Thanks again for the reviews… I just outlined the rest of the story and I think I've got about ten chapters all together… hope you enjoy them!
Damon nods and leans into me, as if to kiss me again but stops, a wicked grin on his face, "By the way, nice towel, Elena. I completely approve of this outfit, anytime you want to model it for me again, you just let me know."
And then he's gone and I feel like I can breathe again, more like I'm gasping for air. The rush of emotions I feel when I'm around him is impossible to define – it's like everything hits me at once and I can't differentiate any of them. Love, passion, anger, friendship, understanding, desire, frustration… all mingled together, overwhelming me, how have I missed this before. Really, the question is, how have I been denying it? Things with him will never be easy and neat but it's pretty clear that without him they won't be right.
"Shit."
For the second time today I curse into an empty room. This cannot bode well for the rest of the day considering it's not even noon. I should have knocked on wood when I even ventured to think we'd have a break in the chaos that seems to surround us. Once again I wonder what life would have been like if I'd never met Stefan or Damon, if they'd never come back. But it's pointless, because without Stefan I'd be dead, either at Wickory Bridge or when Klaus inevitably came for me – they didn't bring the crazy, it came all on its own.
I quickly throw my clothes on and toss my hair up into a messy bun, ready to get to the Grille and eat some food, my stomach has started to growl and I remember I haven't eaten anything yet today. All the training in the world won't do me any good if I pass out from hunger.
The Grille is pretty full when I get there but I spot Ric at the bar, no doubt drowning his enumerable sorrows.
"Elena… about time you got here!" Ric appears to be happy drunk, another drink or two and he'll turn to sad drunk, perfect timing. "Damon hung up me like five times this morning. What a dick!"
"Yeah, that would definitely be a defining characteristic…" The words are out of my mouth before I consider the double entendre they imply. Great, happy drunk Ric is not going to let that one go.
"Ewww, Elena, I don't want to think about Damon's…"
"Shut up, that's not what I meant and you know it," I stop him before we're both embarrassed. "He's just… difficult."
"Like I said, a dick," Ric nods emphatically and raises his glass, toasting his own humor.
"All right, it's time we cut you off… as much as I don't judge, I need you a little more sober for the rest of the day. With Elijah out and about, I'd say we'd better be on our game," I snatch his glass away, glancing around to make sure no one's looking my direction and down his drink in one swallow. The amber liquid burns all the way down.
"Hey, did you not just listen to yourself?" Ric waggles his finger to chastise me. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the first chapter in parenting a teenager must say something about not sharing alcohol with them, because it's, what's the word… oh yeah, illegal."
"Well, I can't really give it back now, can I? You need to sober up but I need to take the edge off just a little bit, it's been quite a morning," I take a seat on the stool next to him.
"Right now I think I can take like the 30-second recap and then I gotta eat something so we can be back in working order." Ric motions the server over. "Can I get a bacon double cheeseburger with fries?"
"Make that two," I smile at Ric's raised eyebrow. "What – I'm hungry! And life is too short to only be eating salads and black bean burgers."
"I'm not judging at all," Ric laughs, "I just drank my breakfast, or at least my brunch."
"Yeah, you really should try to cut back, I am young and impressionable, you know." It's nice to goof off a little bit before things get serious.
"So the matter at hand… Elijah…"
"Yeah, Elijah. Damon de-stake-afied him, which became obvious when he stopped by your old apartment this morning while I was working out. He and Damon are meeting right now, I guess to try and take down Klaus, though I don't really trust him, but I guess he's as good of a bet as any."
"Have you seen Damon or Stefan this morning? After Damon hung up on me the last time, I tried calling Stefan and it went right to voice mail, I'm beginning to get a complex, I think those Salvatore boys have eyes for someone else." I wince as his words hit a little close to home and Ric raises yet another eyebrow. "I see, nice to meet you, someone else."
"Yup, that would be me. Let's just say we all had our fair share of heart-to-hearts this morning." I sigh and say the words I really never thought I'd say after everything we've been through, "Stefan and I are over, for real."
"And you and Damon are…?"
"Complicated," I shake my head as he looks at me with slight disapproval in his eyes. "What happened to not judging?"
"I didn't say anything, consider this a judge-free zone, but do you really think that's a good idea?"
"Do you really think I can avoid it? Or deny it?" I rest my forehead against the palm of my hand. "At least I ended it with Stefan first, I mean really ended it, we've been long over, I just couldn't believe it or let it go."
"Yeah, at least there's that." Ric leans over to bump me with his shoulder. "Just watch out for yourself."
"No worries, I think things are going to be just fine around here, I can't really see any trouble brewing on the horizon, can you?"
"Originals, scrimiginals," Ric grins and I know he's dropped the subject of Damon for now. "So did Elijah seem like he was in a good mood?"
"Elijah was, Elijah. I've never been able to really read him, he's just kind of resigned to his life, you know, almost apathetic, or apathetically stoic, if there was such a thing."
"You know, aside from the whole vengeful, stabbing us in the back part, totally apathetic." Ric takes a long drink of the water the bartender graciously put in front of him when she removed the last empty glass. "No, I do know what you mean. He's kind of a dick, too."
"This morning he was just looking for Damon but he said something kind of strange to me. Something along the lines of 'us all looking alike.' If he meant just me and Katherine, then I think he would have worded it differently. I guess it makes sense there are other doppelgangers, I mean, I know there were more Petrova's before the she-devil but I just never thought about them or thought that Klaus and Elijah knew them. And the way he said it was just creepy, like he was savoring a memory. Ick."
"That is strange, no one has ever mentioned other doppelgangers, just you and Katherine but Elijah's not really one to mis-speak. Let's add that one to the list. The ever-growing list of things I sure as hell don't understand."
Our food arrives and we dig in, happy for an excuse to be quiet with our own thoughts. We sit silently, but companionably, oblivious to anything else, seemingly focused only on eating. I polish off my fries with surprising ease and I'm over halfway through my burger when I realize things have gotten rather quiet in the Grille. 'That's strange, it's only 12:30, the lunch rush isn't nearly over,' I think as I turn in my seat to look around the room. And it's empty.
"Ric, something's going on," I jab him with my elbow. "Everyone's gone."
"What? What are you talking about," Ric looks to me before turning his attention to the rest of the bar. "Well, shit, I was hoping to finish my lunch, something tells me that isn't going to happen now."
"By all means, don't let me stop you, I've got all the time in the world," Klaus' cold, calm voice echoes across the room as he steps out from the dark shadows back by the bathrooms. "I was merely clearing the room of any collateral damage, lately you never know who could get hurt. Don't want Stefan mistakenly taking someone's head off because he thinks they're one of my hybrids. I know how you hate for things to get messy, Elena. Now eat up."
"That's okay, I've suddenly lost my appetite." I scowl at Klaus, trying to look unphased by his presence here when my heart is freaking the hell out.
"What can we do for you today?" Ric coolly asks.
"Just wanted to catch up, I feel like we never talk lately. Interesting things keep happening like brothers coming back from the dead… wondering if you'd run into my dear old brother, I seem to have lost track of him," Klaus is standing right in front of us now and reaches his arm behind me to lean against the bar and for once I'm able to keep myself from shuddering. "Wouldn't want you all to be conspiring against me, now would I?"
"Let me think… he kind of looks like you, slightly more muscles and about ten percent less evil," Ric shakes his head, "Nope, haven't seen him. What about you, Elena?"
I lock eyes with Ric, careful not to turn towards Klaus so nothing belies my words, "Me neither. Hope you find him soon, I'd imagine you have some catching up to do. Maybe a little explaining about the dagger in his chest, your dead father and oh yeah, your killing your mother, you know, family bonding type stuff. I could recommend a counselor."
"Careful, Elena, just because I need your blood doesn't mean I need you to be living a life," Klaus brushes his hand over my shoulder, resting it on my shoulder blade.
"Leave her alone, Klaus," Stefan's voice rings out from the front door. "This is between us, not them."
"Oh, I think the time is well passed to be excluding others from our little game," Klaus taps his fingers on my back as he addressed Stefan. "I was always better as a team player, just ask my brother."
"That's where you're wrong, brother, you never did like sharing and you were always changing the rules in the middle of the game."
I look up and behind Stefan are Elijah and Damon. Damon's eyes seek out mine and he nods ever so slightly, I hope indicating that Elijah's on our side. Or at least that he thinks Elijah's on our side. Having everyone together makes me question whether any of this is a good idea, it seems more like the recipe for a disaster.
"That does sound like me, you know me too well, Elijah." Klaus is noticeably more on the defensive, he's shifted his relaxed posture of a few minutes ago and is now standing, shoulders squared in his brother's direction. I'm glad to have his attention off of me, but all I can think of is how we're going to get out of this.
Damon steps out from behind Stefan, cutting the distance between us in half, "Speaking of game-changing moves, it's been so insightful chatting with your brother. We've been discussing our options and he's interested in hearing Stefan and I out. We have a proposal of sorts. Care to join us? Someplace, less… informal? Let the townsfolk get back to their daily routine."
I have no idea what Damon has up his sleeve and I don't know if I'm more scared or relieved to think that he has some sort of plan.
"What do you say, Klaus," Stefan pipes up, moving forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Damon. "You were so keen on hanging out with me a few weeks ago – best buddies and all."
"Very well, it does seem that I haven't invited you over to my new place yet, wouldn't want to be inhospitable." Klaus turns back to me, freezing me with a sinister raised eyebrow. "Remember what I said, Elena, you're here out of the goodness of my heart. And the heart is a fickle thing."
He leans in and kisses my cheek and I almost reach up and wipe it off like a petulant child. I can see his gesture has riled up both Damon and Stefan; Stefan reaches to grip Damon's arm and hold him back. Klaus brushes past them on his way to the door. "Let's not dawdle, gentlemen, I'm eager to get my coffin back and I might quickly grow weary of the idea of talking."
Stefan gives me a half-hearted smile and turns to leave. Damon doesn't follow, but crosses the room to take me in his arms and I exhale against his chest, then take in his scent with my next breath. He, too quickly, lets me go, "I'll be back in a little bit, I gotta go take care of some things."
"Damon, please," I look up at him, pleading with my words and my eyes, "Please promise me you'll be careful. Klaus isn't…"
He cuts me off with a finger to my lips, "You worry too much, Elena, you're going to give yourself wrinkles." He presses his lips to my forehead and then moves so fast I hardly feel his lips against mine, but they tingle with even the briefest of touches; I'm half-certain Ric doesn't even know what Damon has done. "I'll see you soon." And then they are gone.
What fun characters to write - I loved Elena's relationship with Ric on the show...