The first show of the UK tour started in the Shepard's Bush Empire. Elena and her band were utterly speechless as they walked into the empty hall. It was beautiful. Elena turned slowly on the spot. The magnificent hall had all the signs of a classic music venue, from the beautiful red velvet curtains that adorned the stage to the crafted marble like ceiling, an upper seated balcony area and the classic sticky floorboards. Elena inhaled the scent of the hall; it smelled old and wooden with an edge of beer added in for good measure.
"It's really quite something, isn't it?" Elena turned to see Klaus behind her
"It's lovely." She agreed
"I used to live around here." Klaus said "I love London, I miss London."
"Do you come home often?" she asked
"Only when one of my bands is on tour, sadly. I get to see her for a night, maybe two." Klaus said
Elena nodded not sure what to say
"So." Klaus went on "Now that you're signed with our label we'll assign you some of your own roadies and riggers."
"No more unloading our crap?" Elena asked
"No more unloading your crap." Klaus smiled "Our team will assemble everything and keep you right. We'll become a sort of dysfunctional family."
Elena smiled at the thought.
"So that gives you guys a lot of spare time on your hands. You'll need to keep your AAA pass on you at all times, especially if you go exploring the city, you'll need admittance to get back in. Elijah and I will set up some photo ops, a radio interview here and there; we're going to get the name Corporate Echo out there."
"That sounds incredible." Elena enthused; she couldn't believe how fast this was happening
"Use your spare time wisely" Klaus advised "It can be really easy to get caught up in the negative side of tour. Use nights to sleep, okay. And always make sure you're back at the venue in time for every sound check."
"Promise." Elena said, she wasn't going to screw this up
"Okay, enough of the heavy." Klaus laughed "You're young, enjoy yourself. Mingle with the band if you can, you can learn a lot from Damon Salvatore…"
Elena blinked. She couldn't imagine asking Damon Salvatore for advice. He kind of terrified her being all dark and sexy and silent, and then after her embarrassing melt down on the aeroplane…she was mortified.
Klaus smiled at her expression. "Don't be intimidated by what you heard about him in the press. That man is a genius, a real artist and professional."
Elena looked dubious and Klaus laughed "Get to know him, get to know them all… you'll be surprised."
Later that morning Elena, Caroline, Matt and Bonnie had their first real encounter with DBM. They walked awkwardly into catering for lunch. There were various tables of people, mostly heavily tattooed men. Elena could tell who was who immediately. Although band members and roadies were sitting together some of them just reeked 'rock star'
Stefan Salvatore was the first to get up and approach them. "Hey, uh…I apologise about earlier at the airport, I'm no good when I'm tired. Let's start again-I'm Stefan."
"It's cool, man." Matt said clapping him on the shoulder "I'm Matt, that's Elena, Bonnie and Caroline."
"Nice to meet you." Stefan nodded "This is Tyler."
A handsome guy joined the conversation "Hi. Tyler Lockwood."
Elena knew this already but she nodded. "I'm Elena."
"Nice to meet you, I'm sure we'll all get to know each other a lot better soon." Tyler said
Stefan pointed "That's my brother Damon, that's Kol and that's Logan."
Elena couldn't help but look at Damon. He was wearing his sunglasses inside. He was writing intently in a small book and seemed oblivious to everyone around him.
Kol suddenly stood up "Okay guys, let's forget lunch. Who's up for a game of B-Ball?"
Elena saw Damon look up from his book. "Yeah, sure." He said putting the book away
"I'm in." Stefan said "Do you guys want to play?"
"Sure." Matt said
Elena went hot. She couldn't play basketball, she didn't know the rules. "I'm happy watching."
"Me too." Bonnie said and Caroline nodded.
"Fair enough." Stefan shrugged "Let's go."
The girls followed the boys into the enclosed car park. They walked around DMB's massive tour buses and around their small rider van and trailer.
"The usual rules?" Damon asked lazily as he shrugged out of his leather jacket.
"Hold this." He added to Elena and she took his jacket before he sprinted off.
"Yes." Kol said loudly "The only rule is there are no rules, oh and let's be careful with the ball it's our last one…I'm talking to you Logan."
Everyone laughed as Logan flipped Kol the finger
Elena wondered who had the basketball; she couldn't see one in sight.
"Ready?" Kol shouted
The guys all spread around the car park
Suddenly Kol produced a small round ball from his pocket.
"Is that a bouncy ball?" Caroline asked
"Looks like it." Elena frowned
Suddenly Kol threw the ball forcefully to the ground, everyone ran to catch it. Stefan was fastest he then bounced it across the car park and the others chased it.
"Is that seriously what they're playing?" Bonnie said
"Looks like it." Caroline said "Ouch." She added as Kol and Logan collided and they both hit the ground, Kol got up and rubbed his skinned elbow
"It's like extreme bouncy ball." Elena said not knowing whether this was more tragic or amusing
Damon now had the ball, he bounced it forcefully and it soared up in to the air.
Stefan tripped over Matt's leg but recovered before he hit the ground.
"I never knew bouncy balls could be so dangerous." Caroline said and Elena nodded
Twenty minutes later Damon came jogging over.
"Hey." He panted, he held out his hand and Elena passed him his jacket
"I'm gasping." He said breathlessly as he fumbled in the pockets before he produced a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
"Too much fresh air?" Elena said before she could stop herself.
Damon smiled crookedly at her and she flushed "Can't have too much clean air getting into my lungs now." He sparked his lighter and lit the end.
"Indeed." Elena replied as he took a long drag.
"You don't smoke?" Damon guessed
"Nope." Elena replied just as Damon blew a breath of smoke into her face.
"Oops." He said raising one eyebrow.
"Caroline can hold your jacket now." Elena said "I'm going inside to get a drink."
"No need." Damon said taking his jacket from her hands again. "I'm heading inside too."
Elena marched off inside with Damon at her heels.
"So you don't play sports then?" he asked
"Not really." Elena said from two steps in front. "Do you class bouncy ball as a sport?"
"It can get really boring waiting around all day, we make fun anyway we can." Damon shrugged
"Is it always so extreme." She added remembering how they'd all clashed trying to get the ball
"Usually." Damon said and Elena rolled her eyes.
"Well I'm going this way." She said as they came to the shared backstage area
"Me too." Damon said
"Are you sure you're not just stalking me?" she said intending it as a joke with a jag
"You wish sweetheart." Damon said as he pushed the door open, he brushed past her deliberately.
"Damon." Elijah said loudly "Just in time. This is Greg from Roll Weekly Magazine and Paul the photographer."
Damon shook their hands.
"Oh sorry, I didn't realise there was a- I'll go…" Elena said quickly
"No, no. Elena" Elijah said "stay. You can see how these types of things go down for future reference, that's if Damon doesn't mind."
Damon shrugged.
"That's settled. shall we proceed?"
"How does it feel being back in the UK, it's been almost three years since your last tour here?" Greg, the journalist asked
"It's great." Damon answered "It's a place we're always willing to come if the opportunity arises. We always get a great reception here."
"Great." Greg continued "Now let's talk about the latest record. Some people have argued it could be called a concept album…?"
"Well I guess that depends upon the concept each person picks up on…" Damon said
Elena listened intently as the interviewer pressed the questions and how honestly Damon answered them.
"It's well documented the name 'Death Bed Murmur' comes from the night your best friend died of an overdose-"
"Like you said that's been well documented." Elijah said quickly, the atmosphere in the room changed considerably. For the first time since she'd met him Elena thought Damon looked uncomfortable.
"Yes." The reported pressed on "Would it be fair to say his demise has had an underlying effect on your song writing?"
Damon lit himself another cigarette and inhaled deeply. He flicked the ash into the empty coffee cup he was holding. The silence in the room was deafening. Elena wanted to say something, to tell the reporter to move on because she didn't like to see Damon like this. He looked agitated and unconfident.
"No matter how much I tell myself I'm not writing about him, I am. I'll miss him forever." Damon said slowly.
No one spoke for a moment until the door opened and Stefan and Kol walked in. They sat down across the room not interrupting the interview
"How do you deal with being a rock star?" Greg asked
Elena would bet everything that Damon was rolling his eyes under those sunglasses
"I hate the word 'Rock Star' that shit died in the '80s and it needs to stay there."
"But surely your life must differ from how it did before your band took off?"
"Well of course it is." Damon said simply "It's hard to be the same when you're in a new place every day, when you have no consistent roots. It's hard to connect with real people"
"Real People?" Greg repeated
"People I can trust." Damon shrugged
"Do you have trust issues?"
"Who doesn't?" Damon said running a hand through his hair "I trust no one, besides my brother."
The door opened again and some more people came in, Elena recognised a few of them. Some began playing pool, everyone ignoring the press.
"And what about your fans? They have a lot of faith in you…"
Damon laughed and shook his head "They have a lot of faith in my music, not me. But that's the way it's supposed to be, the way it should… be…" Damon tailed off, he was frowning across the room, looking around the people who were playing pool.
Elijah followed Damon's gaze and his face fell. "Damon-"
Elena looked at Elijah and then at Damon who stood up "What the fuck is he doing here?"
Elijah stood up quickly and Elena stood too, her insides freezing in fear, what was happening?
Before anyone could act Damon moved quickly across the room
"I said- what the fuck is he doing here?" Damon shouted. The whole room fell into silence.
A good looking guy shifted uncomfortably beside Stefan.
"Damon…look, hey, I'm just here to see my nephew while he's in town…" the man said cautiously
"Mason, maybe you should go." Tyler said awkwardly
Damon held up his hand "Why are you trying to talk to my brother?"
"I was just making conversation, man…" Mason held up his hands
"I told you if you ever went near my brother again I would kill you." Damon said darkly
"Listen, Damon, we're all friends here-"
Elena flinched at the sound of Damon's fist colliding with Mason Lockwood's mouth.
In one second the whole room was in uproar. Damon grabbed a pool que and held it to mason's throat, pressing down. The photographer was furiously snapping photographs
"Damon no!" Stefan yelled attempting to pull his brother off Mason
"You ruined his life you fucking leech." Damon yelled
"Get. Off. Me." Mason croaked
Stefan pulled his brother off Mason and Tyler pulled his uncle to his feet.
"You're fucking crazy!" Mason coughed "He just tried to kill me, you saw him!"
Damon pulled Stefan's wallet from his brother's back pocket; he opened it and threw something at Mason. It hit him in the face.
"Leave now or I swear to God…" Damon yelled
Tyler pulled Mason out of the room.
"I'm going to need that camera." Elijah said to the photographer
"No way." The man replied
"The camera." Elijah said again holding his hand out.
"Forget it man." The photographer laughed holding the camera out "These are golddust."
Elena snatched the camera from his hand quickly; the photographer thrust his arm out to grab it but his hand caught Elena hard on the nose.
Pressure throbbed across her face and before she could even contemplate what had just happened hot, scarlet liquid began dripping from her nostril.
"Shit, I am so sorry." The man said anxiously "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry…"
Elijah took the camera from Elena's hand.
"Stefan take Damon out to the bus. Kol, get Elena cleaned up. I'll be here with these gentlemen from Roll weekly…"
Damon looked at Elena for a second; he hesitated before Stefan pushed him from the room.
"Come with me." Kol said to Elena. "I'll get you sorted out. You might want to pinch your nose"
Elena did as she was told. She followed Kol across the room; she stopped and looked at what Damon had taken from Stefan and thrown at Mason. It was a red plastic coin with white writing across it: One Year Clean.