"If she's anything like her sister, she's not worth saving." Elijah muttered to Nik, handing him a cup of coffee.
Nik took a sip. "She's Caroline's friend, of course she's worth saving. And
perhaps you should look at Katherine from a new perspective."
"You've got to be kidding." Elijah huffed. "Already repeating the words of that little pet of yours?"
"I said I'd pass on the message. She seems to think you should give Katherine another chance."
"Message received. Not going to happen."
"Because you're so swarmed with other women offering?"
"I can't help it if I work in a male dominated field! I don't meet women at work, and work is my life. Besides, being alone is better than being lied to."
"Maybe she wasn't lying about everything." Nik offered.
"More words straight from your little plaything's mouth."
"She has a name, Elijah."
"Yes, her name is Caroline. How much else do you know about her? How long have you even known her?"
"I don't need to justify this to you."
"Then why are you acting like you want my approval?"
"It would mean a lot to me if you could be supportive of this. That doesn't mean you can change my mind."
"Supportive of you dating a job's live in girlfriend? You think she'll be so forgiving about you killing her last boyfriend when you break up?"
"I'm not planning on breaking up."
"Oh, you think a girl like that will follow you around forever? Waiting at home with a warm meal to welcome you back from your latest kill like a nice little housewife?"
"Elijah. You need to watch yourself."
"I know girls like her. I learned the hard way. I see what she wears when she bothers to put on anything other than one of your shirts. I see how she acts. The way something is between her and Rebecca's boy. She's not the type of girl you can have something serious with."
"You don't know anything about her."
"I know she's friendly with Katerina. That should tell you enough. I know that both of the Salvatore boys seem to touch her a lot when they speak to her. I wonder why they were so kind to take her in, keep her around and get rid of her boyfriend. After all these years of being alone, you choose her? What is so special about her? She's just some dumb blonde who's going to get bored and leave in a month."
"Now you are going to far." Nik warned.
"No, you're going to far. Rebecca's a foolish teenager, getting wrapped up with these people. She's too young to know better, what's your excuse?"
"I didn't ask you to explain yourself when you told me about Katherine."
"Katerina was a long time ago."
"You had already found out about her when you called and asked me to stay with Becca a while longer. That means that she got you to fall in love with her and give her access to your accounts in under a month. Who's the foolish teenager, Elijah?"
"I had my revenge. And I won't fall for someone like her again. Excuse me for not wanting you to either."
"Caroline's not like that! She isn't using me for anything!"
"Really? You're so certain?"
"I have a job to prep for."
"Can you still call it that, when you're doing it for free because your little girlfriend asked you to?"
"She didn't have to ask."
"She just knew you'd do for her what you'd normally charge half a million American dollars for?"
"There are three people in there Elijah, that's worth an even million. I offered because I care about her and keeping her loved ones safe. And she's never asked about how much I make. Not once."
"I'm sure she has no interest in your earnings. It must be your charming personality that won her over. I bet she just swooned when she saw you murder your own father."
"You didn't complain."
"Just be careful, Niklaus." Elijah warned again, walking out of the room. "Things that seem too good to be true always are."
Nik knocked on Damon's door. He answered it, eyes red and skin sallow. He had been crying and he couldn't manage to hold his food down. Nik gave him a pitying once over. This guy would end up killing himself from the guilt if they didn't get her back soon.
"Ready?" he asked
Damon nodded. "Give me five minutes."
Nik walked back into the room where Caroline was still sleeping. He sat on the edge of the bed where she was and absently traced a finger along her arm as he watched her. He was relieved that she hadn't overheard his conversation with Elijah. She didn't need to know how low his brother thought of her. He looked down at her, peacefully sleeping, and worried Elijah was right. What if getting her to agree to be with him wasn't the hard part? What if keeping her would be impossible? She was so beautiful, spirited, compassionate, so loyal to her friends. How long would she be able to put up with someone like him? How long could he hold her back from finding someone who actually deserved her?
She stirred a little and curled against him.
Forever. He thought. I could hold on to her forever and that makes me a bigger monster than I ever thought I could be. This isn't fair to her, but I'll never be selfless enough to walk away from her and let her have something better. Even if she decided to leave, I'll chase her across the world, doing whatever it takes to bring her back. I need this, and she finally said yes. She said she loved me. How is that even possible?
He kissed her forehead and her eyes slowly opened.
"Is it time?" She asked.
He nodded.
"I don't want you to go." She whispered, feeling guilty immediately for saying it out loud.
"You know I have to. And everything will be fine."
"Come back." She begged.
"I will. I promise."
She hugged him, never wanting to let go. She wanted to say it again, tell him she loved him. It seemed so important to make sure he knew, but she bit her tongue. He hadn't said it back when she said it before, and she didn't want to be that girl, the one who freaks a guy out by getting too emotionally invested too fast. She just pulled him tight and hoped he understood. When he finally broke away to leave she watched him walk out in the hallway and exit the suite with Damon. Once the main door shut she ran to the bathroom and turned the shower on so no one could hear her cry.
Elena opened her eyes. It wasn't a nightmare, it had all been real. She was still in the windowless room with the bright florescent light hanging from the ceiling. It was impossible to tell how long she had been asleep, how long she had been there. The cuts and burns scattered over her body were itching. She knew that was good. Itching meant they were scabbing over, healing. But still it drove her crazy not to be able to scratch at them because her hands were tied down.
The man who grabbed her said he was sending a message. A message to the Salvatore brothers. She didn't understand. It didn't make any sense. It made less sense when the two women with him joined him in torturing her for what felt like hours, pushing a camera against her face.
How much longer before they came back to do it again? They said they would kill her if the Salvatores didn't show up in two days. She couldn't tell how much time had passed. She wondered if she had hours or minutes left to live.
The door opened again. She tensed up, waiting to see which of them had come for her.
Damon peaked his head in. He checked around the room to make sure no one else was there, and then he was at her feet, cutting away the tape that tied her to the chair.
She was convinced that she had passed out again. It had been so long since she had eaten anything, she was starting to drift in and out of sleep without noticing it. It was all a dream.
He even smelled like Damon in this dream. It was so real. Elena relaxed a bit, even if it was just in her mind, she could see him one last time. If this was what dying was like, maybe it wouldn't be so scary. He pulled at the edge of the tape over her mouth and whispered. "You can't make a noise, ok? We're going to get you out of here."
She nodded, in a daze.
He pulled the tape off and she felt the sting of it pulling on her skin. This wasn't a dream.
"You're really here." She whispered.
"Yes. I'm so sorry, Elena. I got here as fast as I could."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He looked around the room.
"Can you stand?"
She tried it, her feet and hands now detached from the chair. It felt a little wobbly, but she managed to take a few steps.
"I'm ok."
"Alright. Nik is here. We're going to get you out. Just stay behind me."
She nodded and followed him out of the room. He was holding a gun and looking over some map he drew on the back of his hand, consulting it every time they reached a turn.
A loud popping noise made both of them jump. Damon moved closer to where the noise had come from, shielding Elena by walking in front of her. A woman darted out in front of them.
Jules lunged at Damon but something knocked her to the ground.
Nik pulled the trigger. The bullet went right between her eyes and she dropped to the floor.
He glanced at her to make sure she was dead, and then looked back at Damon, as if it was nothing.
"That's both of the women. Mason's still here somewhere." Nik said.
As if on cue, Mason dated out from behind them and grabbed Elena. Damon jumped at him and tried to pull him away but Mason headbutted him, sending him flying back onto the floor. Elena threw a few week punches as she struggled to get free, but her body was weakened from the torture and lack of food and she couldn't get away.
Nik aimed.
"Sorry Damon." He muttered, there was no choice but to do it himself.
Mason had a gun of his own, however, and he brought it into sight as soon as Nik raised his. Mason pointed the trigger at Elena's temple.
"You shoot me and I'll take her down with me." Mason said.
Nik glared back at him. He needed Mason dead. Elena looked terrified that Nik hadn't dropped his weapon yet.
"Nik, please. Help." She said.
Nik and Mason locked eyes, both daring the other to make a move, both knowing that they couldn't stop the other from retaliating if they fired.
Something blurred across the room and a shot rang out. Nik felt a sharp pain and confusion as more waves of pain rushed through him. His arm felt like it had been dipped in fire and it was all wet. He reached over to feel it and his hand came back
bloody. He felt his head spin and his legs gave out.
Damon was on top of Mason. He had lunged at him and knocked him to the ground when he and Nik were facing off. Damon swatted Mason's gun away from Elena, but Mason still managed to pull the trigger before he dropped it. Both guns were out of his reach, but his hands were around Mason's neck.
"Damon... shoot him." Nik sputtered out.
Elena scurried over to the gun on the floor and picked it up. Damon reached one hand out to grab it, keeping the other on Mason's neck.
"Head. Not chest. Shoot him in the head." Nik said, trying to hold his shirt tight against his arm. A lot of blood was coming out. Getting shot always sucked, but he had never gotten hit like this. A few bullets grazed him, one went straight through his calf a few years ago, but this was the only time a bullet ever stuck in him. He could make out the shape imbedded in the hole in his arm. It needed to come out, but that would bring even more blood. He was shivering. The loss of blood was starting to make him feel cold all over.
Elena walked over to Damon holding the gun.
"Move out of the way." She said.
"Elena. Give it to me." Damon said, reaching out for the gun.
"Move." She said again, crouching on the floor so the barrel rested against Mason's forehead.
"Elena you don't have to do it, let me." Damon tried, but it was too late.
She pulled the trigger, the force of the gun knocking her back. Mason's eyes stopped moving and a large red puddle formed behind his head, chunks of brain matter floating in the liquid.
Damon looked at Elena first to make sure she was ok. She was stunned but not hurt. He reached for the bag in his pocket. He and Nik had a plan for how to leave this crime scene. He ripped open the bag of coke and shook it around the room. He placed a scale a some smaller bags on the table, setting the scene for a deal gone wrong. He stuffed both of the guns in his pocket and scooped Elena up to carry her to the car.
He turned around.
"Can you walk, man?" he asked Nik.
"I'm fine." Nik replied, stumbling a bit as he followed them out of the building and back to the car. Once they were outside he was leaning heavily against Damon with each step. Damon was relieved that no one was in view of their walk to the car, because the battered girl and the guy soaked in blood would attract a lot of attention.
Nik climbed into the back seat and laid down. Damon placed Elena in the front and climbed around to the drivers side. There was food, water and antibiotics waiting for her by her seat. Nik told Damon to make sure she took the pills with food as soon as they got her out of there, her wounds could easily become infected. Nik had even left a blanket and hand sanitizer for her, in case she was cold or felt dirty.
Nik watched the world turn to swirls of color from the back seat. The car was moving fast, much faster than the speed limit. He could make out the voices in the car. Elena was in better shape than he had anticipated. She had been able to walk out of there with just some shallow wounds and a bit of lightheadedness from not eating. Damon was badgering Elena to eat more and kept asking if she took the pills.
He had one hand on the wheel and the other resting on her arm. It was like he was trying to prove to himself that she was really safe.
"I love you."
"I love you too. You've already said it fifty times."
"It's been almost two days. I have a lot of I love yous to catch up on."
"I can't believe you came to rescue me. I thought I was going to die in there."
"I would never let that happen to you. I'll always protect you, ok? And from now on you're not leaving my sight."
"I"m fine now. You're here."
"We've got tons of stuff to patch you up back at the suite, Nik carries a lot of medical supplies with him. Did you take the pills? You need to drink more water."
"Damon, I'm fine. And for the millionth time, yes I took the pills. With food and water. I just need some rest. It's him I'm worried about."
Elena turned around.
"Nik. Nik, can you hear me?"
He smiled weakly.
"Nice shot, lady." Nik said, half delirious.
"Damon, he looks pale. All that blood." Elena said.
"I'm calling Stefan to see if we can do anything. We can't take him to the hospital, they'll trace it back to us being with Mason." Damon said.
"Damon I don't care if I get caught, we have to do something." Elena shouted.
"Nik said no hospitals. Just let me talk to Stefan, we'll figure it out."
"Nik?" She asked again "Hang on, ok? We're going to find help."
"I promised her." Nik said.
"You what?" Elena asked.
"I promised her everything would be fine."
"Damon, what's he talking about?"
"Tell her I do to. She said it but I didn't. I didn't know. But I do now. Tell her." Nik continued. His eyes were losing focus and he could just make out Elena's shape. He knew it was important to get the message across.
"Damon I don't understand what he's saying." Elena called out.
"Just keep him talking, I think it's better if he stays awake."
"Ok." She turned to Nik. "Tell her what? Tell who?"
"I do. She said it and I didn't. Everything happened so fast. But I do."
"Nik, I don't understand."
"With Robbie, she saw me, no one sees me. We could be happy."
"Who's Robbie, Nik?"
"Family... with her..."
"Nik! Stay awake!"
"I need her to know... I didn't mean to break my promise."
"Nik, keep talking to me, we're almost there."
"Full of light..." He whispered, and his eyes closed.