Chapter 11

Bonnie had also retreated to a bedroom that she had used before. She knew that night clothes and a few other items of her clothing was still there. Like Elijah's room, this one was kept neat and stocked, waiting for an occupant to come. Very weary and sore from bruises, Bonnie closed the curtains, removed her soiled clothes, and took a shower. She felt so dirty, but she also was relieved that she had not been beaten or sexually assaulted. In a while, she climbed into bed. She didn't know what the men were going to do, but she needed real, drugless sleep. She was sure that they would come get her if they needed her. She said a little prayer that they would find Elena and get her back unharmed.

Elijah found the door to Damon's room open, so he peered into the room.

"Well lookie here," Damon snarked, eyeing him. "If it isn't the Elijah we all know and love. Dressed to perfection. I've got some good bourbon here. Can you use a second drink?"

"Yes. Thank you. I could also use some blood. We did not stop for any of that restorative type of refreshment on the way here."

"Yeah, you're right. I feel a little low on fuel myself. We can go down to the basement, at least, and drink some cold stuff in a few minutes," Damon said as he poured his guest a drink of bourbon and handed it to him. He then sat on the edge of his bed and patted the area beside him. "Have a seat." He took a swallow of his own drink.

Elijah eyed the leather chair also in the room, but decided to sit where his host indicated.

"This bed is big enough for a couple of basketball players. Female, I assume," the Original said.

"Preferably, yes. It is Elena that I want in this bed with me. I just can't believe what has happened."

"It most certainly was not what I expected when I came up here from New Orleans," Elijah said, sipping his drink.

"Were you expected back there tonight?"

"No. Not really. I did text Marcel earlier after I found we would be hunting for the missing Elena. He doesn't keep track of me, nor I of him, but if there were a problem with Niklaus, I wanted him to know I was not available to help."

"Has Klaus really gone 'off the deep end'?"

"We thought so. But it turned out that he was pretending to go along with the plans of our aunt, who wanted baby Hope, so he could actually protect the child. His pretending, nevertheless, caused harm and unnecessary death. That I cannot forgive him for." He could forget neither that Haley was stuck in wolf form nor the heart-wrenching scene of Gia burning to death in the sunlight. He took a big swallow of the drink, finishing it off.

They heard uneven footsteps on the stairs and muttering. In a moment Alaric appeared at the door.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you two had something going on," he said with slurred speech. "You oughta close the door." He turned away.

"Ric! Come in here," Damon said. "There's nothing going on. We're just talking about how this damned night is going."

"Oh, good. For a minute there, I thought…"

"I do not find Damon that appealing," Elijah said to the drunk.

"What's wrong with me?" Damon asked, faking indignation.

"Probably quite a bit, but I meant sexually appealing. To me. You aren't my type," Elijah assured him. It was an awkward moment.

Alaric staggered in and plopped down on the leather chair. "That's good. I'm not into watching two guys go at it. Besides, you're supposed to be my drinking buddy, buddy."

"I'm still your drinking buddy, Ric. Right now I'm sore from being shot and Elijah got shot, too."

"Shot with vervain?"

"Shot with bullets with vervain."

"You two look fine to me," Alaric said, looking both over as they continued to sit on the edge of the bed.

"We have showered and put on clean clothing," Elijah explained. For a moment the idea that Alaric was full of fresh, hot blood crossed his mind, but he stifled the urge to bite him. Still, the scent of that blood was enticing.

"Together? What'd you do, scrub each other down?"

"Ric, you are drunk and saying stuff you shouldn't," Damon said, frowning. "There's nothing going on between Elijah and me. He showered in his own room. How about you go to your own room and sack out."

"Oh. Okay," the man said and he lurched to his feet. "You two behave yourselves."

The two vampires watched the human leave the room and wander down the hall, hoping he found the right room.

"Sorry about that. Ric is one of the best," Damon said. "Elijah, have you ever had a back injury and then had tingling everywhere below?"

"Yes. A few times, but not for quite some time," the Original said. "Are you feeling that?"

"Yeah. It's annoying, but also stimulating, if you know what I mean." He cupped a hand over his groin. He didn't mention the problem with his bladder.

"It will fade away soon, I'm sure. I believe it is the vervain on the spinal nerves that does that," Elijah assured him.

"It makes me want to try sex with someone to see how that goes."

"Well, if you do not mind, I would like to decline being the one to test it."

"I wasn't really suggesting… never mind," Damon said, embarrassed. He wondered what he would have done if Elijah had said just the opposite. To agree to something of that sort was not beyond the realm of possibility.

Elijah stood up. "Let us get some of that blood you mentioned." He watched Damon stand up, wincing at some soreness, and then he followed the man down the stairs and then down to the basement. He knew there were cells down there. He had been in one of them. But this time it was the bags of blood in the cooler that he was interested in. He would have drunk the blood right there, but Damon took several bags and headed up to the first floor again. They went into the study where Damon poured the blood into glasses. They then sat and drank for a while, waiting. Damon didn't drink as much as he wanted, concerned that his bladder would get fuller.

Finally, Damon got a text from Caroline. Found the car. Driver bitten, dead. Aaron stole another car, still has Elena. Don't know where.

"Well, that's not very helpful. Come on, guys. Are you two in Mystic Falls?" he muttered and texted that question.

Yes. Heading for the house.

Who's house? Yours or mine?

Yours, of course. Stefan doesn't live at my house.

"Are you going to share the information or is it a secret?" Elijah asked, since Damon hadn't read the messages aloud.

The younger vampire gave him the news, for what it was worth. "So, we aren't any closer to finding them," he muttered, discouraged.

"If Aaron finds a place to hide here in town or nearby, it narrows the area we have to search."

"It'll narrow it even further if he comes hunting us here. I don't want to endanger Mrs. Flowers or the neighbors."

"Or Miss Bennett." Elijah admired the young witch.

"Right. Once Bonnie is completely clear of the drug, she may be able to do a location spell, although her witchy powers aren't as strong as they used to be," Damon said as he finished the last of the blood he had brought from the basement.

"Location of Aaron or Elena?"

"Either one, but we have more of Elena's things, so I would assume it would be easier to track Elena. Man, I hope he isn't messing with Elena. I mean, besides hauling her body around all over the place." Restless, he paced back and forth in front of the fireplace where only a few embers glowed.

"Try not to think that," Elijah said, although he knew Aaron, or anyone who helped him move from place to place, could do that.

"If I'm not mistaken," Damon said, "your mother said she was able to monitor a lot of what her children were doing during all the years she spent in stasis in her coffin. Do you think Elena is able to do the same thing?"

"I have no idea. It is possible."

"I wish I knew. I could swear she communicated with each of us at her 'funeral.' Mentally, of course. We each felt it. I don't know. Maybe it was our imagination, wishful thinking on our part."

"All of you felt it?" Elijah asked.

"Yeah. Like we were with her, talking to her. Each of us," Damon said, nodding.

"Then I would suspect that she is somewhat aware. Or can be if she desires to be so. Or there is a need."

"So, she may be very aware of Aaron and what he's doing. Poor Elena. Can't even rest in peace." Damon said with both sadness and annoyance. "You need more blood?"

"No. I am satisfied for now. Thank you. Is that not Stefan's car I hear?"

"Sounds like it," Damon agreed, and he headed for the front door, hoping his brother had some good news. At least with Stefan and Caroline back in town, there would be two more to search the local area.

A/N Poor Elena if she is aware! I wonder if Kai's spell allows for that. He was mean enough to do that, I think.