Elena… Elena! I heard Stefan calling my name. Shouting over and over. But I stopped listening. Klaus was in front of me, his arm wrapped around Damon's throat suffocating him.
"This is really quite tragic. The doppelganger falls once again for brothers. Its ok Elena, I'm taking the extra Salvatore. You can still keep Stefan. But a lesson needs to be learned here. You will be so willing to submit if I break you. The only way to break you is to take someone you love and what's even more tragic is you've never told him. You've wasted time trying to choose and now I'm making your choice easy. The funny thing is." He smiled sadistically at me, blood still marring his mouth. "When Damon dies you won't want to be with Stefan either. The guilt and heartbreak will eat at you until you can't look at him anymore. So the vampire lovers' problem gets solved and you marry a human…and we all live happily ever after. Say goodbye Elena. He plunged a stake through Damon's heart and Damon slumped to the ground, his blues eyes fading into nothingness… leaving me forever. I started screaming; a terrible choking sound. I shook him over and over.. but he didn't move- he didn't get up. He stayed motionless in my arms… Damon!
"What?" Said the voice beside me.
I pried my eyes open, realizing all too quickly that it was a dream. A terrible dream. An embarrassing dream considering the man was beside me when I called for him. I shook my head to erase what I had seen. I turned over. Damon was staring at me concerned and bewildered. He was still lying above the covers.
He eyed my curiously "What's wrong?" I looked at him and smiled the best I could.
"Nothing" I said quickly.
"Having people mess in your head isn't fun. Just be thankful it wasn't Klaus actually in your head; it would have been worse"
"Is that what Rebekah did; got in your head?"
He flinched and looked away from me. I had unintentionally hit a sore spot. "Damon…? What did she do?" I had never asked about what happened to him. Not once. Nor did I go to him afterwards. I just left him. Bonnie had sad it was bad, Stefan hadn't talked about details. She had tortured him. But as if the physical beating he took wasn't enough, she had messed in his head too. And I hadn't helped him or reached out, not once.
"Nothing, Elena. She filled my head with dreams of being dressed up by 5 year olds with makeup kits and rainbows and unicorns. All the stuff that makes a guy like me cringe." He shuddered dramatically. He really thought his deflecting methods still worked, he was wrong. Sarcasm and humor weren't going to save him from my questions.
"I'm not buying that." I said as inched closer to him. "What did she do?" I asked again, looking at him straight in the face. He shifted uncomfortably at my closeness. I wasn't making it easy to run. Good.
He pushed me off lightly. I mewled in protest. "Nothing you need to hear and nothing you should hear. It's over, she got her fun and I'm free. The rest isn't important anymore." He turned and got off the bed, retreating to the bathroom. More like retreating from me. And I let him! Ughhh. I slumped back onto the bed determined to corner him later. Whatever he was hiding must be bad. He didn't lie to me. But he was now. Which meant either he couldn't tell; as it hurt or he was afraid to. Or that it really was awful and he didn't want me to hear it. My mind was spinning as I pondered theories of Damon's torture and problems, so many problems. After all this we still didn't know which Original started our bloodline. Which Original couldn't die, or Damon would die along with them, and Stefan and Caroline. We needed to now this; while there was still a stake out there. We needed to know which Original had to be protected. Alanna! We couldn't wait. With Stefan and Klaus and everyone at home looking for that stake and tensions being as high as they are, we couldn't risk not knowing. Or one mistake would end our problems, forever.
"Damon I don't think we should wait." I called out as I stretched, knowing he could hear me. Plus this was a good change of topic to pull him out of his mood.
"Wait. Wait for what?" He came back into the main room, his face still slightly dripping with water.
"I think we should call Alanna and ask her to meet us here. Even if she is already in Mystic Falls she is a vampire; she can get here. I don't want to take the chance the she might get killed; by Klaus or other means, without having a chance to talk to her. We need answers Damon, and we need them now." I sat up and curled my legs under me. What a way to start out the day, more drama.
"You're the one with her number and she already taught you how to use a phone. Right Elena. Put in the number, dial, ring ring ring…" I threw my pillow at him. "You're such an ass."
He smiled down at me, smirking devilishly. "Who would I be if I wasn't an ass?"
"You'd be nice." I said trying not to smile.
"Well if I wasn't an ass half the time who'd appreciate the personality tune up?" He stared at me innocently. His lips curled in the smuggest smirk. I didn't win arguments like this with him; no one did, especially not when it was morning.
He stopped smiling and looked at me seriously. "Call her Elena. . . You're just going to stew until you do."
I turned to the nightstand and grabbed my phone and the piece of paper underneath it. I dialled the number. A cool sultry voice answers me. "Hello?"
"It's Elena"
"Miss Gilbert. A pleasure hearing from you so soon. Does Damon need saving again?" She laughed.
"No, he managed to stay out of trouble last night. We do need your help though. Can you meet us? Please." I urged.
"Where, when? Has something happened?" She questioned. She sounded concerned, which surprised me.
"We'll let you know when you get here. We're at the Hampton Inn in town. Can you get here? We don't want to wait till we get back. It's too important."
"Yes Elena. I can be there within the hour. Perhaps a little late, it depends if I need a snack"
"Room 213"
"I'll be there Elena" I hung up. That woman was so helpful; vampires aren't helpful. Not in our lives. I couldn't help but be suspicious of someone who seemed to know so much and so many people and acted so helpful. She didn't know us, nor has she asked us a single question. She knew the Originals… The Originals aren't to be trusted. But what about her? I was determined to know more about this woman. Like Damon said knowledge was our weapon; and I wasn't going into the fray with a half loaded gun.
"Damon she…"
"I heard Elena." He said as he taped his finger lightly against his ear and grinned. Vampire hearing, how convenient. As if he didn't eavesdrop enough but give him super hearing and you were in trouble. "She's coming to the hotel. She said within the hour"
"The women works fast. I like that. Sounds like she's an adrenaline junkie because if Klaus catches her it won't be pretty." He was right; she was risking a lot coming her and helping us. Klaus wasn't exactly known for his rational thoughts or understanding; he'd likely snap her neck for this one if he found out.
"What do you know about her? Alanna I mean." She sounded like she knew him so surely he knew something and he hadn't mentioned it. That was weird. You'd think he liked sharing the women of his past the way he acted…
He frowned at me. "I don't know much about her Elena. Not the important stuff anyway. I met her twice, in the 20's and 80's. She is an old vampire, that much was obvious. She never spoke of the Originals. She helped me and we partied a bit. She was really good at saving my ass and helping me climb out of my pool of self-pity. She was popular. Vampires don't normally travel in groups or really know each other. But whenever she would come in, people would stop and pay her a respect. It was really hilarious; you'd think the woman was some kind of vampire royalty." He smiled. "And she sings. She is a really good singer. At the bars there wasn't a person in the room who wouldn't turn and gawk at her while she sang"
"Is she royalty then? Does that even exist? Should we even trust her? Trusting other vampire's has never really worked out for us." I pointed out plainly.
"I don't know what she is. But for all I know of her she is a kind, helpful, sarcastic women who knows a lot of information. Too much information, maybe, but she offered so we'll talk to her. At this point I don't see how we could be any more screwed than we already are"
"But should we trust her? I mean really should we trust anyone. Backstabbing is one of the most consistent things in our daily life when it comes to new friends and enemies." Especially with Damon. His plans only failed when someone else dropped the ball.
"Elena I don't like trusting anyone." He responded honestly. "It never ends well for me. But with Klaus and the Originals on the loose and Momma Witch on a child-killing murder spree and this bloodline problem, information has become the greatest weapon. No one from the Original Family will answer are questions, they may not even know, so we are left with the eldest non Original Vampire. A gift we shouldn't question until she gives us reason to. And if she does. Hope I don't get my ass beat by a girl like Kol. He smirked as he came to sit on the bed. "Plus Elena we are just talking and since you're the nice one in this trio Elena you make the nicey nice and Jeremy and I will be your arm candy. If he ever shows up" He smiled at me. He looked happier now. Happier than I'd seen him in weeks. It probably had something to do with last night; he did get a kiss out of that argument.
"You should let everyone at home know what's going on. We haven't really spoken to them about all of this" A few quick text messages to assure we were breathing didn't count. I hadn't stopped treating this like it was a bubble. There was enough to worry about in this room alone. But they deserved to know.
Damon shrugged. "Messenger boy isn't in my handbook, not my job."
"Damon…" he cut me off. "Shush we have company. I hear heals… Expensive heals. No who would wear those?" he said raising an eyebrow to a dangerously high level. I wanted to laugh at his ridiculous expression.
"She said within the hour, it's been 15 minutes Damon." She's a vampire; it doesn't mean she can fly.
"Perhaps she didn't want us to think she was a stalker and she had been in town already? Because I'm telling you I know expensive heels when I hear them and they stopped in front of our door. I don't think Jeremy is wearing his best heels today" I shoved him as I got up hearing a few knocks at the door. I stretched on my toes to check the peep hole. Maybe it was Jeremy? That would make more sense. Wait... Jeremy in heels? In what world did that make sense? I closed my eye and looked, determined to answer my own question. Damon was right it wasn't Jeremy, it was heels. Expensive heels. On a beautiful women. Alanna.
I opened the door and let her in. She smiled as she entered. It touched her eyes as she eyed Damon on the bed. "I believe someone called for an emergency. Needing my help, yada yada. I take these things seriously so I rushed right over. Nearly broke a sweat too. Oh and I did pick up a snack." She said playfully.
I cringed as I thought of what a snack was to her. People. Just as I began to judge she pulled out a bag, crinkled and brown. It smelt of donuts. "Anyone else hungry?" She eyed me curiously. "For a women who lives with vampires, and dates them, your reaction is rather priceless. Can't a vampire women enjoy a human snack or two? Or does everything I eat have to be filled with blood? She laughed lightly as she sat down on the bed. She turned to Damon "Does she always react like that?"
"To blood yes. She dated Stefan, the bunny snaking' pacifist not a real blood slurping vampire. Blood still gives her the willies" he laughed as he looked at me, likely at the angry and embarrassed expression I couldn't hide from my face.
She laughed again. "Oh I see. Well I swear on my honour I paid for the donuts and left the clerk alive and well. All blood present and accounted for and where it belongs" She handed me the bag. I scoffed. I didn't sign up to be picked on, especially not by both of them. But I was in charge of the nicey nice and I was hungry.
"Thanks." I replied as I took the bag from her hand. A ring on it caught my eye. It was large and golden. In the middle was a large emerald with golden lacing. It was oddly old looking, the style out of place as well as the gems size.
"It's pretty isn't it?" She asked as she watched me eye her hand.
"Yes, sorry." I mumbled. "It's pretty but looks…"
"Old?" She finished with a laugh. "Well as I'm an antique, shouldn't my jewellery match?" It was odd sitting here with her. She was so bubbly, not Caroline bubbly. But happy, sarcastic and friendly. But looking at her and her icy beauty made me fear her as much as I liked her. I was reminded of what Damon said, about people respecting her. I understood him now. Here she is in our hotel room, handing me a donut and talking of jewellery yet I can barely meet her eyes. It reminded me a little of how I felt around Katherine, not the fear or the hate. But the knowledge and respect of knowing how powerful she was, in more ways the one. She looked like Katherine too, in a way. Piercing eyes, and slender with a perfect figure. Her ebony hair framed her face and draped her back. The perfect weapons for a woman who stays eternally young.
She looked between Damon and me. "I was called her for some kind of emergency. Which I suspect has to do with grilling questions about my past and knowledge and how I might be of assistance in your plan to kill Originals and staying alive. Right? So if that's what I'm here for I suggest you begin. 20 questions sounds like a modern way of handling this." She turned to my direction and smiled. "Elena, why don't you begin?"
Yes I know I promised this would be mostly about Alanna. But I again found myself rushing Damon and Elena development which needed its due attention. She DID make an appearance though! Chapter 4 will be up later tonight to show more of Alanna, so don't be too mad lol
As always thank you for reading and reviews are much appreciated. – Kristen
