Chapter 14: Peace Offering

Relief. That is the only word that could describe the feeling of being wrapped in Damon's arms, his chest pressed close to her back, his lips on her neck. It all seemed like a terrible nightmare, and now she was home back in their bed as if it never happened.

"I'm so glad you found me." She whispered, bringing his fingers to her mouth for a kiss.

He buried his nose in her hair. "I will always find you, Elena. No matter what, I'll always protect you."

She sighed. "It's not going to stop, is it?" Elena turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. "They're going to keep coming for me, aren't they?"

Damon rolled her so she was laying on her back, and propped himself up so he was looking down at her. "Probably…but Marcel is dead; I staked him myself, and you don't have to worry about him ever again. You're safe." He smiled beautifully, brushing the loose strands of hair out of her face, before leaning down to capture her lips.

Elena could feel his minty breath on her skin; she could feel his warmth…and then all of a sudden she was shivering, and her eyes snapped open. Dread filled her when she was met with Marcel's malice chuckle. He was crouched down in front of her, his cold fingers, brushing the hair out of her face, mimicking her dream. She jerked away and shuffled back to the wall, hugging her knees, doing everything she could to keep the tears from welling in her eyes.

"Quite the fantasy you've built for yourself, Elena. As if I'd get put down by a human." he laughed again, pushing to his feet and walking back to the door to grab a bag. "It's sweet though…that you think love really can conquer all." He exclaimed with a grand sarcasm and an edge of bitterness. He walked back, and his eyes turned steely. "It doesn't." He tossed a duffel bag on the floor in front of her, and she glared at him, hating that he was able to see inside her head. She preferred when he wasn't here at all.

Yesterday he had released her from her shackles but she was still stuck in the dank cellar, alone for hours at a time. While it was fruitless, it didn't stop her from screaming for help or pounding on the doors or looking for a secret window or passage to an escape. After three days, Elena knew that basement like the back of her hand, and there was no getting out. She was grateful she at least had access to a bathroom, as disgusting as it was, but it allowed her to freshen up with the cheap, harsh liquid soap.

"What the hell is that?" she rasped, her voice dripping with attitude. She may be stuck here but she wasn't going to roll over and make it easy for him.

He huffed a laugh, finding her petulance amusing. "A change of clothes…and breakfast. I got you one of those panini's from Gian Carlos' deli on Cedar." It took everything in her not to dive into the bag, her mouth watering at the idea of eating something of actual sustenance. All she'd eaten was bagged chips, probably from a vending machine and a couple stale granola bars. She eyed the duffel bag, and swallowed deeply. "Come on…" he coaxed with an easy smile. "You must be starving."

She dragged the bag towards her eagerly, and pulled out the sandwich, biting into it shamelessly. She hummed in approval, finishing it within minutes. When she was satisfied, she looked through the bag, pulling out a pain of jeans, and a t-shirt, which seemed close enough to her size, and a pair of sneakers. Elena eyed him warily. "What's with the special treatment all of a sudden?"

"Well, judging by how easy it was to get inside your head, the vervain is out of your system, and I think it's time we relocate." Her breathing picked up, and she scurried to her feet, but he was in front of her before she could go far. "Hey, hey…" he grabbed her chin, and she tried to turn her face away, but he was stronger. "Don't be afraid of me."

Her eyes glazed over. "I'm not afraid."

Marcel's pupils dilated. "You're going to get changed and we're going to go for a little car ride."

"A road trip?"

He smiled. "Yes…just the two of us, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't give me such a hard time. Okay?"

"Okay." She agreed with a little nod.

He gestured for her to change and she walked off to the bathroom numbly, grabbing the bag on the way.

…

Damon jumped to his feet when he heard the knock on the door. Pearl rested a hand on his shoulder, silently asking him to stay back, as she crossed her suite to the front door.

They all sighed in relief to see Katherine on the other end, looking unusually sombre. "I came as soon as I could." She crossed the threshold, and stopped in front of Damon, who looked like he'd seen better days. Dark circled bagged his eyes, and his hair was disheveled as if he had been running his hands through it. "What do we know?"

"Not a lot. She disappeared from the bar downstairs three days ago. We compelled the staff and a few regular patrons to tell us if they saw anything. All we learned was that she was talking to a man approximately an hour before Damon realized she was missing." Pearl shared, catching the way Damon's jaw clenched with guilt.

They had gotten so comfortable in their routine; they let their guard down and now he couldn't help but feel responsible for what happened. "Anyone see what this man looked like?"

Damon shook his head. "No. No one we talked to was able to give a clear description."

Kat's lips pursed and her eyes narrowed. "Well, that's suspicious. Who does she know here? Anyone new that could have made friends with either of you?"

He thought about it for a moment. "No we try to keep to ourselves…just people from work. She works with a girl named Laura; they've kind of become friends the last couple months."

She nodded resolutely. "Then we start there. Thank you for your help Pearl…you know I always appreciate it."

Pearl smiled. "Of course, Katherine."

Katherine turned to Damon. "We need to go to your place. I'll need a costume change." She looked down at her skinny jeans and high heels.

…

Damon and Katherine walked side by side down the street as they made their way to the restaurant. She had straighten out her hair from bouncing curls to loose waves, and threw it up in a high ponytail, slipped on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top.

"I don't like this." He grumbled, eying her fresh face in Elena's clothes. It was uncanny how much she looked like her right now, but if anyone was able to tell the different between them, it was Damon. It was the way Katherine carried herself that gave her away.

"Relax, Damon. I have been playing the part of Elena my whole life. No one knows my sister as well as I do; I know what I'm doing." she stated confidently as they stopped in front of the restaurant. "If she starts asking questions, I'll deal with it." she added with a shrug.

Damon grabbed her arm before she could push through the door. "She's a good person Kat…you can't hurt her." he enforced lowly with a hard glare.

She laughed. "I meant with compulsion; killing is usually a last resort." She pushed through the doors before he could stop her, and her persona immediately changed.

Laura spotted her immediately and rushed over, pulling her into a hug. "Oh my God, I was so worried about you! Where have you been?"

Kat noticed the name tag on her shirt and let her eyes drop in a sad frown. "Family emergency…I needed to take some time off."

The waitress' face fell with concern. "Is everything okay? You're my best friend, you know you can tell me anything."

Katherine released a tense sigh. "That's why I'm here. Can we talk?"

Laura checked the clock, and started undoing her apron. "I'm due for my break in a few minutes. Want to grab a table?"

Katherine and Damon grabbed a table in the back, and slipped into the booth. Damon slid in beside her. "What exactly is your plan here, Kat?"

"I just want to see what she knows." She explained lowly. "Maybe she knows more than you think."

Damon was suddenly nervous. "Don't you hurt her Katherine…she's completely innocent in this."

She snapped her head to glare at him. "How do you know that, Damon? You two have been here for what, a few months, and this Laura person is suddenly her best friend? Don't you find that suspicious?"

He frowned. "No…they basically spend every day together."

She raised a brow. "Also suspicious."

"They work together." He rolled his eyes. He noticed Laura walking over and he fixed a hard stare on Kat. "Don't do anything stupid." he whispered in a hushed tone.

The waitress slipped into the booth, eying them both wearily. "Is everything okay? Lucy was telling everyone you skipped town." she whispered leaning in conspiringly. "But you know how Lucy is…she blows everything out of proportion." The nervous glance she shot toward Damon wasn't lost on either of them.

The vampire raised her brows slightly but kept her expression neutral. "What did she say?" Laura was silent for a moment before glancing at Damon again. "Tell me."

"She said she saw you…with that guy that was in here earlier that day. The big tipper from table 5. She said she saw him pull you in the bathroom, and that she watched you leave with him." her voice dropped to a sympathetic whisper, trying to avoid Damon's stare. "She's lying, right? You wouldn't do that, right Audrey?"

Katherine let out a sharp sigh. "I'm not Audrey. My name is Katherine and Audrey, is my sister." Her eyes looked on the woman across from her. "I need you to tell me everything you know about this man; what they talked about, what he looks like…what did he eat for dinner that day. Everything you know. Then I want you to forget who I am and that we ever had this conversation, do you understand?" Laura nodded hollowly and Katherine leaned back in her seat. "Good. Now spill."

…

It was only a short time later that Katherine was storming out of the restaurant with Damon hot on her heels. "I should have known." She murmured with a shake of her head as Damon fell into step with her. "He has just as much of a motive as Klaus. I just can't figure out how he found her." she continued more to herself. She thought she was careful; meticulous in her planning to keep her sister well hidden.

"Who?" Damon demanded. He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop. "Kat, tell me who has her."

"Marcellus Gerard. Klaus turned him 1835." She let out a shaky breath. "They call him the King of the French Quarter. Feared by every witch in New Orleans and idolized by every vampire under his rule. Anyone that's ever crossed him ends up dead…and he likes to make a big show of it." Her eyes dropped as she recalled a particularly traumatizing display of her witch friend Jane-Anne's severed head rolling by her feet.

The fear on her face was off putting. "He's going to hand her over to him, isn't he?"

Katherine met his eyes with a sadness he'd never seen before. "We can only hope." At his confused frown, she continued. "Klaus didn't just turn him...he raised him. Marcel was his protégé; but Klaus was paranoid and selfish, and the second he saw him find any kind of happiness, Klaus sabotaged it. Ever since, Marcel has been hell bent on revenge; determined to take everything from the man he once called his father. Destroying his only chance at breaking the curse…we're lucky if she's still alive." she finished in a strained voice.

"No. I refuse to accept that. She's not dead, Kat. She can't be…" Damon's eyes searched hers, as if begging her to reassure him.

"I have an idea." She swallowed nervously, not really looking forward to putting this idea in motion. "We're going to need Elijah's help. Get some things together; pack light. We hit the road in a hour."

…

Elena watched as the fields passed by in a blur. They had been on the road for nearly a full day, and she was starting to get restless and sore. "I have to pee." she announced.

Marcus didn't even glance her way. "We just stopped an hour ago."

She glanced at him. "We stopped at a barn in the middle of nowhere so you could eat a farmer. It would be nice to use a bathroom…you know, like a lady." Her tone was even and veiled any contempt she held for him, due to his compulsion but her inner deviance bled through.

Surprisingly, Marcel chuckled. "Fair enough."

"Where are we anyway?"

"Colorado."

"Where are we going?"

"Louisiana."

"Are you taking me to Klaus?" she rattled off question after question, staring straight ahead at the road in front of her. Most of their drive was made in silence or with her passed out, and this was most he'd said to her since they left Seattle.

Marcel didn't respond, but glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I know Klaus has a compound in New Orleans. If you're going to hand me over for the sacrifice you might as well tell me. Not like I can do anything about it." she shrugged hollowly. Again she was met with silence. "What did he do to you?" she stated softer this time, turning her head to catch his reaction.

Marcel's eyes narrowed slighted, and for a moment she thought that he wouldn't answer. "He forbid me from being with the only woman I ever loved…and then he killed her right in front of me." There was a slight tremble in his voice, but his tone hardened with hatred as he remembered the moment his life changed forever.

Elena turned more to face him. "He took everything from me too, you know. One day I was just a girl; my biggest concern was whether or not I'd pass midterms…the next thing I know I'm on the run from the oldest vampire in the history of time." She saw a flicker of something flash in his eyes…sympathy? She wasn't sure, but she was going to play on it, hoping that he had a sliver of humanity left. "Now I'm going to die." She leaned back in her seat solemnly. "Whether it's by you or by Klaus…it doesn't matter anymore." She swiped away at the tear that fell and turn her head to look back out the window.

She didn't see the frown that pulled on his brows, or the conflicted tick in his jaw, but five minutes later, he was taking the next exit and they stopped outside a motel that had seen better days.

When he led her into the room, she offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you." Elena took advantage and helped herself to a hot shower for the first time in a week. Marcel couldn't help but here the sobs that echoed off the tiled shower walls.

…

Damon didn't care for flying; in fact he hated it. Two of the three times he'd been on a plane was for Elena, and he knew that it was the only reason he'd ever take one again. It was the fastest way from point A to point B which just so happened to be on the other side of the country. Suffice to say he was grateful when they finally landed.

Heading straight to New Orleans was too risky; that was Klaus territory and Katherine couldn't risk being spotted, but Georgia was close enough. She insisted on meeting Elijah alone, which he desperately tried to fight her on, feeling useless sitting alone in the hotel while the woman he loved was in trouble. But ultimately, she won and Katherine left, promising she'd only be gone for a few hours.

Katherine arrived at the lake as just as the sun was setting, the pinks and purples in the sky, casting the water in a magical glow. She sat at the bench, only having to wait for a few minutes before he sat down next to her, dapper as usual in his grey suit. The moonlight illuminated the side of his face, and she smiled, feeling a flutter of butterflies flaring up inside her. "Thank you for meeting me."

His fingers reached out to trace the curve of her face, brushing the hair behind her ear lovingly. "Always." His eyes took on a concerned frown as he saw the tears collecting. "Something's wrong."

She nodded, biting down on her lower lip. "It's Marcel…" she felt Elijah tense beside her. "He has Elena." Kat felt him retreat, and his hand fell from her face as he stood, his mind racing. "You know as well as I do that Marcel will kill her to get back at Klaus for what he did. There is no way that he'd let him break the curse." she followed suit, and stood with him, staring at his back as he stared out to the lake. "Unless we had something he wanted more."

"Marcellus will not be easily swayed, Katherine." He stared at her over his shoulder, feeling helpless. He could feel her pain as if it was his own, and her heartbreak ripped through him. He knew that Marcel was not a man to be tested. Yes, they knew him since he was a young boy, and yes, they raised him into a man, but Elijah and Klaus alike had done more than enough to cause hate to brew within him, as family at times can do. "What exactly are you proposing we do?"

"Rebekah." She turned him to face her, gripping his hands in hers. "We give him the one thing he loves most."

His jaw tensed and he gave a little shake of his head as he stared down at her. "Rebekah is daggered in a coffin. She has been for nearly a century."

"Then we take the dagger out. We wake her up and give her to Marcel as a peace offering. Elena for Rebekah." Katherine voice was bordering on desperate as she clung to him.

Elijah wished it was that easy. "Klaus had the coffins of all of my siblings, Katherine. Only he knows her whereabouts, how do you propose we find her?"

"You're his brother, Elijah. Klaus may not trust a lot of people, but he trusts you." She say the hesitancy in his eyes and continued pleadingly. "If anyone can get through to him, it's you. Please Elijah…she's the only family I have left." The moon shone in her eyes, illuminating the well of tears.

He cupped her face gently, kissing her forehead. "You know I am your mercy…I could never deny you." He pulled her into his embrace, and felt her sigh in relief. "I'll leave for New Orleans in the morning."

AN: Sorry for the long wait, it's been a busy month! Thank you for sticking with me on this one. I started it so long ago, and let it fall by the wayside while I finished my other stories, but rest assured I will not leave you hanging! this is more of a set up chapter for things to come, so I apologize for the lack of action. Things will be picking up soon! Please let me know you what you think! I'm always interested to hear your thoughts! - Vanessa