AN: Sorry for the long delay. I was working on a TVD fan video that took up a bit of my time. Here is the link if you're interested!
/L-DAz0iG1Yc
I think I'm going to spend some time going through some of the entries in journal for context, and we are going to see a bit more of Damon's POV soon.
Enjoy! Please review! - Vanessa
Chapter 12: Never Give Up
She was exhausted. How Elena managed to get through a full day of school while only getting a few hours of sleep and dealing with all the stress of yesterday's events, she'll never know. At one point during history class, Alaric caught her sleeping, her head propped up on her palm. She was grateful when the end of the day came, as she tiredly made her way back to her car, but stopped suddenly when she noticed the figure leaning against the driver side door.
"Hello Elena." she said, a tiny smile pulling at her lips.
Elena cautiously approached, but kept a safe distance glancing around her. "What are you still doing here?"
Isobel pushed off the car and took a couple steps closer and Elena stepped back. "Oh, don't worry…do you honestly think I would try anything out in the open like this?" She looked over her daughter's shoulder to see Bonnie and Caroline briskly walking over. "Especially with a witch around. Your friend seems to be adjusting nicely."
Elena crossed her arms. "What do you want, Isobel?"
"I just want to talk. I was rude the other day; I apologize." She stated mockingly putting a hand to her chest. "It's something I'm working on." The sarcasm dripped off each word like honey. "I hear you met Katherine...that must have been a trip."
"Look, you made yourself clear, okay. I'm backing off. You can go back to wherever the hell you came from and leave me and my friends alone." She tried to walk by, but Isobel stepped in her way.
"Tell Katherine to keep her little mutt on a tighter leash. While I'm sure she has a diabolical plan of her own for the werewolf, I have no problem with putting him down if he attacks me or mine again." Her eyes narrowed coldly.
Elena's brows shot up in surprise. "Werewolf?"
Isobel's eyes rolled impatiently. "Yes, the Lockwood boy. Florida tan, surfer type. She has him wrapped around her little finger just like a handful of others, I'm sure."
"Mason? Mason Lockwood is a werewolf?" Her voice lowered to a whisper, as to not draw attention to anyone around them. Isobel said nothing in response, and turned to walk away. "I know it was you." She called out urgently, causing her mother to turn around. "You told my parents to find Damon, didn't you? I read it in your journal. How did you know that I was the doppelganger?" Elena watched as Isobel glanced away, tucking her hands into her coat. "You knew he'd protect me. How?"
Isobel held her gaze for a long moment, no intention of answering her question. "I wish I could have been the mother you needed me to be." A flash of emotion washed over her face. "She'd probably say that she was proud of how beautiful and strong you are. She'd say never give up, be brave, fall in love…" Tears started to pool in her eyes, but not one fell. She continued in a whisper. "Live your life. But that person is dead, so you need to let her go." Isobel nodded encouragingly as she brushed a few wisps of hair out of her daughter's face. "Klaus will come for you; it's time you start thinking about what that means for your future." She voiced cryptically. "Goodbye Elena."
She walked off to a car parked in the lot, and Elena stood there, shell shocked, tears falling down her cheeks unchecked. She didn't move until Bonnie and Caroline came up behind her. "Hey…you okay?" Caroline asked rubbing her back. She had heard everything, and she herself was having a hard time processing.
Elena huffed a sharp laugh. "I have no idea." She didn't know what she was supposed to do with this information. Was her mother in there somewhere deep down? Did she really care about her well being? Why was Damon the one she picked as her protector and how did she do it? Did he know? Her mind was spinning, and she felt herself get lightheaded as her fingers came up to rub her temples.
Bonnie guided her to her own car. "Let me take you home."
"No, no…" Elena protested, flustered. "I need to see Damon." She turned to Caroline. "Can you run back and tell Ric to meet us at the boarding house? Everyone should be there for this."
Caroline and Bonnie shared a look across to each other. "For what?" The blonde asked concerned.
Elena nodded resolutely, her expression fixing in a steely resolve. "It's time we come up with a plan. If Klaus is coming…I want to be ready."
…
Elena marched through the doors of the boarding house with Bonnie hot on her heels. Damon was already in the parlor, going through some tenth century scrolls that he'd borrowed from Ric yesterday morning. He was hoping to find something, anything on Klaus that they could consider a weakness. He glanced up when he saw them come in, immediately aware of the stern determination on her face. This usually meant he was about to give in to something he didn't like.
"Is Stefan here?" Straight to business. As if summoned, he slinked out from the hall, looking broodier than usual. She nodded. "Good. Ric and Caroline should be here soon."
Damon's brows pulled together. "What's this about?"
Elena took in a deep breath and met his gaze. "Isobel came by the school today, just to talk." She rushed to clarify seeing the icy blue of his eyes pierce through her. "She put some things into perspective for me. We need to start thinking ahead, we can't just wait for Klaus to come here. Moonstone or not…that's not enough." Out of the corner of her eye she caught Katherine strut to the front door. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"
Stefan hid a grin, and Damon chuckled to himself, both impressed by Elena's bold interrogation. And if that wasn't enough, Katherine's outraged expression as she slowly turned around only caused them to break further. "Out…I'm hungry." She sneered in response. "Not that I owe you anything."
Elena crossed her arms, glaring at her double scornfully. "I don't like you…but you should be here for this too."
Katherine pretended to think about it for a moment. "Mm…yeah, don't care."
Elena watched as she spun back to the door, smirking to herself. "You wouldn't happen to be popping by to visit Mason Lockwood, would you?" Katherine froze, her hand on the door knob. "You're little wolf boy-toy?"
When she turned around, it was with narrow eyes and a frustrated huff. "My what?"
"Isobel told me to pass on a message; keep your dog on a tighter leash…or she'll put him down. Any idea what she means by that?" She inquired mockingly. Something about Katherine brought out this sassiness in her. she turned back, directing her attention to Damon. "Isobel said he attacked them. It was a full moon last night."
In that moment, Caroline and Ric opened the door and strolled passed her. With a dramatic eyeroll, Katherine ambled toward the bar, pouring herself a very full glass of Damon's favorite bourbon, despite his vehement objection. Caroline had filled Ric in on what she had overheard back at the school, and together, they settled into the room with the others.
Stefan pipped up, frowning deeply. "Wait, so Mason Lockwood is a werewolf?"
Katherine tossed back the amber liquid with barely a grimace. "Well duh. They all are." She added in a flippant flick of her wrist. When they all just stared at her, she continued. "Do you all know nothing about the history of this town? All Lockwoods are born with the werewolf gene. When the curse is triggered, they turn on the next full moon, and every one after. Been that way since they first settled here back in the 1800's."
Damon snatched the bottle away when she went to pour herself another glass. "Why are you so interested in Mason; you know as well as I do that a bite from a werewolf is lethal to a vampire…so why risk it?"
She shrugged half-heartedly. "Maybe I like him."
Both the brothers let out a sharp, cynical laugh simultaneously, clearing not believing her for a second. They knew her patterns, and this was classic Katherine. She never did anything without having her own agenda.
"That's impossible Katherine…" Stefan started leveling her with a condescending glower. "You don't like anyone."
She smiled at him from under her lashes. "I liked you." Then her smile fell and her lip curled in disgust. "And then you got all sad and mopey and boring." She made a sour face. "Can you blame a girl for wanting a little fun?"
Elena pinned her with a suspicious leer. "You didn't come to Mystic Falls because Damon asked you to…no, you came here because of him. He has something you want." Katherine raised a brow impressed, but didn't comment.
"He has the moonstone." Damon grumbled, watching her with a heated glare for her reaction. When her lips curled in wicked smirk, he knew he was right. "You lied to me."
She laughed. "Are you shocked? I told you it was somewhere safe. Every vampire and werewolf with a motive is looking for this stupid rock. Do you really think I'd be carrying it around with me so someone can steal the only leverage I have?"
Bonnie finally spoke up. "I thought only Klaus was looking for it?"
"Ever heard of the sun and the moon curse?" At the nods she got from most of the room she continued. "Well, it's bullshit. Klaus made it all up so he could have vampires and werewolves all over the world looking for the doppelganger and the moonstone without having to lift a finger."
Caroline felt small in this big room of people who knew far more than she did. Her mind was spinning with all this new information and she felt unusually out of her element. It had her desperately wanting to contribute. "So then why did you give it to Mason?"
"I didn't." She snapped, giving the blonde a look as if she just realized she was there. "I gave it George Lockwood. In 1864."
Ric recalled the many times Damon had – mostly in a drunken stupor - about how Katherine faked her own death, and left him and Stefan to belief she perished. The Lockwoods had the werewolf gene…the sun and the moon curse. He frowned as puzzle pieces slowly started to come together in his head. "You used it as a bargaining chip to get yourself out of the church fire."
Katherine chuckled to herself. "And just like all my other suitors," she darted a glance to the Salvatore brothers. "I had him eating out of the palm of my hand."
"So now what?" Stefan asked, taking a few calculate steps towards her. "Now that you have your leverage back…just what exactly were you planning on doing with it?" His expression was a stony as his tone.
Her mouth dropped open slightly; amused, and mischievous, before the light in her eyes went flat, and they darted around to all the glares in her direction. "When did this turn into story time with Katherine? Didn't Elena call this Scooby meeting?" She uttered snidely, glaring daggers of resentment at her doppelganger.
Elena knew that she was deflecting, but she did call them here for a reason. "We need a plan. I'm not just going to sit around waiting for Klaus to kill me." She focused on Katherine. "Are you with us or not, because so far you have given us no reason to trust you."
"We all want the same thing; Klaus gone. But you must be realistic. Klaus can't be killed. An Original's only weakness is a stake made of White Oak, and they burned that tree to the ground a thousand years ago."
Bonnie raised a brow. "What about magic?"
Katherine scoffed in response. "Klaus has his own witches; much stronger than you I'm sure. There's no way you'd be able to get close enough to do any damage." She added offhandedly.
The witch stood and crossed her arms defensively, oozing sass. "Do you have any better ideas?"
The elder vampire broke into a bright plastic smile. "Yeah, I do!" She turned on her heel to Elena again. "Like I told Damon…your best shot at surviving this is turning into a vampire." She shrugged a shoulder. "Sure, Klaus will kill every single person you've ever loved, but you'll survive." There was a hint of bitter sadness in her voice that she couldn't hide, but the mask quickly fell back into place. "I did." The air was tense with the harsh reality she forced them to face, and after a prolonged moment, she broke it. "I meant what I said. I'm here to help…God knows you need it with this group of delinquents, but I'm not doing this for you." She released a weary huff. "I'm tired of running. It's exhausting." She dragged her eyes to Damon. "I'll get you the moonstone, but you owe me and you know I always collect my debts." With a wink, she sped out of the house, and the room seemed to let out a relieved sigh.
…
After everyone left Damon headed upstairs to check on Elena, who had silently slipped up to the room she'd been occupying while he was gone. He watched her from the doorway as she shoved clothes into a bag, clearly frustrated.
He announced his presence. "You okay?"
"Do you agree with her?" She bit out sourly, unable to meet his gaze. If she did, she was sure she'd cry. "Do you think being a vampire is my only way out of this?"
Pushing off the frame, he entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, beside where she stood. "We'll find another way." While his tone was reassuring, it lacked its usual confidence.
She held up her hand haltingly. "Don't. Don't say things just to make me feel better, Damon." The waver in her voice betrayed her, and she finally turned herself to face him. Her eyes threatened to spill the tears that collected there. "Is that what I have to look forward to? Never growing up and having a family…watching as everyone I know dies? And that's if Klaus doesn't kill them first." She sobbed covering her face with her hands. "God, I can't live like that!"
Damon was quick to envelop her in his arms, tucking her head under his chin. "I will do everything in my power to not let that happen. I will find another way. I promise." His fingers threaded through her hair soothingly.
She wanted to believe him; she wanted to trust this was just another bump in the road, like the many others over the years. But she heard the fear in Katherine's voice, if even for the briefest of moments. She saw the pained look in Isobel's eyes as she spoke of her future…as if she wasn't sure she'd have one; as if she was saying goodbye to her human daughter, knowing she may never see her this way again.
Elena slowly pulled away, sniffling, keeping her head down and fixed on her shoes. Damon tilted her chin up, forcing her to stare into those bright pools of blue. "I know you're scared, and that's okay, but I need you to fight, Elena. I need you to trust that I will never stop fighting to give you all the things that you deserve, do you understand?" He promised passionately, as he brushed away a tear that slipped down her cheekbone with the pad of his thumb. "You are going to survive this." He added strongly, and she nodded back with a watery smile.
Damon smiled back, and butterflies filled her belly. Elena felt herself trembling under his touch. His words were melting her, and she wanted so bad to lean up and put her lips to his, but she fought the urge, catching her lower lip between her teeth and focusing her gaze to his tear-stained shirt.
"Listen…" Damon continued. "I'll talk to Bonnie and Ric and see what we can come up with okay."
Elena stared off for a long moment, as she rolled her thoughts around her head. "Damon…there's something you should know. Isobel wrote about you in her journal." She glanced up at him hesitantly gauging his reaction.
He kept his expression guarded, but he stepped back, putting some distance between them. "All of my greatest hits, I'm sure." He could only imagine the horrible things that Elena had read about his past. Cover to cover she said. "I had my humanity switch off for most of it, Elena." He tried to justify on a grimace. The last thing he wanted was for her to be afraid of him.
She swallowed thickly, her eyes darting away. She didn't want to think about that right now. "Yeah, there were some fairly…graphic details. But that's not what I'm talking about." Elena didn't know how to start. "Do you remember why you came to Mystic Falls?" She sat on the edge of the bed.
"Yeah…" He sat down next to her, and rubbed his palms on his jeans. "After I found out Katherine faked her death, I spent the next three years with my humanity shut off. I had every intention of erasing any shred of evidence of her from my life." Damon let a reminiscent smile tug on his lips. "I was going to kill her. Planned the whole thing out. I got a tip that she was in Mystic Falls; I thought it was poetic. This was where it all started…this was where I was going to end it." Elena watched as he looked off, getting lost in the memories. "But when I got here, I didn't count on the council still being around." He shot her strained frown. "I wasn't exactly being subtle. A few members of the council were on a mission to take me out…but your dad stopped them. He thought I could be saved. He spent the next few months drying me out, trying to get me to turn my emotions on. Every day, without fail. I would have killed him if he didn't have me shackled." Damon turned to smile at her, canting his head slightly. "But he didn't give up on me. Even when I begged him to kill me. Even when I promised to make him suffer in a thousand different ways."
Elena didn't let his pointed look go over her head. She knew that he would do the same when it came to her. "Did you ever wonder why?"
"Always. He would always say I was his most successful patient." He chuckled. She could hear in his tone how much he missed his friend, and she felt bad for what she was about to do. She didn't want to shatter that memory.
"I know why…" She whispered, staring at her hands. "Isobel…she told them to find you Damon." Her heart broke at the confused frown that pulled his brows together. "They lured you here with that tip about Katherine."
He shot up, and paced the floor with a flustered shake of his head. "What, why?"
She wrung her hands nervously, her eyes following his erratic movements. "Because of me. They knew I was Katherine's doppelganger. That's why it had to be you."
Damon's wild eyes darted around the room, the muscles in his jaw tensing as her tried to process. "No, they couldn't have known. How could they possibly know!?"
"Isobel." She stood, and grabbed his arm to stop his pacing. "I don't know how, but she knew before she even had me that could be the doppelganger. That's why she showed up on my parents' doorstep. That's why she disappeared. She was trying to make sure Klaus never traced the lineage back to me, and if he did at least I'd be protected." She finished on a sigh, gesturing to him.
He regarded her for a long moment. "You've known about this for over a month." Elena glanced away guiltily. "You read that journal before I left and you didn't tell me?" He ground out, affronted.
"I wasn't sure I believed it until today." Rummaging through her duffel bag, she pulled out the book and handed it to him gingerly. "Here…you can read it for yourself." He looked at it for a long time like it held the answers to things he didn't want to know. "This doesn't change anything, Damon. My parents cared about you. I care about you. It doesn't matter how we got here." He slowly took it from her, and turned the book over in his hands. "I'm going to stay at home for the next little while. I can't stay here…not with Katherine around. It's weird." She huffed an awkward laugh. He didn't look up from the book, and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing out.
Damon frowned thoughtfully, the warmth of her lips still tingling his skin. He plopped down on the bed, and cracked open the journal, starting on the first page and taking in a deep breath.
.
She's better off. She has to be. Grayson and Miranda will love her like she's their own, and Klaus will believe the bloodline ended with me. If they can find Damon Salvatore she will be protected. He's the only one…
No matter what, she can't ever know the truth. She can never know the lengths we've gone to ensure her safety. She'll never forgive them.
Elena turns five tomorrow. I can already see the resemblance. I hoped I was wrong, but after today, there is no denying, she's the doppelganger. Aja confirmed it.
We never wanted this life for her; running from death like Katherine, fearing for her life. But I will do everything I can to make sure she is safe. Everything.