Previously on Flightmate...

E, B and C are on a trip to Europe. Plane crashes, D&E bond. E escapes to get to J; E meets A&G. E seduces A to get info, interrupted by D. D&E have a little domestic, E is pissed off and confused about D. D convinces E to give him another chance, make plans to meet up.

Chapter 17: Because You Are Elena Gilbert

Aaron, Damon and Elena ate their breakfast in silence. Elena's head was full of questions, burning to be answered - by preferably someone less persistent and annoying than Damon. Honestly, sometimes the man can be frustrating as hell.

'So Elena, do you have any plans for today?' asked Aaron, casually.

Elena immediately scanned Damon. He gave her a don't-you-dare-cancel-on-me look.

'Yeah Aaron.' she ignored Damon. 'I wanna be in bed before 7. Otherwise, I'm all yours,' her voice bright and cheerful.

Aaron's face lit up. 'Alright Elena. Since you are going to be here for a while, I should show you around.'

Elena had to cover a shriek then. Damon had just kicked her leg from under the chair. Elena annoyed, threw him a kick back. Aaron looked confused.

'I've just gotten here as well. The town seems wonderful. Mind if I tag along?' asked Damon, in a hopeful voice.

Aaron's face tried to cover his distress. He looked back and forth from Elena and Damon, as though forcing his mind to decide. Elena gave a sharp look to Damon.

'Yeah sure, why not Damon?' Aaron muttered, slowly. 'It'll be fun, just the three of us.'

'My thoughts exactly!' Damon widened his eyes. How many eye things can he do?

Aaron, Damon and Elena ate their breakfast in silence.

Three hours later, Elena, Aaron and Damon had finished touring the Whitmore school of Witchcraft, the Town Market, museum. They even met some of Aaron's witch friends. Damon made sure his bare skin didn't touch theirs; he wasn't quite ready to let a bunch of crazy close-minded psychos to know he didn't fall into the human category. Elena on the other hand, was entirely exhausted by the outing. She felt she was the rope that was chosen to be in a tug of war between Aaron and Damon.

At the beginning, Aaron spoke only to Elena. Elena began to wonder if he was actually jealous of Damon.

'I think we've covered everything,' he announced, sounding awkward anyway. Elena felt sad for him. He was really trying to give her a good time.

'Are we really done?' said Elena, trying to sound disappointed.

'Well we can look at the Whitmore's witch artifact museum, but somehow I think that neither you nor Damon is a museum person. Neither am I to be honest,' he said, laughing in jerks.

Damon and Elena looked at each other.

'Well, you are right about that-' Damon started.

'Actually Aaron,' Elena cut in, determined. 'I would love a tour of the witch artifact museum.' She gave him her best convincing look.

Damon released a loud groan accompanied by an eye roll.

'You don't have to come if you don't want to Damon.' Aaron suggested hopefully.

The leather-jacket wearing man narrowed his eyes at him. 'It's alright Aaron, I think I am up for another trip. I don't tire or bore easily.'

Elena raised her eyebrows at Damon. They both knew that was a lie.

'Great,' Aaron muttered. He turned to the two of them, preparing himself for a pep talk. 'I guess the first thing the two of you should know is that the Whitmore Witch Artifact Museum is very unique. It has a unique spell protecting it, preventing all kinds of evil from touching what is ours.'

'So there's what witchy juju again?' Damon interrupted rudely. Elena looked apologetic on his behalf.

'The ancient spell,' Aaron continued exasperatedly, 'protects our most treasured museum from supernatural beings.'

'That's very paradoxical,' Damon cut in, his manners clearly thrown out the window, 'Witches are supernatural beings.'

'I don't mean the good supernatural, I mean things that go bump in the night. Like vampires, werewolves, et cetera, et cetera.'

Elena grinned. Bless whoever thought to do this.

Damon seemed puzzled. 'The witches sound really judgy. What makes them so sure they're the good guys and w-vampires and other supernatural beings are the bad guys?'

'Because they've walked the planet for a thousand years and they know what they're doing.' He sounded haughtier than ever.

Elena gazed at Damon carefully. Why was he backing out now?

'Okay see you later, buddy,' said Aaron.

'Bye Damon.'

He winked at Elena when Aaron wasn't looking.

Elena and Aaron enter the gigantic museum. It was bigger than Aaron's house, twice the ceiling height and three times the width. It was only one floor. There were several tables scattered across the room over a rich black and white carpet. The walls were very old. The place gave out a very broken down feeling. It was an ancient building with brand-new furniture inside, providing a vivid contrast to the age of the place.

'How many years was this place protected from the world? The first exploration around the world was made in the 1500s, right?' Elena asked. 'Which then ignited the craze to conquer the world. How is it possible that no one ever found this place? Talked about it, renovated it, anything?'

Aaron was quiet. He had reverted to his self-conscious self again. After a few moments he said, 'I am not supposed to tell you anything. No stranger must be trusted with the secrets of the Whitmore Witches but... I like you.. I guess. You are trust-worthy and I think everyone deserves to know. Anyways, here goes.'

Taking a deep breath he said, 'The witches have been here for thousands of years. They didn't want a fight with anyone but of course when did that ever work? A great seer back then foresaw that humans were going to destroy the world one day, when they eventually became their most malevolent selves. As a protection against that, the seer made a chalice using the power of every witch alive. Though they never took the seer seriously, they did help her. The chalice has the greatest repelling and/or concealing power in the world - depends on what you use it for.' They walked further into the museum. 'The owner can disappear off the face of the earth and never be seen again if they want. The witches spelled the chalice to spread its powers over the entire village, so witches can always have a safe place when in danger.'

'Wait, wait, hold up. So this chalice can repel people?'

'No,' Aaron negated. 'The chalice can repel anything - and when I say anything, I mean humans or supernatural - in the world. Vampires, witches, or any other supernatural creature; they are all affected by the chalice. The owner can select who is under the chalice's spell. According to the books here,' he pulled a book off the shelf, 'You cover the chalice with your hands and say,' he found the page, '"I call forth the might of the witches and supplicate concealment from evil," and bam baddam boosh, you are no longer seen by the night-walkers.'

'Wow,' Elena spoke slowly. 'That is amazing. So the chalice is still here then?'

'That is the problem- it isn't. If it were, you'd have never found this place. The witches had to use their magic and create some restrictions and filter out the people that can get here. Only a good deed guarantees an entrance to Whitmore village. You are a human so the spell does not apply to you. Everyone, but a witch, and you have to get past the perception filter.'

'When did the chalice disappear?'

'Quite a few years ago.'

They inspected several tables. Elena's head was swimming as she went over everything Aaron told her. There was a lost chalice that belonged to the witches. She wondered what she'd do if she got the chalice.

Would she keep it?

Concealed from the rest of the world, peace in solitude. The ultimate happiness. No pain. No need to ever care.

Damon would never get through to her. So many possibilities.

Elena could tell why Aaron was hesitant about sharing the story. The number of wrong hands the chalice could fall into was alarming. Criminals could escape forever, banks could store black money without getting outed, and people could lose fortunes. The world would be after the chalice. It would be worse than the Fountain of Youth. There would be no one to judge you whereas the Fountain would only make you pretty.

Aaron explained the rusty black tablet on the table to her left. Elena marvelled at the fact that he trusted her with such a massive secret. If she pulled a Katerina, she could tell the world and betray his secret again.

'Aaron, I need to talk to you.'

'Sure Elena, what is it?'

'Alone.'

Aaron looked at her pensively.

'This way,' he said. He looked at her hand as though he was mentally grabbing it. Elena saved him the embarrassment and slid her hand into his, squeezing it. Then, she followed him out through the back door of the museum.

As Elena stepped out the back door, she was hit with myriad rainbow of colors. Flowers of every color bloomed on the green floor of grass. Her eyes couldn't get enough. There was a tiny stream of water flowing through the middle, over which curved a stone bridge. Aaron dragged her unwillingly to the bridge, as she wanted to lie in the perfect grass.

They finally reached the top of the bridge, a rainbow frozen to stone. Aaron and Elena leaned shoulder-to-shoulder facing the garden below.

'Aaron, I have to ask and tell you something. But curiosity takes over so the question first. So…please be honest with me, ok?' she waited.

He nodded slightly.

'Why did you tell me about the chalice? I could have run and easily leaked the story. What makes you so sure I wouldn't do so?'

Without hesitation, Aaron replied, 'Because you are Elena Gilbert. And I don't think it's in you to betray people.'

Elena looked at him in admiration. She couldn't believe how trustful he was. She hoped in her heart of hearts that he stayed like that forever.

'Why though? It's not healthy to be that trustful of someone. People are fickle, Aaron. I don't want you to share secrets to people you barely met.'

'Is that what I am to you? Someone you barely met!'

'Well…yeah! We did meet two days ago.'

'Time doesn't count in how much we know somebody.'

'That is a crap philosophy. No wonder Katerina stole from you.'

Pindrop silence. She knew she shouldn't have said what she said, a split second before.

'Aaron, it just came out like that, I'm sorry I didn't-'

'No, no, no, it's fine. Gloria and everyone else in this town won't ever let me forget her, so why should you? I mean, why did I ever think you'd be different? Why did I think that you'd how bad I feel about what I did?'

'Aaron, Aaron, I'm sorry,' Elena said, pulling him in for a hug. Aaron's hands took a while to wrap around her waist. She felt dampness on her shoulders and realized quickly that they were Aaron's tears. She hugged him tighter, hoping to squeeze all the sadness out of him. He seemed to appreciate the move, as his tears slowed to a final stop.

She pulled back from the hug, and leaned her forehead against his. Her eyes were closed and she felt Aaron's warmth where their skin touched. Her eyes snapped open, when she felt that warmth on her lips as well.

'Aaron!' yelped Elena, pushing his head back. His eyes flew open.

'I'm sorry Elena, well, I just thought, you liked me and-'

'You can't kiss me. You shouldn't have kissed me. I like you as a friend! Aaron, I'm sorry I sent you mixed signals but I can no longer do this to you. You are a great guy and you don't deserve this.'

Aaron looked puzzled.

'Try not to hate me. But I needed your help. I needed to find a way to go back to my home. I have a brother, Aaron. His name is Jeremy and I am all he has. I have a life back home and I can't just abandon it and stay here. I was hoping if I…' pausing, she looked at him cautiously, 'seduced you, you would tell me a way out. Today when you told me about the chalice, I realized how far I'd gotten. I'm sorry Aaron.'

He said nothing. His face remained expressionless.

'Say something please.'

Nothing.

'Aaron please tell me how much I suck.'

Nothing.

'Aaron, come on, please! Talk to me! You don't have to forgive me, just… say anything!'

'If I told you how you can leave the island, would you have left me like she did?'

Elena didn't know how to answer that. She went for the truth.

'No and yes. I'd leave you alright, but I'd give you reasons. I wouldn't abandon you Aaron. I'd give you a proper goodbye.'

He didn't move a muscle. 'And would that proper goodbye be like?' his voice dead, emotionless.

'I would tell you what a great friend you've been and that I owe you so much. I'd tell you that I did this for my brother and because I was never supposed to get there. And finally, if you'd fallen in love with me, I'd tell you there is no such thing as true love. You'd find someone else and be happy again.'

'Is that what you believe? There is no such thing as true love?'

'Yes.'

'Then I hope your belief is true. And that you never find true love. Because you don't deserve it.' He left the garden, walking back to the museum while Elena watched his retreating back: angry and teary-eyed. What scared her most wasn't the impact of what'd he just said.

That he'd said it without emotion. Cold. Harsh.

Cruel.

6x01: KILL ME NOW. I CANNOT HANDLE THE DELENA. It didn't even feel like Damon was dead. I'm glad about that. Alaric better not erase Elena's memories. I personally think the first time Elena fell in love with Damon was post-season 2, since she pushed that 2x01 kiss away. I genuinely do not know when exactly. Tell me your theories down below.

The Supernatural cast is coming to Toronto and I can't go coz I'm too late. :( Yes, I finished the show last Thursday morning at 2:16am. But, seriously guys just move to Toronto. Conventions galore.

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