Chapter 19: Killing Me Softly

"I felt all flushed with fever
Embarrassed by the crowd
I felt he found my letters
And read each one out loud
I prayed that he would finish
But he just kept right on." –Roberta Flack

Elena stood still as stone as she found her body wedged between the two brothers that over the past two years she had both loved and hated with a passion that now seemed almost painful. Stefan's cold arm was still locked around her waist from when he had caught her as she had tried to escape and Damon stood close enough behind her that she could feel the tight muscles of his chest pressed against her back as she took in quick ragged breaths in fear. Finally, Elena swallowed and looked up into the terrifying green eyes before her and cleared her throat.

"What do you want from me Stefan? Why did you ask me to come here?" She asked in almost a whisper as she tried to appear as collected as possible. Stefan cocked his head to the side and looked at her with slight amusement on his face.

"I wanted to see you again Elena. It's been a long time, I've missed you." He said as he scanned her face for emotions that she had been trying her best to hide. Elena swallowed thickly once again and nodded as she looked around the darkness of the hallway that surrounded her.

"If I remember correctly you invited me here for dinner, Stefan. Where is the food, exactly?" She asked quietly as her voice shook slightly from the fear that was continuing to build deep inside of her. Stefan laughed and looked over Elena's shoulder to his brother as Elena felt Damon's body begin to slightly shake from laughter as well.

"Afraid, you're on the menu Elena?" Stefan asked with a twisted grin. Elena's heartbeat pounded harder in her chest and she clenched her jaw to hold in the screams of terror that threatened to escape if she even so much as parted her lips.

"No, I just think it's strange you invited me over for dinner and there is no food." She said quickly as she dropped her eyes to the floor. Stefan shifted his weight and slowly moved closer to Elena's body. Instinctively, Elena took a step back and felt her body immediately collide with Damon's. Slowly, she turned her head to look over her shoulder and found herself staring into the cold icy blue eyes that seemed to hold nothing for her but contempt. No emotion was visible in his hypnotically cold stare and his jaw was clenched tightly as he looked at her.

"The food is in the dining room, Elena." Damon said harshly as he quickly took a step back from her. Elena swallowed and nodded, but as she felt the cool air rush between their bodies, she suddenly felt the familiar emptiness that she had felt every day since he had left just a year before.

"Oh…okay." She said as she quickly tried to tear her eyes from the trance that Damon had seemed to put her in. Stefan smiled as he watched the scene before him.

"Shall we? We wouldn't want the food to get cold." He said quickly and then moved closer to Elena and held out his arm to her. Elena stared at him in disbelief for a moment and then looked back to find that Damon had already disappeared into the other room. Elena let out a labored breath and then slipped her arm reluctantly into Stefan's and followed him into the dining room.

As Elena walked into the candlelit dining room, she knew that something was definitely going on and that whatever that something was, it definitely wasn't good. For one thing, she had remembered passing the dining room only thirty minutes before and it had been as empty as the rest of the darkened house. Secondly, the dining room was now adorned with beautiful candles, had her favorite meal of chicken parmesan laid out on the table and a bottle of the finest wine sat in the center awaiting them. The room looked as if it had been prepared for a romantic evening…a romantic evening for the three of them.

Elena made her way toward the table and waited as Stefan pulled out her chair and then tucked it under her as she sat down just across from where Damon was already sitting with a tumbler of bourbon in his hand. He didn't look at her, but the way his fingers slid over the smooth glass of his drink made her feel as if he were torturing her silently by reminding her just how those fingers had felt against her skin only a short time before. Elena's heart began to thud harder against her chest as she stared at him and she suddenly realized her breathing had become nearly as labored as it had been when she had stood in the kitchen with him just a half hour before. Damon's eyes quickly shot up and he caught the chocolate brown eyes that had been studying him. He instinctively licked his lips as he watched her pulse beat hard at the soft center of her throat and then he quickly dropped his eyes back to the table and took a long drink of the bourbon in his hand. Elena dropped her eyes back to the table in embarrassment, but raised them once again as she heard Stefan laughing from the head of the table.

"Now Elena, you might want to keep that heartbeat of yours in check. See, Damon here hasn't exactly been the good little boy that you remember from when he was last in Mystic Falls. I am proud to say that my big brother is quite the ripper himself, maybe even better than me." He said with a smile as he poured the rich crimson colored wine into Elena's glass. Elena swallowed and felt her stomach churn as she thought of the mangled bodies that now both Salvatore brothers were apparently leaving scattered around the country.

"Now Stefan, no one is better than you, you've always made sure of that." Damon said coldly as he twisted his lips into a grin and raised his brow as he stared across the table. A bolt of heat shot through Elena as his eyes locked with hers and she knew that it should have been fear that washed over her, but something very different boiled inside of her as she looked into the menacing blue eyes that stared back at her.

"So what, you two are like best friends now? How did that happen? Last time I checked one of you drove a stake through the other's chest and now you are all brotherly love? That seems odd to me." Elena questioned as she looked between the two brothers and began to push her food around on her plate with her perfectly polished silver fork. Stefan shook his head as he took a drink from his wine glass and then sat it back down on the table before he spoke.

"Not exactly Elena, we just both have something that the other wants and so we have come to an agreement to work together and when that is over I imagine we will go our separate ways as we always have." He said as he leaned back slightly in his chair. Elena nodded and took a drink of her wine.

"And what exactly is it that the two of you want? What is this common goal you are working toward and how do I fit into it, exactly?" She asked as she set her glass down on the table and then stared between the two brothers. Damon smiled and leaned back in his chair and raised one of his hands to his mouth. Elena watched him as his eyes ran over her and she felt her body heat to the point of pain as she tried to hide her shaking hands that now sat carefully on the white table cloth before her. Damon's eyes held no emotion, but yet something brimmed just at his edges that made her blood rush more quickly through her veins. Elena swallowed thickly and tried to control herself, but the pure sexuality that Damon always seemed to exude hit her like a freight train and seemed to intoxicate her far faster than the wine she was now drinking. She wanted to crawl across the table and beg him to take her, touch her, do anything so that she could be his, but she knew that now was not the time that she could do that. What happened in the kitchen had made her think they were still on the same team and that there was hope for them, but the look in his eyes now made her question every thought she had for the past year without him.

"Elena, I have the key that Stefan here needs to get into that tomb and Stefan just happens to know where that tomb is. He needs me to get into it, I need him to get to it. As far as where you come in, well what fun would it be if I gave away the end of the story?" Damon asked with a twisted grin as he stared at her. Elena raised her brow as she looked at him and tried to shake the chill of his voice as she formed her next sentence.

"A key? We are dealing with witches, vampires and werewolves and you need a key? Use a hack saw or blow torch and open it, why the hell do you need a key?" She asked in confusion. Stefan smiled.

"Well see Elena, it is spelled shut and the key is what breaks that spell. It's all very complicated and something you don't need to worry your pretty little head about." He said sarcastically as he added more wine to Elena's glass.

"If I don't need to worry about it then why am I here? What the hell do you want from me Stefan?" She asked as she flipped her chocolate brown hair over her shoulder and stared at him. She didn't know if it was the wine or not, but something had given her a little more courage and she knew in that moment she needed it. Stefan smiled and licked his lips.

"I wanted to see you Elena. I've missed you. And, I know you missed us too…well one of us at least." He said slowly. Elena stared at him and remembered what Damon had said to her in her dream the month before. She knew she needed to be strong and play the part just like she prayed he was playing too.

"Frankly, it's been nice to be rid of the two of you. I have a life now and until you called the other day Stefan, neither one of you had crossed my mind in quite a while." She said as she leaned back against her chair and crossed her arms defiantly across her chest. Stefan laughed loudly and looked over at Damon. Damon took a drink of his bourbon and smiled.

"Well Elena, it's good to know you are moving on. Try not to be too disappointed by those human boys though; it's very difficult to compete with someone as…experienced as me." Damon said as a grin twisted over his lips. Elena stared at him and tried to push out her memories of the nights with him that were threatening to take over her mind. He was right, it was difficult to compete with him, no, it was simply impossible.

"I am not disappointed; believe it or not, I am quite satisfied with my life without you…both of you." She said roughly as she quickly moved her eyes back to Stefan. Stefan smiled and shook his head as he dropped one of his hands and leaned down toward the floor. Elena stared at him in confusion, but as he rose back to the table felt fear immediately replace her false bravado as she noticed what he held between his long fingers.

"Well now Elena, it seems you are quite the little liar, because from the looks of this here, you seemed to have a little bit more of a harder time someone at this table than you are letting on." Stefan said as he slowly laid the thick leather bound book onto the table and stared at Elena. Elena's body went rigid and she felt her mouth go dry in an instant. She looked over to Damon and even though he still seemed void of much emotion, he still seemed surprised nonetheless.

"How did you get my diary, Stefan?" Elena asked as her voice began to shake. Stefan smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

"When I went to pick up the food for dinner, I happened to find myself in your neighborhood and since you were already on your way over here I thought I would pick up a little ready material for the evening. This is all very interesting Elena. I have to admit, I am a little bit shocked though. I always thought you were such a good little girl, but from the sounds of these entries, you are much naughtier than you appear." He said with sarcasm dripping from his every word. Elena swallowed and reached her hand out toward the book.

"Give it back to me Stefan. Now." She said roughly. Stefan stared as her and quickly pulled the book back toward him. He opened it and ignored Elena's pleas as he began to thumb through the pages.

"Let's see, where should I start…oh I know. I will start on the day after you first cheated on me with my own brother. '...I am trying to keep my composure, but seeing Damon after what happened last night is bordering on torture. With every movement that he makes I imagine what it felt like to have his skin against mine and to feel the power of him inside of me. I have never connected with anyone the way that I felt I connected with Damon as I laid beneath him last night. I had always known that he would be amazing in bed, I mean hell, I could hear the sounds coming from his room when I would lie in Stefan's arms at night, but what happened last night was something that I could have never have imagined even in my wildest dreams. The way he touched me, kissed me, made love to me, it was all both amazing and damning at the same time. The pleasure was so powerful it hurt and while I know right now I should regret what I did, I can't. I cannot regret something as beautiful as last night and if that makes me a whore or a sinner, well then I will gladly take that name.'" Stefan's words seemed to echo through the room as he finished his sentence and then set the book back down onto the table. Elena's body shook as she felt both fear and excitement from the memories that Stefan read wash over her body. She looked up from her plate and saw Damon looking off into the distance of the dimly lit room. She watched as he swallowed hard in his throat and she could see the muscles in his neck tense as he tried to keep his eyes from hers. Elena let out a breath and returned her eyes to Stefan's which still seemed to hold some sick amusement about the whole situation.

"That proves nothing Stefan. That is how I felt a year ago, that proves nothing as to how I feel now. I was stupid back then; I let myself be vulnerable to you two and trust me, now I have learned my lesson." She said as she tried to be confident in the lies that were spewing from her lips. Stefan smiled and flipped through another handful of pages, but kept his eyes on hers.

"You really want to stick with that story Elena?" He asked as he raised his brow at her. Elena swallowed and looked to see his fingers nearing more current pages of her diary.

"Yes." She whispered softly as he heart began to beat faster. Stefan smiled and nodded.

"Okay, well then I suppose I am not correctly understanding this entry that you made a few weeks ago. Let me read it and then maybe you can clarify it for me. 'Dear Diary, the days seem to pass like years as I continue to sit here and wait for the man whom I know in my heart might never return. My every dream and thought seems to be filled with memories of him and the way I felt when he was near me. I never thought I could love anyone the way that I loved Stefan and I guess in a way I was right. The love I had for Stefan was pure and comfortable and made me feel warm, secure and safe. The love I feel for Damon is consuming, addictive and bordering on obsession as I wait for him day after day, week after week. I think of his touch more often than I can recall and even though I hate to admit it, sometimes I run my hands over my body and pretend that it is him. Of course, it doesn't feel the same, but for a moment sometimes I feel like he is here. I have not been with anyone since Damon left and I fear that if he never returns I will probably never feel the touch of a man again.'" Stefan stopped reading as he closed the book and set it down on the table. Elena dropped her eyes quickly, but felt both brothers staring at her as Stefan's words seemed to still surround them.

"You still want to stick with the story that you haven't thought of us since we left. Elena?" Stefan asked. Elena shook her head, but did not raise her eyes.

"What do you want from me Stefan? Why did you ask me to come here?" She asked quietly as she slowly raised her eyes to meet his. Stefan smiled and pushed himself away from the table. He stood and began to slowly pace the room around them.

"You see Elena, my brother here says that he has had a change of heart and is now on my side. He says that he wants to help me get Klaus the coffin and that you are simply a memory to him and that he holds no love for you anymore." He started as he looked around the room. Elena nodded as she felt pain push through her chest at the sound of Stefan's words.

"And that's the truth brother. I've been with enough women for you to know that after I have them for a while I tire of them." Damon said quickly. Elena looked across the table and saw Damon's icy blue eyes harden as he spoke to his brother. Stefan laughed.

"Yes Damon, I am well aware of your track record with women. But Elena is different, and see I think you are lying to me." He said as he stopped walking and returned to the head of the table where he then stood beside his chair. Elena shrugged her shoulders and tried not to let her emotions get the best of her.

"Damon doesn't care about me Stefan, our relationship was an agreement and nothing more." She said quietly as her voice began to shake at her last words. Stefan smiled and nodded.

"Ah yes, the agreement. I read about that in your diary, very interesting and creative Elena. I will give you that. But, see I think you underestimate my brother. He might be a cruel and calculating killer, but love has always been Damon's greatest weakness and before I tell anyone where the tomb is, I am going to need a demonstration of good faith." He said as a grin twisted across his lips. Elena and Damon both looked up and stared at Stefan.

"Exactly what do you want Stefan? Are you going to make me feed on Elena just to prove that I don't care about her anymore? I got news for you brother, been there, done that, she kind a likes it. So, you might want to think of something else." Damon said sarcastically as he grinned. Stefan shook his head and slowly sat down in his chair and raised his hands to his lips.

"No, I'm not going to make you feed on her Damon. I think it's time we play one of our games that we used to be so found of back in the good old days." He said as he turned and looked at Damon. Damon stared at him and Elena swore that Damon grew two to three shades paler as he stared at his brother. He quickly shook his head and pushed himself away from the table.

"No, I'm not doing that Stefan. There are plenty of other ways to prove that she means nothing to me, that would only make things worse for her." He said quickly. Stefan laughed and raised his arms in fake surprise.

"Why do you care if it's worse for her? You claim you don't love her, so show me. If you show me, then I will take you to the tomb and we will both get what we want. If you don't do this you don't get anything and I call Klaus and let him know where his little doppelganger is." He said harshly. Elena stared at the two brothers in confusion and then finally swallowed and cleared her painfully dry throat.

"What game are you two talking about? Someone please tell me what is going on." Elena begged as she stared at Stefan. Damon dropped his head and looked down at the table as he ran his fingers through his tousled onyx hair. Stefan smiled and turned toward Elena as he set his hands down on the table.

"What is going on is tonight, Elena, you finally get what you've always wanted. Tonight, you get us both." He said quickly with a smile. Elena felt her body go cold and her heart pound in her chest as pure fear washed over her. She looked across the table as Damon raised his head and for the first time that evening she saw a very familiar emotion flooding his beautiful face…fear.

I am sooooooo sorry I haven't updated in so long. I was in the hospital, but I am back now. Please read and review and I will post another chapter soon. What did you think of this one? I don't know exactly what I am going to do next, but I have some ideas. I wanted to play up the evil Stefan and make sure that Damon's mask broke slightly by the end. Did you like, hate. Love? Please let me know. Click the button below and read and review and let me know what you think. You all inspire me and I promise not to disappear again! -Nikki