The Pause
Isobel picked Elena up and moved away from the house at top speed for 30 seconds or so.
She stopped and held Elena tightly. "If you try that – the Katherine thing, this is what will happen. And I won't stop next time."
Elena knew she had been brought far enough that Damon could be dead long before she could get back. She struggled but Isobel held firm.
"Take me back."
"Think for a minute Elena. We have to know what we're doing before we do anything, or he and you will both be dead, along with me and everyone else Katherine deems responsible."
"You know Katherine is protecting Damon as well as me."
"Yes. And I know she would want you as far away as possible. I only stopped because you really are our only way in."
"OK. I understand. Please put me down and let me stand for a second."
Isobel did.
"Did you have a plan?" Elena asked.
"They came for you. All I can think of is to give them what they want."
"You weren't going to let me walk into their 'lair' a minute ago. What changed?"
"Nothing. You're not going into that house, in fact you're not going back there until we have a plan – a plan better than 'Elena walks in and dies with Damon'."
"OK." Elena said and began to think. This was not her strength. She usually just rushed into tombs or burning buildings or whatever and did what felt right. That was not going to work this time.
The Truth and Elena
Damon was pretending to still be weak. He had been doing this for some time.
When the vampire started pulling him into the barrier, he eventually realized what was happening, and that this could be his way in. But it would cause him some problems if he let it continue. So after he realized what was happening, he began to wobble, to stagger.
He was convincing – it wasn't long before the vampire came after him. When Isobel took him out, Damon almost turned to help her. He heard the others leaving the house in time to maintain his ruse. He held back when they began to drag him inside. At least he hoped he was holding back. He actually was feeling a little wobbly when they started dragging him in. He was not sure how much of it was ruse, and how much of it was actual damage.
But he would heal – fairly quickly.
They didn't have anything fancy to restrain him. It appeared they did not expect to be holding a vampire – maybe Elena. Nothing more. They tied him to a chair with ropes. They had to know that this would not hold him forever. Maybe for awhile, in his staggered state. They added a human – not the owner, perhaps the other one that had attacked Jenna – with a stake held up against his chest. Eventually, they were going to use it – when they thought he was a threat, or not useful.
Damon decided to not act like a threat, and he decided to be useful.
With Damon secured, an interrogation of sorts began. They had heard him talk to the other vampire about Elena and they began to ask about her.
Since Damon was dazed – to some extent actually and to some extent pretending to be – they were doing lots of face slapping to try to get his attention or to get him to answer.
At first he intended to tell them that Elena had heard about the attack and left town. But Elena and the truth were connected – some kind of odd sibling relationship or something. She fought against the truth, she hid it, she denied it, but in the end, she was there right next to it, telling it and being supported by it. And the truth was, Elena would eventually come through the front door. It wouldn't matter if he was dead or alive, it wouldn't matter if she was alone or with others. She would come through just as soon as she could. Which meant that, even though she would be surrounded by her idiot protectors, who could not enter - she would be coming in alone. And she called them 'idiots'.
Knowing that, he confirmed his connection with her to his interrogators. He convinced them that she would come to them, as long as he was alive. And he pretended weakness while they only damaged his face. They did not interfere with the rest of him – which was recovering.
He knew that when she came through the door, alone, he would need to be fast. He would need to be by her side immediately.
How to React to the Truth?
Jenna was angry, scared and concerned. The anger came from the lies she had heard for so long from Elena, Alaric, Jeremy and the Salvatores. All this time she had been worried about Elena, trying everything she could think of to help. And nothing worked. But she had no idea about the situation.
She was scared because her home had been invaded. It didn't matter by who or what. She wasn't safe in Mystic Falls – something she never thought she would say.
And she was concerned for Elena. Bonnie had talked to Elena. Damon had called saying she would be back as soon as possible. But recently they had tried to call her and Damon. Both phones went unanswered. Damon's went straight to voicemail. Elena's rang but was not answered. Stefan had said she may have it on vibrate, but would only do that if she were afraid it would be heard by someone, actually a vampire, that she did not want to hear. He was afraid it meant she expected trouble.
At least he wasn't lying to her anymore - not that it helped.
Stefan had left the house to do a quick scan of the area – to see if vampires or basically anything he did not like was nearby.
Jenna managed to pull Alaric into a private area again.
"I don't know whether to kill you for keeping all of this from my or to thank you for helping keep Elena safe," she told him. "All I know is that I'm really angry about all of this. How could you keep this a secret. Not just from me, but from everybody? Everyone in town is in danger."
"They're in danger whether they know it or not, Jenna."
"And why wouldn't I tell them? The sheriff needs to know what she's dealing with."
"She already knows, Jenna. So does the town council. They know most of what you know and a lot you don't know. They know that since the town's founding, there have, from time to time, been vampires here. They know that a lot of townsmen have fought them, including the Gilberts. They know that nearly everyone in town was involved in the fight against vampires at first, but as it became less accepted, many forgot. But some remain in the know."
Jenna did not respond, so Alaric continued. "What they don't know right now is the who. They don 't know about Stefan and Damon. They don't know about Elena or Katherine. They think Damon fights the vampires with them – and they're right. He does. So do Stefan and Elena. They don't know they have unseen help, and some of that help is from vampires."
"But people could be killed. I was attacked by a vampire."
"People are killed by more than vampires, Jenna. You could have been attacked by anyone. What you need to remember, is that you were helped by vampires. You were protected by vampires. And those vampires were there because of Elena."
Jenna nodded, understanding. "I don't have any idea what to say to her. I want to confront her about lies, I want to yell at her for taking risks. I want to tell her what it was like to worry about her so much but not to know what she was facing. And I want to thank her for asking people to help me. I don't know what to think, say or do."
"Then wait until you do know," Alaric said. "Neither of you can change anything that's happened. She never meant to cause you or anyone else pain or worry. And she has helped to protect a lot of people, including Bonnie, you and Jeremy. Whatever you say won't undo the good she's done, and you wouldn't want to anyway. However, it might affect what she does in the future. Don't make it harder for her."
Stefan came in then with Jeremy.
"It's clear around here," Stefan said. "Should we try to find them?"
"Fine with me." Alaric said.
"Shouldn't we call the sheriff or someone?" Jenna asked.
Stefan shook his head. "Bonnie will find Elena. She's doing a locator spell now."
"Spell?" Jenna asked looking at Alaric.
"Oh, didn't we cover that? Bonnie is a witch."
Hiding the Truth
Neither Isobel nor Elena was satisfied. They had come up with a plan that they both accepted. Which meant that Elena thought it was too slow, too risky for Damon. Isobel thought it had a chance, a small chance, of keeping Elena alive even though she insisted on going into the house.
Elena was fingering the stake she held. She had another hidden in her jacket, easily accessible. She also had a knife hidden on her. She was fairly well armed – she could use those things. Just stab. She could do that.
The idiots, who had armed her, didn't have anything else she recognized or thought she could use. She would have to remember to get a couple of vervain darts from Alaric to keep on her for times like this. They would have worked well in this plan.
Elena watched as Isobel told the other vampires of the plan, showing them where they could be hidden, but available if needed. She was appreciating Isobel lately. They had started off badly. But Isobel had helped her more than once. She never acted motherly, but that was fine – Elena had a mother. Still she had come to trust Isobel. She had given good advice. And she had even made a pact with Katherine in exchange for Elena's safety.
Like mother, like daughter.
Isobel approached. "It's time. Are you ready?"
"My way was better," Elena said. "Just get in there and do something – anything. My heart's beating so fast now I'll probably die of a heart attack."
"With your way, you would already be dead. And a fast beating heart will work well for this."
Isobel offered her hand and Elena took it as readily as if it were Stefan's, or more recently, Damon's. They walked to the doorstep where Elena held her hands behind her as if she was handcuffed, holding the stake in one. Isobel grabbed Elena's arm with one hand, and used the other to ring the bell and knock on the door.
Elena put on her best "I am under compulsion" face.
It took longer than Elena hoped. She was afraid she would have to just walk through the door after all – but at least she was armed now.
"I have Elena Gilbert," Isobel said a couple of times between knocks. Finally the door opened. It was only one person – or vampire. Elena could not tell.
Isobel could. "I have Elena Gilbert. I will trade her for Damon."
The vampire stared at Elena for a minute before turning to Isobel and asking "Why?"
"I love him. He made me. And, she is a Gilbert."
"She is protected. How did you get her?"
"A trade? Yes or no?"
A commotion came from Isobel's other side – the side opposite Elena. Elena watched carefully as the vampires eyes were drawn to it. Then she struck at the vampire with the stake.
"If it works, it will work no matter where you hit him," Isobel had said. "Just get it into him."
She was right. The stake entered the vampire just above the waist. He reacted immediately, grabbing Elena and pulling her into the room – or really throwing her into the room.
But it had the desired effect. As his hand pulled Elena in and he twisted in reaction to the stake, part of him came out of the house, through the barrier. Isobel had him immediately, and she had help immediately. The vampire was off balance, and quickly pulled through the barrier and pounced upon.
Elena saw this as she went sideways through the air into the house with at least one vampire, one hostile human and Damon. Isobel had done what she could and now it was up to Elena.