Chapter 14: Born to Make You Happy

The tires on Jenna's ancient red Toyota squealed sharply against the road as she weaved in and out of the heavy traffic. Her brain was processing the information she had read in the article that morning, and she didn't like what she was remembering. The cars around her came to a gradual stop as the stoplight flashed to a demanding red, but Jenna hardly cast a second glance as she speed through the ongoing ruckus. Boutique shops and small buildings alike disappeared behind her as went further and further from her small town of Mystic Falls. The information that she had would be as good as useless to the local sheriff, and she needed to get to the airport as quickly as possible. Briefly her mind toyed with the idea of calling the local police there. She knew that they would be able to get there faster than her, but she also knew they wouldn't be able to make an arrest. No, even the Chicago law enforcement wouldn't stand a chance against that thing that had Elena. She had seen him with her own eyes. He was dangerous. Jenna weaved her way into a nearby driveway and slammed foot down on the breaks. She was near the highway now, and she needed to start working before she got to the airport. Pulling out the bag she had fastened in the passenger seat, she dug around for some supplies she would need along the ride. Simple things, like holy water, crosses and garlic. She stuffed napkins from the glove compartment into the bag, attempting to hide the contents from the airport screeners. As she zipped the bag shut and repositioned it on the seat, a strong pain shook through her like a tidal wave. She had no time to dwell on it, or the burning in her veins. Jenna had to get a move on, and she knew exactly where she was going. Chicago.

"Looks like another pleasant day for a swim," Damon remarked as he smiled down at her from his position at the window.

Elena rolled over sleepily, not wanting to be disturbed.

"Oh, come on sleepy! This is a perfect day, you can't honestly expect me to let you spend it in bed."

A low mumble emanated from beneath Elena's cocoon of covers.

Damon sighed and began pulling out chest drawers from around the room. He selected swim suits for the both of them and then made his way into the bathroom.

"Okay," he called amusedly, "I guess I'll just take a morning shower all by my lonesome self."

Upon hearing this, the formerly drowsy Elena launched out of the covers and followed Damon into the vast marble bathroom with a grin.

Damon smirked at her knowingly and pulled her into his arms for a deep kiss. Elena took this opportunity to kick the door closed behind them and broke apart long enough to peel off her pajama set, throwing the layers of lavender satin in a pile by the door.

"Good morning," she breathed seductively.

"Good morning to you, too." Damon winked before he begun to set the dials on his shower and Elena rocked back and forth in nervous excitement.

She loved this stupid shower. It was beyond scary the first time she had tried it, but now it was her new favorite device in the house, besides Damon of course. Money could buy almost anything, and Elena was sure that this thing had cost a fortune. It was like shower that could be plugged to fill up like bath, with countless shower heads and massage features all around the board. Even better, with Damon there the ride was even more exciting. They had made it a habit lately to shower together, and she loved every minute of it. Stepping in behind Damon, she felt her restlessness dissolve and leaned forward into his embrace, the soothing water oozing over them like molten lava.

Janice Rogers paced slowly back and forth in her vast office. Eyes shut tight, she began to piece together all of the information she had thus far regarding the kidnapping of America's most beloved superstar. The absence of a ransom note this long into the investigation was concerning, and considering that the kidnapper had never attempted to make contact with the police or any of Elena Gilbert's representatives was bad news as well. That only served to solidify that the motive was not money or fame. If it had been a serial killer, certainly the local newspapers would have already begun to receive sick photographs depicting a fingerless Elena, coupled with notes that demanded to be a front page story. Janice had seen all of this before. But never had she seen a case quite so peculiar as this one.

Something had to give, and she was going to find out exactly what.

Lost in thought, she almost missed the phone chiming away in the background, but she snapped out of her daze quickly enough to answer it as the last rings sounded.

"Agent Rogers, FBI."

"Hello? Agent Rogers, we have a situation down at the station. A 911 call came through last night with information that could lead to the possible arrest of a certain male suspect living on the north side of Chicago. We have reason to believe that this man is responsible for the kidnapping of Elena Gilbert."

"The Gilbert case? What makes this call so different than the others we have received? How do we know that this isn't just another bored psycho?"

"We, uh, we got an email from the caller. That's how we tracked the I.P address to Illinois. There was a photo attached of Miss. Gilbert. She was... um..."

"Spit it out, Detective."

"Well, the female in the picture that we have identified as Miss. Gilbert was in horrible condition. Chained up, bleeding, and soaking wet. It's horrible really, like the guy dumped a bucket of ice water on her or something."

Janice considered this. It sounded like a sure lead, but something was amiss. Why would this surface now? What did the guy want?

"Send me the phone recording and a forward of that email. This could definitely be something, Detective. I'll get back to you."

She hung up the phone with resolve and leaned back into her chair, breathing deeply. Was this really the sociopath that had taken the pop superstar? Minutes passed and she heard a familiar chime from her laptop. Opening the window, her eyes glazed over the screen. One new email. She closed her eyes and clicked it open.

Jenna gazed out the window, looking down through the clouds. She thought about what she would do when the plan landed. Which cab company would be the fastest and what route to take to her destination. She didn't see the woman come up behind her with the refreshment cart. Didn't notice the flight attendant glaring at her with a deadly expression. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder and warm breath at her neck. She gazed up with a shocked expression as she met the attendant's eyes.

The women cast a glance around the plan before returning her look to Jenna and whispering softly into her ear.

"I know who you are."