a/n: Geez, that break killed me! Alright, so I really changed things for this episode. Hopefully I can make it work with future episodes. Not much to say this time around, so enjoy :)
ELEVEN
For the third day in a row, Elena woke up to the scent of Damon. Her eyes were still closed as she moved closer to the pillow he had used. She took a deep breath and let the fading scent fill her nostrils. This was as close as she was going to get to him; as close as she was going to let herself get to him. With a sigh, Elena pushed the pillow away and rolled onto her back, opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling. She missed him. The morning after he had shown up, he was gone by the time she woke. It hurt, knowing that he didn't stick around to talk to her, but at the same time she was grateful. It gave her time to think about what she was going to say.
It also gave her time to think about the doppelganger situation. And the more she thought about it, the more she knew she had made the right decision. Even if she knew no one else would see it that way.
With that thought in mind, she kicked the covers off and moved to the bathroom to get ready for the day. Her hope of having the day to herself was dashed at the sound of the doorbell. She sighed as she reached the bottom step and hesitated before opening it. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the Salvatore's. After seeing Alaric in his underwear in the middle of the night, this was the last thing she needed. Her eyes only flickered to Damon for less than a second before she focused on Stefan. She cleared her throat, hoping that it would camouflage the fact that her heart skipped a beat.
"What?" she asked, knowing that she was being rude.
"We need to talk," Stefan said, sounding urgent.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I know what you're going to say and-"
"Elena," Damon interrupted. Her eyes jumped to his and she felt her body straighten up. "We need to talk," he repeated Stefan's words, enunciating each one of them to get the point across.
Stefan stared between the two of them, his brows furrowing at the tension. He knew it had always been there, but it had never been this intense. Before he could say anything, Elena shifted her weight and moved to the side. "Fine, come in."
They slipped past her silently, not needing to remind her that the invitation was unnecessary. Elena shut the door slowly as they walked to the kitchen. She leaned against the frame, giving herself a moment to gather her wits. After a deep breath, she made her way to the kitchen and took a seat at the island. Instead of asking any more questions, she looked at them both, waiting for them to speak.
"We think we found a way to lift the spell," Stefan said, hope shining in his eyes as they locked with hers.
"How?" she asked.
The brother's exchanged a quick look at the sound of disinterest in her voice. "Rose's friend Slater. He said that we just have to take the curse off of the moonstone and this will all be over," Stefan stated.
"Which means there will be no doppelganger sacrifice and you'll get to keep on living," Damon chimed in, offering her a light smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Before Elena could say anything, Stefan rushed on to explain. "We spoke to Bonnie and she said she was willing to try and remove the curse."
"Katherine-"
"The witch also has a plan to get the stone from Katherine without any of us getting hurt," Damon informed her.
"So we get in, get the moonstone, and lift the curse," Stefan concluded, smiling at her. His smile faded the more he watched her lack of expression. "Look, we know removing the curse won't be that easy, but-"
"It's a good plan, Stefan, but I don't want you to do it." Elena moved her gaze to each brother, watching their reactions to her confession.
"Elena-" Stefan started.
"I mean it. If we remove the curse, Klaus is still going to come after me and destroy everyone that I care about, including the two of you," she said, letting her gaze linger on Damon for a second longer than she meant to. "Either way, Klaus is going to come after me and I'm tried of people getting hurt because of me."
"Elena-" Stefan started once more.
She stood up, cutting him off. She shook her head and moved towards the entrance of the kitchen. "Thanks, but no thanks. I won't let people put their lives at stake for me anymore." With that, she turned her back on them.
Before she even got to take a step, Damon was there, blocking her. "We appreciate the fact that you're trying to protect us, but we want to do this. We don't want you to sacrifice yourself for something Katherine did. If she had died like she was supposed to, you wouldn't be in this position. None of us would be." He paused and listened as her heart beat irregularly. He knew it wasn't from his words, but the fact that he was standing so close that he could feel the heat of her body. "We're risking ourselves because we want to."
Elena swallowed hard and took a step back in order to breathe. His proximity was doing a number on her and she didn't want Stefan to witness it. "I know this is her fault but-"
"He's right, Elena," Stefan said. "We like the idea of you dying as much as you like us risking ourselves to help you." He moved around the island and reached for her hands. "Let us try to reverse the curse. I can't lose you, Elena."
Damon's jaw hardened and if it weren't for the fact that Elena didn't melt at Stefan's words, he would have lashed out. Elena caved and nodded. "Fine. But I meant everything I said. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. If Bonnie can't handle it, we do things my way. Understand?" she demanded, pulling her hands back and sliding them into her pockets.
"Yes," both brothers muttered in unison.
Elena nodded once more and turned towards Damon. He adjusted his stance to let her pass. She tried not to react as she felt her body brush against his on her way out. She headed to the front door and opened it, gesturing for them both to leave. As Stefan went to the car, Damon lingered behind and stood just as close to her as he had in the kitchen. "Don't do anything stupid Elena."
She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say a word. She let out a deep breath the moment he began walking to the car. She waited until they left before she went upstairs to retrieve her purse. Once she was in her own car, she headed to the boarding house, hoping that they hadn't gone home. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she arrived to the mansion without Damon's car in the driveway. Slowly, Elena walked up the front door, gathering her courage with each step. Finally, she opened the door and moved inside.
"It's not right to leave a woman naked so early in the..." Rose's voice trailed off as she came around the corner to find Elena. She tied the sash around her robe quicker and offered the human girl a small smile. "I thought you were Damon. They're not home."
Elena nodded and continued to stare at Rose, trying not to let the jealousy she felt take over. "I know. I'm here to talk to you anyway."
Rose narrowed her eyes. "What could you possibly have to say to me?"
"Put on some clothes and you'll find out," Elena demanded, surprised at how assertive she was being. "I'll be in the parlor," she added and left the vampire standing in the foyer with eyes wide in surprise.
The first thing Elena did was pour herself a drink. She smirked, knowing Damon hated it when anyone but him took his liquor. Unless, of course, he offered. However, she knew what she was going to do and liquid courage was necessary. "I didn't peg you for a drinker," Rose said, coming into the room rather quickly.
Elena sat the empty tumbler by the bottle and shrugged. "I'm usually not."
Rose took a seat on the couch and Elena sat on the opposite end. "Why do I get the feeling you're up to no good?"
"Because I'm talking to you without Damon and Stefan around." Elena knew she was being a little rude, but the fact that the vampire had kidnapped her and somehow gotten the Salvatores to trust her seemed to justify it. "I want you to take me to see Slater."
Rose's eyes widened again. "Why?"
"I want to ask him a few questions."
Rose shook her head. "The last time we were there, someone blew up the cafe. It's too dangerous."
Elena inclined her head and decided to use the one advantage over Rose that she had. "How would you like to walk in the sun again?"
Once again, Elena had surprised Rose. "I've been a slave to the shadows for over five hundred years. I would do anything to walk in the sun," she said before realizing the words that had left her mouth. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the copy of the girl who had tricked her all those years ago. "How would you be able to pull that off?"
"I know a witch."
Rose raised one of her brows in suspicion. "The same witch Damon was telling me about? I thought she was new at this?"
"It doesn't change the fact that she can do it. She's made one before and if you help me, I'll have her make a talisman for you too."
Rose mulled it over and then nodded. "I take you to see Slater and I get a talisman in return."
"Right."
"You know Damon and Stefan are going to be very angry about this."
Elena shrugged and got to her feet. "If they can forgive you for having me kidnapped, they can forgive you for this," she stated and began heading towards the front door. Fortunately, Rose kept her comments to herself and followed Elena outside after covering her skin from the sun.
While Alice delivered her message, Elena moved to the windows. "What the hell was that?" Rose asked, keeping her voice low, but filled with fury. "Contacting Klaus is as good as signing your own death wish."
Elena simply stared at Rose, her face expressionless.
Rose shook her head in disbelief. "That's what you want isn't it? I can't believe you used me."
"Hey," Elena started. "You were going to use me to get back into Elijah's good graces."
"Yeah, and look how that turned out," Rose reminded her.
Elena shrugged and turned her attention back to the window. "I want to do this. I don't have to explain anything to you. You can go if you want. I don't need you here anymore."
"What about Damon and Stefan? What about your other friends and your family? You're just going to leave without saying goodbye to anyone?"
"They would try to talk me out of it and in the end they would make rash decisions to come up with another plan. It's better this way," Elena said, trying to convince herself more than Rose.
Elena saw the vampire shaking her head in the reflection of the window. "Fine. Suit yourself," she said and turned her back to the human girl.
Elena leaned against the window and closed her eyes. Immediately, Damon's face formed in her mind, causing her to sigh. He was angry and she knew he had every reason to be. If everything went well, this morning would have been the last time she saw either Salvatore. Elena shuddered, suddenly feeling sick, and opened her eyes. She nearly jumped as she saw Elijah's face staring back at her. She turned around to find the space behind her was empty and when she turned back to the window, his face was gone.
Elena ran a hand through her hair and placed her other hand over her heart. She took deep breaths and forced herself to calm down. In that moment, she wished that Damon were there. She wanted to be in his arms and feel safe and secure. Once again, Elena shook the feeling away and cleared her throat. Deciding that she needed to do something to keep her mind from wandering, she made her way to Slater's kitchen and looked around for something to do.
After a solid half an hour, Elena had cleaned the entire kitchen. Rose and Alice were in the living room, watching her every move. When Elena looked in their direction, they averted their eyes. Shaking her head, Elena grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. As she moved into the living room, she noticed Alice's eyes grow wide with shock and Rose got to her feet. It was then that Elena felt it; the same feeling she had whenever he walked into the room.
She spun around and sure enough, Damon was there. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered once it hit the floor. "What are you doing here?" he growled.
"What are you doing here?" she returned, both angry and happy to see him. Realization dawned on her and she turned to look at Rose. "You called him?"
"Oh my God! Damon Salvatore?" Alice said, her face lighting up at the sight of him.
"Remove her," Damon ordered and Rose left, taking the other woman with her without saying a word to Elena.
"Damon-"
His face hardened to point where Elena could see his muscles tick. She knew it was the way she said his name; he hated it. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing? Didn't Stefan and I tell you that we had a plan?"
"Yes, but-"
"I told you not to do anything stupid," he interrupted.
Elena knew he was fighting the urge to lash out at her. "I'm tired of everyone deciding everything for me. I'm doing this to protect everyone and I-"
"Get your ass out of here now before I throw you over my shoulder and carry you out," he ordered, his voice dangerously low.
Elena knew he would do it given that he had done just that not too long ago. "I'm not going anywhere." The moment the words left her lips, he reached forward and grabbed her forearm. She tried yanking her arm from his grasp, but it did no good. "Damon! Let go!" she demanded and started struggling.
She raised her free hand instinctually and moved for his face but he caught her fist and squeezed it. Elena stopped moving as pain coursed through her arm. Slowly, Damon moved forward until his face was only inches from hers. "Don't ever try that again," he warned.
"Then let me go," she hissed, not wanting to back down from him.
Slowly, he let go of her, but remained close. "Elena, you don't have to do this," he said. His face had softened and his voice was laced with pain. It nearly broke her heart to hear him like that. Especially since the last time she had heard him like this was when he had confessed his love to her.
Elena took a few steps back, needing to breathe. "Yes I do. I meant what I said earlier, Damon. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me."
Before Damon could reply, Rose entered the room, taking her place behind Elena. "Alice is gone."
At that moment, the front door opened and in came three men. Damon whirled around, standing protectively in front of Elena. All three men let their eyes rest on Elena. "You really do exist."
"You're not going anywhere near her," Damon informed them.
"Damon-" Elena started and moved forward, only to be blocked by his arm.
"Damn it, Elena. Stay. Put."
"We just want the human girl. We're prepared to kill you if we have to," another man said, looking directly at Damon.
Instead of Damon getting the chance to reply, the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart filled the room. All eyes jumped to the third man closest to the door. Elena's eyes were wide with terror as his body slid to reveal Elijah who held the man's still beating heart in his bloodied hand. Elena moved closer to Damon's back, trying her best to hide behind him even though Elijah had already seen her. She jumped a little as the air stirred and when she looked back over her shoulder, Rose was gone.
"I killed you," Damon said, staring at the elder vampire in awe.
Elijah gave him a light smirk as one of the men spoke. "Who are you?"
"I'm Elijah."
His eyes went wide at the recognition of the vampire's name. "We were going to bring her back alive. I swear."
Elijah nodded and stepped forward until he was within an arm's reach from the two men. "Does anyone else know that you're here?"
"No."
"Good," he replied and lashed out with both hands. Once again, the men fell to the floor while Elijah held their hearts.
Elena moved even closer to Damon and tried to look away, but found herself unable to do anything but stare at the carnage. Damon adjusted his stance, trying his best to hide his fear. He knew they were in real danger. Just as he was about to take Elena and flee, Elijah turned and ran from the room. Damon stood up straight in shock and slowly turned around to see Elena with a perplexed expression on her face.
She began to shake her head slowly as she looked at Damon. "Why did he do that?"
"I don't know," he answered and looked past her briefly. "Where's Rose?"
Elena snorted. "She took off the moment Elijah showed himself. Some friend."
Damon narrowed his eyes at her, noticing the bitterness of her voice. "She's been on the run from him for a long time."
Elena's jaw dropped. "You're defending her?"
"I-" he started and took a step towards her.
She recoiled and held up her hands. "No!" she shouted and glared at him, her eyes practically willing him to burst into flames. "It's bad enough that you and Stefan let her live in your home, but now you're defending her too? Did you both forget that she had me kidnapped so that she could hand me over to Elijah?"
"She lost her friend..." Damon started, knowing that was a weak argument. He really didn't have an explanation for her.
"So what?" Elena's voice was rising in pitch, letting Damon know that she was on the verge of raw anger. "A few months ago, I never would have questioned how much I meant to either of you, but now I'm starting to wonder. Katherine comes into town and it's all about her. I'm sure if they had kidnapped her, then-"
Damon cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Did you hear yourself just now?"
Elena knew she was being irrational, but she was trying not to confront him about his love confession. Not here. Not surrounded by four dead bodies. "Then tell me why you let her in when you pushed me away."
Damon could only stare at her and for the first time in a long time, he felt his stomach tie up in knots. "I didn't-"
"I trusted you," she said, her voice coming out in a whisper. Her head was down, eyes glued to the floor. She knew if she looked up at him, she would break. "How dare you push me away and blow me off. When I was with Stefan, you kept trying to get in the middle and then along comes Rose and you...you..." her voice trailed off, her throat closing up, leaving her unable to finish her thoughts.
Damon stared at her, trying to figure out what was going through her mind. In the very back of his mind, he knew what she was talking about, but he didn't want to bring that up. Not now. He was sure that her words didn't have anything to do with the Elijah situation. "Elena, I-" Her eyes lifted from the floor and met his. He was completely unprepared for the unshed tears that were glistening in the light.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I don't deserve Stefan?" There. It was out and she couldn't take it back.
Damon's eyes widened and he took a step as her words hit him. It had felt like she had physically pushed him. "Elena-"
She shook her head and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. "Take me home," she demanded and began walking towards the front door. She stopped at his side, her gaze focused on the blood and mangled bodies that blocked her path. Instead of letting her stand there like a statue, Damon picked her up and rushed from the room. Neither of them said anything as he buckled her into the passenger seat of his car and began driving back to Mystic Falls.
Elena looked out the window the entire time. She refused to acknowledge his presence. Damon gripped the steering wheel to the point where he thought it would break free from the dashboard. Her words were running through his mind on repeat no matter how many times he tried to think of something else. As he parked in front of her house, he was surprised that she didn't bolt from the car. Instead, she sat there for a moment before slowly getting out. Without a word he followed her until she slowed at the top of the porch steps. Damon swallowed thickly as she turned to face him, realizing that they were standing in the same spot as the time he kissed Katherine.
"I had vervain tea that night," she mumbled, confirming his suspicions. She didn't even have to clarify which night; they both knew exactly which one. "I never thought I would see my necklace again so I had Jeremy make some tea."
"Elena-"
Her anger returned as she recalled her feelings after he vanished from the room. "You said you would never compel me and I believed you. Why didn't you just tell me how you felt? You just assumed that Stefan and I belong together when you know damn well that we don't."
He stared at her in disbelief. "I didn't want you to remember because it's the last thing you need right now."
"Then why tell me at all?"
"I had to, Elena. I was tired of keeping my feelings to myself. It was starting to make me reckless. I needed to at least say it so that it was out there." He paused for a moment and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't want you to remember because I know I can't handle your rejection."
"How do you know I would reject you?" she challenged.
"Because girls like you don't fall for boys like me."
Elena shook her head and gave a sigh of frustration. "I'm not a saint, Damon. The Elena that you know is the Elena that can't get over her parents' death because one bad thing seems to happen right after another. I used to be fun. The Elena that you saw in Georgia, that's the real Elena." She paused and took a half step closer to him. "Funny thing about her; she only seems to appear when you're around."
Damon was taken aback by her words. He had always imagined this conversation, but it had always ended with her rejection. It was strange to think that Elena might accept him. Then again, he thought it was strange that he thought otherwise. He wanted to say something, but words were beyond him.
"You were wrong. You do deserve me. Even if it's not me, you deserve someone. You're not as bad as you claim to be. I've come to know the man behind the vampire and I would be a fool to reject him."
"Elena..." He still couldn't find the right words. She had made him speechless; a hard feat for anyone.
"The night that Katherine told you she wanted Stefan, you came to me and asked for one kiss. That kissed proved that I do have feelings for you. I told you that. I also told you that I wasn't going to be like Katherine and jump from one brother to the next. I needed time to figure out my feelings for you; to figure out my feelings in general. Then you tell me you love me and make me rethink everything."
"What are you saying?" he asked, finally finding his voice.
"I'm saying that I have feelings for you; feelings that run much deeper than friendship. However, it would be selfish of me to tell you how I really feel because..."
"Because?" he asked, wanting desperately to hear her say those three little words.
He noticed the tears collecting in her eyes and his heart nearly broke upon hearing her next words. "Because I'm the doppelganger and it's only a matter of time before Klaus either kills me or everyone I care about."
And they were back to that again. "Damn it, Elena. Nothing is going to happen to anyone except for Klaus and Katherine. They are the ones that are going to die."
"Don't-" she started, shaking her head in protest. He moved forward and cupped her face in both of his hands, wiping her tears away with the pads of this thumbs. "Don't make promises you can't keep."
He felt himself beginning to drown in the depths of her brown eyes. She was everything to him and more. "Then I can promise you that I will always love you and that I will try to keep you safe. Whatever the cost."
Elena took a series of deep breaths as she gazed into his piercing blue eyes. She knew that if she didn't tell him now, she never would. The last thing she wanted was to never get the chance to tell him how she really felt. In a twisted way, she would be no better than Katherine. With one last deep breath, Elena's lips parted to whisper, "I love you too, Damon."
While the words sank in, Damon's lips crashed down on hers. He moved forward until she was pinned between his body and the exterior of the house. She kissed him back with frenzied kisses, both of them hungry for one another. She jumped slightly as he lifted her legs, enabling her to wrap them around his waist. Her hands dove into his hair while his dug into her side. For the first time, kissing him felt right. She felt whole, like she had found her other half. No longer did it feel like a stolen kiss that would make her just like Katherine. This was real. It was an expression of love; something they both needed.
He trailed his kisses to her ear as his hands slid up her shirt, running up and down her smooth skin. "Say it again," he whispered.
"I love you," she panted, trying her best to get air into her deprived lungs.
He pressed himself against her and she shuddered at the feel of his arousal against her core. His lips moved to claims hers once more as his hands moved from her sides to her breasts. She moaned softly into the kiss which only made him harder for her. They both knew that if they didn't stop soon, they weren't going to be able to. Elena was the first to withdraw, roughly turning her head to the side. "Not here," she managed to say, her voice ragged.
He nodded and left his cheek pressed against hers until he trusted himself enough to move. Carefully, he lowered her back to the ground and pulled away from her. "Where do we go from here?"
"I don't know," she answered. "We'll figure it out," she added and turned to open the front door. Before her hand ever touched the knob, the door was thrown open to reveal her brother on the other side. Her eyes went wide in alarm at the sight of the bloodied bandage on the side of his neck. "Jeremy?"
"Thank God you guys are here," he said, ignoring her unstated question.
"What's wrong?" Damon asked, sensing the worry in his voice.
"It's Stefan."
"What about him?" Elena asked, feeling her blood turn to ice as her heart skipped a beat. Whatever Jeremy was about to say, she knew it wasn't going to be good.
"I messed up. I thought I would be able to get in and get the moonstone without getting hurt, but I was wrong."
Elena's skin went pale as she stared at Jeremy in horror. "Katherine did this?"
He nodded briefly. "I had the ring so no matter how many times she drained me, I always came back. She was about to pull the ring off and Stefan-"
"No!" Elena cried, knowing exactly where this conversation was going. "No!"
He knees gave out, but Damon caught her before she hit the ground. "I'm so sorry, Elena. Bonnie tried to get the barrier down but she passed out and now Stefan's stuck in the tomb with Katherine."
Elena heard him, but his words barely registered. She clung to Damon in order to keep herself up. She wanted to see him and make sure he was okay, but the thought of him being lost forever in the tomb made her cry even harder. "Are you going to be okay?" Damon asked Jeremy as he picked Elena up, bridal style.
"I'll heal," he answered.
Damon nodded and moved into the house. Without another word, he carried Elena up to her bedroom and laid her down on the bed. After removing their shoes, he crawled in beside her and took her into his arms again. She cried onto his chest until she couldn't cry anymore. Eventually, exhaustion won and sleep claimed them both.