Hey everyone! So this chapter is short because I really want to start on the next chapter, which is where the Delena stuff officially starts happening! Okay so I just want to let you know that everything after 2.11 is officially irrelevant to the story. I was going to see what happened on Thursday and try to work it in to the story, but I didn't like where things are going with Jules/Caroline/Tyler or particularly with Damon, so ignore all of that. I think I may do little flashback chapters to explain exactly what happened with Rose, Jules, etc. R & R(:
The seven of them spent the next hour discussing, planning and preparing. Elena hadn't expected it to be such a long meeting; she expected to tell them and then maybe after a little discussion, they would leave. It didn't play out that way and they were all getting into a plan to help protect Elena more so than they already do now. It comforts Elena in a way no one can possibly understands to have a support system like she does, but she feels uncomfortable with- from the direction this plan is going- being babysat.
Elena had argued of course. "I'm not a child," Elena says, "I don't need a babysitter."
"We know that Elena," Bonnie says, an understanding look on her face. "But this changes things. You need more protection now."
"I don't understand why though," Elena says, eyebrows scrunched together. She already had a lot of protection. A lot.
"Because its no longer just you we need to protect," Caroline says. Tyler has his arms wrapped around and the way his eyes light up at her voice, for just a millisecond, causes Elena to feel a twinge of jealously. Its irrational, but she can't help but missing that.
Stop it, Elena. Focus.
"Exactly," Bonnie says, in full agreement with Caroline. "We have someone else to protect now too."
It almost strikes Elena as funny at how much the conversation has changed from when they first came. They had trouble believing it at first, and now they're all solely devoted to protecting Elena and the baby. Its like in the short span of time they've been here, they've falling in love with the baby as much as she already has. She glances at Damon, sitting on the couch beside her and wonders what he thinks about all this. His face gives her no clues whatsoever as to his thoughts and she is a little too scared of his answer to ask.
Her thoughts drift back to the car.
"Because I protect the people I care about," Damon says. "And I protect my family."
"But I'm not your family," I say.
"No, but I care about you," he says. He points to the ultrasound photo. "And he or she is my family."
Does he honestly mean that? Will he really go to the lengths he's said to help her? Is he helping her for the reasons he says or for some unknown reason? So many questions, so little answers.
"What about Jenna?" Jeremy asks, suddenly.
"What about her?" Damon asks, taking a sip of whatever alcohol interests him today.
"Well, I mean, its not like Elena can exactly hide it from her," he explains, eyebrows furrowed. "And when she does tell her, I don't think she can lie."
"Why not?" Damon asks, eyebrows furrowed, just as Jeremy's are.
"Well, you have to wear a ring to walk in sunlight," Jeremy says, "and you have to drink blood to survive because you're a vampire."
Damon nods, signaling him to go on.
"So what if the kid is more vampire than human?" Jeremy asks. "Will he or she need some kind of protection from the sunlight? Will he or she need blood? And what about vervain?"
Elena's eyebrows furrow. She hadn't thought about that yet. Jeremy certainly did bring up good questions. Exactly how vampire is the baby? More rather than less? Would the baby need protection? Blood?
"I can put a spell on something and as soon as he or she is born give it to you," Bonnie says, helpfully. "We won't have to find out the hard way."
Elena releases a breath, not realizing she had been holding it.
One problem down, Elena thinks to herself. A million to go.
"As for the vervain," Damon says, "I already told Elena to stop ingesting it."
"But what about compulsion?" Bonnie asks, looking at Damon in the way that hints to Elena she isn't looking because he's the one who talked last. Bonnie's looking because she's worried he'll compel her.
Elena knows with unexplained- and lets face it, unrealistic- certainty that Damon won't compel her. She can't explain it, she just knows. She just wishes her best friend had the same feeling of certainty she does. Things would be so much more simpler, but Bonnie just doesn't like Damon. Never has and probably never will. Maybe its because he tried to kill her a long time ago. Elena understands but that Damon is gone; buried in the tomb with Katherine and her horrible ways.
"She still has the necklace," Damon says, glancing at the necklace Stefan had given her before she knew what vervain was to protect her- from Damon.
"Good," Bonnie says, relief evident in her voice and face.
Something in Damon's eyes twitch- anger maybe?- before he quickly covers it up with the sarcastic smile Elena hates so much.
"Don't worry, Bonnie," Damon says, narrowing his eyes just the slightest. "I don't plan on draining Elena anytime soon. You can stop watching me out of the corner of your eyes."
Elena's eyes widen. She hadn't noticed Bonnie watching Damon at all. Maybe that's why Damon has been randomly death staring certain parts of the room every few minutes for the last hour. Elena wonders if Bonnie thinking he would hurt Elena bothers him, or if he just doesn't like being accused of things.
"What can I say?" Bonnie asks, her tone radiating bitch, which is very rare for Bonnie. "I can never be sure when the Damon of a year and a half ago is going to come back."
Everyone watches the two of them, waiting for Damon to fall on the floor with an aneurism or Damon to lunge at Bonnie. Of course, Damon wouldn't get very far. Bonnie has become a much stronger witch in the last year, especially because of Luca. He's taught her all of these tricks to use more power but not drain herself, making her a much stronger, much better witch.
That reminds Elena- she needs to talk to her best friend about her sketchy boyfriend.
Damon gives a wicked smile, oozing danger and a predatory gleam. He leans forward. "I can assure you, if that time ever comes, you'll be the first to know."
Bonnie opens her mouth to say something but Elena, losing patience with their old ways, interrupts. "Enough," she says, tone sharp. "You two are not going to fight. I have enough problems right now. I don't need you two fighting like children on my plate too."
Guilt fills Bonnie's face. "Sorry," she says. "I shouldn't let him get to me like that."
Damon glares at her for a second longer before turning his head to the side, out of sight of everyone.
"Jenna's going to start wondering where we are," Jeremy says, quietly. "We can't say we're going to spend "quality guy time" forever."
Tyler snorts. "You said you two were spending quality guy time together?" he asks, stifling a laugh.
Jeremy shoots him an annoyed look. Jeremy and Tyler's relationship hadn't improved much in the last year. Of course, they no longer tried to beat the hell out of each other every time they lay eyes on the other, but they weren't exactly best friends either.
"Its not like I had much time to make up a more believable plan," Jeremy says, annoyed.
Tyler bites back his smile and holds his hands up in front of him, surrendering.
"Jeremy's right," Alaric says. "We should probably be leaving before Jenna starts getting curious."
Elena nods. "Alright."
"Are you coming?" Jeremy asks.
Elena shakes her head. She needs tot talk to Bonnie about Luka, sooner rather than later. "No, I'll be home later. As far as Jenna knows, I'm still at Caroline's."
Jeremy and Alaric nod and stand up. Tyler and Caroline get up too.
"We should probably get going too," Caroline says. "I have to, you know, start getting ready and stuff."
Tyler looks down at his feet and smiles.
"I hope you two have fun on your date," Elena says, again hating how she feels a bit jealous at them.
"Wait," Damon says, standing suddenly.
All eyes turn to him.
"What?" Elena asks.
"This information shouldn't leave this room," he says.
"You mean about the baby?" Elena asks, confused.
He nods. "Don't' tell anyone. No one at school, parents, no one."
Elena retrains herself from rolling her eyes. "I'm no exactly embarrassed or ashamed Damon. I don't care if people know. Its not like they won't know soon anyways."
Damon looks like he's retraining himself from rolling his eyes now. "Do you really think Elijah just left a year ago? That he just walked away from Mystic Falls without leaving eyes and ears behind?"
Realization washes over Elena. "He has people watching us," she says, paling.
"I'm willing to bet my life," he says.
The thought shakes them all, but they can't worry about that now. Right now, they need to focus on what's happening right this moment, not the what if's and maybe's.
After everyone but Bonnie leaves, Elena sees her opportunity. She needs to talk to Bonnie about Luka now.
"Bonnie can I talk to you for a minute?" Elena asks, hesitantly.
"Sure," she says, sitting back down. "What's up?"
"Damon and I were talking last night," Elena begins, "and we think we know why nothing supernatural has happened in the last year."
Bonnie's eyebrows furrow. "What do you mean?"
Damon sighs loudly. "Come on witch," he says, condescendingly. "You can't possibly say you haven't wondered why nothing has happened in the last year."
Elena's surprised and proud when Bonnie doesn't say something snarky back to Damon. Bonnie doesn't and continues to stare at them, completely clueless.
"But Elijah said he was going to protect everyone you cared about," Bonnie says, looking at Elena. "Why would anything happen?"
"Bonnie," Elena says, slowly, not wanting to upset her best friend. It's no secret how much Bonnie loves Luka. Its obvious.
"Elena stop," Bonnie says. "I'm not a child. Tell me what's going on."
"We think Luka and Jonah are working for Elijah," Damon blurts out.
Bonnie's eyes widen. "No," she says, shaking her head slowly. "No he-"
"Bonnie think about it," Elena says. "Luka and Jonah came to Mystic Falls when Elijah did. Elijah said that he had witches to help protect this town. It has to be Luka and Jonah. It can't just be coincidence."
She expects Bonnie too argue or get angry but she doesn't. Instead her face shuts down and emotionless, she asks, "So what do we do?"
"Nothing," Damon says, simply.
"Nothing?" Bonnie and Elena both ask, turning to him.
He nods.
"But if they are working with Elijah.. shouldn't we do something?" Elena asks.
"Not right now," Damon says. "So far, they have been keeping the town safe. I think for now, we should pretend like we don't know and act on it later."
"Fine," Bonnie says.
Elena gives her best friend a hug. "I'm so sorry Bonnie."
Bonnie gives her a weak smile. "Its fine, Elena," she says, shrugging. "Its not like I planned on marrying the guy or anything."
Elena decides to drop it, clearly seeing Bonnie isn't ready. "Alright," Elena says, nodding. "Whenever you need to talk."
Bonnie nods and stands up. She's getting upset and both Damon and Elena can see it.
"I'll see you guys later," Bonnie says, quickly, before turning and walking out the door and to her car.
Elena watches her car disappear. "Poor Bonnie."
Damon rolls his eyes. "She'll be fine."
Elena gives him a pointed look. "She's hurt," Elena says. "She just found out the guy she loves has been lying to her for the last year."
"I spent a 145 years obsessively trying to save the woman I loved, who I thought loved me back but turned out to be a lying bitch," Damon says, getting up and pouring himself a drink. "If I can be okay with that, Bonnie can be okay too."
Elena doesn't know what to say to that, so she doesn't say anything at all.
So there ya go! Hope you were satisfied! Okay so the next chapter isn't going to be like set immediately after this one. Its going to be set about two months from this chapter so be prepared! A lot of the next chapters are going to be like that because I can't have my story covering every little day. It'd have like 1,000 chapters. You can be expecting the next chapter up in the next day or too hopefully!
Until next time!