AN: Thank you so much, you guys! I love you all to death. I love you more than Damon Salvatore loves his alcohol; seriously.
Some more clearing up on mythology:
Klaus is still an Original who has a curse on him, but breaking it isn't so tedious. He doesn't need a vampire or a werewolf, only a doppleganger; Elena (the whole ritual sacrifice thing will be explained in a few more chapters when they finally meet Klaus.) Damon and Stefan do not know about Klaus, neither does Bonnie. Also, out of sheer laziness, I really didn't want to add the whole werewolf/vampire aspect to the ritual. I didn't enjoy it in the show, either. I mean, come on, killing Jenna was so close to blasphemy that I was fuming; though, I wasn't too concerned for Jules, never really liked her anyway. Damon getting bitten was terrifying, but I was so happy that he was cured and that he and Elena had a little, goodbye kiss. Literally the sweetest scene that they've ever had together *swoon*
About this chapter:
I really enjoyed writing this chapter; mostly because I LOVE writing Damon's POV. So far, Elena has been kidnapped - by who, we'll find out later in the chapter - and she and Damon had their big finale ( I know, I know, I cried while writing it.) Bonnie is still a judgy little witch (she annoys me sometimes, but I love her to death) and hates Damon. Stefan is still his noble self (love him for that, too.) I also had a review about the amount of angst in this story. Okay, don't get me wrong, I love happy-go-lucky, fluffy stories, but this is not one of those. Things get out of control at some points and then downright hopeless at others. But, trust me when I say that nothing is ever hopeless; hope is in everything, no matter how disheartening the situation.
Also, I'm sorry if it is short (there's A LOT of dialog in this one.) ... or *gulp* terrible.
Okay, that being said, please enjoy this chapter and drop me a line or two telling me your thoughts. I LOVE REVIEWS!
As Stefan and I neared the witch's house a thought entered my mind. Bonnie would never willingly invite me into her house; not even for Elena. An uneasy feeling clenched my insides; Bonnie - if she was smart - wouldn't invite me into her house. Honestly, I hadn't really spent a lot of time earning the witch's trust. I'd managed to kill her grandmother, kill her boyfriend, unleash a tomb of angry vampires onto the town, and hurt her best friends in numerous ways. The uneasy feeling didn't settle as I thought of all the wrong things I'd done in this town. I was a monster who hurt people; that's all I'd ever be to her. There was no changing that.
As if sensing my thoughts, Stefan clapped a hand on my back.
"I can get Bonnie to invite you in," he reassured, nodding his head.
We stepped onto the small porch and stood at he door. No doubt that Bonnie knew we were here; she was a witch for God's sake. Stefan pounded on the door. I heard footsteps and then the knob began to turn. I plastered a fake smile onto my face as the witch's face came into view.
"Hi, Bonnie," I said. Her eyes passed right over me and landed on Stefan.
"Stefan," she said, ignoring me. "What are you doing here?"
I rolled my eyes. "Listen here, you little witch -"
"Um, what Damon's trying to say is," Stefan began, cutting me off. "Bonnie, we need your help." Worry was evident in Stefan's voice and it seemed to settle with Bonnie as she digested his words.
"Elena's missing and we need your help to find her." Bonnie crossed her arms over her chest, her forehead creasing in concern.
"Are you sure?" She asked. "She's been at the lake house for weeks, Stefan."
Stefan nodded and began to explain to her the past two days' events. I zoned out completely and focused on things that could lead me to finding Elena. I hadn't sensed anyone there earlier, but then again I was too busy yelling at her to pay attention. God, I hated myself sometimes. I could be such a dick sometimes. Sometimes; more like all the time. Not noting anything peculiar in my memory of earlier, I turned my attention back to Bonnie and Stefan.
"...and so that's why we need your help," he said. "You're the only one who can do it, so please."
She seemed the roll the thought around in her heard for a moment and then she looked directly at me. "I'm not inviting you in," she said.
"So predictable," I countered. "That's why I have him; Stefan's already been invited in." I allowed the right amount of time for my words to settle before turning to Stefan.
"Go on," I said. "Get to it."
Bonnie nodded and stepped aside as Stefan walked inside. I gave the witch a murderous look and smiled at her, causing her heart to quicken in fear. Man, I loved that part of being a vampire. The fear was enthralling; wonderful, even. But, I'd give it all up for Elena and that's why I needed to find her. I couldn't just let her go. I was in too deep now. I sat down on one of the chairs nestled into the corner of Bonnie's porch and listened intently to their conversation.
"...asshole, you know that?" I caught the end on Bonnie's irritated statement and smiled, knowing that she was talking about me.
"I know," Stefan said. "But, he means well." Oh, Stefan, ever the white knight. Seeing good in everything.
"Okay," Bonnie said and I heard papers rustling around. "I'll probably have to do a locator spell, do you have anything of hers?"
"Uh, no," Stefan said. "I don't."
"Oh," Bonnie said - almost squealed. "I do." I heard running and jewelry being pushed around, then running again. I hated being out here; I needed to be in there.
"If it's something that she's touched, I can channel energy from it and maybe it'll locate her."
Maybe? I wasn't here for maybe.
"Maybe?" Stefan asked.
"Yes, maybe, Stefan," Bonnie said as I heard pages flipping. "I'm not sure if there's enough energy on this bracelet to pinpoint an exact location. It would help if you had something of hers. Like, clothing or something."
Silence.
"Damon," Stefan said, poking his head out the doorway. "I need you to go to Elena's house and find something of hers, anything." I nodded and took off in a full sprint towards Elena's house. I ran right up to the front door and pounded on it. After a brief moment, Jenna yanked the door open.
"Damon," she said, surprised. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm here to see Elena," I lied.
"She isn't here," Jenna said, her face contorting in evident confusion. "I got a text from her saying she was going back to the lake house."
Dammit! This just kept getting better.
"Okay," I said as I searched for another lie. "Well, I have to get something from her room, do you mind?"
I didn't wait for an invitation - the beauty of already being invited in - and pushed past her, running up the stairs towards Elena's room.
"...Damon..." I heard faintly as I climbed the last of the stairs.
When I stepped through the doorway, I was bombarded with the memories that this room held. Our first kiss, I smiled; The one with Jeremy, I cringed; And the one she couldn't remember, but I'd never forget. I pushed the memories aside and ran to her dressers, pulling a drawer open, and pulling a couple of shirts out. With one last look to check if anything was amiss, I bolted from the house, running dead sprint back to Bonnie's. I ran up to the doorway and yelled at Stefan.
"I'm here," I said. The doorknob turned and Stefan opened the door, taking the shirts from my hand and shutting the door again.
"You're welcome," I snarled quietly at the closed door. I resumed my seat on the porch and listened carefully.
"...shirt, will it work?" Stefan said, practically pleading with Bonnie.
"Uhm, it should," she said. "Okay, the spells says that we need something with her energy and then it should tell us where she is."
Then she started chanting something in gibberish and then I heard a gasp of breath, a crash onto the wooden floor, and then nothing.
Strong hands gripped my shoulders roughly, hauling me to my feet. Sobs tore from my throat as I averted the man's eyes. He laughed roughly.
"It seems you've gotten out of your ropes," he mused. "I guess I'll have to tie them tighter next time."
He dragged me towards the couch, and threw me onto it. He grabbed the rope and tied it around my already bleeding ankles and pulled it tight. With each pull, fresh tears rolled down my cheeks. It was so painful. After finished with my ankles, he moved to tighten the rope around my wrists. He pulled the rope tight, cutting deeper into my flesh. My breath caught in my throat and my vision spotted; the pain was becoming unbearable.
"Please," I whimpered.
He laughed as he pulled the rope tighter. "Oh, my dear," he said softly, "it'll be over soon; I promise."
He raised his hand to lightly touch my cheek. I flinched away as far as I could, which only managed to piss him off. He dropped his hand to my neck and trailed his fingers down the vein there.
"You know," he crooned. "I haven't eaten in a while and I don't like being teased. Might I have a taste?" He lowered his face to my neck and grazed his nose against my skin, inhaling deeply. Tears fell from my swollen, red eyes and I choked on my breath.
"Please, don't," I cried.
"But, you smell heavenly," he argued. "It would be a sin to not have a taste."
"Daniel, leave the poor girl alone. She's to stay untouched until he gets here." He moved away from my neck and smiled maliciously at me.
"All in due time," he said as he patted my knee and walked out of the room. Who was this he they kept talking about? I knew it was stupid, but I hoped and prayed it was Damon. He would rescue me; I just knew it. I prayed for it. I wanted to see him again, I missed him. His lucious, dark hair in between my fingers as I savoured the taste of his mouth; his gentle hands caressing my body; the way his eyes sparkled when he looked into mine; I even missed our arguments. I just wanted him more than anything; wanted him to burst through the door and pull me into his arms, and carry me home.
As if God heard my thoughts, the door flew open. My heart sank into my stomach as Daniel and the other man stepped into the room, walking towards me.
"Time to go," the other man said as he dragged me to my feet. I jerked and squirmed, trying to escape his hands, but it only made him grip my shoulders tighter.
"Stop!" His face changed and he bared his fangs at me. I jerked back, falling backwards onto the couch, but was pulled upright. "Now behave, Elena. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if you fight me."
Feeling defeated, I nodded my surrender and let myself be carried from the house. The man sat me in the back seat of a small car and moved to the driver's seat. I stared out the window, taking note of where I was. As we zipped down the highway, I saw only open fields for miles. As my hopes of rescue began to die, we began to speed towards the first sign I'd seen since leaving the house. Thank You for Visiting Virginia. Oh my God, we were leaving Virginia. I began to throw myself against the backseat, kicking the seat in front of me, screaming at the top of my lungs. Daniel reached around and grabbed my legs, his eyes seething with anger.
"Jeff, here, might not want to hurt you, but I won't think twice about ripping that vein from your pretty, little neck and bleeding you dry, understand?"
I stopped thrashing and nodded fiercly. I didn't want to die and the threat of being bitten scared the hell out of me.
"Good," he said, letting go of my leg and turning to face the road.
"Why are we leaving Virginia?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Because Klaus doesn't like Virginia," he said, matter-of-factly.
"Who's Klaus? And I thought we were supposed to wait here for him?"
"He's an original vampire who wants you to break an ancient curse put on him by a witch," he said. "Now, enough with the questions."
"But what do I have to do-"
"I said," he snapped. "Enough."
I cowered into the seat, tears slipping silently down my cheeks. I was being taken to some original vampire to be sacrificed. I was being taken to my death. It was just a matter of when and where. I stared out the window, wanting to be home with my family. Jenna and Jeremy would be devestated at the news of my death; we'd barely gone a year without Mom and Dad. No, I was not dying. I was going to live. Hell, I was only 18 years old; I had years left to live and Jeremy wasn't going to lose anyone else. I was getting out of this and going home. I didn't know how, but I was. I would see Damon and my family again; sacrifice be damned.