CHAPTER 3 – The Wicked Deed

"I'm very glad to see you Elena, you haven't been around much these days." Bonnie was over at Elena's to catch up with her friend. As it was summer holiday, she didn't have a chance to see her everyday at school and with Katherine around, Elena was mostly in hiding, just in case she decided to show her face in Mystic Falls. Bonnie knew what was happening, Elena filled her in almost instantly after Katherine returned.

"I know. I'm very worried about Stefan. He just… went with her and never came back." Both girls were sitting on Elena's bed.

"How did that happen? Stefan was devoted to you." Elena sighed.

"That's the problem, I just don't know. I try to tell myself he did it to protect me and to avoid Katherine becoming overly interested in me, but…"

"It just isn't convincing enough?" her friend finished for her. Elena nodded.

"Exactly. I know I should trust him, but in this situation, it is simply not possible. And Damon said…" Bonnie interrupted her with a grunt.

"Please don't tell me you still trust him."

"I do. He's a first class jerk and he makes me mad, but in these crazy times, he's actually the one that stayed."

"That's true, but… well, you know it is hard for me to accept that your boyfriend is a vampire. Now I've had to come to terms with the fact that I've entered an alternate reality where Damon is more reliable of the two?"

"I'm surprised as well, but that's what it is. Anyway, Damon said that because Stefan drinks only animal blood, an old and strong vampire like Katherine can compel him to some extent. And that she'd make sure to keep him on animal blood just to maintain that control over him."

"That's all? Just like that?" Bonnie asked sceptically. Elena looked at her hands in her lap.

"No. Apparently she was able to lure him because he still had some feelings for her." Bonnie put her hand on hers.

"Wait a minute? Damon said that?" she asked her with a frown.

"Yes, why?"

"Elena haven't you thought about the possibility of him lying to you so that he can hurt you by breaking you and Stefan up?"

"No. I mean he could, but he would do it to hurt Stefan. Even if it sounds bizarre, I trust him. He has a very… erm unique sense of what's moral, but in this case I think he speaks the truth."

"Well in this case, don't come crying to me when he hurts you. Or I'll roast him until he's well-done." Elena smiled.

"Thank you Bonnie," she said and embraced her best friend. "But, as I said, I think I'll trust him this time. It's actually easier for me to believe it was that way, rather than he just went with her and stayed with her willingly. Until I find a way to get him back," she said.

"How?" asked Bonnie. Elena shook her head.

"I don't have an idea yet, I just don't know how."

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not the most resourceful person in the world when it comes to romancing vampires. I'm here to protect you against them, not to make them love you. Sorry Elena." Elena's eyes grew wider and wider.

"Wait a second, now that's a perfect idea!"

"What?"

"Making them love me. That's it, Bonnie, all I need is a love spell. Can't you cast one that would make Stefan realise he's in love with me, not Katherine and he would return? You can make it, can't you?" The witch shook her head.

"I can't Elena, with love, it's not that easy." Elena grasped Bonnie's her forearms and looked into her eyes.

"But you're a powerful witch, with all possible spells in grimoire, there must be a way of creating such a spell."

"You're not listening to me, Elena. I can cast such spell, yes, but the effects will make you far from happy."

"But he'll come to me!"

"Haven't you heard of Tristan and Isolde? They drank a love potion and died in the end. The love potion, or, in this case, a love spell, will make him in love with you. For a while. But such effects will only cause madness and suffering. She is compelling him which is something same as love spell. You can't fight it this way."

"But how…"

"I don't know Elena. I'm very sorry, but I just can't help you with this."

"Is this because Stefan is a vampire?"

"You haven't listened. It has nothing to do with that. But love is something I refuse to mess with." Elena stared at her, not realising her eyes were filling with tears until one fell down her cheek. She angrily wiped it away.

"I should go. I didn't mean to upset you," said Bonnie as she jumped off the bed. Elena wiped another few tears.

"It's my fault, I'm sorry Bonnie. I shouldn't be thinking of dragging you into this, rather finally doing something," said Elena as she embraced her friend.

"Please take care, Elena. I don't want you to get hurt," whispered Bonnie.

"Don't worry, Bonnie. I'll be fine," said Elena as she watched Bonnie leave her room. She let her tears fall from her eyes freely.

"I'll just get back what's been taken away from me," she said to herself.

"My, my, aren't we emotional today?" a voice startled her. She knew its owner only too well. She turned around to see Damon Salvatore with his trademark mocking smirk on his face. She blinked back her tears in an instant, wiping their remains off her cheeks. She hated the fact he had just seen her in such a weak state.

"What do you want Damon?" she asked him.

"And a bit feisty as well, I see. I came to check up on you, as a matter of fact." Elena let out a mocking laugh. That was not the way she would have put it. Damon came because she's been ignoring his phone calls and text for the past two days since the midnight incident. She didn't do it because she was extra pissed, even though she was, it was more of a statement she wanted to make.

"It's broad daylight, I'm not asleep and unfortunately I'm wearing my vervain necklace, so I'm not potential fun right now," she said.

"How cruel of you to say such things," he said and sat on her bed.

"Not really. You don't have a heart I might wound," she spat. Damon smirked.

"You, on the other hand, have quite a broken heart from what I've heard and saw."

"It isn't polite to listen to other people's conversations. You might hear what you wouldn't like."

"I already did, but really, Elena? First class jerk? That is just soo unimaginative. I preferred the self-serving psychopath with absolutely no redeeming qualities much better." It made her laugh. "Now that's much better. Moping, brooding and depressing doesn't suit you, Elena. Just leave that to Stefan, or he might come back and realise you've stole his social role." She sighed.

"Well, that's the problem. He doesn't look like he's planning on doing so in the near future. Coming back I mean."

"Here we go again, brooding. I don't recognize you, Elena, what happened to the girl who always got everything she wanted? If I remember correctly, you used to make your friends swear with their blood to do everything to help you to get what you wanted." She nodded.

"Yes, last time I swore I won't rest until Stefan is mine."

"You see, that's a good approach. Why just don't do it again?"

"Bonnie refused to help me. I won't turn to Caroline with something like that. I'm alone in it this time." Damon gave her a wide smile.

"This is the point where you don't have it quite right. There is this one vampire who would love to help you with this." She looked at him suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Hmm… it is just so boring in Mystic Falls these days; I'm dying to have some excitement. Secondly, I don't like to see you turning into Stefan, it doesn't become you at all. Thirdly, I will get my share of fun with Katherine, I don't like to be left out of this business at all. Fourthly and finally, I just might owe you a favour after being… a prat. A charming one, put a prat nevertheless," he said as he waggled his eyebrows. Elena crossed her arms on her chest.

"Can I trust you?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Yes, you can trust me with this." Her blue gaze darkened as an idea ran through her head.

"Will you swear with your blood?" Damon raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh really? Are you asking a vampire to swear with their blood?" She nodded.

"I would have guessed you'd take such an oath extremely seriously."

"You're right."

"Great, let's do this," Elena said. All of a sudden she was all business. She went to her bathroom, returning with a towel which she spread between them on the bed, because she didn't want to stain her sheets with blood. Then she went to the kitchen, returning with a knife. Damon smiled.

"This looks very kinky from my perspective. I like it."

"Oh you shut up. I really mean this."

"Me too," he said simply. She unclasped her vervain necklace and placed it on her nightstand.

"Now it's for real," she said. She then took the knife and slit it across one of the thinner veins on her wrist, going for a shallow cut, trying to avoid muscles. She winced as the sharp blade parted her skin. Damon was staring at her the whole time.

"Your turn," she said as she handed him the knife. He shook his head to prevent himself from vamping out as small veins already started to form around his eyes and did the same. Elena then moved her wrist towards his, so their bloods would mingle.

"Damon Salvatore, promise to do everything to help me get Stefan back."

"I promise," he said.

"And I will not rest until Stefan is back with me. I will fight for him, even if it will be the last thing I'll do," she said solemnly, looking into Damon's eyes. She pulled back her hand.

"My god, that was sexy. I seriously don't know what's wrong with my stupid brother. You, Elena, are an amazing turn-on for a vampire," he said. She smacked his thigh with her uninjured hand playfully.

"Here goes your seriousness."

"Oh, I am serious. And by the way, I would still like to do this vow the way we vampires actually do it."

"I guess that does involve a bit more than just bringing two bloods together," she said with a fear in her voice. He nodded.

"Correct. You don't mind I hope." She shook her head, she was determined. If this is what she has to do in order to get him to help her, she'll do it. When he saw permission in her eyes, he grabbed her wrist and brought it towards his mouth. He bit his own wrist to make blood flow from it and extended his arm towards her. With her free hand, Elena grabbed his wrist and began to drink, bracing herself for the pain of his fangs piercing her skin. It never arrived. It was intense and she dared to say magical. She already imagined the wheels of fate being set into motion. A warm feeling spread through her whole body, at one point she actually felt as if she was soaring. And then, at the exactly same moment, both of them stopped. Damon's face returned to its human form and Elena looked at her wrist in awe, it already started to heal. Of course it would, she had Damon's blood inside her. Damon jumped from the bed and moved towards the window.

"Come to the boarding house tomorrow after the dark. We'll discuss the options and possibilities."

"Okay. Thank you." He waggled his eyebrows.

"My pleasure. It is always pleasure doing business with you, Elena," he said.

"I can quite see why. Bye Damon" she said.

"Bye Elena," he said as he put his foot out of the window. He turned to face her.

"Oh, and just by the way, try not getting killed yourself tonight. You might become a vampire." And with that, he was gone.

A/N: Liked it? Please review. Hated it? Review nevertheless. I hope to manage to type the next chapter soon, I'm having too much fun playing with them all :)