a/n: ugh, so I wanted to post this three days ago, but my internet decided it just didn't want to work... So, sorry for the delay.
So I really loved the episode as it was...that being said, I didn't feel the need to include the action again. This chapter is all about the aftermath and I threw in something extra for you guys too :) All you guys really need to know is that Stefan went on the witch thingy with Bonnie and did most of Damon's parts on the show while Damon took care of Stefan's things. Make sense?
TWENTY-ONE
Elena bolted down the stairs the moment Damon's words registered. She stopped short at the bottom, almost losing her balance in the process. There, in front of her eyes, were Jenna and Isobel. "What are you doing here?" Elena hissed, all of her pent up anger being hurled at the woman on the other side of the door.
"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I also wanted to meet the woman who has been taking care of you."
"Would you like to-"
"No!" Elena snapped, earning a look of shock from Jenna. "We are not inviting you in. Not now, not ever."
Isobel stared at her for a moment before her gaze drifted past Elena's shoulder and widened at the sight of Damon slowly descending the stairs. He held her gaze even as he stopped by Elena's side, looping an arm possessively around her waist. "I think you should leave," Damon said, keeping his voice even and deadly.
Isobel stood up straighter and looked at Jenna. "It was nice meeting you," she said and looked at Elena again. "It was nice seeing you again, Elena."
"Again?" Jenna said, her voice rising. "Excuse me," she breathed and ran past the couple on the way up to her room.
Isobel's eyes dropped to Damon's arm that was still firmly around Elena's waist. "Keeping it in the family, are we Damon?" she taunted.
Elena moved to step forward, ready to inflict some sort of pain and suffering on the elder woman, but Damon's hand dug into her side to keep her in place. "Elena, why don't you go check on Jenna. I'll take care of the unwanted house guest," he said, his eyes never leaving the female vampires.
Elena looked up at him, sighing in defeat as she realized he wasn't going to take no for an answer. When he let her go, she headed upstairs, hoping that Jenna would let her explain or talk to her at all.
"You shouldn't have come here," Damon said, taking a predator-like step forward. They both knew that he was the stronger one of the two. Isobel didn't stand a chance against him in a fight and he was more than ready to kill her without a second thought. He had killed her once, the second time around should be fairly easy.
"I had to come back," she said, stepping back from the door and his advances.
"You didn't have to come here."
"I wanted to see Elena."
"Last time you wanted to see her, you threatened her," he corrected, showing a bit of fang. "And I really don't think you'd be stupid enough to do that again."
"I-"
"Tell you what, you leave right now and I won't have to rip your throat out. Deal?" Isobel narrowed her eyes at him, but nodded. And just like that, she was gone.
Damon shut the door and headed upstairs to find Elena leaning against Jenna's door, begging for a chance to explain. When she noticed Damon standing there, she turned to face him. He could see the tears in her eyes as she shook her head and moved to the embrace he offered. "I don't know what to do," she breathed.
"She's scared. Alaric's been telling her that she died."
"Then we'll have to tell her everything."
Damon said nothing; just held her tighter. "Come on," he said, hoisting her up until he could carry her into her room. "Let her process everything and we'll talk to her about it tomorrow, alright?"
"What if she doesn't want to talk?"
"We'll figure it out," he assured her, knowing that Jenna was freaking out. He could hear her muttering things under her breath as she paced back and forth in her room. "I'll keep an ear out in case she tries to do something stupid, okay? And I'll call Alaric first thing in the morning so he can come over and try to fix this."
Elena nodded as he wiped the tears from her eyes after brushing the hair out of her face. "Thank you," she murmured before burying her face on his chest.
"You're welcome," he returned and held her close. Neither of them said anything for the rest of the night. They just laid there silently, wrapped in each other's arms. After a few hours, Elena finally fell asleep while Damon did as he promised and kept an ear out for Jenna. Luckily she had decided to sleep her anger and confusion off too, making Damon's night a little easier.
After having Jenna run off to live on campus and John inviting Isobel in the house, Elena was more than ready to pull her hair out. She was frustrated and angry beyond anything normal and was trying her best not to take it out on Damon who had been acting as her body guard; never leaving her sight. Since they had started dating, she didn't mind his constant presence, but today, it was making her even more crazy.
Even as they drove one of the public buildings to receive her mother's charity check from Mrs. Lockwood, Elena couldn't seem to sit still. The moment Damon pulled to a stop, Elena bolted from her seat and slammed the door. She saw Damon bite his lip as his eyes widened significantly.
"Elena, I know you're mad, but please, I'm begging you, don't take it out on the car," he said, slowly moving to stand by her side.
It was on the tip of her tongue to say something, but the expression on his face made her smile. "I promise, I won't take it out on the car anymore."
"Thank you," he said with a huge sigh of relief as he pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. When a thought popped into his head, he smirked and stepped back, taking her hand lightly in his. "Come on," he urged, leading her inside the building.
Instead of going towards the meeting hall where the ceremony would take place, Damon changed course and tugged her into a little side room that was used as some sort of office. "Damon!" she hissed as he set her on top of a desk; the only thing in the room.
He wedged himself between her legs and placed his hands on her thighs, slowly moving her dress up her thighs. "I have an idea or two on how I can help lower your stress levels," he whispered seductively as he leaned forward to nibble on her ear.
Elena placed her hands on top of his, half heartedly attempting to stop his ministrations. However, as his lips moved to her neck, the remnants of her restraint failed and she moved her hands to his belt. Damon's lips curved into a triumphant smirk as he brushed them over hers. She grinned back at him as she undid his belt before pushing his pants and boxers down. As her hand wrapped around him, Damon hissed. It was all he could do to remove her underwear nicely instead of tearing it off like he wanted.
Gently, Damon removed her hand and pulled himself back enough to position himself at her entrance. Elena shook her head, still unable to grasp the fact that they were doing this in public. A low moan escaped her throat as Damon entered her completely, driving himself all the way in. His lips sought hers again as he rocked his hips at a steady pace.
Wanting more of him, Elena lay back to rest on her elbows. Damon took the cue and began to thrust harder and deeper. Elena sucked on her bottom lip to keep from crying out as Damon's eyes bore into hers. She could feel herself blushing from the intensity of it and it made every move they made seem more intense as well.
Despite her best efforts, Elena moaned. Although, she no longer cared if anyone heard her. Her head tipped back as she felt her release coming. She could feel warmth spreading to every inch of her body. Damon's hand rose to play with her ultra sensitive nub, making her moan a few more times. He smirked down at her. Elena saw through hooded eyes and angled her hips without warning. A loud moan escaped his lips and he saw her smirk up at him.
Not to be out done, Damon used his vampire speed to lift her off the desk and pin her to the wall. A groan of pleasure-pain escaped her lips from the sensation. She wrapped her legs around his waist and let her fingers dive into his hair. Damon held her hips hard enough to leave bruises, but Elena hardly noticed. All she could feel was the rising warmth and the way her body was begging for release.
Damon could feel her walls contracting around him, trying to pull him deeper into his body. It was enough to make him lose control. He could feel his fangs wanting to descend, but he knew he couldn't bite her. Not here anyway. After a few more deep thrusts, Elena's head jerked back, bouncing off the wall as she tried her best to stay silent during her release. Damon followed her almost immediately, burying himself completely as his seed warmed up her insides.
Damon buried his face in the crook of her neck as she played with his hair while trying to catch her breath. "Did it work?" he asked, placing gentle kisses onto her heated skin.
"Yes," she breathed. At the moment, she couldn't focus on anything but the fact that he was still inside her. "But we really should get in there. I think I hear Mrs. Lockwood talking."
"Mmm," was all he could say. He knew Carol would be talking for a bit before she got to the part where Elena was concerned. Slowly, he stepped back and lowered her to the ground so they could put their clothes back on. Once they were dressed, he kissed her deeply before letting her open the door.
Both of them went still at the sight of John just outside the door. He looked at Elena's disheveled figure to Damon's before his jaw clenched with anger and he stepped back. Grateful that he wasn't going to say anything, Elena slipped her hand into Damon's and sped towards the crowd to avoid any confrontation. Once there, she shook her head and looked at the ground out of embarrassment.
"Relax," he whispered in her ear.
She turned to narrow her eyes at him, but he only smirked in response. Before she could comment, Mrs. Lockwood was calling her name. Stunned, it took Elena a few seconds to compose herself and make her way to the podium. She accepted the check from the older woman and then started the speech she had prepared.
Not even partway through, Elena was cut off by a thud from the back of the crowd. As everyone turned around to look, her jaw dropped at the sight of John's body lying awkwardly on the floor. Several emotions overwhelmed her; she didn't know how to feel. She saw Damon reach him first and was about to take a step forward only to be stopped by an arm around her waist and a hand covering her mouth. As she fought the person dragging her off to the side, she heard in her voice, "Nice dress. Mind if I borrow it?" Before she could even try to put up a fight, the room went dark and Elena collapsed.
Katherine changed quickly and handed Elena to Isobel who was waiting outside one of the side doors. She heard Damon approaching and pulled out her cell phone. Pretending to end a call, she signaled for him to wait. "Is he-"
"He'll heal," he assured her and looked her up and down. He could tell something wasn't right. "Come on, we need to get you out of here," he said and reached for her arm. The moment he touched her, he knew exactly what was wrong. He held her tightly as they walked outside to his car. Once there, he pinned her against the trunk and bared his fangs at her. "Where is she?"
"Damon-"
"Cut the shit, Katherine. Did you really think I wouldn't know it was you?" he snarled.
She smirked up at him. "Actually, I was counting on it," she said and in the blink of an eye she had lodged a stake into his stomach. "Clever, hiding the moonstone in the soap dish," she said as she pushed him into the bushes next to the car. "See you around Salvatore," she added before taking off in his car.
Elena sat in the parlor, staring at Isobel's amulet in her hands. She could still smell the burning flesh as Isobel burned to ash right before her eyes. "Is that Isobel's?" Stefan asked as he entered the room.
Elena nodded weakly. "I hated her, but I feel bad that she's dead."
Stefan laid his hand on her forearm. "That's because you wanted to know her; not the vampire, but the woman inside."
"If it weren't for this doppelganger crap I'm sure she would have let me see that side of her," Elena muttered.
"That's what you get for trusting Katherine," Damon said as he came into the room, glaring at Stefan.
Stefan stood up from the couch and shook his head. "I didn't trust her, Damon."
"You were sleeping with her. You told her how you felt and you believed her when she said she loved you." He set the thick stack of papers down on the table beside him. "Did you not learn anything the first time around?"
"I didn't trust her," he repeated. "Yes, I slept with her again and I made a mistake in telling her how I felt, but I never wanted her out of the tomb. I knew she would end up betraying us again. I simply wanted to know if what we had back then was real," he answered.
"Of course it wasn't real, Stefan. She was using us." Damon shook his head and took a step closer to Stefan. "So what exactly was your goal by staying up late and planning your eternity together?"
Stefan hesitated and then looked down. "Alright, fine. I thought maybe if she was being genuine this time around she would let me in. If she believed that I was on her side, she might open up to me and I might be able to stop her. I was wrong, okay?" He turned to look at Elena. "I'm sorry."
She nodded. "For what it's worth, I believed her too," she said, referring to their conversation in front of the tomb not so long ago. "What is that?" she asked, nodding to the stack of papers, changing the subject in the process.
"This is the deed to our house," Damon explained, handing it to her. "Isobel mentioned that she had a safe house for you and I think it's a good idea. You can be in charge of what vampire comes in and who doesn't."
"But I would have to live here," she said, skimming the first couple pages.
"Well yeah," Damon said, giving her a sly grin. "That would defeat the purpose if you were still at your house."
"Jenna's never going to agree to this."
"Not now, but once she knows the truth."
Before Elena could point out the fact that leaving Jeremy and Jenna alone in a house where practically all their enemies had previously invited into wasn't very appealing, she was interrupted by John waking up. Damon had moved him from the crime scene to the boarding house after waking up to a bunch of cops surrounding the area. In an instant, Damon was holding John up by his throat.
"I swear! I didn't know anything!" he pleaded, his eyes finding Elena's. "I swear," he repeated.
"Damon, put him down," Elena demanded softly. She had already lost one parent today, she didn't need to lose two. "We need to talk," she said, her eyes on John.
Damon slowly returned John to the ground and set him on his own two feet. After a moment of hesitation, he let go of the human's neck and stepped back until he was beside Stefan behind Elena. John rubbed his throat as he panted heavily, trying to regain his breath. Stefan retreated from the room after giving Damon a knowing look. "I'll be upstairs," Damon said to her, taking the deed with him as he reluctantly left her side.
Elena sat back on the couch and motioned for him to sit across from her. "Whatever it is that Damon thinks I did, I promise you Elena, I had no part in it."
Elena filled him in on what had happened after Isobel's attack. When she got to what happened at the graveyard, she was surprised to find that tears sprang to both their eyes. "You really didn't know any of this?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I know she was cruel and emotionless, but that wasn't the Isobel that I fell in love with. You would have liked her before," he said earnestly, hoping that she would believe him. "I kept hoping that if I played along with her, stuck close to her side, she would let her emotions back in and..." his voice trailed off and he ran a hand through his hair.
"I have her necklace if you want it."
He shook his head. "No. Keep it," he said. Neither of them wanted to say it, but the amulet would come in handy in case things didn't go according to plan. "Look, Elena, I'm so sorry that she did this. I'm sorry that I let her back into your life, but you weren't there. You didn't see the pain on her face the day she had to give you up. That was the woman I was trying to see again. Not the heartless one." He sighed when she didn't say anything. "I'll do whatever you want me to do to make up for it. If leaving will make you happy then I'll go."
As he stood up, Elena closed her eyes against more burning tears. "No. You're going to stay and you're going to play by my rules. You're going to help us against Katherine and the others. No more lies, no more double agent stuff."
"Okay," he said, smiling faintly to the point where Elena thought she was imagining it. "Why?"
She met his gaze and got to her feet. "Because you're the only parent I have left," she said before walking away.
Once upstairs, Damon wrapped his arms around her as they lie in bed. His hand stroked idly up and down her spine as she rested her cheek against his chest. "I'm sorry," he said after some time.
"For?"
"For Isobel. If I hadn't turned her-"
Elena raised her free arm up and placed her fingers over his lips as she craned her neck to look at him. "Don't," she whispered. "It's not going to change anything, okay? And I'm not mad at you."
"You should be," he mumbled around her fingers, earning a grin from her.
Elena moved so that she was lying on top of him, her knees on either side of his waist. "No, the blame goes to someone else entirely."
Damon smirked sinfully. "Hmmm... Let me guess."
"You know what? No more talking," she murmured before moving her lips to his neck.
More than happy to oblige, Damon placed one hand on her hip while the other rose up to sink into her hair. After a passionate, yet soft make-out session, Damon moved her back to his side where they lay in silence until sleep claimed them both.