Chapter 11: Calm Before the Storm

With each day that passed, Elena held her breath. She had kept Klaus' visit to herself, knowing Damon would be furious and would probably march over there looking for a fight. He had been trying to make arrangements to meet with the lawyer, but he had declined case when he found out the Mikaelson's were involved. They were back at square one.

The little relief Elena had was daily calls from Jeremy giving them updates on how things were going in Richmond. While their mother was still in good hands, Jeremy had confirmed that he was being watched. A couple of men in suits were always standing outside her room, and he knew they had followed him back to the hotel some nights. Elena felt the pit in her stomach grow, the threat of something terrible happening to him weighing heavy on her shoulders.

Her head snapped to the door of Damon's room from her perch at the window, when she heard it swing open. "What?" her heart raced. She didn't like the stressed look on his face. "Damon…what is it?"

He sighed heavily. "I don't want to worry you, but its Caroline. She had an accident last night…she's in the hospital." She rushed over and pushed passed him, heading to the stairs. "She's okay, but I figured you'd want to know." He followed her down quickly, running after her as she stormed to the car. "Elena…can you just stop for a second?" he grabbed her by the elbow, and closed the driver side door. "She's going to be fine." He tried to soothe her but she was just shaking her head.

"This wasn't an accident, Damon. This was Klaus…" Elena asserted confidently, her hands trembling as she covered her mouth.

He ran a hand over her hair comfortingly. "Stefan said it wasn't serious, an animal or something darted out in front of her car and she swerved into a ditch. She's only in the hospital because her doctor wanted to take extra precautions with her being pregnant." He smiled reassuringly. "They're both okay."

She pulled away. "He's trying to scare me. He said he wasn't done…this is just the beginning." She rambled on talking more to herself, as she refused to meet his eyes. "He's warning me…just like he warned my dad."

Damon reeled back in confusion. "What are you talking about?" The way she blinked and sucked in a breath that told him there was something she was keeping from him. "What the hell are you talking about, Elena?"

Elena gave in. "The accident that my parents were in on Wickery Bridge wasn't an accident! Klaus said it was a warning. That they got off easy." She finally met his eyes, and saw a wild, puzzling stare in his blue eyes. "Klaus was here…the other day, while you were talking to Liz." He stepped back, visibly shocked, not at her admission, but that she had kept it from him. "You were so mad already, and I was terrified you'd go after him!" she swallowed her nerves and continued. "He had pictures of them, Damon. Pictures of my mom, of Jeremy, and Caroline." She sighed sadly. "He said we need to give him what he wants…or they are going to get hurt."

"You should have told me." He grumbled lowly, doing his best to quell the wave of anger rolling over him. "Where are the pictures, we can take them to Liz-"

She shook her head and crossed her arms defensively. "There are no pictures, Damon. I threw them out." When Damon looked skyward incredulously, clearly ready to lash out, she continued. "Liz can't help us! I heard your conversation with her the other day. He's not going to pay for what he's done…he's going to keep getting away with it, no matter what we do. And now, he's showing us he can get to our friends, Damon!" she threw her arms out beside her. "Who's next? Stefan, your dad…my brother? He isn't going to stop…not until he get's what he's owed." She finished with an inaudible calmness.

Damon's face contorted in torment. "And what exactly is that?" but deep down he knew.

She swallowed painfully, averting her eyes. "I don't know…" she didn't want to lie, but Elena couldn't bare to torture him further. "I'm going to see Caroline." She moved to open the door to the car, and Damon started walking around to the other side. "I need to do this alone. I just need some time to sort my head out."

His hands balled into fists at his sides. "Now is not the time for you to be running off alone, Elena. Especially after Klaus made a surprise visit." He was doing his best to stay calm, but he was fuming on the inside.

She tucked her hair behind her ears, and placed her hands on his chest reassuringly. "I'll be fine, Damon. I just need to make sure she's okay."

"I get it." He frowned tensely. "What I don't get is why you feel the need to go by yourself." He grabbed both her hands, and held them to his chest. "I don't want to let you out of my sight."

She smiled sadly. "I'm tired of being scared. For days, I've been hiding in this house terrified to face the world…and I'm tired of it. I need to be brave. I need to get that part of myself back. I won't be long." She tilted her head to catch his eyes. "Okay?"

He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah…" Everything in him told him not to let her go, but he let her hands slip from his fingers. "You come straight home after…or I'll send a search party after you." His lips quirked in a lopsided smile, trying to ease the tension between them.

She linked her hands behind his neck, and pulled herself up to kiss him. "I promise."

…

Elena let out a breath when she saw Stefan walking back from the vending machine with a cup of coffee. He smiled tensely, bringing her in for a hug. "Hey Stefan…how's she doing?"

When she pulled away, she noticed the redness in his eyes. "She says she's fine, a bit sore from the impact, but the doctor's say she's going to be okay. They want to keep her overnight just to be sure." He nodded. "How are you?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I'm here for Caroline." She squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Why don't you take a break…get some air. I'll stay with her." Stefan let out a shaky breath, and nodded; the stress evident in his face. When he headed for the exit, Elena forced a smile, and walked into her friend's room.

Caroline's face lit up. "Hey! Please tell me you've come to break me out."

Elena chuckled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Oh no…you are stuck here until the doctor gives you a clean bill of health."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm fine! You sound like Stefan…honestly, I'm totally fine. If anything, I'm embarrassed." She pulled on the strings of the blanket.

Elena tilted her head, frowning with concern. "What happened, Care?"

She shrugged. "I was driving and it was dark…something hit my windshield and I panicked." She laughed nervously. "I swerved into the ditch and hit a tree…stupid." She shook her head.

"What did you hit? Was it an animal?" she pressed, needing answers.

"I don't know." Caroline's eyes shot up her forehead. "But whatever it was, it shattered my windshield." She let out a breath, the memory of it coming back to her.

"Did anything else happen yesterday, before the accident?" she continued her interrogation.

Her friend reeled back. "You don't think this was intentional, do you? You don't think that someone…did something, do you Elena?"

Sensing her fear, Elena closed her eyes and graced her with an easy smile. "No…not at all. I'm just curious." She squeezed her hands reassuringly. "I'm sure it was just a bird or something. I'm just glad you and the baby are okay."

After spending the next hour with her friend, she left Caroline to sleep once Stefan came back and headed back to her car. As she stuck her key in the lock, she felt a presence behind her and turned around to see Elijah standing there, hands elegantly placed in his suit pants.

"What do you want?" she bit out, narrowing her eyes at him. "Are you Klaus' errand boy now?"

He had the decency to avert his eyes briefly before settling on her again. "I wanted to offer my apologies."

She laughed sarcastically. "For what? For ratting me out to Klaus? For standing idly by while he ruins my life? Save it…" she moved to open the door, but Elijah stepped forward and gently pushed it closed.

"I'm not proud of my part in this Elena…I have a great deal of respect for you, and I only wish you can find the happiness that you deserve." Elena straightened, looking at him curiously. This was not the response she had been expecting. Elijah seemed to struggle with his next words, his brows tightening deeply. "But my brother is not easily swayed, nor will he give up when he has his mind set to something."

Elena tilted her chin up bravely. "Then what are you doing here? Why are you telling me this?"

"You need to know that Niklaus does not make empty threats." He stated pointedly.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah I got that."

"I don't think you do." He pinned her with a hard stare. "His hatred knows no bounds. The man you think you know…doesn't exist. My brother is drunk on power; no one escapes Klaus. There are men who have gotten worse for much less. Are you willing to risk that…for Damon; for your family?"

Elena felt a chill go through her. "So, I'm just supposed to give in…hand myself over and let him control me for the rest of my life?" She felt her throat tighten at the very thought of it. "Why is he doing this to me, Elijah?"

He felt sorry for the poor girl crying in front of him, and he let his sympathy show on his face as he took a cautious step closer. "Your father was a good man, Elena. He meant well…but he got involved in something deep that he was unable to dig himself out of on his own. Our family is known to help with situations like that." Her lower lip trembled, and she turned her head away. "You were the price…and for that I'm sorry." He squeezed her shoulder. "You will do what he asks…if you know what is good for you." He admitted sadly and reluctantly before leaving her standing alone in the parking lot.

…

Elena walked through the door quietly, still feeling numb from her conversation with Elijah. Could she be that selfish? Could she let her friends and family suffer for her own happiness? How far would Klaus take this? What was he capable of? Her thoughts were cut off when Damon appeared in the foyer, relieved to see her home.

"You okay?" he asked immediately, pulling her into his arms. "How's Caroline?"

She reigned in her emotions, holding him tightly to her. "I'm fine. Caroline is good…you're right. It was just a silly accident. She's embarrassed about it, actually." Elena played it off with a laugh, but she knew deep down that this was just the start of a series of incidents that they would have to endure.

He cupped her face, and kissed her forehead. "See…no need to worry."

Forcing a smile back, Elena nodded and took the much-needed comfort of his arms.

Later that night, she watched him sleeping peacefully beside her. She had barely slept; too many thoughts running through her head. But she knew what she had to do. Carefully slipping out of bed, she threw on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and snuck out the door. Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached the driveway. What the hell was she doing walking right into the lion's den? Before she knew it, she rang the doorbell and waited with bated breath.

…

The next three days, she was able to lull herself into a false sense of security. There had been no more incidents or surprise visits, and she used this time to enjoy every minute she had with Damon. Caroline was back home, and Jeremy was back in Charlottesville. It was the calm before the storm.

Walking into the parlor room, she wrapped her arms around Damon from behind, as he nursed a drink staring listlessly into the fire. "Hey…" she kissed his shoulder. "It's late, why don't you come to bed." He just hummed in response, tossing back the rest of his bourbon. "What's wrong?"

"Why don't you tell me, Elena?" the low rumble in his tone, sent a ripple up her back.

She swallowed hard, preparing herself for the fight that was sure to surface. "What do you mean?"

He extracted himself from her arms, turning to look her in the eyes. "These last few days you've been acting like everything is normal. Like we haven't spent the last few weeks scrambling to try and deal with everything Klaus has thrown at us. All of a sudden, you're not worried about who he's going after next." She looked away and stuck her hands in her back pockets. "You haven't even talked to Jeremy or your mom…so what's going on, Elena? What aren't you telling me?" The fear that had been bubbling within him all day was boiling over, and he couldn't keep it to himself any longer.

She reached for him, running her hands up his arms. "Can't we just enjoy this time that we have together? Can't we just…" her voice cracked painfully. "pretend that everything is okay?"

From the curses we uttered…

Damon reeled back. "Pretend? I don't want to pretend, Elena, okay! I love you. I promised you that I was going to get you out of this, but I can't do that if you aren't being honest with me, so what the fuck is going on?" he yelled exasperated.

.

When the door swung open grandly, Klaus smirked wolfishly, looking her up and down. "Well hello, love…I have to say, I was a bit nervous you'd do something stupid. I guess you're smarter than your father after all."

She swallowed nervously, her nails biting into the palms of her hands. "Are you going to let me in?"

He opened the door further, stepping back, allowing her to cross the threshold. "Have you made your decision?"

Crossing her arms over her chest she turned to face him with a hard glare. "I have…but I have terms of my own."

His brows shot high on his forehead. "You think you can make negotiations now?"

"Considering you're about to get what you want; I think you owe me a few reasonable requests." He gestured for her to continue, almost amused. "My friends and family are off limits, that includes Damon. You're going to hand over power of attorney to Jeremy; I don't want you to have anything to do with my mother from this day forward." She asserted firmly.

"Anything else?" he stated sarcastically.

She thought for a moment before nodding, as tears slipped down her cheeks. "Yes. Give me a week." She watched as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Give me a week to say goodbye to the people I love…and we can leave town."

For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was going to agree, but after taking a couple of steps toward her, he extended his hand. "Your terms are acceptable." She shook his hand, wincing as it tightened around hers painfully.

Pulling her hand away, she stormed passed him and back out the door, crying the whole way back to Damon's, doing her best to convince herself that she made the right choice.

.

She closed her eyes tightly, forcing the words out of her mouth. "I'm leaving, Damon." She sighed shakily. "In two days…I'm leaving town with Klaus." When she opened her eyes, the dejected look on his face broke her heart into pieces. "I'm so sorry...but it's the only way he'll stop!"

He shook his head, unable to comprehend this turn of events. "What?"

She reached for him again, but he viciously pulled away. She pursed her lips and nodded. "Good…it's better if you hate me." Tears fell from his blue eyes as he shot her an incredulous glare. "I needed to make a decision Damon…I can't be selfish. As much as I want to." She sobbed. "Us…being together, puts everyone I love and care about at risk. What kind of person does that make me if I let that happen?" Damon turned and paced the floor, tunneling his hands through his hair. "It's better this way…" her eyes followed him. "Maybe one day we can both find happiness."

He rounded on her, his eyes wild and bluer than she'd ever seen them before. "You know what would make me happy? Is to know that this entire time I've been completely in love with you, that what you actually felt for me was real." Damon felt like his whole life was comprised of watching her walk out of it.

"It is real!" she exclaimed.

"Is it!?" he challenged. "Do you love me, Elena? Or was all of this just some way to get yourself out this mess, because honestly…I don't know anymore." he uttered harshly, knowing he struck a chord when her mouth dropped open.

To each other

"How can you say that Damon?" she shook her head turning away briefly to pull her emotions together enough to speak through her tears. "Of course, I do! You are the best thing that ever happened to me!" She grabbed his hands and held them to her heart. "All I want is to have a future with you. Do you think I want this?" she sobbed. "Do you think I look forward to spending even another second in his presence?"

He clung to her desperately, his eyes roaming her face. "Then don't leave! Elena…please don't do this." He begged, his voice cracking in anguish. This was worse than watching her leave before; at least then he knew she'd be back.

"I have to." Tears fell down her cheeks, and she stared at the floor unable to meet his eyes. "We were stupid…sneaking around, thinking we weren't going to get caught." She cupped his face in her hands, her thumbs caressing his cheekbones. "One day…I'll come back to you. No matter how long it takes." She vowed.

You played your part…

…