A/N- Hello everyone! Man updating comes so easily to me when I have a two thousand word assignment due in two days.
My thanks to all the lovely reviews, especially Avalon The Lady Killer, your last review actually gave me the inspiration for the next Katherine chapter.
Also, I'm getting a lot of emails that people are 'following' me or 'favouriting' me, is there anywhere I can check these numbers? I can seem to find it in my profile.
Now I know everyone here is a huge Klaroline fan but this event is happening in MF so we are going to pay some attention to Elena- who I try to capture as both sweet but not exactly the sharpest fang in the mouth.
Anyhow- this chapter is rated M- seriously rated M.
The water was sparkling under the weak afternoon sun as Elena frolicked in the water with the two men she loved the most.
She, Stefan and Damon were playing some form of tag that was less catching the other person and more gentle tugs on ankles and hands as they swam through the lake.
No longer needing to breathe as often as a living human, Elena allowed herself to sink to the very bottom of the body of water and buried her feet into the soft silt as she opened her eyes and saw herself in another world.
One in which the light barely penetrated and creatures she didn't even know existed crawled in the near darkness.
There's a disturbance above her head and she looks up to see two pairs of legs and then one completely naked body as Damon is forcibly pushed down into the lake and nearly reaches her outstretched hand before kicking his way back to the surface.
She rolls her eyes and ignores the sting of the water as she contemplates swimming back up into the world.
For a moment she wants to re-enact the scene from the Pirates of the Caribbean but figures there's no point when she doesn't have a camera or anyone to appreciate it.
When she comes up for air she's nearly brained by a paddle from her families canoe, she uses her supernatural strength to propel herself out of the way in time and once safe, glares at the two supposedly grown adult men in front of her who are clearly pretending the paddles are swords.
Stefan clears his throat, "Sorry, are you okay?"
She glares and crosses her arms, which is a lot more effective when she isn't treading water and completely naked,
"Really? Why can't you two ever find a hobby that doesn't involve hitting each other with something?"
Damon points his paddle straight at Stefan, "He started it"
She rolls her eyes again, "Real mature Salvatore, last I checked- you're the older brother!"
He shrugs, "You're the older sister but I hear you blame Jeremy for shit all the time, hell last weekend you blamed him for global warming"
Elena tries stamping her foot but loses her balance and nearly goes under the water again, "I didn't blame him for global warming entirely, I just pointed out that maybe he should be less wasteful of our natural resources"
Damon and Stefan share a look and she can see that the memory of the half hour debate/argument between her and Jeremy is still fresh in their mind and about to be brought up for reconsideration.
Well, she knows how to stop them in their tracks.
"I'm going inside" she threatens, diving under the waterline and swimming barely five metres before a hand snakes around her ankle and drags her squealing into Stefan's back,
"We're sorry" he pouts, kissing her shoulder, "Very sorry"
Damon floats until he's brushing up against her, "We are" he agrees, smirking as he cups her face, pushing her hair out of the way,
"How about we make it up to you?"
Both of her men are naked and their bodies, particularly their lower halves are making their desire for her known, her own body feels flushed and she wraps an arm around Damon's neck for support,
"Kiss me" she demands and he lowers his head to hers, his lips parting hers and his tongue sneaking into her mouth while Stefan continues kissing her bare back and pushes her hair over her left shoulder for better access to her neck.
She's exceptionally thankful that she had her hair cut in New York, long hair is pretty and all but irritating as hell in water and during sex, sticking to her body, getting in the way…
She breaks Damon's kiss with a moan and tilts her head back so Stefan can kiss her while his brother focuses his attention on her now exposed breasts, his tongue plunders her mouth and she spreads her legs wide open as two hands start eagerly snaking down over her stomach, playing with her curls,
"How are we going to do this?" she asks as she breaks for air, slinging her free arm behind her head and wrapping it around Stefan's neck to bring both men closer to her and keep her balance.
Damon's mouth is on her left breast, sucking and teasing the nipple as Stefan's fingers tease her clit,
"Same way we do everything" he laughs as his erection presses into her back, "Go in blind and hope we figure it out"
She laughs and then moans as Damon's fingers slip inside her, searching for her g-spot and she tilts her head back for another kiss from Stefan as she quivers with pleasure.
She can feel Stefan guiding himself to her entrance and he thrusts in slowly before withdrawing and sliding backwards, she feels momentary worry before Damon's kissing her, distracting her while Stefan plays with her ass.
Usually when she's with both of her men, Stefan takes her from the front and Damon has her from behind because even though Damon is longer, Stefan is thicker, but they haven't been together like this for long and she hasn't been with Damon for so long that she will gladly take this change in program.
She nips Damon's lower lip and wraps her legs around his waist, "Now" she begs and he quickly enters her, both of them groaning at the pleasant sensation, Stefan is breathing in her ear, his fingers probing, "Are you ready Elena?"
She nods and kisses the corner of his mouth as he slowly slides inside, she winces at the momentary discomfort but it fades and she's left feeling wonderfully complete.
"Never apart" she whispers.
She made that oath for them that challenge and war cry.
She's missed this so much, their unholy trinity.
Both men are gentle but thorough and she surrenders to the pleasure, her second climax bringing the three of them to release. Their desire heats the very water around them and when they clamber onto the shore, the whole world seems brighter and clearer.
The small fire has died down but when she emerges from the house wearing tracksuit pants and her university hoodie Damon and Stefan have built it into a pretty decent bonfire with a long piece of metal set up in the middle.
"We should totally have a roast for dinner" Stefan suggests as Damon sets up the pile of dry twigs and logs away from the shoreline but Elena disagrees.
"First night at the cabin is always pizza night" she explains, "Jeremy once refused to get out of the car when mom tried feeding us minestrone instead"
And she'd taken her sleeping bag into the forest and been determined to sleep there until pizza night was reinstated.
"Jeremy and Matt are bringing more s'mores ingredients" she offers instead, only to have Damon make a face,
"American desserts today are too sweet" he complains, "Seriously, half the time I grab a drink my brain goes into shock from their damn sugar intake"
"Maybe you should stop live feeding" Stefan suggests cheekily as the three of them settle down to watch the blue and orange flames, Damon snarls,
"I would if you would stop pumping sugar water into the blood bags"
Elena giggles and leans her head against Damon's shoulder, enjoying the tranquillity of the day.
When Jeremy and Matt arrive that night, they bring five large pizzas but only themselves. Elena waves them over to the fire and looks in vain for Bonnie behind them.
But she's nowhere to be found.
"Where's Bonnie?" she asks curiously, as Matt sits down and opens the first box, pepperoni is her favourite and she takes a slice eagerly.
Damon however, is not as easily distracted, "Judgy not making an appearance this week?"
Matt is caught with his mouth open, he hums and haws before casting a guilty glance to Jeremy,
"Nope" is all Elena's brother has to say about Bonnie once again refusing to socialise with her best friend.
That night, both of her men hold her as she cries.
There's no set routine at the lake house, breakfast is whenever someone decides to start cooking it and lunch is pretty much when Matt gets hungry, otherwise it's just long hours on hammocks piled under blankets for the cold weather, long hikes through the forest or just sitting on the porch and enjoying the peace and quiet.
For most of them anyway.
However, Elena can't help but notice that Damon takes to furtively checking his cell phone and driving into the General store once a day on the pretext of buying groceries or live feeding but comes back more and more frustrated and casting meaningful glances to Stefan as soon as he's out of the car, sometimes followed by a shake of the head or a nod.
And she instinctively knows that when Matt's car won't start and his boss at the Grill doesn't wail on him for not being able to make his shift but actually extends his time off for an extra week because 'he's such a dedicated worker' that Damon is behind it.
When Jeremy rings Bonnie and invites her up for the weekend because there's going to be a music festival only an hour drive away and Stefan got them all last minute tickets only to be refused because she's 'too busy', Elena sees Damon's grim face and knows that whatever is happening could involve her best friend.
So the morning of the festival she invites everyone for an early walk just as Jeremy and Matt sit down for an x-box game, figuring that they'll bow out in favour of beating their imaginary characters bloody.
They barely make a mile into the forest before she spins on her heal and glares at them both,
"Okay" she blows out her breath, "We're out of range of everyone who could possibly be around, what's going on?"
Both brothers shoot each other a guilty glance before opening their mouths but she holds up a hand,
"No lies" she demands, "Don't even think of trying to protect me, I can look after myself…tell me what is wrong!"
Stefan sighs and jams his hands into his pockets while Damon's jaw clicks, she maintains her ground, standing with the men she loves in the forest, the trees overheard allowing little dapples of sunlight to make their way onto their bodies, the soft ground underneath and the critters and creatures in distance.
Damon is dressed in his usual dark colours, forgoing a jacket because there's no outsiders around to wonder why he isn't cold. Stefan almost his complete opposite in cargo pants and a red jacket she bought for him last Christmas because she'd wanted him to look festive.
She didn't realise it this morning but she'd picked up on their nerves and dressed herself as if she was going into a fight.
Combat boots, jeans, leather jacket and her hair tied back in a rare ponytail. She was on edge and if a rogue vampire attacked her right now- unlikely, even with her luck- she'd definitely stand a chance.
After all, she'd won against Katherine.
So she stands there waiting patiently for one of them to give in first.
She's honestly surprised when it's Damon,
"Ever since you, Blondie and Sabrina went off to college, good ole Mayor Hopkins has been plotting something" he admits in a terse voice,
"We don't know what it is exactly" Stefan continues, "Only that he disbanded the last council and formed a new one, no founding family members allowed, all people who lost either a family or friend to a supernatural death"
She nods, following along so far, understanding why this is bad.
Damon had controlled the council right up until Pastor Young had staged the coup and tried to kill them all before taking his own life.
After, he'd had a seat but Liz had ruled everything- which had still worked in their favour- primarily the Founding Family members wanted to protect and preserve the town they'd built and were always keen to take the path of least resistance provided nobody got hurt or killed.
Mayor Hopkins was an outsider however, someone who'd stayed around only until Bonnie's mom had bailed and then left his daughter to be raised by Grandma Sheila. He'd come back only because a dozen people before him had turned down the position for mayor and Liz had got desperate.
Since that day, he'd made it clear that he detested any and all supernatural creatures- except for his daughter of course.
But Elena can also see things from Mayor Hopkins perspective, the council was originally founded to protect the humans of Mystic Falls, and at one point it was headed by Damon, Liz and Carol whose primary interest had been protecting the supernaturals in the town. At least with his council members he wouldn't have to worry about them bending over backwards to accommodate them.
Although she sincerely hoped he didn't decide to throw vervein in the water supply again.
Which reminded her.
"What about the treaty?" she asks, shifting her weight as her feet start to get cold.
"The one Katherine had him agree to- peaceful coexistence and whatnot?"
During the Silas debacle, Katherine had met with Mayor Hopkins and Liz to arrange for Rebekah to be fished out of the safe in the Quarry and somehow had ended up negotiating a peace treaty between him and them.
Bonnie's dad wouldn't hunt the vampires and they wouldn't hunt humans, they wouldn't kill humans and he wouldn't kill them.
She'd even added the bonus of the Original family promising to call ahead every time they were headed their way and making Mystic Falls a no-go zone for supernatural creatures.
Stefan raises his eyebrows, "I don't think we've broken it so far, we haven't killed anyone at least…Damon?"
He rolls his eyes, "No I haven't killed anyone Stef-an"
"So he has to honour the treaty right!" Elena interrupts before her men start bickering, "If we don't kill anyone he can't harm us"
Both Salvatore's give her an identical look of love and pity.
She's always had the most hope and idealism out of all of them. if Klaus can honour the deals they lay out with him, then surely Bonnie's dad can…
Oh.
Suddenly she can't remember how to breathe and the world seems as if it's spinning all too fast.
Elena leans backwards and her bum finds the rough bark of a tree that scratches through her jeans.
She press her feet into the earth to ground herself as Stefan comes forward and rubs her shoulder gently, Damon hovering as he tries not to be his usual abrupt self.
It's not that he doesn't care, it's that he's not one for denial.
Elena is however.
She shakes her head, "Bonnie would never do anything like that" she argues, "We're her friends, her family; she loves us"
"She loves you" Stefan assures her, "But you can't deny that the last semester was tense, she's angry at you and Caroline for the choices you've made"
She's angry that Elena had scorned the world and taken two men, two brothers as her lovers.
She's angry that Caroline had decided to give her feelings for Klaus a chance and gone to New Orleans to be with him.
"There's anger and then there's hunting us!" She looks to Damon, "That's why you kept trying to lure her here isn't it, you wanted to see if she's working with her father"
He grinds his teeth and looks into the forest, glaring at the foliage, "All we know right now is that Hopkins is probably planning something and Bonnie might know what it is"
She sighs and takes their hands, leading them out of the forest,
"I don't think Bonnie would work against us" she tells them firmly, "But even if she does…We have Jeremy and Matt on our side…even if she hates me, she loves them both too much to risk their lives"
The festival that night is wild and wonderful enough to make them forget their worries.
The bands are great and Elena loses sight of her brother and Matt, panicking for a solid half hour before she finds them under an ancient oak with some hacky-sack hipsters sharing a cigarette and whisky while discussing American politics.
She rolls her eyes and heads back to the stage area where Stefan and Damon are drinking from red cups and comparing notes about Woodstock, not that either of them remember it all too well but Damon was hanging backstage with the bands while they haggled over being paid and Stefan vaguely recalls being in the crowd with Lexie trying to figure out if the rioting would start before or after the mass dehydration set in.
Caught up in the moment, Elena's handbag is now filled with the CDs of all the bands that are playing that night, and a few numbers from some of the guitarists and singers- male and female- that she shows her men to make them jealous.
Both of them manage to maintain their semblance of pride and dignity although barely ten minutes later the scraps of paper have been shredded into confetti at her dancing feet.
The five of them squeeze every moment of pleasure from the night, not realising that it will be the last time they are ever truly carefree and happy together.
They get home around five am and despite their determination to climb into bed, none of them seem to make it past the living room.
Their phones are either low on battery or left in handbags or jacket pockets, forgotten as they relive their best memories from the night as they curl up in hammocks or pass out on couches.
Elena wakes up around eight and feeling thirsty, grabs herself one of the blood bags Damon had stored in the veggie crisper in the fridge, convenient for the vampires and out of sight for the humans.
He had absolutely no faith in Jeremy or Matt's concern for their nutrition.
She drinks slowly as she decides to upload the awesome photos from last night onto her facebook page.
She grabs her phone from her handbag and sees there's barely enough battery life left before she drops her gaze and dread clenches her heart.
She has eight missed calls.
In her world, that means something is wrong.
Her panic gets worse when she sees that the calls are all from Klaus, Katherine or Rebekah.
Oh God.
Caroline!
"Damon, Stefan!" her voice has them stumbling into the kitchen,
"What's wrong?!" Damon asks as Elena accesses her voicemail.
"Elena. Sheriff Forbes has been in an accident, get yourself and your whores to Mystic Falls General immediately if you wish to live"
Damon flashes to the living room and grabs his car keys, "On my way"
Elena follows him to the Camaro, climbing into the passenger side before realising that she's bare foot.
Never mind, she can grabs some shoes back at the Boarding House.
Stefan climbs into the backseat as Damon revved the engine and kicked up dust as he reversed down the dirt road and onto the highway.
"I left a note for Matt and Jeremy" Stefan says as they sped down the empty road, "They can follow later"
Elena's hands shook as her phone rang and she answered it immediately, not even checking the number, "Caroline?"
The reception was so bad she could barely recognise the voice on the other end,
"Ka…er…ne"
"Katherine" she raised her voice even though she knew that it wouldn't help, "We got the message, we were at the lake house, we're headed back now"
The reply is so garbled she can only make out the words 'Don't' and 'Stop'
She rolls her eyes, "We won't stop for red lights" she promises before hanging up.
The trip between the lake house and Mystic Falls is usually two hours, Damon manages to get them there in forty-five minutes, pulling up to the hospital, parking illegally on the curb and storming straight inside.
Stefan hurries after him and Elena is hot on his heels until she notices something out of the corner of her eye.
A man, dressed in camo and with a rifle on his back is headed through the doors to the ER, that in itself isn't a big deal after the spree of 'wild animal attacks' when Damon first came into town, there were now tons of hunters who came into Mystic Falls for the weekend looking for big game.
And typically they ended up in the ER with injuries ranging from broken limbs to accidentally shooting themselves.
But somehow, seeing this man sends a chill up her spine and the way he stares at Stefan as he nods and hurries past him…
Elena lingers in the ambulance bay, watching the man intently, trying to understand what is wrong with the picture until she sees him reach into his pocket and draw out a black object.
Still, her brain is making it out to be a cell phone until she sees the pin on his finger as he throws it underarm into the ER.
"Look out!" she screams uselessly almost at the same time as the grenade explodes in the room full of innocent humans and her two vampire men.
The hunter is barely a dozen feet away from her and with practised ease he pulls the rifle from his back and aims it straight for her heart.
Elena's eyes go dark as the monster in her emerges onto her face, her fangs shooting from her gums.
He's looking down the barrel but he never gets to pull the trigger.
She snaps his neck in one fluid movement and stands triumphantly over his dead body.
"Elena!"
Damon races from the building with Liz tucked under his arm and Stefan's limp body thrown over his shoulder. He has a large splinter protruding from his forehead,
"I think Hopkins just made his move" he tells her grimly.
She only nods.
A/N- I take suggestions and criticisms if you think my work can be improved but 'More Klaroline smut' is not a suggestion people, it doesn't work on the VD writers and it won't work on me, I'm putting as much sex in there for them as I can already.
If you want more Klaroline smut, check out my other stories
Alpha Female- Chapters 5&6
New Paths- Chapters 16&17
New Lives- Chapters 15&16