Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).
Once Elena and Jeremy got home, Elena instructed him to go shower and change as the blood was distracting her whilst she made a cup of coffee. She was angry because Stefan was definitely hiding something and she was concerned that although Stefan was with the Hunter, he might not have killed him, which was putting them all in danger. This was beginning to remind her of the secrets and lies Stefan told her when they first got together. Back then she was a naive young girl, still recovering from the heartbreak of losing her parents. Now though, Elena was different. She had grown up and realized that she didn't need to depend on Stefan to help her get through things the way she had when she first met him. Heck, if anything, Damon had helped her through just as many of her traumatic periods as Stefan and he didn't lie to her unless it was absolutely necessary. Even if Stefan was doing something for the greater good, dragging Jeremy into this, especially if Klaus was involved, and compelling him was a step too far.
Elena was so lost in her thoughts, that even with vampire hearing she didn't notice Jeremy coming downstairs freshly showered. "Hey!" he called out to her, interrupting her thoughts as he sat down at the dining table prompting Elena to join him.
"How did this happen, Jer?" Elena asked as she sat down. "Why did Connor come after you?"
"He said I was like him, because I could see his tattoo." Jeremy told her.
"His tattoo?" Elena remembered Damon mentioning something about a tattoo after they got back from the Frat party, although Elena hadn't thought to question Damon any further on it at the time.
"His hunter's mark." he explained. "It's invisible to everyone but me. Stefan and Damon didn't tell you about it?"
Elena shook her head. "Damon briefly mentioned something about a tattoo but I'm not sure if he knows what it means. And Stefan hasn't said anything about it. Wait...wait, who else knows about this?" Elena asked, wondering if this was why Klaus was involved.
"Well, that's the thing." Jeremy sighed. "I don't even know. Apparently, I was with Connor all day yesterday, but I can't remember. Someone compelled me."
Elena stood up and began pacing the room. "I think I know who." she said furiously. "Did this hunter give you any clues as to where you were?" she asked.
"Yeah." Jeremy told her. "He said we were at the hybrid's."
"Klaus!" Elena frowned.
"I guess. But that's not all he said." Jeremy told her.
"Look Jer, I need you to tell me everything you know, so we can try and work out what the hell is going on, before I start accusing people of doing things behind my back." Elena demanded.
"Okay." Jeremy settled in to tell his story. "His name is Connor. He is a vampire hunter. He has a tattoo which he calls the Hunter's mark. Every time he kills a vampire the tattoo grows. He initially thought it was just an urge to kill vampires, but he thinks that when it's completed he'll find out why he is like he is which is what he is trying to do. I saw it grow when he killed the hybrid. He called me a potential." he told her.
"Damon mentioned something about this to me yesterday." Elena told him. "He and Klaus tried to kill the Hunter but obviously didn't succeed. Klaus said that he was one of 'The Five'."
"The Five what?" Jeremy asked.
"I dunno." Elena said. "Maybe there are only five of these hunters at any one given time."
"Maybe." he mused. "If there can only ever be five I wonder what happens when one dies. Is the hunter is replaced by a potential?" Jeremy asked. "Someone like me." Jeremy's eyes widened in realization. "I wonder that means if I'd become one of them."
"How would we know if you are a hunter of not?" Elena asked.
"The tattoo." Jeremy told her. "If I was a hunter I'd have the hunter's mark."
"Do you have the tattoo?" Elena asked, her voice full of concern. Jeremy shook his head. "So I'm guessing that Connor is still out there." Elena continued. "And I suspect that Stefan saved Connor for whatever plan he and Klaus are working on. The question is, why did he or Klaus compel you?"
At that moment Damon walked in, his face like thunder, Elena walked over towards him.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked, then realizing it was day she checked his hand. "I see you've got your daylight ring back. Does that mean you've seen Stefan?"
"Yeah I saw Stefan." Damon fumed. "I managed to get into the cellars through a boiler room by punching through a septic tank." Elena wrinkled her nose. "I found Stefan who let the hunter go as soon as he saw me. So I politely tried to find out what was going on, he gave me some vague answer, then he gave me my ring back and snapped my neck. I would have tried looking but I had no idea where they'd. So I went home to shower, because, well you know, septic tank and all, and headed straight back here to make sure you were both safe. Did Matt and April make it out okay?" he asked.
"Yeah." Elena told him. "They're fine. I had to compel April thought, Connor said too much. Speaking of which, Connor confirmed that Jeremy was with Klaus yesterday which means someone must have compelled him."
Damon looked over to Jeremy. "What happened in there?" he asked folding his arms.
Jeremy proceeded to retell his story whilst Damon listened intently. Elena could tell from the expression on Damon's face that he was probably thinking along similar lines to Jeremy with regards to the hunters mark. Damon said nothing until Jeremy had finished telling him his story and their theory about how the mark appeared.
"Elena, can we talk somewhere in private?" Damon asked once Jeremy had finished talking.
"Sure, we'll go up to my bedroom." Elena suggested, as they both made their way upstairs leaving Jeremy alone. Once inside Elena's bedroom she sat on her bed whilst Damon paced up and down. "What is it Damon?" she asked. "What do you know?"
Damon sat down next to her on the bed looked down as he took her hand in his. She could see he was nervously trying to work out what to say to her. Damon held her hand up examining it whilst tenderly rubbing his thumb in circles over the back of it. Elena looked at the gentle gesture smiling. She knew whatever he had to say would be big.
Damon sighed. "I'm about to take a very high and annoying road and tell you something." He took his hand away from hers and placed it on top of her hand instead of holding it. "Because I know that you think Stefan's been lying to you." he said softly. "Which, yeah, he has, but this rough patch that you two have been going through is not what you think. Everything that he's been doing, he's been doing for you. To help you. And after he kills me for telling you this, I want you to throw my ashes off of Wickery Bridge, okay?"
This caused Elena to laugh for a moment before she became serious. "What in the world can be so important that it's worth putting Jeremy life at risk? There is nothing he can say or do that is going to justify his actions." she said.
"There may be a way out of this for you, Elena." Damon said gently, causing Elena to look at him, confused. "There may be a cure."
This information initially surprised Elena and gave her hope. "What did Stefan say to you?" she asked.
"I caught up with him in the tunnels." Damon told her. "I shoved my hand in his chest and threatened to rip his heart out if he didn't tell me what he and Klaus were up to. I thought he'd been compelled by Klaus, but it turns out not. He said that Connor was the key to getting the cure, and that if we kill him then we lose the chance of getting it for you. He gave me my ring back and then snapped my neck."
"But if what we suspect is right, if Connor dies, then there's a chance that Jeremy could turn into a hunter." Elena said, her voice full of concern. "Which means we can't kill Connor because he'll just be replaced by Jeremy instead."
Damon nodded in agreement. "And the last thing we want is to kill Connor and then have Jeremy not only get involved, but go all Connor 2.0 on us. Jeremy and werewolf venom, now that's a serious accident waiting to happen." he smiled and shuddered at his own joke.
Something in Elena's brain clicked when Damon mentioned werewolf venom, reminding her of when Klaus had saved her life from the poisoned beer she drank at Rebekah's party. Elena remembered him mentioning something about her being useful again which was now starting to make sense as she was only useful to Klaus if she was a human. Elena removed her hand from Damon's, anger building inside of her. Klaus only wanted her human so she could go back to being a human blood bag. Stefan was so desperate to make her human again that he was not only willing to risk Jeremy's life, but he was prepared to subject her to a life as Klaus's hybrid maker. Did Stefan not even know her? As much as she hated being a vampire, this was better than what Stefan wanted for her. She just didn't understand why he would even think she'd want to go that far. She knew she needed to tell Damon.
"Klaus saved me from werewolf venom the other day." she told him, causing him to cock his head as he gave her a puzzled look. Elena stood up and began to pace the room. "He said if he'd have found out a few hours earlier, he wouldn't have cared about me dying, but, as it turned out, I might still be of use to him. In other words, he'll get back his hybrid making factory." Elena scowled.
"So let me get this straight." Damon frowned. "You think Stefan is willing to sacrifice not only Jeremy, but your freedom to make you human again? Is being a vampire really that bad?" he asked.
"No it isn't." Elena said.
"So why is he so desperate to make you human again?" Damon wondered out loud.
"I think I know." Elena said. Damon looked at her expectantly ready for her explanation. "But I need to go through a few things and talk to Stefan first before I can say for sure." Damon nodded. "In the meantime Damon, can you not say anything to Stefan about how much I know?" she asked. "If he asks just tell him about what Connor told Jeremy and maybe what you told me, if you want to. I don't want him to know about my suspicions about what Klaus wants and about Jeremy possibly becoming the next hunter if anything happens to Connor."
Damon nodded as he stood up and walked over to her before taking her into his arms. Elena held him back as she put her head into the crook of his neck and breathed in his scent. He smelled like a mixture of leather, bourbon and spices, a scent she'd come to recognize as uniquely Damon, even when she was human she'd noticed it. Now she was a vampire it was stronger, sexier, but it also made her feel safe. She wanted to stay in his arms forever, but she knew for the time being she had to let go. It was at that moment that Elena finally realized, being in Damon's arms was the right place for her to be, however just now wasn't the right time. She had a few things to take care of before their time would come.
Damon finally left, leaving Elena alone in her room to decide her next move. The first thing she did was get out her diary. She read over the words she's written only that morning. The words that stuck out to her the most were 'my feelings for Stefan haven't heightened, which I'd have thought that they would have considering I love him.' Elena decided that she needed to update her diary before calling Stefan.
Dear Diary
I've found out what Stefan is up to. He is trying to find a cure for me. He thinks he can cure me of vampirism. I understand that he's uncomfortable with me being a vampire and I suspect a lot of it is because he blames himself for my transformation. However, that does not give him the right to involve Jeremy in all of this, and practically hand me over to Klaus to become his personal hybrid maker. I don't want that. I'd prefer to stay as a vampire than lose my freedom.
I admit I hate being a vampire, but that is only when I don't embrace it. Yes I've been scared to do that, but after what happened today, I think the time has come. If my friends truly love me, they'll accept me. I know Jeremy accepts me like this as he was fine with me showing him my vampire face.
I'm also beginning to question my feelings for Stefan. Yes I love him, that hasn't changed. But I'm not sure if I'm in love with him. And although I definitely loved him, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I wasn't even 'in love' with him the night I became a vampire either.
I just know that when I need someone, it is Damon I turn to. When I was at the Frat party last night, I wanted to rip Damon's clothes off right then and there. God I hope he never reads this. He just has that effect on me. And just now when he held me, I felt safe and like I I'd finally come home. I admit that even as a human I was falling for Damon. Like I told Matt, whenever I was with him, he consumed me. Only now it is a thousand times worse. When he's not around, I miss him like crazy. I know that whilst I'm having these feelings for Damon, I can't be with Stefan. If I was truly in love with Stefan, I wouldn't feel this way towards Damon. I know Damon still loves me, I can see it in his eyes. I just hope I'm not too late.
With that in mind, I've decided that I need to let Stefan go. It's only fair on him. He needs to move on with his life. I know why he wants the cure for me, he thinks that by taking the cure, it will fix our relationship, but it won't. Becoming a vampire didn't make me fall in love with Damon, I was already in love with Damon before the accident. I was just too blind and scared to see it, or admit it to myself. But Damon isn't the only reason. I'm sick of the lies and I no longer trust Stefan. That's no basis for a relationship. So, I need to let him go.
After I end it with Stefan, I'm going to tell Damon how I feel about him and pray that I'm not too late. I don't want the cure, it isn't worth all of these problems. I also don't want to be Klaus's blood bag. I just want to be free. However that is easier said than done, and I'll need to talk that over with Damon. Klaus isn't going to stop, and that includes getting Jeremy involved. I don't care if that means we have to go on the run for the next few years, but I am not taking that cure, unless Damon wants to take it with me and Klaus is prepared to ensure Jeremy's safety. And if we do, I want to know what is going on every step of the way. No more secrets and lies.
Elena
Elena decided to read her early entries of when she first met Stefan before she talked to him. She wanted to see what lies he'd told her in the past. She didn't want Stefan to think that their break up was solely about Damon because Stefan had played a huge role in her decision, although she suspected that him not lying to her would have only have dragged out the inevitable. She knew now that their relationship ended the day Stefan left with Klaus to save Damon. Not that she could blame him, she would have done the same for Jeremy. Also in a way she was glad that he did because it had given her the opportunity to get to know Damon without Stefan's negative influence.
Although her reason for reading her early diary entries were to spot Stefan's lies, she also noticed the further she read into her diary, the more she recognized the connection she had with Damon which was formed around the time when they went to Georgia. That bond between her and Damon had slowly grown into friendship over time, although there had been many hiccups along the way. He'd recognized the signs that there was potentially more than just a growing friendship between them early on, but she kept denying it to not only herself, but to everyone else. Looking back now at her growing feelings for Damon and her brushing Stefan's lies under the carpet, she knew her and Stefan were always doomed. Feeling more confident in her decision, Elena called Stefan and asked if he'd stop by and see her. He told her he was on his way and he'd be there within ten minutes.
Exactly ten minutes later Elena heard a noise outside, opening the front door, she saw Stefan is leaning against a pillar on outside the porch. Elena ventured outside and walked over to him.
"So, um, Damon told me that he clued you in." Stefan told her.
"He told me something about a cure, but he didn't go into that much detail. You didn't kill him, did you?" Elena joked.
"Nah, screw Klaus and his secrets." Stefan laughed as he sat down on the porch steps."We all want the same thing, we just have to work together for it."
Elena sat down next to him. "But do we?" she asked. "I mean, you haven't even asked me if that's what I even want."
"You've said it yourself, you hate being a vampire." Stefan turned to look at her. "I didn't want this for you."
"I never wanted this for me either Stefan." Elena told him. "But I have to learn how to live with it. Damon was right all along, I need to learn how to be a vampire, not try and pretend to be a human with a change of diet."
"Damon huh?" Stefan scoffed as his eyes dropped to the floor before he turned back to face her. "It seems like lately he's the only one who's able to get through to you, even in ways that I can't. You'll listen to him. You trust him, even when you can't trust me." his voice petered off.
"I didn't mean to not..." Elena stopped, not knowing how to continue without hurting Stefan.
"Come on, Elena, I mean after everything that we've been through...you can admit it." Stefan said sadly. They stared at each other for a long time whilst Elena thought about what to say.
Finally her eyes dropped as she was finding it almost impossible to say it to him and look him in the eye. "You've been so strong for me." A lump grew in her throat, but Elena knew she had to continue without crying. "Helping me, fighting for that girl that chose you, the girl that I was when I died on the bridge, and I love you so much for wanting to find a way to cure the vampirism. Because I'd like nothing more than to get her back, because the...the girl that she's become, that...that I've become is different, somehow. Darker. Who I am, what I want..."
"What you want?" Stefan asked. "Or...who you want?" he clarified. Elena could hear a slight crack in his voice. His eyes were holding back the tears, as if he already knew what her answer would be, causing guilt to form in the pit of her stomach. However, she knew she needed to be strong, and it was only fair to Stefan that she finally told him the truth.
"Something's changed, between Damon and me." Elena tried to explain. "Much more than it ever used to be. It's like...it's like everything that I felt for him before I was a vampire..."
"Has been magnified." Stefan finished her sentence for her. "Your feelings for him have been magnified."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to lie to you." Elena apologized.
"You know, before, when I was the, uh, the Ripper, I understood why you cared for him." Stefan told her. "I mean, I practically drove you to it. But now...I can't do this, Elena." Elena looked over at him and nodded in understanding. "Not any more." Stefan added.
"I know." Elena said sadly.
Stefan turned his face to look away from her whilst Elena looked at him for a moment longer, before turning to look away, fighting back tears. They sat on the porch steps together in silence for a few more minutes before either of them spoke.
"So what now?" Elena asked after she'd regained her composure.
"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.
"Look Stefan, about the cure, I don't want Jeremy getting involved in any of this." she told him. "As much as I'd like to get that girl back, I need to get to know the new me first. I haven't been able to do that since I turned, apart from..."
"Apart from when you fed with Damon?" Stefan asked.
Elena nodded sadly. "I'm a new person Stefan, a vampire, and we all have to accept that. Yes, certain aspects of my personality have changed. And yes my feelings towards Damon have grown stronger, however for some reason the same didn't happen to my feelings about you." Elena took a deep breath. "But this isn't just about me and Damon. You and I have other problems. Big problems. The main one is trust Stefan, and you broke that trust. Going behind my back, getting Jer involved and then compelling him, it hurt."
"I don't get it." Stefan's tone of voice became a little more aggressive. "Even when you were human, no matter what Damon did, you forgave him."
"But this isn't about me and Damon." Elena protested.
"You see." Stefan turned to her. "That's what you don't get. It's always been about Damon. It's always going to be about Damon. Every step of the way, he's been there, trying to ruin things..."
"Wait a minute..." Elena stood up. "Where is all of this coming from? You said it yourself that you were the one who practically drove me into his arms when you were the ripper."
"But that was before you chose me." Stefan insisted looking up at her.
"I know that." Elena smiled sadly, kneeling back down. "But just because I chose you, didn't mean that I was going to lose my feelings for Damon. I'd fought so hard to get you back and he was there every step of the way. Then when I had to make the choice of who to say goodbye to, I chose you."
"Is that why did you chose me Elena?" Stefan asked. "Because you felt an obligation to say goodbye to me?"
"No Stefan, that's not what I meant. I chose you because I loved you." Elena explained quietly.
"Look Elena. We've said everything that needs saying right now." Stefan got up. "I can't do this any more Elena. I need to go." he said as he walked down the porch steps to leave her alone.
"Just promise me you won't let Jeremy get any more involved in all of this." Elena called out to him, but either he didn't hear her or he wasn't listening because not only did he not respond, he didn't bother to look back. Elena got up and headed back into the house, expecting tears to fall, but to her surprise none came. Elena wondered if she should tell Jeremy about her and Stefan's break up, but she could hear that he was already in bed, snoring softly and she didn't want to wake him, so she thought she'd let him know when she saw him the next day.
The next morning Elena got up late, meaning she'd managed to miss Jeremy as he went into work early to help clean up the mess in the Grill that Connor had left behind. Elena text Damon to tell him she wanted to talk to him the following day at the pageant. Opting for some alone girl time, Elena headed out shopping in Richmond for a new dress for the pageant. She didn't want to invite her friends along as she was expecting Caroline to try and pressure her to get back with Stefan and Bonnie would try and dissuade her from getting together with Damon. This was Elena's choice and she was no longer going to bow down to peer pressure. Instead she'd gone shopping because wanted to wear something sexy for her discussion with Damon, prompting her to buy a lacy black dress which was practically see through. She also decided to update her lingerie collection with a far more adult choice than she'd had previously, including a number of black lacy sets as Elena suspected it was Damon's favorite color.
By the time Elena returned home it was very late and she could hear that Jeremy was already sound asleep and snoring meaning she'd missed him again. Elena put her new clothes away and drank a blood bag before showering and changing for bed. She checked her phone and saw a text from Damon.
Professor Shady-Pants is even shadier than I thought. Turns out that according to the quarterback, he was in contact with Pastor Young a number of times on the day he blew up the town council and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'll explain more tomorrow. X D
Elena decided not to text him back immediately as she wanted to talk to him in person, even though she still hadn't decided what to say to him. Instead Elena opted to write one last entry in her diary before she made the giant leap, hopefully to land in Damon's arms.
Dear Diary
Yesterday Stefan and I broke up. This time for good. I don't want any more lies or secrets. I want honesty, love and passion. I'll wait until tomorrow to talk to Damon. It's the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and this time I'm helping set things up. I'll never forget the last one, when Damon and I first danced together. He looked really hot in a suit. Hopefully he'll look just as good tomorrow. Whom I kidding, he always looks hot and sexy. I'd just never noticed quite quite how sexy he was until that dance. That was the day something changed about how I felt towards Damon. Hopefully tomorrow we'll be able to take that next step.
I've decided that I don't care what Bonnie, Matt or Caroline think. If I want to be with Damon, they can either deal with it or forget our friendship. That's if Damon will still have me. If he will, he comes as part of the package deal whether my friends like it or not. I'm not going to let them dictate who I should and shouldn't love.
I'm hoping that Stefan will stop looking for the cure. Admittedly I'd like to take it, but not at the expense of my freedom or putting Jer's life in danger. However I'm more worried about Klaus not giving up. I'm sure he'll want to put me back to human Elena and is using Stefan's insecurities to get him to help. Even if Stefan stops trying to get the cure, Klaus won't give up.
I'm not sure what to do, so I need a plan to keep Jeremy safe until I've talked it over with Damon. Maybe we could take a road trip together, although I suspect Jer wouldn't be thrilled with the prospect of spending time on the road with Damon and me. He was bad enough on the way back from Denver. But we need to find a way to keep Jer away from Klaus. Maybe I ought to take Damon's suggestion about sending him to the Bahamas more seriously.
I wonder what the issue is around Professor Shane. Damon seems concerned about him and what he is up to. I hope he didn't have a hand in blowing up the town council because he is teaching Bonnie how to get her powers back. Why are there always problems? All I want is one normal problem free day. Is that too much to ask?
Elena
With that Elena returned her diary to it's hiding spot in the under the loose floorboard under her bed. She tried to fall asleep, but she was too anxious as to what would happen the next day. She knew she would have to face the wrath of Caroline who was in charge of this year's pageant and probably on the warpath thinking that Elena had purposely broken Stefan's heart in favor of Caroline's least favorite person, Damon. Elena turned over and sighed, at least she knew Jeremy still loved her.