Chapter Twenty-Two
"Okay, let's just make something clear before we go in," Elena states, standing in front of the door to her house. "If you hurt Jenna or Jeremy in any way, I will kick your ass right back onto the street. Understand?"
Damon nods and flashes a small smile. "I won't hurt them."
"And if you happen to hurt one hair on Meeko's head, I will stake you in your sleep. Got it?"
"Who's Meeko?"
"Our dog…? Our super adorable, fluffy, ear-scratching enthusiast?"
"I never knew you got a dog," Damon says with his eyebrows slightly raised.
"Oh. Well, now you do. If you hurt him, I will castrate you."
"Got it," Damon agrees, "Your dog is the most important thing in the world."
"True," Elena mumbles. She turns around and swings the door open. After entering the house, she looks around and sees that it's empty. "So Jeremy and Jenna are still out."
Damon's still standing by the threshold with an annoyed expression. "I can't get in."
Elena's forehead creases in confusion and then realization hits her. "My parents owned the house before and they invited you in. Now they're gone and the house belongs to Jeremy and I. You have to be re-invited in."
"Right," was all Damon said before giving Elena a pointed look. She rolls her eyes in return and gestures for him to enter. He steps across the doorway and into the house.
"You desperately need a shower, and I'll get you some clothes. Do not drag blood in the house," Elena warns before heading upstairs. Damon follows and leans on the doorframe of Elena's bedroom while she grabs his clothes.
"Your room's still the same, other than all of the downward facing pictures of us," Damon points out with a hint of sadness lacing his tone.
"Yeah…" Elena says quietly. She turns to her dresser and places one frame upright, the one with Damon kissing her cheek. She softly smiles at it before turning around. "Maybe I'll fix all of the pictures in my room eventually. Here are your clothes." She hands him the sweatpants and t-shirt before gently shoving him into the bathroom. "In you go."
Elena lays back on her bed and listens to the sounds of water. After a while, she stands up again and grabs her phone. Elena dials Caroline's number and waits.
"Elena?" Caroline answers after three rings.
"Hey…" was the only thing she said in response.
"Look, I'm just going to be blunt here and say that you were out of your mind today. Defending Damon? Why did you do that?"
"Okay, listen, Stefan was about to kill his brother, and I couldn't let that happen. I know it may come as a shock to you, but I don't want Damon to die. I also didn't want Stefan to carry around the burden that he killed his own brother. I don't know what he did in these past years, but I'm not sorry that he's alive."
Elena hears Caroline sigh on the other end. "I think I know what this is, which proves what I said the other day. You still love him."
"This topic isn't up for discussion, Care. Hey, I'll call you later, okay?"
"Wait, where is he, because I'm here with Stefan at the boarding house and he's being a paranoid freak right now."
"Don't worry, I took care of it. Talk to you soon," Elena says before hanging up the phone. She tosses it onto her bed and runs her hands through her hair haphazardly.
Damon emerges from the bathroom and is running a towel through his damp hair. "Everything alright?"
"Just dandy," Elena tightly smiles before sitting on her bed and allows the smile to fall from her face.
Damon shrugs with indifference. "Whatever you say. Sounds like Jenna and Jeremy are home now," he points out after hearing the sound of the door open and close. "Alaric's with them."
"Oh my god, Jenna brought Ric! This teacher crush could actually go somewhere," Elena muses excitedly. "I'll be right back."
Elena rushes out of her room and down the stairs, almost knocking into Jeremy's back. She composes herself while letting out a little laugh. "Hey, Ric."
"Elena, how's it going? Jenna invited me over," Alaric grins and sends her a wink, causing Jenna to blush uncontrollably.
"Well, Jeremy and I will leave you to your...activities," Elena tells them and pulls Jeremy's arm up the stairs. When they reach the top, Jeremy swats Elena's hand.
"I wanted to watch Jenna flirt," Jeremy complains.
"I guess it's your loss then, huh?" Elena pushes Jeremy in the direction of his room. "Go busy yourself and no eavesdropping," she yells after him. Elena makes her way back into her room and closes the door behind her. Damon's sitting on the edge of Elena's bed with his elbows resting on his knees. He looks up and smirks at Elena.
"So, Jenna and Alaric? I'm sure you can add them to your list of ships," Damon teases.
"My ever-growing list? Yup, and most of my ships have sailed," Elena smiles. She pads over to the bed and faceplants on top of it, groaning into the comforter. "I'm so tired."
"It is getting late," Damon remarks, staring out the window. He stands up and looks at Elena. "You should get some rest."
Elena wholeheartedly agrees and scoots herself under the blankets. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep, Damon?"
"A while," he admits. "I don't think sleeping on the floor would help contribute to it though."
"I never said you had to sleep on the floor," Elena says into her pillow. "I don't take up that much room on the bed."
Damon raises his eyebrows and smirks at Elena. "Friends don't sleep together, Elena."
"No shit," Elena mumbles. "But I beg to differ that friends can sleep in the same bed." Elena chuckles inwardly when she feels the bed dip next to her.
"Goodnight, Elena," Damon whispers.
"Night, Damon," Elena replies before dozing off with a small smile playing on her lips.
—
The scent of cinnamon and mahogany drifts through Elena's mind as she attempts to roll on her back. Elena's eyes pop open when she realizes Damon's arms are encircled around her waist tightly and that she's pulled against his chest. Damon's legs were tangled with hers, but the only skin on skin contact was with their feet. Even in the big bed that Elena had, they still managed to end up on the same side. She scrunches her nose in delight, because after all these years, Damon still smelled the same. Granted, so did Elena, considering she always used the same green apple and honey soap.
Elena twists her head around to get a better look at Damon's face while trying not to wake him. She admires the look of innocence he wore while asleep, not plagued by the cruelty of the world.
"Are you watching me sleep?" Damon mumbles, shifting slightly on the bed.
"More like gazing," Elena replies softly. She laughs when Damon lets out a snort and they both sit up on the bed. "Sleep well?"
"Much better than I have in years," Damon muses.
"You haven't slept good for that long?" Elena inquiries with a frown.
He shrugs in response and then points towards the door. "Might wanna open that before Jeremy barges in himself."
Elena hurriedly rushes towards the door, almost tripping over her own feet. She mentally curses her clumsiness before opening the door and peeks out. Elena's greeted with Jeremy and the mischievous grin stuck on his face. "Well, good morning to you, Jer," Elena greets, slightly suspicious.
"Were you talking to someone?"
"Were you sitting outside my door, eavesdropping?" Elena cocks her head with a smirk on her face.
"No," Jeremy denies. "Not this morning at least." Elena's eyes widen which causes him to snicker. "I actually wanted to show you something."
"Oh. What is it?"
Jeremy grabs Elena's arm, pulls her out of the room, and drags her down the stairs. He puts a finger to his mouth and motions her into the living room where Alaric and Jenna were sprawled out together.
"Jeremy, were you spying on them?!" Elena harshly whispers but can't help the smile easing its way on her face.
"No! I just came down to have breakfast and here they were, sleeping together," Jeremy replies with a sly grin.
"At least their clothes are still on," Elena offhandedly remarks. "This was, what, the first date? It would be weird if they just had sex in our living room. Out in the open, no less," she rambles.
"Morning, guys," Alaric says, causing both Elena and Jeremy to jump. They exchange sheepish glances before looking at Alaric.
"Hey, Ric...it looks like you guys had a nice sleepover," Elena awkwardly states. "I'm gonna go back upstairs now." She shoots him one more grin before backing towards the steps and running up them.
When she makes it back into her bedroom, she bursts out laughing. Damon approaches her with an eyebrow raised and an apprehensive look on his face.
"I take it you think that Alaric's affair with your aunt is funny?"
"The fact that I saw them in that position on the couch is what's so funny. Anyways, I'm gonna shower," Elena sings before jumping into the bathroom.
—
When Elena comes out of the bathroom with her hair in a towel, she sees Damon lounging on her bed.
"So, I'm going to go over to the boarding house. I need to talk to Caroline about some things," Elena explains.
"Give Blondie and Stefan my regards," Damon replies with a little snark.
"Damooon," Elena whines, tilting her head. "Being estranged with everyone isn't going to help your cause."
"Maybe not, but my brother just tried to kill me. I'm allowed to be pissed at him."
"Fine." Elena removes the towel from her hair and squeezes it.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'm gonna head out for a bit," Damon says, standing up.
"Go for it. But nothing illegal, young man," Elena warns.
"I make no promises. And I'm older than you," Damon rolls his eyes.
"Technically, yes, but in my eyes, you're only twenty-two, and I'm twenty-five. So there," Elena sticks her tongue out at him, causing Damon to chuckle.
"You may be twenty-five, but you act like a six-year-old."
Elena throws the towel at him. "My six-year-old self was very mature in case you've forgotten."
"Ooh, super," Damon waves his hands dramatically. "Especially when it came to architecture."
"Sandcastles are for all ages, and you said it yourself that my sandcastle was really good." Damon responds with a shrug and Elena smiles victoriously. "Case in point. See you later, Damon," Elena laughs and exits the room.
—
Elena waited patiently at the door of the boarding house. She tapped on her leg with rhythm as she stared at the wood. The door finally swung open and there was Stefan, looking extremely weary and worn down.
"Elena, hi," Stefan greets with a slight nod. "Did you come to see Caroline?"
"More or less," Elena replies. "Can I come in?" Stefan allows Elena to enter the house and she walks into the living room. "Where is she?"
"I'll go get her." Stefan heads up the stairs while Elena sits down on the couch and looks around. The boarding house still looked the same, though not as trashed as she had seen it last. The fireplace always seemed to be blazing, something she noticed since the first couple times she'd been here.
Caroline and Stefan descend the steps and come over to Elena.
"Hey, 'Lena. You wanted to talk?"
"Yeah. Starting off, why did you tell me that Damon was together with Katherine?" Elena questions bluntly. She watches as Caroline's eyes widen and she crosses her arms.
"Because it's true," Caroline says like it's obvious.
"According to him, it's not," Elena tells her evenly.
"You're going to believe him over me?"
"I'm not believing anyone over anyone. Even if he was with Katherine, why did you tell me?"
"Shouldn't you be interrogating Bonnie, too? She was the one who brought it up," Caroline remarks defensively.
"You were the one complaining about them having sex in the bedroom adjacent to yours and how it was so annoying," Elena points out.
"Fine, I told you because I was hoping that would make you deter from him. Clearly, it didn't work," she grumbles.
"What is so bad that you guys won't tell me?"
"He kills people, Elena. Isn't that enough? Weren't you the one who ran away when Damon showed his true self?"
Elena's eyes flare and she stretches her lips into a thin line. "I didn't run away because of him. I had college."
"Just be honest with yourself, Elena! You left this town twice because of him! And I don't blame you. College was just a convenient excuse. Medical degree and all. Speaking of, shouldn't you be working on your internship?"
"No, Meredith said that I can take as long as I need to heal before I start. I'm not rushing to go back into a hospital."
"Right," Caroline just nods. She sniffs, "I'm sorry for telling you that Katherine and Damon were together, but I'm not sorry about how much I hate him." She tucks herself into Stefan's arms as tears begin to fall down her cheeks.
Elena stands up and approaches Caroline, gently squeezing her shoulder. "Hey, whatever it is, you can tell me."
"I…" Caroline openly sobs into Stefan's shoulder. "He's a monster, Elena. He is so messed up."
"I'm a little messed up too, Care."
"Well, you never killed my dad, Elena!" Caroline bursts out.
Elena's eyes widen and she staggers backwards a little. "H-he what? Why would he do that? When did this happen?" She chokes out.
"I have no clue why he did it. It happened around a year ago when my dad came down to visit my mom and I. We were having a family picnic kind of thing, and my dad went to pick some peaches from a tree. He was taking a long time, so I went to look for him, and I saw Damon ripping his throat out! He disappeared but it was too late. My dad was dead," Caroline whimpers.
"Oh my god...I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me?" Elena pulls Caroline into an embrace.
"You were already under so much stress with the car crash and the PTSD that I didn't want to burden you," Caroline sniffles. "Plus, I didn't know how you felt about Damon."
"Your problems are never a burden, Care. Even if I'm mentally unstable, I will still be there for you. We're best friends," Elena assures her.
"We hadn't seen Damon for a while after that," Stefan explains. "His bed was always slept in, but we haven't talked. He started coming around more when you came back. We thought that you'd be able to help him, but he's too far gone. That's why I almost killed him yesterday."
"Oh, dear god. That's why everyone's avoiding him like the plague. What am I supposed to do now?" Elena looks between Stefan and Caroline with a desperate look etched on her face.
"We can't control how you feel about him, Elena. Whatever your relationship with him, it is completely your choice," Stefan advises, though his tone tells a different story.
"Okay...I don't know what to say or do. I can't stress myself over something else," Elena murmurs. "Damn me. I'm going to head home, guys."
"Will you let us know what your decision is when you make it?" Caroline gives her one more squeeze before letting go.
"Of course," Elena nods. "I'll see you." Elena stumbles over to the door, feeling a little lightheaded.
—
When Elena makes it home, Jenna and Jeremy are preparing dinner. She gives them a quick smile before heading to her room. Elena lets out a grateful sigh when she sees that Damon wasn't back yet. She wasn't ready to face him or what he did a year ago.
She ties her hair into a messy bun and goes back downstairs. Elena takes her seat at the table and folds her hands. "What are we eating?"
"Your favorite, eggplant parmesan," Jeremy grins. "Extra eggplant."
"I hope that you're doing most of the cooking, Jenna, 'cause Jeremy ain't that great," Elena teases.
"What? I don't suck that bad at cooking," Jeremy protests. "I can make mac and cheese, ramen, cereal…"
"Notice that everything you just listed comes in a box and takes hardly any effort. Face it, Jer, you can squish your nonexistent culinary dreams."
"Voilà," Jeremy brings Elena's dish over to her and lifts up the lid. "Prendre plaisir."
"Nice French, but you need to work on your presentation skills. What is this, a smiley face?" Elena scrunches up her nose at the poor attempt to construct a face with chicken parmesan.
"Like you could do better," Jeremy retorts.
"I could, but I'm too lazy to at the moment. You're happy face is just going to have to do."
Jenna and Jeremy sit down with their plates and begin eating. The three of them sit in a comfortable silence, content with their food. Elena switches her gaze from Jenna to Jeremy, mentally debating on whether she should bring this topic up.
After deciding against all reasonable logic, Elena cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at Jeremy. She grabbed her paper napkin and started scribbling on it, much to the others' dismay. Elena crumples it into a ball and throws it at Jeremy's face. It read, 'Were you ever going to tell me that Damon killed Caroline's dad?'
His eyes widen when he reads the napkin and he motions that they shouldn't talk about that subject at the dinner table. Elena rolls her eyes but agrees nonetheless. They finish up their food and Elena grabs her dish, depositing it into the dishwasher. Elena grabs Jeremy's wrist as soon as he does the same and drags him into the living room.
Elena crosses her arms and lifts her brows. "So?"
"I didn't know how to tell you something like that, 'Lena."
"You couldn't have said, 'hey, Elena, your ex-boyfriend just killed your best friend's dad, how do you feel?'"
"You have no idea how hard these past years have been. With you and the car crash, and then the catatonia? It was so much to deal with added on to our parents' deaths. Yes, Damon is a crazy homicidal freak who killed Bill Forbes. And yes, I didn't give you the news because I didn't know how you'd take it. We've all lost so much in such little time, Elena."
"I'm sorry, Jer. It's been extremely hard on all of us with these cruel past years. I understand why everyone didn't tell me. At the time, I probably would've had another breakdown or something."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I have no idea. Damon...Damon keeps getting under my skin, and no matter what I do, I just can't shake him…" Elena admits.
"You still love him, 'Lena. When you love someone, I don't know if you could ever shake them."
"This is getting a little weird for my taste, talking about my love life with you," Elena laughs lightly.
"Consider it payback for all of those times you made me talk about Bonnie with you," Jeremy smiles.
"Aw, such a good brother," Elena squeaks before tugging Jeremy into a hug. "Even if your food is the last thing I'd eat in hell."
"Unkind," Jeremy chortles. "Take it back."
"Nah." Elena gleefully ruffles his hair before dashing up the stairs. Her face contorts into a frown when she notices her bedroom's still empty. Her mind was wandering into dangerous places, thinking of the things Damon could be doing in the dark. She shakes her head, letting the thoughts fall from her brain.
Elena lays back on her bed and grabs her phone. She begins texting Bonnie about lighthearted things, like cheesy puns and wedding plans and cute animal pictures. Elena eventually drifts off to sleep, letting her phone fall into her lap. The last thing she remembers is someone tucking her in and their cool fingers on her cheek.