Author's Note:

Thank you for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the twist :) I hope you will stick with the story, its going to last for another 6 chapters and an epilog.

Thank you shoppe69 for being my super Beta :)

Please enjoy chapter 17, and please let me know what you think :) It's always great to read your opinions.

xoxo Giuna

Chapter 17

When Elena opened her eyes, she found herself between the sheets inside of a room she didn't recognize. Where was she? Turning to the side, she pushed herself into a sitting position and stopped in mid-motion. Right next to the bed, she saw Damon resting in an armchair. With his head tilted to the side, he was fast asleep. Elena smiled at the peaceful sight, indescribably happy that they had accomplished to escape Klaus and to were reunited again. She clenched her teeth at the pinching feeling inside her eyes as tears welled up. The relief to have him back was so strong that she could barely keep it together. Actually, Elena wanted to wake him instantly, but she hesitated when she noticed the deep worry lines on his forehead. He needed to rest.

So she slumped back into the feather-filled pillows, indulging in this moment of silence. In the quietness, all her fuzzy memories cleared up, and ended with on the one that was going to change everything. If the witch was right, Elena was pregnant, and although she had no idea how this was even possible, deep inside her she knew that it was the truth. She remembered the exact moment when her body had acknowledged it. What had felt like a tiny spark inside her, which had worked like a protection shield against the witch, had been her body's reaction due to the pregnancy. It seemed like no other vampire was able to take a pregnant blood-slave.

Oh my God, she really was going to be a mom, she thought and a flood of emotions swirled through her. She was absolutely stunned, incredibly happy and overwhelmed, but at the same time she was afraid too. Would she be a good mother? And how would a child fit into her and Damon's world? She breathed heavily and tried to push those dark thoughts away. Instead, she moved her hands down and shoved her red dress over her hips. Ever so slowly she laid her palms flat onto her bare belly and closed her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine. I'll protect you. I promise," she whispered with a slight smile on her lips, caressing her stomach. Unexpectedly, she suddenly felt a bigger, warm hand on top of her owns, "And I'll protect you too!" Damon's calm voice breathed the second Elena cast opened her eyes, beaming brightly at him.

Before he could say a word, Elena threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down onto the bed.

"I'm so, so happy to have you back! I thought I had lost you forever!" she suddenly sobbed due to the emotional roller-coaster inside her mind.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here. We're together…," Damon tried to soothe her and to be strong for her, but it wasn't that simple. Easily, he lifted her up onto his lap, wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his eyes together, holding on for dear life. Damon had truly believed that she had died, and the relief he felt right now took his breath away. Something like that could never happen again!

"I thought you were dead. It was horrible! I can't describe what it feels like to hold you in my arms… I love you so much," Damon whispered and hugged her even tighter.

"I love you, Damon."

They remained like this for a long while, just holding each other and feeling their bodies relaxing due to the proximity.

"Damon? Elena?" They heard Caroline's voice sounding through the house and loosened their embrace.

"What is it, Care?" Damon called out to her, not quite ready to face reality again.

"It's the witch! She woke up…," she informed them, "you'd better come downstairs…"

"We'll be right there," he replied loudly and jumped out of the bed "C'mon, honey, there're a lot of questions I need to get answered."

"But she's going to hurt you again!" Elena objected with fear.

"No, she's not. Unless Stefan isn't following my instructions," he retorted, holding one hand out to Elena.

"What kind of instructions?" she questioned suspiciously and narrowed her eyes.

"To threaten her with a knife against her throat," Damon stated straight ahead and smirked.

"Oh… Okay. That'll work, I guess," she confirmed and climbed out of the bed as well.

On their way downstairs, Elena looked around. The small wooden house wasn't expensively equipped; it appeared more like a cottage. A very cozy one, though. Everything was made of bright wood and gave the place a rustic touch. Still, with its nice decorations like white pillows on the chairs which were placed around a giant table right next to the open plan kitchen and curtains on every window it felt very comfortable.

"Where are we?" Elena interrogated, while she drank in the sight in front of her. Right next to the fireplace she saw the witch sitting on a chair, her arms tightly bound. Stefan stood behind her with a large knife against her neck.

"We are in a forest near Richmond. This is my family's vacation home. My father built it when I was a little girl," Caroline replied while she walked out of the kitchen.

"We can't stay here for long, though. I'm sure Klaus is already close on our heels. It was just the first place we thought of," Stefan admitted with a concerned expression on his face.

"You're right. Let's make this quick," Damon suggested and strolled towards the witch, sitting down on the couch in front of her. Elena walked over to Caroline and smiled at her before she pulled her into a firm hug.

"It's so good to see you again. Thank you so much for your help. I knew you wouldn't run away."

"Well, I did." Caroline admitted with a shame filled voice, "But I came back and I was lucky that Stefan and Damon returned at the same time. Through the window we saw that Klaus had an argument with the witch, and with both distracted we made it inside unnoticed. While Damon staked Klaus, Stefan and I knocked out the witch," she explained quickly and smiled slightly.

"That was really brave," Elena acknowledged and saw Damon staring at her impatiently. Elena pulled Caroline with her to the men, and nodded for Damon to start his interrogation.

"What's your name, witch?" Damon asked in a deep voice, glaring straight into her eyes.

"I'm not going to talk to you!" she hissed and stared back at him.

"Oh, you will!" Damon promised and gave his brother an inviting blink. Instantly, Stefan scratched the razor-sharp knife over the witch's throat.

"If I'm going to talk to you Klaus will kill me!" she whimpered and attempted to escape the blade but wasn't successful.

"Well, if you're not talking than we will kill you right now. How sounds that?"

"You're just bluffing!"

"Nope! Why should we? If we can't get any information out of you, you're completely useless!"

"Ha, and what after you got what you want to know! You'll kill me anyway, don't you?"

"No, I won't. I give you my word!"

She glared at him but suddenly, when she let her eyes dart between Damon and Elena, the look on her face softened, "Okay," she breathed and nodded.

"Fine, than let's start again. What's your name?"

"Greta," she pouted and narrowed her eyes.

"So, tell me, Greta, how is it possible that Elena is pregnant?" Damon started, anxious for the answer.

For a moment Greta stared at him, but suddenly her eyes fell on Elena.

"Didn't your mother share the secret with you?" she queried while she gave Elena a piercing stare.

Elena frowned. "My mom? What would she know about all this?" she demanded incredulously.

"Everything, I guess. I just don't understand why she left you in the dark," Greta responded and tilted her head to the side.

"Probably because she's dead," Elena retorted and had the strange need to defend her mother.

"I see." The witch nodded.

"Do I get it right that my mom was like me?" Elena interrogated while she rounded the couch, sitting down next to Damon. Instantly, he gave Elena a reassuring glimpse and put his hand over hers, squeezing it softly.

"Answer the question!" Damon ordered and glared at Greta. For God's sake, they didn't have all day!

"Yes, your mother was like you! And to answer the next question all in one go, your father had to be a vampire too," Greta blurted out and seemed to relish the dumbfounded expression on Elena's face and the worry lines which built upon Damon's forehead.

"What? No! That's not possible. I would have known that, right?" Elena desperately turned to the side and searched Damon's face for approval, but there was none.

"It could be-," Damon started, but the witch interrupted him rudely.

"Not could! She is a blood-slave so her father must have been a vampire. No excuses possible," Greta stated harshly.

"I don't get it. Elijah explained that the blood-slaves have almost ceased to exist because the vampire population had increased faster than the gene had been transmitted due to the fact that the blood-slave has to reproduce before the gene is triggered. Ergo to many vampires and far too few blood-slaves," Stefan barged in and looked very puzzled.

"That's exactly what Klaus revealed to Elijah. Now, here comes the truth: The reason why the blood-slave population is as rare as it is, is due to the circumstance that the gene is only passed down the female lineage and only if the father is a vampire. Male blood-slaves don't exist," Greta informed the confused audience which just stared back at her.

"Why? Why are there no male blood-slaves?" Damon was the first one finding his tongue.

"This has something to do with the vampires. I guess you know that a vampire's body functions are pretty normal as long as the vampire feeds properly. For a male vampire that means his… well… ejaculate is as good as normal. Why they can't procreate is because their sperm isn't able to identify the ovum of a normal human woman.

As opposed to this, the menstrual cycle of a woman stops the second she becomes a vampire. No blood in the world is able to reflate this sensitive and comprehensive process. That means no pregnant vampires and no male blood-slaves!"

"But-" Elena started when the witch cut in again.

"Do you still not get it? Your blood is special! It's not just delicious for the vampire and convenient because he has a never ending blood source around, it also changes him. Drinking this kind of blood brings the vampire closer to his humanity. Not just emotionally but also physically. The grimoires of my ancestors say that on this diet the organism of the vampire selects not just the nutritious contents, but all kind of information from the blood-slave's system too. So after a while and together with a strong emotional connection between the couple, procreation is possible!"

"You mean Damon's sperm was able to identify Elena's ovum?" Caroline asked excitedly as if they were all sitting in a very thrilling biology class.

"Caroline," Elena pressed embarrassed as she turned her head to silence her friend with a depreciating stare.

"Oops, sorry," Caroline apologized, suddenly looking very ashamed.

"That means Klaus wants Elena to build a family of his own. And the only reason why your spell didn't work was because Elena is already pregnant?" Damon questioned further.

"That's right. The connection between a vampire and his blood-slave can't be cut as long as she is pregnant-"

"Wait, you mean when the child is born the spell will work again?" Damon requested alarmed and jumped to his feet.

"Exactly," Greta confirmed.

"Then Klaus will come after us again. Not just for revenge but to finally take you," Damon assumed and ran his fingers through his hair while he tried to cope with his fear.

"I'm not sure," Elena threw in, "Klaus said he wanted me pure," she said with a disgust-filled voice. Damon's eyes narrowed. He hated this bastard so much!

"I wouldn't bet on it. I know Klaus for a while now, and I'm quite sure that he just acted out of rage because the spell failed. We had searched for someone like you for an unbelievably long time, and trust me… he isn't going to throw this opportunity away. He might be proud, but not proud enough to bury his urge of having a real family. He is complete obsessed with this idea. I guess it has something to do with the unconditional love he expects to receive only from a child of his own blood. I'm sure he is right, though. After all that he had done, it would be really hard to find someone who could love him nonetheless," Greta revealed and clenched her teeth.

"What has he done to you that makes you spill such information?" Stefan questioned with an interested expression.

"He's threatening my family for centuries now, and I hate him for that!"

"What does he want from your family?" Caroline requested and grabbed for a bottle of water, put a drinking straw into it and offered it to Greta. After taking a couple of gulps, she smiled thankfully and answered, "The witches of my bloodline know more about blood-slaves than any other. Unfortunately, because we created the spell I used on you," she paused and looked at Elena for a couple of seconds while a flood of emotions ran over her face.

Taking a deep breath she continued, "When it was cast for the first time it wasn't to steal a blood-slave from a vampire, but to make a swap. At some point you might have asked yourselves if you truly love each other, or if the attraction you're feeling is only caused by the gene. I can answer that! When the first blood-slaves appeared and the first couples were connected, it of course happened involuntarily. One day, two couples came into the village where my ancestors lived, and explained that the vampire of one couple had fallen for the blood-slave of the other and vice versa. So my ancestors invented the spell which unlinked the couples and rebuild the connection with the right partners again. Sadly, the news that blood-slaves could be unlinked from their vampires made the round and the blood-slave hunting started. It cost many lives and was the other reason why the gene hadn't expanded properly. Over all those centuries my ancestors had been forced to cast the spell which had turned out to be the greatest mistake of my family. One day an original vampire named Klaus came into town and wanted to get information about the remaining blood-slaves, but my ancestors had none. So Klaus took the most powerful witch with him on the hunt, threatening to kill the whole family if the witch of his choice wouldn't obey his orders. Since today he has proceeded like this, generation after generation," Greta ended and stared into the shocked faces in front of her.

"You shouldn't have told us!" Elena panicked, "He will kill you!"

"No, he won't! He still needs me! And I told you because I'm a witch and a servant of nature, so practically I feel like I kinda owe you to know about your own history. Besides, in the end, it's my ancestor's fault that you're in this situation right now. Even though they had only the best of intentions when inventing the spell," Greta stated.

"Why does Klaus still need you? Doesn't he have a back-up witch?" Damon barked and gave the witch a piercing gaze.

"That's none of your business! By the way, I'm pretty sure he'll be eager to have me back soon. You should hurry!" the witch said emphatically.

"But-" Elena started again, sorrowfully staring at the witch

"Don't be so concerned about my well-being. Klaus can't compel me, so he won't find out about what I just told you. But be warned, although I really hope that Klaus will find a free blood-slave in the near future, I won't hesitate to cast the spell if we will meet again! Above all, I want my family to get rid of Klaus!" she pointed out and craned her neck non-compliantly.

"I should kill you right here and now!" Damon yelled at Greta and jumped forward, pushing the blade tighter against her throat while he was growling dangerously.

"Damon, don't! You told her you wouldn't kill her!" Elena tried to stop him, and made Damon hang his head.

"Fine!" he pressed and glared down at Greta one more time. "Let's go!" he ordered and turned around, grabbed Elena's arm and pulled her with him. Before Stefan followed his brother he injected a strong sedative straight into the witch's neck. After Greta had passed out, Stefan retracted the knife and ran after his brother with Caroline at his side, leaving the witch to her own devices.

Back in the car, the four of them took the next interstate and drove leadfooted. Dwelling on thoughts, nobody said anything for a while until Elena broke the silence.

"I want to go back to Waterville to my family's house," she said quietly as if she had second thoughts about it.

"You sure?" Damon queried and stared at her

"No, I'm not. But I need proof! I mean how weird is it that I never found out about my father? How could he have been a vampire? I just don't get it. And my mom? For God's sake, why didn't she tell me?" Elena shouted angrily while tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't know. I'm sorry," Damon tried to comfort her and pulled her against his side.

"Why not?" Klaus can't know about your hometown, otherwise he would have found your family much earlier, right?" Caroline combined and looked to everybody around.

"That's true. If you really want to go there, we should do it. We can't be in greater danger than anywhere else…," Stefan commented and took his eyes off the road, searching his brother's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I'm right there with you. If that's your wish… we should go!" Damon agreed but felt like he could almost sense Elena's uncertainty.

"I want to go. Maybe we find something… anything. I just can't believe that she left me in the dark with everything," Elena sobbed and huddled up to Damon even further.

"You won't be alone, I'll be at your side," Damon whispered into her hair, holding her shaking body in his strong arms.

"Waterville, it is then!" Stefan confirmed and rested his back comfortably into the seat, preparing himself for the thirteen-hour drive.

Stefan drove almost non-stop. Only every few hours they took a short break to eat something and for the girls to visit the restrooms.

At their third break, Damon followed Caroline and Elena with his eyes while they entered the gas station. When they were out of sight, he leaned forward between the seats of his Camaro and stared at Stefan.

"What's up?" Stefan questioned unnerved and turned his head to face Damon. "You mad that I'm driving?"

"This, and I ask myself when and what you're going to eat…," he teased, well-knowing that his brother must be starving. Stefan hadn't fed for over 36 hours and since animal blood wasn't as nourishing as human blood, he must feel awful by now.

"Probably nothing!" Stefan barked not able to suppress the rage inside him.

"Hm, I might be wrong, but this sounds like a stupid idea," Damon commented and grinned meanly at Stefan.

"Argh, Damon, what am I supposed to do? I can't go hunting! Should I feed on Caroline?" Stefan blurted out ironically, but his excitedly flickering eyes betrayed him.

Damon's mean grin turned into a cocky smile, "I have to admit the thought crossed my mind!"

"Damon, you know that I can't do that! I would kill her. I wouldn't be able to stop. Besides, she would never want me to, and I would never ask for it!" Stefan pointed out and rubbed his palms over his face to shoo the thought he actually found very enticing away.

"You wouldn't kill her, you love her! And you need all of your strength if you want to protect her from what might come in the future. I'll help you, Stefan. Let me talk to her and if she isn't up for it, fine. But if she is, you really should try!" Damon suggested and grabbed Stefan's shoulder encouragingly. He knew that his baby brother would accomplish to control his bloodlust; he just needed to experience it once.

"What? You can't just talk to her!" Stefan argued and narrowed his eyes, completely unaware of the fact that Caroline had just opened the car door.

"You can't just talk to whom?" Caroline wanted to know and looked confused at the upset expression on her boyfriend's face.

"I wanted to talk to you," Damon answered quickly and smiled at Caroline.

"Okay, and what about?"

"No! I don't want that!" Stefan barged in with shock, letting his widened eyes dart between Caroline and Damon.

"Whoa, you're in a bad mood. What happened? We just left for a couple of minutes!" Caroline told Stefan and took her seat while Elena got in next to Damon.

"We talked about Stefan's hunger. He hasn't fed for far too long," Damon explained briefly.

"Damon, shut the fuck up!" Stefan yelled, leading Caroline to jump against the door, "Oh no, Caroline, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized instantly, regaining his composure quickly.

"It's okay, Stefan," Caroline swallowed heavily but nodded, "I thought about it myself… err… I mean, you have to feed, right? And you don't have time to go hunting, so… why don't you feed on me?" Caroline offered a little hesitantly but confidently.

"My thoughts exactly!" Damon agreed promptly, but Stefan stared thunderstruck at Caroline.

"You don't know what you're offering. I could kill you, and I wouldn't want to live with that!" Stefan argued angrily and shook his head in disbelief.

"I don't think you would hurt me. Stefan, I trust you and you need blood, please, let me help you!" Caroline begged in a tender voice and reached forward to caress Stefan's cheek, searching his gaze. When their eyes locked, Stefan's expression softened and Damon could see that his brother at least started to consider the option.

"You know what? You two can think about it in the back seat. I'll drive!" Damon stated and grinned at Elena, gesturing for her to follow his example, and jumped out of the car.

Driving as fast as the Camaro allowed, Damon headed to Waterville. In the backseat, Stefan and Caroline had endlessly argued about all the pros and cons concerning feeding on the young woman until Stefan had finally given in. He knew he would need his strengths to protect Caroline, and he counted on Damon's help so he wouldn't harm her.

Right next to Damon sat Elena. With her head rested against the cool window, she just stared ahead into nothingness. Seeing Elena torn like this made Damon's heart ache terribly. He knew that she was afraid to go back, and that no therapy in the world could heal the feeling that what she once had called home, was now the place that housed her most gruesome memories. The last two hours he had whispered over and over again that he would be there for her, but the closer they got to their destination the slighter became her returning smile

When they passed the city limit sign, he remained quiet, but took her hand in his, squeezing it softly and driving small circles on the back of her hand.

"It's the Cherry Hill Drive near the hospital," Elena told him silently and clenched her teeth.

"Okay," Damon answered simply and watched out for the hospital sign.

So she was back. Elena drank in the all too familiar sight of her hometown and swallowed hard when the memories of her past broke free and flooded back to her mind. She saw the grocery shop where her mom and she used to shop; they drove past her high school and the cemetery where her parents were buried. She had a hard time to handle the emotions inside her, feeling as if they would suffocate her. She was so angry with her parents for not telling her anything about who they really had been, but at the same time she would have given anything to just hold them in her arms one last time. In addition, she could also sense an almost forgotten fear that slowly crept up her spine. What would it be like to set foot into her house again? She had left Mason behind, but she had also sworn to herself to never come back to this place where she was nearly completely shattered.

"You have to hang a left," Elena informed Damon like being in a trance and pointed to the next street. Damon did as he was told and turned left, driving along Elena's former escape route, only the other way around.

Damon could hear Elena's heart beat accelerating the closer they came to her house and he watched her face with concern, asking himself if it had been wise to come here.

Elena felt her pulse hammering inside her throat as she stared out of the window, watching her neighbor's houses passing by until the grey painted house came in sight.

"Stop, it's this one!" Elena blurted out against the window. The house was still surrounded by old deciduous trees, only the dooryard was kind of overgrown, but apart from that it looked liked the last time she saw it. She took a deep breath, and without saying a single word she opened the door and climbed out of the car. Occupied with the attempt to deal with her emotions, she walked along the driveway without looking back She didn't see Damon's confused expression or the questioning glance Stefan directed at Damon. What was going on inside her was so overwhelming that she wasn't able to handle anything or anyone else at this moment. Even though Mason was long gone, she felt as if she was leading herself like a lamb to the slaughter; as if he was still waiting for her. Concentrating on the entrance hall which came closer and closer, she tried to fight the memories of pain and desperation which crushed down on her vividly with all her might: Mason clobbering her into oblivion; Mason giving her a condescending nod during dinner while she was starving and not allowed to eat; Mason's disgusting laugh of satisfaction when she again wasn't strong enough to keep him from raping her.

You're stronger than this! You're stronger than this! She whispered desperately over and over again, hoping to be able to focus on the task in hand. But when she reached the porch, which she had once passed running like hell, she couldn't keep it together any longer. In a flood of tears, her whole body was shaking and she started to cry.