I jumped out of the chair and was about to rush to the door when Damon held up a hand toward me, indicating for me to stay in the living room. Despite wanting to be at his side, I stopped, rocking on my heels.
From where I was standing, all I could see was Damon's profile lit by the morning sun coming in through the opened door. He was staring with frustrated eyes at the unwelcome guest.
"What do you want?" Damon asked bluntly.
"I guess we're skipping the formalities?" Katherine asked him in a pouty tone. The sound of her voice grated on my nerves and my fingers balled into fists.
Damon's face remained hardened and unchanging, yet I saw pieces of wood splinter from the door as his grip tightened. Apparently her voice had the same affect on him.
Katherine giggled and the nauseating sound sent chills up my spine. "May I come in?" she asked.
"No," Damon denied her request. "You may not."
"Well, it's really not up to you, Damon. You're not the one stopping me. It's your cute little human that's living here now. Oh, Elena?" she called out my name.
I bit down on my lower lip and took a step forward. For some reason, I wanted to see her with my own eyes. Everyone was always attempting to protect me from her and I had grown weary of the back and forth. I was ready to confront her myself. If she had the balls to come to my home and disrupt my family, I should be ballsy enough to stand in front of her and let her see she wasn't breaking us.
Damon's eyes snapped to mine and they narrowed. "Stay there," he commanded.
"Damon, I will find a way to come inside; that you already know. But whether I'm welcomed in or force my way in helps determine the outcome of what happens once I'm there." Her tone had turned icy and I could picture the angry glint that was sure to be shining in her eyes.
As I watched Damon's face, I could tell he didn't doubt her statement. Katherine would get inside eventually. He couldn't keep me hidden in the house forever. But maybe if I agreed to let her come in, she wouldn't wreak hell on the place. I inhaled deeply, making my decision, and began forward again.
I hadn't made it two steps before strong hands gripped my shoulders, stopping me from moving, and a scream caught in my throat. I spun around and came face to face with Stefan.
"What are you doing?" I snapped, letting the abrupt tension seep from my body. I hadn't heard Stefan enter the room.
"Keeping you from making a mistake," he answered quickly.
Katherine began to laugh and both Stefan and I looked toward the door.
"Ever the hero, Stefan. Bravo," she commented mockingly. "Elena, dear, don't you ever get tired of being bossed around by them? Doesn't it grow old?"
I tilted my head to the side slightly and my brow furrowed. I knew Katherine was simply trying to get in my head, but she made a valid point. Either Stefan or Damon countered every move I made. They were the decision makers and if they didn't like my choice, they stopped me. Although it wasn't something I wished to discuss with them at this particular moment, I filed it away to bring up at a later time. All of this grabbing me and carrying me and holding me back had to stop.
"Katherine, we aren't playing this game anymore," Damon told her, interrupting my thoughts. "You need to go."
He began closing the door, but Katherine blurted out a statement that caused my heart to drop in my stomach and the atmosphere to grow dangerously on edge.
"I have Jeremy," she declared simply.
"No!" the scream ripped from my chest and I hurled myself forward. Immediately Stefan's arms wrapped around my torso, holding me back once more. I thrashed against him, trying my hardest to get to the door, to get to Katherine.
Simultaneously I shrieked, "Stefan, let me go!" as Damon yelled, "Stefan, keep her there!"
In an instant, my world teetered on the brink of crashing around me. Jeremy meant everything to me and I couldn't afford to lose him. I would do anything to save him.
"Where is he?" Damon asked, his voice lowering into nearly a growl.
"Let me in and I'll bring him to you," she responded.
"No," he repeated.
I knew that this conversation would lead us nowhere. Damon would continue to refuse Katherine entrance and she would play every hand in her book to change his mind. Even if he agreed, he couldn't say the words that would release her from the hold keeping her out.
This decision was mine alone to make.
"Come in!" I shouted, and I felt Stefan's grip tighten. "Katherine, come in!"
Damon looked to me, his eyes wide with surprise and irritation.
Katherine's form blurred past him and both Stefan and Damon matched the movement to form a protective wall in front of me. Katherine materialized before us and I couldn't help but look around the Damon's side to see her.
She was beautiful. Although we shared the same face, she wore it better. I had seen Katherine once before at Stefan's house, but I had been so overcome with fear that I hadn't been able to really look at her. Even now the memory of that time was murky and overrun by the pressing emotions that took place that day.
Her chestnut brown hair flowed down her back in perfect spirals. She wore a loose fitting purple tank top underneath a black leather jacket, tight jeans, and high-heeled boots. I understood why both Damon and Stefan had fallen for this girl.
But despite the beauty of her outward appearance, you could see the coldness in her eyes. She didn't care what happened to anyone but herself.
"Where is my brother?" I asked, my teeth gritting together.
She folded her arms over her chest, her brown eyes boring into mine. "He's okay…for now."
I could feel my face heating from approaching tears. The tears were not forming out of sadness, but from the infuriating emotions building within me. "Let him go," I instructed boldly. My clenched fists shook at my side.
"In exchange for what?" she tilted her head slightly.
"Give us Jeremy or die. Those are your only options, Katherine," Damon answered. His tone was startlingly even.
Her eyes roamed over the three of us and she seemed unwavering. I expected a fight to break out for the information, so I was more than surprised when she shrugged and said, "He's in the front yard," willingly offering up Jeremy's location.
My feet moved of their own accord for the door. My only thought was that I needed to make sure he was okay. I needed to see for myself that Jeremy was safe.
My actions were rash and foolish and I realized that too late. Katherine only needed a small amount of space between Damon, Stefan, and myself to be able to slip past them and reach me. I gasped as her slender arms wrapped forcefully around my neck and she backed away from the men, using me as a shield.
Her grip was too tight and my fingers scratched at her hardened skin as I fought for air. "Stupid girl," Katherine smirked against my ear. "Your brother is safe and sound at home, just where you sent him."
I stared at the brothers standing in front of us, both with fear etched across their expressions. Their muscles were tensed to spring, yet I knew they didn't want to risk hurting me.
"Let her go," Stefan snarled.
"Take one step and you'll hear the sound of her pretty little neck snapping," Katherine informed them.
"Katherine, what is that you want?" Damon asked and I could hear in his voice it was a struggle from him to continue staying calm.
She laughed. "Why do I always have to want something, Damon? No, no, no, I don't want anything more than to see you and Stefan suffer. When you live forever, things grow boring and I've been bored for much too long. And besides that, I've been waiting for centuries for you or Stefan to come searching for me, but neither of you have. So, I've found you. And ohh let me tell you how much fun I've been having." Her arm tightened around my throat and my struggles grew more severe as she continued choking me. Whooshing noises began in my ears and spots of black and white speckled my vision.
"We thought you were dead, Katherine," Stefan words came out in a rush. "We didn't come looking for you because we didn't think there was anything to look for."
"That's besides the point," she shrugged, releasing her intense hold on my neck, allowing me a bit more air. The sudden release of oxygen to my brain made me dizzy and nauseous. I felt one of her hands lift to run through my hair. "We're all together now," she sighed. "But where to go from here?"
"Let Elena go, Katherine," Stefan urged again.
Katherine huffed and suddenly threw me to the ground. I cried out as I hit the floor painfully. Damon wasted no time in rushing to my side and picking me back up, his arms holding me close to his chest. I rubbed at my sore neck and struggled to regain my breaths.
Before another word could be said, Stefan moved with lightening speed toward Katherine. I knew the move was dangerous and I screamed out for him to stop, but he didn't and the events that followed would forever be etched in my mind.
Stefan grabbed Katherine by the throat and spun her around until she was up against a wall. His vampire features overtook his face and his teeth were poised for her neck. As his fingers tightened their grip and he moved to strike, Katherine pulled a metallic tube from her pocket and smoothly shoved the needle end of it into Stefan's side. His mouth hung open and a gargled groan rose from his lips as he dropped to the floor. Katherine watched with amused eyes as Stefan's skin lost its' color and turned pale. Damon released me and ran for his brother, leaving me alone to watch in horror. Stefan rolled to his back, his head lolling over to face me. Our eyes connected and I felt tears spill over my cheeks. Damon lifted Stefan against his chest and Stefan's lips curved into what I knew was meant to be a smile. Agony rocketed through me as his body fell to pieces before us, ashes spreading on and around Damon.
My body was shaking and I was choking worse than when Katherine was holding me. I slowly fell to my knees, a new wave of shock hitting me. My chest burned as I gasped for air and my hands reached up to grip my hair. Although I understood what had just happened, I couldn't wrap my mind around it.
Stefan was dead.
Katherine's laughter caused me to look away from what was left of Stefan. Her smile was sickening.
She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a tube that matched the one that had just killed Stefan. As her eyes leisurely moved to Damon, my stomach lurched.
"Don't!" I pleaded with her. "Please, no!" I tried to stand, but my uneasy legs sent my back down to my knees.
Damon looked up at her and the rage he was feeling was apparent in his eyes. His fangs appeared along his gums and the dark veins sprouted across his face. "I will tear you to pieces," he growled sinisterly through clenched teeth.
"Damon, no!" I cried. I knew Katherine wouldn't hesitate to use whatever was in that tube to hurt him. I couldn't bare to lose him, too.
Damon's fierce stare remained. His eyes were wild and his chest was heaving. The man that I loved was nowhere to be seen in the animalistic expression on Damon's face. He was beyond controlling, beyond reeling in.
"Well, Damon?" Katherine smirked. "Are you going to do something or not?"
"Don't," I whispered, sobs now breaking from my chest. "I need you, Damon."
Instead of a response to my plea, a deafening growl escaped Damon as he lunged for Katherine. With a blow to her chest, Katherine was rammed against a wall, the metal tube falling from her hands.
The wall cracked as Damon pounded her head into it and nearby glass from a window shattered. Katherine reached forward and wrapped her fingers around the collar of his shirt. With a roaring growl, she pulled him forward, grabbed his throat and spun them both around so that he was now against the wall. In a blur, she reached down and grabbed the deadly tube.
Her arm rose and the tip of the needle glinted in the light. My heartbeat was pounding so loudly in my ears I couldn't even recognize my own scream when it passed through my lips.
Suddenly, Katherine stopped all movements and turned her head toward me. Her face was now that of a vampire and her blackened eyes narrowed, zoning in on my lips. I felt the warm liquid dripping under my nose and I gasped as I understood her distraction.
My nose was bleeding.
Time seemed to stand still in the moments between Katherine lifting the needle and turning to look at me. In that brief second, Damon took advantage of her faltering attention by grabbing her lifted wrist with his own hand and forcing it downward until she was plunging the needle deep into her own abdomen.
She screamed and stumbled back from Damon, yanking the metallic tube from her body. She dropped it and I saw beads of clear liquid drip from the needle.
I instantly realized what had been inside: vervain.
She fell to the ground and neither I nor Damon moved to help her. We both watched as her limbs began to stiffen and the same crippling color that Stefan experienced washed over her. She looked to Damon and mumbled his name as her body began to break apart.
As ashes scattered on the floor, my body welcomed a numbness I had long forgotten. With a heavy heart, I looked up and met Damon's hollow eyes. He was standing motionlessly against the wall with his shoulders slumped.
The icy blue pools stared back at me and I could see their depths were filled endlessly with untouchable pain. His breaths were shallow and his lips parted barely for the air to move to and from his lungs.
Slowly, he moved from his place to approach me. He mimicked my position and knelt to his knees in front of me.
I watched with biting sorrow as a single tear fell from his eye and rolled lazily down his cheek. A gust of wind blew in from the hole in the shattered window and picked up the ashy remains, swirling them around the hardwood floor.
And that was how Katherine destroyed our world.
Authors Note: Okay, this will be a pretty long authors note.
Wow, I know it took forever for this chapter to come out, but I got so caught up with my entry for Fandoms Fight the Floods.
Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'm kind of heartbroken after re-reading it (even though I wrote it). And for those that keep asking, this is not the last chapter of the story, don't worry. Lol.
As always, for more information on where I am with stories and what-not, either read my blog at (REPLACE THE DOT'S WITH ACTUAL PERIODS) writingtoberemembered(DOT)blogspot(DOT)com or follow me on twitter: APhobiac
Alright, for my Fandoms Fight the Floods one-shot, I'm giving you guys a teaser. If you find the story interesting, you can donate until the end of March to receive the compilation of stories.
(If you don't know what Fandoms Fight the Floods is, read here: fandomsfightthefloods(DOT)blogspot(DOT)com/p/home(DOT)html)
Here's the information about my one-shot:
My story is called A Collegiate Experience
Rated M for all of your favorite smut.
Delena one-shot.
Summary: Elena is forced to visit the college she graduated from and learns more during this trip than the four years she paid for.
If you want to see the banner for this story, go to my blog!
TEASER FOR A Collegiate Experience:
I stared at him incredulously. I didn't understand why he would lie to get me into his office and I didn't really appreciate it. And I was starting to get really hungry. I picked up my shoes and stood. "Well, I'm pretty hungry… so I'm gonna head to the food court. You can join me if you want, but if not, again, it was nice meeting you." I turned around and started for the door. His declaration drastically altered the atmosphere in the office and made me uncomfortable.
My hand grasped the silver metal handle and attempted to turn it, but it wouldn't budge. "Hey, I think your door is loc—," I started, turning to look over my shoulder at Damon. My words were caught short when I realized he was standing barely a foot away from me. I turned entirely around, my back pressed against the door. "What are you doing?" I asked quickly.
He lifted a hand and gently ran his knuckles along my jaw line, creating the same electricity as earlier.
And that's all you get! If you want to read more, go donate a minimum of $5 to the cause and you'll get this story plus soooo many more from some amazing authors.
See you guys next chapter!
Oh! One thing I forgot I wanted to share with you guys. I got tickets to the Vampire Diaries EyeCon event at the end of March, so come March 27, I will be meeting Mr. Ian Somerhalder himself. I. Am. So. Excited. :D