Through clenched teeth, I barked out at him. "Lockwood! What. Did. You. Do?"

"I bit Elena."

I stopped dead in my tracks, bumped and pushed by passersby on the crowded sidewalk. With one action, Lockwood had sentenced Elena to death, unless I could convince Klaus to give me the cure, his blood. Considering his current mission to eradicate us from the planet, that didn't seem likely.

"Where is she, Lockwood? Tell me you didn't leave her alone." I could just imagine how scared she was. Strike that, I knew exactly how scared she was. I was one of the few vampires who could say they had survived a werewolf bite, thanks to Klaus.

"I'm sorry, Damon. I had to. I'm driving to New Orleans, to Klaus. As soon as I bit her, I couldn't fight the urge to get in the car and drive. Elena is still at the motel we stopped at. I'll text you the address." Lockwood sounded like he regretted what he had done, but that wouldn't save him.

"You know I'm going to kill you, right?" It wasn't a threat or even a promise. It was just a statement of fact. The next time I saw Tyler Lockwood, I would pull his heart from his chest before he had the chance to say a word.

"I know." He ended the call without an argument, without another apology, without an explanation, just acceptance in his voice.

I immediately hit number one on my speed dial. I had to hear Elena's voice as much as she needed to hear mine. I knew what I would do next, provided Elena had enough time left. I counted the rings, waiting for her to answer.

"Please, baby, pick up. Elena!" She answered just before the call went to voice mail.

"Damon," she sounded scared, "Tyler -"

"I know, baby, I know. I just talked to him. How long has it been, do you have any idea?"

"I don't know, Damon, maybe an hour. Why? Why did he do it?"

"He said Klaus compelled him. It makes as much sense as anything else."

I realized that I was still standing still in the middle of the sidewalk. I didn't have time to waste. I started heading further into the French Quarter, a specific destination in mind.

"Elena, I promise I'm coming to you. Tyler just texted me the address of the motel. I will be coming to you very soon. I just need you to hang on, okay? Stay in that motel room. As soon as I get back to my car, I'll call you. I promise, I am coming. I love you, baby."

"I love you, too, Damon. Please hurry."

It almost killed me to end that call, but I had reached my destination. I was standing outside the Originals' compound. I just hoped that even if Klaus refused to help Elena that I would still be able to keep my promise to her. I pushed my way through the gate, letting it clang shut behind me.

"Klaus! Klaus! You sick bastard! I'm here! We need to talk. Get your ass down here. Now!" I growled out at top volume, determined to get his attention.

The self-proclaimed King of New Orleans held court from the rail of the second floor balcony overlooking the courtyard. He tipped his chin toward someone standing behind me and I found myself surrounded, whether by vamps, werewolves or hybrids, I wasn't sure. Clearly he wanted to intimidate me, even though we both knew I was no threat to him.

"Damon! Good to see you, mate!"

I wanted to knock that smug look off of his face, but I held my tongue and my ground, waiting for his next verbal jab.

"How is the lovely Elena? I hear she's a bit under the weather."

So, maybe I wasn't holding it together as well as I thought I was because at the mention of Elena, I made a move to vamp-jump my way to that second floor balcony. I've got to hand it to Klaus's minions. They've got quick reflexes. I hadn't taken two steps before four of them had their hands on me, holding me back, protecting their sire, leader, king, whatever he was calling himself these days.

"What brings you to New Orleans, Damon? Surely, your place is at Elena's side."

I fought against the hands restraining me, a growl erupting from me when I couldn't free myself.

"I'm here to make a deal with you. You give me some of your blood to cure Elena, let me take it to her and I'll surrender myself to you."

He scoffed, obviously not believing my promise to return. I was prepared for that and offered up the only insurance I had.

"You can compel me to return here. I'm not on vervain, haven't been for a while."

I think I actually surprised him with that, Ric. Klaus has compelled me in the past. He knows I'm not a fan, that I would avoid it at any cost.

He laughed again, before going on to tell me that he had no interest in my surrender. He no longer sought to kill me. He had revised his plan for me. The better punishment, in his eyes, was to kill everyone I cared about and leave me alive to suffer their loss. He took great joy in pointing out that his plan was close to completion.

Then, in all of his magnanimous, pompous ass glory, he gave me a choice. I could stay and try to put an end to him, or I could leave and go to Elena. I'm not sure that he realized it wasn't a choice at all.

Without saying another word, I quit fighting against his lackeys, waiting for them to release me. As soon as their hands dropped away, I turned away from Klaus and walked toward the gated entrance of the courtyard. Klaus being, well, Klaus, couldn't resist one final dig as I walked away.

"And, Damon, when you see her, give Elena my love."

I kept walking, never looking back, until I cleared the gate. As soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, I turned on the vamp speed and blurred my way back to my car. I'm usually more cautious than that, but I was past caring. I just needed to get to Elena.

I hopped in my car and started it while fishing around in the glove compartment for my phone charger. Charger in the cigarette lighter, transmission in drive, phone on speaker, I called Elena. When she answered, I was so relieved. She still sounded like herself, she knew who I was. She hadn't had any hallucinations yet, the pain was bearable. That's my girl, always so brave, determined to be 'fine' even when she wasn't.

I drove as fast as I ever have, topping ninety, even a hundred, when possible. I kept her on the phone the whole time, prodding her to talk when the conversation began to lag.

I told her stories about my childhood that I had never shared with her, like the time I decided to run away when I was eight. I had managed to saddle my horse on my own and rode him into town, only to turn back toward home as the sun began to set. She told me about the time she tried to run away, but ended up back at home because she wasn't allowed to cross the street alone. It wasn't until she was standing in front of her house again that she realized she had just walked around the block. When she said she was tired, I sang a song my mother used to sing to me. I listened to her sleep as the miles rolled by. She whimpered in her sleep and I told her over and over again how much I loved her. When she woke up, we talked and talked, not wanting to miss out on a second spent together, even on the phone.

The drive, which should have taken me close to eight hours, took just under six. I could hear the relief in her voice when I told her I was there. I kept her on the phone as I walked to the door and knocked. She threw the door open, threw herself at me and sobbed against my chest.

"I'm here, baby, I'm here."

A/N - This was a hard chapter to write as were the ones that follow. I hope it lived up to your expectations. I'd love to know what you think. Please leave a review in that little box below. We're in the homestretch, dear readers, only four chapters left. Thanks for staying with me on this wild ride! ~ craftyjhawk