I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. Lots of work and a sick little girl are the only excuses I have. I hope you enjoy it and as always let me know what you think.
Damon
I woke up the morning after I broke up with Elena – broke up with was maybe the wrong choice of word because we were never officially a couple. I told her I never wanted to see her again and I told her to get out of my house because she confessed she's a vampire. She's a monster and I don't know how I ever fell for her. She confessed after she offered to cure my mother. It's a nice thought but it's impossible. Despite what Elena says, it's still impossible. But now I had nothing to distract me from my mom's deteriorating health. Even a month ago she was only having one hallucination a week, now she was up to pretty much every single day was a series of hallucinations. I was able to forget about it for a little while with Elena but now she was gone too.
"Breakfast. Come boys, it's time to eat." My mother's voice rang out and I was confused. She had never cooked breakfast, at least not since she'd fallen mentally ill. If this was another one of her delusions, I didn't know how to take it. Her delusions either involved danger or taking her to another world. I guess I would have to see when I got down there. There was the distinct possibility the breakfast she cooked was something disgusting. I got out of bed and threw a shirt on before leaving my room. Stefan and my father were already down there looking wildly confused when I walked into the dining room.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"She says she's cured. I'm taking her to the doctor today. She told us that an angel came to her in her dreams and told her to forget she was sick. If she forgot about it then she wouldn't be ill anymore." My dad told me shaking his head.
"She's definitely in another delusion but this one is strange Damon. We're getting her checked out to see if there is any other medication she can be put on." Stefan interjected and I nodded even though I knew exactly what happened. Elena disrespected my wishes and came into the house late last night. She cured my mother and left without anyone ever knowing she was here. I didn't know how I felt about that. I would probably need to thank her if I ever saw her again. There was a chance that she managed to repair my family.
"I'm cured, can you believe it? That angel is perfect in my eyes." She said happily.
"What did the angel look like, mom?" I asked her needing to make sure.
"Long dark hair, brown eyes. Kind. She wore jeans and a henley." She told me and that was the exact outfit Elena had been wearing earlier before I kicked her out and said I never wanted to see her again. Maybe calling her a monster had been a little harsh. We all sat down to eat the breakfast my mom had made. Stefan and dad watched her wearily not sure when she was going to snap. I trusted Elena's methods and was sure that what Elena said was true. My mother was finally cured of her delusions. Elena did what dozens of doctors hadn't been able to do. She brought my mother back to us.
"You should invite Elena over now, son. We would like to meet your girlfriend." My dad shot in and I shook my head.
"We aren't spending time together anymore." I told him looking at my plate and moving hash browns around.
"The two of you were very close yesterday, and she was a big help in stopping the delusion. What happened?" He asked.
"We just weren't working out, despite how much I wanted us to." I told him with a shrug.
"There is still time. Maybe she'll come back. But sometimes you have to make an effort. Especially if you were the one who ended things. If you don't want them ended maybe you should tell her that." My dad said and I shrugged. I needed answers before anything else happened between us. I loved her for fixing my family but there was still too much unknown. I knew nothing about vampires aside from how they didn't like garlic, silver was deadly, no reflections in mirrors, and that they drank blood. Everything else about her was a mystery.
"Maybe." I agreed.
"Just talk to her, you will never know if you have a future until then. If your mother really is cured, then we want you and Stefan to start living for yourselves." My dad said and my mom smiled at me.
"I want to meet this girl of yours with a clear mind." My mom said and I smiled at her. I was almost certain that when my mom saw her she would have a face for her angel.
"We'll see. I have to talk to her first." I decided. I had to talk to her, she deserved it after coming in despite everything I said and doing this for me.
After breakfast everyone went to get ready for the day. Stefan had football practice so he was gone before I was ready. My mom and dad waited for me downstairs.
"We're going to the doctor, do you want to come to see for yourself if your mom is cured?" My dad asked.
"No that's okay. I believe she's cured, I need to go talk to Elena." I told him and he patted me on the back and smiled.
"Bring her home with you if you work things out. I'd like to meet this girl without hating her on sight because of our home life." He said and I smiled.
"I'll try. I have to see if we can work it out first. I said some things I'm not proud of." I told him and he patted my back again.
""I'm sorry" Are very powerful words Damon." My mom said and I offered her a smile.
"I know, thanks though." I said before slipping past them and getting in my car.
I drove to Elena's house but her car wasn't outside. That didn't mean anything though because she and Caroline shared a car. Caroline was probably out with Tyler or hanging out with the jocks and cheerleaders. She probably went to football practice just to watch Tyler. I walked up the front walk and knocked on the door. I stepped back in case either of them answered. A couple seconds later Caroline opened the door with her arms crossed, it was like she knew it was me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded coolly.
"I need to talk to Elena." I told her.
"A little late for that. She left so she could regroup. You hurt her real bad." She told me and I took a deep breath. It wasn't fair that Caroline was putting all the blame on me, Elena was the one who lied.
"How did you react when she told you her secret?" I demanded and she laughed humorlessly.
"She didn't have to. I'm the same." She answered, her arms crossed.
"So you're a vampire too?" I asked and she nodded her head.
"I wanted to talk to her about what it meant to be a vampire. I know all the myths and the stories but I never knew that you guys actually existed. But she's not here so can I ask you?" I asked her. Caroline might be the only chance I had of finding Elena. If she left town then she was more hurt than I ever imagined.
"Elena is coming back, you know. She just needed a couple days alone. She and I are a package deal, if she leaves so do I and she wouldn't do that to me. I'm happy here." She told me and I nodded.
"So will you answer my questions? I need to know if being with Elena despite all of that is something I can do. I want to know before I see her again. I don't want to torture her or me for that matter." I asked and she sighed and stepped aside so I could come in.
"What made you decide to hear her out?" Caroline asked as she sat down in a big chair. I took the couch and put my elbows on my knees.
"She cured my mom." I told her simply.
"So since she cured your mom of her delusions you think she's now worthy of your time? News flash Salvatore Elena has always been worth your time, it's just you I don't think is worthy of her time. She's amazing, perfect, the strongest person I know. I don't know about you, especially if you bolted at the first taste of trouble." She told me. Caroline was straight to the point and it was clear how much she loved Elena. She would be a formidable opponent if she decided I wasn't good enough for her best friend.
"I understand that." I told her.
"I don't know if you do. You haven't gone through the things Elena has. She's practically my sister and I want to protect her the same way she wants to protect me." She told me.
"I understand. Can I ask you questions now?" I asked and she shrugged.
"Do what you want. I'll tell you the truth about everything." She told me sitting back. She was far more relaxed than I was, but I never thought for an instant that she would hurt me. She was totally in control.
"How did Elena turn?" I asked and she sighed.
"Don't tell her I told you anything about her. But you need to know who she is. She was attacked by a vampire, walking home from work one night. When her dad found her the vampire was feeling remorse so he fed her some of his blood but Grayson staked him. On their way home Elena and Grayson were in a car accident. Grayson was mostly unharmed, just a few bumps and bruises, but Elena died. Grayson couldn't stand the idea of his only daughter dying so cut himself so Elena could feed." She told me and I nodded.
"So in order for a person to become a vampire they have to be killed by a vampire and drink human blood?" I asked and Caroline shook her head.
"Not quite. A person has to die with vampire blood in their system and then feed on human blood to complete the transition. A person can opt out of feeding and then they'll just die. Grayson couldn't stand the idea of that happening to Elena." Caroline explained and I nodded.
"What happened after that? Did she go blood-crazy?" I asked and she shook her head.
"She was very grounded after that. But when her mom and brother ran away because they couldn't stand living with her they started getting very nomadic. They moved around a lot. Three years ago she took a bite out of a student so they had to leave. That was in New York. Then came San Francisco and Liam. She fell for him and showed him who she was and he freaked out. Sound familiar? And then she moved to Atlanta and met me. Then her dad disappeared and she and I moved here." She told me and I felt horrible that I wasn't the first one to break her heart like that. But it looked like she got over it.
"I need to know what's true about vampire myths." I told her and she nodded.
"Wooden stakes are deadly as long as they go in the heart. Garlic is delicious, Elena and I eat it all the time. It adds a certain something something to meals. Vervain is a pain in the ass as it makes it impossible to compel someone. A lot of people in this town are on it and I'm surprised your family seems to not be. I happen to love seeing my reflection in the mirror. It makes me feel even prettier. We excel at mind control – compulsion. You've seen Elena use that. We can't turn into bats, though that would be awesome. We are also incredibly fast. Vampire speed kicks ass." She told me.
"What about blood? Elena mentioned something about blood bags." I told her and she stood up.
"Come with me." She said leading me to a door. The door led to the basement and she opened a deep freeze. She opened it up and it was filled with blood bags.
"Holy shit. Where do you get it all?" I asked and she shrugged.
"Blood banks mostly. Elena's dad has a friend who works in one and he sends us a month supply of blood every month." She told me.
"So you never bite a human? You or Elena?" I asked. This was the important part.
"Only if they ask really nicely." She smirked.
"Some people ask for it? How the fuck can people want that?" I demanded. The idea was completely ridiculous.
"The usual situations are sexual. A vampire bite can be very pleasurable. Very intimate." She told me.
"What about the mark? The bite could be seen and there is no way that could be disguised as a hickey." I demanded.
"Vampire blood heals all. I bite Tyler from time to time and it makes the sex even better. I always give him some of my blood after we're done so the mark disappears and he's back to his perfectly sexy self. We don't take much blood at all, just a couple sips more or less. But it's incredibly enjoyable for both parties." She told me and I shook my head. There was no way I was ever being bitten.
"Thanks Caroline. Any idea of when Elena will be home?" I asked.
"I don't know. When she feels better I guess. Her phone is off so don't even try calling her." She told me and I nodded.
"What if something happens to her? Do you even know where she is?" I demanded. The idea of her being all alone somewhere with no way to get a hold of her was scary as hell.
"I know exactly where she is. But I'm not telling you that. She needed to get away. You can do your part when she gets home. You may have to fight for her because she won't be hurting anymore when she comes home." She warned me.
"I'll fight." I promised.
"Do you love her, or could you love her?" She asked me seriously. Those massive blue eyes of hers were staring into my soul it felt like.
"Yes, I love her. Or at least I'm falling in love with her. I don't know which right now." I answered and she smiled for the first time.
"Good. Don't hurt her. I'm giving you my blessing so you better not be the next person to hurt her. This is your last chance." She warned me. I nodded and left the house. Now I just had to wait. I could wait forever if I had to.