Chapter 20
When Stakes Are High
All of yesterday, I was stuck grading papers, the pile sitting on my bed. Even now, I was still working on it, seeing as how I still had three classes worth to grade. I actually felt myself wishing that Damon was here to help me, seeing as how he seemed to like randomly grading my papers for some reason or another. Although, why he did it, I still had no clue. All that I knew was that Damon's car was still sitting outside, seeing how he hadn't called or anything else. In fact, the only message that I'd gotten yesterday had been from Elena. It was late in the evening, before the storm starting rolling in originally. She said that she needed to talk to me about something. She'd said that she would talk to me about it today, but given the storm, I wasn't so sure.
"I'd hate to be caught out in this thing," I voiced, brushing some hair out of my face as I continued to go through papers.
I had far too much to do and my pen was already starting to run low.
"Where's Damon when you need him?" I sighed, shaking my head.
T
Damon stood there in annoyance by the broken window as he continued to hammer at nails. He was beyond irritated at the fact that they'd been attacked last night, the dead vampire already gone and burned to ash in the fireplace. The whole thing had left him with a large mess to clean up, water now soaking into the beautiful wood floor, from where he hadn't been able to board up the window soon enough. There was still glass on the floor, most of the broken chair already tossed into the fireplace as fuel. Sometimes, Damon hated cleaning things up. In fact, he'd rather be grading Kali's papers than this.
"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night," Damon ventured, looking over toward Elena and Stefan.
They just watched as he pounded the hammer into the wood, driving the nails in further.
"Yeah. And then what?" Stefan asked. "We turn to the rest of that house of vampires and say, "Oops. Sorry?"
"I can't believe you made a deal with her," Elena scoffed, referring to what she'd found out earlier.
Apparently, Pearl had stopped by, making Damon an offer. She'd said that she needed his help, but ultimately, gave him no choice in the matter. Instead, the woman had practically gouged his eyes out, leaving them sensitive for most of the day. What Damon hadn't told them though, was how she'd threatened Kali.
Anna had filled her in about Damon and Kali's little relationship, giving her mother plenty of leverage to use against him. She found that if he wasn't willing to cooperate when offered information about Katherine, something that he could have cared less about at this point, that he'd likely cooperate if Kali was involved. If it wasn't for the fact that Pearl was older and stronger than him, he would have ended her. Unfortunately, he didn't have that luxury. He was told that if he didn't help her, then Kali, "Might fall fatal to an unfortunate accident." That left Damon with no choice, but to listen, not willing to risk Kali's life.
"It was more like a helpful exchange of information," he offered. "And it's not like I had a choice. She's... scary," he shivered. "Besides, she's gonna help me locate Katherine."
"Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process," Elena retaliated.
She was referring to herself, but also to Kali. She still hadn't had the chance to talk to her yet, debating on how to explain what had happened last night. After all, she deserved to know about what happened with Damon and Kelly.
"You don't have to be snarky about it," Damon told her, moving away from the window.
"I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky," she replied, glaring at him.
"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?" Damon asked tiredly, sitting down in one of the armchairs, hammer hanging loosely in his hand.
"I'm not blaming you, Damon," she told him, arms folded over her chest. "I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities what so ever. It's also why at this point, I don't understand why Kali wants anything to do with you."
"Ouch," he breathed.
"After all, it seems that all you're doing now is just leading her on," she voiced. "So, what's going to happen when she outlives her use, huh?"
"This isn't being very productive," Stefan pointed out, interrupting Elena's Damon bashing. "We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires. Yeah? Hmm," Stefan asked, getting in between Damon and Elena.
Damon merely got up without a word, moving, and walking past the two. He was in no mood for their drama or Elena's snarky comments. In fact, it'd actually hit a nerve at the comment she'd made about Kali, sending him straight out of the room. He needed something to take his mind off of things.
T
I sighed as I walked back into my bedroom with a plate of food. It was still raining and it was only getting worse, thunder rolling in the air. It reminded of when I was small, how it had stormed so bad one night, that I'd actually gotten up and run to my dad's room. I'd climbed into bed with him, curling up beside him. I used to be so afraid of thunderstorms. Now, it wasn't so bad, just as long as it wasn't close to being a tornado or something. Then again, it could still freak me out at times, but I wasn't as afraid. I just wished that I wasn't alone.
T
"I yelled at my mom last night. You know, I feel like the parent yelling at the screwed up kid," Matt said, Caroline standing near him as he poured salt into one of the salt shakers.
He was refilling them so that he wouldn't have to worry about it later.
"Well, maybe she needed to hear it," Caroline told him.
"Yeah, but I just… I worry that if I push too hard, then she'll take off again. Cause that's her M.O. Just like Vicki, who I haven't heard from since she left," he sighed.
"Well, you can't control your mom, Matt, any more than you can control your sister," she told him.
"I wish that she would just try a little. You know?" he said, turning to Caroline, the little funnel in his hand. "If she would just try to try, that'd be ok, but no. I mean, Damon is what, at least half her age? Not to mention Kali," he groaned.
"We all know how Kali is with Damon," Caroline admitted quietly.
"Well, I only know what you guys have told me," he shrugged. "The only thing that I really know, is that she seems to be doing better than she used to."
"Maybe she'll surprise you, your mom."
Matt turned to her and gave her a small smile. She was trying to help.
"People have a tendency to do that," she finished, a small laugh escaping both of them. "I should go before the roads get even worse from the storm."
"Yeah," he nodded. "Are you sure you should be driving right now?" he asked, unsure about her driving in such weather.
"I have to. It's my dad's boyfriend's daughter's birthday. We have a non-traditional traditional ritual," she explained.
"Well, buckle up. Don't speed. Stay off your cell phone. And call me when you get there," he said firmly, a tease look on his face as he rubbed her arms affectionately.
"Got it. Anything else?" she inquired, batting her eyelashes at him for fun.
"Yes," he smiled, bringing his hands up to cup her face.
He then leaned forward, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.
"Bye," she smiled.
"Bye."
T
Damon sighed as he moved back into the living room. He was almost done cleaning up. He'd checked over everything, sweeping up the debris and throwing it away. Afterward, he was left with nothing to do, his eyes turning toward the old grandfather clock in the room. Since he'd been fixing everything else, why not continue? After all, the clock hadn't worked since he'd come back to Mystic Falls.
"Let's see here…" he breathed, getting up on a chair and opening the face.
He poked and prodded at the gears, tugging a few of the cogs gently. He then took off the hands, holding them in his palm. Why he was doing this, he didn't even know. He just shook his head, before climbing down, walking into another room and getting a screwdriver along with a bit of oil.
Despite how he appeared or what Stefan thought, Damon was actually rather smart. He was handy at fixing thing, taking them apart and putting them back together. After so many decades of being around, one finds themselves with time on their hands. It'd left him to work on different things, learning and perfecting his skills, picking up new trades just as Stefan had. There were a lot of things that he did out of boredom. Granted, he'd never attempted to fix Stefan's car, but why bother? It was his problem after all. Damon had his own car, his own classic, so he was just fine. Thinking on that, his thoughts went to Kali, a frown forming on his face.
"She's fine," he told himself, walking back into the living room and climbing back on top of the chair.
He peeked inside again, maneuvering the screwdriver, tightening a few of the loose bits. He wondered what Kali would think if she were to see him doing such a thing, something that didn't have to do with drinking. That was also another reason he was fixing the clock, he was trying to keep his mind off of things.
"Hunting party?" Damon inquired, not bother to turn away from his work as Stefan walked into the room.
"That guy did a number on me last night when he stabbed me. I gotta get my strength back up," Stefan told him, making to leave, his hood and jacket already on. "What are you doing anyway?"
"Fixing the clock. What's it look?" he answered, turning toward his brother for a moment. "You know, I've got 2 liters of soccer mom in the fridge."
Stefan gave him a look.
"No?" Damon chuckled.
"We'll talk when I get back. I've got a few things to discuss with you that I'm sure you already realize."
"All right," Damon breathed out. "Give my regards to the squirrels," he called after him, slowly putting the clock face back together and winding the key.
Maybe he'd give Kali a call after a while, talk to her before Stefan inevitably ruined his mood.
T
"Okay. All questions are met. Check."
I marked the rubric for the paper, placing a tick mark inside the little square.
"Grammar. Check. Spelling. Check. Three pages…" I paused, turning my head for a moment.
My cell phone was ringing, the sound nearly muffled from the weather beating outside my window.
"Maybe it's Elena," I mused, getting up from the bed and walking over to my dresser.
I picked it up, looking down at the caller ID. Damon.
"Hello?" I answered, placing the phone to my ear.
"Kali, it's Damon. Have you seen Stefan?" he asked.
"No. Why, is something wrong?" I asked, leaning against the dresser.
"He hasn't come back from hunting," he started. "I've tried calling him, but it's going straight to voice mail. I can't get a hold of Elena either. She's ignoring my calls."
"I wonder why," I answered.
"Kali, please," he sighed. "I need your help."
"What do you want me to do?" I asked, walking back over to the bed.
"I need you to come get me."
"In this weather?" I asked, thinking that he was out of his mind. "Damon, I've got work to do. I'm already behind on these papers and I've barely even made a dent in them."
"Please, Kali?" he sighed.
"Damon, what's really going on?"
"Look, I'll explain when you get here, but right now I just need you to come get me," he told me.
"Fine," I sighed, giving in.
If he really needed my help, then I had no choice, but to help him.
"I'll be there in a few," I told him.
"Thank you."
After that, we hung up, leaving me to grabbing my jacket. I could only imagine how wet I was going get.
T
Pulling down the driveway, I could barely see, my foot pressing lightly on the gas. I dreaded the idea of what it would be like later, the forecaster saying that it was only going to get worse. I mean, how was I supposed to drive in something like this?
I pulled my cell phone out after parking, flipping it open and calling Damon.
"Hello?"
"I'm outside," I said simply, jumping when the passenger side door opened, Damon sliding inside. "God, I hate it when you do that!" I cried, placing a hand over my heart.
"Sorry."
Upon hearing this, I gave him a curious look.
"What's going on?" I asked, brows furrowing.
"Like I said, he didn't come back from hunting," he answered.
"Damon," I pressed.
"We were attacked last night by a couple of vampires," he explained. "Left me cleaning up a mess this morning."
"I'm to guess that these weren't some random vampires?" I assumed, shifting the car into drive.
"We know them," he nodded, looking out at the road in front of us.
"And how is it that you managed to piss them off?" I inquired, driving back down the driveway.
"I don't know. They got sealed in the tomb, we didn't," he answered. "It appears that the other vampires escaped from the tomb."
"Wait…what!"
"Keep your eyes on the road," he told me.
"Damon, what the hell is going on?" I nearly growled.
"Honestly?"
I nodded my head, glancing over at him.
"The tomb vampires escaped, their pissed, and I think they took Stefan," he said bluntly, chancing a glance at me.
"So that's what's going on," I mused. "Anything else that I should know?" I asked, looking over at him.
He remained silent, sitting there in his seat. I was sure that there was something else, something that he wasn't saying, even if it didn't have to do with the current situation. I just wanted him to be honest with me, even if I didn't like what he had to say, I still wanted to hear it.
"Damon?"
"Now's not the time," he answered.
T
Elena was laying on the couch when her phone rang, getting up and walking across the room to get it. Damon's named showed on the caller ID. She pressed ignored, walking up the stairs, only to stop as someone knocked several times on the door. She figured that it was probably Kali, opening the door to let her inside, only to have Damon walk in.
"You're ignoring me," Damon stated, walking into the house.
"The six missed calls? Sorry. My phone is dead," she lied flatly.
"Is Stefan here?" he asked, ignoring her comment.
"No. Why? Something wrong?" she asked.
Damon looked down at his phone for a moment, checking to see if he had any new messages.
"He went out in the woods and didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you."
Hearing this, Elena dialed Stefan's number on her phone, putting it up to her ear.
"It's going straight to voice-mail. Where could he be?"
"You're not going to like what I'm thinking," he told her.
T
Damon's eyes narrowed as he trudged through the rain, stepping onto the porch of the house. He then beat his fist loudly on the front door, shaking the rain from his hair.
"Pearl! Open this door," Damon called. "I swear to God I'll bust through and rip your head off," Damon warned.
The door opened a moment later, a familiar face presenting itself to Damon.
"Pearl's not home," the man answered, his dark eyes staring at Damon.
He then popped his head out, looking outside.
"Beautiful weather. Not a ray of sun in the sky," he noted.
"Where's my brother?" Damon demanded, watching him carefully.
"Billy," he called, not taking his eyes off of Damon.
Two vampires entered the hallway, dragging a weak and injured Stefan along with them. Stefan's eyes met Damon's, pain written on the younger Salvatore's face.
"You're dead," Damon growled, making to lung forward.
He was stopped though by an invisible force, brows furrowing slightly as he looked around. The house was full of vampires, so there shouldn't be any owner around. That's what Damon thought anyway.
"Whoa, I'm sorry. You haven't been invited in," he said smugly. "Miss Gibbons?" he called, a woman coming forward and standing beside him.
"Yes, Fredrick, honey?" she said in a polite tone.
Damon noticed the bite mark on her neck, watching as Fredrick compelled her.
"Never let this bad man in," Fredrick told her.
"I'll never let him in," she replied obediently.
Damon heard his brother groan painfully, the two vampires being the only thing holding him up.
"145 years left starving in a tomb, thanks to Katherine's infatuation with you and your brother," Fredrick put out, Damon fighting urge to rip his head off. "First few weeks, every single nerve in your body screams with fire. The kind of pain that can drive a person mad. Well... I thought your brother might want to get a taste of that before I killed him."
Fredrick stepped back out of the way, allowing Damon full view of his brother.
"Billy."
Damon watched as Billy shoved a stake into Stefan's side, a gasp of pain escaping him as he fell to his knees.
"You have a nice day," Fredrick smiled, closing the door on Damon.
Damon felt a growl rise in his throat, glaring at the door, before running back through the rain toward the car.
T
I ran a hand through my hair as I sat there in the driver's seat, glancing at Elena in the rear view mirror. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Damon running toward the car.
"Stay here," I said quickly, grabbing Elena's umbrella and stepping out of the car.
I closed the door, quickly popping the umbrella open and running to meet Damon. He was soaking wet, rain rolling down over his face and dripping off of his chin. His hair was practically plastered to his head.
"What happened? Where is he?" I asked, stepping closer and holding the umbrella over him.
"They have him. I can't get in," he told me, his breath heaving in and out.
"Why not?" I asked, shivering suddenly from the cold.
"Because she woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in," he explained.
"I can get in," I told him, making to move past him.
"I don't think so," he said, grabbing hold of me and pulling me back.
"Why not?" I asked.
"You're not going in there," he said firmly, eyes staring down at me.
"I can't just leave him there," I told him, glancing back at the car.
"Kali, listen to me, it's too dangerous."
"I can't leave him there!" I cried, pushing past him.
He grabbed me, holding me tightly to his chest.
"Damon!" I groaned, struggling.
"Stop it!" he barked, gripping me tighter. "I'm not letting you go in there."
"Damn it, Damon, what do they even want with him?" I asked, letting out a sigh as I finally stopped struggling.
He was silent for a moment as I allowed myself to lean back into him, his strong arms holding me up.
"Revenge… They want revenge," he sighed.
"We have to do something, Damon."
"I know, trust me, I know. I just don't know how to get him out."
T
Using ropes soaked in vervain, one of the vampires tied Stefan up, the ropes burning away at his skin. He grunted as they pulled them tighter, his wrist bond above his head.
"Vervain on the ropes," Fredrick grinned.
Fredrick was cruel enough to take a plumber's wrench and pull on the rope, dragging Stefan upwards and off of his feet by a few inches.
"Ahh!" he cried.
"That's gotta sting. Speaking of..."
Fredrick came forward, pulling Stefan's eye lid open. He held an eyedropper in his hand, vervain filling it as he put a few drops in Stefan's eyes, the nerves sizzling with pain as it burned into his eyes.
"Ahh!" he cried out, shaking his head.
At that moment, Harper entered, a grimace on his face.
"This isn't right!" he exclaimed.
Fredrick turned on him as a result, glaring at him.
"He killed Beth-Anne. One of us, Harper," Fredrick told him. "And don't you think for a second he wouldn't kill you if he had the chance. Pearl says we're not here for revenge, right? I say that's exactly what we're here for. Starting with this."
Taking his time, he drug a knife coated in vervain across Stefan chest, the skin burning painfully as it bleed. It caused Stefan to cry out in pain once more.
"And then his brother. And anyone else that gets in our way," Fredrick announced. "Even that nice little girlfriend of Damon's."
"L-leave her out of this!" Stefan choked out. "She has nothing to do with this."
"Oh, really, I think she has every part to do with this. She's involved herself with the two of you, so she'll go down with the two of you," he replied. "After all, she looks rather delicious…"
Right as Fredrick was about to stab him in the stomach, Harper leapt forward.
"This isn't right!" Harper said once more, grabbing Fredrick by the arm.
The gesture was quickly returned though, Fredrick's grip tightening painfully on the young man's throat.
"You're gonna want to let go of me!" Fredrick growled out, the other two vampires pulling Harper away from him.
"Miss Pearl will be home soon," Harper told him.
"Miss Pearl is no longer in charge," Fredrick said lowly, turning to the other two vampires. "Tie him up! And then stake him down."
T
Running ahead of us with her umbrella, Elena went inside the high school, the rain pouring down outside.
"Come on," Damon said, keeping me close as we ran inside.
I shook my head free of the rain as we stepped in, a shiver running over me. I felt a bit warm, blinking a couple times. I was starting to think that this cold was starting to get the best of me.
"Do you really think that he'll help us?" I asked skeptically, looking up at Damon, a few drops of water dripping from his chin.
He planned on going to Alaric for help, a man for which I'd been informed knew of vampires. Personally, I had my doubts that he'd help us, especially, since Damon had killed his wife. He'd probably sooner kill him than help him.
"Just trust me on this one, alright?" he asked, glancing down at me.
"You have something up that sleeve of yours, don't you?" I asked, eyeing him.
He just smirked in response, his arm draped over my shoulders.
"Well, don't you look…alive?" Damon said sarcastically, spying Alaric walk back from what I could only assume to be the faculty lounge.
Our eye connected, his in slight shock at the face that I was here with Damon.
"You can't hurt me," he said simply.
"Oh, I can't hurt you, all right," Damon replied.
"Damon," I warned, gabbing him lightly in the side as he took a step toward him.
"Mr. Saltzman. We need your help," Elena said.
After a moment, we followed him into his classroom, Elena walking up to his desk. I went over by the windows, leaning my head against the coolness of the windowpane, rain pouring down outside the window. Damon followed me, brows furrowed slightly as he took me in.
"You okay?" he asked, his words sincere.
I looked up at him, letting out a breath of air.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I nodded, not wanting to bother him with worry.
He eyed me a moment, before standing beside me, leaning back and setting on the very edge of the short bookshelf. I closed my eyes at this point, listening to Elena as she continued to explain the current situation to Rick.
"Stefan's in the house. Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you," she told him. "I would go, but…"
She was cut off by Damon.
"But your life is valuable," Damon finished for her, turning his gaze toward Rick. "Yours, on the other hand is…"
This time Elena was the one to cut him off.
"Stefan told me about your ring."
"What about it?" Alaric asked, fiddling with the ring on his finger.
I opened my eyes for a moment, trailing them down to his hand at the black stone. It was a bit large, but still. In a way, it reminded me of Damon's, but they were still completely different in size and color.
"Let me recap..." Damon began. "You tried to kill me."
My eyes widened at his first words.
"I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I leaving anything out?" he said sarcastically.
"Yeah. The part where I try and kill you again. Only this time, I don't miss," Alaric replied, stepping forward toward Damon.
I immediately pushed off of the window, standing in front of Damon, blocking him from Rick's view. I held my arms out behind me a bit.
"Rick, don't," I said firmly, Damon's chest coming to press against my back, his hands gripping lightly at my hips.
Alaric stared at me, hand twitching at his side.
"Mr. Saltzman. Please, it's Stefan," Elena begged.
"I'm sorry, Elena, but it's not my problem," Alaric replied as sincerely as possible, before sitting back down behind his desk.
"That's a shame. Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife," Damon commented, catching both the attention of Alaric and my self.
So that was what he had planned. Lead Alaric on in order to convince him to help us. Pearl may know Katherine, but no one ever said anything about Isobel.
"You're lying," Alaric said, calling his bluff.
"Am I?" Damon questioned. "Why don't you ask her for yourself?" he said, moving out from behind me and getting in Alaric's face. "Coward," he breathed, a smirk on his face.
He then turned back to me, gesturing me forward. I complied, coming toward his, his hand moving to the small of my back.
"Come on, Elena," Damon said, making his way out of the room with me.
"All right! Wait. I'll go," Alaric called, an even bigger smirk pulling onto Damon's face.
He'd fallen right into Damon's little trick.
T
"Look, Rick, I'm sorry about all of this," I sighed, walking beside him as we walked out of the faculty lounge.
"Don't worry about it," he said, brushing it off, his duffle bag in hand.
"Rick," I grabbed his arm, stopping him.
He looked back at me, staring, waiting for me to say something.
"I'm serious."
"Why are you with him anyway?" he asked, staring me down. "When you know what he is?"
He couldn't understand.
"Rick, I…" I paused, shaking my head.
"He's a murderer, Kali," he told me, his voice raising slightly.
"He doesn't mean to be," I said, trying to defend Damon.
Damon was messed up and I realized that. As he'd told me before, this stuff was in his nature. I knew it was crap though, but it was the easiest thing to blame it on. He had to feed. In order to do that, he had to compel people. When he get mad or someone double crosses him, he lashes out, but it was all a lie. It wasn't really him. I don't know why, but I could see it. I could see it every time that I looked into his eyes. He wanted to fight it, but it was just too easy to give in.
"Like hell he doesn't."
"Rick," I sighed, biting my lip. "He saved my life…more than once."
"That doesn't mean I'm going to forgive him for what he did to my wife," he said firmly, before walking the rest of the way to the classroom.
I let out a sigh of defeat, before following after him, my hands in my pockets.
Damon's head shot up as I walked in, eyeing me as Alaric placed a folded mass down on the table. The audible click of wood could be heard echoing as he did this, opening it afterward. To say that I was shocked was an understatement, walking up to take a closer look.
Inside, was an assortment of weapons intent on the eradication of vampires. At least that was their purpose anyway.
"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon mused, looking over the weapons.
"I have you to thank for that," Alaric replied.
While those two were staring each other down, I reached a hand forward, pulling one of the stakes free from its place. I ran a hand over the finely crafted handle, a braided design adorning it. Damon came up behind me, one hand on my shoulder, while the other reached out and looked over the stake. He left it in my hand though, before looking over the rest of the stuff. I felt the hand on my shoulder slide down to the small of my back, his hand splayed upon it.
"What are these?" Elena asked, touching what looked like a large syringe of sorts.
To me though, it looked like a tranquilizer dart of sorts, something that you'd use on a large animal.
"Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain," Alaric replied, arms folded over his chest.
"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out," Damon told Alaric, fingering the tip of one of the stakes to make sure that it was sharp enough.
I guess he got his answer when it drew a bit of blood, a smirk crossing his face.
"That's your plan?" Elena asked skeptically, eyes glancing over at Alaric, then me, then back to Damon. "You're just going to take them all on yourself?"
"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully," he answered, raising his brows at Elena for emphasis.
She then pulled one of the darts free from its sleeve, holding it in her hand.
"Whoa. What are you doing?" Alaric asked, reaching for the dart warily.
"I'm going with you guys," she answered as though it were obvious.
"No. No. No. No. No way," Damon told her, shaking his head.
"You need me. I'll get in. You could distract them, and I'll get Stefan out," she told them.
"Elena, if anyone goes in, it'll be me. We can't risk you get hurt," I told her.
"You'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there," he told her, his voice the tone that you'd use with a child. "Neither are you," he said, turning toward me.
I just looked down at the stake in my hand dejectedly.
"I'm going," Elena said firmly.
"So, when you get me in," Damon said, ignoring Elena's comment. "Get out as quickly as you can because I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."
"Damon, now's not the time to be the lone ranger," Elena told him.
"Fine. Elena, you can…you can drive the getaway car," he told her, thinking on his feet. "You're not going in the house."
"You can't stop me. It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand," she said stubbornly.
"Elena," I sighed.
"Oh, I understand. I understand. He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong," he said sarcastically. "I get it."
"Can you just not joke around for two seconds?" Elena growled.
That's when he turned on her, his voice raising a bit. It startled me, but I just stood there, watching. She needed to hear this, to get it through her head.
"I can't protect you, Elena. I don't know how many vampires there are in there," he said, before snapping his fingers in front of her. "That's how long it takes to get your head ripped off."
I was praying that she'd get the point, I really was.
"I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety," he told her. "Or this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from... Including Stefan."
Elena looked down at the ground once he finished, the entirety of it all sinking in.
"I know. I get it. I understand," he told her, this time a bit more gently.
This was the side of him that I loved, the understanding, sensitive side. He had a heart; he just didn't know how to show it at times with people.
"If we're gonna go, let's go," Alaric said, grabbing up his equipment and walking out of the room.
His eyes caught mine though as he walked out, Damon slowly leading me out of the room with Elena following me. Looking down at the stake in my hands, I just knew something was going to happen.
T
Caroline's phone began to ring as she drove, picking her phone up and placing it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Where are you? I can barely hear," Matt said over the phone, the sound coming through a bit choppy.
"Storm washed out Route 5. Now I'm detoured on some random backwoods path to hell," she said dismally.
She stared out the windshield, the wipers moving furiously in an attempt to get rid of the rain.
"Well, you shouldn't be talking while you're driving," he told her.
"Yeah, I know, right?" she chuckled. "I need one of those little bluetooth thingies."
"Look, you're breaking up. Just turn around and go back the same way you came. And watch the road. Ok?"
"Okay," she nodded.
After that, the line when out. She went to turn around, pulling off a little bit, but her car got stuck in the mud.
"God," she groaned, pressing on the gas as she put it in reverse.
It only managed to dig it further into the mud, the wheels sinking in a few more inches as they threw mud around. She kept trying though.
"Ohh. Ohh. Seriously?"
She pulled her cell phone back after that, trying to call some body, but there was no service.
"Dang it!" she hissed.
She was stuck.
T
Being careful of his footing, Alaric ran through the rain, his hood pulled up over his head. Damon had told him exactly how far it was, quickly making his way there and hurrying onto the porch. He then knocked on the door, removing his hood whilst rubbing his hands together. It was cold, his breath becoming visible in the air. Fredrick then answered a moment later, opening the door.
"Oh, good, someone's home," Alaric smiled in relief.
He had to play the part.
"Uh, could I use your phone? My car broke down a few miles up the road. This was the first house I saw," he explained, blowing warm air into his hands and rubbing them together.
"Well, lucky you," Fredrick replied.
"Yeah. Lucky me," he chuckled faintly. "It's no trouble, is it?"
"Not in the slightest," Fredrick answered, opening the door a bit more for Alaric to step inside.
"Great. Whew," Alaric shivered, stepping inside.
He was still rubbing his hands together, being careful not to let the stake slip from his jacket.
"Hey, man, I really appreciate it. It's rough out there," Alaric told him, turning around to face him.
"Billy, show our visitor where the phone is in the kitchen. And get me something to drink," Fredrick told his companion.
The man nodded his head, pushing open of the frame of the doorway he'd been leaning on.
"Yeah, sure thing."
Alaric smiled, inclining his head respectfully, his eyes catching the room of vampires. They were shooting pool while listening to music. So far, Alaric counted up six or seven vampires.
"Hey, Miss Gibbons, this guys wants to use your phone," Billy said, gesturing toward Alaric as they walked into the kitchen.
"Oh, sure, honey," she smiled. "It's right there," she said, gesturing over to the wall, before going back to cutting up vegetables.
"Thanks," Alaric said, nodding his head.
He took notice to the bite mark on her wrist, her sleeves rolled up and out of the way. He felt sorry for the woman as he walked toward the phone. As he did this, he caught sight of Billy slowly walking up behind him, the stake discreetly sliding down and into Alaric's hand. At the last moment, he stabbed the vampire in the heart, watching as he fell to the floor dead. Alaric then made quick work in turning on tap, leaping forward and starting the food processor up in order to make some noise, that way no one would notice anything. After that, he grabbed hold of Miss Gibbons, pulling her toward the back door where Damon was waiting outside.
"What's happening?" she asked, Alaric opening the door.
"I'm really sorry, but you're gonna need to invite a friend of mine in," Alaric told her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. He's not allowed in the house," she said politely.
"I know that, but you're gonna have to make an exception," he told her.
"Get her out of the house. Now!" Damon told him.
Nodding, Alaric pulled her out of the house, Damon taking hold of her and gripping her shoulders.
"Miss Gibbons, tell me the truth. Are you married?" Damon asked.
While Damon was doing that, Alaric checked one of the other hallways, making sure that no one was coming their way.
"No," she answered.
"Parents, children, anyone else who lives on the property?" Damon asked.
"No. It's just me," she answered.
"No? Good," he replied, quickly snapping her neck, her body falling to the ground dead.
Damon then walked into the house.
"You were supposed to compel her," Alaric said, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.
"It doesn't work that way…" Damon told him, whispering.
"She's human."
"And I'm not! So I don't care," Damon whispered harshly as he got in Alaric's face. "Now, get out of here and rid of the body!" Damon told him, closing the door behind him quiet.
Now, it was his turn to find Stefan and get rid of the vampires.
T
I caught Elena glancing back at me in the rear view mirror. She was seated up front in the driver's seat while I was in the back, nearly dozing off, my jacket pulling from my body. I was hot and it felt suffocating.
"What are you doing?" I asked quietly, hearing her rummaging around in Alaric's bag.
"Just looking," she assured me, pulling out one of the darts.
Suddenly, a branch came down on the hood of the car, both of us letting out a startled yelp.
"God…" breathed, holding a hand over my chest.
"I…I can't stay here," Elena said quickly, getting out of the car.
"Elena!" I yelled, leaping forward to grab her.
It did me little good those as she closed the door, running into the woods.
"Damn it, Elena!"
I quickly climbed over the seat, my knee catching the center counsel.
"Ouch!" I groaned, falling into the seat. "Damn it!"
I laid there for a moment, cradling my knee, before sucking it up and getting out of the car. The rain poured down on me as I looked in the direction she must have run off in, the chill of the rain relieving the heat of my body.
"Elena!" I called out, my hand protecting my eyes. "Elena!" I yelled, running forward.
I only managed to get a few yards away though when I slipped, my body falling forward to the ground and into the mud. I felt mud coat my hands and fingers as I pushed myself up, groaning. I could feel the end of the stake pressing against my back as I got up, pulling it from my waist band. It was too dangerous to keep there and it was starting to get dark. If I didn't find her and drag her back, then there was no doubt that she'd end up getting herself killed. Damon would never let me live it down and neither would Alaric or Stefan.
"Elena!"
T
"I'm in the process of obtaining some property. I understand that your family is the largest property owner in town," Pearl stated as she spoke with Mr. Lockwood, his son standing off elsewhere with Matt.
"Well, yes we are. Dating all the way back to the town's original charter," he explained.
"Your family came into a lot of new property in 1864," she commented.
"You know your history," he grinned.
"It's a passion of mine," she replied simply.
"Guys not even subtle about it," Tyler snorted, standing beside Matt.
Both of them watched as the two conversed, Tyler's dad continuing to flirt with Pearl. It was kind of sickening in Tyler's mind.
"Who is that?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"It's not my mother," Tyler replied curtly, eyes narrowing at his father while he took a drink.
Matt just shook his head, wiping his hands on the towel that was resting over his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Mayor. Do you know that boy over there?" Pearl inquired, pointing over toward Jeremy.
She'd spotted him with her daughter a few times and found herself curious. No matter how much Anna tried to hide it, she knew that her daughter had been conversing with the young man, even while she played darts.
"Yeah, it's Jeremy Gilbert," he replied.
"You don't say."
T
"Billy, what's the hold up?" Fredrick called.
He was seated in a chair in the other room, three others standing around the pool table taking turns shooting.
"Jacob, go see what's going on," Fredrick ordered, sending the other vampire off to the kitchen.
"Yeah," Jacob nodded, walking off into the hallway.
He could hear the sound of water running, the food processor working. Upon entering, he found Miss Gibbons absent.
"Billy?" Jacob called, moving forward and turning the food processor off.
By now, the food inside was mush; baby food. He then went over to the sink and turned the water off. As he went to open the door by the sink, it was kicked open into his face, Damon leaping forward and staking him in the heart.
T
Alaric ran through the rain as he hurried down the hill, feet sliding a bit as he went. Once down and by the car, he threw the door open, eyes widening as he found Elena absent. Looking in the back, he found that Kali was missing as well, her leather jacket laid out in the seat.
"Damn it, Elena!" he hissed, grabbing his bag and slamming the door shut.
He then turned around, running back off into the woods.
T
Pulling herself up, Elena climbed up onto the porch and over the railing. She knew that Kali would be coming after her after hearing her shouts, but she didn't care, she had to find Stefan.
"I'm sorry, Kali, but I have to do this," she whispered, pressing herself up against the wall.
She was about to move when she heard voices, stopping and sitting still.
"Billy, Jacob, get back in here!" he yelled.
Looking around the corner, Elena spotted the cellar, quickly getting up and running past the door. She then ran down the staircase and into the cellar, another door waiting for her as she pushed the metal gate open. She tried to pull the door open, but found that it was locked. She looked around for a moment, covering her hand with her jacket, before punching through the windowpane. She then opened the door, carefully sliding inside. She had to hold her breath though as she spotted a vampire down at the end of the hand, pulling the vervain dart out of her pocket and gripping it in his hand. He was listening to music. He got up after a moment though, pulling the headphones from his ears. She held her breath. Right before he attacks though, Damon appears out of the darkness and stakes him.
"Are you insane?" he hissed.
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't sit around and wait," she told him.
"And where's Kali then?" he questioned, stepping toward her.
He was irritated because she didn't listen. Even more irritated that Kali let her do this.
"Um, well, you see…"
"Elena," his voice held a tone of warning to it.
"I kind of ran off…and, well, she came after me. I haven't seen her though," she explained.
"You've got to be kidding me," he groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I specifically told you to stay in the car."
"I'm sorry, but I just couldn't do it."
"If something happens, it's not my fault," he reminded her, eyes flicking around the area.
T
I let out a groan as I pushed myself forward, my body shaking, shivering. At this point, the rain felt like needles against my skin. Since I'd forgotten my jacket in the car upon running after Elena, I rain was soaking my clothes, a chill running me through right to the bone.
"I don't feel so good," I breathed, leaning up against a tree.
The bark pressed against the skin of my cheek as I stood there, my back turned to the world around me. The sun had already sunk down into the sky, barely leaving any light to escape through the clouds. I was freezing and my lungs felt like they were on fire.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
I felt my breath catch in my throat, spinning around, only to slip and fall on my rear. I slid a little bit, but I dug my fingers into the wet ground.
"Looks like I've found a nice little snack," the man before me said, a grin playing on his lips.
T
Finally getting feed up by sitting in her car, Caroline got out, opening her umbrella up. She closed the car door behind her as she pulled her cell phone out, lifting it in the air as she walked around trying to get a signal.
"Come on," she breathed, taking a few more steps forward.
She took a few steps toward the river, closing the umbrella as the trees shielded her from the rain. She rose her phone again, letting out a squeal of happiness as it beeped at her. No sooner did she turn though, she slipped, falling down the river bank.
"Ahh!" she cried, reaching out and grabbing onto anything around her.
She managed to pull herself up a bit, her feet slipping again. She then reached for what she thought was another root or branch, only to let out a scream of terror as she gripped a dead and decomposing hand, the rain unearthing it from its grave.
T
"Thank you. For trying to help me," Stefan breathed out, his voice weak as he spoke to Harper.
"They just needed somebody to blame. Someone to punish," he whispered, closing his eyes.
Suddenly, Damon and Elena burst through the door.
"Elena… You shouldn't be here…" Stefan groaned out.
"She was supposed to stay in the car," Damon told him, moving in front of Harper.
Damon then flipped the stake in his hand and pulling his arm back, ready to stake Harper without a second thought.
"Unh! No. No. No. Not him," Stefan ground out, stopping his brother.
"Whatever," Damon shrugged, putting the stake away. "Let's get you down."
Damon then went over, reaching out to untie the rope from the wall. He hissed though, pulling his hands back as they were immediately burned.
"There's vervain on the ropes," Stefan told him, his warning a bit late.
"Elena, pull that," Damon told her, walking back over to Stefan.
She nodded, quickly going over to the wall and pulling on the rope. Stefan fell free a moment later, a groan escaping him as Damon caught him, holding him up.
"All right, let's go," Damon said, letting him lean up against the post whilst he went over to the door. "Clothes on."
"Wait," Stefan grunted, taking in a shaky breath, he wasn't about to leave Harper there like that.
"What? Guys, come on. We have to get out of here," Damon whispered.
He was already annoyed and he didn't want to get caught up by a bunch of vampires. He'd wanted to get in and out, no problems. Elena had already made it worse by sneaking in, no doubt leaving Kali in danger by attempting to come after her. That's also went he starting thinking as to where she was at.
"Ah!" Harper cried out, Stefan pulling the stake from his leg.
"Come on, we gotta go," Damon told them.
"Elena, get the other one," Stefan told her.
Elena nodded her head, reaching forward and pulling the other one out.
"Can you get him in the car?" Damon asked, walking out into the hallway.
"Yeah," Elena nodded, helping Stefan into the hallway.
"All right, go," Damon told them, going back the way that he had originally come.
"What about you?" she asked.
"You rescue, I'll distract. Go," he said simply, walking off.
T
"Get away from me!" I yelled, scrambling for my life.
I pushed off the ground and ran, my feet slipping as I went. I just pushed myself back up and went, not daring to look back.
"Looks like the little mouse wants to play," he grinned, running after me. "Let the games begin."
T
"Turn that down. It's too quiet," Fredrick said warily, slowly getting up from his seat. "Spread out. Now. You two, back of the house. Go. Check out both rooms. Cellar, now," he ordered, stepping out of the room.
Slowly, he made his way down the hallway, stopping when he caught sight of one of the vampires. They were laid up on the dining room table, a stake through their chest. Right as he was about to turn around, Damon attacked him, shoving him up against the wall harshly. He punches him in the face, only to have two other vampires come up behind him and pull him off. Fredrick used that time to escape, running off, while the other two vampires kicked Damon. Once he got kicked in the face though, his fangs came out, arm lashing out and breaking the vampire's leg. Damon then kicked the other in the stomach as he tried to pounce on him. Then, right as he went to come back again, the sound of a gun went off.
Damon's head shot up as he looked behind him, his hand dropping. It was Alaric, one of his strange little weapons being held in his hands as the vampire fell to the ground.
"I'm going after Fredrick," he said quickly, running off.
T
"Here little mouse," I heard the man coo.
I ran past another tree, dodging something that was thrown my way. He was toying with me, that much was obvious.
"I'm going to get you and when I do, I'm going to rip you apart."
I just shook, continuing to run, pushing myself forward and past the trees. I jumped over a root, sliding a bit. Just as I was about to breach through into the clearing, I tripped, falling to the ground.
"Mmm…" I groaned, arms aching as the ground scuffed them up along with my hands.
"Got ya!" he exclaimed, leaping forward, fangs protruding from his mouth and ready to strike.
I could practically feel him upon me, quickly turning myself around. My back pressed into the wet ground as I laid there pulling the stake into my hands. I heard the sound of him grunting, eyes wide and looking down at the stake in his chest. Tears were in my eyes as I shook, feeling him fall upon me moments later, body dead. The light was completely gone from his eyes and I felt like I couldn't breathe, my blood running as cold as the air around me.
"Ah!" I cried, shoving him off of me, slowly crawling backwards.
I kept moving until I felt myself back into something, slowly looking upward. I let out a shriek as I was grabbed, roughly being drug up from the ground and onto my feet.
"You shouldn't have done that," they growled, swiftly turning me around to face them.
I felt myself shake as I looked them in the eyes, their eyes black as the night around us, veins sticking out. I felt faint, a few other vampires coming around.
"What's going on here?" the voice was female, one that held authority.
I turned to find her eyes staring at me, a hint of confusion held within them.
"Pearl," one of them growled. "She killed Jeremiah."
"Let her go," she ordered.
Within moments, I was shoved roughly to the ground, my bangs covering my face.
"Mmm…" I groaned, crawling away a few inches.
I felt sick, tired, hot, and cold. I felt everything that I shouldn't all at the same time. Everything around seemed meshed together as my head spun.
"Mother!" I heard someone cry out, their voice wary.
It was Anna, a girl that I'd seen at the Grill with Jeremy a few times. I then concluded that this woman, Pearl, must be her mother.
"What have you done?" Pearl gasped, her voice barely making its way to my ears as she stood on the porch of the house.
Laying there, I could see Damon, his face scrunched up in annoyance. They exchanged a few words, before he and Alaric walked out of the house, neither of them looking back. They only looked forward.
"Damon," I whimpered.
"Kali," he gapped.
The moment he tried to make his way toward me, I was grabbed up by another vampire, their arms holding me tightly as they hissed. Their hands were on either side of my head, ready to snap my neck in seconds.
"I'll rip her head off," the man threatened, his nails digging into the side of my face.
"Let her go," Damon growled, glaring at them.
"I don't think so," the vampire growled, staring him down.
I felt my eyes water as I stared at Damon. I felt so tired, my hand shaking at my side.
"Let her go!" Pearl ordered firmly. "I've told you all to leave her be. She belongs to Damon Salvatore."
This caught my attention, but I ignored it. I could hear the vampire growl lightly. He didn't want to let me go. No, instead, he'd rather kill me in front of Damon just to spite him. Rip my head off perhaps or maybe just rip my throat out.
"I said, let her go," Pearl repeated, slowly making her way down the stairs.
It wasn't until she was a few feet away that I was finally shoved forward, Damon catching me before I could fall. My legs gave out on me though, his arms quickly encircling my waist as I gripped at his jacket.
"Kali," he breathed, pulling me up.
He looked around him, glaring at everyone else, before lifting me into his arms bridal style. I let my head fall to the side against his chest, my body shivering. I curled against him for warmth.
"I'll be going now," he announced to those around him, following Alaric down the driveway.
After we got far enough away, he turned to me, eyeing me for a moment. I just looked away, already realizing how much trouble that I was in. Surprisingly though, he didn't scold me. Instead, his face softened a bit, hand moving forward and brushing a bit of hair from my face.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, closing my eyes, my breathing a bit shallow.
"Don't be," he replied. "It's not your fault."
"She doesn't look too good," I heard Alaric comment, a hand coming to press against my face and then my forehead. "She's burning up!"
I let out a shaky breath as I peeled my eyes open, two pairs staring down at me. It was blurry at this point, every ounce of adrenaline leaving my system. I at least had to tell him that I got one though, let him know that I'd done some good, that I wasn't completely useless.
"I got one…" I whispered.
"What?" Damon asked, confused.
Tiredly, I raised my hand, poking him weakly in the chest where his heart was. I gave it a small pat, my hand sliding down the fabric of his shirt. I guess I got my point across because I heard him chuckle.
"I guess you really are good for something then," he teased lightly, lifting my head up just a bit. "Kali?"
"Mmm…"
"Kali, wake up."
Alright everyone, that was chapter 20. I REALLY hope that everyone liked it?
What do you think will happen to Kali? How far did she push her fever? Will Damon scold her for pushing herself as she did? What do you think will happen when Damon decides to take care of her? Will we get tp see more of Damon's 'soft' side? ;) What do you think Damon will do as far as Elena? After all, she IS technically the reason why Kali went out in the rain without her jacket. How will Damon handle Stefan's need blood addiction and is Kali safe in the house?
Let me know what you think about all of this and REVIEW AND MESSAGE me with ideas and opinions.
REMEMBER PEOPLE, YOUR FEEDBACK IS WHAT GETS ME WRITING!