Chapter 29: Reunion

It was nice not having to entirely lie about what had happened, Elena mused as she recounted what she, or more accurately, what she didn't remember, to the deputy. When the questions got a bit too detailed and Elena wasn't exactly sure what story they were all spinning, she played the pain card and pretended to pass out. Except, once she closed her eyes, she really did. There was a nurse entering her room the next time Elena drifted back. The woman was glancing around and closing the door behind her.

"Who - who are you?" Elena tensed.

"My name is Melissa McCall. I'm Scott's mom. Meredith sent me in here to check on you."

Scott. Scott was one of the werewolves, right? Her brain was a bit fuzzy to be sure.

"You're healing, visibly. You were barely skin and bones when they brought you in. Wow. They can't see this. Nobody can see this."

"Okay, can you do something?"

"Me do something? I'm relatively new to all of this. And there's a sheriff's deputy that's stationed right outside the door."

"I could compel them, but, I'm not strong enough. It wouldn't last."

"Meredith mentioned something about that. Why I brought more of this."

Melissa reached under her scrubs shirt and revealed a blood bag. Elena's eyes reddened, veins pulsing under skin, and she had to resist reaching out and yanking it from the woman's grasp.

"Whoa."

"It's okay," Elena squeezed her eyelids closed. "I won't hurt you. I just - I need it."

Melissa handed it over and watched in shock, but mostly horror, as the young girl downed the entire bag.

"Uh - Meredith - said she gave you some when you first came in. Not a lot, just what she could get to you. You were pretty out of it, though."

"Thank you," Elena sighed, sinking into her pillow. "It'll keep me from losing control. Hospitals plus a blood-starved vampire don't exactly mix well. But it won't make me strong enough to compel anyone." She set the crumpled blood bag aside and glanced around. "Damon. Did you call Damon?"

"Meredith already did."

There was a tense conversation floating in from the hall and neither needed vampire hearing to guess what it was about.

"The cops are still here," Elena attempted to sit up.

Melissa put a hand on Elena's shoulder. "Whoa, hey now. I may not be able to mind control or whatever it is you do, but I've got this." She gave the girl's hand a squeeze before heading out into the hall.

She could feel Elena's worried gaze on her back as she slipped out the door, making sure to block the vampire from view. The girl was supposed to be unconscious and confused - and badly injured. Not sitting up, wounds healed, and someone else's blood on her lips.

"Hey, hey, Melissa."

The nurse gave one last glance behind her before shutting the door, knowing that the vampire would most definitely still be listening anyway.

"Hey, Sheriff."

"C-can you help me out here? Since the amnesiac in 215 can't tell us anything, I need the girl with the modified military stun gun in 216 to answer a few questions."

"It's kind of unlikely, since she's heavily sedated."

"Ah, great. Um, well, when she, um - when un-sedates, will you give me a call? 'Cause she's got about 10 grand worth of property damage to answer for. And I don't want her just walking out of here."

"Hey, you're the Sheriff, right?"

Elena's head snapped up from inside her room.

"Name's Damon. Could I have a word with you, real quick? It's about the girl and what happened. Please. It'll only take a second."

"Uh, sure, son."

"Great."

"Deputy?"

Another familiar voice, and a flash of blonde hair in the hall through the tiny door window.

"The patient in the room you are guarding is perfectly fine. She was here on observation, but she didn't have any injuries. You can go now." There was shuffling feet and moving shadows outside and then the blonde head was back. "Did any other staff help treat her?"

"Another nurse," Melissa's voice was helpful, yet hesitant. "But otherwise, just Dr. Fell and myself. There were the paramedics that brought them both in. I don't think they've been called back out yet. Downstairs, 1st floor. Ambulance bay. Nurse Jacob's should be at the admin desk."

"I'm on it."

The door to her room opened and Melissa ducked in.

"You have some - interesting - friends," Melissa managed a shaky smile.

"I could say the same thing about your son," Elena tilted her head, a soft, supportive grin playing at her lips.

"I don't know if I like this whole mind-memory-erasing-stuff they're doing."

"It's for everyone's protection, I promise."

"That's our Elena," that same voice flittered in from the hall, followed by his familiar form. "Always concerned with everyone's protection. Even if it gets her kidnapped by crazy Alpha werewolves."

"Damon," Elena shook her head, eyes moist, "just shut up and kiss me."

The corner of Damon's mouth twitched upward and he crossed the room in two bounding steps, leaning over and pressing his lips against his girlfriend's forehead, then her mouth. Her arms came up around his shoulders, his snaking their way underneath hers.

"Never again," he commanded, stroking her hair.

"I think that's everyone," Caroline skipped inside, sprinting over to squeeze her friend, knocking Damon out of the way.

"Oh, I was so worried. And so were some of the werewolves," she winked. "I think saving their lives made you like their vampire Queen, or something. Of course, they like me. It's Damon they all have a problem with. Oh, and Jeremy's here too. He's outside with Stefan, keeping watch in case the Alphas try to take you back or something. But, no worries. We compelled everyone that you're perfectly healthy and we are taking you home. Or, well, to Derek's loft. Or Lydia's house. Or the hotel, because Damon refuses to stay at either of their places. The rest of us have been kind of going back and forth. Derek owns the whole building he lives in, so there's plenty of space. And Lydia has like four guest rooms. Plus, a great selection of clothing and a pool so -"

"Wait," Elena shook her head and blinked, long since used to her friend's speedy speech patterns, but slow to absorb all the new information. "You all - you've all been here, this whole time?"

"Well, duh." Caroline furrowed her brow. "Where else would we be?"

"Caroline, hasn't college started? They told me how long I was gone. You worked so hard to get us all that shared dorm and were so excited."

"Elena Gilbert. Do you really think that I would choose going to school over saving one of my best friends? I'm an immortal teenager. College will always be there. Besides, it's barely started and I can compel all the professors and staff to think we were there the whole time and give us all A's. Easiest first semester ever. Or, we can be like all the cool kids and just take a year off. People do that, you know. To travel. Meet people. Rela -"

"Caroline Forbes, did you meet someone?" Elena's eyebrows met the top of her forehead.

"As fascinating as all the girl gossip is," Damon cut in, "can we take this to a less 'super easy to snatch back Elena' location? How about all the way back to Mystic Falls?"

"We can't leave." Elena shook her head.

"Elena, I know you want to help the puppies because they're cute and vulnerable, but -"

"Tyler."

"What?" Caroline went stiff.

"I - I heard him, Care. Tyler was there. Locked up with one of the werewolves. I - I can't really - remember. They did something to me," she rubbed the back of her neck. "Messed with my memories. The one - at Meredith's apartment - she thought I was Katherine. Maybe they were making sure I wasn't - her - but they took memories or messed with my head because everything's all fuzzy and there are pieces missing."

"What sort of pieces?" Derek rounded the corner, stepping inside and Elena was wondering just how many more visitors and questions she could take before she passed out again.

Elena closed her eyes, reaching back to the burning ropes and mystery woman and cries of werewolves and darkness and pain and then - nothing.

"All of it."