Sorry about the slower updates! Work has been insane and I'm moving in like 2 months so it's been hard to sit down and find time to write.
I'll try to update again soon, but not making any promises that it will be this week. Sorry!
Damon's POV
"I can not believe they snuck out," Elena growled, slamming the window in the twins' room closed, "At night, no less!"
"You're sure Michael is with them?" Caroline demanded from the doorway, "He hates the dark."
Elena nodded, "Their scents go out to the roof."
"We'll search the yard," I said, looking to Klaus, "We'll Change and take the-"
"No," the blond male said, his expression clear, "When I find my son, I need to be able to speak so he can understand just how much trouble he is in."
"Ditto," Elena fumed, "And they couldn't have gotten far on foot with Michael not being able to turn."
She had a point.
I sighed, "Alright. We can track their scents from outside."
Elena nodded, "The trail's fresh enough."
Caroline stepped forward, "I want to come with you."
I opened my mouth to speak to her, but Klaus was shaking his head before I could, "No, love. Stay with William. I need to know he is safe with you."
"Besides," Elena interjected, "The more scents crowding the air, the harder it will be to follow theirs."
She sighed, then looked up at her mate, "Fine. But bring Michael back to me."
Klaus nodded and kissed her head, "As fast as I can."
Elena took my hand and pulled me after Klaus as we headed back down the stairs and out the door.
The wind rustled through the the trees, making it seem like the night was moving.
I was thankful for werewolf vision.
"Daniel figured out a way for him and Michael to jump off the roof a while back," she told us as we rounded the corner of the house, "That must be how they got down."
"It doesn't explain the why," Klaus hissed, his anger more apparent now that Caroline wasn't present.
"They can explain that themselves," Elena said, her voice barely more controlled than his, "Right now, we just need to find them."
We picked up the scent easy enough; Elena was right about it being fairly fresh.
"This way," she called, looking to the trees.
Klaus and I followed as she took off at a jog.
The woods were thick around us as we passed the treeline, and only years of running the paths kept me from having to watch my step.
"Daniel!" Elena yelled, her voice echoing, "Skylar!"
There was no answer, and I tried to control the panic searing through my body.
They're fine.
They're fine.
We picked up our speed, deviating from the path a little as we tracked the scents.
"The trail's getting stronger," I said, the familiar trace of my children filling my nose.
Klaus frowned at me, "The river?"
It was less than a quarter mile ahead, and seemed a probable location.
"Let's hope so."
As we hurried down the path, the smell of fresh earth and water mixed with the scent of the young.
They were at the river all right.
"I swear to God," Elena muttered, "I'm going to have to-"
She stopped as we reached the edge of the clearing that opened to the river.
To my immense relief, the young were there, on the bank by the water.
But something wasn't right.
"What the hell-" Klaus stepped forward, but Elena shot her hand out, stopping him, her eyebrows drawing together.
The twins were on their knees, making a circle around Michael with their arms, who sat cross-legged between them.
Light was emitting from their connected palms, as if they had a handful of fireflies in each grip, and their eyes were closed.
They were talking quietly. Chanting.
"Don't scare them," Elena whispered, dropping her palm from Klaus's chest, "It could be dangerous."
"What are they doing?" I demanded in a low voice and she shrugged, "I have no idea. But if you break their focus they could lose control of the magic."
"They're doing magic on my son?" Klaus growled.
Elena shot him a warning look, putting her body between his and the children when he straightened.
"Maybe. And he could get hurt if they lose control. So let me handle this."
He moved closer to her, "If you think-"
"Easy," I growled, stepping in front of my mate and meeting the male's gaze, "She knows what she's talking about Klaus. Trust her."
Blue eyes stared at me for a moment, then reluctantly Klaus gave a small nod and Elena sighed, her gaze trailing back to the young.
"Babe, cut your hand," she whispered to me, "I need your blood."
I did as she asked without question, extending my nail to a claw and slicing my palm.
Elena did the same to her own hand, then swallowed harshly and reached for mine.
When our blood combined, she closed her eyes and extended her other hand, chanting under her breath.
I watched carefully as she focused on the young, her fingers stretched out toward them.
Whether they sensed her magic, or if she was pulling on theirs was unclear, but for whatever reason, the glowing of the twins' palms dissipated until darkness surrounded them once more.
"What happened?" Michael asked when their eyes opened.
Elena dropped my hand and gave a small nod.
"I don't know," Daniel frowned, "Sky did you-"
"What do you three think you're doing?" I bellowed, stepping out.
Klaus was right with me, anger and worry flowing from his body like a storm.
The young all jumped and span around, their eyes widening at the sight of us.
"Dad-" Daniel started and I narrowed my eyes.
"What are you doing out here?" I demanded.
The three of them went silent, their gazes flickering to one another.
"One of you had better answer him," Klaus snapped, taking a step closer to his son, "And then you can explain it to your mother. She was scared to death to find you missing."
Michael's head fell and he muttered an apology.
"Just tell us what you were doing," Elena said, claiming the twin's attention as she stepped forward, "And why you were practicing magic."
They looked at each other, then at Michael, who was still studying his bare feet.
"Answer," I commanded, and Daniel flinched at the the Alpha in my tone.
Skylar however, looked up and met my stare.
"We wanted to use the full moon to make Michael Change," she said.
I blinked, and since neither Elena nor Klaus commented right away, I'd guess they were as surprised as I was by the statement.
"Change," I collected, "Into a wolf?"
My daughter nodded, "So he could be like me and Danny."
I felt my head shake and Elena touched my arm, moving in front of me.
She leaned down so that she was eye level with the children and studied them.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous this could have been?" she asked, "How badly you could have hurt Michael?"
Skylar's eyes moved to her, "We didn't hurt him. We just wanted the moon to make him Change. Cause it's full tonight."
"The moon won't change him until he's older," Elena explained patiently, "When he's ready."
"I'm ready now," Michael insisted, "I want to Change! Like Sky and Danny."
Klaus found his voice then, "You are not like them, Michael. And the Change is not something to rush! You could have been killed tonight, if this had gone badly."
"We wouldn't hurt him," Daniel defended.
"Not on purpose," Elena sighed, "But accidents happen. You're out here in the middle of the woods, with no adults, and things could have gone very wrong. Why would you think this is okay?"
"Because it could work and Michael wouldn't be alone anymore," Skylar said, "He could turn with us!"
"Magic is the reason the two of you turned early," I told her, "Because you were born with-"
"With the magic," she nodded, "And magic could turn Michael, too."
"Not like this," Elena scolded, "This is foolish and dangerous."
"But I want to turn," Michael insisted, "I don't want to wait anymore!"
Klaus shook his head, "Michael if you can not even listen to me and your mother about leaving the house, what makes you think you are ready to obey an Alpha?"
The young frowned, his eyes darting to the twins.
"That goes for the two of you as well," I told them, "You know you aren't allowed outside after dark without a grown up. And you certainly aren't allowed to do magic without supervision."
Guilt flashed on their faces, but it didn't calm the pounding in my chest.
If this happened once, it could happen again, and what if next time something worse happened before we could find them?
They needed to know this wasn't right and that there would be repercussions.
Punishment was necessary to learn, and they were going to put themselves and others in danger if they couldn't understand the magnitude of their own abilities.
They could have slipped up and killed Michael tonight, and that couldn't be ignored.
Punishment was necessary to learn.
With all that had been unfolding these past few months, and all that we still had awaiting us, insubordination within the Pack could not be tolerated, no matter what form it came in.
The twins knew better.
How many times had Elena and I stressed the importance of supervision; of control?
And they had chosen to ignore those rules and do whatever they wanted anyway.
Which was unacceptable.
Punishment is necessary to learn.
Giuseppe Salvatore's voice echoed in my head, taking me back to when I was the same age as my young.
My punishments had been filled with lessons and blood.
Blows and bruises until Alaric would step in and demand that the Alpha allow me a break.
I flinched as the same words Giuseppe had spat at Ric echoed through my own mind.
"Punishment is necessary to learn," he had said.
And I had learned.
My place, my responsibility, my bloodlust...the teachings had come harshly at any blink of a mistake I might have made.
And now, with the very nature of the Alpha I used to fear running it's course through my veins, I understood my father.
As much as I hated the man and rebelled in my mind against everything he stood for, I could not deny certain truths he'd lain.
It was easier, to let pain be the teacher instead of taking the time to work through the issue.
But I was not Giuseppe Salvatore and my lessons to my young would not be taught in their own blood.
Pushing away the echoing pain of the past, I reached forward to my children and drew them into me.
Their small arms wrapped around my waist, their faces burrowing into my sides, and I held them.
Without looking up, I addressed Klaus, "Take Michael back to the Manor so Caroline can be at ease. Do as you see fit. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."
There was a low murmur of agreement, then Klaus was leading his son back to the woods and I waited until they were gone before pulling away from my young.
"The two of you are in trouble for this," I told them calmly, "For disobeying the rules by leaving the house at night and by practicing magic without your mother or Aunt Bonnie to help you."
They nodded, knowing better than to argue, though from the look on Skylar's face, she wanted to.
"We're going to go back to the house," I told them, "I want you to go to your room and get ready for bed, understood?"
Again, they nodded.
"Good. Your mother and I will be up shortly. We're going to talk about this."
I motioned with my hand for them to start on the path, and they did so without hesitation.
My arm reached for Elena and we followed behind them.
"You okay?" she asked me quietly, as if sensing the unpleasant memories my mind had paid visit to.
I kissed the side of her head, "I will be."
There was a feeling of dread in my stomach.
A bomb of inevitability that was just waiting to be dropped and every instinct I had was screaming at me to fight it.
Difficult to do, however, when you weren't entirely sure what you were supposed to be fighting.
But it was something harsh, brewing in the pit of my gut, giving a warning to the fact that something wasn't right.
No shit, Sherlock.
Nothing was really right anymore, and hadn't been since Elena had gotten back in my bed.
There was something off, different.
I had her, but she was still so far out of reach.
Mine, except not really.
She was certainly the cause of this swirling mess of something-bad-is-about-to-fucking-happen that had been plaguing me for the past days.
I just wasn't sure what the fallout was going to be.
Maybe I just needed to talk to Elena.
Sure, she'd shot me down each time before, but it was the only thing I could think of that might help us get back on the same page.
Or hell, at least back in the same fucking library.
As if by the will of my thoughts, I found myself in front of her bedroom door.
The faded wood the only blockade between me and what I wanted most in the world.
Perhaps if I were lucky, it would be unlocked and I could go in and talk to her.
Not that I couldn't simply break the damn thing if it were locked, but seeing as I'd already taken plenty from the female, allowing her the illusion of privacy was the least I could do in atonement.
I took a breath.
Several.
They really didn't help much, but it didn't matter.
I could stand here all day giving my diaphragm a workout and it wouldn't make this any easier.
I just had to bite the nail on the head and-
A soft giggle erupted from the other side of the door, halting me.
Elena's tinkling laughter was a jolt of electricity up my spine, spreading warmth in its wake and for a moment, a flicker of happiness broke through the dread I was feeling.
At least until a very masculine purr of arousal joined her laugh and I realized she wasn't in her room alone.
Void of any other thought, I threw open the bedroom door with enough force that even if it had been locked, it would have given way.
The sight before me nearly brought me to my knees as it robbed my breath in the harshest sweep of pain I'd ever felt.
Elena.
With Mason.
I shot up from the bed, my eyes flying open as my heart pounded from beneath my chest.
The room around me was dark, and it took a few seconds for me to understand what had happened.
Elena and Mason were…
A dream.
It had been a fucking dream.
I exhaled deeply and turned just to be sure.
Elena was laying next to me, her naked back facing me as she slept, oblivious to the terror that had shaken me awake.
It was just a dream.
A stupid, stupid dream.
Elena had shown no interest in any of my Pack brothers and I was the one in her bed.
My mark was the one on her neck.
And it was my scent that doused her body from the number of times we'd come together in the night.
Knowing this, however, didn't stop that fucking image from playing on repeat in my brain.
Elena on top of Mason, kissing his throat, nipping at his lips...that seductive little smile that had played across her face.
I groaned, wishing like anything that I could fall back down against the mattress and catch a few more hours of sleep, but that wasn't going to happen.
Not so long as that image of her tight little body getting pleasure from anyone who wasn't me was still-
I rolled over, pulling Elena against me.
Having her now wasn't a choice; it was something I needed.
My hand felt its way down her ribs, to her hips and her thighs, then that sweet place between her legs.
The sudden stiffness in her body let me know she was waking up and was becoming aware of what I was doing.
A moment later, she was rocking against my hand, "Damon."
My name, thick and breathy in her sleepy voice, was all it took for my body to get with the program and I got hard as a diamond.
A little maneuvering and Elena was beneath me.
I kissed her desperately, hungrily, as if I had a point to prove which, hell, maybe I did.
She was far from fighting my advances though, as her legs began to wrap around my waist, her fingers stroking through my hair, and she returned the kiss.
She let me take what I needed from her body without question, and clung to me as I thrusted into that tight warmth of hers once more.
This was heaven and home, all wrapped up in a hellish little package, wasn't it.
The love I craved from her; the distance in her eyes that I deserved.
I fucked her, and she fucked me.
The joining of our bodies was something we had down to a science, and each time we came together didn't last nearly long enough.
Since the night she'd let me back into her arms, something had changed.
We needed each other in a primal way that gave hint to the animal we hid within ourselves.
Our wolves wanted out to play with each other, and any time they had the chance to get their way, they pressed for it.
I didn't want to fight it; Elena had stopped trying to.
And it was the only way she let me touch her.
She would lay in my arms the moment we were through, too spent to be angry, too tired to be hurt, and I could hold her.
In her sleep, her body would curve into mine and everything in me that was male shouted it's victory that my girl knew her place with me.
She knew that she could sleep soundly against my body and that I would keep her safe.
After the sex, I got to be what I wanted most of all.
Her lover, her protector, her mate.
It was only a matter of time before the rest worked itself out.
This would be enough until then.
In the quiet of the Manor, it was hard to believe anything remotely close to dangerous had taken place.
Down the hall, I could hear Klaus and Caroline's low voices as they discussed the night's events, and I pulled Elena tighter into my arms.
The twins had fallen asleep over half an hour ago, but still, we sat against the wall next to the door in their room.
Well, I sat against the wall.
Elena was curled into my arms, her head leaning back against my shoulder as her tired eyes watched our young.
I half expected we'd be sleeping here tonight, with the way her gaze was guarded and weighted.
Her scent was full of worry.
"They understood what we told them," I murmured softly, gripping her hand in my own.
Elena exhaled, "I know. But they understood last time too and they still did this."
"Daniel won't disobey me again," I said convincingly, and she gave a little nod.
When we'd come up earlier, our son had been the epitome of regret and shamefulness.
He'd apologized profusely until Skylar had admitted that the sneaking out had been her idea and Daniel had only went along because she and Michael had begged him to.
I'd leveled him with a hard stare, and as he did in training, he'd offered a submission without hesitance.
He'd accepted his mistake, shown repentance, and didn't even flinch when Elena had declared them grounded.
He was a good kid.
His sister however.
I felt the strangest mix of pride and fear as my gaze trailed over to my daughter's bed.
She was a wild spirit with a temper and an independent streak that rivaled her mother's.
She realized her actions were wrong in the sense that she'd broken our rules, not that she'd tried to use magic on her friend with a source as powerful as a full moon and had talked her brother into participation.
We would have to keep our eyes on her more closely, just in case any other spur of the moment ideas jumped into her brain.
Part of me longed for the day they were old enough to understand how important it was for them to keep in line.
The other half of me dreaded that they'd ever have to grow up.
If the Pack was my strength, and Elena my life, then these young were my heart.
The very thing that made my days worth living.
Looking at their sleeping forms, it was hard to think of them as magical creatures that were unique in every way.
Right now, I didn't see their powerful potentials or the dangers they could face because of them.
I saw Elena, in the red tint of their hair, and their perfectly straight noses.
I saw her in Skylar's arched brow and in Daniel's high cheekbones.
Then I saw myself.
My chin, my ears...my attitude.
I saw my past.
The younger version of myself who had a power he couldn't control, and I knew that I had to remain patient.
My twins were still young and had plenty of time to learn and understand the way the world would work for them.
It was my job to keep them safe as they explored and to guide them in the way that was not only best for them, but best for the Pack as well.
My mandate was to preserve our way of life so that my children had the chance to grow up, happy and loved, and not hunted.
"You got quiet," Elena pointed out, her hand against my cheek bringing me back to the present.
I smiled down at her, "So did you."
"I guess we all have a lot on our minds," she said in a lowered voice.
I continued to stare at her, trying to read her expression, "What's on yours?"
She was quiet for a moment, as if her thought process was so vast that she was trying to find the best way to narrow it down for explanation.
"I think that it's about time to give the twins their own rooms," she said.
I blinked.
Okay, not what I had been expecting.
"Yeah?"
She nodded, "They're getting older. And they already spend so much time together as it is. Maybe a little distance wouldn't hurt. Especially since they're starting to get each other into shenanigans."
I chuckled, "Fair point. There's three empty rooms left. I think one is packed with storage stuff, but the others are mostly empty. It won't be hard to move one of their beds."
Elena nodded, "We'll discuss it with them tomorrow."
With that, she let go of me and climbed to her feet.
"I'm tired," she admitted in a whisper, giving one last glance to the kids, "We should head down to our room."
I nodded, but she didn't move.
"They'll be okay," I promised her.
She sighed, "I know...come on, let's go."
I took her hand and this time she did lead us into the hallway.
Since it was all quiet, I assumed that Klaus and Caroline had turned in, and the others had found sleep as well.
Elena pulled me to our room and shut the door behind us when we entered.
It wasn't long before we were beneath the sheets and she was molded against my body.
Her heavy exhale spoke of the exhaustion she felt, emotionally or otherwise, and I brushed her hair out of her face.
"You're doing the best you can," I promised her, sensing that she was still worried, "We all are."
She looked up, meeting my gaze, "I just keep thinking this parenting thing will get easier, you know? That one day we'll have it all figured out and the surprises will end, but…"
"I know," I promised, kissing her forehead, "But we just have to focus on each day as it comes. It'll all work out."
Her eyes closed and her head slowly nodded, "I hope so."
I hugged her tighter, thinking of all that had already worked in our favor.
Destiny, fate, the universe, or whatever the hell else you wanted to call it had a plan drawn for us all.
What was meant to be would be, and there was no stopping that.
I was meant to find Elena.
She was meant to be a wolf with me.
Giuseppe was meant to put that spell on her, and our children were meant to walk this Earth.
So many trials had sprung between us over the years and each time, we'd found our way through them and back to each other.
I had no doubt this parenting thing would work the same way.
We'd be tired, we'd be worried, and we wouldn't always make the right choices, but we would love our young and give them the best of ourselves so that they had the chance to be even better, and in the end, that's all it really came down to.
Supernatural, wolf-witch powers aside, we were like every other parent in the world.
Just trying to do right by our kids and hoping that somehow it would all turn out alright.
Bit of a filler chapter, but it was needed.
You'll understand why soon ;)