Chapter 11 – An Unexpected Problem
The sun was bright in Damon's room, forcing his eyes open. He didn't remember getting home, so he figured that Stefan came and got him, as usual. "Stefan!" He shouted as he lay on his stomach, barely raising his head above the pillow, "Can you bring me some nourishment – can't get out of bed yet. Hangover, I think."
His brother came up the steps with a bag of B Positive in his hand. Handing it to him, he said scoldingly, "You, my friend, have a severe case of self-pity and you need to snap out of it."
Damon rolled over and sat up. He drained the bag quickly and began to feel better instantly, except for the pit in his stomach that wouldn't go away. "Don't start. You know me, Stefan. I'm not going to play the romantic fool."
"I can't believe you lied to her in that note! First, you admitted your feelings for her, then you tell her you're leaving to take care of obligations. You don't have any obligations here except visiting Elena's grave every year. If you were human, she would think you have a wife and kids stashed somewhere."
"Hey, I just don't want to rush things," Damon replied, trying to sound as non-chalant as possible.
"You're scared, Damon! You'd still be there with her if you hadn't found out about Klaus!"
Damon's anger took hold and he aimed all his fury at his brother as he stood up to face him. "I've had it up to here with Klaus and his screwed up family!" He put his hands on his hips and focused on calming himself down. "I have to trust Stephanie. She can handle this by herself. Whatever happens has got to be her decision. I am not the knight in shining armor. I never have been! That's always been your thing! Besides, she knows she can call me if she needs help."
Stefan stared at Damon, then closed his eyes for a moment. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and brought up the last text he received. He took a deep sigh, then looked at his older brother. "What happens if she can't ask you for help?"
Damon's eyes grew wide as fear gripped his heart. "What are you talking about?" Stefan showed him the text. It was from Rebekah.
My father has escaped. He found Niklaus's drawing of Stephanie and took it with him. He knows who she is and where to find her. Tell Damon that my father has minions hidden all over. I tried calling my brothers, but they would not answer. I did send them a text and I hope they received it. He has regained some of his powers. He has strength and the ability to compel humans and vampires. Please be careful, Stefan, if you decide to help your brother.
"When did you get this?" Damon asked.
"Last night, while you were out," Stefan's voice became quiet.
Angry, Damon shouted back, "Then why the hell didn't you tell me?"
"Because you were already drunk and in no condition to do anything about it!" Stefan shouted in return. "Besides, if Rebekah couldn't get a hold of Klaus or Elijah, I'm betting they are already on their way to KC."
Swallowing hard, it took Damon no time to grab his bag, which remained mostly unpacked, and get dressed. All he could think about was getting to her before Mikael did. He knew how dangerous Mikael was before and he was going to keep his promise to protect her. The thought of losing her was unthinkable. All other fears and doubts would have to wait. He stopped to look at Stefan before he left the room. "Are you coming with me?"
"In a minute. I'm going to make sure Rebekah's still safe." He began texting her.
"I'll see you later, then." He walked out of the room and down the stairs, stopping to check his phone. He finally noticed the missed text messages from Steph. The guilt began to take hold as he immediately regretted leaving her. Why am I such a jerk? I should never have left her. He tried to text her, but she did not answer. He tried Elijah, hoping that he would protect her from Mikael. He didn't answer his call or his text. He knew something was wrong.
After a night of tossing and turning, Steph reluctantly got out of bed. She wanted Damon to know what had happened, just in case he did still care about her. What if these obligations he spoke of keep him from coming back to me? Doubt began to cloud her mind as she thought about Damon's sudden departure. Steph's insecurities took hold of her. She quickly shook them off and focused on the fact that, worse-case scenario, if she ended up dead, someone would know what had happened to her. She figured that she wouldn't be breaking her agreement with Klaus if she relayed her situation through someone else, so she grabbed her phone and called Rina. Once she answered, she gave Rina the complete rundown of what was going on.
"Where you boyfriend?"
"He went back to Mystic Falls. Please, Rina, don't tell him anything unless he calls you and asks about me. I don't want him to be in danger."
"Okay, okay. Mother witch necklace will keep you safe for now. I also put extra special spell on ring, too."
"What is it?"
"It give you extra strength if you fight Original. It only work if you in danger."
"Thank you, Rina. Goodbye."
"Goodbye and good luck."
Steph packed her bags, then called work to let them know she was going out of town to visit a sick relative. She normally took a few days off after a big wedding anyway, so she wasn't questioned very hard. She grabbed her purse and put the vial of Klaus's blood inside. Her phone began to beep, notifying her of an incoming text. It was Damon, asking if she was okay. She put her phone in her purse and forced herself to ignore it. There was a knock at her door. Taking a deep breath and putting on a brave face, Steph allowed Klaus and Elijah to come in.
"Good morning, Love. I can see that you did not sleep well." Klaus held her shoulders and looked at her with a slightly worried expression. Then, he planted a kiss on her cheek. "It's alright, you can sleep on the plane."
Elijah gathered up her bags. "Are you ready, Stephanie?"
"As ready as I'll ever be."
Giving her a reassuring smile, Elijah said, "We want you to be as comfortable as possible. Whatever you want, we'll take care of. Money is no object."
Steph managed a small smile. "Don't tempt me. I have expensive taste." She looked up and asked, "Where are we going exactly?"
"London, then on to West Sussex," Klaus replied. He paused as he studied her face. As she reluctantly began to smile, he commented in response, "You do remember, don't you, my love?"
She remembered the beautiful home by the sea that he shared with her for a weekend. It was the nicest vacation she had ever experienced and it was the first time she had ever been overseas. He had spoiled her on romantic walks in the countryside, relaxing meals on his deck overlooking the sea, and hours listening to him read to her in his library. They had made love every night, and as pleasant as those memories were, she forced them away and focused her attention on keeping herself as stoic as possible. She caught a glimpse of Klaus's smirk out of the corner of her eye. They walked to their car and all was silent until they reached the airport.
As Damon made his way to the airport to get the next flight to Kansas City, he suddenly remembered Rina and called her to see if she knew anything about Steph or Elijah. She filled him in, each detail making Damon's stomach churn with worry and fear. He then turned towards Stefan as he announced that he was going to New Orleans to be with Rebekah, just in case Mikael came back. After comparing notes, they gathered that no one knew where Klaus and Elijah were taking Stephanie.
"You mean to tell me that your girlfriend has no idea where her brothers are going?"
"That's what she said, Damon."
"I think she's lying."
"No, I don't think so. She has been 100% honest with me ever since we got back together."
"I've got to do something, I can't just stand here." He went over to the new interactive monitors and studied the flights leaving Kansas City. Looking back at Stefan, he said, pointing at him, "Get on the phone with your girl. Ask her where else they own property besides New Orleans and Mystic Falls."
Stefan did as he was told. After a moment of listening to Rebekah, he repeated to Damon, "In the States: Los Angeles, Seattle, New York City, Boston, Banff in Canada, Overseas: Venice, London, Provence, Santorini Island, and Seoul."
Damon turned back to the monitors and narrowed it down to two possibilities based on the flights he saw listed. "Tell her that its either Boston or London. Which one does she think they're going to?"
Stefan again did as he was told. Rebekah gave her answer, spoke for a moment longer, then he thanked her and hung up. "She thinks its London."
"Why London?"
He paused before answering. "Klaus took her there before, when they were together."
A slight grimace passed over Damon's features as the image of Klaus with his Stephanie sparked many unwanted emotions in him. I'm not the romantic fool. I'm not the knight in shining armor.
"So, what are you going to do?" Stefan asked gently, putting his hand on Damon's shoulder in a comforting, supportive way.
"I've got to find Mikael before he can get to her." The announcement for Stefan's flight broke the brief silence and the two parted ways, wishing each other the best. As Damon began his walk to the ticket counter, a pair of curious eyes caught his attention…