Second update today :)
"Tyler's mom is dead!?" Elena gasped into the phone, trying to make out Caroline's sniveling.
Caroline sniffed, "Tyler's a wreck. His mom was the only person he had left."
"I'm so sorry, Care…" Elena breathed, a crease forming between her brows. "What happened?"
A scoff sounded through the phone and Caroline sneered, "Klaus happened. Somehow he found out about Tyler's plan to break all of his hybrids' sire bonds, so after killing all twelve of them he drowned Tyler's mom."
Her heart ached for Tyler, even if they were never really close. She knew the pain of losing family better than anyone, and she wouldn't wish that upon anyone. Well, except for maybe Klaus…if anyone deserved to die alone, it was him.
Swallowing thickly, Elena asked, "So what happens now?"
Caroline sighed, "I'm spending all of my time with Tyler helping him cope. He's hell bent on getting revenge, but everyone knows that would be a suicide mission. I'm just trying to keep him from doing anything stupid."
"Tell him that I'm sorry, okay? When's the funeral?"
"I will. And he doesn't want to have a funeral since he's really not in the right mind for it." Caroline explained sadly. "The school is having a memorial I think though because she was the mayor and they couldn't just let her death go un-mourned."
"Are you doing okay?" Elena asked knowingly. It was hard to be the only person left for support. Elena knew that Caroline always tended to keep things inside, not wanting to burden anyone with her depressing thoughts. At least when she was sober. Alcohol brought the truth out.
The blonde girl sniffled again, "I'm alright, I guess. Carol was never my number one fan, but it hurts to see Tyler so upset."
"If either of you need anything, just let me know." Elena replied.
Caroline blew out a soft laugh, "How about the next time you see Klaus, do something to hurt him?"
Elena laughed lightly, "I'll see what I can do."
After saying goodbye, Elena hung up the phone and headed back outside to watch Damon train Jeremy. Her brother was currently fighting Matt, and winning—easily. When did her little brother grow some muscles? Suddenly he looked so much more built than he had before.
She walked over next to Damon where he was standing a few yards away. He said quietly so only she would hear, "Carol Lockwood's really dead?"
"Courtesy of Klaus." Elena confirmed, pushing a rock around in the dirt with the toe of her boot.
Damon didn't comment further, instead he stepped in and began instructing Jeremy on a new move. There was really nothing to say about the subject. Klaus had taken so many people from them…any more were no surprise.
When Damon ordered Jeremy to try out the new move on Matt, he returned to her side and said, "You don't have to stick around here, you know. You should go home, be with Caroline and Tyler."
"I'm not leaving Jeremy, end of discussion." Elena insisted. "Especially if Klaus is going to be around here. Bonnie mentioned coming back over to check on Jeremy anyways."
"Rekindling any romance?" Damon smirked.
Elena teased, "What, you didn't gossip all about it during male bonding this morning?"
"No, we were too busy comparing dick sizes." He quipped, giving her a look of disbelief.
Elena's eyes widening, she chuckled, "And on that extremely disturbing visual, I'm going to go call Bonnie and see what's happening."
Without waiting for a response, she headed back up to the house. It was warmer today than it was yesterday, so all she had on was a sweater and light jacket with some jeans. She plopped down in the plush leather armchair and pulled the fleece blanket into her lap as she listened to Bonnie's phone ring.
"Hey, Elena." Bonnie answered.
"Hey. Are you still thinking about coming to the lake house today? Jeremy mentioned having a couple questions for you…"
She sighed, "I was planning on coming over, until my dad got into town this morning. I'm assuming Caroline told you about Tyler's mom?"
"Yeah." Elena said softly. "It's awful."
"I know." Bonnie agreed solemnly. "Anyways, apparently my dad has been decided as the temporary mayor until we can hold elections or whatever. He also thinks that me practicing magic is dangerous, so he's barely letting me leave the house for any reason outside of school."
"How could your magic hurt you? You're always careful not to wear yourself out, Bonnie." Elena said pointedly.
She huffed, "My dad doesn't think so. He doesn't know anything about magic. It's not going to hurt me. Shane has been showing me a new way to practice that doesn't rely on the spirits anymore. They can't hurt Grams if I'm not channeling their power."
"How is that possible?" Elena asked.
"My power comes from myself, basically. It's a neutral source of power that can't be controlled by nature. Spirit magic can only be used if the spirits allow it. But expression isn't something they can control." Bonnie explained simply.
"If it's helping you, then you have my support." Elena told her sincerely.
Bonnie smiled into the phone, "Thanks, Elena. And tell Jeremy to call me with any questions, okay?"
"Okay. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
Elena then returned to Damon just in time for him to say, "This is going to take forever."
Jeremy and Matt were once again sparring, and Matt barely was able to get in a single hit. It seemed like natural fighting instincts came with the Hunter's curse, because there was no way Damon was making that much progress with him in such a short amount of time, especially when he never had any other experience.
"Tell me about it." Elena huffed. "And now that Klaus is helping, we can kiss our plan to kill an Original goodbye."
"Or we just do it behind his back." Damon pointed out.
"Which one should we go for then?" Elena humored him.
"Well, Klaus is out of the picture. Rebekah, while easily manipulated, is currently daggered and hidden away somewhere. Or hell, maybe she's been released by now. Either way, we don't know where she is. Same goes for Elijah. However, I heard from my brother that once Kol caught mention of Silas, he'd been snooping around doing everything possible to prevent us from finding him. He's stupid and arrogant. He won't expect us to come after him."
Elena looked at him in shock, "You've really thought this through…"
He shrugged, "I've had a lot of time to think."
She nodded, "Well let's focus on pacifying Klaus and letting him make vampires for Jeremy to kill."
A few hours later just before dinner, Damon's phone rang and Klaus told them that there was a bar a few miles down the road full of newly transitioned vampires surrounded by human blood. He 'kindly' suggested that they get there before the sun sets and the new vampires will be able to escape the bar.
Just as they were about to leave, Elena's phone began ringing. Bonnie's name appeared on the screen and she frowned, having just talked to her a few hours ago.
"Hey Bon, what's up?"
Elena sat down at the breakfast bar in the kitchen while she watched Damon prepare Jeremy with a bunch of stakes. He even slipped Matt a few just in case, which made her smile. Damon could argue all he wants, but he cared about her friends, and there was no denying it.
Bonnie began, "Shane was just arrested by Sheriff Forbes for murdering the council."
"Oh my god, he really did it?" Elena gasped.
She sighed, "I didn't believe it for a second, until Liz let me in the interrogation room with him alone. He confessed, Elena. He brain washed the pastor into killing twelve people."
"Why?" Elena asked just above a whisper, her brows creased together.
She heard Bonnie sniffle quickly before saying, "Apparently the spell that needs to be cast to enter Silas's tomb has to not only be cast by a Bennett witch, but requires expression to do so. And it turns out, Shane wasn't truthful on where my power was coming from. The power of expression is drawn from sacrifices."
Elena was speechless. She shot a glance to Damon who just raised a brow as if telling her 'I told you so.' "Well there aren't any more sacrifices, right? You already have the power you need?"
"Enough to do the spell." Bonnie confirmed. "But…Shane wants there to be more. I guess he had planned for Klaus to kill all of his hybrids in just the right spot to create what's called an expression triangle. There's one sacrifice left to do to complete it, but I refused to take part. He kept claiming that the sacrifices weren't permanent. That Silas would be able to bring them back and any other loved ones. But if we're planning on killing Silas to help Jeremy, then there's no way that will happen. And I know it seems like he knows a lot about Silas, but I just don't know if I believe that's true. How can a psychic witch bring dead people back to life? Not even expression can do that."
"Don't believe him for a second." Elena agreed. "So what is this expression triangle supposed to do?"
"Basically, all of the space within the triangle would become a hotspot for expression. It would allow me to cast certain spells that could affect the entire town of Mystic Falls. I could create an invisible barrier to keep the supernatural out. I could even put up a spell that would remove all magic from the town."
"But none of that is going to happen, right?" Elena questioned nervously.
Bonnie assured her, "No, absolutely not. The last sacrifice needed to complete the triangle needs to be witches, and even if by some chance Shane managed to make that happen in the right spot to make the triangle, I would never use it for anything."
Elena sighed, "Okay, good. Are you okay? Do you want me to come home? Everyone here can pretty much handle everything, so it's not a problem if you want me to leave."
"If you're sure everything will be fine there, I could really use the company. Expression is…so much more powerful than Shane led on. I never would have started it had I known. I almost lost control and did something horrible at the police station… I was so upset that Shane had lied to me, and he's now the only one that knows how to control my magic. It just sucks. Just when I thought I was free from people controlling me, this happens."
Elena smiled sadly, even though her friend couldn't see it, "I'll be home soon. Call Caroline if you need someone until then, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you soon."
Elena hung up the phone then filled in Jeremy and Matt on what was going on since Damon had already heard everything.
If he was being honest, Damon was glad Elena wasn't going to be present to watch her brother kill a bunch of vampires. That was something she didn't need to see, not to mention how dangerous it could be for her. She was just a baby herself, and being around so many other vampires lacking control was a recipe for disaster.
As Jeremy and Matt climbed into Damon's car, he walked Elena to Jeremy's car. "Call me when you get home?" She asked, leaning her backside against the backdoor with the driver's door opened.
Damon gave her a half smile, "I'll even keep you updated on how he's doing. Maybe if we get back in time we can get a dew drinks at the Grill."
"Too bad I'm only eighteen." Elena teased. "The whole town would go mad if they saw me drinking."
Damon smirked, "Then how about you come over to my place, we get drunk, and see where the night takes us."
"Hmm…" Elena hummed. "I think I could get behind that idea. But just to make sure, show me a preview of what I'm missing if I don't?"
He chuckled before leaning down to cover her mouth with his. He pressed her further into the car as his tongue pried its way into her mouth. He slid one of his hands down her hip, over the curve of her ass and to the back of her thigh so he could lift her leg around his hips. She moaned into his mouth, fisting her hands in his hair as she pulled him closer and kissed him deeper.
When they separated a few minutes later, Elena breathlessly smiled, "I said show me just a taste, not the whole entrée."
Damon grinned deviously, "Just wait until we get to dessert later on…"
"Looking forward to it." She winked, hopping into the car.
She rolled the window down and Damon leaned his forearms against it and stuck his head in the opening. "See you tonight."
She gave him a quick kiss, "Yes you will."
He stepped back and watched her drive away before climbing into his car with Dumb and Dumber. He hadn't decided yet which was which. His car roared to life when he turned the key in the ignition, and as he began driving towards the road, Jeremy said, "I get that you and my sister are together or whatever, but there's no need for the free show."
"Who said it was free?" Damon quipped. He lightly slapped Jeremy's arm then held out his hand, "Ten bucks, each of you."
Jeremy rolled his eyes, "No way am I paying to watch my sister and her boyfriend star in a porno."
Matt mumbled his agreement and a few minutes later, Damon was parking outside of the bar. He could smell the blood already, so he knew it was the right place. The sun would be down in an hour or two, so they had until then to kill them all.
However, as they stepped inside braced for the worst, none of them had expected to see the vampires already dead. Some were staked with chair legs, some had their hearts ripped out and discarded next to their body, and some were missing their heads.
"I do hope I didn't interrupt your plans, boys." An accented voice sounded from across the room. Kol was just walking out from a back room, his hands covered in blood and a cocky smirk on his face. "Oh, wait. Actually, I do hope that."
Damon held his arms out gesturing to the room, "What the hell?"
Kol laughed, "Allow me to explain in a way that even you can understand. Under no circumstance is Silas to be awakened. I killed a cult of his worshippers some number of centuries ago, and I have no desire for the world as we know it to end. I quite like being one of the most powerful beings on it, unable to be harmed by anyone."
"Wouldn't be so sure about that." Jeremy muttered under his breath, and Damon shot him a scathing look.
Kol brushed off his comment easily, "Nevertheless, I will do whatever I can to prevent Silas's awakening." He flashed over to stand in front of Jeremy, but to his credit, he didn't flinch. Before Damon could step between them, Kol hauled Jeremy into the back room and threw him into a chair.
Damon was right behind them while Matt left to presumably call someone or stay out of their way, Damon really didn't care to think about it too much.
Kol eyed Jeremy with distaste, "Well since I can't kill you thanks to that pesky Hunter's curse, I won't."
"Gee, thanks." Jeremy said snidely. He still couldn't believe that he had fallen for Kol's trick and become friends with him in Denver.
The Original smirked, "But that doesn't mean someone else can't."
He blurred over in front of Damon and was compelling him before the vampire could react. His reflexes were no match for an Original.
"You're going to kill Jeremy the next chance you get and you don't know why." He ordered, then looked over his shoulder to Jeremy. "I'll give you a head start, kid."
Kol pulled a stake out of what seemed like thin air and drove it into Damon's stomach, causing him to groan and hunch over, dropping to the floor. The pain was excruciating, and it didn't help that he hadn't fed yet today. He gave the last blood bag to Elena this morning and only had a couple sips.
When he wrenched it out of his body and the wound slowly started closing, he realized that he was alone. He stood up and looked around, confused as to where Jeremy and Kol had gone. He quickly checked the entire bar, but it was deserted. Even his car was gone. He swore that if the little punk even scratched his baby he was going to kill him.
Suddenly, Damon had the overwhelming urge to do just that. While he didn't know where the urge was coming from, he knew what had to be done. With that thought in mind, he began running back towards Mystic Falls.
Elena laughed and sipped her virgin cocktail, made not so virgin by Caroline's travel sized bottle of vodka she snuck into the Grill. Her, Elena, and Bonnie were all out doing their best to enjoy themselves given the circumstances. Elena and Caroline had to sneak Bonnie out of the house just hang out with her!
Her dad was apparently really worried about her, which wasn't necessary in the slightest. To Elena, she seemed as normal as ever. Maybe a little stressed out, but if something was wrong and she was in danger, she would tell them.
Bonnie shoved a couple cheese fries loaded with bacon and ranch into her mouth while Elena and Caroline split an order of buffalo wings. Even though the three of them just had a girl's night, they could never spend enough time together.
Their night of ignoring their problems had been going smoothly too, and they had every intention of keeping it that way. However, when Elena spotted Damon walking in the entrance, she excused herself from the game of pool that she had been observing Bonnie and Caroline play to meet up with him.
"Hey, you." She wrapped her arms around his waist and he briefly smiled down at her before scanning the restaurant. She frowned slightly, "I thought you said you'd call when you got back? I was just about to try your phone since Jeremy showed up for his shift not too long ago."
He blinked a few times and Elena got the feeling that something was off with him. He hadn't made a single snarky remark or smirked once, meaning something was wrong. "Sorry, I forgot. Kol killed all of the vampires so we were out of luck."
"I know, Jeremy filled me in…" Elena trailed off. "Are you okay?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Do you know where Jeremy is? I just want to talk to him about something really quick."
She narrowed her eyes, looking at his face closely before saying, "I think he's in the back."
Damon slipped out of her embrace without so much as a kiss, and that was when she knew for sure something was up. She followed several steps behind him into the storage room where Jeremy was loading a box of supplies onto a shelf. As soon as he saw Damon, his eyes grew wide as he reached into his waistband and pulled out a gun.
Elena quickly flashed between them, protecting Damon, "Jeremy, put that down!"
"Elena, Kol compelled him to kill me! Get out of the way!"
Suddenly it all made sense to Damon. He cursed under his breath and said, "I can't stop it, Jeremy. You're going to have to kill me."
"What!? No!" Elena argued instantly. "There has to be another way!"
Damon reached for the closest thing he could use as a weapon, his body moving without his brain telling him to. He picked up a crowbar and said, "If you have any desire of living, you'll run. Now."
Not needing to be told twice, Jeremy began scrambling for an escape while Elena managed to pry the crowbar from Damon's hands when he wasn't paying attention. Catching him off guard, she shoved him out into the restaurant where he was in public and wouldn't be able to pull anything. It seemed that he still had his common sense.
Shaking his head, he said, "I'm sorry, Elena."
She stepped in front of him and pulled his face down to look at her, "It's not your fault, Damon. Just focus on me, and nothing else."
He exhaled shakily, "Easier said than done."
Not knowing what else to do, she kissed him. He didn't kiss her back, and in the next moment he was gone. She cursed and went after him, finding the vent that led to the caves under the Grill hanging open. She quickly climbed inside and hopped down into the tunnels, listening as Damon spoke loudly to tell Jeremy where he was.
"Listen, Jeremy. I'm going to find you, and if you don't kill me, I will kill you." Just then, a sharp scent hit her nose and she inhaled deeply, the smell making her mouth water. Damon shouted, "Did you seriously just cut yourself!? What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Tampering down on her bloodlust, Elena flashed over to the source finding Damon and Jeremy already facing off, Damon goading him to kill him. Elena watched in horror as Jeremy raised the gun as Damon got closer and closer. She screamed as the first shot went off, and Damon crumpled to the floor. She was immediately at his side, tears pooling in her eyes, but they turned into relief the second she saw the bullet hole on his forehead.
Jeremy told her, "I could never kill him, Elena, even if he pisses us all off like no one else. He makes you happy, and that's good enough for me."
She smiled appreciatively at him and stood to wrap him in her arms, "I love you Jer. Now get out of here. I'm going to call Stefan and we'll figure out a way to get rid of the compulsion."
He nodded, "I'll try to come up with a plan in case he gets away."
As Jeremy headed towards the cave's exit, which was the Lockwood cell, Elena dropped to the floor again and pulled Damon's head in her lap. The hole was still oozing blood so she wiggled the wooden bullet out, then she brushed his hair out of the way to watch it slowly close. She reached for her phone in her back pocket and dialed Stefan's number, waiting until he answered.
His responses were short and clipped, and she supposed she couldn't ask for anything more. He was hurting, and he had every right to, but he agreed to come get Damon and lock him up in the basement. They had to kill Kol now more than ever, because so long as he was alive and the compulsion was still in effect, Damon would have to stay down there.
Damon's face looked so peaceful when it was unmarred by worry and intrusive thoughts. Aside from the disturbing wound on his forehead, he was beautiful. He always had been, as long as Elena could remember. Of course she knew he was attractive from the first time she saw him that night her parents died. That's all she could think of as her mysterious stranger had a life talk with her in the middle of the night on a deserted road. Perhaps that was why she trusted him enough not to run screaming when an unfamiliar man appeared out of nowhere.
Though, being kidnapped by Damon wouldn't be the worst thing that could have happened to her.
She absently ran her hand over his chest, relishing in the ability to finally touch him whenever she wanted. She spent so long ignoring the way he made her feel, the connection they both knew they shared getting the title of friendship rather than what she knew deep down was more than that. She liked not having to constantly remind herself that it was wrong to want him like she did.
Now, nothing had ever felt more right.
Abruptly, Damon's body began moving as he groaned. Stefan wasn't there yet, he still needed to be unconscious! Not knowing what else to do, she straddled his waist in hopes that it would distract him long enough for Stefan to get there.
His eyes fluttered and his hand went to his head, grimacing as his fingers ran over the pink skin that was newly formed. "He shot me in the head?" He asked to no one in particular. "Stupid, idiot, borderline brain-dead—"
Elena cut him off with a kiss, and this time he kissed her back. His hands trailed up her sides, wrapping around her lower back to pull her flush against him. She mewled at the feeling of his hard body pressed tightly to hers and his hands touching the bare skin exposed when her shirt had ridden up.
He rolled over so he was on top of her and broke the kiss to trail his lips down her neck. Her hands loosely held him in place as she lost herself in his touch, but as soon as she let her guard down his weight left hers and he was gone.
She mentally cursed herself for letting him distract her then took off after him. There was only one way out, and by the time she was standing in the underground room she caught Damon's leather-clad back climbing the stairs. As soon as she was in the night air, she caught the scent of Jeremy's blood from when he cut his hand earlier. It was hardly a challenge to find him, and Damon knew it. She was hot on his tail and a few seconds later they were standing in front of Jeremy. His hand was slightly bloody as it held up the gun aimed at Damon, who just kept urging him to kill him while Elena struggled to keep her mouth shut. Jeremy told her he'd never kill Damon, and she trusted him.
"Damon, please!" Elena begged. "Don't do this!"
"What do you want from me, Elena!?" Damon hissed. "I can't resist compulsion!"
"Yes you can! You can do it because you love me, and because I love Jeremy!"
He looked over his shoulder back at her, a pained and angry look on his face. "Why, because Stefan did? I—"
He didn't get to finish whatever he was going to say, because Stefan appeared out of nowhere and snapped his neck. Elena breathed a sigh of relief as Stefan threw his dead weight over his shoulder.
"I tried to keep him distracted as long as I could, but—"
"It's fine." Stefan interrupted with a small smile. "I got here in time. Why don't you take Jeremy home for the night and I'll get Damon in the basement."
She nodded, "Okay."
Stefan disappeared before she could say anything else, and she was left with the task of getting Jeremy home safely.
Seeing the way his sister deflated at Stefan's shortness, Jeremy spoke up, "He's just hurt, Elena. He doesn't hate you."
"I know." She whispered. But that doesn't make it hurt any less. "It's late. We should go home and then we can regroup tomorrow."
After quickly texting Bonnie filling her in on what had happened, Elena drove home with Jeremy. He quickly began doing his own thing to get ready for bed while she headed to her room, intent on doing the same. But she quickly realized that she wasn't going to be able to get any sleep without knowing for sure that Damon was okay.
It wasn't really an option not to drive to the boarding house, but as soon as she set foot in the door she realized she was the only one that felt that way. Stefan greeted her at the door, "What are you doing here?"
She furrowed her brows slightly, "I came to check on Damon…"
Stefan coldly shrugged, "He's fine. You can go home now."
Her shoulders sagged in disappointment, "Stefan…I know you're hurt, but…"
"That's the thing, Elena." He said when she didn't finish. "There is no but. You don't regret it. There's nothing you can say to make this better. Once Damon is un-compelled, the two of you can do whatever the hell you want, but until then, I'd rather not have to listen to you and him rubbing your relationship in my face."
Elena looked at him sadly, the words cutting her deep. However, a part of her still felt the need to defend Damon. To argue back that Stefan had always been the one to get everything he wanted while Damon was left in the cold, unwanted by their father and unloved by the woman he waited a century and a half to save. If anyone deserved something good, it was him.
Stefan added, "Damon's going to screw up. You can count on that. He's going to do something unforgivable and you'll be left heartbroken. He always screws up anything good that comes to him, and you will be no different. My advice? Get out while you still can. And don't be afraid to call me when that day comes."
Now she was pissed. Damon didn't deserve a brother that spoke so poorly of him, and Stefan didn't deserve a brother that loved him unconditionally. Damon has consistently spoken of how good and deserving his brother was of everything he got. Anyone could see how much he truly loved and respected his little brother, but sadly, the same couldn't be said about Stefan. Given the chance, Stefan would do anything in his power to convince those around him that Damon was dangerous, useless, and a fuck up. Maybe he wouldn't let him die, but he wasn't exactly doing it because he thought Damon deserved to live.
"You're wrong, Stefan." She said strongly. "I can't argue that Damon sometimes makes rash decisions that hurt those around him, but you know as well as I do that it's only because he was hurt first. That's no excuse for killing people, but you know what? At least he isn't afraid of who he is. I have no doubt that Damon will screw up in the future and hurt me. But there's nothing he can do that won't earn my forgiveness. He killed my own brother and I forgave him. He force fed me his blood so I wouldn't die permanently, which is more than you can say, and I forgave him. I love him, Stefan, and that's not going to change. Not now, not in a year, not ever. But when things get tough between us, I know that I will love him enough to stick around and fight for him with my life. I died for him once already, and I'm not afraid to do it again. It's about damn time that someone loves him the way he deserves, and I'm just sad that it had to be me and not you, his own brother who he cares more about than anything else in the world."
She pushed past him on that note and stormed downstairs to the basement. She was sick and tired of trying to get through to Stefan only to have him making snide comments about her and Damon. He didn't have to be happy about it, but she didn't do anything wrong. She didn't cheat on him, she didn't set out to purposely switch brothers, and she didn't choose Damon just to hurt him. She did what she had to in order to be happy.
And isn't that what life was all about?
Elena peeked through the opening in the door and saw Damon sprawled out on the cot against the far wall. She raised her hands to the metal bar locking the door, but thought twice about unlocking it. It was hard enough to get him in there, and she wasn't going to risk him getting out again.
So she sat down on the floor and listened for him to wake up until she fell asleep herself.