It takes a second before Elijah's disclosure clicks into place for Damon. Without uttering a peep, he makes an abrupt U turn and pulls alongside the curb. After shifting the car into park, he turns to face his companion. "What did you just say...?"
Rather than answer immediately, Elijah looks at him calmly, giving him time to process the stunning pronouncement.
The revelation doesn't actually change anything in the investigation, the motive remains the same if he's right about Jeremy Gilbert. It fits with what he suspected. But Elena...
"Why wouldn't she tell me? Her brother's honor, not dragging his name further into the mud?"
Elijah shakes his head. "Not exactly. She... Right after Kai pulled her out of the water, her teeth chattering, shivering, she kept repeating 'He pushed me'. He pushed me over and over again. It was only later, the next day after coming home from the hospital that she began the process of burying it almost as if it was a death. She avoided talking about it, ignored any and all direct questions. She was afraid of Jeremy, everyone knew it. After that, Grayson and Miranda made sure that someone else was always with her or standing by. It took time but eventually with help from her friends and family, she grew into the confident woman she is today. It's my belief that she 'suppressed' what really happened on that day."
Only she didn't. Not in the deepest recesses of her mind. Nightmares about that day have lingered long after her brother's violent death.
"Anything else, Mr. Mikaelson?"
"I'm not going to violate Elena's trust. She's family and my client. But since she decided to tell you about that seminal moment in her life, I am not breaking a confidence, I'm merely filling in the gaps."
If he didn't know better, he'd say Elijah's doing just that. Betraying her. But Damon knows it's not that way at all. Perhaps it's his way of helping her in a way that she can't help herself. He nods with gratitude.
"We have to move. I've been waiting five years to close this case... And that's exactly what I intend to do."
As soon as Damon leaves them all standing at the hall, Elena and Kol share a look when Elijah unexpectedly follows after him. Suddenly it feels like old times when the two of them were quick to carry out whatever mischief popped into their heads at the time. Just as they did as children, they move in sync like a flock of geese flying in formation.
"Where are we going?" Katherine slows down their movement.
Kol hesitates but not for long. "We, are not going anywhere. This is Jungle business that your brother's orchestrating, we need to get over there. It may not be pretty so I'll drop you off at your parents?"
"I doubt that," Katherine snorts. Seeing the strange look on Kol's face, she smiles reassuringly. "Never mind, that's a story for another day. I'm a grown woman, I'll find my way, you two should go."
Her aloofness with this whole crazy situation actually makes him pause. She must be the girl of his dreams. He pulls her to him, pressing his fingertips into the soft fabric covering her hips and gives her a proper kiss while Elena watches in shock.
When they part, Katherine touches her lips as if in awe. "I'll be back to collect, darling," he winks. "If your brother doesn't put me behind the bars that is." He grabs Elena's hand and pulls her behind him.
"They have a head start," she comments as they slip into the night through the side exit.
"Trust me, your detective friend doesn't stand a chance against me," he laughs, as they run down the stairs in the garden. "Rebekah?" he calls as he can see his sister wrapped around a male figure in the shadows.
"Seriously?" Rebekah turns around giving him a pissed off face. "Can't you just... continue wherever it is you're going and pretend I'm not here?" She shares a disbelieving look with Elena.
"Anytime sister, but not tonight. Right now I just need you to find miss Katherine, the hot detective's sister and keep her company. I had to leave her on the dance floor, so did her brother so..."
"Am I wearing my 'I'm the babysitter tee shirt?'" she turns to Elena. "What the hell is he babbling about? And where are you going? Dad will be pissed if you two just disappear."
"I'll explain later, Bekah, we're going to the club because Damon... eh... Detective Salvatore and Elijah just took off. Said something about the case. Can you please find his sister? I told you about Katherine..."
"Yes I know. So this is on the up and up, not some sick joke conjured up in his dumb head?" she taps Kol's skull.
"It's the real thing," Elena assures her, "I... we... have to go."
Rebekah finally nods, a bit alarmed by Elena's agitation. "Okay, I'll find and deliver her safe and sound to the Salvatores if that's what you want?"
Elena doesn't even manage to nod as Kol's already dragging her into the garage, leaving Rebekah and her anonymous guy behind. They jump into Kol's BMW Z8. He revs the engine and pulls into traffic before she even has time to fasten her seat belt.
Restless and ill at ease, Enzo's been jockeying back and forth between pacing and staring at nothing through the window. But even now when he's been sitting at the coffee table for several minutes, his foot is bouncing up and down on the carpet. Deep in thought, chewing over what Bonnie had to say, he feels like he's adrift on a stormy sea. A beep disturbs his train of thought and he realizes it's Bonnie's phone that was left lying on the desk. He hesitates for a few moments, then gets up and picks it up.
He knows the password...
He waits anxiously till the screen comes alive and opens the messages.
Luka. 'How are you doing this eve? We still on for 7 tomorrow?'
Looking over his shoulder, he starts to scroll through the last several days history, they're all from him, ones she keeps saved. Most of them are nonsensical twittering, like two teens in heat. He twists his lips scornfully. Until...
Yesterday at 10 am. 'I told D. He's going to check into it. Wants you out of the way.'
With tension exploding inside of him and the air growing so brittle it could snap, he searches for Bonnie's response. 'I swear I saw it. Not sure if it's still there.'
Yesterday morning, only a few hours before the detectives came to search Elena's office. Bonnie's been giving them tips and reports? He's frozen in shock but there's no doubt in his mind that it's exactly what's she did. After all these years it turns out he doesn't know Bonnie at all.
She has no idea what she's gotten herself into, he must... explain, and most importantly, he needs to know what else she told them.
Slipping the phone into his pocket he walks out of the office and quickly darts unseen into the stairwell, taking two stairs at a time till he reaches the main floor. He needs to find his girlfriend now.
Things had been running pretty smoothly until a drunk customer decided to present himself loudly at the bar, refusing to accept the fact that the bartender was cutting him off. If Caroline was there he has no doubt that she'd handle it much more diplomatically. But as luck would have it, she's on Nick's arm, attending the big gala as well.
Things came close to erupting when the boozer started to get a little violent, swinging unsuccessfully at him, but after Kai made a quick call to security, they got the jackass under control, escorted him out of the building and into a cab along with his red headed girlfriend. They have the best security in Reno and he couldn't have been more satisfied especially since they didn't have to call the cops. He'll have to make sure he mentions it to Kol so he can reward his men. Although everything worked out, he still had to engage himself to get the bastard under control. God he even misses Kol!
He rolls his eyes at himself and tries to call Enzo. Again. No response. Again. As soon as he puts the phone aside, it flashes with an incoming call.
"Yes," he snaps into the receiver.
"The boss is here, just arrived. Thought you'd want to know."
"Elena?" Kai's mouth drops in surprise. After Kol called to give him a head's up, he's been expecting a visit from Reno's finest but he's actually shocked that Elena's here. She should be having a grand old time and forgetting about the club for a few hours. Without waiting for a response he jumps to his feet and runs outside.
And there she is, dressed like a princess and of course, she's not alone.
"You're not supposed to be here... I don't know where the fire is but you're a sight for sore eyes," he greets her with a hug and gives Kol a friendly grin. "You, on the other hand can take over your job, I've had enough for this evening."
"What happened?" Kol's mood turns serious.
Kai just waves him off. "It's all good, your men did a stellar job handling an unruly customer." He turns to Elena. What exactly brings you all here ? I thought you'd be dancing with all of Reno's bachelors at Mikael's party?" It doesn't escape his attention how anxious she looks.
"Are Damon and Elijah here yet?" she wants to know, ignoring Kol's smug face. Of course he beat them.
"No," Kai is confused. "Elijah left the party too? What the fuck is happening?"
Elena can see Damon's car pulling into the lot in her peripheral vision. She looks at her two friends. This is what she knows. This is her life. One that is about to change.
"Whatever happens, please know that I love you, okay?" She grabs their hands and squeezes. She needs to hold onto them.
Kol and Kai share a concerned look.
The car stops right in front of them.
Tyler's enjoying a cigarette in his office, the door's slightly ajar in case anyone needs him. Considering half of the town is at the Mikaelson party, it seems the other half is having an evening out too, surprisingly The Jungle's been rather busy this evening. Under normal circumstances, he'd be thrilled but with several people working the party and no one to summon to help here, he's lucky to have been able to take a smoke break. He's not exactly eager to get back to the kitchen, they can do without him for a few more minutes. He lights up another and leans against the comfy back of his chair, blowing out smoke rings slowly, savoring every puff. Before he finishes though, he hears a thud, probably someone on their way down to the basement. He saw Bonnie head downstairs a while ago, perhaps someone is looking for her? He tips forward in his chair and sees it's Enzo. Ah, love birds. He smiles for himself, stubs out the cigarette and gets up to return to the kitchen.
Damon can't believe his eyes when he gets out of the car and the whole Jungle contingent is staring at him. How the hell did Elena and Kol get here so quickly? He notices Elijah's amused look at seeing his brother winking at him.
"I didn't know the party was scheduled to move here," he comments humorously. He deliberately avoids Elena's eyes, he just can't bear it. He needs to stay focused. Walking past her he considers calling Ric or maybe even Luka but he's not sure whether he needs the whole team or not. Eventually he messages Ric, filling him in on what's going on. All the actors are on the stage, everything begins and ends with them.
"Let's go inside. I hope we can borrow your office, Elena?" He still can't look at her, but he won't demean what they have...yet...by addressing her formally.
She nods, but realizes he can't see her, he won't meet her eyes. "Of course," she says seeking Elijah's calm gaze instead of his. "Let's go inside."
Enzo lightly taps the door before entering, Bonnie's immersed in checking stock and going through what she needs to order for next two weeks. She raises her eyes to confirm it's Enzo, who else would be looking for her down here? She sighs in annoyance. What does he want?
"Sorry," he leans against the table's edge, looking remorseful. Except his all too familiar puppy eyes won't work on her anymore.
"What now, Enzo? I don't think we have anything left to talk about. Not today." Or ever...
"Oh I think we do."
The change in his tone gives her pause so she turns to look at him closely. "What you mean?"
"You left your phone upstairs, it beeped with a message, alerting me to its presence. I thought I'd bring it to you..."
"Yeah? So give it to me...," she stretches her hand out expectantly. When he makes no move to hand it to her a curious look crosses her face. "Why are you here then?" she asks, her tone rising. However it seems to have no effect on Enzo whatsoever. What's wrong with him?
"I looked," he adds as she's about to protest. "I no longer have to wonder why you're so adamant about not wanting to patch things up between us..."
"How dare you? You had no right to..."
"And you have no right to make up things about Elena and her private matters, not to mention betraying her trust! How could you?"
"Can't you see what she's doing? She's using you, Enzo."
"And you're the one who tipped off the cops, that's why they showed up yesterday to go through Elena's safe? What did you tell them? What were they supposed to find?" Enzo continues as if she hadn't interrupted him. The argument's getting even more heated but no one can hear them, not unless they're standing near the staircase.
"Yes, I did. They needed to search it, I saw Jeremy's documents there once."
"And you thought telling your cop was a good idea? Do you have any idea what you did... to all of us!?" Enzo's stunned that this could have been happening right under his nose.
"And I'm going to do so much more. The truth wants out, you won't be able to stop it and neither will she," Bonnie finishes proudly. She gives him one more pointed look and turns back to working on the inventory.
Enzo doesn't waste a split second thinking about it.
He can't let her...
With that prevailing thought in his mind, he moves faster than she could have expected and circles his fingers around her neck.
They enter Elena's office and everyone finds a place to sit. Theatre of the bizarre. Damon takes a look around and it dawns on him that something, someone's missing. "Mr. St. John? He's not here tonight?"
"I thought he was, but he might have left, I haven't been able to reach him for hours," Kai answers through gritted teeth.
"He didn't know I was coming?" Damon's taken by surprise, he really thought someone would warn him. Oddly enough Kol remarked too that he hasn't been able to reach him. A gnawing feeling that something's wrong begins to burn and spread through his body like wildfire consuming dead timber. He thought they'd have time. Ric isn't there yet, it'd take time for him to get arrest warrant. Did he call Luka? Damon fishes for his phone and quickly finds Luka's number. He hopes Luka's with her. While he's waiting for Luka to take the call his eyes catch Elijah's, the lawyer's able to pick up on his unease.
"Luka?" Finally. "Please tell me you're on a date?"
"No, Bonnie's working tonight... Is something wrong? Ric called me to meet him..."
"Get your ass to The Jungle," he ends the call before the rookie can question him any further.
Now everyone in the room is looking at him. Before he has a chance to come up with a plan, the phone in his hand comes alive again. "Yes?"
"Detective Salvatore?"
"Mr. Lockwood?" he raises an eyebrow and turns his back to the group.
"You said I should call if... I'm not sure it's significant but I remembered... I saw Enzo... I mean Mr. St. John, that night with Vicky..."
"Yes, I get it..." Damon just wants to prod Tyler to speak quicker.
"It clicked tonight when I saw him following Bonnie down there too..."
"Where are they now?" Damon interrupts. At this point everyone in the room has been able to pick up on the heavy atmosphere surrounding them, it lingers in the air, thick and heavy like a blanket.
"Downstairs in the lower level, the storeroom I suppose..."
Damon doesn't let him finish. Shoving the phone into his pocket he nods at Kol, then Kai. "Gentlemen? Can you follow me into the basement?" He turns to the rest of them, his eyes, for the first time, falling at Elena. "You, stay here please?"
No way in hell.
The stubborn glint in her eyes flashes when Damon, Kai and Kol are already through the doorway. Elijah knows better than to try to stop her.
When they reach the basement, the door is locked. The scene they storm into when they break it down reminds him of a Shakespearean drama, it's last act playing out in front of their eyes. There is Desdemona, her face crimson and swollen, features tightened by strain, her limbs spread out on the floor, the last trembles of life running through her broken body. And there is Othello, oblivious to anything but squeezing life out of the woman that was once his lover. Except it wasn't love that put his hands on her neck. And jealousy wasn't one of his sins.
And there was also Iago, who orchestrated these events a long time before his efforts came to fruition.
Everything seems to be moving on in slow motion. Even the air seems thick. Damon screams a warning and reaches for his hand gun, always ready even under the suit he's still wearing. He won't pull it out though, he knows it'd have no effect on the man committing murder. It crosses his mind, that after all the years dealing with the aftermath, he's witnessing the real thing. Weird how the brain works in emotionally charged situations, giving its owner time to process and come up with solution. Or maybe it's simply an illusion and they're already too late...
Although it seems like hours, it's really only a couple seconds before they're on Enzo. They act like a well- coordinated team. Kol leaps, grabbing one of his arms while Kai latches onto the other, Damon's on his knees trying to pry his fingers off of Bonnie's neck. The moment he manages to free her, the two guys tear Enzo away and fix him on the ground, both struggling to subdue him as Enzo's adrenaline charged strength exceeds their own.
Damon carefully shifts Bonnie onto her back and checks her carotid pulse, finding none, he immediately commences CPR. While compressing her chest he barks over his shoulder at Tyler, who's standing wide-eyed in the doorway. "Call an ambulance!"
"Already done," Elijah, appearing in the threshold, informs them.
"I told you to stay put!" Damon, for the first time almost loses his composure when he catches Elena's white face peeping out from behind the lawyer.
Her eyes shoot in his direction but her attention is back on Enzo just as quickly. With his hands on Bonnie's chest, he cannot remove her from the room. While Damon helplessly continues CPR, he watches Elena edging closer to her trustworthy assistant. Elijah puts his hand on her shoulder to stop her. Her expression is just heartbreaking. She looks at Damon, pleading that this tragedy is just another one of her nightmares. He can't give her that comfort. He focuses on Bonnie instead, at least he must make sure this life won't be lost. Suddenly she moves under his hands and takes a rasping breath and then another, fighting for each. He carefully places her in the recovery position.
She'll live...
He straightens his back and people start flooding into the room. One of Kol's men, two paramedics, Luka's horror-stricken face and finally, his buddy Ric bringing up the rear. Damon moves aside to let the rescuers do their job. He shares a look with Ric, his partner just nods and positions himself above St. John's prone figure.
"Lorenzo St. John, you are under arrest on suspicion of murder in the first degree. You have the right to remain silent..."
A shocked silence follows in the first moments, although at this point no one should be shocked. Then Elena speaks up.
"You came with an arrest warrant?" You knew? What kind of game is this? Have you been playing us, me all along!?" she snaps accusingly and turns away.
Enzo's already stopped struggling but at the sound of Elena's voice he lets out an agonizing cry. Before anyone can react, she's on her knees, next to him, pushing Kol aside. Enzo breaks free from his shocked guards' grasp and wraps his arms around Elena's middle. She doesn't hesitate to embrace his shaking figure.
"I'm so sorry," he cries. "Please forgive me, I couldn't... I didn't want to... I didn't want to push you into the water, Elena. I didn't want to do it."
Silence hangs in the air like the suspended moment before a falling glass shatters on the ground, a gaping void needing to be filled with sound, words, anything. Only her sudden sharp intake of breath cuts through it.
We tend to lash out at the ones we love the most... 3 chapters left.
Eva and I want to thank you all so very much. We really appreciate each and everyone of you so much.
Thank you Eva for bending over backwards and your dedication to be here with me.
Chapter title: 'Jekyll and Hyde' by Five Finger Death Punch.
"Somewhere in My Memory" is in progress. We do have 3 Christmas one-shots written so far and plans for a fourth. We'll take one final dip into the lives of the "I Can't Escape Myself" Damon and Elena and a return visit to the "Through the Fire and Flames" DE. Watch for 'Merry Christmas Darling', 'Winter Palace' and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' to post.
I hope you all have a safe and wonderful day and weekend. Thank you all again, we'll see you next time..