Chapter 20: The Antidote
Damon watched as Elena chest rose and fell with each breath. She was finally asleep. Damon, Stefan and Elena had been up until four in the morning watching over Caroline and thinking up a plan on how to save her.
Bonnie had gone home, worn out from all the magic she used, Alaric headed back to Jenna's with Jeremy, Isobel back to the house she was staying at and Lucia was sleeping in the spare bedroom. Stefan had brought Caroline up to his room and was watching over her from the chair he pulled up to the bed.
The wound on Caroline's shoulder only got worse as the night progressed. It had spread farther over her skin and had weakened her further. Stefan tried desperately to make out her incoherent ramblings, but she was talking in circles.
Stefan held her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles.
Caroline moaned and turned her head towards him. "Hey…" she rasped.
"Hey." Stefan smiled sadly. "How are you feeling?"
She swallowed hard. "Like I'm dying." She joked.
Stefan leaned forward and caught her eyes. "You're not going to die…we're going to find a cure." He promised.
Caroline's bitter chortle got caught in her throat. "Don't lie to me Stefan." She begged. "You're not good at it."
Stefan closed his eyes. "We are going to do the best we can." He grabbed the water bottle of blood off the nightstand. "Are you hungry?" She only shook her head. "Care, you have to eat, you're weak…please." He insisted handing her the bottle.
She took it with shaky hands and pushed herself into a sitting position. She gulped down half the bottle and handed it back to him, wiping the corner of her mouth. "Thanks." She settled herself back down on the bed. "So how did everything go with the shapeshifter last night?"
"Not good…he knows us all too well, and he's very strong. We had to retreat." Stefan explained running a hand down his face.
"But nobody got hurt?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Everyone's fine. Icarus wasn't going for the kill…he was playing with us like toys. He just wants Elena."
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Elena stretched her arm out next to her expecting to feel Damon, but only felt the sheets. She sat up and pulled back the covers, looking around the brightly lit room. The clock read 6:47 am. She'd only slept for a couple hours. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing one of Damon's black button ups with the first few buttons undone. He must have changed her last night.
Elena heard the shower shut off, and smiled when she saw Damon walk into the bedroom a minute later; a navy blue towel hung low on his hips and rubbing his hair with a matching towel.
"Morning." She smiled at him appraisingly.
He looked up and grinned at her. "Morning baby…" he tossed the hair towel to the side and threw himself on the bed before her. He kissed her exposed knee, causing her to giggle. "Did you get any sleep?" his dark hair looked so sexy, all damp and mussed.
"A little. I'm really worried about Caroline." Her face changed to one of sadness.
Damon nodded in understanding. "Yeah, Stefan's been up all night taking care of her." He rested his head in her lap, and relished in the way her fingers threaded through his hair.
She looked down at him. "He was so worried about her last night, Damon. I think he cares about Caroline as more than a friend." She concluded, trying to keep her voice down. The house was full of vampires.
Damon frowned and turned his eyes up to hers. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, they have been spending a lot of time together, and he seems happier than usual. And last night I kinda walked in on an intimate moment between them…" Elena sighed and pushed back tears. "I really hope she makes it. She's been my best friend for years, can't imagine a day without her here." Damon sat up and pulled her into his arms, cradling her to his bare chest.
His kissed the top of her head. "Stefan and I are going to do all we can to save her, Elena. I'm going to see Dahlia today, see if she can give me any answers."
Elena looked up at him in uncertainty. "Who's Dahlia?"
"An old friend…she's a witch. We should get ready…she's expecting us." Damon got off the bed and moved around the room pulling his clothes on.
"She knows I'm coming?" Elena threw her legs over the side and grabbed her hair brush from the dresser and combed out her tresses.
"Yes, she knows everything…that's why we have to go see her." Damon came up behind her looking at her through the mirror as he pushed her hair aside. "I got something for you…" he rushed to his desk and sped back to her, dangling the slender silver chain that hung from his fingers. At the bottom hung an azure colored sphere the size of a pearl and wrapped around it was a thin coil of diamonds.
Elena gasped her mouth dropping open in shock. It was beautiful. "Oh my God Damon…its perfect thank you!" she beamed as he latched it around her neck. She touched it gently, before looking up at him with a smile that lit up the room. She kissed him passionately. "Thank you." She said again.
"You're welcome, love. It was my mother's. The sphere contains vervain, my father gave it to her to protect her…" the look of awe grew on her face. "You lost the locket when Klaus ripped it off, and I've been meaning to give it you but we've been a little tied up."
"I love it Damon…" she gave him a peck. "And I love you." She whispered against his lips.
Damon groaned. "We should leave before I pin you to the bed and have my wicked way with you." He kissed her jaw and shoulder, nipping at her skin gently.
"I wouldn't be opposed to that." She breathed out.
Damon picked her up and spread her out on the bed again, deftly undoing the button to his shirt that she was wearing. "Dahlia can wait an hour or two."
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Three hours later Damon and Elena pulled up in front of the magic shop. It was in a different place as last time. Dahlia would move locations yet the inside never changed. "We're here." Damon said parking the car.
Elena looked around in confusion. "Where here? There's nothing around here but empty warehouses." She got out of the car and followed him to a red door at the end of the warehouses. "Here?" she asked.
"Yup." He rapped a couple of times.
Elena looked at the big flower on the door and canted her head to the side. "Isn't that a black dahlia?"
Damon smirked. "Yup…you'll get it in a second." He stated cryptically.
The woman opened the door and her eyes settled on Elena first. "Hello Elena…it's great to see you." She greeted sincerely. "Damon." She mock scolded.
He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry we're late…we-"
"I know." Dahlia rolled her eyes and motioned for them to follow her inside. They sat at the back table, and Dahlia kept her eyes trained on Elena, who was looking around the shop in interest. "I told you you'd be seeing me soon, boy." Her slight Jamaican accent slipped.
"You knew we were coming?" Elena asked.
The black witch nodded. "Mhm. I understand that you're friend…Caroline, has been poisoned by a wolf's bite."
Elena narrowed her gaze. "Yes…" she said slowly. "Did you tell her that?" she questioned Damon who shook his head no.
"He didn't need to tell me." She explained shortly. "I've mixed a concoction that might help." She stood slowly, and grabbed a small vile from behind the counter, handing it to Elena. "It's potent so don't give it to her all at once. There may be some side effects: pain, incoherence, traces of hysteria and delusion; that's normal, it means its working."
Damon smiled fondly. "Doctor Dahlia to the rescue."
Dahlia swung her eyes to meet Damon's. "As for you're problem…with Icarus. I can't help you." She shook her head sadly. "That is far beyond my range of power."
Damon peered in confusion. "You can't tell us anything that will help?"
"I'm sorry Damon. But you know that's not what I do here…" Dahlia looked at him seriously. "What you're dealing with is something my quality of power cannot overthrow."
Elena was confused. "Can't you tell us what's going to happen? I mean you knew about Caroline and me and Damon coming…why we were late." She giggled with embarrassment.
Dahlia smirked. "I didn't get the show, don't worry…they're not visions. It's more like a sense. But I can't read if I'm being blocked out. Shapeshifters are impulsive, they change all the time, and therefore their futures are unforeseeable." She shrugged helplessly. "I can tell you that what's coming next will not be easy…be prepared for the worst."
Elena glanced at Damon sending him and worried look. "We better get going." Damon stood and so did Dahlia and Elena. "Gotta prepare for the worst and all." Damon joked, giving Dahlia a lopsided grin.
She walked them to the door pausing before opening it. "Elena tell Bonnie that if she ever needs help with spells or potions she can stop by, she can use all the supplies she needs." She told Elena gladly.
Elena smiled. "Yeah I think she would like that."
Dahlia chuckled. "Good…an old lady like me could use the company."
Elena giggled. "You can't be that old."
"Let's just say I look good for my age." She laughed again. Dahlia opened the door and Damon and Elena stepped out.
"So should she take two and call you in the morning?" Damon asked gesturing to the bottle in Elena's hand.
"I'll know." The witch smiled once more before closing the door behind them.
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Damon and Elena made the drive back to the Boarding House in comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
"What are we going to do about Icarus, Damon? He's still out there." Elena mentioned turning about the vile in her hands.
"I don't know, Lena…I wish I did. Right now let's just deal with Caroline." When they got to the house they immediately went up to Stefan's room to see Caroline.
She was lying in the bed her head turned towards the open window. "Care…" Elena sat on the bed. "Are you awake?"
Caroline turned her head and smiled sadly at her friend. Her face was translucent and stained with tears. "Yeah…the pain makes it hard to sleep." She rasped out.
"We got something for you. An antidote of sorts…we have to blend it in your food." Elena explained holding Caroline's hand comfortingly.
She nodded. "Stefan's getting me some blood now." As she said this, Stefan walked into the room holding a glass of blood.
"Hey…you found something?" He went around the bed and sat down on the other side.
"Yeah." Damon said from behind Elena. "It's strong so we have to give it to her over a couple of days."
Stefan nodded for Elena to hand him the vile, and he poured a few drops in her blood. "Here…" he held the glass out in front of her, and Caroline caught the straw between her lips.
After a few big sips she pulled away and made a face. "Ew…it tastes funny." Stefan encouraged her to drink more and she did so reluctantly. "Thanks you guys…I don't know what I'd do without you." She said as a tear fell.
"You'd probably be safe at home in your bed and human without us…you shouldn't thank us for anything." Damon replied with his arms crossed. He said it bluntly in a flat tone, but Elena knew he felt bad for being the one to put her in this situation.
Caroline glanced at him. "Or I'd be dead, because you weren't there to give me your blood before Katherine killed me. I'm gonna die anyways so I guess it doesn't matter all that much anymore." She mumbled.
Stefan turned her head towards him. "You're not going to die, don't talk like that okay."
The blonde attempted a smile that didn't reach her eyes. She looked back at Elena and Damon. "You know guys don't have to stay here, and watch me be a lump. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm sure you guys have a lot to do." Caroline said honestly. She didn't want everyone around seeing her so weak.
Elena shook her head. "No it's okay Caroline…we want to be here."
"Go…please. I'm choked enough as it is that I can't help, so go…be productive." Caroline encouraged, nudging Elena off the bed. "I'll be fine."
Elena got off the bed. "Okay…call us if you need anything." Elena and Damon left the room to go downstairs.
"Stefan you don't have to stay." She whispered. She really wanted him to stay, but she didn't want him to feel obligated to.
He shook his head. "Nope. I'm not going anywhere. Looks like you're stuck with me." Stefan grinned, and nodded to her shoulder. "Does it feel any better?"
Caroline glanced at it. "Its more of a dull ache now, how does it look?"
Stefan peeled back the strap on her tank top. "The same…we probably won't see the results for a couple of days." He pulled the strap back up and kissed her forehead. "You should get some rest."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "That's all I've been doing since last night, I'm so bored laying here." She complained.
"I'm sorry Caroline, but you can't overdo it…you need to maintain the strength you have."
She rolled her eyes again. She was about to speak when someone knocked on the door. "Hey…Elena told me you were up here." Tyler uttered quietly. He looked bad; his eyes were bloodshot, and dark with circles under them.
Stefan didn't even think about revealing himself to Tyler. He sped over to him and pinned him to the wall. "Get out." He snarled.
"Stefan let him go, please." Caroline attempted but her voice was weak.
"Get off me, man!" Tyler tried to pull out of his grasp, but Stefan's arm was shoved against his throat.
The veins under Stefan's eyes protruded. "She could die because of you!" he growled dangerously in Tyler's face. "I hope you know that if she does, then so will you." He threatened.
"Stefan, please he can't breathe!" she begged. She relaxed when Stefan pulled away, still glaring at the other boy.
Tyler gasped for air, and hunched over coughing. "So what…you're a vampire too?" he croaked. Stefan didn't reply. "Can I talk to you for a bit Caroline?" he walked over to her bed.
Stefan grunted in displeasure. "Yeah." Caroline answered. "Stefan its okay. Just wait downstairs."
Stefan glared at Tyler as he strode towards the door. "I'll be in the hall."
Tyler sat in the chair Stefan was previously sitting in. "I'm so sorry Care…I couldn't control it." He said miserably.
"I know…Stefan and Damon are working on making me better." Caroline frowned in confusion. "Do you hear that?" she looked around wildly.
"Hear what?"
"That noise? That buzzing sound…you don't hear it?" she sat up a little, frowning in concentration.
"No, I don't hear anything, are you okay?" Tyler asked concerned.
Her eyes widened. "Its getting louder, you're telling me you can't hear that!" she raised her husky voice. With a burst of energy she got out of bed and moved around looking for where the noise was coming from.
"I don't think you should be up and about right now." He suggested and gasped when he saw the mark he made on her shoulder. "Oh my god, Caroline…your back." he walked over to her but she moved quickly tearing the room apart.
"Where the hell is it coming from!" she cried out. She covered her ears with her hands. "Ughh, make it stop!" she sobbed, falling to the floor.
She closed her eyes tight and she heard her name being called out over and over but it was quiet compared to the loud buzzing blaring in her eardrums.
"Caroline!" Stefan shouted, shaking her a little. "Listen to me." His calming voice finally reached her ears. "You're okay; everything's going to be okay."
The buzzing stopped and she opened her eyes to see Stefan crouching beside her, and Elena, Damon, Tyler and a bed headed Lucia staring at her in concern. She took a few calming breaths, wiping the tears from her eyes and she stood slowly with Stefan's help. "I heard this noise…and it just kept getting louder." She mumbled as she collapsed back in bed. She felt exhausted.
"Dahlia said this might happen." Damon started. "Hysteria, delusions…those are the side effects. The antidote is working." He stated casually.
Stefan turned around on him and glared. "A heads up would have been nice Damon."
Damon shrugged. "I figured you'd want her to take it regardless. Hysteria and delusions," he held one hand out, palm up. "Or slow painful death." He made a scale motion with both hands and quirked his mouth to the side. "I particularly would prefer the former."
Elena looked at Tyler, who seemed scared and worried for Caroline. "Tyler maybe now's not a good time. When she's feeling a little better…" she trailed off glancing at her friend. Tyler nodded, and left the room taking one last look the blonde vampire. Elena turned to Stefan. "At least we know that it's working…the side effects suck, but it may mean saving her life, or unlife, whatever."
Stefan nodded, his brow deeply furrowed. "You're right. Thank you Damon…for doing this for Caroline." He expressed gratefully.
Damon nodded. "You're welcome Stef…" he smiled uneasily, not used to hearing those words. "I'm going back downstairs." He held out a hand to Elena who took it, and let him lead them back down the stairs.
Lucia stood in her pajama bottoms and tank top staring at her brother cautiously. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since she got here and it was starting to bother her. They both held all this pent up resentment towards each other that they couldn't even muster up a hello anymore.
"Is there something you wanted to say, Lucia? Because you're staring, and it's annoying." Stefan ran a hand through his hair, sighing in irritation.
Lucia huffed and crossed her arms. "Is this how it's going to be for the rest of our lives, Stefan? You hating me because Damon was my favorite, and me hating you for ever letting me get married, because if that's the case we still have a long way to go."
He shook his head. "I never hated you, Luc. I was jealous, okay. I just wanted you to look up to me like you did him." He admitted.
Lucia was shocked. She had no idea that he was jealous. "But you acted like dad did. Telling me what I could and couldn't do, I just wanted to be a kid. You robbed that from me, I had every reason to be angry with you." Lucia hissed narrowing her gaze.
Stefan nodded. "You're right…I was wrong, I'm always wrong. And you and Damon have made my life miserable ever since because of it." He sighed and went to sit beside Caroline who was already sleeping soundly, from her lack of energy. "Can you go now Lucia…I want to be with Caroline." He avoided her gaze when she looked at him hurt.
"Fine." She surrendered starting to walk to the door before turning around. "You know Stefan, I may have been furious at you for all these years…but you're still my brother, and I still love you." When he didn't reply or even look at her, Lucia left Stefan's room to go back to hers.
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Damon sat in the chair in front of the fireplace. He could hear the whole conversation between Lucia and Stefan and he couldn't believe Stefan had ever been jealous of him. His family used to be so close once upon a time, and now they held all this resentment towards each other. Damon towards Stefan for making him turn, Stefan towards Lucia for favoring Damon, Lucia towards Stefan for forcing her into a family she wasn't prepared to have, and Stefan towards Damon for making his life hell. It was a never ending circle, and Damon wondered when it was ever going to stop.
He was jarred out of his thoughts when Elena came to sit on his lap and handed him a mug of blood as she sipped her cup of coffee. "Thanks, love." He took a big gulp, and put it on the small table beside the chair. He gazed at her smiling face, and dropped his eyes to the necklace that hung delicately from her neck, catching the light playfully. "That necklace looks stunning on you."
Elena brought her hand up to it fondly. "Tell me about her."
Damon smiled sadly. "She was captivating with everything she did. I was young when she died, but I'll always remember certain things about her; like the way her hair always smelt like lavender, or her laughter…how she'd recite poetry." His face got wistful as he remembered her. It had been so long since he let himself feel the pain his mother's dead had caused. It felt good to speak about her.
Elena rested her head on his shoulder. "What was her name?"
"Graciella…it means grace." Damon relished in these moments; the ones where it was just him and Elena talking quietly forgetting about the chaos around them.
"It's beautiful. How did she die?" she asked cautiously.
"She died giving birth to Lucia. My father changed after that." Damon played absentmindedly with the tips of her tresses. "He used to smile all the time…the last time he smiled at me was when I left for the army; he couldn't wait for me to go." He bit out sourly.
Elena traced patterns lighting on his chest through his shirt, comforting him as Damon told her about his parents. She was happy that he was opening up to her about it at all. Anything that included repressed emotions was usually a hard topic to get him to even acknowledge, but now he was freely talking about his mother and father without her even having to push for it.
They spent the rest of the day inside, in Damon's room, cuddled in bed. Elena rested her head on Damon's chest as he quietly read to her. She was half asleep in his arms and he couldn't help but beam at how stunning she was. How did he get here? Only a few weeks ago he was drunk off his ass hating himself for ever letting himself love someone who could never love him back and now here she was…naked and curled around his body, her heart beat reverberating through his chest. He couldn't have been happier.
Damon placed the book on the nightstand, and kissed her softly on the crown of her head. He didn't want to move but he knew he had to get to the blood bank. With four vampires in the house his stash was dwindling. He'd let her sleep for now.
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A couple hours later Damon sped out of the blood bank. He wanted to get back to Elena as quickly as possible. She was reluctant to let him go, and it took everything in him to pretend like that pout of hers didn't affect him.
Damon placed the case of blood packets in the backseat of his car and was about to hop in the driver's seat when he saw it. He slammed the door so hard the car teetered on its wheels. He stormed over to the man leaning on his car, staring at him with his arms crossed.
"Could you be more obvious?" Damon barked rhetorically.
Icarus smirked. "What you mean my attire? I like being you, you're fun!" he chuckled a little bit, and pushed off the car to walk down the street, knowing Damon would follow him. "But boy does Jenna hate you."
Damon sped to stand in front of him. It was late and no one was around in the warehouse district to see the confrontation. "You stay away from Jenna; she has nothing to do with this." It was weird looking at himself like this…he could see how this would bother Elena.
Icarus gave him a condescending look. "I know, but I'm enjoying myself. This morning was especially amusing. Elena's breathy moans in the throws of passion…" he smirked when Damon's eyes lit up in fury. "I could feel her as if I was touching her with my own hands." He lifted one in example.
Damon grabbed it and bent it backwards, pinning him to the brick wall to their right. Icarus laughed and threw Damon off of him and to the ground. The second Damon was up and in his face again the shapeshifter punched him hard in the nose. Damon retaliated, throwing a series of solid, quick punches that did little damage to him.
Icarus grabbed Damon's arm and flung him into the brick wall hard, causing the bricks to crack and crumble under the force. Damon's head hit the wall too and he tried to shake off the wave of dizziness that followed. Icarus took this moment to slam his fist into his face a few more times, before letting Damon's body slide down the wall.
Icarus looked down on him proudly. "This is starting to get tedious, and more than a little pathetic."
Damon coughed up the blood in his mouth. "Get out of my body." He mumbled glaring up at him.
Icarus' shape shifted before his eyes. Damon tall body shrunk to a smaller frame, his dark hair grew longer and lighter, the eyes melting from blue to brown. "Do you prefer this one?" Elena's voice asked him. "Or maybe this one?" his form changed again to a woman in her mid thirty's with shoulder length blonde hair. "You don't know her…I killed her last night." He said casually with a shrug.
Damon stood back up to face the woman's figure before him. "You sick son of a bitch." He was regaining some of his strength back. Icarus was stronger than him; there was no doubt about that.
The woman smiled brightly and cocked her head to the side. "I am…thank you for noticing." Icarus shifted again towering over Damon by almost a foot. He was in his true form now, dwarfing Damon in his height and bulkiness. "I am stronger in true form, now would not be the time to mess with me." His deep voice warned. "I have been cutting you and your friends a break because you're not important to me…but you are standing in the way of Elena, which I cannot let happen. Stand down, or I'll kill everyone…starting with Jenna." Icarus proclaimed dangerously, before walking away and leaving Damon standing in the middle of the sidewalk.
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A/N: So here's a nice long chapter for you to make up for the long wait. Sorry about that by the way, work made it hard for me to sit a complete a chapter all in one go. To be honest not one of my favorite chapters but it helped me set up for the next chapter and I got to stick in some Delena love! Please let me know what you thought of it, and I hope you enjoyed the long read.
Vanessa