Go With The Flow

This could be seen as a continuation of my story "The Elephant In The Room" but there's no need to have read that. Just know that after 2x18 Damon was worried about Alaric being possessed by Klaus. This now takes place between 2x19 and 2x20, so Damon's not yet been invited in to Ric's place.

When Damon entered the living room he was surprised to find Elena all alone. She was sitting, feet tugged under her comfortably, by the window reading a book. Damon sauntered over.

"Where's Stefan?"

Elena didn't look up. "Hunting."

"Elijah?" Not that he cared but…

"I don't know," she shrugged, eyes still fixed on the book. Damon snatched it from her hands and threw a brief glance at the title. 'Gone With The Wind' screamed back at him. Great, so Elena was the one who had stolen the book from his nightstand. Damon tossed it aside without a second thought.

"Hey," Elena groused and finally met his eyes. "I was reading that!"

Damon scowled down at her. "Yeah, and for the next time, before you go stealing things from my room…"

"I didn't steal it, I just…"

"Took it without asking, I know the concept, Elena," Damon waved her off. Then he quickly snatched her outstretched hand and pulled her up from the couch.

"By the way," he added then. "There's no need to read it. There's gonna be a screening in town square soon. And right now I need you to come with me."

"What? Why?" Elena's voice was full of irritation and annoyance.

Damon didn't have time for this. "Come on," he nodded and tried to pull her along. Elena dug her feet in. "Damon!"

He let out a sigh and turned to her, impatience clearly written on his face. But one look into Elena's brown eyes softened Damon's features immediately. He sighed again.

"We're going on a rescue mission," he explained. "Vampire Barbie just called me, freaking out about you being kidnapped again."

Elena's frown deepened. "What? Why would Caroline think that?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Because she just saw you being kidnapped by two, and here I quote, 'unknown, creepy but definitely hot guys'. And one called the other Klaus. Caroline panicked, tried to call you… by the way, your phone's dead, did you know that? She tried Stefan next but of course he didn't answer. He's too busy chasing Bambi and his friends. So in the end she called me."

"But," Elena frowned confused. "I'm not being kidnapped! Unless," she threw a glance down at Damon's hand clasping hers, "unless you count this."

"Don't be ridiculous," Damon's impatience began to show again. They were wasting time here! "I'm simply trying to get you to come with me!"

"Why?"

Damon didn't answer but pulled her into the hall and out the front door. "Damon, stop!" Elena dug her nails into the doorframe. "Why do you need me to…"

Damon had to bury his hands in his pockets or otherwise he would have just grabbed her and thrown her over his shoulder. He took a deep breath and tried to explain instead. "Elena, obviously it wasn't you that's been kidnapped because you're standing here right now, wasting time with your pointless little argument. Ergo, if it wasn't you, it was…"

Elena's face lit up in understanding. "Katherine."

"Yep. So, let's go." Damon turned on his heels and walked over to his car.

"No!" Elena didn't move a foot. "I'm not gonna rescue Katherine with you, Damon. Forget it!"

"We're not gonna rescue her, Elena," Damon threw over his shoulder. He'd reached his car and glared back at her.

Apparently he'd managed to pique her curiosity then because Elena slowly made her way over to him. "Huh? Then what, where…?"

In the blink of an eye Damon stood right in front of her. "Elena," he sighed impatiently. "If Caroline saw Katherine outside with an unknown guy named Klaus that means," Damon waited for Elena to pick up the cue but when she didn't he sighed again. Damn it, was he the only one with a brain around here? From Stefan he would've expected this kind of slow dimness but Elena? He'd thought her a bit more clever. Obviously he'd been mistaken. All the more reason to hurry up and do this. Damon needed someone else that was able to put two and two together.

"It means," Damon continued eventually and shoved Elena towards the passenger door. "That Klaus is obviously not possessing Ric anymore. So…"

Elena's eyes widened. "You want to rescue Ric?"

"Finally she gets it!" Damon looked heavenwards in thanks. "Now, will you get in the car? Please?"

Elena nodded sheepishly and without another word slid into the passenger seat.

Ten minutes later the two of them entered the apartment building and made their way up to Ric's door. Damon motioned for Elena to be quiet for a second while he listened closely for any sign of movement inside. When his vampire hearing picked up nothing but one faint heartbeat he quickly kicked the door in and then stepped back.

"After you," he bowed and let Elena pass.

Elena took a cautious step over the threshold but then, seeing Ric's motionless form on the floor, rushed to his side.

"Ric," she crouched down and shook his shoulder. "Alaric! Wake up, please."

Nothing happened. Elena shook him once more but when Ric showed no sign of responding Elena feared the worst. She tried to find a pulse. "Oh my God, Damon," she threw back over her shoulder. "I can't…"

"I can hear his heartbeat, Elena!" Damon stood with both arms braced against the doorframe to stop himself from trying to punch his way through the invisible barrier keeping him from entering.

"You can?"

"Yes," Damon emphasized. "I can also hear him breathing."

"Can you hear the pounding in my head as well?" Ric's voice was unsteady but when Elena's head rushed around to him again she was glad to see his eyes open. "God," he groaned. "Feels like the worst hangover ever."

"Ric," Elena exclaimed relieved and took hold of his shoulder to help him sit up. "Careful. Are you okay?"

"Elena?" Alaric tried to focus his eyes on the girl. "What happened?"

"Some evil magic body-snatching, that's what happened," came Damon's dry voice from the door. Alaric's head swirled around. Despite the sarcastic voice he could detect a glint of emotion in the vampire's face. Damon looked… relieved?

"What the hell happened?" Ric repeated. "Why are you lurking in the doorframe?"

"Because you have yet to invite me in, Ric."

"Oh," Ric sat up properly and scratched his head. He looked once again at Elena still crouched by his side. "Do I have to?"

Elena smiled back. "Well, you don't have to but…"

"Oh, come on," Damon scoffed from afar. "What are you waiting for?"

"I'm waiting for some of this to make sense. I mean," Ric struggled to get to his feet and with a little help from Elena managed to stand eventually. "One minute my dead vampire wife corners me at my car and the next I wake up on the floor with the worst headache ever."

"I'd be happy filling the gaps for you," Damon watched Ric come closer to the door. He seemed to be okay, if a bit wobbly on his feet. "But I'd be even more happy if you'd let me inside."

Ric had almost reached the door when his knees suddenly gave out and he swayed forward. But instead of crashing face-first to the floor he found himself caught by strong arms. Ric blinked, shook the dizziness from his head and stared into Damon's face inches from his.

"Huh," he managed to wheeze out. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Damon grinned back, not easing up on his hold. Alaric tried to regain his footing as much as Damon's arms around his body would allow. Then the two men stood motionless in the doorway, Ric inside and Damon just outside, eyes locked and apparently communicating silently.

Finally Elena cleared her throat.

"Ugh, Ric? Maybe you should sit down."

"Yeah," Ric smiled back sheepishly. He threw a pointed look at Damon's hands still clasping his waist and when Damon let go he took a step back.

"I guess you'd better come in, Damon."

"Sure," the vampire smirked and stepped inside.

When the three of them had settled down in the living room area Alaric finally wanted to know: "So, what the hell happened?"

He'd looked at Damon while asking but the vampire ignored him and stood up to saunter over to the kitchen instead.

"Damon?" Ric watched him roam through the kitchen cabinets. "What are you doing?"

"Where do you keep your booze?" Damon countered. "I could use a drink and I guess you'd better have one, too."

"That bad, huh?" Ric frowned. "Second cupboard on the left."

"Nope, looked there already. It's empty," Damon crouched down to search the cupboards there.

"Can't be," Ric's frown deepened. "I know there's a bottle of Bourbon there."

"U-huh," Damon emerged from his crouched position. "Guess Klaus raided your bar." With a triumphant grin he waved a bottle around. "But looks like he didn't get to your emergency stack."

Damon came back to the couch with the bottle in one and three glasses clasped in his other hand. "Lucky for us you're one of those pathetic bachelor guys that have more booze than food at home."

Alaric was about to shoot back an affronted comeback but then something registered on his mind and all he could utter was: "Klaus? Klaus was here?"

"Oh, yeah," Damon nodded and, suddenly thinking of something, stopped pouring shots. "And I bet he'll be back so… unless you want to ask him why he felt the need to hijack your body for a while… how about we move this party elsewhere?"

Alaric had some trouble wrapping his mind around all Damon was saying but nevertheless he stood up and without a thought followed Damon and Elena out the door.

"Sure, good point."

They made their way to Damon's car in silence but when they'd all settled down Damon turned to the passenger seat: "You know what I like most about you, Ric?"

Alaric hadn't even known that there was something Damon liked about him, let alone several things that would warrant a rating of sorts. So he kept quiet but raised an eyebrow in expectation.

"You don't waste time asking stupid questions. You go with the flow. You take things in stride, levelheaded and cool as cucumber. You're a lot like me," Damon flashed him a smirk. "Only, you know, much less hot and sexy."

In the backseat Elena let out a snort. "Right!"

"Hey, you think I'm wrong?" Damon threw back to her.

"I think you're severely overestimating yourself, Damon, and I don't wanna know most of the things your delusional mind sprouts." Elena shot back. But with a look at the stunned-into-silence Ric she added: "But sometimes I think that delusional mind of yours actually spews forth a good plan."

"Ouch," Damon chuckled. "I think there was an insult in there somewhere. But I prefer to overlook it in favor of the compliment."

"I didn't mean…"

"Yes, you did," Damon cut her off, pleased with himself.

Ric watched the two bickering back and forth like children and couldn't help but wish himself back to the silence of his apartment. At least he hadn't had to endure their quarrels when he'd been lying there unconscious. On the other hand, if what Damon had said was true, and Klaus had really invaded his place (and apparently his body as well)… he'd be much better off listening to those two trade barbs, even if it was giving him an even worse headache.

Seriously, it was like watching a tennis match. A very loud and annoying tennis match.

"Shut up, you two," Ric finally ground out, one hand massaging his throbbing temple.

"Sorry, Ric," Elena immediately apologized and fell silent.

Damon shut up as well but his eyes sought out Alaric's strained face. "Here," he held out the bottle of Bourbon. "This should help."

"I fail to see how, unless I use it to smash your skull. Or stuff it down your throat. That should stop you from talking."

Despite his grumbled voice Ric snatched the bottle from Damon's hand and took a great swig.

Then he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. Damon watched him for a while, concern clearly written all over his face.

"Damon," Elena hissed from the backseat. "Eyes on the road!"

Damon's head snapped back to the traffic and he concentrated on getting them home safe and sound. But Elena could see him throw quick glances to the right every few seconds. Glances she recognized immediately.

It was the same look she would give Bonnie or Caroline or even Jeremy if they'd been hurting. The look anyone would give family or a friend in pain.

Elena smiled to herself.

This was good.

The End