Chapter 10

Elena

Elena inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of Damon. Eyes close, she smiled; she liked waking up to him. One of his hands was placed lightly on her waist over the covers, the other behind his head. Even sleeping, he seemed very protective of her.

Elena didn't get to bask in the sunlight long. A deliberate cough from the corner of her room sounded, causing her eyes to shoot open. She sat up, clutching her blankets tightly to her chest.

"Elena." Said Stefan quietly.

Elena stared at him, startled. How long has he been here, watching her sleep? Her heart sank when she realized that Damon was still asleep in her bed next to her. This was the last scene she wanted Stefan to witness.

"S-Stefan," She stammered, trying to keep her posture but failing to do so.

Beside her, Damon stirred, and both Elena and Stefan turned to look at him. He opened his eyes lazily, taking in the sight of Stefan at the foot of the bed.

"Hey." He smirked at Stefan, who looked ready to kill. "Miss me?"

Stefan's lips tightened into a thin line. He had driven through the night, hoping to see Elena as soon as possible. He thought she'd be pleasantly surprised, but never had he thought he'd find Damon in her bed. It was like his worst nightmare come true. Though he can't say he was surprised that Damon took advantage of Elena while the spell was still bounded.

"Good trip?" Damon smirked wider, looking very comfortable in Elena's bed. He was enjoying watching Stefan's face get darker and darker. He loved that he got on Stefan's nerves. Even though nothing happened the night before, he was glad he made Stefan doubtful.

"Elena." Stefan replied, ignoring Damon and turning directly to her, "Can I talk to you?" His gaze shifted over to Damon, who was still smirking at him, "Alone?" He added, trying his best to keep his voice under control.

"I – yes. Sure." Elena murmured, flinging her legs over the side of her bed. She shot Damon a warning glance, hoping he won't do any more damage than he already did. Unlike Damon, she didn't find taunting Stefan amusing.

Stefan put one hand on her back, guiding her through the door, determined to not look at Damon. He said nothing to her as they went down the stairs. And said nothing when they reached the living room. Elena was getting more and more nervous at the expression on Stefan's face. She had never seen him so angry. And it was a kind of quiet anger, which she can't read, and which she definitely didn't like.

Stefan sat down on the couch, pulling Elena down next to him, the corner of his mouth twitching horribly.

"Elena, I told you not to do anything you'd regret while under this spell." He said though gritted teeth.

He was doubting her. After all they've been through and all they've encountered, he was doubting her. And it was hurtful.

"Stefan." Elena stated clearly, "Nothing happened."

Stefan let out a sigh of frustration and turned away from her, "Elena, I just saw you. I came straight to your house to see you today, and find you in bed with my brother. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"I know it looks bad," Elena explained quickly, "But nothing happened, Stefan. We had just gotten back from Katherine's and I was –"

"He took you to the tomb?" Stefan cut her off, his voice dangerously low as he got up from the couch, "He took you to the tomb when I specifically asked him not to?" He demanded.

"No – it wasn't like that!" Elena replied hastily, "He took me because he didn't want to leave me alone in the house."

"Elena, don't you see? He's playing you. This is what he does. You don't know him, ok? But I do. I've seen him do this before, and I'm seeing it again now. He's making you believe that everything he's done was for your own good, when really, everything just points in his favor." Stefan's voice was serious, "And now he's taking advantage of you while you're under the spell. Elena, you're going to regret it very much once we lift this spell and you realize what you have done."

"I didn't do anything." Elena stood up too. And even though she was half a head shorter than Stefan, she liked to be on eye-level with him when they're having such a heated discussion, "Don't you trust me?" She asked, suddenly having the feeling of meeting someone for the first time as she looked at Stefan, his chest heaving.

"I trust you," Stefan replied curtly, "It's Damon I don't trust. The Damon I know would not pass on a chance of sleeping with you."

Elena winced. She had known all along that Stefan was implying that he thought she had slept with Damon, but to hear him just say it out like that made her cringe. It sounded so harsh. So crude.

"All Damon did was stay over. Because I asked him to." Elena said truthfully, defending him.

Stefan remained silent and stared at her, his anger fading away. Now he looked remorseful.

"I shouldn't have left." He said quietly, shaking his head, "I shouldn't have. I wasn't here when you needed me most. And that led to…this."

Elena looked at him in disbelief. He was blaming himself for something that never happened.

"I'm sorry." Stefan sighed, sitting back down and resting his hands on his knees, "Sorry I yelled. And…sorry I still haven't broken the spell. When I do, you'll be ok again. And we can put everything that happened behind us. It's not your fault anyway."

At that moment, Damon made his way down the stairs, his hair sexily ruffled due to the fact that he had just climbed out of bed. His shirt was wrinkled, and he deliberately missed a few buttons on the top of it. He looked satisfied with himself as he flopped down on the couch beside Stefan, his trademark smirk never fading.

"Catching up, are we?" He asked.

Stefan stood up abruptly, his mouth in a thin line again, "We're going to the tomb. Right now. I'll deal with you later." He directed the last bit at Damon.

"Can't wait." Damon gave him a wink.

Katherine

Satisfied, Katherine wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and let go of Lucy, who immediately slipped to the floor, whimpering in pain. Well, that was what Lucy deserved for meddling with her business. She should have never pissed her off.

Pulling her up by the hair, Katherine made Lucy look into her eyes. Now that she was full, she had the power to compel Lucy.

"They're going to be here soon. Your little Bennet friend too. When you get out of here, you go straight to Bonnie's house. Do you understand?" She snarled.

"I understand." Lucy murmured blankly, her eyes unfocused.

"I'll stall them for as long as I can. While they're occupied here, you'll search for the Grimoire. Once you get it, come straight back. And you will get me out of this tomb. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

"Good." Katherine smiled at her, "Now repeat to me what you're going to do."

"I'm going to leave right now and hide in the woods. When I see them coming, I will go to Bonnie's house and get the Grimoire. Then I will come back and free you." Lucy replied in the same toneless voice.

Katherine nodded slowly, pleased with the reaction. She was getting out of here. Finally.

Damon.

He'd be lying if he said that the sight of Stefan so uncomfortable didn't appeal to him. He could hardly suppress his smirk. And he didn't. Elena was anxious as hell at the fact that Stefan was so silent, but him? He enjoyed it.

They picked up Bonnie on the way, and the scene of the four of them sitting in the same car looked comical. Nobody said anything on their way to the cemetery, and Bonnie was smart enough to realize that something was going on with the three of them but remain silent all the same.

When they finally arrived at the tomb – all four of them – they came face to face with Katherine, who had her arms crossed over her chest. She looked very haughty, as if she'd been waiting for them to come.

"Finally." Katherine rolled her eyes, "I thought you'd never show." She said, talking to Stefan more than the rest of them.

"Where's Lucy?" Asked Stefan.

"She's here." Katherine shrugged, picking at the dirt on the rocky walls, "I see you brought the Bennet witch. Good. I know she wasn't strong enough to free me last time. But with Lucy's help, I'm thinking they can manage to get little old me out of here."

"You're trading Lucy for your freedom?" Damon asked, smirking all the while, "It's getting a little old, don't you think?"

Katherine's gaze shifted over to his face. "Take it or leave it." She shrugged again, turning away to leave.

"Wait!" Stefan called behind her.

Katherine glanced over her shoulder, waiting for a response.

"Hand over Lucy first." Stefan said.

"I thought you were smarter than that, Stefan. I'm not offering you a negotiation. Get me out of here, or get the body of dear Lucy."

Before Stefan could open his mouth, Bonnie stepped forward, coming face to face with Katherine, "If I were to get you out –"

"Bonnie!" Elena gasped.

"– I'd need to channel with Lucy." Bonnie continued. Elena realized her plan and shut her mouth hastily.

"What is that? Hand-holding?" Katherine raised her eyebrows.

"Something like that." Even though she was offended, Bonnie made her voice sound dispassionate.

"You can hold her hand in here." Katherine jerked her head behind her, smiling at them.

"Bring her over." Bonnie said clearly, her anger rising.

"Watch your tone." Katherine threatened, "You know very well I can drain her if I want to."

Bonnie clamped her mouth shut, but only for a second, "Well, I can't do anything if I don't channel with Lucy." She said stubbornly.

"Then," Katherine said in a singsong voice, "We have a problem. Because I'm not handing Lucy over. And if you don't get me out soon, she'll starve or bleed to death back there."

No one said anything at that. The situation was bad, and nothing they did – besides agreeing to Katherine's terms – would make this better.

"I'd think fast if I were you." Katherine said, "It's been days and she hasn't eaten a thing." And with that, she flashed them a big smile and walked away from them.

For a while, all four of them were speechless.

"Well," Damon finally said into the deafening silence, "That went well."

Elena

Stefan had barely said two words to her since their conversation in the morning. She wished she could say it didn't bother her, but it did. It bothered her that he didn't trust her, no matter what he said. He was determined to see the worst side of Damon, and he was determined to believe that they had slept together the night before.

Elena frowned as she made her way to her room. She hated not talking to Stefan. Even though they weren't together anymore, it didn't mean they couldn't be friends. And who knows what would happen when the spell is broken? But that seems like the last of anyone's worries right now, given the current circumstances with Lucy.

She was glad no one had mentioned any way of breaking the spell yet. She still stood by what she said to Damon back at the Boarding House. She wanted to feel this way about him. To say the truth, the spell did more good than bad. It brought her closer to Damon, to see a side of him she's never seen before, and she was thankful for that.

Elena sighed when she put herself in Damon's shoes. She understood. No one wants to be loved because of a spell. It wasn't fair to him. She knew that.

As she pushed open her bedroom door, she found Damon standing by her window, leaning against her dresser.

"Hey." She said, not surprised anymore at his sudden appearance since he did it all the time. "Why aren't you at the Boarding House?"

"Stefan looked murderous." Damon explained, "And I may have added fuel to the flames, if you know what I mean."

"May have?" Elena raised her eyebrows as she nudged Damon out of the way and reached for the top drawer of her dresser.

"Okay, fine, I definitely added fuel to the flames." Damon admitted with a smirk.

Elena shook her head disbelievingly, but she was smiling all the same, "Yeah, that sounds like you." She said as she pulled out her pajamas.

Damon said nothing, and for a few minutes, they simply stared at each other.

"So about what you said yesterday –"

"Um, remember what I said before –?"

They said at the same time, cutting each other off. Elena smiled at him. So he has been thinking about what she said to him at the Boarding House.

"You go." Damon pointed his chin at her, grinning.

"Well…" Elena chose her words carefully, "Remember when I said that I didn't want Stefan and Bonnie to break the spell anymore?"

Damon nodded, wondering where this was going.

"I was talking irrationally." Elena continued. Damon had been right before. It wasn't the same that she loved him back by a spell. Even though she loved him so much, more than she imagined she could love anyone, it still wasn't real to him. It might feel real to her, but it wasn't what Damon wanted, and he certainly deserved more.

Damon stared at Elena. Like he had predicted, she had taken back what she said. At least she didn't take back the "I love you" part. "I had a feeling you'd say that." He said, unable to hide his disappointment.

Elena tore herself away from his penetrating eyes. She wanted to kiss him very much that she was forcing herself not to. This was not the time, not the moment. Lucy's life is at stake, and all she wants is to kiss Damon? Talk about inappropriate.

Her cell phone rang suddenly, making her jump. She hoped with all her heart it wasn't Stefan. Things were so awkward between them now that she didn't want to talk to him at the moment. She sighed in relief when she saw it was Bonnie calling.

"Bonnie, hey. What's going on?" Elena asked, her eyes involuntarily shooting towards Damon. What was wrong with her? Now she can't take her eyes off of him?

"Elena! It's not here! It's gone!" Bonnie cried at the other end, her voice frantic.

"What? What's gone? What are you talking about?" Elena asked back urgently. She could hear the shuffling of paper and flustered footsteps.

"Someone broke into my house! Everything is messed up!" Bonnie hiccupped, "They went through my stuff!"

"Oh my God. Bonnie, are you ok?" Elena clutched the phone closer to her ear.

"The Grimoire! It's gone!"

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Hey! I updated! :) (Quick, right?)

Many thanks to BadBoysAreBest, Perfect Pirate Captain, Barbara SGB, Oceanmina 101, jpav333, mmchamp12, AzureRoseSky, LoveEpicLove, Crimson-kiss17 and OF COURSE smithsbabe65!

It's pretty late here so I'll be going to bed now. Hope I can see some reviews when I wake up. :P

P.S. James(Like Stefan is Damon's baby bro, you are mine)-Please don't make me do your homework again. Or else I'll make you read this story.