed angrily towards Brooklyn. "I saw her sucking your fingers of what looked like blood!"
"Damon what's going on?" Brooklyn was genuinely confused though she didn't want to entertain the sickening probability Damon was running around behind her back.
"Nothing," Damon cradled her face in his hands and locked eyes with hers. "Now return to the party and forget you saw anything."
Andie blinked and shook her head before absently returning to the main room. Damon waited until she was out of sight then turned around coming face to face with a very angry hunter.
"Just your spy huh?" Brooklyn's eyes swirled like a violent storm as Damon couldn't find his voice.
"Brook wait…."
"Not for you," she stormed out refusing to let the vampire see her hurt.
"Damon what the Hell is wrong with you?" Alaric jerked Damon around. "After everything we've been through and said you're screwing around with Andie Star?"
"You wouldn't understand," the vampire's defense was transparent and weak which only angered Alaric further. The human shook his head and hurried out to find Brooklyn, not caring about what the vampire did.
Elijah walked amongst the grounds and heard the faint sobbing in the garden. He picked up his pace though only slightly as he came upon Brooklyn, alone and devastated.
"Brooklyn," the Original frowned in concern. Brooklyn hastily dried her eyes and slid across the bench allowing him to take a seat.
"A part of me warned me not to fall for him and yet I did. Guess this is what I get for allowing my heart to feel."
"Damon," Elijah shook his head with slight disgust.
"Apparently he wasn't satisfied with Alaric and I having fallen for him so he's shacking up with Andie Star."
"I am truly sorry for you and Alaric," he lent a sympathetic ear. "Love is never an easy emotion I'm afraid. Perhaps it is the best for you?"
"No," she shook her head. "No, I can't give up on him!"
"I don't understand why you remain persistent on him when it's painfully clear he's made his decision?"
Brooklyn couldn't give Elijah a straight answer.
"Brook," Alaric trotted up to where she sat with Elijah. "I've been looking all over for you."
"Sorry," she gave a brief sad smile. Alaric caught the Original's hands covered a little too comfortably over his lover's.
"Perhaps I should go," Elijah politely excused himself but not before embracing the distraught hunter. Alaric's eyes followed the Original until he was down the small hill and on the path towards the house.
"Why do I keep punishing myself Rick? Why do we keep punishing ourselves for someone who runs away from what he feels by hurting those who love him?"
"That is a good question," Alaric curled his arms around her. "Maybe it's because we refuse to give up so easily in the hopes he will come around."
"Maybe," Brooklyn sighed, "Maybe."
Jenna searched for Brooklyn as she promised to help sort all of the documents in regard to Mystic Falls history.
"Where's Elena?" John demanded with arrogance.
"At the lake house with Stefan."
"With Stefan," he parroted. "And who gave her permission to do that?"
"I did," Jenna hotly replied. "Until you hire an attorney and file for guardianship you have no say in what I do."
"I never realized how loose you were with them," John talked down to Jenna, doubting her ability to raise two teens.
"How dare you come into this house and start ordering everyone around! You know what you have the house to yourself because Brook and Rick are letting me stay over."
"Oh yeah they're such wonderful friends," John snidely remarked.
"You are on dangerous ground," she warned him.
"They're liars," John smirked. "Did Rick tell you what really happened to his wife?"
"She died," Jenna shook her head and wanted nothing more than to be as far away from John as she could.
"Yet they never found the body," John watched as something clicked in those full soulful depths.
"What are you saying?" Jenna found herself wondering.
"Why don't you ask them?"
John casually strolled away with a victorious grin across his lips.
Damon downed another round of bourbon as Alaric stormed through the door and down into the study.
"Well this day keeps getting better," the vampire flatly noted.
"Andie Star," Alaric crossed his arms tightly across his chest. "Start talking."
"What's there to talk about? She's my little minion and keeps tabs on everyone for me."
"You conveniently left out the part where you're sleeping with her."
"I'm not sleeping with her!" Damon rushed across the room and pinned Alaric to the wall. His eyes flooded with a cold darkness as he stared his lover down.
"Then why are you keeping her around?"
"Because," Damon released Alaric and took a step back, "I can't be what you and Brook want me to be."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm not valiant and noble like my brother. I'm a cold blooded calculating killer."
"You don't have to be a killer," Alaric attempted to reach out to the vampire. "I remember what Stefan said about personalities and how vampires and shut off certain emotions. You're pain and anger are amplified yes, but you can love so much harder and deeper."
Damon stood in disbelief. Alaric should've been walking away, leaving him to wallow in the personal hell he created for himself. But instead he stayed, determined to make Damon see what was at stake if he continued down his destructive path.
"Please go talk to her," Alaric beseeched him. Damon stood in silence as for the first time in over a century he felt lost and uncertain. No one had ever refused to give up on him like Alaric and Brooklyn were doing. Everyone who dared to cross him in the past wound up dead.
Alaric slowly crossed the room and poured the last of the bourbon in two tumblers. He passed one to Damon and kept the other as he sat on the spacious couch.
"No one ever fought so hard for me like you two," he quietly admitted.
"Love is funny like that," Alaric shrugged. "I had kept the hope alive that I would find Isobel until the day that cold hateful imposter rolled into town. I know you don't want to hear this but you do have a soul and you care. You care more than you care to admit to anyone even to yourself. The reason you haven't killed Stefan is because he's your brother and you care about him."
"Right," Damon huffed in his glass. "Too bad the interrogation was a bust."
"Speaking of which how are you feeling?" Alaric finished off his drink.
"My throat's still sore," Damon absently rubbed his throat. "Damn pencil hurt like a bitch."
"Elijah's one scare dude but with nice hair," Damon rolled his eyes at Alaric's observation.
"He's gonna be hard to kill," Damon groaned.
"Yeah and I'd think twice before I trust that dagger and some ashes to do the job. You're gonna need more info."
"I'm out of sources!" Damon shrugged.
"Look we need to stick together Damon. Elijah's the only link we have to Klaus right now and you pissing him off isn't exactly gaining any favors with him."
"Like I care," Damon shrugged.
"You should start caring. I think Elijah's taking more than a plutonic interest in Brook."
"What?" Damon sprung up.
"When I saw them on the bench he was holding her hands before oh so tenderly drying her eyes."
Damon clenched his hands so tightly around the glass it shattered in his hand, sending shards of crystal slick with amber gold to the floor. Alaric knew that was the ammunition he needed to get the vampire fired up. He watched as the anger gathered like a summer storm in the vampire's soul.
"So Elijah thinks he can move in on her? Bring Brook now."
Alaric leapt to his feet and jogged up and down the entry way to the front door. He knew Damon couldn't stand by and watch as the Original charted into dangerous waters. As Alaric opened the door he felt a sharp pain just below his heart. He looked down at the darkening pool gathering around the stake impaled through his body. Alaric stumbled and crashed against the small stand knocking down the vase to the ground. He fought to pull the stake free but only worsened his suffering as Damon dropped to his knees.
"Rick!" Alaric coughed and sputtered blood before taking his last breath. The intruder leapt from the landing and on top of the vampire. The syringe plunged deep into his neck as the vervain reacted to his blood and body. Damon felt control slipping from his grip and limbs and knew the vervain was winning the battle of wills.
He fell hard to the ground, unable to stand, let alone get to his hands and knees for any defensive attack.
"This one was a fighter! Took the whole syringe!" The man grinned and exhaled in a rush.
The door opened as Brady and several of the surviving werewolves gathered around the weakened vampire.
"Hi Damon," Jules stepped around and hovered over him. "Nice to see you again."
Damon opened his eyes and slowly came around, spotting Alaric still across the floor. He felt as if he were trapped in a spiraling hangover as the vervain continued working through his veins. He spied the ring and knew his lover would return. It still pained him though as the open void depths haunted his vision. The further he came around, the harder the throbbing pulsed around his throat.
"Morning Sunshine," his attacker stood with two chains comfortably in his grip. "I saw this movie once, a foreign torture flick I think. Well anyways they had this collar and it was really cool. So I improvised and added some wooden nails and when I pull…."
The werewolf snapped the chains, tightening the slack along the rusty links. Damon grimaced in agony as the wooden nails in the back of his neck ripped deeper through muscle and flesh. The werewolf was getting his kicks from watching the blood run down Damon's neck and soak into his cool black shirt.
"I hear you have the moonstone," Jules knew Damon wouldn't talk so easily but waited for him to speak nonetheless. Damon laughed at their crude attempt to extract information.
"Let me tell you how this is gonna go. You torture me I don't talk and someone's gonna lose a heart. Last time it was your boy Mason."
"This time it'll be you," she motioned at the smaller werewolf who eagerly snapped his wrists and watched the wooden nails vanish into Damon's throat. The vampire gritted his teeth and silently hoped Brooklyn or someone would show up.
"You know what the great think about buckshot is? It scatters throughout the body…..Maximum damage," Jules aimed the stake gun towards Damon, grinning as she savored her impending victory.
"You're never gonna get it," Damon shook his head.
"Looking for this," Elijah and Brooklyn stood in the doorway. The Original held the moonstone in his hand as Brooklyn had her gun trained on Jules.
"Some people just don't know when to quit," Brooklyn drew another gun from her jeans and held it on the torture master. She watched Elijah place the moonstone on a stand and gesture for the werewolves to try and take it. Jules looked to her right and motioned at the two who were poised to strike. The lunged for the stone but Elijah was faster. The vampire ripped their hearts out and felt them beating in his hands. Brooklyn went after Jules but she was gone before Brooklyn had a chance.
The last werewolf alive cowered in a ball on the ground and covered his head with his jacket. Brooklyn put her weapons away and hovered over him. Damon observed, impressed at how cool and suave Elijah was as he took out the werewolves.
"Well now how about you sweetheart?" She roughly dragged him to his feet. "I can smell the fear running off you among other vile stenches."
"Please….." he begged for her to spare his life.
"Why even bother," Brooklyn shook her head then belted him across the face. She unceremoniously dropped the dead weight that was the werewolf to the ground as Elijah snapped the chains freed him.
"This is the third time I've saved you," he said with a smirk. Damon looked at Brooklyn who started pulling the nails and collar from his wrists and neck. The sensation of the burning wood sliding through his flesh made Damon grimace and contort in pain.
"Are you okay?" She held his face gingerly in her hands.
"Yeah I will be," he nodded. "Thank you."
"I'd do it again if I had to," she pressed her forehead to his. Damon closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, finding her light tender caresses healing against his injured flesh. "That's what you do for the ones you love Damon."
Bonnie paced anxiously through the house, attempting to digest what Luka had revealed.
The Guardian and doppelganger have to die…..
She knew Damon and Stefan had to know about this as Elijah had been harboring a sinister motive. He was going to sacrifice Brooklyn and Elena!
Yeah! They aren't giving up on him!
