Confessions and Compulsion
A/N: Hey! :) Sorry it's been so long – we've both been so busy with life that updating this got pushed to the bottom of the queue! Thank you for the reviews, favourites and alerts :P We hope you like this chapter – I've re-written it so many times my head hurts, but hopefully it's ok! Warning: there is a character death at the end so if you're sensitive - beware! Please Review! laced-scrawl xxx
The best thing about waking up early on a Saturday morning for Damon Salvatore was the silence that emitted through the house. He relished the sound now more than ever as it was getting harder and harder to cope with Stefan's ridiculous brooding, Elena's teenage angst and Katherine's…well, Katherine in general. There was always something happening – arguments, scheming, awkward pauses and door slamming. He was going through bottles of scotch as though they were tap water to a thirsty human, and didn't think he could take much more of it.
That was why he loved Saturday mornings. Over the past few weeks, he'd realised that they were the only time his fellow vampires stayed absolutely silent. Elena, still not used to her new supernatural self, seemed to be awake most of the night, only falling asleep in the early hours of the morning. Stefan simply preferred to sleep in instead of confronting his miserable situation, and Katherine just wasn't a morning person – never had been. So for him, Saturday mornings were his only escape to sanity. He was currently lying on his bed with a book in his hand, content and relaxed without a care in the world…
"Damon, what did you do to Bonnie?"
The wrenching open of his door and the sound of Elena's angry voice snapped Damon out of his serenity. He watched through lidded eyes as she stormed in, a far from amused look on her face, and resisted the urge to tell her how beautiful she looked when she was mad – aggravating her further probably wouldn't be too wise.
"And good morning to you too, Miss Gilbert!" he replied politely in a light and fluffy tone that would usually have made her smile. Not today though. Apparently, smiling wasn't on the agenda for Elena that morning.
"Damon now is not the time!" Elena exclaimed, as she came to stand in front of him, her hands resting on her hips. "Bonnie hasn't been answering my calls and I haven't seen her in days! What did you do to her?"
Damon blinked before rolling his eyes and plastering a bored expression on his face.
"Typical," he grumbled. "Sabrina the teenage bitch goes MIA for a week and somehow I'm to blame?"
"Damon," Elena started, her voice straining to remain calm. "Will you please just tell me the truth?"
"I am!"
"Damon!"
Damon sighed heavily, putting down his book and sitting up on his bed so that he could study her through his crystallised orbs. She looked genuinely worried – almost as though she had a feeling something was wrong. But at the moment, Elena's emotions were all over the place. There was literally no way to control them logically until she managed to get control over her hunger – and by the way she was going, that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. When it came to feeding, Elena had gone down the route of trying to eat as few times as she could in the day, and then binge on it at night. It was common, but unhealthy, and Damon knew that it had to stop. Of course, the presence of Katherine and Stefan's lack of support in the matter certainly wasn't helping.
"Elena," he started in a much calmer tone. "I haven't done anything to your BFF. I promise. How could I have done when I've spent almost every waking moment here with you?"
If it wasn't the fact that she knew he was right, something in his voice and in his eyes would have made her believe him. Lately, she'd noticed that Damon's expressions seemed to have far more sincerity than mirth in them, and whilst she was grateful for it, it could be a little unnerving at times.
"Ok," she said with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions…"
"It's ok," Damon said hopping off his bed so that he stood directly in front of her. "If anyone was going to be responsible for the witch's disappearance it would be me. Never mind the fact that there are all sorts of other supernatural psychos running around, waiting for any excuse to get to you!"
Elena rolled her eyes and ignored him, concluding that from the grin on his face and light tone he wasn't really bothered.
"She hasn't been in touch with anyone in ages," she said quietly. "I'm really starting to worry about her."
Damon pushed a few strands of her hair back and tilted her chin up so that she looked at him.
"Don't worry about it – you have enough to think about at the moment. Besides, I'm sure she'll appear soon enough. If all else fails you could just ask your brother."
"Jeremy?" Elena frowned. "How would he know?"
Damon grinned.
"Well, word on the street is that they're spending quite a lot of time together!" he said in a suggestive tone, wiggling his eyebrows. "Imagine that? The best friend and the brother…"
"Damon!" Elena exclaimed, picking up his pillow and hitting him with it.
"Hey!" he protested, though they both knew he hadn't felt a thing. "I'm just saying!"
"Well don't! It's too weird!" she said, wrinkling her nose. Damon laughed at her expression.
"What's weird about your best friend and your younger brother going at it like rabbits?"
Elena glared at him before hitting him again with the pillow, allowing some of her new-found strength to come through. Damon stopped laughing and looked at her with a serious expression, before slowly leaning to the left and picking up another one of his pillows.
"You're going to pay for that Gilbert!" he said in a low tone, though his eyes were dancing with laughter.
Elena grinned mockingly at him.
"Oh, I doubt that highly Salvatore," she said before hitting him on the head, managing to mess up his hear. She giggled and Damon relished the sound. If a pillow fight was what was going to take her mind off her troubled life, than a pillow fight was what he'd give her.
"Prepare to be very, very sorry!" he threatened before whacking her lightly on the head and speeding off to the other side of the room, laughing as she blew hair out of her face and chased him determinedly.
x-x-x
"So, have you got everything sorted for tonight, Tyler?" Caroline asked before taking a sip of her drink.
Tyler nodded; a grim expression on his face.
"Pretty much. Though it's not exactly comforting."
"I can't imagine how scared you must be," Caroline said, visibly paling at the thought of what Tyler would be going through in a matter of hours. She'd arranged for them to meet at the Grill for lunch, and for the past hour or so, they'd carefully skirted around the subject of Tyler's impending transformation. But they'd both run out of neutral topics to talk about, and the issue had to be addressed at some point.
"I'm not scared," Tyler stated, his jaw firmly set and his eyes hard. He was doing a good job at keeping up the façade, but Caroline knew that was all it was. She knew he'd never been more terrified about anything in his life, and it was seriously damaging his ego to even think about it.
"Right," she said with a mischievous grin. "That's why you want me there tonight. Because you're not scared."
Tyler fought back a smile.
"Caroline, I want you there tonight so that I don't kill someone!"
"Whatever you say Ty," she teased, knowing that joking about the situation was the only way he'd be able to deal with it. It had taken her a while to realise that about Tyler – making many mistakes along the way to understanding him better. But, like most things in her life, Caroline had been persistent in making herself learn new ways to deal with his moods, and had managed to perfect it in a short space of time.
She glanced at her watch and realised that if she didn't go and feed now, she'd have a hard time controlling her hunger.
"Well, I guess I'll see you later," she said, finishing off the rest of her drink before standing to leave.
Tyler nodded, smiling at her.
"Thank you, Care. The fact that you're even helping me after what happened with Matt means a lot."
Caroline's smile faltered and she simply nodded in response. Matt was still a hard topic for her to talk about. Ever since that night, he'd ignored her and avoided her at all costs, and she'd done nothing about it. Not because she'd stopped caring. Never that. But because she hated lying to him, and getting back together with him would only result in that. She was protecting both of them, and even though it hurt like hell, she knew she had to.
She walked to her car and took her keys out of her purse, her mind thinking of somewhere she could feed – the Boarding house had become a little weird ever since Katherine had moved in, and she only ever went there to see Elena. Just as she unlocked the door, she sensed someone behind her…
"Hey Caroline!"
She whirled around at the familiar voice she hadn't heard in so long.
"Bonnie? Oh my God! Where have you been? Elena and I have been worried sick about you!"
Bonnie grinned at her friend's ability to ask so many questions without taking a breath in between and hugged her.
"Sorry – I've just been busy. What were you doing with Tyler?" she asked with a playful smirk.
"Busy with what?"
"I asked you first!"
Caroline sighed.
"We were just having lunch, and you know, talking about his transformation tonight," she added in a low voice.
"Oh yeah, I was thinking about that actually," Bonnie said, moving slightly so that she stood directly in front of Caroline. Her eyes bore into hers and Caroline found it impossible to look away. "I don't think you should go with him."
"You don't?" Caroline asked slowly, as though she were in some sort of trance.
"No, I don't. Tyler Lockwood is not your responsibility and you have more important things to do. Don't you think?"
Caroline nodded mutely, her eyes never leaving Bonnie's. Bonnie smiled eerily.
"Good. Now, you're going to go shopping and then come to my place for dinner and we are going to have an amazing time. Tyler's transformation is not your problem, is it?"
Caroline shook her head and Bonnie smiled proudly. Elijah was going to be so pleased with her.
"Well, now that's settled, I really have to go! I'll see you later, ok?" Bonnie said before walking off hurriedly, leaving Caroline behind with a hazy memory and a confused expression on her face.
x-x-x
"Do you have to eat so loud?"
"Stefan, I'm swallowing blood from a tube. It hardly constitutes as eating!"
"Well, can you do whatever it is you're doing a lot quieter? It's really distracting!"
"It's not like you're doing anything important! You're staring into space brooding – as usual!"
Stefan sighed.
"Katherine-"
"Will you please, for the love of God, stop pining over her Stefan? It's obvious which brother she wants to be with, and believe me when I say it isn't you!"
Stefan glared at her defiantly.
"She loves me, Katherine! And I love her!"
Katherine sighed heavily and threw the now empty blood bag away.
"Ok, let's go with this denial scenario you've locked yourself into," she said in a business-like manor, propping herself up onto the kitchen counter. "Let's go with this delusional pretence you have of you actually being in love with her-"
"I am in love with her-"
"We both know," she continued, completely ignoring his statement. "That you'll never be able to love her, the way you love me!"
How could one woman be so beautiful but so annoying in one go? Stefan sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Katherine," he began in a tired voice that revealed how emotionally drained he had become. "What is it going to take for you to get it? I'd do anything for Elena – lay down my life for her, fight until my last breath for her, protect her from anyone or anything that tried to harm her-"
"Let Damon have her?"
Stefan stopped and stared at Katherine who had hopped down from the counter and was slowly making her way over to him.
"Well?" she persisted as she gently touched his cheek, forcing him to keep his eyes locked with hers. "We both know he's stronger than you. And it's blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes that he loves her more than he's ever loved anyone before."
"Damon doesn't love her," he said, though he knew it was a pointless statement. He was lying through his teeth because admitting it would be equal to literally handing Elena over to his brother, and that was the last thing that was going to happen.
"I love her, Katherine," he said with a resigned sigh. "And she loves me too."
Katherine rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to strangle him. Before she could respond, she heard something from upstairs and smirked.
"Then where is she now?"
Stefan opened his mouth to reply before closing it abruptly when muffled sounds of laughter wafted through his ears. Laughter that he knew belonged, not only to Elena, but his brother too. Laughter that was coming from upstairs.
Katherine smirked at him as realisation flashed in his green eyes.
"Like I told you before," she said resting her hand on his chest. "She's chosen the brother she wants to be with - maybe not consciously, but she's definitely decided. And everyone in the house knows it."
Stefan shook his head firmly, not about to accept the fact that he'd lost Elena. There was still a chance for them. He could feel it, and he always trusted his feelings.
"You're wrong, Katherine. And I'm going to prove it to you."
"Is that so?" she asked, basking in the certainty she felt. "Care to make a wager? If you're right and Elena really loves you, I'll let it drop. But if I'm right and she chooses Damon, you have to give me what I want."
Part of him was screaming at him to accept – the odds were on his side after all. Katherine was wrong, and he was right – that was what he'd been insisting repeatedly for so long. And he believed it with all his heart.
But that apparently wasn't enough.
"I know better than to bet with you, Katherine," he said before showing past her and walking away.
Katherine cackled, watching his retreating form slouch away.
"You'd have lost anyway!"
x-x-x
It started with a tickle.
A feather-light tickle that ran across his spine, barely noticeable. Then it somehow suddenly evolved into an excruciating pain that erupted all over his body. He was in absolute agony. It felt as though he was burning from the inside out. He could feel his skin breaking as hair forced its way through, and his throat was so sore he was sure it was about to draw blood.
He cried out repeatedly, wishing for the torture to end and hating his destiny even more. The fact that Caroline hadn't been there to help him out wasn't helping either. She hadn't shown up or answered her phone, so he'd had to lock himself into the cast iron chains. The problem was that no one had been there to lock the door, which meant that when the time came, he could get out if his predatory instincts really willed himself to. And that terrified him almost more than the thought of his transformation.
x-x-x
Matt locked up the Grill and walked to his car, yawning widely and running a hand through his hair. He was so tired it was unbelievable. Ever since the incident with Tyler and Caroline, he'd thrown himself into sport and work, and was now learning that balancing the two was exhausting work. The truth was that he wanted to avoid both of them, and busying himself was the only way he could do it effectively.
He missed Caroline more than he'd ever care to admit. He missed her voice, her mannerisms, her hunger for gossip, her laugh. He hated thinking that his best friend – the boy he'd always thought of as a brother – had managed to come between them. And he also hated to think that a girl had come between their friendship. When had his life become so complicated?
As he unlocked his car door, he turned and saw a dark shadowy figure approach him.
x-x-x
When his pangs of hunger suddenly become excruciatingly crippling stabs of pain, Tyler Lockwood knew that there was only one way to alleviate them: eat.
But, like everything in his life now, simply eating wasn't that simple. He wasn't hungry for burgers and chips, he was craving meat – and a specific type of meat too.
Human meat.
He didn't know where he was going – not consciously – but his feet (and arms) had carried him to the Grill. Later he'd wonder how he'd managed it, and he'd put it down to knowing the route like the back of his hand. But at the time, he was so consumed by hunger and animalistic thoughts that it didn't come into his mind. All logic had abandoned him.
He paused for a moment and inhaled deeply, trying to sense the food he craved. Suddenly, a figure emerged from the building and walked slowly to his car. He couldn't recognise him from where he was, and even if he had, it wouldn't have made a difference. He'd begun to salivate and his eyes had turned a bright yellow. Dinner was served.
He ran towards the figure at break-neck speed, launching himself onto him and sinking his teeth into his body, relishing every single second of the feeling. He felt the flesh break and the blood wash over his teeth, coating his pearly whites with red smears. He ripped and chewed and swallowed until there was hardly anything left. He then sighed in content before dropping the dead body and disappearing into the night.
It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Matt Donovan was found dead.
:O
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