a/n: You guys are amazing! Thank you so much for reading/reviewing/alerting/favoriting this :) This chapter was pretty hard to write mostly because I thought the episode was perfect as is. That's why it's a little shorter than I would have liked. Hopefully it lives up to your expectations :) I can't wait for Masquerade! I already have big plans for it. If all goes well, I might divide it into two parts :)

SEVEN

Elena clutched at Jeremy, holding onto him tight enough that he struggled to breathe. Yet, Jeremy returned her hold in the same manner. They stood in the hallway of the hospital, not caring that people stared as they passed by or glared when they had to walk around them. Elena's ocean of tears had soaked the shoulder of Jeremy's shirt, but he didn't seem to mind. She closed her eyes, only to be rewarded with the sight of Jenna plunging the knife into her abdomen. Elena shuddered and Jeremy tightened his arms. "We'll get her back, Elena. She'll pay for this," Jeremy assured her.

Elena pulled back at that. "No, Jeremy. You're not going anywhere near her!" she hissed.

"Elena, if she's going to come after me, there's nothing we can do to stop it. Look at Jenna," he said and immediately regretted it as a fresh round of tears welled up in his sister's eyes. "I have the ring; I'll be safe. We need to go after her before anything else happens."

Elena shook her head. "I don't want you to be-"

"I'm already involved!" he hissed quietly and held up his hand to show her the ring. "I knew about this stuff back when Anna..." his voice trailed off and he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm already involved Elena. Quit treating me like a helpless child and let me do whatever it is I need to do to kill her."

She stared at him, trying not to lash out at him like she wanted to. For the first time, he wasn't blaming her for anything. He was angry about Jenna and wanted to get revenge by striking Katherine. Elena sighed and gave one sharp nod. "Just promise me that you'll keep your head clear. Don't let anger control you."

He nodded and pulled her in for another hug. "I know." He tightened his arms to give her a sense of security, but Elena didn't feel secure.

Just as she started to wish for the security she felt in Damon's arms, Alaric came up to the siblings and cleared his throat. They broke apart, but remained close as they looked at their former teacher. "How is she?" Elena asked in a hoarse voice.

"She's fine. The doctors said she missed all of the important stuff and that she'll make a full recovery. She's resting now and they won't let her have any visitors."

Elena's eyes widened in fright. "We can't just leave her here. What if Katherine-"

Alaric cut her off. "She already got her point across. I don't think she'll be coming by."

"You don't know that for sure," she stated.

"You're right, I don't," he added and sighed. He fished his keys from his pocket and handed them to Elena. "You and your brother go home. I will stay here and make sure that Katherine doesn't get anywhere near Jenna." He gave them a nod that indicated he had all the necessary tools to be a bodyguard.

Knowing that there wasn't anything else for her to do there, Elena nodded and led Jeremy out to the parking lot. "Are you sure you're going to be okay to drive?" Jeremy asked.

Elena stared at him and nodded. "You don't even have your permit. You really think I'm going to let you drive?"

"I didn't say I wanted to drive, I just asked if you were going to be okay. The last thing I need is for you to zone out and wreck the car."

Elena scowled as she remembered the last time she had wrecked her car. "I'll be fine," she said through gritted teeth.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, Jeremy began to fiddle with the radio. "So does this mean you have to come back to pick him up?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"Do you think it's safe at home?"

Elena whipped her head in his direction. "Thank you, Jeremy. I really needed to think about that."

His eyes widened and he moved closer to the door. "Hey, it's a fair question. No offense, but if she's there, you won't be much of a threat."

"Neither will you," Elena countered.

His hand automatically went to touch the ring on his finger and he looked at the console between him and his sister. "I'm just saying," he muttered.

She sighed and relaxed her grip on the steering wheel. "I'm scared too," she whispered.

"Maybe we could go to the-"

"No," Elena said quickly without letting him finish.

"You didn't-"

"You were going to say boarding house weren't you?" She saw him nod from the corner of her eye. "Okay then, we're not going there."

"I know you and Stefan aren't together anymore, but he and Damon can help keep us safe."

At the mention of Stefan, Elena's mind was flooded with the events of the afternoon. She could recall in vivid detail the screams that came from Stefan's throat as he landed in the vervain infested water. Those few moments of panic came back to her as Elena remembered how helpless she had been to save him. She swallowed hard trying not to think of what could have happened if Caroline hadn't shown up. She could still feel Stefan's lips on her hand as he took the blood that she offered so that he could heal. The entire day had been a nightmare and it wasn't over yet.

"Elena!" Jeremy screamed, pulling her out of her thoughts and back into reality.

Elena slammed on the breaks and groaned as her head bounced off the headrest once they came to a screeching halt. She had stopped inches before hitting the bumper of the car in front of her. She took large breaths as she tried to calm her nerves. "Sorry."

"Whatever, just get us home in one piece."

Elena noticed that his fingers were digging into the seat of the car as well as the dashboard that he had used to brace himself for the impact that never came. Jeremy dropped the subject they had been talking about in order to let Elena focus on driving. They made it home without any injuries. Jeremy bolted from the vehicle the moment it was parked and waited for his sister on the porch. Elena unlocked the door and they both peered around the threshold; neither of them willing to be the first one to go inside.

Elena sighed and looked up at Jeremy. "This is ridiculous. We can't be afraid of our own home," she stated and forced her body to carry her inside.

"I think we should burn it down and rebuild it. That way she has to be invited in again," Jeremy replied softly as he followed her and closed the door.

They stopped in the foyer, not wanting to go any further. "We should stay in the living room," she said, choosing to ignore his comment.

"What do you want to do?"

"If you want to play video games, go ahead. Just stay in the living room."

Jeremy nodded and they headed into the living room. He sat on one end of the couch while Elena sat on the other. She used the arm as a backrest and drew her legs up. She wrapped her arms around her legs and put her head down on top of her knees. She watched as Jeremy played a car racing game, but after a few minutes, it began to make her a little dizzy. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything. It worked for a little while; just sitting there and listening to the sounds of the video game, but the noise faded into the background as Elena's thoughts, once again, went back to what happened that afternoon.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she approached Stefan who was leaning over an old well.

He turned to her and frowned. "Bonnie said the moonstone is in the well."

Elena leaned over and felt her eyes widen at how deep the well was. "You don't seriously think that you can get out of there, do you?"

He stared at her as he had been staring at her all day. Somewhere between anger and longing. This was the first time either of them had spoken since their official break up. "I'll be fine," he assured her and vaulted himself over the side.

Elena heard the splash of water when he landed, followed by a groan of pain and surprise. "Stefan?" she called down, peering over the edge.

"Vervain!" he managed to yell up at her before his throat closed up.

Elena shuddered and forced her eyes open. She sucked in a sharp breath and waited until her heart rate returned to normal. Before it could get to that point, the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up, letting her know that something wasn't right. It was then that she noticed the video game was on pause and Jeremy wasn't sitting on the opposite side of the couch. Elena practically leapt off of the couch and parted her lips to yell for her brother, but stopped as she heard the sound of the fridge door opening. She felt a little relieved, but refused to believe that all was well until she saw it with her own eyes. Carefully, she made her way to the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Damon rummaging through the contents of the fridge.

"You have nothing to eat in here," he complained without looking up.

His words fell on deaf ears. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's Jeremy?" she asked, feeling a slight panic course through her system.

Damon pulled away from the fridge and turned to face her. "Relax, Elena. Jeremy is safe." He paused and tilted his head towards the ceiling. "He's softly snoring in his bed as we speak."

Elena turned to look at the TV just to make sure that the screen said PAUSE. "But the video game-"

"I happen to like that game," he interrupted, flashing her one of his signature grins before leaning back against the counter.

"That only answered one of my questions."

"Jeremy called me," he said, answering her previous question.

"Why?" she breathed.

He shrugged, something that was beginning to annoy her. "He said something about wanting sleep, but didn't want to leave you alone."

"Oh," was all she said. Elena moved to stand in front of the island and leaned back against it, standing right in front of Damon. "How long have you been here?"

"A few hours. You were asleep when I came in. Jeremy went upstairs and I continued playing his game." Damon returned to rifling through the fridge. "I was serious before, there really is nothing to eat."

Elena looked around, trying to figure out what was different about the kitchen. Her eyes widened in realization that the dinner Jenna had been preparing was gone. "Did you clean up in here?"

"Someone had to," he grumbled. "The food was going bad and there was-" he stopped before completing the sentence.

Elena nodded and swallowed over the lump in her throat as she tried not to think of Jenna anymore. "Are you really hungry or are you eating out of boredom?" she asked in a voice barely above a whisper.

Damon froze for a long moment before slowly pulling back to look at her with a raised brow. He had a feeling he knew what she meant, but he wanted her to say it. "Why? Do you have a stash of cookies I don't know about? The good kind that you hide from everyone else."

Elena couldn't hide the smile that briefly took hold of her lips. "No, there's no stash of cookies."

"Damn, I could really go for some."

Instead of replying, Elena yawned. She wasn't sure what she meant by asking the question in the first place and she was glad he had turned it into a joke. "How's Stefan?" she asked.

"He's brooding more than usual," he informed her as he leaned against the counter again to study her.

"I meant with the blood."

"He's a little on edge, but I think you're to thank with that."

"Well, I couldn't just let him die," she argued, feeling the tears beginning to collect in her eyes. "You don't think it will effect him like last time do you?"

Damon stared at her for what seemed like forever before he shook his head. "Not this time. He's been drinking enough every day that he should have a decent amount of tolerance built up already."

Elena frowned. "It's only been three days."

"He's fine, Elena."

Elena studied him with narrowed eyes. She sighed and let her body relax once more. He wouldn't lie to her; she knew that much. If something was wrong with Stefan, he would tell her. After last time, they both knew better than to ignore the warning signs. "Okay," she whispered after awhile.

Damon's head cocked to the side at the strain in her voice. He heard her heart flutter in her chest and was taken aback as she lifted her face so he could see the single tear gliding over her cheek. He didn't hesitate to cross the room and gather her into his arms. "It's okay Elena. Everything will be fine," he breathed and let is hand glide up and down the length of her spine.

She pulled away to look at him, astonished that he would lie even if it was to comfort her. "How can you say that? Jenna's in the hospital because she stabbed herself. Katherine compelled her over the phone, Damon. Stefan and I broke up like she wanted and she's still attacking my family." At that last word, she broke down into sobs. "She got what she wanted; Stefan's free. Why did she do this?"

Without thinking twice about it, Elena leaned in and used Damon to hold herself up. His arms went around her, but she sensed the hesitation in him. Damon closed his eyes and cursed himself over and over again. His actions had brought her pain; something he swore he would never do. He sighed heavily knowing that he had to tell her the truth. Even if she decided to withdraw her friendship, she had to know. "It was my fault," he breathed.

Elena heard him, but remained still as she let the words fully settle in. Reluctant to pull away, she did so slowly and looked at him in confusion. "How?"

Damon stepped back and raked a hand through his hair. He didn't get nervous; even as a human, he had always been confident. Right now, he was a nervous wreck. "Bonnie did her witch mojo on Mason and knew that the moonstone was in the well. We had the information that we needed from him, I didn't see any point in keeping him alive."

"You killed him?" Elena whispered in shock. She had guessed it, but to actually hear the words confirming her thoughts...

"If I had let him go back to her he would have come after you. He would have done something to retaliate for what I did." He paused to give her a menacing look and ignored the fear that made her heart accelerate.

"I would rather have Mason come after me than Katherine," Elena said quietly.

He nodded absently, knowing Elena would fight with everything she had. Against Mason, she might have had a chance. His eyes met her and she saw the guilt and shame deep within the ice blue. "He said they were in love," he bit out. "He said that she loved him; that they would be together forever." He gave a short laugh and mussed his hair again. "That was exactly the same bullshit lie she told me."

Elena noticed that his eyes, though they were staring at her, they seemed to be staring through her. She wanted to step forward to comfort him, but she was frozen. She wasn't sure how he would react and the last thing either of them needed was for him to lash out at her on accident. "Damon, I'm-"

His eyes snapped into focus and locked with hers as he shook his head sharply. "I called her." Elena saw the guilt shining in his eyes.

As those words sank in, Elena felt her legs begin to tremble.

"Stefan tried to stop me, but I had to tell that bitch that I was one step ahead of her. That I found the moonstone and took out her pawn. I didn't even think about the consequences, Elena. I made her angry. I'm the reason Jenna got hurt."

Elena leaned back to rest against the counter in order to keep herself on her feet. She heard what he said and knew she should be angry at him, but she didn't feel anything. She stared at him, forcing herself not to cry as she tried to sort out her feelings. Damon grew anxious as he watched her face remain emotionless. There wasn't even a single tear gathering in her eyes.

He surged forward and took her hands into his, holding them up against his chest. "Elena, say something," he demanded. "Yell at me, scream if you want to. I did this. It is my fault."

Elena lifted her eyes to his and slowly shook her head. She should be angry with him for provoking Katherine. He should have known the consequences, but she could see how much he regretted the action. The regret was what kept her from being angry. Damon didn't regret anything. He didn't apologize for his actions. The fact that he was here, begging for her forgiveness because he wanted to make things right, made it very clear that he cared about her more than she thought. Maybe there was some truth to Isobel's words after all.

She shook her head with more definition. "I'm not mad at you."

His eyes narrowed as he searched her face. "Why not?" he asked. He had been unprepared for her answer.

"Katherine has been getting to Jenna since she came to town. She's been invited in Damon," she stated. "It was only a matter of time before she did something."

He looked at her with disbelief. "I pushed Katherine to-"

"I don't care," she interrupted, surprising him again. "Yeah, you should have known better than to brag to Katherine about killing Mason, but she would have found out eventually. I know that you couldn't let him live because they would have done something to retaliate." Elena took in a deep breath and felt her face soften as she looked at him. "I'll be mad at you in the morning if that will make you feel better. Right now, I want to sleep." It was the truth, her body was beyond exhausted.

He studied her until he was sure that she wasn't going to change her mind and blow up at him. When it was clear that she did indeed want sleep, he inclined his head and motioned for her to lead the way. They stopped briefly in the living room so he could shut off the television. As they got to the top of the stairs, Elena nodded towards Jeremy's door. "He's fine," Damon assured her.

Elena nodded. "I know, but I still want to check on him. I'll be right in," she said.

Damon's eyes widened at that. She was full of surprises tonight. He simply nodded and headed towards her bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him. Elena waited until she was alone before letting the smile she had been hiding take hold of her lips. She shook her head and opened Jeremy's door. She smiled a little more at the sight of her brother sprawled across the bed. He didn't look very comfortable with his head hanging off the side. Careful not to wake him, Elena arranged her brother and tucked the comforter around him. She sat by his side and brushed the hair out of his face. Elena knew it was a little strange to watch her brother sleep, but she couldn't help it. After touching the ring on his finger, she got to her feet. She leaned down and kissed his forehead before crossing the room to the bathroom.

After slipping inside, she took a minute to compose herself. She processed everything that Damon had said, but she still couldn't muster up any anger. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Elena tore herself away from the counter and entered her room. She stilled at the sight of Damon under the covers; his shoes poking out from the underneath the foot of her bed. A smirk tugged at her lips as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he countered, giving her a serious look.

Elena sighed and rolled her eyes. Not in the mood to argue with him about this either, she made her way across the room and crawled into bed next to him. "Will you be here in the morning?"

He grinned at that and shook his head. "Not if you're going to be mad at me." Elena laughed, unable to help herself. Reveling in the sound of her laugh, Damon reached out and pulled her to him. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay awake so you can sleep."

"You're not going to watch me are you?" she asked, looking up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Why? Do you do anything interesting?"

Elena shook her head and turned her attention to getting comfortable. Damon was lying flat on his back allowing Elena to curl her body around him easily. He had one arm around her, pulling her close. Her head rested on his chest near his shoulder as her arm draped around his waist. He linked his hands together and rested them on her ribs. "Thank you," she breathed as she closed her eyes.

"For?"

"For coming over when Jeremy called."

He shrugged as much as he could. "Honestly, I was going to come over whether he called or not. I was worried about you."

She nodded, her cheek rubbing against the softness of his shirt. She opened her eyes and smiled, knowing what she was going to do next. Quickly, she pushed herself up and pressed her lips against his cheek. Before he even had time to process the action, she was already back in her original position in his arms. Elena said nothing as she let herself relax and almost instantly fell asleep in the safety of his arms; that smile still plastered on her face.

Just when he thought he had her figured out, she surprised him again. That brief kiss combined with the smile on her lips gave him hope. All Damon had to do was tap into his patience and wait. It wouldn't be long before she was his. He was sure of it.