Hey everyone :) I have got a new chapter for you, but am asking you to read this before you jump into it.
The school year has only just started, and yet it seems to me it has been going on for months after the first week in the amount of work I had been given. At the end of this school year I will go through really important exams, the results of which can influence on which university I will be accepted… So I might not be able to post every few months like I used to during the last few years.
I will write in my free time, but that will be a bit shorter than it had been before, so the whole process of getting a chapter up will be slower. In the worst case scenario chapter 27 will be posted in July, but I will try my best to prevent your wait to from extending that much. I know that really would suck.
Anyway… Thank you for loving this story, favouriting, following or reviewing it. I love you guys loads and wish that you will bear with me this year, like you did since the story started. I will try to keep you updated on the progress on my tumbler (agirlthatdarestodream), where you are always welcome to ask me stuff or get in contact for any reason whatsoever.
I hope you hear from me sooner rather than later, thank you again for your love and support,
AGirlThatDaresToDream
Chapter 26
The room had been wrapped in darkness since they last spoke; and Damon was trying hard to ignore the ticks of the clock that were bringing the minute hand closer and closer to the time of their departure, distracting himself by drawing small circles on the small of her back.
Elena has, even though she didn't think she will be able to do so, fallen asleep long before sunset, leaving him to observe just how beautiful the orange beams looked against the whiteness of her feathers. The echo of her lips was even more present on his then, throwing every other thought from his head, burning itself into his essence, and he wanted nothing more than to keep it there forever.
He smiled as he looked at her now- her head resting on his chest, allowing him to feel her every exhale, its warmth remembering him of just how fervent her cheeks got after she realized what she was doing and pulled away from him, hiding her face by burying it in his t-shirt. Adorable. There was no better word to describe her in that moment. Their conversation stopped after it happened and he didn't push her to tell him why she did what she did, her lips telling him all he needed to know. She was grateful. So grateful for his words and so drawn to him, even though she was only then brave enough to explore what that could mean… But she wasn't in love with him. Not yet, anyway.
He knew for quite some time what his feelings towards her were; inspecting every hug she gave him for a day, to figure out if she felt the same before stopping himself. It's not like it mattered. He knew where he stood, and she deserved all the time in the world to find her own spot. Elena was only seventeen after all; and even though she had to grow up quickly when she arrived in the centre, he wished nothing more for her than that she would be able to get that time back. That the worries she now carried wouldn't trouble her; that she could learn all she could about herself slowly, at her own pace and even though that couldn't happen he knew one thing for which it could. Love. The one thing that the centre couldn't touch. She could still find out about all of its faces and what they meant for her, how they feel; still have the freedom to express her emotions however long after realizing they exist she would want to, show a new side of herself to anyone she might choose… And he will give her that.
One of her wings twitched and broke his stream of thoughts as he watched in fascination how she managed to squeeze herself even closer to him, her leg bending over his own. She looked even more beautiful when she was at peace, and he was just thinking about how gladly he would accept the role of her never breaking dreamcatcher, when the clock hand made it's last tick, the smaller one proclaiming midnight.
….
Elena was awoken by a hand slowly caressing her arm, while kisses showered the back of her head. The warmth surrounding her was thick, calming and she couldn't be more comfortable, refusing to open her heavy eyes. She heard a familiar chuckle as her nose wrinkled from the light that was suddenly lit, trying to hide from it desperately by placing the back of her hand over her closed eyes.
"Come on, sleepyhead." Damon's voice floated to her then. Quiet, barely hearable, almost like a whisper but fuller, clearer. "It is almost time, and I need you to help me with something before we're gone."
Her heart dropped then, his words hitting her like a cold shower, washing away her sleepiness and replacing it with fear as reality set in. They will be leaving soon. Leaving. She could feel the vampire's arms pull her closer when she tensed, his muscles flexing beneath her as he slowly sat up, bringing her with him. She opened her eyes in panic then, searching for the alarm clock on the old, handmade nightstand, before relief filled her when she realized that it wasn't showing one yet. She met Damon's eyes, confused. Did he know that she would want to be awake for a bit before having to meet the others or did he interrupt her sleep for another reason? And he needed her help? What for?
The questions were clear on her face, she knew; and yet he didn't make an effort to answer them, placing another kiss on her forehead instead. It was short but tender, reminding her of what happened only a few hours ago.
She was afraid when she distanced herself from him after their kiss in the afternoon, her breaths short, nervous. Afraid of only then realizing what she did, afraid of not knowing what came over her, afraid of what he may read into her actions, all the while accompanied by excitement and curiosity. She had only kissed Mat before in their - as others called it - epic high school romance, and she was starting to wonder now if that even counted. Their kisses were nice, sweet but not even the deepest of them could ever compare to what a small peck with Damon did to her. She was consumed in that moment, emotions running through her new, mysterious, while her everlasting gratefulness stood in their mix, like a light in the never ending darkness. She never experienced anything as strong as the taste of his love before; and she feared that she would never find anything comparable. It overflowed her, brought her down, then placed her onto the sky where she shined more strongly than the brightness of stars and she had to remind herself that he didn't even do anything. He didn't force the kiss on her, didn't prolong it, only closed his lips softly, caressing her mouth with his own like she did… And that was all it took to turn her emotions into a drowsy mush, leaving her breathless, curious and lost…In a good way.
She wished she could talk to someone about this, call Caroline, but she knew she couldn't. She was on her own, her still drowsy mind failing to provide her with an explanation for her crossing the boundary of their friendship, her skin still craving his warmth. She will have to figure it all out soon, she knew, before he will start asking, but right then all she could think about was that if hell breaks loose tonight none of this will even matter.
….
Jeremy's hands shook, the heavy backpack leant against his leg never letting him forget what lies ahead of them. The living room was full, but quiet; the only sound interrupting its silence Alaric's and Ethan's indistinct whispering, echoing from one of its corners.
Jenna sat next to him, her eyes filling with more and more fear at every tick of the ancient looking clock, trailing upwards towards Elena's room every five minutes. He knew what her problem was, they have been there for more than five hours now. But his sister trusted the vampire, and he trusted her judgement more than anyone else's. If she said that Damon wouldn't do anything against her will, he would not. And he certainly wouldn't just leave with her like everyone was now starting to fear he would. Elena would never do that to them. She wanted to help, wanted to make a difference and, more importantly, she would never leave him behind.
They have always been close, and the recent events only seemed to bring them closer. He remembered the fear he felt when he learned where they had taken her to, remembered the anger; and yet nothing could compare to what he was experiencing now. His heart has been racing from the moment they learned they will be leaving, only decreasing the moments between its beats as the time progressed. He was tense, jumpy, everything he saw causing his brain to come up with a new scenario about how quickly this operation could turn to a disaster, doing nothing to fight off his worry.
There were so many things that could go wrong, too many… And they didn't even have a plan. They will try to avoid as many check points as they will be able too, going through and hoping for the best at others. If anything happens, they should try to keep their heads clear and focus on fixing the situation, Ethan said. But they wouldn't be able to do that, Jeremy knew, glancing at his now healed knuckles. He couldn't- although he will need to.
Jenna looked at him again then, her mouth opening to from a suggestion, which he quickly shut down with the shake of his head. No, he won't go to sleep tonight. It wouldn't do him much good to be locked in despair while trying to control his thoughts… and besides, he thought- listening to his accelerating heartbeat- it was much easier to distract himself by something here, then in the dark emptiness of the bedroom.
…
She intertwined her hand with his as they walked down the hall leading to the other side of the mansion. He has been more careful around her today, after she woke up- too careful. Elena appreciated him giving her space, giving her time to get her mind around what happed yesterday, but what she needed now was support.
She could see a small smile appear on his face at the notion, in the corner of her eye, telling her that he was okay with this, that he needed it too. The clock was still ticking unforgivably, the time seemingly passing quicker than usual, the pressure on her chest increasing with every step they took.
The vampire's face was hard, focused and she wondered what this was all about when they stopped in front of Gabe's room. Surely this wasn't what she was starting to suspect it will be, right? Damon wouldn't do that and if he did, he certainly wouldn't want her to see it. He knew how she felt about taking someone's will away by compelling them, knew how repulsive the idea was to her.
She saw him glance at her quickly before knocking on the door from which the muffled sounds of gaming could be heard and she knew right there that whatever was going to happen won't be something that she is going to like.
…
Alaric should have known what was coming as soon as he followed Ethan to the moonlight illuminated garden, accompanied by the small device that his friend was now carrying around at all times to prevent the vampire for listening in on their conversations. It wasn't much use to them at their meetings with Elena, since the girl told him everything afterwards, the teacher knew; and yet the idea to being eavesdropped on now was disgusting enough to tolerate the small green light beaming out of Ethan's pocket.
They stood in silence for quite some time, none of them really knowing how to say goodbye; what to do, what to feel, before the older man squeezed an obsolete mobile phone into Alaric's hand.
"It is bug-free," he said. "Luka made sure of that."
The teacher nodded. "I will call you when we board."
"When you arrive to Europe would be better," Ethan said. "The only secured card I could find this fast was worth five dollars. It would be a shame to waste it before we really need it. I will get you in touch with the right people when the time comes, good people. They will know what to do when the time is right to get the girl to the Bennet's, although as far as I am told they will probably find you before you will even begin thinking about finding them. Their magic is strong."
"Strong enough to break the links to the originals?"
"With a bit of Elena's help surely. We will change the world, Ric. Really change it."
"And it only took us twenty five years to get here, huh." Alaric didn't expect to get a response, staring into the distance, before looking toward his friend again, all of their memories rushing through him as he did so, causing his legs to tremble at the thought of everything he will lose and his eyes to twitch to hide the water gathering inside them. His friends, his home, his job, his wife's grave, his family. "Take care after Ky and Lynn, like we did until now, okay? Get them out of here before they come."
Ethan nodded. "I was thinking they could have a used a card for a spa holyday which was due a few days ago and last the whole week. The group who runs the place will cover for them, surely."
"And your girl. The husband, the kids…"
"Told them I will be in my cabin for a while… The last I saw them was before we got Elena out. They are as safe as I could keep them. We will say you weren't happy here for a while, when they knock on my door. That you felt watched, captured, said that you couldn't do it anymore, that you needed to get out. "
"Think they will believe you?"
"Hopefully… At least in the beginning. The other phone will be hidden away for a few weeks. If I won't be able to, someone else form the web will answer it." He must have noticed Alaric's face, bringing him into a quick male hug. "We'll be just fine, buddy."
…
Gabe's eyes lit up when he saw her, pulling her into a quick hug and causing her to smile at its familiarity. Elena knew the reason he didn't come downstairs anymore, understood that he didn't want to get dragged even deeper into this, but she had missed him.
"it's nice to see you, E," he said, but then she felt him tense suddenly and pulled away from him to find his eyes locked with Damon's. The vampire's expression would look blank to Elena, if she didn't know him like she did, quickly scanning his face for clues and finding them in the lines on his forehead. He was pained, pained like when he told her about his past, she could see the same emotions swirling in him now, the only difference between them that they weren't alone now, that he was suppressing them, hiding them… And she didn't like it.
He must have noticed her sudden worry for him, sending a half smile her way before turning to Gabe again, making both him and Elena nervous enough that she decided she should stick to the ginger's side for now.
His room was a mess, and yet something about how lived in it seemed make it look even more homely than usual. Gabe's unmade bed was soft beneath her, not making a sound when her friend sat down next to her and Damon placed himself in the chair in front of them. She could feel his gaze on her in his try to reassure her, and yet it somehow wasn't able to make her feel better now, not when she could sense an apology for what's to come in it too.
She flapped her wings a few times, creating a small breeze, hoping it would be able to gust the tension, when Gabe spoke his voice quiet, serious.
"It is time, isn't it?" He turned towards the vampire, who slowly nodded.
"We drive off in less than an hour."
Elena's heart filled with nothing but fear as she watched the change on the face of the man sitting next to her, the awareness on it telling her that he knew what was coming for a while, the sadness that he didn't want it to happen.
"What are you talking about? Time for what?" She hated that they left her clueless, hated the way her voice heightened when she spoke, before Damon's eyes found hers again, stopping her thoughts, his next words careful, hesitant, filled with pain.
"He has to forget, Elena. He has to forget us."
….
The heads of the group's members were still turned in the direction Alaric and Ethan disappeared into and Jenna could feel the sadness and worry about the whole situation coming from them in waves. Kylan's mask was breaking more and more every second, fear and rage flashing in his eyes in turns while Lyn's hand squeezed his lower arm like a vice. And while Jonas stood near the fire, staring deep into the flames and refusing to show them his emotions, Bill's look turned to the upstairs corridor they saw Elena and Damon walk through a few minutes ago.
It worried her too, what was going on between them, eating away those last few bits of trust in her her parenting skills she somehow managed to keep. It shouldn't be like this between them, she was certain. Elena was not in her right mind when they mend the vampire knew what he had to do to get her on his side. She still wasn't sure why he did it, but she refused to believe that it was from anything that resembled compassion… And they have gotten even closer in the last few days, Jenna noticed, sighing. She will have to talk to her or the creature soon, she thought; but then the strength behind Lyn's gaze that was slowly turning to her brought her back to reality again.
It was filled with grief, for what was yet to be lost, filled with despair and fear and sadness… And Jenna knew that in the mind of the woman sitting across from her, they were already dead. ….
Damon could see the panic taking over her, his heart breaking as he watched her move further away from him. He should have told her earlier, he knew, but this just seemed easier, quicker.
"B-but you… You wouldn't." The girl stuttered in disbelief, her wings spread out now, shielding Gabe from his gaze and flinching when the man suddenly made a move to touch them, causing her to look towards him.
"It's okay. I told him to do it. It's safer for me, Elena, much safer. They won't be able to get anything out of me when they come."
"They can't even get to the house!" She sounded desperate. "You can use Vervain. You don't need to do this."
"I have to."
Damon watched her eyes draw a slow line between him and Gabe, noticing how watery they were when they stopped on his. Begging him not to do it, begging him to change his mind, her voice breaking when "It's not right" slipped from her lips; and yet he knew he had to do this, he had to compel him. He made a promise.
"They could still get him when he goes to work, Elena. Or when he visits his family, or when he goes to get some food. No one should ever know he helped us. He won't be able to tell them where we went and we won't have to worry about what could happen to him. After I do it, they can get nothing out of him. Not a thing that I will erase. It would be impossible for them to do it. They can break the spell if they put enough witches to fight against it, I am sure, but they will never be able to break the compulsion."
He could almost hear the wheels turning in her head, searching for a different option. She hated the power that the vampires were able to have over people, he knew, remembering her resentment and fear when he tried it on her in the centre; and he understood her completely. He wouldn't want be anyone's puppet himself after all. But this was nececary. This was urgent… And they didn't have much time. ….
Elena gave up. They were right, there wasn't any other way to do this... And she wanted Gabe safe.
She looked over to him now, to his flame red hair, his bright green eyes and to his welcoming expression. He has always been warm to them. He has helped them, helped her, he was her friend and now she needed to lose him, they needed to let him go. His hair shook when he nodded; telling her that he was okay with this, telling her that he was ready… And she threw her arms around him one last time.
She was trying to remember his warmth, the softness of his worn out hoodie, the way he was hesitant to pull her closer.
"I will miss you, E." He whispered, starting to laugh when she squeezed him tighter. "And I promise you that I will never forget someone outdid me at Mario kart."
A sob broke through her and she could feel his hand awkwardly tapping her back in order to snooth her. He was always like this, friendly, funny, unsure… Like a geeky teddy bear who had been ditched and then finally found a new home.
She tried to imagine him finding a good female friend somewhere in the future, playing games with her, running around the garden with his kids and learned to understand that this has always been inevitable. He always knew it was coming. He always knew why it needed to… Just like Damon. She understood now why he brought her here, why he was so secretive before, why he didn't mention this. It was because he didn't want her to worry, not until it was actually time to say goodbye.
She held Gabe's hand when Damon turned to him, but couldn't bear to see his memories of them fading and watched the vampire instead, watched the emotions on his face as his pupils shrinked and widenen before he started talking. His words were heavy, but spoken with great care, slowly, clearly, like he was trying to reassure the man's subconscious that he is in good hands.
Did he think of her when he did it, Elena wondered? Did he think of the lady's hair, red like those of the man in front of him, and a heart that marked his forever? Did he think of what he was doing, did he really know that he will have to get rid of the very last string tying him to Emma in order of having a chance to survive? Did that bother him? Did he regret it?
He looked tired when he stopped, focusing on the floor for a few minutes, before meeting her gaze again and letting her see his soul. He gave her all of him, let nothing hidden; showing her how much compelling Gabe hurt him, displayed the peace that has broken away from his heart for her eyes to lurk on, before the sadness got over shadowed by acceptance, determination, telling her without words that he would do it again, that he would do it over in over if he had to, only to keep her safe. There was not a trace of regret in his eyes, no guilt over moving on, nothing but thankfulness and sorrow and Elena couldn't take it anymore. Her hand gazed his chin until one of his caught it gently and brought it to his lips, his eyes silently asking for permission, making her forget the world when she nodded… And the clock struck one.
So what do you think? Did you like the chapter? Do you have any theories of what might happen next?
You can let me know by leaving a review, if you want. They always make my day. ;) (Special thanks to jairem, gaudeamusigitur, vladelena, Sey77 and delenalu , who did that last time. :D)
Until next Chapter I wish you all an amazing time,
much love
AGirlThatDarestoDream
