After finishing their talk with Anna, Damon and Luka leave Circus Circus, hopping in a cab to return to McCarren International Airport to catch their flight back to Reno. Damon takes the window seat. When the plane starts to taxi down the runway for take off, Damon grips the arm rests. He's always hated flying. As soon as the plane reaches cruising altitude and the safety belt light goes off, he unbuckles and turns to look out of the window. His mind is heavy in thought about her, the investigation and where he goes from here.
Since it's a short flight, the flight attendants only make one trip down the aisle to serve drinks. He thanks her when she hands him a Coke and after taking a swallow, he looks out again, biting down on his lower lip at the fact that they're above the clouds. He takes a deep breath and another swallow before setting it on the drop down tray. He's about to close his eyes when Luka speaks.
"Are you going to confront her?"
"I'm not sure yet. We have no proof, what evidence we have is circumstantial and what Anna said is pure conjecture, nothing more, nothing less. We already knew there was bad blood between Elena and Jeremy but that doesn't prove murder. Perhaps they're just a brother and sister that didn't get along. A lot of siblings aren't friends..."
"Yes, but if you confronted her maybe she..."
"...Would break down and confess, tell us everything? That's not who she is, it won't happen."
Luka looks disappointed and Damon can hardly blame him. He knows how it looks. But they actually have nothing concrete, only supposition.
"Look," Damon tries, "we have nothing to break her with. An ex-employee confirming she hated her brother? That he felt threatened? That they didn't get along? This we already knew. Then there's Vicky, who also happens to be an ex-employee, tells the other one that she thinks Miss Gilbert may have had something to do with her brother's disappearance. Then there's the practical joke gone bad angle, I just don't see Elena as the practical joke type of person," he shakes his head and Luka's enthusiasm slowly dies down. "And honestly Luka, in your wildest imagination can you see her that way?"
"No, I can't say that I do. It's a little depressing to think we came all this way with zero to show for it?"
Damon sighs and takes another swallow of his soda then drops his head back and closes his eyes. Before he can begin to unwind, Luka speaks again.
"What about Vicky though? Anna seems to think she might have been murdered? Loose lips and all that?"
"She thinks, it's just more supposition on her part. We have nothing to support her theory and she didn't tell us anything that backs up her hunch either. But," Damon adds when he can see Luka's about to lose interest, "she could be right. Consider the way she hightailed it out of Reno after Vicky's death, maybe she's not even aware that something or perhaps someone made her feel uneasy or unsafe at the club? Or maybe it had nothing to do with the club at all? Jeremy kept company with some really bad people. I can't yet say with certainty that we're ready to close the book on Miss Zhu."
"Okay...? What is our next step?"
"We need to keep digging. Maybe Ric got lucky and found another witness to the events, one who tried to disappear just like Anna? We're also going to have to see if any of Jeremy's old buddies are still around. Some of them were interviewed after he disappeared but when the case went cold, they eventually became an afterthought. One that I do remember is Aaron Whitmore. The guy swore up and down that he hadn't seen Jeremy for weeks prior to his disappearance. Aaron conveniently dropped out of sight after I interviewed him at headquarters. As far as I know, he's still alive, I've never seen anything to suggest that he died. I think maybe it's time we run him to ground again."
Damon shifts in his seat and notices Luka staring straight ahead. "What's troubling you, kid?"
Luka shakes his head no and Damon doesn't press. He thinks he knows what the boy's thinking. The same question Damon is asking himself.
Will he be able to be ruthless enough with Elena if the need arises?
He can't stand it anymore, it's not the first time he woke up only to see her little grinning face too close for comfort. She's standing by his bed, bending over... what is she hiding in her hand? He jerks away as far as the bed allows him, his heart beating rapidly, his hands fisting at his sides. She startles, her lips pucker, eyes glassy and she already starts sniffling.
"No. Be quiet!" he hisses but knows it's pointless. She takes a deep breath and starts screaming. He claps his hands over his ears and fights the urge to run. Mom or dad will come running in and he's going to take a beating for it and as usual this little alien will be happy she managed to do it to him again.
No, he can't let her keep doing this, he needs to find a solution.
"Hm...," Ric looks deep in thought when Damon and Luka finish bringing him up to speed about what had Anna Zhu had to say. It was late yesterday evening when they got home so after dropping Luka off at his place, Damon went straight home, took a shower and collapsed onto his bed. He lay there for a long time staring at a fixed point, a discoloration on the ceiling. As exhausted as he was, he couldn't slow down his mind. Anna's words and what they mean for his case kept replaying over and over as if he were in a movie theatre with a broken reel. When did things get so messy?
Of course he knows the answer, it was when he decided to throw caution out of the window and give into his attraction, letting her get under his skin, deeper than he's ever let anyone else. Just as he was about to roll over and try to catch a little shut eye, his phone beeped with a message. From her. "Let me know when you're back." Nothing less, nothing more. A message that he has left unanswered so far.
"It's all circumstantial but it kind of confirms what we have suspected from the beginning," his friend comments. "Maybe you should press her a little harder, urge her to tell you about their relationship?" He raises an eyebrow at Damon, "That is... If you can, of course."
Damon gives him a hard look but Ric isn't teasing this time, his expression is deadly serious. Since Luka's not here right now, Damon decides to let Ric in just a bit. He's never disappointed him, always willing to lend an ear when he senses his friend has something on his mind.
"First, I've been trying to get her to open up since we started this. I've gotten nothing. I don't know why things were so strained between them, what caused the animosity, I don't know Ric. I get the impression that the relationship between Elena and Jeremy is a taboo topic. It's not only her but it seems to be the same for everyone in this town who may know something about their family dynamics. Second... I need to be sure that I can be aggressive... I mean, I'm sure I can but when I do, I won't be able to put the genie back in the bottle. And she still has the presumption of innocence, Ric. That's the bedrock of our judicial system. We have nothing concrete, only hearsay, conjecture and circumstantial evidence. She may very well be completely innocent..."
He sighs and takes a long pull from his coffee mug. "I have to be sure."
"Okay... so let me do it. Or let's go there, the both of us, and simply ask her if she can answer a few questions."
Damon looks doubtful but perhaps he's right, maybe it's the best way to proceed? He shrugs, stands up and extends his arm for Ric to lead the way.
It's been three days, three long days since their most memorable kiss. Damon should have been home yesterday but maybe he got hung up longer than anticipated. He hasn't sent her anymore messages. Elena knows she shouldn't be worried, the longer the police stay away from her club the better. Still, there are many other factors whirling around inside her mind. Between them and him, she simply isn't able to just brush them aside and be grateful for the Reno PD's absence.
She doesn't like feeling this vulnerable. When she was a child, she learned quickly how to hide her feelings and emotions. She became so good at pretending that with time she believed her own hype, meaning she thought she was an odd duck, one who lacked some of the normal human emotions. She worked damn hard day and night to make The Jungle a success. Having had to deal with snakes and cutthroats while doing so, those experiences only confirmed her suspicions that feelings and business shouldn't be mixed. She lived, still lives inside the safety of her protective bubble. She's been protected and cherished by her men and is, well was blissfully unaware of how dangerous her guys can be. Sometimes they underestimate her. There have been occasions when they attempted to play her for a fool, she's happily played along, making it easier for her to pluck out little details, bits and pieces when they think she's not paying attention.
Sighing she steps out of the elevator and towards her office, how can she feel lonely when she has all of these people who care deeply for her?
Rebekah would laugh.
Walking through the door, she chides herself for the melancholy. Stiffening her demeanor, she forces Damon Salvatore to the back of her mind.
"Morning," she utters while walking through Enzo's office, disappearing in hers. Both Enzo and Bonnie look at each other and Bonnie mouths; "Who ruffled her feathers?" Enzo doesn't like her tone, he's not at all happy at the change he's witnessed in Bonnie, especially when the cop is around. So rather that get in a back and forth with her, he takes the tray with fresh coffee and a glass of orange juice and follows Elena into her office.
"Thank you, Enzo," she says immediately although she's not looking at him. "Sorry for being so unsociable today, I didn't sleep well again, I'll work on it and you have my word that you don't have to be afraid to address me."
"The nightmares again?" he asks with concern.
This time, she doesn't answer, which is actually pretty telling. He quickly leaves the room, giving Elena the space she clearly needs.
It's fairly late when she feels her stomach churning. She can't even remember the last time she had a decent meal, oh yeah, it was with him. Deciding she deserves one, she grabs her bag and tells Enzo he can find her at the restaurant.
Kol has the day off, Kai's busy covering for a guy whose wife's having a baby and Elijah is nowhere to be seen either but she has no problem sitting alone. Caroline leads her to her usual spot half hidden from the guests but it allows her a nice view of the place, most of it anyway. It's her guilty pleasure, her favorite kind of relaxation, watching people, guessing their stories. And yes, she'll admit, also their reactions to the restaurant itself.
When she hears a boy's enthusiastic chattering nearby, catching something about the jungle and animals' pictures and a 'real parrot' she smiles and turns her head to look at the voice's owner. She knows this boy... She can't help but watch him as he stares at the bird for a bit before wandering over to the fish tank. He seems mesmerized, watching the small shark and the rays and the other salt water fish. When Walter starts squawking again, Stefan turns around and hurries back towards it.
She has a smile on her face when his eyes land on hers. "Elena?... Miss Elena?" he corrects himself when he catches his mother's disapproving look.
"Elena is enough," she says kindly looking at Detective Salvatore's little brother who comes closer to her table to greet her. "I'm glad you like it here. Are you alone?"
He vehemently shakes his head. "No, I'm here with mom and dad. For lunch. I like the parrot, is it alive?"
Elena chuckles. "I certainly hope so. Walter just gets out of sorts when no one's close enough to give him some attention. He's bored. If it's okay with your mom and dad, you can come closer. Probably after you eat?" When he points to his parents, Elena looks at their table, then gets up and walks beside Stefan to meet his parents.
"Welcome to The Jungle, I'm Elena Gilbert and your Stefan and I are kind of friends. We met when he attended one of our charity events."
Damon's foot is tapping a regular cadence against the floor of the car, his palm is doing the same on his thigh. He stares straight ahead, his belly churning on top of everything else. Deep in his headspace, he doesn't even realize that Ric has parked the car. When he feels a nudge against his arm, he looks at Ric and takes a deep breath. They're in The Jungle's parking lot, he steps out of the car, slamming the door shut.
The closer they get to the dreaded conversation, the less he's looking forward to it. He suddenly has a feeling that this is a really bad idea. His face is awash with anxiety, so much so that even Ric notices.
"You don't have to come, Damon?" Ric's giving him an out.
Damon shakes his head no. "You weren't in Vegas to know what Anna said. Elena would chew you up and spit you out if she senses uncertainty.
Ric chuckles. "You need to make up your mind, buddy. Either you love her or you despise her, I think I know which side of the scale is carrying the most weight..." he pauses for effect, "You need to decide."
Damon chokes at the word 'love' but otherwise tries to play it cool. "Perhaps now isn't the best time? She's probably on her lunch break."
"Well, we'll see," Ric gives him a smirk proving he's not buying Damon's stall tactics for even a second.
Enzo greets them with a sombre face, for some reason it seems to make Ric's day.
"St. John," Damon nods at the assistant. "Is Miss Gilbert inside?"
"No...," Enzo's in no hurry to answer. "She's having lunch and I'm not calling her to cut it short."
"No problem," Ric tells him cheerfully. "I'll wait here while my partner runs down to the café to pick her up."
"What makes you think she's in the café?"
"Where else would she go?" Ric adds, raising an eyebrow at him.
Damon mentally rolls his eyes at the display of affection, more them wanting to tear each other's head off really but rather than throw in his own two cents worth, Damon nods at Ric and backs out of the room to see if he can find Elena. She's gonna love this.
Stepping out of the elevator, he makes his way towards the café. As soon as he steps inside, he gets the shock of his life, stopping him on the spot. It's the most phantasmagorical view he's ever laid eyes on. Directly in front of him is Elena and his whole family dining together, clearly having a grand time.
Once he gets over the shock and can make his feet move, he approaches their table. When his father looks up, the corners of his mouth raise and his eyes fill with mirth.
"Mom, dad? What are you doing here...?" Even with a smile carefully plastered to match his dad's, he still can't quite hide the shock he feels. At least he doesn't think so.
Elena gives him a knowing smile but she doesn't seem to take it personally. Rather than look upset, she looks... amused.
"Damon!" Stefan jumps to his feet, wanting to throw himself on his big brother but reconsiders at the last second, instead he stands there with a big beaming smile on his face.
Damon ruffles his hair trying to make some sense out of all of this. "Hey, baby bro, having lunch?"
"We heard so much about this place and we decided to have a look ourselves since we were on this end of town," Jenna answers and reaches with her hand to squeeze Damon's. Even his dad looks very pleased and Damon has to admit Elena has once again surprised him.
"I'm glad you like it here...," Damon comments, his usual quick wit nowhere in sight as it often happens when she's near. She's a vision... He can feel his belly doing somersaults when he takes the free chair next to her.
"Will you come to my baseball game, Damon? It's this Saturday. Will you?" Stefan climbs up on his lap.
"Well...," he feels so out of sorts, sitting here with his parents, Stefan and Elena Gilbert talking about how to spend the weekend. "Ehm... I'll try."
"You shouldn't work too much Damon," his mom interferes. "I hope you can find a half day to spend with your family."
"You know he'll be there if he can, Jenna," Giuseppe tries to put things into perspective. "However," he turns to Elena, "I hope your attendance is not conditioned by Damon's."
"Oh, no, don't worry, I wouldn't think to disappoint my young friend here," Elena winks and gives Stefan a beaming smile.
"Wait, did you just say...?" Damon can't believe his ears.
"Stefan invited Elena here too, maybe you could pick her up if you're free?"
Damon takes in the whole group one more time with an incredulous look.
How the hell did this happen?
Fortunately Elena ends the weird assembly when she excuses herself to go back to work. Damon follows along, explaining that he's going to walk her back to her office. After a quick goodbye to his family, he hurries along, catching up with her at the elevator. While they wait, Elena doesn't make it any easier for him and when they step inside, rather than converse, she looks at the ceiling of the lift. He at a loss to know what she must be thinking.
"How was the trip?" she asks without giving him a glance.
"Good. Thank you... Ehm, I have some questions... about Jeremy's case."
"Ah, of course." Elena nods and the silence falls again. Is she being sarcastic or is he just being paranoid?
Luckily it's only a matter of few moments from the time they step out of the elevator till they reach her office suite, Damon's right at Elena's feet the entire time.
"Detective Saltzman," Elena almost stops in her tracks at the sight of the other officer. She gives Damon a dark look and disappears into her office, the two following behind.
"Sit, please. Enzo?" she calls. Would you please get us a pot of fresh coffee and we'll see if the detectives need anything else later?" She's in no hurry, waits till Enzo brings the coffee then looks at them expectantly. "What do you want to know?"
"I had a chat with one of your former employees yesterday," Damon starts the conversation. "We, my other partner and I wanted to know why she left here and if she knew anything about..." Damon stutters, her hardened look taking the wind out of his sails.
"And?"
Sensing Damon's reticence, Ric interrupts. Refusing to beat around the bush, he scoots his chair closer to her desk. The older man casts an imposing figure when he sits up straight and knots his hands together. "We need you to tell us everything and I mean everything about your relationship with Jeremy."
The look of betrayal in her molten brown eyes is one he won't get out of his head anytime soon.
Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. You're such an awesome and incredible bunch. We are truly grateful for all of your support. We do have lots of story ideas to flesh out after we finally put the final dot on the last sentence of this story.
Thank you to my sister Eva. I love you to pieces. Thank you for always going the extra mile to help me.
Chapter title: 'Two Worlds' by Phil Collins from Walt Disney's 'Tarzan'.
D'Ann aka NotEnoughPotter started posting a Christmas in July story. It's called 'Signals Crossed'. She's been an amazing DE writer and is a successful published author, having turned some of her Damon and Elena stories into original works.
Don't forget Tamilnadu09's "Once Upon a Nightmare'. it's a wonderful story.
I hope you all have a safe and an incredibly wonderful day. We'll see you next time.