Disclaimer: TVD belongs to whoever receives the royalties and that sure as hell isn't me. I just pretend while I'm writing.
Summary: It starts as the taste of him hits her tongue and before all is said and done, tears and blood have been spilled and lives have been lost... but most importantly none of them will ever be the same.
Elena's journey to realization that she's in love with the other brother. AU from the moment Damon forces his blood on Elena. Prequel to Unsuccessfully Saying Goodbye, but can stand alone.
AN: I just want to make sure to thank all of you that have been reading, reviewing and putting this and me on alert and favourite. It's really what keeps me writing so I hop that you all keep doing just that.
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Unwillingly Succumbing to Truth
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setting out to save the saviour
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When a sliver of daylight reaches her eyes she begins to rouse feeling utterly safe and surrounded by love. It's as if those cocooning her are emitting more then just the heat of their combined bodies. She's being spooned by someone fitting her form perfectly as one of their strong arms is protectively encircling her waist. A hand gingerly touches her shoulder from behind and her hand laying closest to the mattress is being clasped securely between a pair of soft warm familiar hands. The fingers of her other hand are entwined with far to many fingers to only belong to one hand and her wrist is delicately being held by a large hand that she is certain she knows who it belongs to. Jeremy.
Cracking her eyes open into narrow slits she's faced with the serene face of her slumbering aunt. Her brothers dark mop of hair is barely visible, but as she knew it's his large hand encircling her slender wrist. It's what they did when they were younger instead of holding hands they held each others wrists. Back then his hand was the smaller one of course, but it means the world to her that he's holding on to her that way. He's making sure he can feel her pulse; her proof of life.
The body behind her suddenly buries itself further into her and lets out a long breath that tickles the nape of her neck. She lays there for a tick longer revelling in the warmth spreading trough her before she relents and metaphorically opens her eyes to the fact that it's not her boyfriend making her feels so deliriously loved.
She futilely attempts to wiggle out of his secure grip after having untangled her hands from the other four holding onto hers. His answer is to simply slip his other arm under her and encircle her tightly while muttering so softly under his breath that it's impossible for her to hear.
"Damon." She whispers as quietly as her voice is able to without being silent. She really only wants him to hear her. When he doesn't seem to be waking up she tries again, her voice only a fraction louder. "Damon." She attempts to turn in his arms so that she can... honestly, she isn't sure it's anything but her curiosity over what he looks like when he's sound asleep.
He looks so very young and innocent. His plump lips are set in an adorable pout and his chiselled features are completely relaxed, revealing how utterly perfect the symmetry of his high cheekbones and strong jaw blend with the soft arch of his brows and the delicate dip of his cupids bow. He's breathtaking.
"Damon." She breathes out after finally catching her breath.
His thick rows of long black lashes flutter revealing his celestial gaze still glazed over with dreams. His pouting lips slide into a warm smile and his lids slide shut as he crushes her tiny body to his. Burying his face in the nook of her neck he murmurs... "Not yet."... into her skin that instantly erupts into goosebumps.
Gently pressing her palms to his firm chest she attempts to get him to loosen his grip on her. "Wake up sleepy head." She singsongs in a mere whisper as she slides her hands down his deliciously muscled arms.
He winces suddenly as his eyes fly open in panic. "Fuck!" He hisses instantly letting go of her and cradling one of his arms in the other.
"Damon." She repeats for the umpteenth time, but this time with a shaky voice as she scrambles to her knees and hovers over him. "What's wrong?" She shrieks waking up whoever she hadn't awoken already.
Trying his best to stifle a groan Damon sits up scooting away from her to lean his back against the headboard. "I'm fine. It's nothing." He insists stupidly as he grinds the words out between clenched teeth.
She isn't having any of it. She stubbornly fights him as he tries to keep her away from his clearly injured arm until he heaves a heavy sigh and surrenders. When she peals back the sleeve of his shirt there is no stopping the rapidly forming drops from falling.
"No." She's suddenly just as tired as she was the day before. "Someone do something!" She screeches before she feels her brothers welcoming arms embrace her and keep her from falling into tiny unfixable pieces. She can't lose him.
"What is that?" Jenna questions warily while Jeremy rocks his breaking big sister in his arms.
It's Alaric that answers her in a voice thick with sadness. "It's a werewolf bite." He has to clear his throat before he can continue and Elena covers her ears. She can't hear this. "It's lethal to vampires and as far as we know there's no cure."
She hears him despite the pressure she's asserting to her ears and she crumbles and clutches desperately at her brothers shirt. "Shh... 'Lena. We'll find a way." Jeremy mumbles softly into her ear making a promise she wishes he could keep.
"Did I do that?" A shaky voice asks. She hadn't realized Tyler was there... and he hurt Damon.
The broken mess of a girl raises her head and stares through a haze of hot tears. "You did this?" She asks in a whisper that gets no response only serving to enrage her. "You did this!" She hisses and before anyone has time to react her hand cracks loudly against the warm skin of the wolf.
The back of her hand is throbbing and is covered in blood. "There's no need to backhand the mutt. He didn't do it on purpose." The bitten boy sounds utterly defeated as he forcefully pins her arms to her sides.
"I'm so sorry." Tyler says in a hushed whisper as he wipes the blood from his split and quickly healing lip.
Her head lolls forward to her chest as a sob escapes her parted lips. "Why does everyone keep dying?" Her whole world is once again falling apart. Everyone who loves her or she loves dies... including most of the people in the room with her. At least some of them come back to life... sort of.
"Elena?" It's her fathers voice floating from the doorway of Damon's room. He's standing there watching them all warily.
She mimics the actions she did last night after her horrible nightmare as she reaches her hands for him and he swiftly moves to embrace her. She falls into him just as she did before and he crushes the broken little girl tightly to him as she sobs uncontrollably.
"Shh... S'alright." He mumbles remembering the undead boys soothing words from the night before. "S'alright."
She shakes her head vigorously as the rest of them observe them in agonizing silence. "No... No, s'not." She shakes her head. Why doesn't anyone tell him? She can't. If she does then the whole nightmare will become true and she'll truly have to face what she'll be losing. She's not ready for that... they were supposed to have more time.
"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?" John hisses over her shoulder glaring fiercely at the assembled crowd.
The silence is deafening. No one wants to acknowledge or speak up so she finally forces herself to. "Tyler bit Damon." She chokes out and she feels her fathers arms tighten comfortingly around her.
"Damn it." She hears him mutter and is the slightest bit surprised that her father sounds genuinely bothered by Damon's looming death sentence. "I have some of your mothers research, maybe we can find a way sweetie." He says so quietly she isn't sure anyone but her heard him... not even those with preternatural hearing.
"Thank you daddy." She whispers back thankfully giving him a small kiss on the cheek. He hugs her once more to him before letting her go as his face slips into one of stubborn determination. She totally gets it from him.
"What are you waiting for people? We have about a week." He snaps at the awkwardly gawking crowd. "There's research to be done. You..." He starts pointing at Bonnie. "... grimoires and the strength of a hundred dead witches must be worth something." He says with a raised eyebrow and the witch bounds off the bed giving quick hugs all around before she scurries out off the room.
"Wolf boy one of your pack must know something or there has to be something in the Lockwood archives." He almost growls at poor Tyler who shrinks back and Caroline slips her hand into his. She's up next. "Forbes, you must have access to the founders things considering..." He trails off and she and Tyler quickly disappear out of the room.
"Isobel's research at Duke." He offers with a nod to Alaric. "The rest of you go through the Gilbert and Salvatore journals as well as anything you can find at the library and on the net."
Cupping his daughters face he looks deeply into her dark grief stricken eyes. "I'm going to go and fetch what I have of Isobel's work so you'll have to take care of Damon until we find a way. OK sweetie?" He asks tenderly and she can't do anything else but nod and cry. He's finally stepping up and being her father when she needs him the most.
"Who are you?" Jenna asks incredulously staring wide eyed at John.
John chuckles and rubs the back of his neck nervously as if he's a little boy been caught doing something bad. "The guy you used to know." He answers finally wearing a crooked grin.
Jenna nods and smirks knowingly. "He was a decent guy. I hope he's here to stay." John nods and ushers both Alaric and Jenna out of the room leaving only the two pairs of siblings.
"Nice." Jeremy says having been silently rummaging around the room and finding a well hidden brand spankin' new laptop that he proceeds to open and start up.
Damon sits up and glares. "Hey! I'm not dead yet Gilbert." He warns playfully before sinking back into the plush pillows on his bed and couching up blood.
His coughing sends Elena into a whirlwind of panic and she's back on the bed hovering over him. "Do something." She says maybe to herself or anyone who might be listening. She isn't sure any more.
She glances up at Stefan who's perched on the edge of the bed seemingly frozen in place; unmoving, unblinking, unbreathing. He's scaring the crap out of her.
A niggle of something incomprehensible rolls around in the pit of her stomach leaving a hollow and empty feeling in it's place. She concentrates and she can't feel Elijah there any more. Elijah. "My phone." She says triumphantly darting out of the room and down stairs and into the parlour. "Hahaa!" She exclaims as she holds the precious lifeline up despite no one watching. It's ridiculous of her, but shit, she might just have a way to save him.
This better fucking work.
Pacing the floor back and forth she waits while the dial tone rings and rings and rings and rings... no one picks up and it's the fifth time she's called.
Muttering obscenities under her breath she stomps back upstairs finding the three most important boys in her life exactly where and how she left them. Stefan's still not breathing.
"I need you to do something." She tells him softly trying not to remember the bruises still marring her skin as she crouches down in front of him. "I need you to keep Damon comfortable and read some of the journals while I go home and get my charger so I can keep calling Elijah. OK? Can you do that?" She questions not revealing even half of her plans.
His green gaze finally seems to slowly refocus and settle on her before he nods slowly. He says nothing and he seems to be deflating and dying right in front of her eyes. She can't do this.
"Jer." She says getting her baby brother to look up at her. "I hate you." She says grinning widely. She has to say it just in case she doesn't come back from this.
He chuckles making his dark brown eyes sparkle and dance. "I hate you too, sis. Bring food." He answers predictably and she just nods. "Chinese." He shouts after her retreating form trying its hardest not to let on where she's really going.
Once she reaches the front door she realizes that her car isn't there so she shamelessly steals Damon's spare set and is quickly out the door and down the street in his Camaro with a cooler filled with blood and bourbon.
She unpredictably finds the door unlocked; at least that part went easier then she thought it would. "Katherine." She hollers as she slides the heavy cooler over the threshold.
"Elena?" Her mirror image asks incredulously after having appeared from out of nowhere.
The human doppelgänger heaves a heavy breath and straightens up to meet the others identical gaze. "I brought presents." She says flinging the lid of the cooler open revealing it's contents.
The other looks bored as she crosses her arms over her chest and proceeds to inspect her nails. "What do you want?"
"Blood for blood." She deadpans trying her hardest to keep her wild heart beating steadily. She better not die now.
The other scoffs and Elena doesn't particularly like the sound of it; she'll have to stop doing that if that's what she sounds like. "Excuse me?"
Clenching her jaw she steels herself for what she has to say next. "Damon's been bitten by a werewolf. I need your blood." She registers the shock and sorrow easily that crosses the others face in a flash. There's no hiding between them.
"Elena." She says uncharacteristically softly stepping closer. "There is no cure."
She cocks her head angrily to the side as she tries to reign in her haywire emotions. "Well, I'm making one." She grinds out stubbornly. If she refuses to help then she's coming back with the others and forcing her to comply. They can totally take her.
"How?" She breathes closing the distance and reaching out to touch her centuries younger twin.
Defiantly she steps closer clasping the others hands firmly. "If some wolf, vampire and doppelgänger blood with the help of a little ju-ju can make Klaus a hybrid then maybe it can do some other stuff as well." She pauses and waits to see if the other will refuse her. "I figure if it's from the wolf that bit him, the vampire doppelgänger that made him and me with the force of a hundred witches behind the hocus-pocus then maybe he has a shot at surviving."
A knowing smile that she recognizes all to well slips over her ancestors mouth. "You're in love with him." She states confidently running a thumb gingerly over the youngers knuckles.
"Were you?" She shoots back with an arched brow hoping desperately to deflect. She can't deal with this right now.
The undead one chuckles as she slips her hands out of the others and moves towards the kitchenette. "Touché." She throws over her shoulder locating a jar of pickles in the fridge.
Both of them scrunch their noses in disgust when the older of the two opens the jar and pours the contents into the sink. "Gross." They mutter in unison as she rinses the glass and lid. They glance curiously at each other before shrugging and getting back to business.
Katherine locates a knife and cuts a deep gash into her forearm which she holds over the jar letting the thick syrupy liquid quickly begin to fill it. They both stand staring mesmerised at the rich ruby red substance. It's a beautiful thing really.
"Go save our boy." She says winking cheekily and handing over the jar.
Elena smiles with an amused shake of the head. "When he's better we'll start working on getting you out of here." She owes her one for this... well, not really, but she's still going to get the sometimes evil bitch out of there if only for the sake of Alaric's deposit on the apartment.
Surviving by all means necessary; she actually gets it. She'd have done the same if she hadn't had all of them loving her, but she does... so she didn't.
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With a knowing smile she watches her identical descendant make her way out of her temporary prison. The girl isn't stupid, but she is very much in love with her sweet loving boy. He apparently can't fool either of them with his murderous ways; he's a good man and nothing can change that. It's who he is deep down in his very core.
The girl is good as well and it's painful to see that that could have been her.
She hurries to one of the windows in the teachers apartment to catch another glimpse of the girl. Pressing the side of her face to the cool glass, she watches the girl she might have been cross the street and settle into the car of the boy she's obviously discovered she loves.
With a twinge of bitter-sweet hope she wishes them all the happiness in the world. She actually likes both of them.
Yuck! Seeing the brothers again has made her all mushy and weak. It's like she's human again. Thank evilness she's not... good fucking riddance.
It's pathetic that she's still watching as her useless carbon-copy speeds down the street in her old lovers car. It's only because she promised to get her out of this dump... yeah, that's it. It has nothing to do with her own humanity. Nope. No siry. Nada. Zip. Zilch. She doesn't give a rats ass about the stupid idiots even if they are family... not-at-all.
The half a millennia old vampiress turns and heaves a deep sigh, praying to whatever deity might be willing to hear her out, that her precious beautiful boy will be miraculously saved by her sweet baby girl. She's gone soft in her old age. Elijah would just love that... once upon a time he would have. She was such an idiot.
She saunters over to the cooler grabbing one of the blood-bags and smirking as she spots one of the large bottles of bourbon. Damon couldn't have known the little runt took that. Yepp, the girl is good.
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AN: - insert shameless begging for reviews here -