Author's Note:

Hey you guys,
thank you so much for last week's reviews, favs and follows, and as always thank you shoppe69 for betaing this story.

It's funny that sometimes one week can be enough to turn your whole world upside down. Something like that happened to me, and I'm really glad I've already finished writing blood-slave. Otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to do so. One more chapter and one epilog left.
Enjoy chapter 21! If you can, I would love to know what you think about it.

xoxo Giuna

Chapter 21

"Damon, thank God!" Elena jumped to her feet and ran towards Damon who had just opened the door to their motel room. Relieved she threw her arms around his neck.

"I'm glad you're back," she whispered against his neck.

"Me, too!" Damon reassured her and closed his eyes, tightening the grip around her still slender form. It was never easy to be separate from her.

"So everything went well?" Elena asked, loosening the embrace to look into Damon's face.

"Yeah, it worked out really well, I've got the ash and the dagger!" Damon informed her happily, smiling brightly.

"Don't you think your plan worked out a little too smoothly?" Elena queried, earning an arched eyebrow from Damon. "Don't look at me this way! I don't want to ruin your victory; I'm just wondering why Elijah gave you the ash although he must know what you're planning. Didn't he even try to negotiate?" Elena interrogated, knitting her brows in concern.

"Of course he knew and yes, he didn't appreciate my plan, but when I told him that I didn't want him to help me it was fine by him," Damon reported and tucked a strand of her chocolate brown hair behind her ear.

Elena sighed, "Maybe you were really just lucky," she stated,not honestly convinced.

"Anyway, fact is that we're going to put Klaus down and we'll live in peace! Nothing else matters!" Damon pointed out and pushed her towards their bed. Sitting down he pulled her onto his lap.

"You're right!" Elena smiled, and let Damon gently caress her back.

"I know! And right now, we should better concentrate on what is right ahead of us," he hinted.

"And what would that be?" Elena wanted to know, not sure if he was talking about him touching her or the meeting with Bonnie Bennett tonight.

"The witch of course!" Damon smirked smugly at her, well knowing why she had asked.

"Oh… yes, sure. Err… is there something we need to talk about?" Elena questioned quite puzzled, completely distracted from Damon's hand on her back. Since she got pregnant, her body seemed to be even more sensitive to his touch.

The grin on Damon's face remained, "Just that I want you to be very careful around Bonnie Bennett. We don't know her and if she feels different about her ancestors than Sheila Bennett did, we might have a problem. I don't understand the witchy bla bla bla so actually she could hex any spell on us. First, we should try to find out which side she's really on," Damon suggested. Still smirking, he stilled his hand on her back for Elena to be able to think straight again.

"I know what you mean. When Greta cast the spell over me, I didn't understand her either. Looking at it this way, this encounter could be pretty dangerous for us…" Elena breathed tiredly. She had enough of all the trouble and concerns of the last days.

"Indeed," Damon nodded, registering how exhausted Elena really was.

"Do you think she is able to hurt you like Greta hurt you?" Elena mused.

"I don't know. She said it herself; she is still a newbie so maybe nobody taught her yet, but I wouldn't count on that. Actually, for a witch this is the easiest way to knock out a vampire. She would be stupid not to know how it works," Damon pointed out, trying to caress away the worry lines on her forehead. "Don't be afraid, Elena, we'll manage, you'll see," he said to calm her down.

"I hope so, Damon. I'm sick of all the fuss! I'm knackered and full of hormones which make a total mess out of me! I just want to be pregnant and be happy about it!" She talked herself into a rage, while tears flooded her eyes.

"I know, honey, I know. And I'm so sorry about it," Damon apologized and wrapped his arms around her once more. The whole Klaus situation and the pregnancy had hit her out of the blue and she hadn't had time to process it yet. Instead, events came thick and fast and he knew that she couldn't take much more. Not in her current state of mind.

"Things are going to be easier once the invisible spell is cast, believe me. Let's just work our way through the session with the Bennett witch and after that we'll head to New Jersey. Once we're there, we will get some rest, take care of you and the baby and see a doctor. You just need to be strong for one more night, deal?" Damon asked softly, looking her into the eye.

"Deal," she responded and nodded faintly, hoping that nothing else would ruin this plan which sounded like music to her ears. She badly needed some rest.

"Good," Damon said lovingly. Breaking eye contact with her, he stared down on his watch. It was already seven. "We should hit the road soon," he told her and was about to lift her to her feet, when another thought crossed his mind. "What do you think… should I feed on you before we go? I don't see why the meeting should take us too long, but…I don't know," Damon stammered, not liking the thought of taking her blood againsst their rhythm again, but he didn't want to take the risk either.

"Err… I'm not sure. But… we're together, right? Actually there is no need to do it preventatively," she stammered as well, feeling a little awkward as she tried to hide how painful his bite had been.

"Earlier… I hurt you. I know that. And I'm really sorry. You're right; we should wait and let it come naturally," Damon apologized again, relieved when Elena's expression softened visibly.

"It's okay. It was necessary and I don't regret it. But you're right. It hurt like a bitch," she scoffed and looked down.

Damon was torn between laughing at her language and looking agonized due to the pain he had caused her. Understandingly smiling at Damon, Elena stood up and reached out her hand to him, "C'mon, we pick up Stefan, I don't want to be late!"

Damon just nodded and jumped off the bed, following Elena.

"We're here," Damon informed Stefan when he turned left, bringing the car to a halt.

"All right!" Stefan took a deep breath, "So this is it… I mean this is the last time we'll see each other, isn't it?"

"Um… Yes and no, because we'll still be able to see you, just not the other way around," Elena told him softly, knowing that this must be really hard for him to imagine.

"No need to cry, baby bro, we still can talk… this isn't farewell!" Damon scoffed and shook his head. It could really be worse than this.

"But how am I going to find you if you can't talk anymore?" Stefan asked seriously.

Damon narrowed his eyes; he knew exactly what his brother was referring to. The promise to kill him in case of Elena's death.

"Well, I guess this could be difficult, but I count on Caroline," Damon considered and grinned.

"On Caroline, really? She is human for God's sake, sooner or later she'll be gone!" Stefan argued, angry that his brother thought of his own death within the next half century.

"Or, she'll be a vampire…," Damon mused and his grin widened.

Stefan panted, "It would only mean that she couldn't help finding you at all!"

"What are you two even talking about?" Elena barged in, her eyes darting between Damon and Stefan.

"That's not important! We should concentrate on the task in hand!" Damon tried to change the subject.

"What? This is important, Damon!" Stefan barked, "You should at least try to figure something out!"

"What is going on here?" Elena demanded, growing angrier at being ignored so rudely.

"One second, honey!" Damon directed to Elena and turned to his brother again, "It might have slipped your attention, but you are a vampire, Stefan! Be a little creative! I know that being on human blood is new to you, but must I really remind you what you're capable of? There is something called compulsion, ever heard of that?" Damon questioned, impatiently rolling his eyes.

"Don't be so mean!" Elena jumped in, although she had no clue what the two were talking about.

"I get it! I don't want to fight with you Damon. I'll find a way to keep my promise. Besides, for you nothing is going to change. So pardon me if I'm a little out of it," Stefan admitted and ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair which looked a little messy afterwards.

Damon nodded, partly unnerved partly understanding. "Just wait here, okay? We need proof that the spell really worked as it should."

Stefan returned the nod and remained silent, staring at Damon as if to memorize the last time he would see his brother.

Noticing what Stefan tried to do, Damon suddenly didn't feel unnerved anymore. Obviously, it was really hard for Stefan to except the upcoming change.

"We have to find a new term for "See you later" I guess," Damon joked, causing Stefan to grin.

"Yes, that's true, maybe "I'll catch you later" would fit better," Stefan said and hugged Damon between the seats.

Hugging his brother back, he slapped his shoulder friendly, "It's time… Elena and I have to go," he stated and pulled away.

"Let's do this, Elena!" Damon directed at her and climbed out of the car, leaving Elena puzzled behind. Why the hell didn't he tell her what their conversation was about?

"He'll tell you later," Stefan assured her when he noticed her facial expression and pulled her into a firm hug as well.

"I hope so. We'll be back soon, Stefan. Everything is going to be fine!"

Ringing the bell for the second time this day, the door opened much quicker.

"Get inside," Bonnie told them without a greeting and waved her hand for them to enter. Damon and Elena followed her into the living room while they exchanged a meaningful look.

"Are you ready to cast the spell?" Damon demanded, watching the witch arranging some candles on the floor.

"I think I am!" Bonnie answered and sounded surprisingly self-assured.

"That's great news," Elena said thankfully, staring down at the figure the candles were building now. A pentagram.

"So how are you going to do it?" Damon questioned calmly, not quite sure what to make of the witch's behavior. She seemed concentrated yet enthusiastic, but also aloof.

"First, I'm going to light the candles," she informed Damon and Elena with her eyes suddenly narrowing a tiny little bit. In the next second, all the candles shone brightly.

"Wow," Elena said impressed, "I've never seen something like that before!"

Bonnie smiled sincerely, "Actually, this is only witch's 101 and very easy," she laughed. "The invisible spell is much harder to perform, but thankfully my grams wrote it down as detailed as possible. Did you bring your brother?" she directed at Damon and looked at him hopefully.

"Yes, I did. He's waiting outside," Damon answered and pointed to the door behind him.

"Good. Although I promise to do what I can to help you, I wouldn't want to let you go without proof."

"Thank you!" Elena smiled and stepped closer to Bonnie. "We've pretty much jumped you with all this, and for that I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay. Really! When I searched my gram's grimoire for the spell, I found a note from her that had slipped my attention when I went through her stuff for the first time. She explained how valuable your kind is, and that it is our duty to protect you, your vampire and your children. I didn't realize it at first, but now I do," Bonnie explained friendly before she grabbed different herbs from a nearby table and closed the curtains.

Damon narrowed his eyes at the busy woman in front of him and tilted his head, deciding that they could trust her. At least they wouldn't get a better proof of her sincerity, "That's good to know," he commented slowly and locked eyes with Elena, curious if the witch's words were trustworthy enough for her. Elena thoughtfully pursed her lips, but then nodded almost imperceptibly.

When Bonnie turned around, she noticed nonetheless what was going on behind her back, "May I ask what you would've done if you had decided that I can't be trusted?" She asked and arched an eyebrow at Damon and Elena.

"Err…, look… we… I…," Elena stuttered, being at a loss for words and stared at Damon, hoping that he could explain.

"I would have done anything necessary to protect my family," Damon assured her, craning his neck in her direction and rising to his full height.

Elena's eyes widened with shock, hoping that Bonnie wouldn't feel threatened at his words, "That's not what he meant, he…," Elena started, but Damon interrupted her harshly, "Wrong, Elena, I meant every word. I would do anything for you and our daughter, and she should know that," he hissed with a dead-serious expression on his face.

"Don't worry, Elena, I'm not going to change my mind. I said I would help you and I will. I just wanted to make sure that you are who you pretend to be. Thank you for the information by the way," she grinned happily.

"Huh," Damon verbalized and frowned approvingly. She had really played him.

"Bonnie I'm sorry. I feel awful for our behavior, especially because we're complete strangers. But what Damon said is true; we would do anything for each other and our baby. I guess us meeting could have gone an entirely different way, but we're already on the run. We simple have no time for reasonable courtesy or to get to know you first. We just want to survive!" Elena pointed out, hooking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I understand you, Elena. You don't have to explain yourself. It's fine. I'm sure I would have done the same if I was in your shoes. There is nothing more important than family," she told Elena and smiled with her eyes suddenly shining brightly.

"Thank you, for your understanding," Elena breathed more light-hearted. If there had been left any doubts about her reliability, they were gone by now.

Damon cleared his throat, "Now that this is resolved, would you go on with your explanation of the spell?"

"Of course, actually we can start. You have to step into the middle of the pentagram," Bonnie elucidated and waved her hand to the spot she meant.

"Okay," Damon commented, stretching the word. He grabbed Elena's hand and squeezed it reassuringly when he heard her heartbeat accelerating.

"Don't be nervous, I'm right beside you," he whispered softly.

"Easier said than done," she whispered in return while they stepped into the pentagram.

"Good," Bonnie said, "Now, please embrace each other," she ordered and waited for Damon and Elena to fulfill her command.

"Why do we have to do that?" Damon wanted to know, pulling Elena against his chest.

"Because the spell shall work for the two of you. The embrace symbolizes that," she explained and grabbed a huge crystal mug from the table.

Elena observed her every move and stared skeptically at the vessel which was filled with something white-colored.

"This is only salt," the witch informed Elena, noticing her expression. "I'll complete the pentagram with a circle of salt around the peaks of the star." While she poured the salt to the ground into a thick line around the pentagram she explained its meaning, "The salt stands for your protection. You can think of it as a cloak that will cover you from the eyes of your enemies."

"Only our enemies?" Damon asked the second Elena threw back her head. She, too, had instantly noticed the potential loophole that Stefan might still be able to see them after the spell is cast.

"Um, well… no, I might have used a not-quite-correct term. I meant vampires and witches in general. I'm sorry if I raised false hopes…," Bonnie responded crestfallen.

"That's too bad. I'm sure Stefan would have been very happy…," Elena noted sadly and rested her head back against Damon's chest.

"Sooner or later he will get used to it, don't worry," Damon stated, but couldn't deny that he was a little disappointed.

"I'm ready," Bonnie told them, when she closed the circle of salt. "When you're ready, too, I would start with the spell."

"I'm ready," Elena confirmed without hesitation, thinking of her unborn child and how relieved she would be once she knew that her family was protected.

"Me too," Damon said firmly, tightening the embrace around Elena's back.

"Fine…then I'll start!"

While Bonnie unfolded the old piece of paper on which the spell had been noted, she went to the peak of the star which symbolized spirit. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the other elements too. One after the other she called for water, fire, earth and air, channeling the strength of each element through the candles she had positioned at the peaks of the star. Damon and Elena witnessed in awe that the flames of the candles suddenly enlarged. There even was a warm breeze in the living room.

When Bonnie opened her eyes again, she began to speak. Her voice sounded almost strange, highly concentrated and much deeper than usually, Elena thought when she listened to the words of the spell. She wasn't sure why, but the witch's voice caused her to shiver, and she pressed herself further against Damon. He shifted slightly in response, covering her with his square shoulders.

At the same time, both, Damon and Elena, felt a warmth closely swirling around their bodies. At first slowly, it spun faster and faster until it reached each part of them at the same time. Just when Bonnie's voice sounded even more insistent, it felt like the warmth invaded their bodies. For a short moment the warmth became a heat, leading their insides to burn just to cool down the next second.

"Ah!" Elena couldn't suppress to vocalize the pain, feeling the heat within her belly, but went quiet when she realized that it already didn't hurt anymore.

Bonnie's voice became a soft whisper and the flames of the candles minimized slowly to their normal size.

"It's done," the witch said with glowing eyes and blushed cheeks, after a short moment of creepy silence. "I'm sorry that it hurt, but I think that's a good sign.

"That's all?" Damon asked doubtfully. He had expected the spell to last much longer.

"Yeah, that's it!" Bonnie told him firmly and nodded.

"I'm glad it's done," Elena admitted, still feeling a little shaky and not ready to loosen the embrace.

"You okay?" Damon questioned into her hair, petting her back gently.

"I guess so, it just felt strange." She swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to push the concern about her baby aside, but it wasn't successful.

"Don't worry, even if the spell failed, I'm sure nothing happened to your baby," Bonnie assured her as she noticed Elena's hand resting on her stomach. "This kind of magic isn't supposed to harm, it's supposed to protect," she clarified and smiled.

"Then I think it's time to see if it worked," Damon suggested, rubbing Elena's arms. "Elena?" he pushed softly when she didn't make a move to let him go.

She sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, you're right, we should go outside."

Hand in hand, they stepped out of the pentagram and headed to the front door. With an excited expression on her face, Bonnie followed them.

Quiet impatiently Damon grabbed the door handle, pushed it down and opened the door at a dash. When he set foot on the porch, his eyes fell instantly on Stefan and his heart sank. Yes, he had been making a fool out of his brother for being so emotional due to the upcoming change, but now, seeing the look on Stefan's face, his jokes stuck in his throat. A grimace between relief and desperation mirrored his feelings perfectly and showed Damon that the spell had been cast successfully. His brother couldn't see him anymore.

"I guess I should give them a moment to themselves," Elena mused when she watched Damon walking over to where Stefan stood. She could see on Stefan's face that he heard Damon coming; slowly he stretched out his arms, feeling out where exactly his big brother was.

Damon turned around and winked at her with a slight smile on his face, assuring her that Stefan would be fine.

"It must be difficult for him," Bonnie agreed and nodded in Stefan's direction to greet him since she was the only one he could see.

Facing Bonnie, Elena nodded in confirmation, "It was the only way to keep us and our baby save," Elena explained, but it almost sounded like a justification.

"You really don't have to exculpate yourself," Bonnie smiled, "Especially not when you've already been hunted," she pointed out and walked back into the living room. Elena followed her after a last glimpse at Damon and Stefan who were hugging each other again.

"I'm so relieved that the spell is working!" Bonnie admitted, cleaning up the floor.

"Me too! I can't thank you enough!" Elena said sincerely and kneeled down to help Bonnie with the salt.

"You're welcome, Elena. I'm just glad that I was able to keep my ancestor's promise," the witch told her happily.

"I'm sure your grams would have been very proud of you," Elena remarked, hoping that those words would express how grateful she was.

"That's very nice to say, Elena, thank you," Bonnie sighed, her eyes suddenly full of tears, "Ha, look at me," she partly laughed partly sniffed in the attempt to play down her emotions and wiped away her tears. "She's been gone for months now, but still I can barely handle her death."

"You're expecting too much of yourself. My parents died two years ago and I can't stop missing them. I think it's because nobody is ever able to fill the hole in your life they left behind," Elena said softly, exactly knowing what she was talking about.

"You're right, that's how it feels," Bonnie confirmed and paused for a short moment, "I'm sorry to hear of your parents' death."

"It's okay, like I said; it's already two years ago. But thanks!"

"Actually I thought so. Otherwise the spell over you would still have worked. You know that you need to come to me as soon as your daughter is ready to find herself a vampire, right? Logically I have to undo the spell for this timeframe," Bonnie explained.

"Yes, of course. It's good that you told me anyway. To be honest, right now I don't bother about the remote future…," Elena indicated and took a deep breath.

"Is it because of the vampire who's hunting you?" Bonnie guessed and looked apprehensively at Elena's face, finding it full of worry.

"Yes, it is. You know, it's not just any vampire who is following us. It's one of the original vampires. His name is Klaus. We already met him and if I hadn't already been pregnant, Damon would be dead by now!"

Bonnie's eye's widened, "Holy shit!" she cursed. "Klaus? I've heard about him and if I'm not mistaken, he is the most dangerous supernatural being on earth!"

"Yes, that's him!" Elena confirmed with sagging shoulders. "And I'm bothered because Damon wants to stop him."

"Why? I mean, he can't see you anymore! He won't be able to harm you again!" Bonnie argued shocked.

"I know. Damon wants to do it for Stefan and his girlfriend. Both of them helped us to escape, so they aren't save. Klaus will come after them for revenge," Elena stated, clenching her teeth in disapproval.

"I understand… Look, Elena I wished I could help your friends too, but the invisibility spell is tailor made just for a pairing like you and Damon. It wouldn't work on Stefan and his girlfriend, because their need to be protected is different from the originally intended reason. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. Nonetheless I appreciate that you took helping them into consideration," Elena said approvingly.

"Of course!"

Bonnie collected the last remains of the salt and put the mug back on the table when a thought crossed her mind, "You know that Klaus can't be killed, right?"

"We know that," Elena nodded and hesitated, internally fighting if or if not to tell Bonnie about the way they planned on locking Klaus away.

"I'm not sure if I'm allowed to talk about this," she started, intuitively making her decision, "but screw it! Damon got a weapon, a special dagger to be precise. Dipped into the ash of an ancient tree and staked through his heart, this dagger can put him into a stadium near to death," Elena informed her quick like a shot.

"Hm… a dagger in combination with ash? I don't know why, but that rings a bell," Bonnie frowned, suddenly deep in thoughts.

"Elena?" Damon called from the entrance, "We have to go, babe!"

"I'm sorry, Bonnie, I have to go. But I would love to stay in touch!"

"Then let's exchange numbers!" Bonnie suggested and fumbled for her cell phone while Elena did the same.

"That's a good idea. But please save my contact under a pseudonym, I wouldn't want to leave any marks," Elena pointed out, sensing that Damon just entered the living room.

"Will do," Bonnie agreed and typed the number Elena was showing her into her phone.

"We really need to leave now, Elena!" Damon urged. He wanted to hit the street soon. "Also I'm sure Elena told you more than once, I want to thank you too, Bonnie! You saved us and I owe you!" Damon directed at Bonnie, who frowned slightly.

"You owe me nothing. I just hope you're not going to throw this gift away," Bonnie remarked and arched an eyebrow at him.

Damon looked at Elena in confusion, anticipating that she had told the witch more than she should have. Elena looked away quickly and stood up the second Bonnie raised to her feet as well.

Smiling brightly at each other, Elena and Bonnie hugged as if they had known each other for a very long time and bid farewell, both looking forward to hear from one another again.