Was he a hero? Was he a killer? Who was her husband?
Three days ago she would proudly declare that her husband was the former.
The perfect husband, thoughtful partner, devoted doctor, and in her heart she always knew he'd make the best father.
Now she was conflicted.
After what she had been told earlier.
The signs- were they always clear, did she not see them because she didn't want to?
Elena Gilbert-Lockwood closed her heavy eyes, she was hungry and tired.
She hadn't slept in two days, hadn't eaten in four.
Her ears, her eyes, her face- it all hurt from being in such state.
She brought her knees close to her chest, resting her head on it.
As soon as her eyelids closed, she was taken back to two months ago.
Her clothes hadn't been tattered like now, instead she had been wearing a black mermaid style gown, enjoying a lavish party.
She had seen her captor that day, she even thought how mesmerising his blue eyes were, cold yet magical.
flashback*
Men speaking foreign languages around the room, even her husband, Mason Lockwood was speaking in fluent Italian with his superior.
Elena, while she respected the language, had no idea how to speak it, so she stuck to chatting to a girl she had met at the previous office party.
The girl named Caroline was bubbly and sweet, she talked to Elena as if they had known each other for years.
"Where did you and Mason meet?" she asked.
Elena replied with a bright smile on her face, "We met at a wedding. He was the groom's best friend. And I was sort of drunk." She joked and then giggled, "He swept me off my feet, we danced together- then two days later, he texts me, begging me for a date."
The girl gushed and Elena felt a wave of pride pass her.
Though she might be a kindergarten teacher, she was doing quite well for herself.
Mason was not just incredibly handsome but quite rich as well.
Elena was the envy of most women at the parties she went to.
About 6 days ago, her husband went to the hospital, and didn't come back.
Elena waited a day and then reported it to the police.
His friends, her friends, their friends knew nothing.
Mason was gone in thin year, shaking her to the core. Making her realize how much she loved him, and needed him.
After searching for three days, day and night in hospitals, all places she knew, even had to see a dead body the police thought was her husband, but was not- Elena was exhausted and returned home.
She was making herself dinner when she heard a noise in the backyard, thinking it's Mason, Elena ran back door and opened the door calling his name.
Was he hurt? Did he need help?
And then darkness.
Was it a blow to the head or a chemical that sent her to her state of unconsciousness.
And then she met him. Her captor.
He surely knew what happened to Mason, he captured her before she could reach the truth.
Icy-stone cold blue orbs, clear skin, dark hair, as dark as his aura had been.
Just his presence made her sick.
She didn't even remember their first conversation.
Then the second, she didn't want to remember.
She just knew, he wasn't good.
...
...
The door shook and Elena shivered as well, thinking one of them is back.
Her hair might have been clean but it felt matted, she felt like she reeked and starving, yes she was.
His voice was hardly above a whisper yet it echoed in the dead silence, "Ready to talk?"
She gulped, her saliva doing nothing to quench her dry throat, she wanted to word her disgust for him.
"Huh?" he brought his hand to his ear, as if he had heard the sound of her jugular and her frustrated whisper.
What the fuck was he talking about?
"Water." She forced out a single word.
He stopped pacing around the room, standing tall in the middle, ominously staring down at her.
Then he snapped his fingers once. Behind his acrid shadow, a man entered, Elena couldn't even make out the new man's face because of the dark.
As he came closer, she moved back against the wall, the man didn't take notice of her resistance, he kept a glass-half full near her knee.
She sceptically looked at the liquid.
Was it water or poison?
Or something to make her unconscious.
The man walked out, leaving her captor with her there.
The door was still open and she could see bright light across his body, without thinking she lunged for the door, surprising herself with the force she conjured from her body.
In the wake of her sudden movement, the glass was about to hit the ground, her Captor chose to reach for if. Not even bothering to go after her.
In a moment she knew why.
She was held by the two men outside.
One who gave her water, the other was slightly less taller than the other but the force was unbreakable, as they each held her by one arm each, easily carrying her back in despite her kicking her legs.
"Please, let me go!"
They put her in the same place she had started and her captor was still holding the glass of water, swirling the water as if it were the finest of wines.
She cried shakenly as he stepped closer, and the bright light from the door narrowed away, he sat on one knee , reaching the glass.
"Its just water."
Elena shook her head, as if it hadn't been her request.
Scared, scared, scared.
She had never been in a position like this.
He shrugged. Then brought the glass to his lips, taking a sip, "Here."
He put the rest near her shaking foot.
"Please don't hurt me." She begged.
He nodded, "Killing a woman is not on my list today." He said it as if it were a normal thing.
She gulped, then slowly reached for her glass, taking a full gulp.
The cold water was better than anything.
She relished it's coolness.
Before she could even finish, he took the glass from her.
Elena pulled her hand back hiding it under her ribs.
He didn't care.
"Where is Mason Lockwood?" he asked.
She grew confused.
"I-I Mason?" she asked. This whole time she thought they had Mason.
Was this a game?
"I don't know. He is missing."
The man clicked his tongue, "I can smell a lie, you might think you'll protect him by doing this. It's not going to happen."
Elena frowned, "Mason is missing!"
She didn't know where she got the guts, "And I have a feeling you know why!"
Her captor sighed as if he was tired of her, "You can't get out of here if you don't spit it out. I know that you know." He pointed to her.
"And If you waste my time further, I will not be hesitant to add another person to my list." He threatened, "If you want to live or ever see the light of the day, tell me where Mason is."
Elena looked away, her eyes fell on the glass by his side, in a flash, she reached for it.
Hit it against the floor picking up the largest shard.
"Stay back!."
His voice raised slightly, "Are you really this stupid?"
"I will kill you!" She found herself perfectly capable of gouging his terrorizing eyes.
He took it as if it were a mosquito flying around, annoying him, rather than a woman with a glass shank.
Elena gulped when he took out his gun and pointed it to her, "Give that thing here."
"No."
"No?" he raised a brow, offended that someone said that word to him.
"No?" he repeated.
Elena stood her ground, "No!" she screamed.
Before her shout of protest would be echoed, he shot a bullet.
She screamed in terror, feeling her ears buzzing, almost losing sound with the voice.
Though he didn't shoot at her, but 5 inches to the right.
She cupped her mouth with one hand as she cried and the other had dropped the makeshift shank long ago, it had turned into tiny useless pieces of glass on the ground.
She wrapped her arms around herself, crawling up to the corner of the room.
Hoping the killer cat wouldn't see her because she closed her eyes.
It was stupid.
He put his gun back, then shook his ear a bit before walking towards her, Elena hissed when he held her chin, making her look upward.
"You tell me where your coward husband is, I'll set you free. You don't? Tomorrow I will not miss my aim. Your choice." He let her go.
Her mouth fell open.
She balled her fists.
Before he would leave, Elena asked.
"Why are you looking for Mason? My husband is a good man."
Elena asked between cries.
By good she meant honest. Mason was honest, he was helpful, he was sweet- he was nothing like this man.
He looked over his shoulder, "Not the man I know."
...
...
Focusing on what he said, she went back to that night. When she first met him. He hadn't seem as menacing and cold as now.
Elena wiped at her muddy, dry cheek as she closed her eyes.
Elena was positive that she was delirious at this point.
Everything felt like a dream, a bad fever dream.
Mason's voice echoed in her head.
She blinked her eyes whispering, "Mason? Is that you?"
There was only silence.
She closed them again, no longer bothered that her hair felt disgustingly greasy against her cheek.
In her mind, they were pinned back, she was wearing that incredibly expensive black dress that Mason had bought her, she was on his arm, almost protected, right in front of him, her captor.
"This is umm one of my associates." Mason said a bit reserved when he introduced her to her captor.
When she offered her hand for a handshake, he held her hand, very politely, a juxtaposition to how he behaved today.
That day he had planted a sophisticated kiss on the back of her hand.
"You're a doctor as well?", Elena was quite taken aback, yet impressed by his etiquette.
Mason quickly answered for him, "A trustee and member on the hospital board."
She raised her eyebrows, "Really? You're quite young- Mr...?"
That's when he said his name, "Salvatore. Damon Salvatore."
Elena's lips parted, "Mr. Salvatore. What a unique name."
He let her hand go softly, Elena wrapped the hand around her husband's arm.
It was something...something about this man that didn't sit well with her.
As if he sensed it, he gave Elena a polite smile. "I hear that quite often."
She could feel goosebumps from that smile.
Terrorizing.
Or maybe looking back at it now that she was abducted and confined by this man, she was telling herself that her gut feeling had warned her.
She could feel the constriction around her throat, choking her.
Elena wanted to warn her past self.
But why did Mason knew her captor?
That's where it all started.
Was Mason a villain too?
Was he a killer, was he a hero?
...
Damon
He was running out of patience. He had never been too patient, too sensible, too calculated.
While the tick called Mason Lockwood had stolen his peace, he was also dealing with his partners.
Stone Blackwell, The Fells of Atlanta, and foreign mobs were making him the butt of every joke.
Essentially ruining his reputation.
Reputation that had been made after a lot of personal sacrifices.
"They need their money." His trusted assistant Caroline was reminding him of it.
He had imagined killing Caroline 4 times, three of those were today.
"I know." He mouthed back.
Caroline was good for one thing and one thing only.
Maintaining his civil image.
He was a businessman, not a Mafioso.
Tonight they were at the opening ceremony of the stadium which Damon had bought and donated to the authorities to initiate games for underprivileged kids, opening them to big opportunities.
His invites had went prior to the Mason Lockwood issue, now opening him to scrutiny of his partners.
After the inauguration, and after all the teams from different local schools had taken their photographs with them, they were watching a game set up by two of the schools.
"What are you thinking about?" Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the most powerful mafia families, and their Mafia princess asked him.
She didn't wait for his response as she said it herself, "Even if you pull the donation, Damon, you can't pay back- the billions you robbed off-"
He hissed, "This is no place to talk about this." Then he looked at the cameras that were continuously clicking pictures.
Looking down at her lap, then reaching to fix a rhinestone in place on her dress, he whispered back, "I have it under control. I'll find Mason, I'll get the money."
"I don't like seeing you in trouble." She tutted.
Damon knew she was lying.
He was waiting for her to somehow spin the sympathy to her advantage.
"I want you."
He feared those words.
Not only did he not want her, he loathed her.
"I don't want you." He was cutthroat clear. "Be a fucking professional."
"You be a fucking professional." She gritted her teeth, "You lost fucking billions of dollars and this is your attitude? You really don't fear any consequences. I am trying to save you."
He looked up, the camera-perfect smile on his face now that he responded, "I knew what I was getting myself into, I've known for a long-time that death is not off the table but if i had to choose between death and screwing you, then I am better off dead."
He got up, waved to the cameras, showing them he was getting a phone call and excused himself, gesturing for Caroline to follow him, "I need to find Mason Lockwood before any of those fuckers speak to me. Has Enzo contacted you, did his wife cough up anything?"
Caroline shook her head, "Enzo called and told me the woman was unconscious all day. She's not eating or drinking anything."
He turned around to face her, now the facade gone as soon as the cameras were, "Did I fucking ask you if She's eating or drinking? I am not running a charity. If she's not interested in speaking- she might as well die."
Caroline gulped and nodded, "I'll try tonight."
...
...
Elena
Repeating all conversations a 100 times, she was still in her own little word, not in the dungeon she was kept in.
There was light, and fresh cold air.
There he was, Mason.
"Where are you headed, Mister.", Elena said rubbing her eyes when she saw him fixing his tie while doing his hair with the other hand.
"Meeting- at the hospital. I am sorry, baby."
He sounded genuinely upset.
Elena pouted, "Oh don't be sorry, you're my hero, saving lives." When she saw him struggling with his tie, she rolled her eyes, "Let me fix that."
He walked to her hurriedly and sat down on his knees on her side of the bed, Elena reached out to fix his knot, "Your mother really spoiled you. You can't find a sock to save your life."
"I like when you do my tie." He bit cheek and Elena elbowed his chest, "Stay still."
"Because of you- I've started teaching all the boys at school how to properly tie a knot."
He huffed, "The boys at school- God, I hate them, they try way too hard to steal my wife."
"They are four."
He narrowed his eyes, "Oh really? Remember you took me to class and they all hated me!"
Elena shrugged, "Well the girls liked you after you brought them all those dolls- except Gina, she's a tomboy."
"Remind me to get that one something good next time- like a monster truck."
Elena shook her head, "You can't give them gifts, but I've asked the school and they can play with them during playtime."
"I haven't had one of those in forever." He raised his brows suggestively.
She groaned, "Get out of here! You're getting late."
"So tonight?"
"I'll think about it."
She jolted forward when she felt cold water thrown at her face.
Elena spit out the water in her mouth, "Wh-what?"
Her eyes widened when she saw a woman.
A blonde.
Caroline.
Elena's body filled with relief
"Oh my god, Caroline- it's me. Please, you have to let me out of here! Please. My husband is missing and the guy who abducted him, brought me here, please." She was holding on to the blonde's legs tightly, her teeth was clattering.
"Elena, shh." The woman stroked her cheek, "Calm down."
"Please get me out of here."
"I will." She promised.
Then instead of rushing to help Elena, she sat down on her knees, bringing a pack closer, Elena narrowed her eyes.
It seemed like food.
Caroline explained.
"I got you a sandwich."
She shook her head, "Please get me out of here, there is no time to eat."
"Shh." The blonde cupped her face before she would freak out, "I promise I'll help you. Relax."
Was this blonde woman a dream? Was it real.
Elena didn't know anymore.
The woman tore the box open and gave her the sandwich, "Please eat."
She took a bite, still shivering, hand hands still on Caroline's lap, trying to make sense of it.
Why wasn't this woman calling the police?
She pulled away, "I am okay, I need to get out of here." Her voice was low.
If Caroline had somehow went past the guards, she didn't want to alert them of her saviour.
"We will." She assured.
Elena finally grabbed the sandwich, savagely eating it in under a minute.
She hadn't eaten for 3 days and while her stomach felt deathly empty, she didn't want to risk passing out while Caroline helped her escape.
"Elena, they just want to find your husband."
"I want to find my husband, he has been missing for a week now."
"And you know nothing?"
She shook her head.
Damon was a hundred percent sure that was a lie and he had instructed Caroline not to believe her.
"Where did he go?"
Elena looked up from her bits of bread.
Caroline repeated, "When was the last time you saw him."
"He- he usually left very randomly when the hospital called, the last I remember was the night before, we had dinner, I wasn't feeling well, he gave me a medicine, helped me sleep."
"And then?"
"I woke up alone, I thought he went to the hospital, but he didn't come back for the whole day, he didn't call, so I called the hospital and was told he never showed up, then I started searching."
Elena's eyes looked so truthful.
How could she be lying.
"Okay."
Caroline sighed.
"Why do they think you know where Mason is?" Caroline asked in a whisper.
She shrugged, "I don't know. I just want to find Mason."
"Okay."
The woman got up and shakenly, Elena too got up.
"No, Elena you can't come."
"W-why?" she was surprised.
Caroline bit her lip, "I can't let you go just yet."
Elena backed away, as if betrayed, "You're one of them." She wasn't asking.
Of course, how did the woman cross all the guards.
It was insane.
"I- I am sorry."
Elena shook her head, sitting back down in the corner.
...
...
Damon was pouring himself a drink while Caroline repeated the whole story to him.
His phone still blinked the name, 'Rebekah Mikaelson'
The woman didn't like to lose.
He looked over his shoulder, "Is there anything significant she told you?"
Caroline shook her head, "No. Just that she was sick that day."
He pushed his tongue against his cheek, "That lying bitch." His muttered as he took a sip out of his bourbon.
"How can you be so sure?" Caroline asked, not fearing Damon for once.
She was quite sure that Elena hadn't lied to her.
Damon bit his lip, then reached into his pocket, Caroline feared he was reaching for his gun, instead he pulled out a paper.
"The police chief got them."
Caroline reached for the wrinkled paper.
When she read it, she frowned, "So she-"
"Yup, helped him escape. This little bitch thinks we can't find out her credit card expenses."
"Is he in Belize?"
Damon shook his head, "No he probably got a new identification and fled from there, but she knows, she definitely knows."
Caroline couldn't believe it and here she thought the woman had been innocent.
What a good actress.
Her boss was right, she couldn't get it out of her.
"Give me another shot, I'll make her talk."
He shook his head, "No, that's fine. Let her rot in there for tonight. We'll see to it tomorrow."
...
...
Was it a beam of sunlight or the skin tearing laser of a torch light. Elena couldn't see through it.
"Wake up." It wasn't Caroline.
"That will be sufficient Enzo." Her captor's voice.
Elena gulped, hearing the voice, then once the black circles from the torch light faded, she blinked multiple times.
Her view was him.
"Damon Salvatore." Her scratchy throat did it's best to form the name.
He did a 'hmmph' before sitting down on own knee, "You remember my name."
Elena nodded, "Who are you? That's what I want to know, and what did you do to Mason?"
He chuckled darkly, "I haven't done anything to Mason, but eventually I might."
"You might?"
"Kill him." He said without any emotion, "And maybe kill you. Not necessarily in that order."
"Who are you?" she repeated her question.
"Uh-ah. You can't ask the questions, you're my guest, Mrs. Lockwood. I insist to know- exactly where Mason Lockwood is."
She shook her head, "I don't know."
"You can't fool me like you fooled Caroline." He finally was getting a bit frustrated and it was visible by his tone, "Tell me."
She was hyperventilating and when he asked again, she broke into tears, begging him to believe her, "I don't know. I don't-please believe me."
He cursed, "Oh for fuck's sake." he hated when women cried, when they used the only tool at their disposal.
Their eyes to just shed crocodile tears.
And Elena was no ordinary actress.
Her almond eyes were filled with tears, flowing down her face, each tear shining like a diamond.
If he hadn't been through so much shit, he'd believe her.
The fake tears.
They looked quite real.
She was a terrific actress.
He would scare the performance out of her, he pulled out his gun and put it close to her tear-stained cheek.
"Shut up! Shut the fuck up with your crying. Do not test me." He held her upper arm, prompting her to open her eyes while she sobbed loudly, "Look at this, It'll go right through that cunning brain of yours. I've seen this a million times, your tears do not affect me. I need the answer, where is he?"
She shook her head as she shook, whispering as she actually anticipated a bullet going through her, "I don't know, I don't know." She chanted.
"You what?" he asked again.
Elena opened tear-filled eyes, "I don't know."
He cocked the gun, putting it to her head.
She dug her nails into her own arms, closing her eyes, chanting like a prayer that she didn't know.
He gritted his teeth pulling the gun away, "I know you're lying."
"You can't." She cried, "Because I am not."
She continued, "I am a kindergarten teacher, I don't have any idea who you are and how you know my husband, my husband is a well-known surgeon, I've never seen a gun in real life." She was saying whatever she could at this point.
Damon put his gun back in his pants, Maybe a bit convinced that maybe she didn't know all he assumed her to know.
Though his gut feeling said otherwise.
"Your husband works for me more than he does for the hospital. And he screwed me over seriously."
She was still shaking. "Mason Lockwood? My husband?"
He nodded.
"What did he do?" she asked hesitantly.
Her husband was a hero.
"That's not any of your concern. Enzo?" he called for the man who had torched her.
"Take Mrs. Lockwood to the main house, she's our guest till Mr. Lockwood contacts us."
Elena shuddered, "You're holding me hostage?"
He didn't care to reply and left.
...
...
A/N:
Hello readers,
I've written you a new story, this story might be sensitive content for some people, I just wanted to remind you that this is just a story, none of the facts or technicalities of this story have no resemblance to real people, and if then purely coincidental.
I will upload the next chapter after seeing the response on this chapter.
Uploads will be regular and story will be completed.
Thank you.
Do you like the characters.
Please Review