A/N: Thank you so much for the continued reviews and support for this story. Sorry or the delay in posting. This chapter has been done for two days but the site wouldn't let me post it, but I was finally able to get it up. This chapter changes point of view a couple of times so hopefully it's not too confusing. Happy reading!
Chapter 18
Damon's POV
The devastation etched across Elena's face is bad enough but then her sorrow slams into me. I have to fight every fiber of my being to not drop to my knees and start sobbing myself at the strength of her emotions. We must have been standing there frozen for a while because Alaric walks up behind us.
"What's going…..is that Jeremy's ring?" Alaric bursts out as he notices the ring in Elena's outstretched palm. "He's supposed to be with Bonnie."
I close my eyes and take a deep breath to refocus myself and tap down the emotions. "Ric, go call Bonnie and find out where she is and what she knows about Jeremy." Alaric runs down the hall towards the kitchen to call Bonnie.
I pull Elena away from the door and close it. "How? The barrier didn't go off." Elena paces across the foyer.
"They must have compelled a human to place the ring on the porch." I run my hands through my hair.
Ric emerges from the kitchen. "Bonnie is at home. After they finished the spell, Jeremy took her back home. She said Jeremy left twenty minutes ago to come here."
"Damnit. I said no one was supposed to go anywhere alone to prevent this exact thing from happening." I mutter under my breath.
Elena takes off upstairs. "We have to go find him."
"Elena, we'll get him back. We need to be smart about this so we aren't suckered into a trap." I enter her room behind her and watch as Elena starts yanking open drawers clothes flying everywhere around the room.
"Elena, Elena" I grab her and force her to face me my hands on her shoulders. "What did I promise?"
"We have to go after him. He's alone and scared Damon." Elena says with determination.
"What did I promise?" I urge.
"Everyone would survive this." Elena utters.
"They will all survive Elena. You and Jeremy are not going to lose each other." I just stare into her eyes willing her to believe me. Just then her phone goes off. Elena runs across the room and snatches it from her nightstand.
"Hello" she says frantically.
"Elena." I stand across from her to listen to the phone conversation.
"Jeremy?" Elena asks in surprise. "Are you okay? Where are you?" She asks urgently.
"Elena, you need to listen. I'm fine. I'm sorry but they want me to deliver a message. You're to be on Wickory Bridge at 7:30 tonight alone. If you don't show up or they see anyone with you they'll kill me. If anything happens to Klaus's body, they'll kill me."
"It'll be okay Jer. I'll be there. It's all going to be okay." She tries to reassure Jeremy. There are some rustling noises which sound like scuffle.
"Are you clear on the terms?" A strange voice asks.
"Just leave my brother alone. I'll comply. Just don't hurt him." Elena begs.
"Don't do what they say Elena." I can hear Jeremy yell in the background as the line goes dead.
"Before you get some crazy idea in your head, let's get to the Boarding House and regroup. If we start tearing the town apart trying to find him it could get him killed. Let's get the plan in motion and we'll get him back. Just get ready so we can leave soon." I start to walk out of her room.
Elena pulls at my arm and I turn to face her. "When this all goes down tonight, just find him and get him out of harms way. That's your job tonight, Damon. Save my brother." I just nod and leave the room.
A short while later everyone is gathered at the Boarding House and up to speed on Jeremy. Stefan stands next to me near the bar sipping a glass of blood.
"Plan A is out. They threatened to kill Jeremy if we touch Klaus's body. I doubt they are keeping Jeremy anywhere near Klaus so unless we could get at them simultaneously it's a death sentence for the kid." I grimace at the thought that we will have to let Elena wake up Klaus.
"I agree it's too risky. It's what they expect anyway." Stefan agrees.
"Damon, we should do a final review of the plan." Alaric says as everyone gathers in the parlor.
"I am on Jeremy recovery duty. Elena will wake up Klaus then get the hell out of dodge." I glare at Elena to remind her not to do anything stupid. "Alaric and Caroline will provide distraction and slow Klaus down and keep him pinned away from the hybrid he needs to sacrifice. Stefan and Elijah are on dagger and beheading duty. Bonnie will counter anything the witch might try and throw at us and help with the hybrids. Then we walk away holding hands and singing kumbaya." I finish off the blood in my glass with a dramatic flourish.
"Any questions?" Stefan asks. The room is silent.
"Okay then, let's get the weapons prepped." Alaric stands and moves to the table full of weapons that we had been collecting the last few days. Elijah, Caroline, and Stefan join him. I notice Elena disappear upstairs to one of the guest rooms. Her emotions are all over the place and I imagine she needs some alone time to ensure the 'I'm fine' mask doesn't slip.
After helping with weapons prep for awhile, I grab a couple of bags of blood and head upstairs to find some time alone myself. After tonight I maybe gone and I need to make sure loose ends are tied up. I sift through paperwork on some of the properties I own and organize everything in my safe. I write letters, which is not my forte by the way, to a few people to let them know my final wishes. A few hours later of phone calls and organizing paperwork, the final affairs of one Damon Salvatore are in order. I just want things to be as easy as possible if I am gone after tonight, especially for Stefan. After being such an asshole of a brother, it's the least I can do.
I head downstairs as the nurse we found yesterday and compelled to come to the houses finishes dosing Elena on the vervain IV. Alaric moves over and attaches a stake launcher to her wrist and pulls her into a hug. Elena pulls on her leather jacket and I walk outside as she starts giving hugs and saying good-byes. I head outside. Its bad enough I have to feel all the emotions coursing through her right now, I don't need to see it all over her face as well.
I lean against her car staring up the sky as the sky darkens. The door opens and I see Elena emerge and walk towards me. "Damon" Elena says stopping in front of me.
"Now, here is the decoy phone. Put it somewhere obvious as I assume they will take it first thing." I hand her a disposable cell phone that she slides into the back pocket of her jeans. "Put your real phone somewhere they won't be able to find it. It's the only way we'll be able to track you and get to Klaus and find Jeremy." Elena slides it into her bra.
"Kinky" I do my eye thing.
"Damon" Elena admonishes. "When I didn't see you inside I thought maybe you weren't going to say good-bye." Elena is fidgeting and shifting her weight from foot to foot.
"I'm not saying good-bye. You're not going anywhere. You will survive and then your worries will only be how to avoid another shopping trip with Caroline, how to get Stefan onto the dance floor at the next decade dance and who is sleeping with whom on the Real housewives." I smirk at her.
"Damon, just don't take any unnecessary risks for me. We need to except there is a chance that this might just be my time." Elena looks down at her shoes.
"Nope" I pop the p. "This isn't your time to go. If there is one that thing that I learned from fishing around in that pretty little head of yours, it's that you're a fighter and you will fight to survive." I lift her chin so she is looking at me. She just shakes her head tears rimming her eyes.
"You're the strongest of us all, Elena. I felt it and witnessed it. I saw your strength when you pulled wooden buckshot from my brother's chest, when you prepared yourself to stand up to Klaus at the decade dance, when you stood up to a devilishly handsome vampire on the verge of shutting off his emotions." She gives me a half smile.
"Damon, I…..just, please, no one dies for me." I cock my head to the side, staring at her, as I open the car for her and watch her climb into the driver's seat. It seems she has more to say, but she just turns to put the key in the ignition.
"I'll do whatever I have to do to keep my promise to you Elena." I close the door and she gives me a smile and small wave as she backs out of the driveway.
I pull out my cell phone as I walk back into the house. "Liz, she's on the move."
"I'll text you every ten to fifteen minutes to keep you updated on her location." I hang up the phone and see everyone locked and loaded.
"Stefan, I'm taking your car. I'm going to go find Jeremy. Bonnie you're with Caroline, Stefan with Alaric."
I turn towards Elijah. "Elijah I swear to God if you betray us I will make it my life's mission to end you" I growl before turning on my heal and striding out of the house to the car.
After driving around for half an hour, Liz texts me that Elena's cell phone stopped moving near the Fell's church ruins. Stupid bastard is going to do this where he first broke the curse to make himself a hybrid. I text everyone else as I park a couple of miles from the clearing heading the rest of the way on foot.
As I search the woods surrounding the area near old Fells church for where they may have hidden Jeremy, my phone vibrates in my pocket.
"Katherine" I answer. "Is it dead?"
"One dead hybrid just as you ordered. You're idea was a good one. You were right; they let me walk right in thinking I was Elena offering blood for the newly minted hybrid. The newbie and two body guards never knew what hit them" she said with bored tone. "Time is now on our side without the hybrid to break the rest of the curse."
Secret mission accomplished. I knew if Stefan asked Katherine she would help. "Come join us, and see Satan Klaus meet his maker." I quip.
"Oh, you wouldn't happen to be missing a certain angsty Gilbert, would you? One that looks good enough to eat." Katherine says in a sultry voice.
"Stop touching me Katherine. Just untie me." I hear in the background.
I roll my eyes. "Good, now I can stop looking for the kid. Bring Jeremy with you. I'm on a hill above the Fells Church ruins." A few minutes later Katherine blurs next to me and drops Jeremy behind me the dead hybrid slung over her shoulder.
I turn to face Jeremy. "Good to see you alive." I smack him in the back of the head.
"What was that for?" Jeremy demands rubbing at his head.
"For getting yourself kidnapped and almost ruining my plan. What the hell happened?' I ask Jeremy.
"A hybrid pulled me out of my car at a stoplight on my way home from Bonnie's." Jeremy just shakes his head in disgust.
"Here." I shove his ring at him. "Now get in position with Alaric." Jeremy takes off over towards Alaric.
From our vantage point Katherine and I can see a coffin placed at the place where Elena previously died. A witch is standing over the open coffin chanting. A hybrid emerges from the woods dragging Elena along side of him. I can see her eyes darting around the clearing and I can sense her fear. The fear is different than what I have felt in the past. She doesn't seem to be afraid for herself, but for the rest of us. The way she is looking around, I think she is desperately looking for Jeremy. I wish there is a way for me allay her fears and tell her that we found Jeremy.
Once the hybrid reaches the coffin, the witch turns to Elena. "Let's get this over with" Elena says in disgust. The witch just nods at her. She pulls a necklace out of her pocket and places it over Elena's head. She places her hands over Elena and chants for a few minutes and necklace glows slightly against Elena's chest. I assume that it is some kind of protection charm.
"It's time." The witch reaches out her hand and the hybrid hands her a small dagger. The witch pulls Elena's arm over Klaus's coffin and slices across her wrist causing Elena to hiss in pain. The smell of Elena's blood hits me immediately and I sense Katherine tense up next to me at the smell. The witch shoves Elena's bleeding wrist into Klaus's mouth. At first it seems like nothing is happening but then Elena gives a small cry and I see her body sinks a little lower as Klaus sinks his fangs into her wrist. My body tenses and I move into a crouched fighting stance ready to pounce.
"Don't Damon. You have to let this part play out. We can't kill him unless he wakes up." Katherine hisses at me.
"I fucking know that" I growl back. It's just painful to just sit here and watch the life being drained out her. All my thoughts for the last year and half have been consumed with protecting Elena. My mind knows that I have to wait, but my heart is telling me to snatch her away from Klaus and never look back. After a few more minutes a hand emerges and snakes through Elena's hair and yanks her down eliciting a loud cry from Elena as Klaus sinks his fangs into her neck. Her arms flail as her preservation instinct kicks and she tries to push herself free. I close my eyes fighting the urge to rescue her.
Klaus eventually lets Elena go and she sinks to her hands and knees as Klaus sits up ripping the necklace from her throat. "Thank you so much my lovely Elena. You taste just as divine as last time." Klaus hops out the coffin and kneels next to Elena. "We are going to have so much fun when this is all done."
"That's my cue." Katherine positions the dead hybrid back on her shoulder and blurs down to the center of the clearing.
"Hello Katerina" Klaus says as he stands and turns to face Katherine.
Katherine drops the hybrid's body at her feet and places her hands on her hips. "Sorry to crash the party, but I found this hybrid wandering around and I thought I would return him to you."
"Oh, Katerina. You really think you have foiled my plans by killing my new hybrid." Klaus chuckled lightly. He snapped his fingers in the air and a hybrid soldier comes into view dragging a woman behind him. "When will you people learn that after one thousand years I will always be a step ahead of you?"
Shit. We should have known there would be a back-up. As Klaus starts to blur across the clearing toward his hybrid he suddenly stops grabbing his head screaming in pain. Perfect timing on the witchy migraine. Taking advantage of Klaus's pain I blur to Stefan and Elijah and I see Katherine get to Elena moving her to the edge of the clearing away from Klaus.
"She will be mine, Katherine, and you will suffer for your insolence." Klaus turns back to face his newly minted hybrid. As she starts to cross the clearing, Jeremy, Caroline and Alaric stand from their positions and in rapid fire sink stakes into Klaus's shoulders and just above both knees. Elijah, Stefan and I start to approach Klaus dagger in hand when a cry rings through the air. I turn to see Elena collapsed on the ground blood staining her shirt matching the wounds on Klaus. Stefan blurs across the clearing to try and reach Elena but a hybrid grabs him from behind and hauls him to the ground.
A maniacal laugh erupts from Klaus and everyone freezes. "Do you people never learn? Did you really think you would launch a surprise attack on me without me having a counter plan? Whatever pain you inflict on me, little Elena experiences as well. Thank you for the idea Katerina."
"Bonnie" I call out. She damn well better be able to break this spell.
Elijah starts charging Klaus and I tackle him to the ground and the dagger skids across the ground away from us. "You'll kill her. Give Bonnie time to break the spell." I growl.
The hybrid soldiers sense our hesitation and close in. Elijah takes off after the hybrid sacrifice and I see two hybrids corner a chanting Bonnie. I move in and kill both of them to keep her from being interrupted in her attempt to break the spell linking Klaus and Elena. Just I finish ripping out their hearts when I see Caroline, Alaric and Jeremy running in different directions hybrids quickly caught them as we are vastly outnumbers. I hear Elena's screams as she sees Alaric and Jeremy's necks snapped and Tyler Lockwood vervain Caroline before I can get to them to help. As I turn to go help Stefan a hybrid grabs me from behind.
"Stefan, Stefan, Stefan once my wingman then my ultimate betrayer. I shall enjoy killing you." Klaus has a chesire cat grin on his face as he slowly walks over to Stefan who is now restrained by a hybrid and Tyler. A hybrid tosses Klaus a stake and he slowly walks toward Stefan who gets pushed down to his knees. Shit, shit, he's fucking going to kill my brother.
"Do what you want to me, Klaus, just let Elena go. You have your hybrids. You're awake. You don't need her anymore." Stefan pleads.
"There will always be more hybrids that need to be made plus Elena needs to breed me the next generation and keep the Petrova line going. In between kids she and I can have fun practicing procreating."
I manage to wriggle a knife from my belt and jam it back into the stomach of the hybrid holding me and he momentarily loosens his grip allowing me to turn and cut off his head.
As Klaus raises his arm, stake in hand, I manage to blur in front of Stefan knocking him to the side and Klaus sinks the stake into my shoulder. Damn, I am tired of getting staked because of this asshole. Klaus growls in frustration and seizes me by the throat shaking me. "Both of you Salvatores, so meddlesome."
"What can I say; my brother and I are troublemakers." I say hoarsely.
"Come Elena. Come with me now and I'll let one of the Salvatores live. I'll even let you choose which one. You're first love Stefan or your boy toy Damon." Klaus faces Elena one hand held out to her beckoning her closer.
"Elena, run. Katherine get her out of here" I implore.
"Bonnie, ju-ju needs to happen faster" I yell.
Elena's POV
I manage to get to my feet. Klaus is holding Damon by the throat and Stefan is pinned down on his knees. Katherine blurs away and returns seconds later. She grabs my hand and I look down and see the dagger slide across my palm and I hiss in pain.
Katherine looks to Klaus and I see a line of blood trickle down his out stretched palm.
"Come her Elena and bring me the dagger." Klaus plunges his hand into Damon's chest. Damon's face contorts in pain. "You're brother, pseudo stepfather, the little witch, and sweet Caroline can all walk away safe and sound. Come willingly and save them or watch me kill each one in front of you and take you by force" Klaus calls out to me.
"I won't choose for you." Katherine places the dagger in my hand and backs away.
I look around the clearing and see all the people I care about on the verge of death. Alaric, Jeremy, and Caroline's bodies have been lined up near Klaus and Alaric and Jeremy are starting to stir from having their necks broken. Klaus is threatening both Stefan and Damon and more hybrids are closing in on Bonnie who is still trying to break the spell. Each is in a position to die at Klaus's command. Klaus has power over each of our lives. Elijah almost daggered him, but was stopped to, yet again to save me, putting everyone at risk. Klaus doesn't get to win this time.
"Elena, run. Please run." I hear Damon yelling as he struggles to free himself from Klaus's grip.
I lock eyes with Damon and I can see a flood of emotions. There are so many things I wish I could say to him and I hope he can somehow feel and understand why I am doing this. I see in Damon's eyes, the desperation to save me, his love, the fear that the end is at hand. I won't let him or any of the rest of them die for me. A lifetime seems to pass as we stare at each other. "I'm sorry" I whisper.
"No, ELENA, NO!" I hear voices yelling at me as I raise the dagger over my heart. I take a large breath and plunge the dagger into my heart. The pain forces me to my knees. Blackness quickly clouds the edges of my vision.
"Finish it" I whisper. As blackness envelopes me I hear Stefan shouting Damon's name then the sound of a knife slicing through the air.
Damon' POV
I watched in horror as Elena raises the dagger and positions it over her heart. She is going to use the spell linking her to Klaus to weaken him, but it will kill her in the process.
"No, Elena, NO!"
She looks at me her eyes a cacophony of emotions. In the moment it's as if the world stops as our eyes lock. The connection between us that Bonnie's spell created is wide open. There is a strong sense of determination to end Klaus to avenge the family that Klaus killed so many years ago when Katherine turned, a sense of relief that Jeremy could finally may be able to escape the supernatural, gratitude for Alaric filling the role of mentor and protector, a sense of happiness that two wayward brothers may finally stop hating each other, and regret for a lost love.
"I'm sorry" Elena whispers and the world that had stilled erupts into chaos. Klaus seeing what she was about to do grabs the hybrid sacrifice that escaped when Elijah was attacked by a handful of hybrid soldiers and yanks her toward him sinking his fangs in her neck, but he keeps his hand firmly lodged in my chest.
Elena pulls the dagger back and sinks into deep into her chest straight through her heart. Hybrids are streaking across the clearing to reach her, Alaric and Jeremy are yelling as hybrids try to keep them in place now that they have regained consciousness. Tyler suddenly lets go of Stefan and plunges his hand into the chest of the other hybrid keeping Stefan in place.
"Damon" Stefan shouts and a large knife is sailing through the air.
"Finish it" drifts to my ears above the din as Elena collapses to the ground.
I catch the knife as it arks through the air and swing it without pause through Klaus's s neck. His eyes widen in horror as the blade comes closer to him but my stroke is too quick for him to escape as I feel the blade break through skin, bone, and muscle. His head falls to the ground and Elijah, having freed himself, catches his brother's body cradling it for a moment and whispering words of good-bye. I pry Klaus fingers from my chest and help Stefan off the ground as stunned hybrids just stare at Klaus in disbelief.
Stefan and I blur to Elena's side. I look up to the see the remaining hybrids retreating. Alaric quickly is at our sides followed by Jeremy carrying Bonnie whose face is covered in blood from trying to break the spell that connected Klaus and Elena; and Tyler who is carrying Caroline still knocked out from the vervain he injected her with.
"Elena what did you do?" I whisper as I pull the dagger from her chest. Tears are streaming down everyone's face and see Elijah slowly making his way over to us.
"Give her a few moments. I gave her the elixir when she I and spoke privately yesterday. As you would so eloquently put it Damon, it was my back-up plan to ensure Elena's survival." Elijah joins the rest of us sitting in a circle around Elena's body watching for any signs of life.
A/N: Please review!