They met Liv and Luke at the Whitmore campus bar once Damon was finished talking to Alaric, neither of them exactly certain what to expect.
The twins were already at a table when they entered, sitting next to each other, deep in discussion-at least, until the two vampires came up to them.
"Is this really the best place for this?" Enzo asked by way of a greeting, casting a skeptical glance around them. "Anyone could overhear."
"Not with an anti-eavesdropping spell in place," Luke retorted smoothly, waving a hand over the small incense-burning fire near the left end of the table. "Besides, we figured you two might be here, anyways, so we thought we'd save you a trip."
Enzo slanted his gaze in Damon's direction, and, when the elder Salvatore's expression remained neutral, he seemed to accept that explanation and took a seat across from the blonde warlock, while Damon lowered himself into the chair next to him.
"So, why did you call us here?" Damon queried, draping an arm over the back of Enzo's chair.
This time, it was Liv who answered.
"We thought you might like to know the reason why the rest of our coven agreed to let Jo bring you back from the dead," the blonde witch replied truthfully. Then, she paused, eyes shifting from Damon to something over his shoulder and a sly smile curved her dark red lips.
"And that maybe you might want a chance to show your former girlfriend what she lost by not searching for you after you died," she added, tilting her chin in the direction of the front door.
Damon turned his gaze in the direction she was indicating and felt a sense of cruel amusement when he saw Elena and Caroline entering the bar.
"Well, this should be interesting," he commented lowly, upper lip curling as he leaned back and waited for Elena to notice him.
To be honest, Elena hadn't really believed Stefan when he'd said Damon was back-or that he wasn't the same person he'd been before he'd died.
That is, until she saw him for herself.
She had to do a double-take to make sure she wasn't seeing things-and she wasn't. Sitting there, in the Whitmore campus bar, with Liv and Luke across from him and Enzo next to him, was Damon.
Elena felt her heart stutter in her chest. How was this possible? She'd been there when Damon had died-she'd thought he was gone forever. Yet, there he was, nursing a glass of bourbon and chatting with companions like everything was completely normal.
"Elena?" Caroline called out to her, but she barely heard it. All she could focus on was her-no longer dead-boyfriend.
Suddenly, he caught her eyes, and, for a second, she couldn't breathe at all.
It wasn't just the shock of seeing him again, but the fact that he was looking at her like he didn't even know her. His eyes were colder and emptier than she'd ever seen them before; it was like she was looking at a complete stranger.
Before she even knew what she was doing-and before her blonde friend could stop her-she was walking toward him. She heard Caroline call out to her again, but she didn't respond because she didn't want to explain what she was thinking. She honestly had no idea.
"Hello, Elena," the elder Salvatore greeted her when she reached his table, a sneer the likes of which she hadn't seen him wear in a long time adorning his pale lips.
This is no longer the man you knew
Elena's brows furrowed at his cool tone. He hadn't spoken to her like that in years-not since before he'd admitted to being in love with her. She didn't know how to react to that, but she tried to stay calm.
"Damon," she returned his greeting, willing her voice not to shake. "How are you here? I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
Damon's sneer widened. "Funny you should ask that, Elena," he commented, leaning casually back in his seat before continuing. "You see, Enzo here found the way to bring me back all on his own. And, even though he didn't tell me, the second I woke up in that church and saw that he was the only one there, I knew it was because no one else-not even the two people who claimed to love me most-was trying at all."
Elena clenched one of her hands over the edge of the table, opening her mouth to argue-but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say; she'd had no way of preparing for this.
Liv let out a quiet snicker from the other side of the table.
"I think you stunned her speechless," she quipped snidely, shooting Elena a cool glance full of unconcealed disapproval as she took a sip from her own drink.
Damon tipped his glass toward her, an icy gleam in his unearthly bright eyes.
"I'm not surprised," he said mockingly, watching Elena out of the corner of his eyes. "You heard her: she thought she'd never see me again-probably because she didn't even make an attempt to get me back on her own."
"You were dead, Damon," Elena finally snapped out of her verbal catatonia, protesting sharply. "You died, and the Other Side was destroyed, and I lost you and Bonnie. I didn't know there was any way of getting you back, so I've been dealing with it the best way that I can."
"Oh, please," Enzo interrupted her with a snort, rolling his eyes derisively before turning slightly to fix the female Gilbert with a disgusted glare. "You weren't dealing with it at all. You were just pretending to move on while secretly letting your grief drive you mad, instead of actually doing something to resolve it."
You didn't fight for the person who always fought for you
Seeing the disdain on Damon's face, Elena fought to make another protest. "Damon, I-" she stuttered, struggling to form a reasonable defense, but Damon just held up a hand.
"You said you saw a future for us, but then you didn't fight for it. Now, it's gone forever." The elder Salvatore leveled a frigid stare at the woman he once thought he was going to spend eternity with. "We're done, Elena," he stated with an unnerving lack of emotion. His voice was icier than Elena had ever heard it before-and she didn't like it one bit.
Before she could say anything to change his mind, he turned and did the one thing she'd never thought she'd see him do: he grasped Enzo's chin and pulled the other vampire into a rough kiss right in front of her.
Elena felt her tears as she turned around and walked out of the bar. Damon was really done with her-and who could blame him? After everything he'd done for her, she'd left him for dead-and no matter how much she apologized, that would never be okay.
After hearing Elena leave, Damon pulled away from Enzo and returned his attention to the two witches across from them. "So, where were we?"
The corners of Luke's mouth twitched faintly, hiding a smile as he picked up where his sister had left off.
"The truth about why Jo helped resurrect you is that we've been waiting to awaken your powers for nearly a century," he explained seriously, an unreadable expression on his rugged features. "You-both of you-are a lot more than you appear to be, and the Gemini coven has been working behind the scenes for decades in order to help you realize your full potential."
While Damon's face remained studiedly blank, Enzo's forehead creased in a frown.
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" he questioned shrewdly, folding his arms across his chest.
Luke shot a sideways glance at his sister before elaborating.
"Damon isn't the only one that has abilities that bypass those of a regular vampire, Enzo; you do as well. And, when combined and used in the correct way, both of your powers are meant to lead to the Chrysalis-an old witch legend that will destroy the world as we know it."
Enzo's frown deepened as Luke spoke; he'd had a feeling that there was more to the Gemini coven's interest in Damon than Jo had let on, but this-this went beyond anything he could have imagined.
And yet, he didn't feel any anger the witches neglecting to mention all this from the beginning-nor any difficulty believing that he and Damon could really be what Luke was saying they were. After seeing what Damon could do now, he could believe pretty much anything.
Nothing is what it seems
As if sensing that her brother had piqued Enzo's interest, Liv added earnestly, "This isn't just about us. If you two help us find and unlock the Chrysalis, it will make you stronger and deadlier than you could ever dream."
Enzo raised his eyebrows; that was something he was definitely on board for. "How?" he asked.
Liv pressed her lips together. "Well," she said slowly, withdrawing a slightly worn photograph from her shoulder bag and laying it down on the table so both vampires could see. "First, you have to awaken your powers using this-and then, the two of you are going to have to return to Mystic Falls."
It was Damon's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Isn't that anti-magic barrier still up? Won't that kill us?" he pointed out, allowing a hint of confusion to enter his voice.
Liv smiled and shook her head. "You're immune to it-and Enzo will be able to break it," she explained matter-of factly. Her eyes shifted to Damon. "But it will only work with both of you together."
Enzo uncrossed his arms and turned his attention onto Damon as well, wondering what he was thinking. He wanted to see where this might go, but only if Damon did, too.
Damon's alabaster features were completely impassive so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking-but he seemed to be considering what Liv and Luke had said.
If he was honest, he didn't really need more power; he didn't need to destroy the world as they knew it. He was quite content with things the way they were. But he could tell that Enzo wanted to pursue this-and he wanted Enzo to be happy.
Finally, after a long silence, the elder Salvatore met his gaze and lifted his shoulders in an offhand shrug.
"If you want this, then I'm with you," he declared, lips curving. "Let's see how much more havoc we can wreak with both of us have powers that no one else does."
Enzo's mouth turned up into a genuinely happy smile. He hadn't really thought Damon would go along with this-and the fact that he was willing to do so for Enzo was…amazing.
"Where do we start?" he wondered, swiveling his head back toward Liv and Luke.
At his acceptance, Luke reached around the back of his neck and unclasped the chain there, pulling a small silver key off the end and sliding it across the table.
"Take this," he instructed. "It unlocks a room on the third floor of the mansion where you've been staying. Find it, and we'll bring everything else you'll need there tomorrow at noon."
Feeling a strange sense of foreboding, Enzo took the proffered key and slipped it into his jacket pocket.
After he had done so, the twins rose from their seats. "We'll see you two tomorrow," Liv bade them farewell, inclining her head slightly before she and her brother exited the bar.
Enzo watched them as they departed, draining the rest of his drink. That meeting had given him a lot to think about-and not just with regards to this whole Chrysalis thing, but about Damon, too.
When they returned to the mansion, Enzo was still silent, still turning the situation over in his mind. He hadn't said it that first night; he hadn't told Damon how he felt about him because he hadn't wanted the other vampire to feel pressured to return the sentiment. Damon had just come back from the dead, and there was no telling what those three months in oblivion had done to his mind-or his heart.
Enzo knew Damon had still been in love with Elena when he'd died; they hadn't exactly been together, but he'd still been so clearly hung up on her, and she on him. Enzo hadn't wanted to do anything to mess that up for Damon, and he didn't want to be just a distraction or a consolation prize.
But then, Elena hadn't even tried to get him back. She'd just expected everyone else to take care of it and pretended to move while secretly spiraling out of control, thanks to some magic drug that allowed her to hallucinate Damon being there. She never even tried to see him again for real.
That had pissed Enzo off almost as much as finding out that Damon's own brother had given up on him. Damon had done everything for Elena Gilbert-and yet, when he had need her the most, she hadn't done anything for him.
That was what made Enzo kiss Damon that night. He'd wanted to just straight up tell him that he loved him-that he'd loved him for the last half-century-but he hadn't known how Damon would handle hearing that. He'd figured that, at that moment, Damon would probably respond better actions.
So, he'd kissed him-and his heart had nearly burst out of his chest when Damon not only kissed back, but pushed him onto one of the beds in the hotel room they'd been sharing and had started pulling at his clothes.
Even when they'd ended up sleeping together-and on more than one occasion-Enzo had still kept his mouth shut about Elena; he hadn't wanted to hurt Damon like that. But then, Damon had asked him, and he didn't want to lie about it, either, so he'd told him the truth.
He'd expected the elder Salvatore to be heartbroken, but the reality had actually been quite the opposite; Damon hadn't seemed to care at all. Even when Elena had interrupted their meeting tonight, Damon hadn't seemed at all angry or resentful toward her; just like when they'd captured his brother, he had defied Enzo's expectations in that regard.
And then, of course, there was what had happened after Elena had left; when Liv and Luke had told them about their powers and what they could lead to, Damon had agreed to pursue it only if Enzo wanted. He had made it Enzo's choice, like he trusted his judgement; when he'd done that Enzo knew he wasn't going to be able to stop himself any longer.
When Damon entered their room behind him and asked him why he was so quiet, Enzo just couldn't help but blurt out the three words he had been avoiding the most: "I love you."
To his credit, Damon didn't just laugh at him, or outright say that he didn't feel the same. At first, he just stared, as if trying to make sure that he'd heard correctly; then, after apparently realizing that Enzo had indeed said what he thought he'd said, he finally responded-and his response was even more surprising than the circumstances that had lead to Enzo's confession.
"I love you, too, Enzo," the elder Salvatore stated, a genuine smile forming on those absurdly kissable lips of his.
Enzo felt like a teenage girl at that, his heart was beating so fast. He didn't know what else to do, so he just reached out and pulled Damon into a kiss.
Damon's hands came up and caressed his cheeks as he took control, making the kiss different than all of their previous ones; there was no hint of teeth and, instead of being rough and consuming, it was slow and uncharacteristically tender.
Enzo lost himself completely in that kiss, tangling his fingers in Damon's silky raven locks and tugging him closer. He didn't know if this was just a result of the connection between their powers or because of how Elena had betrayed Damon, but he didn't care. He had Damon-and he was never letting go of him.
And what the Gemini coven wanted them to do just might make sure of that.
I feel like I repeated myself with that last paragraph but oh well.