Hey guys! Sorry it's taken a little time to get this chapter out. I'm going to a wedding this weekend and that has been on my mind cause I'm a brides maid! Anyway, I got a review recently that said that they didn't want the story to be a OC/Damon/Elena story. I don't want to give too much away, but I want to let you all know this is a Damon/OC story. So, don't worry ok!
Don't forget to review!
Season 1 Episode 14 Fool Me Once
"Wait she's gone?"
Stefan was pacing around my living room, having been invited in after he rang my doorbell in a panicl. He had been frantic asking when I had last seen Elena or if I had spoken to her. Since she brought me to my house, I hadn't talked to her. I was too worried in my own self-pity to even remember there was another world out there. I sat on the couch, waiting patiently for him to explain about Elena's disappearance.
"Yes." Stefan said. "Anna took her last night."
"Why?" I asked. "What would Anna get from kidnapping Elena?"
"I don't know!" Stefan replied. I could see the fear in his eyes. Anna could kill Elena at any point and he had no idea where she was. It made my heart begin to race and my adrenaline start to rush.
"Stefan listen to me." I said. "We will find her. We've just got to… think this through."
"I've thought all night Alex." Stefan said. "I've searched everywhere and no sign of them."
"Well…. There has to be some way to track her down." I said racking my brain. I pulled out my phone and called Bonnie. I just got her answering machine.
"That's weird." I said. Stefan looked to me. "Bonnie always answers…"
Then it hit me. Bonnie…. Ben…
"It's Ben." I said suddenly. "Ben Mckittrick. He must be working for Anna."
"Why do you say that?" Stefan asked. I lifted my head.
"He and Bonnie disappeared last night." I said. "Stefan, they need a witch to perform the spell."
"And Elena is leverage." He concluded. Suddenly, Stefan grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I barely had time to close the door behind me with how quick he was. He led me to his car, hopping in the front seat. I followed and climbed into the passenger.
"Where are we going?" I asked as he revved the engine. We peeled out onto the street in a millisecond.
"To talk to Damon." He answered.
"I thought you said you already talked to him." I said, my heart beat accelerating at the mention of Stefan's older brother.
"He won't talk to me." He said and then looked at me. "He might talk to you.
We pulled up in front of the boarding house. I took in a deep breath. I didn't want to talk to Damon. There was no guarantee he would tell me anything, especially after he was so quick to turn me into a vampire the night prior.
"What if he won't tell me?" I asked Stefan. He looked at me gravely.
"This is the only chance we have." He said. I nodded, swallowing. I then followed Stefan up the steps and into the house. I felt a chill go up my spine at the thought of talking to Damon, being in the same room as him.
"Well lookie here." I heard Damon's voice. I looked up and he was at the top of the stair case, a smirk on his face. I glared. Stefan stood protectively in front of me.
"Relax." Damon said. "I've got the book I don't need to kill her."
"But you could turn me." I said over Stefan's shoulder. "Right?"
Damon set his jaw but ignored me, walking past us. I tried to follow but Stefan caught my arm. He looked at me gravely.
"I got it." I whispered and he released me. I followed Damon into the parlor where he sat at a desk. On the desk was the grimoire, open and his eyes were scanning it. I swallowed before stepping before him.
"Find it?" I asked him. He lifted his head. "The spell? To release the woman who broke your heart and the other 26 vampires who will kill the town?"
"I sense that you are angry." He said. I glared. "Yup, you're angry."
"Can you blame me?" I asked him. He looked down to the book. "We were friends Damon…"
"Or maybe I was just using you for my own benefit." He suggested. I shook my head.
"No… no it was more than that." I said and leaned over the desk. "We were friends and you know it."
He looked up, eyes going from me and then they landed on my chest. He smirked.
"Doing the whole distraction thing huh?" He said, staring at the cleavage my shirt showed off. "Too bad I was the one who showed you that trick"
"Grow up." I said and stood up straight. "They're boobs."
"Pretty nice ones." He said with a wink. I blushed. "Now, what do you want Alex?"
"Where is she?" I asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about." He said innocently. I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling my anger rise.
"Tell me where Anna took Elena." I ordered. He looked up at me, his own eyes holding anger. He then stood, towering over me.
"I told you to never order me around again." He said. I held my ground, glaring up at him.
"And a few days ago I would have listened to you." I said and then poked him in the chest. "But you lost that when you tried to kill me."
"I wasn't going to do it." He said sincerely. "I knew that Stefan would give me the book before I did anything."
"And if he didn't?" I asked. "Then what?"
He didn't answer me, he just glared down at me. I could feel angry tears prick my eyes but I blinked them away. I wasn't going to let him see me weak again. I was done with that. He would have snapped my neck because whatever connection we had was second best to proving that he was bad.
"What do you want me to say?" He asked. "That I'm sorry?"
"No." I replied. "Because you wouldn't mean it."
"Maybe I would." He said. I shook my head. I wasn't in the mood for this back and forth. I just wanted to be away from him and bring Elena to safety.
"Just tell me where Elena is." I said.
"No." He replied and went to look through the spell book again. I felt my anger boil over then and I grabbed something from a table and threw it at him. He caught it effortlessly and stared at me angrily.
"Well that was rude." He said, but I ignored him.
"You are the biggest ass I've ever met in my life." I said. "You only care about yourself."
"Yes, I'm selfish Alex! You knew that from the start." He replied. "It's not my fault you fell in love with me."
"W-what?" I asked him, cursing at myself for stammering. He stayed seated but stared up at me with a dark expression. I hadn't expected that reaction.
"Do you think I'm blind?" He asked. "I know you have feelings for me. Even if you don't want to admit it."
"Shut up." I muttered. I didn't want to get into this right now. I wanted to get Elena and get the hell away from him. I especially did not want to talk about this topic.
"I told you that this would never work." He said. "I didn't ask for you to fall for me."
"I didn't." I snarled. "And even if I had you lost me when you tried to turn me."
"Good." He said and looked me dead in the eye. "Because I don't want you."
I felt my mouth twitch and my stomach fall. Even after what he had done it still hurt to hear him say that. It was like a stab to the heart and then he twisted it. I balled my hands into fists and squeezed hard before I nodded.
"I hope you and Katherine have a nice life." I said and turned to leave the room. He didn't stop me, and once I was out of the room I ran into Stefan. He looked at me sympathetically, but I ignored him. I marched out of the house and out to Stefan's car. He followed soon after. I glared out the window, wiping away small angry tears when they formed.
Stefan took me to Bonnie's grandmother's home. Sheila was her name, as Stefan said, and he believed that she could track down Elena and Bonnie. Hopefully, the Bennett witches had some sort of connection and Sheila could find my friends. We knocked on the door and she was there in a second.
"Stefan." She said. "Apparently, all the Salvatores are coming to my door this morning."
"Damon was here?" Stefan asked worriedly.
"Yes, but I sent him away." Sheila said. "And you must be Alex."
"Yes ma'am." I said and held out my hand. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Likewise." Sheila said. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Elena and Bonnie are in trouble." Stefan said. Sheila's eyes burned. "They have been taken and we need to find them fast."
"Come in, come in." Sheila said, ushering us in. Stefan smiled slightly when he could step over the threshold. We followed Sheila into her dining room where she sat us down. She then rushed off to retrieve something. Stefan and I sat there, alone, in awkward silence. I knew that he had heard my whole conversation with Damon, even if he hadn't been trying to eavesdrop.
"Alex…" Stefan said. I looked up. "I want to… apologize for Damon's behavior."
"Haven't we been over this?" I asked him playfully. "You don't control Damon."
"Yes… that's true." Stefan said and caught my gaze. "But he had no right to lead you on the way he did."
"He didn't… I mean I didn't…" I began. "I'm not in love with him."
"I know." Stefan said. "But you care for him."
"So do you." I replied. "Guess we are both idiots."
Stefan didn't reply, he just sighed. In that instant Sheila returned with a large old book. She opened it up and began flipping through the pages. I recognized the words as spells and assumed this was her spell book.
"I'm going to do a location spell." Sheila said, whipping out what looked like a map of Mystic Falls. She then pricked her finger, dropping a bit of blood on the map. Stefan held his breath.
"Phasmatos Tribum Nas Ex Veras, Sequita Saguines, Ementas Asten Mihan Ega Petous." Sheila chanted. And then the drop of blood started to move. It went across the paper, moving ever so slowly until it stopped.
"There." Sheila said. "Go Stefan. Bring my baby home."
Stefan nodded and took off. I took a look at the map and discovered that Anna was keeping Elena and Bonnie in a motel. I hoped that Stefan could find them. Sheila got up wordlessly, taking her things with her. I awkwardly sat in the dining room, waiting for Sheila or Stefan to return.
Eventually, Sheila did return, now with a bandaged finger. She told me that we could move to the living room, so as to be more comfortable.
"I don't mean to be forward." Sheila said. "Well, I'm old I guess we are all forward…"
I laughed and waited for her to finish her statement.
"But I sense that you are hurting." She said. My eyes widened. "Bonnie sensed it too."
"I mean… I wouldn't say hurting… I'm more…" I explained. "Disappointed."
"With what doll baby?" She asked. I bit my lip, wondering if I could trust this woman. She seemed very kind, bold and blunt, but very understanding. Maybe she could help me to relieve this disappointment that I had been feeling.
"I never knew my father." I began. "But I'm sure you knew that."
"I knew your grandmother." She said. "Cold hearted bitch if you ask me."
"I've never met her, so I'll take your word for it." I said with a small chuckle. "But… that's always affected me."
She nodded, but didn't speak. She urged me to continue.
"And then… I was an outcast for a long time." I said. "Until this year."
"That's when everything changed." Sheila concluded. I nodded.
"I finally felt… good and… happy." I said. "I didn't feel so alone."
"And in comes the boy." Sheila said. My jaw dropped and I was about to correct her, but she was right. Damon swooped into my life and took my way by surprise. I never imagined that he even existed, let alone that he would affect me so.
"He's not a good guy." I said. "And I know he's not a good guy…. But I just can't stay away."
"All of us girls are like that." She said. "We all want someone to change for us."
"But that's the thing…" I said. "I don't want him to change. I mean… I don't want him to do bad stuff but… I wouldn't ask him to change for me."
"That's a good way to live." She said. "But did you ever think he is the one who doesn't deserve you?"
"Yeah… I've thought about it." I answered. "But… I can't shake the feeling that I get around him. Those butterflies in my stomach when he is near."
"Sounds like you've got it bad." Sheila said. I nodded. "Well, maybe it will work out between you two."
"There's another problem." I said. "He's in love with someone else."
"Oh…" Sheila said. "That's a big obstacle."
"Yeah." I replied. We then fell silent, and I wondered if I had said too much. Maybe my rambling had made her annoyed with me or she was thinking of a way to get me out of her house. I chipped at my nails and waited for any sort of sound to break the silence.
"This boy…" She began. "He is troubled."
"I guess you could say that." I replied. Damon was on the troubled side with his messed up past.
"Maybe… maybe he needs someone like you." She said. "To make him good again."
"Again?" I asked. She smiled knowingly at me.
"No one is born mean my dear." She said. I opened my mouth to say something but before I could say anything the door opened. Both Sheila and I looked up and in came Stefan with Bonnie and Elena. Bonnie ran for her grandmother, tears running down her face. She looked terrified. Elena didn't look much better, and I hugged her when she got close.
Sheila then ushered us back into the dining room. Stefan was thinking of a game plan. Damon had the grimoire, and they needed a witch so he would probably be coming after Bonnie. Stefan wasn't going to let that happen.
"So, what do we do now?" Elena asked.
"Well, for now, you need to stay here." Stefan said. Sheila looked over her shoulder, looking less than pleased.
"A prisoner, in my own home?" Sheila asked incredulously. "I don't think so."
"I can't protect you if you leave the house." Stefan said.
"We'll protect ourselves." Sheila said. Something about her made me think that she was one tough witch. She just oozed toughness, and I was honestly jealous of it.
"We need to let him have Katherine back." Elena said, we all stared at her. "He's not going to stop until he gets her. If we help him, maybe that ends it."
"Or maybe it is just the beginning." I replied. I didn't want Katherine out for two reasons. One, I didn't know what she and Damon could do to this town together. They could slaughter everyone. And two, I didn't want Damon to find his happiness with her.
"He doesn't deserve to get what he wants." Bonnie said.
"What other choice do we have?" Elena asked. She was right. Damon would not stop until he got Katherine out, or he would die trying. So either we give him Katherine or we kill him. I was leaning more toward the latter.
"Witches being pulled down by vampire problems. As much as we tried to do to stay out of it." Sheila said as she looked at Bonnie. "I'll open the tomb. You get your brother's girl and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."
"We still have to get Damon to agree." Stefan said.
"He already agreed once." Elena said.
"Yeah, and then we double crossed him." Stefan said. "So now he's angry."
The room fell quiet, as we all thought about what to do. Damon would never agree to this coming from Stefan. He didn't trust Stefan before and then he tried and it backfired. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Not all of us double crossed him…" Elena said. I looked up, seeing both Elena and Stefan staring at me. I groaned, realizing their intentions.
"We already tried this." I said. "He won't listen to me."
"He might." Elena said. "You have given him no reason to not trust you."
"But he knows I'm with you guys." I retorted. "He might think I'm going to trick him."
"Alex, we have to try." Stefan said. "You said you two were friends. Damon doesn't take that lightly."
"Obviously, since he tried to kill me." I replied sarcastically.
"But he didn't." Elena said. "He looked at you and he couldn't do it."
"But he almost turned me which is pretty much the same thing!" I said. "I won't do it."
"Alex, I know this is hard for you but-" Stefan began but I cut him off.
"God, I'm not in love with your brother!" I shouted. The whole room went quiet and I felt my cheeks heat up. I then swallowed and looked down. I had just blabbed to everyone just who I was talking about. However, I didn't say that I was in love with him. Although, it was pretty obvious that the sentence bothered me.
"Alex…" I looked up at Elena. She had kind eyes and a small crease in her forehead. "We have to try. Or none of this will end."
"What if he doesn't agree?" I asked.
"What if he does?" Elena countered. I stared at her for a long time. My eyes then swept the room, full of encouraging faces. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I had to do it. I had to try.
"Fine."
Back to the Salvatore house we went, Stefan dropping me off so as to not tip off Damon. Elena waved encouragingly to me before she and Stefan took off. I took a deep breath before I looked up at the huge mansion. I could do this. I could make him listen to me. I could make him trust me.
But could I trust him?
I had to admit that he only did that for his own love for Katherine. I had to try to understand that in his own sick and twisted way, he was doing this for her. And when I looked into his eyes that night, after he threatened to kill me, I knew that he wouldn't do it. He could deny it forever, but he still cared about me.
I walked up the front steps, opening the door. Did they ever lock it? I guess vampires didn't have to worry about burglers. They could just eat them. I walked slowly through the house, thinking of where he would be. I went to the study, and lo and behold he was there. He had the grimoire and he was putting on his jacket. He must have been ready to go.
"Going somewhere?" I asked. He looked up, not really surprised by my presence. He didn't look happy to see me, or angry about it. He looked… relieved I guess.
"Didn't think you would show up again." He admitted.
"I didn't think I would either." I replied and stepped further into the room. He watched me carefully, and I moved slowly. I tried to relax, knowing he could hear my racing heart. I didn't want him to think something was up.
"What are you doing here?" He asked. I shrugged, looking around the massive room filled with books. I then met his gaze.
"Elena convinced Bonnie to help you." I said. He knitted his eyebrows.
"I doubt that." He scoffed.
"It's true." I replied. "And I convinced Elena and Stefan to let you take Katherine."
He stared at me for a long time, gripping the grimoire tightly in his hand, like I would try to take it. I was now about two feet away from him and I stopped. Although I needed him to trust me, I was still nervous considering the night prior. I was still afraid he could kill me and I wake up a vampire.
"Why?" He asked. Again I shrugged. "That's not an answer."
"Why wouldn't I?" I challenged. "We're friends right?"
"I thought that was done after I tried to make you a monster." He said. I nodded.
"It was." I replied. "But then I thought about it…. You only did that so you could get her back. I can respect that. I would do anything for my mom if we were in the same situation. And besides… you didn't kill me."
"But I tried to." He said, looking down as if he was ashamed of himself. I took one step forward.
"But you didn't." I replied. He lifted his eyes and then he gave me a look.
"Why should I trust you?" He asked me.
"I've given you no reason not to trust me." I said. "We are going to help you."
He continued to stare at me, disbelieving. I was starting to get frustrated. I had done nothing wrong to him and I could barely get him to trust me. And yet, he had done all of these things to me and I blindly trusted him. Then I remembered what Stefan had said, Damon doesn't trust easy, so when he does hold on to it.
"Not interested." Damon said and turned away from me. I sighed, ready to give up, but I pushed myself harder.
"You were yesterday." I said.
"That's before my lovely brother and his girlfriend tricked me." He replied. "Fool me once, shame on you."
"But I trust them." I said. "And you can trust me."
"How do I know they didn't get you on to their side hm?" He asked me, coming closer to me. We were about a foot apart now.
"When we were in Atlanta, why didn't you compel me?" I asked. "You had every chance to, and you didn't."
"Who says I didn't?" He asked. I racked my brain about that day, it had been a good day. I had had fun on that impromptu road trip. I got to see the real Damon then, and not this one that stood in front of me now.
"You didn't." I said. "But you could have."
"You were like putty in my hands anyway." He said. I shook my head.
"You care." I said suddenly, catching his attention. "You don't want to admit it, that you care about me. But you do. We have this… connection… and I don't understand it. I bet you don't either."
He didn't speak, he just watched me. I swallowed. None of this was fake. This was all real emotion and real words from my heart. I didn't understand what Damon and I had. I didn't know if it was friendship, attraction, or both. But whatever it was, it brought us together and it was keeping us together. I couldn't fight it, and I wouldn't let him do it any longer.
"I trust you." He said. "I just don't trust them."
I stepped forward then, just as he did. We were close now, our chests merely inches apart. I was surprised that I was not nervous, I couldn't hear my fast beating heart in my ears. It felt so natural, so right, to be this close to him. I wasn't afraid, and he wasn't either. We understood each other. We trusted each other.
"I'm sorry." He said suddenly. I blinked. That was the first time he had ever apologized to me. I didn't know what it was for, or why he was saying it, but I didn't take it for granted. Maybe he was apologizing for everything he had done to me, to my friends. Maybe it was just for last night, but regardless I felt very satisfied.
"Will you come with me?" I asked him, taking his hand in mine. Our fingers linked and he held them up. He stared at them, our pale skins meshing together. His blue gaze then met my green one.
"I'm trusting you." He said. "Don't make me regret it."
"And I'm trusting you." I said. "I don't want to regret it."
He nodded at me and then we turned to go. It was time to open the tomb and free Katherine.
When we arrived, Stefan, Elena, Bonnie and Sheila were already there. They were preparing and I felt a shiver go up my spine. There was a party nearby, I hoped that no one ventured this way. They may be ancient vampire food.
"Brother. Witches." Damon said and then looked at Elena. "Girlfriend's twin."
He then threw down his stuff, including the grimoire. I huddled next to Elena, the cold chill freezing me to the bone. Elena gave me a smile, a "I knew you could do it," kind of smile. But I hadn't needed to lie to him. I spoke true, and I knew that Damon just wanted Katherine. He was going to get her and get out. Then this whole mess would be over.
"Air." Sheila said as she lit a torch. "Earth. Fire."
"Water." Bonnie said, handing her grandma a water bottle. Sheila took it and sprinkled the water on the ground.
"That's it?" Elena asked. "Just water from the tap?"
"As opposed to what?" Sheila asked, not looking up from her work.
"I just figured maybe it would have to be blessed or mystical or something." Elena admitted, earning a smirk from Sheila. My eyes then drifted to the brothers, standing side by side at the entrance. Damon pulled out something, a blood bag I presumed. I almost gagged when I thought about it.
"We're ready." Bonnie said. All of us looked at one another, each one prepared to do this. Get in, grab Katherine, get out, and set fire to the tomb. Sounded simple enough.
Bonnie and Sheila held hands, standing in the center of torches. They then started to chant, something that I couldn't understand. It seemed the others didn't either, not even Stefan and Damon. Suddenly, the door of the tomb creaked, opening slightly. My eyes widened.
"It worked." Bonnie said, disbelieving.
"Of course it worked." Sheila said.
"We have some fires to build." Damon said to Stefan. Stefan turned to Elena, touching her arms gently.
"I'm gonna go get the gasoline, I'll be right back." Stefan said and sped up the stone stairs. Damon stared at the door and pushed it open. Then he beckoned with his hand.
"You ready?" He asked, looking directly at Elena.
"What?" She asked.
"You think I'm gonna go in there by myself so you can seal me in?" Damon asked the two witches in front of him.
"Don't take her in." Sheila warned. "I'll bring the walls down."
"You'll bring the walls down if I don't." Damon countered. "You think I trust you?"
"As much as I trust you." Sheila glared.
"Enough. Both of you. Look, he needs leverage." Elena explained. "He needs to know that you're not going to shut the door when he gets inside. I get it. I'll go."
"I'll go with you." I offered but Damon turned to me.
"No." He said. "You're staying here."
"But-" I began but Elena shot me a look.
"It's ok." She said. "I'll be fine."
I looked from her to Damon and gave him a warning look. He nodded to me, understanding that he was not going to let anything happen to Elena. I swallowed, watching Elena follow close behind Damon.
"I don't like this." Bonnie said. I nodded in agreement. I didn't like this either. Damon's first priority wasn't Elena's safety. It was getting Katherine out. He would save Katherine over Elena given the two options. We could just get lucky and hope that he picked the wrong one, considering they looked exactly alike.
Suddenly, we heard a noise and we all turned. Anna stood at the bottom of the steps. Bonnie stepped in front of the door.
"Hey, you're not going in there!" Bonnie said. Anna seemed to find that humorous.
"You think you can stop me?" Anna asked. Bonnie was about to go full on witch on this little vampires ass when Sheila stopped her.
"Bonnie…" She warned. Bonnie begrudgingly did what Sheila said and stepped away, letting Anna pass. She ran into the tomb, confused but ran in nonetheless.
"Why did you let her go in?" Bonnie asked.
"Because she isn't coming out, baby." Sheila explained. "None of them are."
"What?" I asked suddenly. Bonnie looked confused as well. Sheila sighed.
"I made a spell." She said. "It keeps the vampires in but humans may go out."
"So, no one but Elena can come out?" Bonnie asked, sounding relieved. Sheila nodded. Although that was all and good all I could think about was Damon. It didn't matter to me that he was getting another girl from the tomb. It didn't matter to me that he had killed people. It didn't matter that he could never return my feelings.
"He trusted me." I mumbled.
"What?" Bonnie asked.
"He trusted me." I repeated louder. "Damon… he trusted me. I… I can't let him get stuck in there."
"It's for the best honey." Sheila said but I shook my head.
"No." I said. "No! You have to lift the spell."
"You know good and well why I can't do that." Sheila replied. I was in hysterics now, trying to think of something that would convince her to release him.
"Alex, he's not worth it." Bonnie said, gripping my shoulders trying to calm me down.
"He trusted me Bonnie!" I practically screamed.
"You did nothing wrong." Bonnie said. "This isn't your fault."
"Please." I begged Sheila. "Please lift the spell."
"No." Sheila responded. I swallowed hard, glaring at her with a quivering lip. Just then, Stefan came down the stairs. I took that as my chance.
"Stefan!" I yelled reaching for him. He looked around confused.
"Where's Elena?" He asked.
"Damon took her." Bonnie said. Stefan then rushed for the door but Sheila stopped him.
"If you go in there, you won't come out." Sheila explained.
"What did you do?" Stefan asked.
"Opening the door didn't remove the seal, it just opened the door." Sheila answered.
"What's the seal?" Stefan asked.
"Some seals keep vampires from entering." Sheila said. "This one keeps them from coming out."
"Elena's human. She can leave. Anna and Katherine can't." Stefan concluded. "Damon can't. You were never planning on breaking the spell, were you?"
"I told you. I will protect my own." Sheila said. "Elena can get out. That's all that matters."
"Stefan." I said catching his attention. "What about Damon?"
"What about him?" Stefan retorted. I swallowed.
"He's your brother." I said. "You have to help him."
"I can't do anything." Stefan said. "I'm not the witch here."
"He trusted me!" I said for the third time. "I trusted you and he trusted me! You have to let him out."
"Alex." Stefan said, grabbing my shoulders. "He's no good for you."
"I don't care!" I yelled wriggling from his grasp. Suddenly, we heard a scream. A female scream that must have come from Elena. Both Stefan and my eyes widened and we ran. Stefan was much faster than me. I could hear Bonnie's protests but I was gone. It was dark, way too dark. I stumbled over the steps, over my own two feet. I ran until I found Stefan. He had saved Elena, who was now running past me and out of the tomb.
"Alex, you need to leave." He warned. I shook my head.
"Not without him." I said. Stefan opened his mouth. "I won't leave without him."
Stefan swallowed, but he let me go. I grabbed one of the flashlights, searching through the tomb. I gagged at the corpses I encountered, feeling sorry for them. None of them asked for this. They looked so… stiff and… hungry. I did my best to stay as far away from them as possible. They were making noise, most likely smelling me.
I then saw a light, light made by a fire. I ran toward it, seeing Damon's torch on the ground. He was looking at a corpse, then dropped it, kicking it out of frustration.
"Damon…" I said trying to catch his attention. He muttered something. "What?"
"She's not here!" He screamed at me, throwing the bag of blood at the wall. It burst open, its contents splattering all over the place. I swallowed.
"Damon, you have to get out of here." I said. "You don't get out if you don't come now."
I heard footsteps and there was Stefan. He stepped forward, staring at his brother.
"Damon, we need to get out of here." Stefan encouraged him. But Damon wasn't paying him any mind.
"It doesn't make sense." Damon mumbled. "They locked her inside."
"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out." Stefan said.
"Damon we have to go now!" I pleaded with him.
"How could she not be in here?" Damon asked. I could feel myself becoming more anxious. Bonnie and Sheila couldn't hold break the spell for too long. They would need to stop and then all three of us would be stuck down here. I would end up being dinner.
"It's not worth spending all of eternity down here." Stefan said, grabbing his brother. "She's not worth it!"
"No!" Damon yelled, pushing Stefan off of him. Stefan pulled back and then looked at me. I nodded and stepped forward. Damon looked so distraught, I had never seen him like that. The absolute heartbreak on this man's face was something that I could hardly bare. I grabbed his hands, forcing him to look at me. He looked down, his blue eyes sad and confused.
"Damon." I said softly. "Please. We have to go."
"She's not here." He repeated, shaking his head. I released one of his hands, gripping the back of his neck.
"I know sweet heart." I said. "But you won't find her down here. We have to go."
He stared at me, and then to his brother. He then composed himself, still gripping my hand he pushed past Stefan and pulled me with him. I tried to keep up, tripping once again. But Damon held true, and didn't let me go. I could see the light from the open door ahead and we started to run. Stefan was right behind us.
As soon as all three of us were out the door shut. He dropped my hand, running to the wall. He braced himself against it, like he was afraid that he would collapse if he didn't hold on to something. I could see Bonnie and Sheila struggling after expelling all of that energy, but I didn't stop to see if they were ok. I just watched Damon. It was dark, the torches having gone out, but I could still see him in the bright moonlight.
"Damon…" I began, but he ran off. I ran after him, but when I got up the stairs, he was gone. I swallowed the lump formed in my throat. I felt the tears fall and wiped them away.
Stefan drove me home. I had insisted that I was fine, but I knew it was a lie. I was far from fine. I told Elena that I didn't mind being alone, that it was ok. But I shouldn't have been alone. I shouldn't have let myself be alone. My mom wasn't home yet, having the late shift. I got into the house and locked it behind me. It was all too much, and the picture of Damon's face after he realized that Katherine wasn't in the tomb continued to flash in my mind.
It broke my heart every time. I had never seen that side of him, and I wish I hadn't. It showed me that Damon truly did have a soul and he had humanity. He loved her. And she wasn't there. Where could she be? I hadn't a clue. I feared the worst though. I bet Damon did too.
I drug my feet down the hallway, flipping on lights as I did so. I didn't want to be in the dark, I had had enough of that tonight. I got to my room and flipped on the switch, gasping when I found out I wasn't alone. I should have been used to this, him sneaking in my room. But under these circumstances, I never imagined he would be there that night.
"Damon?" I asked, even though I knew it was him. He had his back to me, staring out of my window. I slowly walked into the bedroom, trying not to do any sudden movements. He didn't move or even twitch. He just stood there.
"Damon." I called again, but still nothing. He did speak this time though.
"She wasn't there." He said. I felt my heart crack. His voice was just so utterly sad. I couldn't believe that he of all people could hold that much sadness.
"Damon-" I said again but was startled when he turned around.
"She was never there!" He said loudly. I gulped, afraid of him in this unstable state. He looked much like he did the night prior, angry and impulsive. I wondered what he would do to me.
"She knew where I was." Damon continued. I stayed still, not saying a word. "She knew I was here… and she didn't… she didn't care…"
Another crack was made in my heart as I listened to him. Katherine was never in the tomb. She was never in there, and she knew where Damon was. She knew it and she didn't ever reveal herself. To me, that meant that she hadn't wanted to be found. She didn't want Damon to rescue her, or Stefan for that matter. She hadn't tried to reconnect with either one, and they loved her so dearly. I could tell that Damon had, I could see it on his face.
"I'm sorry." I said. He chuckled.
"Yeah… me too." He said and then met my gaze. He was before me before I could blink. His hand plunged into my hair and his other hand snaked around my waist. He pulled me to him before I had time to react. He didn't speak or anything, he just pulled me close and then he kissed me.
This wasn't like our first kiss. That one was sloppy and unstructured. This one… this was probably worse. This kiss was cold and sad. There was no passion or feelings. It was just that… a kiss. There was nothing behind it, just numbness. This was not what I wanted when I kissed Damon. I wanted him to be there with me, not off in some other world where he was thinking of Katherine.
I pushed back on his chest, making him pull back. He panted, our breath mingling in front of us. I didn't say anything and neither did he. He then did something I never expected. He shed a tear. One long tear blinked from his eye and fell down his cheek. My heart shattered when I saw it.
"Make it go away." He murmured. "Make the pain go away."
"I can't." I said with a shake of my head. "I'm sorry."
"You want me." He said. "I know you do."
"Damon… don't." I warned but he didn't stop. He moved forward and attacked my neck. He didn't bite, he just kissed and sucked at the skin. I tried to clear the haze that was forming in my vision. This was wrong, this was so wrong. He didn't want me. He wanted to forget about Katherine for a few minutes. He wanted to use me.
I pushed on him but he didn't stop. He kissed up from my neck to my jawline, making his way to my lips. They parted, and I had never wanted to be used any more than I did then. But before he reached my lips I pushed harder on his rock hard chest.
"Stop!" I yelled at him. That seemed to get his attention. He pulled back, eyes angry and glazed over with lust. I was sure mine were too, but I had to stop this before I couldn't anymore.
"What?" He asked me.
"You need to leave." I said pointing to the window. He followed my finger and then looked to me and chuckled.
"Are you going to make me?" He asked, the challenge in his eyes. I narrowed my own gaze.
"I want you to leave." I said. "Now."
He searched my face and then he grunted. He released me, tossing me back a little with the force of it. He then turned to go, not before sending me another glare before he jumped out and was gone. I rushed to it, closing it and locking it. He was nowhere in sight but I knew he was around somewhere, watching.
And as I laid down to sleep, all I could see behind my eyelids were those piercing blue eyes and that desperate look that had crept on to his face.