Chapter Seven
The next few days feel like the darkest of her short life. It is as if her parents died all over again, but instead of a houseful of guests and casseroles and stories of their lives, it is only her alone in this room. She understands now why people mourn together, because alone the pain is too much to cope with.
It feels like the whole world has just stopped, abandoning her alone. Damon promised her he would never leave her and yet, here she is, without him. Klaus does not return. Her only interaction is with Marco who brings her a plate of food three times a day and takes it away an hour later, barely touched. Every few days, one of the vampires takes her to Dr. Columbi who regards her sadly as he draws a few pints of blood and sends her on her way.
Slowly though, after days—maybe even weeks, she isn't sure—her pain begins to turn to anger and her anger turns to rage. She begins eating again and the more she eats, the stronger she feels. This never should have happened. None of this would have happened if it weren't for Klaus. She has always hated him, but now it hits her full force with a blinding sense of purpose. She will get them out of here and she will make Klaus suffer. She understands now how Stefan felt those few months when the only emotion he could manage to let in was hate. She embraces it and lets it consume her, giving her purpose once again. She has absolutely nothing left to lose anymore. She will get her family out of here or she will die trying.
Her room is not large, but every morning she begins a routine. Her transformation, her subsequent blood loss, and her grief have affected her. She has lost weight, lost even the strength to do more than a few push ups. But every day she tries for a few more. She remembers the training from Alaric and even though she doesn't have any real weapons or the space to run, she tries what she can. She improvises some kickboxing moves, tries poses she remembers from a yoga class she once took with Bonnie, runs in place, does sit ups, push ups, anything she can remember. And day by day she grows stronger.
Still, it is some time before she is able to formulate even a semblance of a plan. It is a blood drawing afternoon with Dr. Columbi when the idea occurs to her. Dr. Columbi smiles kindly at her as he removes the needle from her arm and places the blood bags in his usual box for Klaus. Today however, Elena notices he has drawn an extra bag more he usually does. It sits on the table, a beautiful shade of crimson, ready to be packed away. As his back is turned, getting her the iron supplement she has to take, she considers this. Based on what Klaus showed her in the video, she's quite sure that he is not feeding Stefan, Caroline or Katherine in order to keep them weak.
If she could get to one of them with a few blood bags, they might be able to find a way out, find Spike, and bring help. She knows it is a very desperate plan—she doesn't know where they are being held, what they have been compelled to do, or how to get them out. Stefan might even be starved beyond the ability to not kill her. But at least she can try.
Elena slowly pulls the blood bag across the table to herself and tucks it into her sweatshirt just in the nick of time. Dr. Columbi turns around, vitamin supplements in hand. His eyes immediately flick from the place on the table where the blood bag sat and back to Elena again. She smiles weakly; if he says anything the scheme is up. But he doesn't. He throws a backward glance to Marco, who is leaning against the wall just outside the door, and goes about his business as if nothing happened.
Elena is very nervous as she follows Marco back to her room. Please don't burst open and leak, she thinks, walking very stiffly. As long as the bag remains sealed he won't smell the blood. But if it leaks...
Thankfully they make it back to her room with no mishaps. As soon as Marco shuts the door behind him, Elena rushes to the bathroom. Under the sink are a variety of toiletries. Elena empties the contents of a box of tampons and hides the bag in the bottom of the box, putting them back in on top.
She needs to figure out how to get to her friends. She is sure that Marco or even Dr. Columbi must know something, but she can't work her way around their compulsion when the only Italian words she knows are types of food. After ensuring everything is properly hidden, Elena walks to the door and peeks out into the hall. Marco, as usual, is guarding the door.
"Can I ask you a question?" she asks him, testing his English. So far the only word he has said to her is 'go.'
He regards her confused. Elena holds up a finger and runs back into the room. There is no paper, but she does find a pencil in one of the nightstand drawers. She rips the cover page out of a Nicholas Sparks novel on the bookshelf, and writes a note on it for Klaus, asking for an Italian/English dictionary. She returns to Marco, the guard.
"Klaus?" she asks clearly, "Can you give this to Klaus?"
Marco nods in comprehension at the name Klaus and takes the note from her. Elena goes back into the room.
She spends the next few days trying to fine tune her plan, but without any method of communicating with either Marco or with Dr. Columbi, she finds she doesn't get much farther than managing to steal a few more blood bags which she hides in various corners of the room. Dr. Columbi is on to her scheme; he always leaves an extra blood bag out for her now. She just hopes that Klaus won't catch on and compel him.
Finally, after several days, there is a knock on the door and Klaus enters with his usual arrogant demeanour, though Elena notices he still looks a bit preoccupied.
"I see we're doing better. I came to see you a few weeks ago, but you didn't even notice I was here."
"Do you have my dictionary?" Elena asks acidly from where she is lying on the bed reading. She doesn't bother to get up. "You said I could have reading material."
"Shouldn't you be in mourning?" he taunts. "Or have you changed your mind once again and concluded Stefan was your one true love after all?"
Elena fixes him with the most contemptuous gaze she can muster. "I'm asking because I hate you and you're the only person I can communicate with. Do you have any idea how boring that is?"
"You sound like Katherine. It's such a pity really; you used to be so sweet."
Elena sits up and tosses her book aside. "The sweet, accommodating Elena died in October," she snaps. "Where's my dictionary."
"You can't have one. I don't want you conversing with the minions. I do have a surprise for you, though."
Elena flops back down onto the bed. "I doubt I'm interested."
"Oh, I think you're going to like this one," he glances over his shoulder and commands shouts something at Marco in Italian.
"So how long are you planning to keep me here?" Elena asks, picking up her book again. "Am I ever going back to Mystic Falls?"
"You are, eventually. There's not much point in keeping you here. It will be at least another month, though." He smiles, hearing something. "Ah, I believe they have arrived. Bring him in," he calls over his shoulder. There are footsteps and a few vampires enter the room, shoving Damon in front of them. Elena scrambles off the bed, sending the book flying.
"Damon!" she cries, rushing towards him. The vampire behind him gives him a rough shove towards her, sending him stumbling forward. Klaus just manages to catch him before he crashes headlong into her.
"Careful with the doppelganger!" Klaus barks at the vampires in English, and then begins yelling in a stream of Italian when he realizes they don't understand. They both leave, chagrined. Elena stands on the other side of Klaus, drinking Damon in. He looks a bit thinner than he used to be and his cheeks are more flushed, but he otherwise looks the same as the Damon she has always known. Most importantly, he looks alive.
"How did—why did?" She tries to form sentences. Finally she turns to Klaus. "You told me he was dead! Why would you do that?"
Klaus shrugs. "Call it an experiment," he tells her, grinning psychotically. "You're not the only one who gets bored Elena."
"You're sick," Elena snarls.
"Oh yes, I'm very depraved," he purrs with laughing eyes. "Have fun, children." He leaves the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"Hey." Damon gives her a crooked smile once Klaus is gone.
Elena rushes towards him, embracing him in a tight hug.
"Oomph," he responds, wrapping his arms around her as well.
"He told me you were dead," she says, her voice muffled by her head buried in his shoulder. "I thought you were dead."
Damon brings a comforting hand to her back, gently rubbing small circles. "Nope, I'm officially un un-dead."
"You're so warm," she comments, moving her head from his shoulder to look at him again. "You've never been this warm before."
"Ninety eight point six."
She brings a hand to his face, cupping his cheek. He kisses the inside of her wrist gently, resting his forehead against hers.
"Do you hate me?" she asks sincerely.
He brushes a lock of hair from her face, bringing his mouth close to hers. His eyes meet hers and she feels like she is going to keel over from the intensity of his gaze. "No," he whispers against her lips. His hands gently slide from her waist up her back, warm skin against warm skin.
They stumble towards the bed, not breaking apart. She winds her fingers into his hair, pulling him as close as she can. This moment rages, pulses. It more than consumes her; it pulls her apart, and puts her back together.
Elena wakes feeling sleepy, satisfied. She rolls on to her side. Damon is wide awake, staring at the ceiling.
"Hey," she says softly.
He rolls over, facing her. "Sleepyhead. You've been out for awhile."
Elena buries her head into her pillow. "Mm, well you wore me out."
"Good to know that part still works," Damon grins, propping himself up on one elbow. He fingers the ends of her hair. "You changed your hair. I like it."
"Mm," Elena responds her eyes half closed, running a finger down his arm absently, enjoying the warmth. For the first time in months, she is not sick with dread. The moment she realizes this though, her guilt comes slamming back to her with full force. Her eyes snap open.
"Hey." Damon brings a finger under her chin, "I know that look. Don't give me that look."
"Damon..."
"Sh. Not yet. Give me one minute to enjoy this okay?"
Elena closes her eyes resting her head against his. "You're human, and they're all rotting in some dungeon somewhere, and we're just going to lie in bed?"
"Do you remember the last opportunity we had to just lie in bed?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, we so should've taken it."
Elena fixes him with a withering look.
Throwing his hands up in surrender, Damon rolls back over onto his back. "Alright fine," he says, resigned, "Commence with the questioning."
Elena fluffs her pillow a few times making herself more comfortable. "What the hell happened?"
Damon taps his fingers absently. "I didn't want Klaus coming after you, so Jeremy and I decided that if you didn't find your witch in two weeks, we were going to distract him and go after the cure ourselves. Obviously it backfired."
"How did you even do it?"
"We broke into the maximum security prison in Wise County and turned prisoners into vampires for Jeremy to kill."
Elena sits up, "You took my little brother and broke into a prison?" She whacks him lightly with her pillow.
Damon grabs the pillow from her, putting it under his own head. She glares at him, but he only leans back smirking. "Hey, let's not get judgey about who has done what with whose little brother. I would have killed an entire town to get you that cure if I had to." Elena fixes him with a stern expression. "Oh don't look all shocked. You know it's true."
"But you didn't even want me to take it," she points out trying to yank her pillow back out from under him. It remains firmly beneath his head. "That's why you picked Katherine, isn't it?"
"It doesn't matter what I wanted."
"Yes, Damon, it does matter. It matters to me." She gives up on the pillow and lays a hand on his shoulder. "There's no sire bond anymore. You can tell me what you want and I can tell you to go to hell if I feel like it."
Damon grasps her hand in his, toying idly with her fingers. She notices he still wears his daylight ring even though he no longer needs it. "Fine, I wanted you to be able to decide what you wanted without the sire bond and or Klaus. But you're right; I hoped you would choose to stay a vampire." He takes a ragged breath. "Why did you do it, Elena? You should have picked Stefan."
"Because I was selfish," she answers as she sits back, leaning against the headboard. "I knew you didn't want this, but I picked you anyways because I love you and I want to be with you." She fusses with the edge of the bedspread, trying to come up with the words she needs to say. "I didn't like being a vampire, Damon, and most of the time I downright hated it. But if I'd been given the choice between you and the cure, I hope you know I would've picked you anyways."
Damon's eyes flick up to the ceiling. "I so don't deserve you."
"Hey, don't say that. It's not true." She leans over, cupping his face. "I know that it is going to be hard. But you helped me through becoming a vampire; I'm going to help you through this."
"I don't even know what this is going to look like."
Elena slumps down, lying on her back. "For all I know, we're going to be trapped in this room for the rest of our lives. I don't understand why he wanted to turn you or Stefan back anyways."
"Because he's a sick bastard who gets off on psychologically tormenting people," Damon quips. "But I for one am not going to let him." Damon rolls over, propping himself up on one elbow.
"Tell me the rest of what happened," Elena urges, turning on to her side so they are eye to eye.
Damon sighs. "Well, as soon as the map was finished," he begins, "We got Jeremy to draw it and Matt and I tried to decode it while he distracted Klaus. It turned out to be on a tiny little island of off Cyprus. We were trying to figure out the best time to make a break for it when the thing with the hybrids happened and we went for it."
"How did you get Stefan on board?"
"Revenge on Klaus mostly. Less alcohol and more purpose. I was hoping we could get the cure before Klaus even realized we were gone, but...we weren't very lucky. He decided we were worth more to him than exacting revenge on the hybrids and he came straight after us. I compelled Matt to forget what he knew, but I think Klaus found a way around it. I told him and Bonnie and Caroline to get as far from Mystic Falls as they could, but I don't know what happened."
Elena considers this for a moment. "When I spoke to Caroline, she said something about her and Matt having a plan."
"They did something stupid then; it doesn't matter, though. I realized after we left we should have either taken Caroline with us or sent her off separately because Klaus would've gone after her regardless. Anyways, he caught up to us not long after we found the cure. Stefan and I tried to distract him so Jeremy could get away, but he didn't get very far. Klaus grabbed him and that's the last time I saw him. I'm not quite sure what happened after that; someone knocked me out and I woke up halfway here."
Elena gulps, "So you haven't seen him since...?"
Damon laces his fingers through hers. "No. I'm so sorry Elena. They put us into a dungeon of some kind downstairs. I'm not sure what it is, but we couldn't hear or see each other."
"Where was this dungeon? How do you get down there?" Elena questions in a hushed voice, her brain whirling with possibilities.
Damon frowns. "I don't know. I was a bit preoccupied by the agonizing pain of trying to move." He notices her expression and catches on quickly, "What are you planning Elena?"
"Who says I'm planning anything?" Elena pulls back, feigning innocence. Whatever she does, he can't know about it; he could be compelled and forced to give away everything, or even worse—hurt in the process. She feels a fierce desire to protect him now that he is more vulnerable. After all, it's her fault in the first place.
"You're not as hard to read as you think you are, Miss I'm Up to Something."
"I swear. I'm not up to anything. Cross my heart."
Damon gives her a knowing look. "Liar," he whispers, his eyes flickering with amusement.
"Finish telling me what happened," Elena insists, trying to distract him.
He hesitates. "Elena, there's something you should know." He swallows once. "I really don't want to tell you this."
"Damon, what is it?"
He looks at her forehead, lightly brushing a piece of hair away from it. "After he gave you the cure, they fed me some blood and put me in a room kind of like this one. They wanted me to recover before they gave me the cure. I think they put me in a room above the big one we were in earlier. I could hear what was going on downstairs… Klaus…he had Tyler brought into the room."
Elena gasps. "No..."
"I'm not sure how he even found him. I think he used Caroline to lure him somewhere. I'm so sorry, Elena."
"Is he..?" The word dead hangs in the air between them, unsaid.
Damon nods grimly.
"Are you sure?" she chokes out.
"I'm positive. I'm so sorry, Elena." She leans against him, crying silently.
Damon rubs her back gently. "I know this won't make you feel any better," he says after a few minutes of letting her cry, "but I'm also sure he let Caroline go."
"He did what?" Elena asks, wiping her nose.
"Klaus compelled one of his vampires take her home."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because despite being completely batshit psychotic, he loves her."
Elena sits up, wiping her eyes, "I'm going to kill him," she says with resolve. "And I don't care what I have to do to do it."
"Did you find the witch?" Damon asks her quietly. Elena puts a finger to her lips.
"No," she says purposefully loudly, just in case anyone is listening. She motions for him to follow her into the bathroom where she flicks on the shower.
"We found Spike," she whispers shrugging off her t-shirt and climbing into the shower. "He was going to get the witch when Kol found us."
Damon arches an eyebrow in amusement and immediately steps in after her. "How does Klaus not know about this?" he asks, equally hushed.
"I got lucky. He did a crappy job of compelling me. I think he's preoccupied with something."
Damon tilts his head back into the spray of water, thinking. "I bet it's the hybrids. The werewolf gene is pretty rare and he killed off most of the American ones."
"I don't understand why he needs them at all. He has a whole slew of compelled vampires at his disposal."
"It's a superiority complex thing. Or he has something diabolical planned. Probably both."
"If we can get Stefan or Katherine out, they might be able to find Spike," Elena suggests.
"What about Caroline? Maybe he'll find her."
"I don't think the chances of that are good. And who knows what kind of state she's in…especially with what happened to Tyler."
She leans against him, resting her head on his shoulder.
"We'll figure it out," he says throatily in her ear, planting a series of soft kisses on her neck. Elena gently slides her hands up his chest, tilting her head up to meet his mouth.
There's a resounding knock on the door.
Damon groans, leaning his forehead on hers. "You have got to be kidding me."
"You stay here, I'll deal with it." She instructs, stepping out and wrapping a towel around herself.
"Hang on," she calls as she enters the bedroom.
"It's time for your blood draw," a familiar voice calls back, irritated.
Elena stops dead in her tracks. "Stefan?"
She walks over to the door and throws it open. It is certainly Stefan, but one look at him tells her everything she needs to know. His nonchalant posture, the psychotic grin on his face and most of all, his eyes filled with a half crazed bloodlust make it obvious, he's flipped the humanity switch.
"Let's cut this little reunion short," Stefan says, crossing his arms. "I have better things to do than shuttle around everyone's favourite blood bag."
"What did he do to you?" Elena utters in disbelief.
Stefan's eyes flick behind her, Damon is standing there, surprised and also towel clad.
"Well isn't this a happy picture," Stefan comments.
"I..." Elena looks from one brother to the other, trying to say something.
"Stefan," Damon recovers quickly. "You're looking awfully... chipper."
"And you're looking awfully human," Stefan chuckles. "Better you than me brother."
"As always, your timing is nothing short of impeccable," Damon comments drily.
Stefan shrugs. "Klaus told me take Elena to her blood draw." He nods at Elena. "Get dressed. I have things to do."
She glances at Damon; she doesn't really want to leave him alone with Stefan, even for a minute. Damon cocks an eyebrow as if to say he has everything under control, Elena throws him a skeptical look but the situation calls for more clothing than a mere towel. "Hang on," she sighs, grabbing some clothes from the wardrobe and trudging towards the bathroom.
"You could just change in here," Stefan calls after her, laughing. "It's not anything we haven't both seen before."
Elena rolls her eyes and slams the bathroom door shut in response. She can still hear them talking in the bedroom, though.
"So..." she hears Stefan say. "You didn't waste any time did you?"
"What do you want me to say, Stefan?" Damon replies defensively.
"Knowing you, I'm sure you can come up with something. Or did humanity quash your sense of humour out of you?"
"Oh trust me, it's still there. How are you by the way? Rip anyone's head off today?" Damon throws back playfully.
"At least I'm the one doing the ripping," Stefan spits back at him. "Tell me Damon, how does it feel to know that after a century and a half of always having the edge that I could end you in seconds?"
"By the looks of you, I still got the better end of the deal. At least I'm not Klaus's little bitch. Again."
"I'd rather be Klaus's than Elena's. Elena hurry up," Stefan calls. "You're getting your blood drawn, not going to the prom."
"I'm hurrying," she calls back.
Elena emerges, piling her wet hair on top of her head. Damon grabs her sweatshirt off the end of the bed and holds it out for her as she shrugs into it. Tenderly, he pulls a strand of hair she missed off her neck and gently tucks it into the bun on top of her head. Is he trying to bait Stefan, she wonders. She turns around, throwing him a quizzical expression but he glances over the top of her head, distracted by his brother. Finally he meets her eyes and zips up her sweatshirt.
"Have a good blood draw," he says softly planting a kiss on her forehead. She narrows her eyes, indicating they will be having a conversation later.
"Ok, let's go," she urges Stefan.
Stefan ushers her out the door ahead of him. "You take care, brother," he calls over his shoulder as they leave. "Enjoy your life while you can. By my reckoning, you've only got a few good years left before your hairline starts to recede."
"We both know I'll still be better looking," Damon calls after them. Stefan slams the door shut in response and strides past her.
"So did Klaus compel you to turn it off?" Elena asks, trotting behind him down the corridor.
Stefan spins suddenly around on his heels. "I know what this is, Elena. You're hoping I'll say 'yes' so you don't have to feel guilty." She opens her mouth and then shuts it again. He smiles wickedly, "You're out of luck. This one's all on you."
"It doesn't matter, Stefan," Elena insists. "I feel guilty either way. Which I'm sure was Klaus's intention when he forced me to pick one of you."
"Oh, I'm sure his intentions are far more diabolical than that."
"And those intentions are?"
"Hell if I know," he says, turning around and continuing to walk.
Elena grabs his arm. "Stefan, I know you don't care right now. But someday you will again and I want you to know that just because I'm with Damon doesn't mean I don't care about you," she declares sincerely. "I know who you are, Stefan, and I will always fight for you. We're family."
Stefan shrugs her arm off, snickering. "Family? That's pretty messed up, Elena, even for you. God, it doesn't matter who you're sleeping with or what species you are, does it?" He laughs again with a light yet sinister laugh. "You really aim to be as pathetic as possible, don't you?"
He turns around and continues walking. Elena follows, trying not to let him get to her.
"So have you seen Jeremy?" she asks trying again. Other than Klaus, Stefan is the first English speaking person with potential information she's had access to.
"Can't tell you that," Stefan replies.
"Because you've been compelled?"
"Can't tell you that either."
"Is Katherine still alive?"
"Unfortunately," He replies curtly.
They stop at the door to the hospital room. "In you go," Stefan instructs, opening it for her. "I'll be back in half an hour to come get you. Unless of course, you need someone to hold your hand?"
Elena gives him a dirty look and storms in, arms crossed. It takes Dr. Columbi only fifteen minutes to get all the blood he needs today. Elena refrains from sneaking a bag back with her, now that Damon is around it is going to be hard enough just to keep the ones she has hidden. She glances around the room. Stefan said he wouldn't be back for half an hour. She knows it's risky—she will probably get caught—but the lure of information is too strong; she hasn't been compelled and she has fifteen minutes before anyone will notice she is missing. With a nod to Dr. Columbi who regards her curiously, she slips out of the room.
The landing she finds herself on is, of course, familiar. There's a short staircase leading up to her room and another leading down. Elena treads quietly down the stairs and finds herself back in the main hall she was in when she was still a vampire. The door to the large room they were in before is propped open, but there doesn't appear to be anyone in it. She creeps towards the second set of stairs that lead down. They are very narrow and they go for some time, curving at turns. At the bottom, she finds a small dark room with a wooden door. She moves towards it.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
Elena whirls around. Stefan stands nonchalantly at the bottom of the staircase.
"How did you know I was here?" she demands.
"Lucky guess. You're not that unpredictable, Elena."
She sighs. "Fine, drag me back upstairs."
"If you'd prefer to stay down here and be locked up, I'm sure it could be arranged. I won't judge; I know what a pain in the ass Damon can be." His eyes widen in humour. "You and Katherine could have adjoining cells."
"Can I see her?" she asks cautiously.
"Nope."
"Whatever." She brushes past him, arms crossed, and makes her way back up the stairs. "Are you going to tell Klaus?" she asks, worried for Jeremy.
Stefan follows her up the stairs. "Not everyone is as stupid as you are, Elena. Like I'm going to voluntarily confess to leaving you alone long enough to sneak downstairs?"
Elena throws her hands in the air. "I don't know what you'll do Stefan. Your personality does a complete one-eighty when you're like this. Damon doesn't even know what you're capable of and he knows you better than anyone."
"Not for long, I'm sure. I wonder how long he'll last as a human before he gets himself killed trying to protect you."
Elena desperately resists the urge to hit him. "I hate it when you're like this," she growls in frustration.
"You're the one who made him mortal, Elena," Stefan taunts. "You know, if you really loved either of us, you would have just let Klaus kill us. At least then we'd be free of you."
Elena bites back tears. "I don't buy that. You both could've me left a long time ago if you'd wanted to."
"You think I never thought about it, Elena? You think Damon never thought about it? We both did plenty of times. Do you know where Damon was that night I bit you? He ran off with Katherine because he couldn't handle the pressure of trying to live up to your ridiculous expectations."
"Stop it," she chokes.
Stefan grins, knowing he's finally gotten to her, "Do you really think you're that special, Elena? Do you really think that you have anything I couldn't have gotten from any other high school girl? I don't know what Damon sees in you, but I wouldn't count on it lasting long. If you're lucky he'll get bored and move on. And if you're not, he'll stick around and hate you forever. That's what he does Elena."
Elena brushes away the few tears leaking out of her eyes and brings back her fist; she punches him as hard as she can manage in the jaw. He barely flinches, but his eyes give him away.
For a split second she sees a stab of guilt, a flash of tenderness. She knows that look; she searched for weeks on end to see even a hint of it in him.
Elena's eyes widen. "You haven't—" Stefan quickly recovers and places his hand over her mouth, giving her a scathing look. He jerks his head up the stairs and lets his hand drop, grabbing her arm instead. He leads quickly up the rest of the stairs and bursts into the bedroom. Damon is lying on the bed, skimming Dante's Inferno. He regards their entrance with nothing more than a raised eyebrow. Stefan motions his head towards the bathroom and goes to turn on the tap.
"I take it the jig is up?" Damon remarks as soon as the water runs. Elena reels on him.
"You knew about this?"
"Chill, I've only known about half an hour longer than you have." Damon shuts the door and leans against it.
"So what, you snuck back here while I was having my blood drawn and hatched some secret plan?" She looks from one Salvatore to the other.
Damon scratches his ear guiltily and glares at Stefan, indicating that is exactly what happened. "I told you she was going to catch on. You're going to have to up your game if you want to keep fooling Klaus." He turns to Elena, "What gave him away?"
Elena glances at the floor, embarrassed about her outburst. Stefan shifts his feet a little and finally meets his brother's eyes.
"I made her cry," he confesses uncomfortably.
Damon's eyes flash, for a moment revealing a side to him Elena had hoped might be gone for good. "Stefan!" he bursts, taking a step closer to his brother.
Stefan holds up a hand to stop him. "You're the one who told me I had to up the ante if I was going to convince her. I'm pretty sure you don't get to play the concerned boyfriend when it was your idea in the first place."
"I said it would be more believable if you made her mad, not make her cry," Damon spits, gesturing wildly.
Elena crosses her arms. "Both of you shut up. Someone needs to tell me what the hell is going on. Now."
Stefan leans against the shower, crossing his arms. "I faked turning my humanity off before Klaus could compel me to," he explains. "Caroline managed to slip this to me before she left." He pulls something out of his sock and lets it dangle in front of her. Elena gets a good look at it, recognizing the vervain necklace she gave Caroline back when she was still human. "I'd already been compelled some at that point, but it's kept me safe since then."
"Why were you trying to hide it?"
"You and Damon can still be compelled; I didn't want you to accidently give me away. Unfortunately you both caught on all on your own."
"So what are you trying to do?" Elena hoists herself up so she is perched on the edge of the sink while Damon remains leaning on the door, hovering near her elbow.
"I want to try and get Katherine out," Stefan declares. "I don't think she's been compelled to stay here. If we can feed her and get her out of her cell, we might have a shot. I know she has allies, people who might help us."
"And I told him it was a stupid idea," Damon counters, irritated. "Even if we manage to get her out, Klaus will immediately retaliate; he'll kill Stefan no question, possibly Jeremy, probably me. And I'm sorry, I don't buy this whole 'Katherine has allies' crap. Nobody's that stupid."
"We were," Stefan points out. Damon rolls his eyes.
"You're forgetting about the witch," Elena points out. Damon lets out a sigh of frustration.
"Witch?" Stefan looks from Damon to Elena quizzically. "You didn't say anything about the witch, Damon."
"No offense, Stef, but humanity or not, you're high on the human stuff. I don't trust you like this."
"Damon..." Elena warns, but Damon is having none of it.
"Last time he was like this he tried to drive you off a bridge, Elena."
Stefan nods his head slowly in agreement. "I know," he says. "And you're right to question me right now. But we're going to have to trust each other and let some things go if we're not all going to live out what is rest of our lives under Klaus's thumb." He turns to Elena. "Did you find the witch?" he asks eagerly.
"She exists," Elena answers vaguely. "Katherine might be able to get to her. Damon's right, though. If we try and get Katherine out this way, most of us will be dead before she can bring help. You need me."
"We didn't want to involve you," Stefan insists.
Elena rolls her eyes. "Well that was stupid of you."
"Elena—"Damon tries to cut in.
"No," Elena interrupts firmly. "Think about it, Klaus is going to send us back to Mystic Falls, right?"
"Yes," Stefan answers.
"So we wait until right before he does and Katherine and I swap places. I have some of my blood stashed; we can feed her that. She gets away and we mitigate the risk by making it look like she did it on her own."
"That just puts you at risk," Damon points out. Elena glares at him.
"Look, it isn't perfect, but as long as Katherine gets away clean, it could work. Stefan has vervain and he could compel you and me to forget everything. It's the safest plan there is; Klaus is not going to kill me."
Stefan nods once, thinking through the idea.
Damon on the other hand, is incensed. "There are a thousand and one ways that can go wrong—and even if they don't— do the words 'Katherine gets away clean' not resonate with you? She'll be in Dubai slinging back wine coolers before Klaus can rip your heart out."
"If Katherine gets away, that is twice she owes me her life," Elena tells them. "She doesn't forget that kind of debt. If she did you'd be long dead from a werewolf bite. She'll get the witch."
Stefan looks to his brother. "Look, I don't like it either," he begins with a pleading stare, "but this is the best plan we have."
Damon shakes his head. "No way. Just because Klaus won't kill you, Elena, doesn't mean you won't starve to death before Katherine gets away."
"That's why we wait to do it until right before Klaus sends us back to Mystic Falls. We'll slip her the blood bags I have, change clothes and she can knock me out and feed on me a little. As soon as she gets away, they'll figure it out and Klaus will find me. It won't take long."
Damon shakes his head again. "It's too desperate."
"None of us like this, Damon," Stefan says evenly. "But we only have so long before Klaus finds some werewolves and starts his hybrid creation. He's got people scouting them already and as soon as he finds them, he's sending you back to Mystic Falls. I can't see an alternative, can you?"
He pauses, giving his brother a moment to respond, but Damon doesn't answer. He flicks his eyes, as if to say go on.
"I know Jeremy's alive, but I don't know where he is," Stefan continues. "And with Caroline in Mystic Falls— probably compelled— and you and Elena now human, I don't see any other way out of this. I can't leave this fortress without Klaus's permission, and I'm not expecting I'll get it any time soon. If you have an alternative, I'm all ears. But the fact is: we don't know what the situation looks like in Mystic Falls—"
Damon takes a breath. "And it's better to act where we know the situation," he finishes tiredly, "I was a solider once, I know."
Elena reaches for his hand. "It'll be fine Damon. Stefan will compel us; you'll barely even know that I'm gone."
"That's not as reassuring as you think it is." He runs his thumb over her palm.
"It's the only way," Elena pleads.
"I know." Damon turns to Stefan. "How long before Klaus lets us go back to Mystic Falls?"
"I'm not sure," he answers, "Probably a few weeks. He's got some contacts scouting out potential werewolves but they're waiting until after the full moon to make a move. When he does find them, he's sending you and Elena back to Mystic Falls with Kol. There's not a lot of room here and he wants her kept far away from the hybrids in case something goes wrong."
Damon drops Elena's hand. "Fine, let's go through with it then."
"You're going to have to compel us to forget now," Elena urges Stefan. "It's too risky for us to know without vervain."
Stefan nods, grimly.
"You can start with me," Damon offers. "I'm trusting you to not jack this up, Stefan. If you do I swear to God—"
Stefan clamps a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You can trust me." He glances at Elena, still perched on the sink. "I promise." He takes a ragged breath, "Damon, I know things have been strained between us but I want you to know that I—"
Damon gives his brother a small smile. "I know, Stef. Me too."
Elena bites back her tears causing Damon to laugh. He offers her a hand, helping her off the sink. "Ah, we should stop. We're making our girl cry again."
Elena wipes her eyes. "Happy tears," she says, smiling. She looks from one brother to the other. She knows she should be angry with Damon for his teasing use of the word 'our,' but she can't really bring herself to mind much. Katherine was right. She does love them both. The difference is where Katherine saw a game to be played, a role to manipulate, Elena sees only two people she would do anything for. She and Stefan will never go back to the relationship they had before, but they will always care about each other and somehow she knows that all three of them are stronger for it.
She knows that they all have a long road to go when it comes to mending fences. But, standing here, between the two brothers, crammed into a tiny bathroom, she allows herself to feel hope. The three of them have hated and loved and fought and betrayed each other in some of the worst ways imaginable, but when all is said and done, they still stand here together, trusting each other. What is Klaus, really, in the face of their admittedly strange but unbreakable bond?
She glances at Stefan who takes a deep breath and looks into his brother's eyes. He opens his mouth, but then he stops. The tension is palpable.
"Just do it Stefan," Damon urges calmly.
Stefan opens his mouth again, his eyes dilating with compulsion. "Damon, you're going to forget that I didn't really flip my humanity switch. You don't know anything about the plan to swap Katherine and Elena. If you come across one of the blood bags, you won't notice it is there. When Katherine shows up, you are going to think she is Elena. In the meantime, you need to train and get your strength back." Damon nods once in acknowledgement and stares blankly ahead.
Stefan turns to Elena. "Elena, for what it's worth. I'm sorry I made you cry earlier. I was…"
"Letting out some frustration?" she finishes for him.
"Yeah. What I said, though, I didn't really mean it. Please believe that."
"It's okay. I…I hope you feel better. I deserved it. And I'm sorry too." She envelops him in a quick hug. "Alright," she says stepping back and trying to smile. "Compel me."
He grimaces slightly. "You know, I've never compelled you before."
"You haven't compelled Damon before either. C'mon, Stefan. It won't be so bad."
He bites his lip but finally he brings himself to continue. "Elena, you're going to forget all of this until it is time to trade places with Katherine. You're going to forget any plans you were making before and if you come across any of the blood bags you stashed for her, you're not going to notice them. As far as you know, I flipped my humanity switch."
Elena blinks and glances around the room blankly. She is standing in the bathroom; the sink is running and Damon standing next to her, absently fingering the ends of her hair.
"Why are we standing in the bathroom?" she asks him.
Damon shrugs. "Want to do some training?" He gives her a wide, charming smile. "We could work on stamina." He winks rakishly.
Elena laughs, playfully punching his arm. "I'll show you stamina."
Standing outside in the hallway, Stefan leans against the wall, waiting to make sure they snap out of their compulsion. As soon as he hears Elena's shrieks of laughter, he pushes himself off the wall, squaring his shoulders and walking away.
A/N: Thank you all for reading, I hope you all are enjoying this journey as much as I am. Special thank you to my beta SkyeVenomatic who completely rocks!