Chapter sixteen

The deal

Hey there, I'm back with the new chapter. I know that I haven't updated in a while, so I made this one a little longer. I really hope that you'll enjoy it.
But first, I want to thank my friend cdaye8184, for helping me. She's a great author and you should definitely check out her stories. I also want to thank all of you for reading, reviewing, alerting etc. I love you all!
Now, have fun reading!

Moonwolflove

Previous

"Okay," he said to Ally, "Ready to go home in vampire style?"

"What do you mean with that?" Ally asked a bit wary.

"You'll see," Damon smirked. "Hold on tight."

Ally wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and then he began to run, till the world around them was nothing more than a blur.

An endless world of endless freedom.

And he loved it.

When Damon stopped at the Gilbert house almost instantly after he had started running, Ally looked like she had changed into some ghost form of her former self. Her hands that had held the collar of his jacket in a koala-like manner the whole time let loose in a trembling way and when Damon put her back on the ground she almost fell backwards.

"Are you all right? You look a bit…," perhaps he should have replaced 'bit' by 'very' pale. "...pale."

All the blood had drained from her little face and her curls hung in a dreary tangle around her head. It almost seemed like she had spent a day in the middle of a hurricane.

"I don't feel good," The little girl said, and he immediately regretted that he had chosen to travel 'vampire style'. He should have known that the speed would be too much for the girl…but..well…at that moment that thought had completely slipped his mind. That happened quite often. Damon mentally kicked himself in the butt and promised himself that until she got older he'd never do that again. Most people didn't seem to mind it but then again, any other people he had ever taken with him like that had been older. She was young and probably had a weak stomach. He seemed to be more the impulsive type. Do first, think later.

Ally took a few deep breaths and Damon had never seen a human recover so quickly from nausea. With every breath of air she took, her face received more color…until she looked more or less normal again. The pale tan and faint blush he had grown to adore was back in it's original position.

"That run was a bad idea," she said.

"Apparently," he said. "Well then…do you want to surprise Elena?"

Ally's face suddenly turned from queasy to mischievous in an instant as a smirk appeared across her tiny lips. One that unintentionally reminded Damon of the Cheshire cat…don't ask him how the hell he knew that cat.

"Of course," she said, as she ran to the front door and jumped to reach the bell. Every time she did, her arm was a just a bit too short to reach it. Damon leaned against the wall, with his arms folded over his chest, while watching the whole scene with a smile.

"Are you sure that you don't need help?" He asked laughing. Her failing to reach the doorbell was hilarious.

"No…I can do it myself" She said confidently, while making another jump…just to miss once again.

Damon raised an eyebrow and Ally sent him a slightly irritated look. Of course she wanted to do it by herself…all kids were the same… "Okay fine, can you help me, please?" she asked, irritated that she was too small to reach the doorbell.

"Sure," he said, taking her in his arms and Ally suddenly seemed happy…as she was able to reach the doorbell now.

He shook his head, grinning, when she didn't see it.

The sound of the doorbell echoed through his head and after what seemed like eternity, he heard some commotion in the hallway. Someone came down the door slowly opened and Jeremy appeared in the doorway, while sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Damon? Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Glad to see you too, Jer," he said with his famous smirk, as he walked through the hall, into the living room.

Jeremy ran after him, confused…and surprised. "Wait…weren't you trapped in the tomb? How did you…"

Damon didn't let him finish his sentence, shrugged and said: "Some mysterious stranger lifted the spell."

Jeremy's brow shot up in an incredulous gesture.

"It's the truth, you know," Damon said. "Ask Ally, if you don't believe me."

Jeremy's eyes worthlessly slid to Ally, who nodded. "Okay," he said, still not entirely convinced. "Welcome back then…I guess."

After that he turned his attention to Ally, while smiling a big, genuine smile. "And what about you? I've heard that you've been through a lot."

Ally put up a smile that was even bigger than his and nodded wildly. "Wanna hear about it?"

"Sure…I wouldn't want to miss that story," he said with a brief look at Damon, who rolled his eyes in exaggeration.

"Okay," Ally said enthusiastically, "but first I want to wake Elena."

"Whoa, wait, Ally. Not such a good…," Jeremy began, but it was too late, because the little girl was already running up the seconds later, her voice echoed through the entire house…it was quite amazing how loud kids could scream. For a little girl who had such a sweet, angelic voice; her scream sure was deafening and ear-piercing. Damon and Jeremy both covered their hands with their ears in unison.

Damon imagined how Elena would fall out of her bed in terror. And it made him chuckling. Ally…the terror of every normal sleeping teenager. Damon turned around when he became aware of her presence, and he saw Elena…standing in the light of the hallway. She wore a neat, white nightgown and her long, shiny hair fell over her bare shoulders, while the light from the hallway gave her an almost angelic appearance.

For a moment Damon thought that he had fallen asleep somewhere in between, because this seemed like a beautiful dream. Too good to be angel ran towards him and caught him in an embrace. It was at that moment that he realized that he was awake for hundred percent…even though it was too weird for words.

"You're back," she whispered softly against his shoulder. Damon had no idea how to behave in this rare situation.

Jeremy rolled his eyes and muttered something like: "I don't think I want to see this." After which he disappeared.

Ally apparently didn't have the need to leave, because she quickly ran towards them and wrapped her tiny arms around their legs. As if she wanted to say something.

And Damon dared to bet that that had been her very intention.

Elena smiled at her cousin and ran a hand through her dark brown curls.

"God, I'm going to miss you, Ally," she said, as she broke away from the embrace and took Ally in her arms.

"I'll miss you too, Elena." The four-year old sobbed.

"Wait," Damon suddenly said, failing to hide the emotion in his voice. "When…"

"Her mother will pick her up tomorrow morning," Elena interrupted him, with some regret audible in her voice.

Damon paused and glanced from one angel to another. He had known that Ally would ever have to return to her real home. There even had been a moment where he had wanted nothing more than that…but now…he had grown used to the little girl and he would miss her. More than he would ever admit. He had become attached to her-the one thing he tried not to do but it happened anyway and now it was going to kill him when she left. "Oh, that's…good for her," he said, trying to smile. He couldn't be selfish with the little girl. He would be his usual self and he would try to make her "moment of leaving" unforgettable. He already had something in mind. Something that she would simply love. But for now, he refused to think of her leaving, he had other things to do. And one of these things appeared on the edge of his mind.

There was something he had to ask Elena.

"Elena, can I speak to you for a moment," he asked.

"Of course," she said, but she soon understood that he meant "without Ally."

Elena turned when Jeremy reappeared in the living room and asked with one of her sweetest smiles: "Jer, would you mind to take Ally out for a walk?"

Jeremy glanced from her to Damon and then to Ally and a knowing look appeared in this eyes. "Uh…sure. Come on, Ally. We go for a walk and then you can tell me everything that you've been through."

Ally seemed to like that idea, took his hand and together they walked out of the house.

"Okay, what is it you want to talk about?" Elena asked as she sat down on the couch and eyed him with a somewhat suspicious look.

Damon knew that she expected some kind of subject about which she wouldn't be very happy. And she was absolutely right…she probably wouldn't like it at all. "Let's say that I woke up this morning with an Original standing in front of me. A guy called Elijah, who told me that you asked him to lift the spell."

Elena's big, brown eyes had a "here we go again" look to endure and Damon knew that he had hit a sensitive chord.

"Care to explain what's behind all of it?" He asked after noticing her change in her features.

Elena paused. He could read on her face that she was thinking what to tell and what not. Things he wasn't allowed to know. Then she shrugged in a nonchalant way and said: "There is nothing behind it, Damon."

"Really? Then tell me…how do you know him?" Damon pushed onward.

Elena sighed and said a little angry: "Can't you just be happy that you're no longer stuck in that tomb?"

"I can't be happy, Elena. Not if you got yourself in trouble only to help me," he said in a harsh tone.

Elena folded her arms in silence and locked her eyes with his. She didn't plan on betraying anything. Whatever she would tell next…it would be a lie. "I met him at the Grill, okay?"

"Oh, and what did he say? 'Hey, Elena. I'm Elijah. I'm one of the Originals and my brother happens to be Klaus…the most feared Original in the world. Every vampire with some common sense is afraid of him. But hey, don't worry. I'm here to help you. You know what, I'll lift the spell on the tomb. And after that we can all live happily ever after. Doesn't that sound nice?'"

Elena stood up in anger and wanted to walk away, but Damon grabbed her arm and looked her straight in the eye.

"I'll ask you one more time. What's behind it?"

"You won't let it go, will you?" she said in an irritated tone. He knew what she was thinking at that moment. Something like: "Why does he have to be so difficult?"

She was completely right. He was being difficult…and he was fully aware of it. But he had his reasons to do so. He didn't want her to act like hero…to close a deal with some mysterious figure…only to help him.

But of course, he was already too late. If there was a deal, then it would already be arranged. The only thing he could do was find out what the deal was…because he knew for sure that there was one.

He shook his head in response to her question. She fell back in the couch and pointed a warning finger in his direction.

"If I tell you, then you won't tell anyone else. Not Bonnie, nor Jeremy. Not even Stefan. Do you understand me? No one," she said in a commanding tone.

Damon was slightly surprised that she had added Stefan to the list. It must have been worse that he thought…if even her great love wasn't allowed to know.

"You rarely break a promise. So promise me," she ordered.

"Bad idea, because who says I won't have one of those rare moments where I won't keep my promise? In that case, you might as well not let me make that promise."

Elena sighed, as if she was having headaches of his smart talk. "All right, but still…I don't want anyone to know. I have the situation under control, okay?"

Damon nodded, though he highly doubted the fact that she had control, because as far as he could see, she had not the slightest idea who Elijah was.

"I've seen Elijah before, when I and Rose went searching for Slater. But he vanished as quickly as he had come. When Jenna returned from her business trip yesterday, she told me that she had met someone who was extremely interested in the history of Mystic Falls. She said that he would come over in the evening. Let's say that I was a bit in shock when I saw who that person was," she told. "He said that he wouldn't harm my family or friends. Not if I lived my life until the day he needed me. You see, he's not interested in breaking the curse…he's interested in killing Klaus. Therefore he needs me…the doppelganger. Klaus wants me, so Elijah has to be sure that I'm safe here. And where am I safer than with my friends and family? I asked if he could do me a favor. I asked him to lift the spell on the tomb…and that's what he did."

"Wait," Damon said. "If I understand it correctly…you have a deal with a creepy Original, while not knowing what he has planned for you? Did the idea that you might die ever cross your mind?"

Okay, maybe he wasn't indirectly the cause that she had made a deal with the guy. But still…he didn't like it at all.

Elena looked at him with a dull expression and then said: "I did what I thought that was best."

"Did you lose your mind?" he snapped.

"No, Damon. I protect those I love. Is that so wrong?"

"You're playing with your own life, Elena. You have no idea what you're doing." His blood pressure was no boiling. Leave it to Elena to be the martyr. "You're basically sacrificing your own life."

"Perhaps I do," she said, after which she got up and walked away, leaving Damon alone with his thoughts. "And maybe I am, maybe I'm not. All I know is that I'm doing it for a damn good reason."

What should he do? He couldn't let her go through with this ridiculous idea. Whatever Elijah's plan was…it wouldn't be of any good. No, he had to tell this to someone. Even though she had explicitly told him not to…God, why were things so difficult?

Okay, maybe he had to wait another day. Then he would tell everything to Stefan…he would be able to talk some sense into her. At least, that was what he hoped. Perhaps he would be able to make her forget the whole "I need to sacrifice myself" idea.

He glanced around for a moment and then decided to go home. He had some things to do before Ally left tomorrow morning. Ugh, he dreaded the moment already. He didn't even want to go to sleep because sleep meant time would speed up which would lead to him having to leave that sweet, little girl even earlier than he would be ready for. And besides, he needed a good distraction to get it off his mind and calm him down.

So, how did you like it? I had to explain the whole situation about the deal between Elijah and Elena, so I hope that it wasn't too boring.
Thanks for reading!