Chapter 3: For What It's Worth

Damon had been busy all day making calls and cleaning up the mess she'd made for herself. She knew that he couldn't possibly be taking care of this in the normal, legal, human way…but she didn't dare ask.

She sat on the couch in the living room, nursing a glass of bourbon on the rocks, as Damon insisted, to take the edge off. She was so lost in her thoughts; she barely heard the front door open until the voice that followed entered the living room.

Bonnie sighed in relief, her shoulders dropping, when she set eyes on her friend. "Thank God. You'd think you'd pick up your phone after the hundredth time I called. You made me use the key I didn't tell you I made for myself." she teased as she dropped onto the couch beside her, letting Elena lean on her shoulder in comfort. "Are you okay?" She added softly with a sympathetic tone, soothingly letting her hand run through her hair.

Elena lifted her head with a tiny smile. "Yeah…for the first time in months, I actually think I might be."

Bonnie's eyes widened in response. "That's good. What brought this on?"

"Someone tall, blue eyed…ruggedly handsome." Damon's teasing voice filtered in from around the corner, resting his gaze on his old friend and watching her eyes light up. "Hey Bonnie."

The witch shook her head in amazement as she stood up and threw herself into his waiting arms. "I knew you'd come back." She whispered into his shoulder, and she grinned when his hugged her back tighter. "You got my note?" She questioned when she pulled away.

He nodded. "I came as soon as I could." Now that she was in front of him, the guilt of his last words to her rang like a gong in his head. How he just brushed her off as if she was a bug on the underside of his shoe. "I'm sorry, Bon…you know I didn't mean what I said."

She forced a weak smile, her eyes filling with tears. "I know, Damon. I'm just glad you're home."

"Well, I wouldn't really call this home." He mumbled disappointedly. He wanted to go to the boarding house, where every room held his brother's presence. His eyes met Elena's and Damon felt his heart warm. "But they say, home isn't a place…it's a people."

.

Three Years Ago:

Havana, Cuba

Damon was wandering down the strip, scoping out his dinner options as they walked by, throwing charming smiles to the ladies that caught his eye. He'd been here a month now, and with the way things were going, he never wanted to leave. The music, the night life, the women…the endless supply of tourist meals and no one looking into those that went missing. It was perfect.

He felt that familiar tickle at the back of his neck, telling him he was being followed, and turned down one of the alleys with an irritated grunt. As he expected, his stalker followed him, and he hid in the darkness watching as the figure slowly and cautiously entered the alley, their silhouette back lit by the street behind them. In a blur, Damon sped forward, gripping the neck of the person and slamming them to the brick wall.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop trying to find me?" Damon growled into her face, unbothered by the pain on her face or the veins bulging under the pressure.

Her eyes narrowed, and he freed her, bringing his hands to his head and groaning in agony as she repeatedly popped the blood vessels in his brain. Bonnie's gaze turned steely as he dropped to his knees. "Until you give in, and come home." She released her magic hold on him, and eyed him as he got back to his feet. "We need you, Damon. A lot has happened and-"

Damon chuckled darkly, dusting himself off. "Don't you get it, Bonnie? I flipped the switch; what you need, means absolutely nothing to me anymore."

Bonnie continued, unphased by his words. She was used to this reaction now. "Mystic Falls belongs to the Brethren now. We want to take it back, and kill Klaus once and for all."

He rolled his eyes, and turned to walk away further down the dark alley, but she continued after him. "I don't care about what's happening in Mystic Falls, or anybody in it; least of all you, Caroline or Elena."

She grabbed his arm, forcing him to look her in the eye. "I don't believe you!" she exclaimed. "If you don't care about me, Damon, then kill me!" she demanded, shoving him roughly. He stared at her deadpanned, his eyes hollow and ice cold. "Do it, Damon! I dare you!" The witch continued to challenge, with tears collecting in her eyes. "You can't do it, can you? Just admit that there is still a part of you in there that's worth saving!"

"The part of me that was worth saving died a long time ago. He's not coming back, so get over it!" he stalked towards her predatorily. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you; I don't care if Hell opened up and swallowed you all whole because then I'd neverhave to see or hear from you again." He was inches away from her face now, staring down at her with a menacing glower. "We're done here." He stalked off back towards the street. "Good luck!" he sung out sarcastically, leaving her alone and in tears.

.

Present Day:

Bonnie pulled the blanket up over Elena's sleeping form on the couch, and grabbed the bottle of bourbon and the glass off the coffee table and back into the kitchen, where Damon was standing looking out the back doorway to the porch.

"Porch swing is broken." he mumbled, his back still to Bonnie.

She sighed sadly, pouring herself and Damon a drink. "Yeah…it broke a few years ago. Aaron was working on fixing it but..." she trailed off, her voice catching in her throat. Bonnie moved around the island and stood beside him handing him the glass. "I just don't think she had the heart to ask anyone else to do it."

Damon nodded in understanding. "Was she happy? Did he make her happy?" he rasped out, keeping his gaze forward as he took a deep sip of the amber liquid.

The witch smiled, leaning against the door frame. "He did. She loved him very much." He bowed his head, swallowing noticeably. "But it was different with Aaron. He was a great husband and father…but I always felt like she thought something was missing."

"Looks like she got everything she wanted. Marriage, kids, career in medicine…what could she possibly be missing?" He knew he had no right to feel bitter, or jealous, but it rose in him like a phoenix.

"You." Damon's head snapped over to look at her. She adjusted herself, crossing her legs at her ankles. "I traveled a lot. After high school I decided to skip the whole college experience and spend a lot of time on the road; practicing magic with different covens, honing my powers…but mostly, I was looking for you. And no matter where I went, or how long I was gone, you were always one of the first things she asked me about."

"You never told her you saw me."

She huffed a little laugh, pushing off the frame and taking a deep gulp of the bourbon, wincing at as it went down. "Yeah, well…I figured the truth wasn't much better."

Damon was silent for a long moment, and Bonnie started to head back towards the kitchen when his voice stopped her. "She wasn't supposed to miss me." He turned to face her. "The day I left I compelled her to move on without me; I wanted her to be happy. Have the life she always wanted…the life I couldn't give her. Now her husband is dead and her children are gone." he added finishing his drink with a troublesome grimace.

Bonnie's gaze softened. "We're going to get them back."

"I hate to think the worst but, this is Klaus we're talking about…how do we know he still has them?" even though Elena was sleeping, he didn't dare say the words he was thinking, out loud and in ear shot.

"Klaus needs them alive so that another doppelganger can be born. He doesn't want them dead…" she swallowed back the lump in her throat. "He wants Elena to suffer. I'm going to call Caroline."

Damon looked down. "I bet she's pretty mad at me for leaving, huh."

Bonnie smiled indulgently. "You know Caroline…she'll get over it. It's Jeremy you're going to have to do damage control on." She left the kitchen leaving Damon to his thoughts.

He knew that when he left Mystic Falls, he'd have to deal with the consequences of coming back some day and the responsibilities he'd left behind.

.

Nine Years Ago:

Damon and Jeremy moved around each other in the backyard of the boarding house, prepared for attack. Jeremy ran at the vampire with his stake raised, and Damon easily dodged him, tripping him up and watching him fall to the ground.

"Come on, Jer…you aren't trying hard enough!" he grabbed the stake off the ground and tossed it back to the young Gilbert as he pushed back to his feet.

Jeremy glared at him. "How am I supposed to learn to fight when my trainer is a hundred times stronger?"

"You need to be smarter. You can't just run at a vampire, weapon drawn. They'll see that coming a mile away. Vervain is your friend; if you get close enough, use it, it'll buy you some time." They stood in a boxing stance; Damon more relaxed as Jeremy threw punches that were blocked. "Hand to hand combat is pretty much pointless when it comes to fighting vampires…but you should know how to defend yourself." He threw a few punches and Jeremy dodged and blocked then kicked Damon in the center of the chest as he tried to close the distance. "Good, again."

They continued to spare for the next hour, until Elena came out on the back porch to call Jeremy in for dinner. Damon glanced up at her and she offered a meek smile before heading back in. "Are you guy's going to be okay?" Jeremy asked, toweling off.

Damon avoided his questioning stare, and drank some water. "What do you mean?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed how weird things have been between the two of you lately." He pressed, with a bit of worry in his tone. Having Damon around was like having a brother or uncle he could rely on; a male figure he could count on, and he was worried that he'd lose that.

The vampire sighed deeply. "It's complicated, Jeremy."

"Well, then explain it to me."

"I made a lot of mistakes…some I'm not sure she can forgive me for." he grumbled disappointedly.

Jeremy's brows pulled together in a deep furrow. "Like killing Tyler."

Damon nodded on a wince, knowing that the wolf was a friend of Jeremy's too. "Among other things. Look Jer…"

The young Gilbert turned to face him. "If you break up, are you sticking around?"

Damon shook his head, feeling at a loss for words. "I don't know." If he was honest, the thought of breaking up with Elena never once occurred to him.

"Well for what it's worth, I hope it doesn't come to that. She may seem okay, but she needs you, Damon. And I don't hate having your around either." He admitted with a lopsided smile. "Watching the people you care about, walk out or die on you gets old after a while." He clapped Damon on the shoulder and jogged back towards the house.

.

Present Day:

Damon wandered around the large house looking at all the photos on the walls. It was hard to see her wrapped in the arms and smiling up at another man, even if that's what he'd wanted for her. He smiled as he slowly walked up the stairs, his eyes following the collection of photos of Aria and Sadie into the upstairs hallway. They looked just like Elena. Dark hair, big brown eyes and beaming smiles and a mischievous glint. They looked just as he imagined Elena would look like at their age; innocent, heart of gold, and stubborn as an ox.

"Well, well well…the prodigal son returns." He turned around to face the voice and was pleasantly surprised. Caroline walked up the steps and leaned against the wall at the top. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about us little people." she teased with an easy smile. While she hadn't aged a day, he could sense this new aura about her. She seemed grown, mature…confident. Her hair fell in loose curls, cut in a professional bob and she wore a black pant suit with a white blouse. The young, naïve cheerleader he met all those years ago had blossomed.

"Look at you, little miss Caroline Forbes; all grown up." He couldn't help but feel proud of how she turned out. The way Elena explained it, she handled being a vampire exceptionally well on her own without losing control or killing anyone, and Damon wanted to believe maybe some part of it had to do with him.

She laughed. "Only in the figurative sense…can't say I'm not happy about eternal youth. And look at you! Who knew you could grow a beard?" she teased, making him chuckle. She closed the distance between them, and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's good to see you, Damon."

"It's good to see you too, blondie." She smiled at the nickname. She hadn't heard it in nine years. "I may have missed you a little bit." he admitted in a whisper. He always had a bit of a soft spot for Caroline. Damon had seen a sliver of his human self in her; harsh but honest, hiding pain with fake smile and humor, an afterthought…just living in the shadow of someone that got everything they wanted. The difference between them was that she never gave up. He pulled away with a smirk. "Elena tells me you're quite the popular face these days."

"Yup, you're looking at WCAV's Good Morning Charlottesville's head-anchor." she recited with a beaming smile. "It pays the bills…and I also happen to love every minute of it." She studied him for a long time, before glancing back at the photos on the wall. "You know…I haven't seen Elena out of bed in months; getting her to answer the phone…forget about it. Today was the first time I've seen her smile since Klaus took Aria and Sadie, and I don't think you being here is a coincidence." She darted a glance at him to gauge his reaction. "I think you give her hope…"

Damon thought on her words for a moment, reflecting and he was about to respond when he heard the footstep climbing the stairs.

Elena stood on the landing eyeing them both with a knowing smile. Caroline's voice travelled. "Hey Care…Ric's here, he was wondering if you had Joey's soccer cleats in your car."

Caroline rolled her eyes with an indulgent smile. "I told him to grab them this morning. I swear he'd lose his head if it wasn't attached to his body. Last week, he left out a book on the 'History of Ancient Curses and Dark Magics' on the kitchen counter. Try explaining that to a five-year-old." She squeezed Damon's arm. "It's good to have you back…" she skipped down the stairs passed Elena, who made the rest of the climb.

"Who's Ric? My replacement?" He joked, following her into the girl's room.

She let out a huff of a laugh. "I think the only thing you and Alaric have in common is your taste for bourbon." She sat on the edge of one of the twin beds, pulling one of the stuffed animals into her lap, and Damon sat on the other one opposite her. "He was our history teacher and also secretly hunting vampires, so when the Brotherhood came to town, we started working together to get rid of them."

Damon nodded, getting up to speed. "And he and Caroline…?"

Elena sighed. "It's complicated. They aren't really together; his wife died giving birth to their son about five years ago, and he was pretty lost. Caroline stepped up to help raise him. She's the only mom he's ever really known and they play the part…for his sake."

"And I thought my relationships were complex." he kidded, drawing a half smile out of Elena. "So, I've been thinking, we should probably hit the road in the next few days."

Her gaze pulled away from the stuffed bunny to glance up at him sharply. "Where are we going?" This house was comfort to her, and leaving it filled her with anxiety.

"Well, we aren't going to find them here. Klaus has a compound in New Orleans, right in the French Quarter…now, I don't know if that's where he has them, but it's a good place the start. The Quarter is crawling with witches so it wouldn't hurt to have Bonnie along."

Elena frowned curiously. "How do you know Klaus has a compound in New Orleans?" He just stared at her, as if he was debating with himself on if he should answer. "Damon…."

He let out a deep breath. "I've been there."

She felt her stomach drop, and she struggled to make sense of what this meant. "Why would you be at Klaus' compound?"

He winced. "Elena, maybe now's not the best time-"

"No now's the perfect time. Please tell me that there's a reasonable explanation for this." she demanded. "We're you friends with him?!"

Damon dropped his head. "No of course not. It was just business, Elena. This was three years ago…I had my humanity turned off. At the time, working with Klaus was in my best interest. I needed him as my ally. It's one of the many things that I've come to regret in the last decade." he vowed sympathetically reaching for her hand, but she stood and put space between them.

"Do you know what I was doing three years ago? I was burying my husband, because your ally killed him. How could you work with him after everything he's done to us? He's the reason Stefan is dead, Damon!"

Damon rose to his feet. "I realize that!"

She looked at him with a heartbroken stare, pleading at him with her eyes. "Please tell me you had nothing to do with it…" she whispered so softly; the words barely made it passed her lips.

"I had nothing to do with what happened to Aaron, Elena, I swear to you. But Klaus had something I wanted, and I needed him to trust me. Look…this works in our favor. I know that place like the back of my hand and I have a…friend that can help."

Elena took a few calming breaths. "You do?"

Damon nodded, and took a couple hesitant steps towards her. "Yeah…and she hates Klaus as much as we do, if not more."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Who is she?" She didn't like the hesitation in his voice when he described this woman as his friend and she also didn't like the flare of jealousy that rose inside her.

"Rebekah Mikaelson." he held her gaze and waited for her reaction.

Elena blinked. "Mikaelson…Klaus' sister? Are you crazy?! Why would she help us?"

"She's not like him, Elena. I know her; deep down she's just a girl who lost everything at the hands of Klaus. I think you can relate." he explained pointedly.

"And just how well do you know her?" her words came out in a bitter sneer.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Elena…" he really didn't want to have this conversation.

"Did you sleep with her?" She reiterated with accusation, crossing her arms.

"Why are you asking me this when you already know the answer." he stated exasperated. She let out a sound of disgust and turned away, bringing a hand to her forehead. "We broke up almost ten years ago, did you think I was going to be celibate for the rest of my life? You obviously weren't!" He snapped back.

She shook her head in disbelief. "Don't turn this around on me! This is what you wanted, Damon! You wanted me to move on…you walked away!" she shouted back.

He pinned her with steely blue eyes. "I walked away because I knew you couldn't, not because I wanted to! So yeah…I passed the time, with Rebekah and a bunch of others that meant absolutely nothing to me, but that's all it was." Elena's eyes swung up to meet his, as if to reassure herself that it was true. She knew she had no right to feel jealous, but even the thought of him being intimate with anyone cut her deep. Damon must have seen it on her face because he closed the distance and ran a hand through her hair lovingly. "It could be ten years or a hundred…but I'll never love anyone the way I loved you." her breath hitched, and she was raptured by his intense ocean blue. "No one even held a candle to you, Elena."

Her eyes darted to his lips, and she leaned in with a shaky breath.

"Auntie 'Lena!" The running footfalls travelled from the hall and Joey came to a screeching halt in the doorway. Damon turned away, and Elena brought a hand to her mouth to try and regain her composure before turning to the excited little boy with a forced smile.

"Hey bud, what's up?" Her voice cracked slightly.

"Can I have some ice cream? Mommy said I could as long as you said it was okay."

She had to laugh. "Of course, Joey. Just save me some of the chunky monkey, okay."

"Thank you!" he yelled as he went running down the hallway, and both Elena and Damon shared in a nervous laugh, as they stared at each other.

"Maybe we should table this for now." he rasped with a deep swallow. He'd wanted nothing more than to taste her lips again, to feel her hands on him…but now wasn't the time.

She nodded reluctantly, biting her lip. He took a few quick steps out of the room, desperate for a break the tension, but she caught his arm. "Damon…for what it's worth, I'll never love anyone the way I loved you either."

He smiled, almost relieved, before leaning down and kissing her forehead. He left the room, and Elena let out the breath that she was holding. Every time Damon had walked into her life, from the day she met him to the moment he showed up on her porch, she felt like the air was sucked out of her lungs. Every time she laid eyes on him; her heart fluttered. Even after all this time that feeling would never go away.