Warnings: Mature – violence, alcohol use/abuse, adult content, Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie
Matt drove.
And drove.
And drove some more.
He didn't exactly know where he was going, although one answer was clear. He was not going to go see Damon. He didn't want to have to arrest him for murder. Jo and Ric would kill Matt if something like that happened.
So he needed a different plan.
Or at least someone to talk with. He'd just crossed into Mystic Falls when a likely answer came to him. He drove to the once-familiar town square and turned right. Bumping over potholes that he didn't remember, he arrived at a small brown house that almost blended into the darkness surrounding it.
Seeing the lights still on inside the house filled him with a sense of relief. At least he wasn't going to have to wake her up. But if anyone would want to know what he thought was happening to Elena, it would be Bonnie.
He stepped out of the car, trying hard not to slam it and disturb the quiet of the night. As he walked up the sidewalk, he worked through what he planned to say. Because, really, he didn't see that much. But he'd been a cop long enough to know when something felt off.
And something felt very off tonight.
He raised a fist to knock on the door, but it opened before he had the chance.
"Matt?" The heavy scent of incense mixed with smoke drifted out the doorway, making Bonnie seem almost as threatening as he'd long-considered her Grams. "What are you doing here?"
"We need to talk."
"Sure. Come on in." She opened the door wider and beckoned him inside. For someone who almost swore off witchcraft, it was fairly plain to see that was no longer the case. She took her responsibility as protector of Mystic Falls seriously. Now Matt just needed to see if that veil of protection could apply to someone who once was a resident of the town. "You do know it's almost 2 a.m., don't you?"
"Were you asleep?"
"No."
"Then it's not too late for me to be here." Matt took a seat on the couch and instantly began to fidget. Even with all the time he'd spent being surrounded by the supernatural, he still preferred his life being grounded in the mundane.
And here he was, about to ask a witch for help. "Look. You know I told you that Damon has me watching out for Elena."
"Right."
"Her house was on the way home from the restaurant. I went by tonight." Matt proceeded to tell Bonnie about everything he'd seen – from the two women who'd obviously had a few too many to hearing Elena scream to seeing her at the door with blood at the corner of her lips.
Bonnie sat quietly, taking in every word. When he finished, she uttered a string of curses he didn't realize the witch even knew. She ended the tirade with an annoyed shake of her head. "She's doing it again."
"You've lost me now."
Bonnie perched on the edge of the couch like a cat ready to spring on a mouse. Her lips puckered like she'd sucked on something sour, and she seemed conflicted but finally plunged on. "Back when Elena was dating Stefan…" Bonnie paused as if it hurt her to reveal a confidence. "Oh god. She'd kill me for telling you this, but I guess it doesn't matter anymore. She doesn't even remember it. But he hit her. And one night, he got mad and threatened to drive her off Wickery Bridge."
"He did what?" Matt sprang to his feet without even realizing what he was doing.
"He hit her. Threw her against the wall. Threatened her. Made it seem like it was her fault she did it." Bonnie shook her head like a grandmother who'd just heard gossip about one of her grandchildren's best friends. "I tried to get her to leave him then, but too much time had passed when she finally told me. She said they'd worked through it. As long as he had his appetite under control, then the rest of him was too."
"So she dated Stefan back when he still had a drinking problem…and now this guy too."
"Sounds like it." Bonnie chewed down on her bottom lip. "And you know Elena."
"If she thinks she loves him, she'd not going to give up on him that easily."
"But you can help. Can't you?"
Bonnie stared back at him, apparently not surprised that they'd hit this part of the conversation again. Matt couldn't totally blame her for her marginally annoyed expression. Through the years, Bonnie had become the go-to person when they needed something, and was quite frequently ignored when they didn't. Matt tried to remember the last time he'd just stopped by to visit his old friend, but nothing came to mind.
"What do you want me to do?" Bonnie sighed in exasperation.
"Can't you…fix her?"
"I can't un-compel her, Matt." Bonnie suddenly looked tired. "Trust me. I've tried."
That surprised him. He never thought that Bonnie would have interfered in the world of all-things-vampire, at least not without someone asking her to help. "You tried?"
"Right after Damon did it. But I also tried back after I got back from the prison world. Elena wanted her memories back, but even then it didn't work."
Matt tried not to show it, but she'd been his only hope. He didn't know how to help Elena without staking out her house, and even then, he'd just have to be lucky enough to catch the jerk on a bad day.
"Tell you what. I'll keep trying to think of something." Bonnie suddenly looked tired. "If I think something will work, I'll let you know."
When Jaime hit the snooze button for the third time, Elena decided that gave her permission for the first run through the shower. After all, she had to work while he was off. If he wanted to claim the shower earlier, then he should have gotten up when his alarm went off the first time.
Elena was annoyed enough as it was that the too-early-alarm brought her dream to an abrupt end. She'd had another one of those dreams. Funny, this was the first time she'd had two in a row. In this one, she'd been climbing down a circular staircase in the fanciest house she'd ever seen. She was wearing a blue dress that made it seem like she was in some sort of pageant. Something was bothering her, though, as she descended the stairs.
Someone was missing.
Her escort.
He wasn't where he was supposed to be. Stefan. Stefan wasn't where he was supposed to be. Stefan Salvatore. She had to laugh. Her subconscious was getting creative with the names it was inventing.
When she got to the bottom of the stairs, a voice called out another name. Hers? Elena Gilbert was escorted by Stefan Salvatore. But he was nowhere to be found.
Instead, the raven-haired man from her dreams appeared again. When someone gripped her hand, she knew it was him before she even turned to look. He was there…just when she needed him.
Elena sighed as her feet touched the floor. She could take one of those fantasy heroes now. Maybe that's why she kept dreaming about him. The muscles in her back tried to lock as she stood up. She twisted and something pinched. Not what she needed today.
Heading into the bathroom, her heart pounded a little too fast. She wasn't sure what she'd find in the mirror. Elena leaned over the sink, pulling her hair back from her face. Her cheek wasn't too bad. Just a little red. Her eye would definitely take some concealer. She was getting a little too good at this.
Her fingers gripped the hem of her pajama top, intending to pull it over her head, but she had to stop halfway and take a breath. She'd been standing too close to the corner of the kitchen counter. When she'd been knocked off-balance, her ribs caught the sharp point behind her, saving her from falling but leaving a heck of a bruise. Using the same amount of pressure she'd use if she were examining a football player who took too hard a hit, she probed the edge of her rib cage and hissed.
No wonder so many of the guys practically jumped off the table during an exam in the ER. She wouldn't be able to tell without an x-ray, and an x-ray wasn't exactly an option right now…but she was fairly certain at least one rib was cracked.
She got into the shower, hoping the steam would help her let off a little steam of her own. It had been months since he touched her – at least touched her like that. If his mom hadn't been so determined to bring out the wine…
Elena pushed the thoughts behind her. All she was doing right now was making herself more annoyed, and that wasn't the way she wanted to start the day. The alarm went off again in the next room, and she heard a grunt that signaled he was awake this time.
She finished rinsing her hair and ducked out of the shower before Jaime had a chance to open the door. By the time he made it down the stairs, she was almost finished spreading peanut butter on her whole-wheat toast while waiting for the coffee maker to signal it was finished brewing.
"Good morning." He came to stand behind her, brushing her hair off her neck, and stooping down to give her a kiss at the base of her hairline. So this is how they were going to do it this morning. Of course he'd pretend like he didn't remember what happened.
She wasn't going to play that game anymore. Not now. She spun to face him, giving him the death glare that made uncooperative patients hold still and be quiet. "I don't know, is it?"
"Don't be like that."
"You're upset that I'm mad?" She raised the corner of her shirt, revealing more purple than she'd noticed in the bathroom. "I think you broke a rib."
Jaime wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, the pressure in her belly signaling he wanted to go the route of his traditional apology. "Look. I didn't mean to. You know that."
"This happens when you drink." She pushed his arms down and away from her, but she couldn't step back since he had her pressed against the kitchen island. "That's why I wanted to serve coffee."
"I know." He really did sound like he was sorry. "But you have to admit, I've been better."
"Because you haven't had a drink in months."
"Exactly." He smiled the grin that had first caught her eye. "And I promise. After last night, even if my mom wants to open a bottle, I won't do it. In fact, while you're at work, I'll get rid of all the wine in the house. I'm sure I can find someone to pass it off to."
"You'd do that?" Her stomach growled, and she was teetering on the edge of so-starving-she-was sick. "If you want this to work," she gave her ring a pointed look, "you're not going to hit me again."
"I do want this to work. I love you." He ran his hand down her arm, taking hold of her hand, bringing her ring finger up to his lips. "I'll do whatever it takes. I promise."
Her stomach churned again, and her heart pounded in her chest. This was the time she should tell him. This also was exactly when she shouldn't tell him. Get a grip, Ellie. Even her own thoughts were annoyed with how long she'd delayed telling him. "That's good because…"
Her work cell phone sounded, interrupting the conversation. The hospital never called her unless it was an emergency. At this moment, it was one of the most poorly timed emergencies in existence.
Ric rolled onto his side, trailing a fingertip along Jo's thigh. "We should see if we can talk Damon into celebrating half-birthdays too."
Jo inched closer to Ric's side of the bed. "We could probably get him to agree to it, but only if Nina leaves the nail polish at home."
"Did you see him cringe?"
"We shouldn't laugh." Jo felt her forehead wrinkle. When she'd first realized what Damon was, she'd never have predicted he'd become a member of their family. "He seems lonely."
Ric nodded. "I think he is."
"Do you think he regrets it?" Judging by Ric's expression, Jo didn't need to elaborate on what it she meant.
"I've talked to him about it. Probably more times than he wanted to. She'd never have agreed to leave him." Ric's head thudded against the pillow, the playful tone of the morning at an end. "But she couldn't keep going as a vampire…and he wasn't going to make her, not when he had a way to fix it."
"But was it the right decision?"
Ric rolled onto his back, folding his hands behind his head. "Back when I was on the Other Side..." He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Jo's face, obviously remembering the fact that his wife didn't like to be reminded that her husband spend almost a year as a ghost. "I saw everything. She didn't want to transition. She wanted to die instead of turning."
"Then why did she?" Jo propped herself up on her elbow. How had she known Elena for this long and no one ever told her this part of the story? It had been easy to see that Elena was conflicted about eternity as a vampire, and once Damon took Elena's decision out of her hands, things became too dicey to discuss the topic at length. But she'd never realized Elena hadn't chosen her former life for herself.
"For Stefan. He's always been…a little unstable." Ric winced at his word choice. "And since he's the one who let her drown, she was afraid he was going to break if she died a second time. If she didn't turn, she knew he'd turn back into a ripper. She wasn't going to let that happen."
"So that's why…" Jo didn't get a chance to finish her question. Her cell phone began to ring on the nightstand. Since everyone who knew her knew that it needed to be a near-death-experience to bother her on a Saturday morning, she knew it must be a crisis. "What did Noah break this time?" She rolled onto her side, took the phone in hand, and flinched when she answered.
"What?" She motioned for Ric to hand her something to write with. "Can you repeat that? I can be there in…fifteen minutes." She was already on her feet by the time she ended the call.
"Noah okay?"
"That wasn't Damon." She flew through the bedroom at a run, throwing on jeans and last-night's t-shirt without even bothering to pause to take a shower. "A school bus rolled on the way to a band tournament. At least fifty high schoolers are on board."
"Crap. Do you need me to do anything?"
"You can drive."
Jo choked down a granola bar as she typed hurried messages into her phone. As the head of the hospital's disaster response team, she had the privilege of waking more than one staff member up and cancelling a half-dozen's plans. As they drew closer to the scene, it was far worse than she thought. The bus didn't simply drive off the road, tipping into a ditch. It missed the curve at the top of the quarry and tumbled down the whole slope, coming to a rest on its side half-in the water below. All along its route, jackets lay tangled with band instruments and folders and coolers and more too-still high school students than Jo had ever seen.
"Oh my God." Jo stepped from the car, allowing herself one minute of panic before she snapped into ER-physician-mode. "I'll call you tonight to pick me up." She turned to look back at the scene. "Or maybe in the morning."
"Sure thing." Ric's expression was caught somewhere between shock and horror. "Just let me know."
If Ric said anything else, Jo didn't hear it. She was already jogging toward what appeared to be the triage area. Sirens in the distance signaled the imminent arrival of more emergency crews.
"….and you'll take the area in the main tent. Tag them. Stabilize who you can. Then send them on their way." The head of the ER at Mayfield Methodist was pointing to something in the distance. Jo had never been more thankful that she'd participated in the regional emergency drill last month.
He looked up and forced a pleasant expression on his face. "Dr. Saltzman. Good to see you. You'll be at the site of the wreck." He gestured over his shoulder with his pen. "I've already got a few team members over there, but you're the most senior."
Without waiting for additional instructions, Jo took hold of a portable kit and rushed to the gravel road. Even from this distance, she could hear the shouts and cries of the injured mixing with instructions from rescue personnel. She slipped and slid on the loose dirt and finally caught up to the rest of her team members.
And her team members almost had an extra person to treat when she found herself staring straight into the dark brown eyes of Elena Gilbert.
"I have a patient with a compound fracture." Elena stared at Jo with absolutely no recognition on her face. "I was waiting to get your opinion on how best to move him."
Jo simply stared.
And stared.
And finally snapped back to her job. "Where is he?"
"This way. I've already done my best to immobilize it, but I don't want to damage the tendon." Elena knelt beside a boy who couldn't be older than fifteen. His face was covered with a thin sheen of sweat, his skin a mottled shade of gray.
Jo dropped to her knees to examine the boy, giving him a quick once-over, more than a little impressed by what she saw. "Looks good." She glanced up at Elena, nodding quickly. "Let's get him over to the tents."
Whether by coincidence or some kind of sick cosmic twist of fate, Jo found herself working side-by-side with Elena for the rest of the morning. They were an effective pair with Elena often seeming to anticipate exactly what Jo would want or need next – just like Jo had been the one to train her during her early years of medical school…which is exactly what she'd basically done. Gradually, Jo even managed to forget the years they'd spent separated.
Elena was still one of the most gifted young doctors she'd seen. While she'd lost her vampire-blood-advantage, her compassion and ability to connect with patients gained her almost instant trust while at some point during her training, she'd also apparently learned to distance herself and make difficult decisions when necessary.
When Jo stooped to one of the youngest patients' sides, she found herself in the midst of one of those difficult decisions. Just minutes earlier, the girl had been joking and telling the rescue teams to work on everyone else…she was fine. But then she fell silent. Too silent. Jo pressed two fingers to the side of her neck.
Nothing.
"Crap!" Jo shouted a string of curses. Whoever had done the initial triage on the girl had missed something….something big. "Must be internal bleeding." She called out to no one in particular. No pulse. No respiration. Jo looked up to see which of her team members was closest to her, not surprised to see who it was. "Elena! Get over here."
Elena's head snapped around, locking eyes with Jo. A flicker of recognition danced in her eyes before it was replaced by confusion. "What did you just call me?"
"Ellie." Jo corrected herself, mentally cursing her mistake. "That's your name, right?" She nodded for Elena to take over the chest compressions while she focused on the rescue breathing.
"Yes, I just thought…" Elena blinked as she kept a perfect rhythm with the compressions. "I was hearing things. Sorry."
By the time Elena got into her car, the sun was already beginning to set. She hadn't looked at the time in hours, but she guessed it was closer to eight than seven. Her clothes were covered with blood and grime and sweat. When she got home, they were destined for the garbage.
All she wanted to do tonight was take a shower and go to bed.
She was even too tired to eat.
Eating. Damn. The dinner at the club was at seven.
She almost didn't want to look at her phone. She knew what she'd find. But she did it anyway. Sliding her finger to wake it, no fewer than twenty messages greeted her. The first fifteen were from Jaime…on the last few, it appeared he was doing some type of countdown.
Three were from Janine, asking if she was alright and saying they couldn't wait for dinner any longer. They'd have to introduce her to the club members at another time.
The final message was from Jaime's mom, spewing out an apology from any rudeness that might have come from either Jaime or Janine. Someone at the club had noticed the news coverage of the accident on the oversized television in the bar. The reporter had focused in on Ellie helping to transport a patient. She'd never been so proud to introduce Jaime's fiancée to the other club members – even if it had been by pointing her out on the television screen. Ellie wasn't supposed to worry about coming by the club, she just needed to go home and rest.
Elena shook her head, starting the car's engine. Of course she was just going home. Not only could she not walk into the club given her current appearance, if she tried to go there now, she'd probably fall asleep in her appetizer.
She just wanted to go home.
She closed her eyes for a second, visualizing her shower. But it wasn't her shower. And the bedroom she pictured in her head wasn't her bedroom. Instead of the bright Cape-cod cottage she bought two years ago, she could only see a house that seemed more like a museum than a place someone would live.
She adjusted the air conditioning vents to blow directly on her face, wondering if she was even safe to drive. After all, she was seeing things…and she was hearing things.
The doctor she was working with seemed familiar.
And she'd called her Elena.
Yes, Jo tried to cover for her mistake, but Elena was certain of it. She could tell by the oh-crap expression that rolled across her face when Elena questioned what name she'd heard. Jo called her Elena – just like in her dream.
Elena put the car in drive. If she stayed here too long, she was going to end up sleeping in the car or falling asleep on the drive home.
Home.
She hated the fact that driving home made her stomach churn. For the past few days, it churned enough on its own, but after last night, she was afraid of what she'd find when she walked through the front door. Jaime had been so good for so long. As long as he'd been careful with how much he had to drink, he was fine.
He was fine when he was with her – when she could help make sure he was careful. But tonight…tonight he'd been at the club with his family. And they didn't keep track. Of course, they didn't know why they needed to do it. They weren't the ones who ended up bleeding when he'd had a little too much.
She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she didn't realize she wasn't paying attention to her driving. Instead of turning left to go home, she'd turned right at the main traffic light. She rolled her eyes when she realized she was going the complete opposite direction. Turning the wheel, she drove past the Now Entering Mystic Falls sign before doing a u-turn to correct her error.
Finally, she pulled into her driveway, stifling a hint of fear in the pit of her stomach. Jaime's car was already here. That was either a good sign or a not-so-good sign. She reached into the passenger seat to grab her bag, and a sharp pain stabbed her side. She'd done too much today. Too much lifting. Too much carrying. Too much bending. Just too much…after last night.
The front porch light flicked on just as her key turned in the lock. He was waiting for her. She had a list of apologies ready on the tip of her tongue as she opened the door. "I'm so sorry to miss the dinner."
"Don't worry about it. We saw the news."
This was not the greeting she'd been expecting, but she'd take it.
"How are you doing?" A look of genuine concern was on his face as he reached to take her bag.
"Tired."
"I can bet." He nodded, making his way toward the kitchen. "Mom sent you a bowl of tortilla soup. She figured you'd be tired." He pointed to a container on the counter. "She even got them to put in some chips and queso. You should have seen her. Pointing you out to all her friends. I should have come with you. I didn't know how big the wreck was." This was the Jaime she'd gotten engaged to…the one she'd met on her first day after transferring to the new school.
"We handled it alright." Elena stepped out of the kitchen and walked toward the master bedroom. "I am tired, though."
"Take a shower, and I'll heat up your dinner." He'd almost walked out of the bedroom before he turned. "And if you're feeling like it in the morning, Mom's scheduled a tour of the place she's thinking about for the wedding. She thought you might want to see it."
Elena might want to tour the place they were considering having the wedding. The suggestion made her want to laugh, but laughing made her ribs hurt. "I'll try, but I have that interview tomorrow at noon."
Jaime shook his head. "Not a problem. It's in the same town. You'll be able to make your interview – no problem. Honestly, it's not too far from where you were today, actually. We're touring a place called Lockwood Manor."