Good Morning. Please excuse any grammar errors. I literally have to leave for work in minutes. I understand that not everyone likes Elena. And I appreciate you all so much for hanging in here with me. Elena has some deep emotional scars from childhood. I was overweight and bullied myself as a kid. You never forget it. Remember way back in the first chapter, she was willing to give Damon a chance in high school but he blew her off.. and then she saw him and Andie together. There was also the hint of feeling a pang of something in her gut when she saw them together earlier in the story. I think this, the pranks, lashing out, is her way of coping. She's wearing a mask as it were, she doesn't want to make herself vulnerable to that type of abuse again. Again I thank you all so much for staying with me.
Bye now and have a wonderful day.
Elena:
"Who was that?"
"It was Damon. He asked me to come to his office."
"Why?"
"He didn't say."
"Elena, look, I know you're angry with him. I understand completely and you have to know that I'll always be on your side of things. But honestly, I don't think he had anything to do with Fiona getting your anchor job. The rumor mill says that Tobias came down on Elijah pretty hard about it. Granted, Damon is far from your favorite person but you are more visible on his show than as the news co-anchor. His ratings, your ratings are through the roof. The evening news, not so much. Maybe this will be a positive move for you?"
"Oh Kol. Look at you, always looking at the glass half full. Given our history together, I don't know why I believe Damon about her but I do too. It's just that.. I wasn't given a choice in the matter. It was taken without any input from me at all. Maybe if Elijah or even Tobias had come to me with the proposition, I might be more receptive to it. But this new gig is being forced on me. And of all people, they give it to Fi O na effing Starr," I utter, rolling my eyes dramatically.
"I would've thought that Elijah would insist on someone a little more astute too but that's neither here nor there. The decision has been made and we have to live with it. Unless of course, you decide to turn in your resignation."
"I actually thought about that, Kol, but I'm not about to let Damon and Fiona chase me out of my home. I love living here. Grandma is here and Ric and Jenna. Caroline and Bonnie, and lastly, I couldn't leave you."
"I won't leave you either. So.. Damon is waiting."
"Yeah, I guess I'll go to see what he wants," I say, dropping my chin to my chest in a rather dramatic fashion. Standing up, I walk to Damon's office. Sucking in a fortifying breath, I raise my hand and rap on his door.
"What did you need, Damon?" I say, taking a seat when he gestures for me to do so.
"Hey Elena. I wanted to show you this," he tells me, dropping a key into my hand.
"What's this?"
"It was in this morning's mail. And this is the note that came with it," he adds, handing it to me as well. As I read it, my mouth drops open.
"The note says nothing about the location of the lock?"
"No, but doesn't it seem that Ben at least suspected that someone might try to hurt him?"
"I get that impression. Have you called Brady?"
"No, you're the only one."
"I think you should call him. It looks like the key to safety deposit box but the big question is, where is the box?"
"Yeah, um.. maybe Brady could talk to the bank manager here in town?"
"Perhaps," I tell him, looking at the key one more time before handing it back to him. Did you need anything else?"
"No, I guess not. Do you want to go with me to the police station? We could talk to Brady together..."
"Sure, whatever you want, Damon. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to talk to Esther Mikaelson about this week's show. Let me know when you want us to see Brady."
"I'll do that," he says, our eyes fixed until I turn around and walk out of his office.
Damon:
Elena is bipolar I swear. One minute she so angry that she slaps me into next week and then today, she's polite yet indifferent. I don't know what to think of the woman. She's so perplexing and she does nothing short of turning me inside out and upside down. Feeling antsy, I get up to look out of my window. It's really a beautiful day. The sky is clear blue without a cloud in sight. When I see a couple of crows fly to the tree top, I stop and watch them for a few minutes. Suddenly feeling cooped up, I decide to go outside for a little while to get my bearings. Pulling my office door closed, I nearly reach the outside door when I'm accosted by the one and only Andie Starr.
"Damon, have you heard? I'm getting Elena's anchor position. They finally got it through their head that I was better suited for the job. I mean, Elena is rather plain, if you know what I mean?" she whispers, her lips against my ear.
"I did hear that, Andie."
Using her index finger, she runs it along my jawline till I gently grasp her wrist and pull her hand away.
"What's the matter, Damon? I thought that maybe you'd like to help me celebrate my good fortune...," she says, nearly thrusting her chest into mine.
"Look Andie, I'm not interested, okay? And I don't want to hear you badmouthing Elena anymore."
"I'm not saying anything that's untrue. And she hasn't exactly been nice to you."
"I know that, Andie, and I do intend to have a word with her about it."
"Oh, Damon, do you really think you're going to crack her tough shell?" She scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Remember when you took me home that night back in high school. I knew you were supposed to meet with Elena but I conned Rose into lifting her cellphone. There's a reason that Elena wasn't at the grill to meet you that night," she smirks, licking her lips salaciously.
"You did that? Why? It's not like we've ever been anything to each other."
"Because her little stumble cost me the state championship in the 1600 meter run. It was payback," Andie smirks, grinning like the Cheshire cat before continuing. "And well... the brass have finally opened their eyes. There's a reason that I've been asked to replace her."
Hardly able to control the disdain I feel for her right now, I decide to go in for the kill, hitting her where it hurts the most. "Actually that's not true, Fiona. Elena was only replaced because she's going to be my full time co-host. With our ratings through the roof, more and more people are going to see what a great reporter Elena is. And whether you or even Elena for that matter, choose to believe it or not, it's really a promotion for her."
Recoiling, she steps back and walks away, the click clack of heels on the carpet grating to my ears. Rolling my eyes, I pull the door open and go outside, taking a seat under the big tree in the lot next door.
Elena:
When I see Andie start to run her fingertips along Damon's jawline, I nearly gag. Just as I start to turn away, I notice that he pulls her hand away from him while stepping back from her at the same time. Even then, I quietly start to back up so neither of them will see me but when I hear my name, I freeze, standing still as a church mouse as I listen to what he says. Stunned that he defended me, I keep my footing until I see him walk outside and Andie stomp off in huff. Stunned doesn't even cover how I feel knowing that he didn't stand me up on purpose all those years ago. Although I'm nowhere near ready to get cozy with him yet, at least a little part of me can admit that maybe he is sincere when he insists that he has changed in the intervening years.
"Hey Elena," Kol says, walking over to me with Achilles in his hand.
"Elijah is going to have your ass when he sees what you've brought to work this time."
"Well, if we play our cards right, Elijah doesn't have to know..."
"What is churning in the cunning little mind of yours?"
"I'll have you know that my mind is anything but little," he protests, raising one eyebrow at me. "Damon is outside, let's go put him in his office. If his reaction is anything like he had with Ulysses, it should be good for a few laughs."
Although I'm staring at Kol, my mind is a maelstrom of contradictory thoughts. On one hand, Damon defended me on the other, I've loathed the man almost my entire life. I don't know what to think anymore. If only he weren't so damn attractive!? Even though he's been my nemesis for damn near my whole life, I can't seem to get over the pull I feel towards him. Dropping my chin into my palms, I sigh heavily.
"You okay?"
Knowing that my best buddy is trying to cheer me up, I nod.
"I don't know, Kol? Do you really think we should pull this bullshit again?"
"Just one more time, please?" Kol asks, grinning like the cat who ate the canary.
"Fine, but when he erupts, I'm pointing at you." Despite the uneasiness I feel, a hint of a smile forms on my face when I imagine Damon squealing like a little girl when he sees Kol's little gift. The entertainment value alone is priceless. Why not let Achilles provide us with a little entertainment?"
"You are evil, Kol Mikaelson but I love you," I laugh. We walk over to Damon's office, slipping in unnoticed, Kol carefully places Achilles on Damon's windowsill. I almost bust a gut just thinking about how he's going to respond to this. As fast as we can, we sneak out of his office and back to mine to anxiously wait for Damon to scream. I'm nearly at the edge of my seat. Having left my office door open, I smile widely when I see Damon walk past my door and into his office.
"Countdown.. 10-9-8-7-6..," Kol whispers, barely able to keep himself from laughing.
Damon:
Sucking in one more deep breath of the fresh air, I go back inside to give Brady a call. My hope is that Elena and I can run over to his office to talk to him about the key. Walking over to my desk, I take a seat and when I turn around to look outside the window, I get the shock of my life. My eyes grow as wide as saucers when I see a huge tarantula staring back at me.
"Deep breaths, Damon," I say softly to myself. Just as my breathing starts to accelerate, I remember that I had a zookeeper as a guest on my Chicago show one time. I actually had one of these spiders in my hands. There is no doubt in my mind that my not so little, little visitor is another one of Kol's practical jokes. Cringing, I open my cupped hands for him. When he starts to move, I hold my breath and pray that it won't bite me with one of its colossal fangs. Once it's in my hands, I stand up and walk out of my office and directly into Elena's. Both she and Kol are stunned silent when I lay my hands on Elena's desktop and let it crawl out and onto her desk.
Grateful that it was well behaved, I try to keep my voice even when I start to speak. "I think one of your little pets got waylaid again, Kol. I'd appreciate it greatly if you keep better track of them if you insist on bringing them here." I make eye contact with Elena for a moment before giving Kol a knowing glance. His mouth is agape when he drops his gaze from me to his spider. Without saying another word, I turn on my heels and leave her office, pulling her door closed behind me.
"Damon and Elena, come on in," Brady says, standing up to shake my hand just before Elena and I sit down. "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"
Pulling the key out of my jeans pocket, I show it to him before dropping it in his hand. Standing up, I pull my wallet out of my back pocket to take out the envelope it came in and the note. I don't know if there's any fingerprint evidence on it or not. After handing it to him, I share a quick glance with Elena and then sit back down.
"When did you get this?"
"It was in my mail. There is clearly more to Ben and Amber's story than meets the eye, Brady. Surely you can see that?"
"And I told you that until I find something more conclusive, I'm not going to reopen Amber's case."
"What other reason would someone have to silence Ben if not for his clamoring and disbelief about his sister's death?"
"I realize that hell is freezing over here but I actually agree with Damon. I think you should look into Amber's death again. Even if it's just the three of us for now. Something is rotten here and you know that, Brady. I can see it in your eyes."
"Yes, Elena, I've really never believed that Amber's death was as cut and dried as it appeared but I have no evidence that it was anything more than a suicide."
"She was pregnant, Brady. There's no way she would've done it knowing she was taking the baby's life too," Elena points out, staring intently at Brady.
"What about the key, Brady?"
"Well, Damon, I think it looks to me like a safety deposit box key."
"That was my impression as well. But the million dollar question is where is the lock that the key fits in?"
"I will call Mr. Bradley to see if he knew if Ben was renting a box at the bank. If indeed he had some vital information, I don't think he would have used our local bank, given that this town is owned by the Lockwood's."
"You said she worked for Richard right? Was he ever questioned about any personal involvement with her?"
"Yes, I interviewed him. Of course, he had his attorney with him but he denied any affair or anything illicit till he was blue in the face. I know that Mayor Lockwood is anything but virtuous but for whatever reason, he seemed genuine. And on top of that I had no evidence with which to further question him about Amber. Right now, I have no evidence to link him to the crime at all. Right now, her official cause of death is suicide. Unless and until we can find something, I can't reopen her case. If we knew who the baby's father was, it would give us something to go on."
"You said that the coroner took a DNA sample from the baby?" I ask, raking a hand through my hair in frustration.
"Yes, but we've never had any hits on the DNA database. Until we do, I doubt that we'll ever discover his identity. I mean, for all we know, she may never have told him about his impending fatherhood," Brady adds, obviously feeling just as frustrated as Elena and I are.
"You're right. Amber was never outgoing, she was kind of a wallflower."
"I know that, Elena. Her mother was stunned when she found out that Amber was pregnant. She thought her daughter was still a virgin because she never had a boyfriend. But listen you two, I need to end it here because I have a meeting to get to. I'll be in touch."
Standing up, I shake his hand again, then wait for Elena to stand too. I reach for the door handle, holding it open for her. After giving Brady one last glance, I walk out just as confused about all of this as I was when I walked in.
"Good evening everyone. Welcome to tonight's show. Tonight we're going to do a little something different. Elena is standing by with Professor Esther Mikaelson. She teaches folklore and history at Whitmore College and is also an espert on the history of Mystic Falls. Her family was a group of pioneers that helped to found this town back in the nineteenth century.
We are of course talking about the vampire rumors that used to run rampant in Mystic Falls in the Civil War era," I finish then turn to face another camera.
"The most famous vampire is, of course, Bram Stoker's Dracula, though those looking for a historical "real" Dracula often cite Romanian prince Vlad Tepes, after whom Stoker is said to have modeled some aspects of his Dracula character. The characterization of Tepes as a vampire, however, is a distinctly Western one. In Romania, he is viewed not as a blood-drinking sadist but as a national hero who defended his empire from the Ottoman Turks.
The vampires most people are familiar with are revenants or human corpses that are said to return from the grave to harm the living. These vampires have Slavic origins only a few hundred years old. But other, older, versions of the vampire were not thought to be human at all but instead supernatural, possibly demonic, entities that did not take human form," I add, pausing for a commercial break.
As soon as the camera goes live again, I turn to face it again. "Take it away, Elena," I say, turning towards the large screen that is behind me.
"Hello everyone. First I'd like you to meet Professor Mikaelson. She's a very good friend of mine, her youngest son being my best friend. Welcome, Esther," I say, giving her a hug.
"Thank you for having me, Elena."
"It's our pleasure, believe me. Now what can you add to what Damon has already told us about these mythical creatures of the night?"
"The belief in vampires stems from superstition and mistaken assumptions about postmortem decay. The first recorded accounts of vampires follow a consistent pattern. Some unexplained misfortune would befall a person, family or town, perhaps a drought dried up crops, or an infectious disease struck. Before science could explain weather patterns and germ theory, any bad event for which there was not an obvious cause might be blamed on a vampire. Vampires were one easy answer to the age-old question of why bad things happen to good people. Villagers combined their belief that something had cursed them with fear of the dead, concluding that perhaps the recently deceased might be responsible, having come back from the graves with evil intent. Graves were unearthed, and surprised villagers often mistook ordinary decomposition processes for supernatural phenomenon. Laypeople might assume that a body would decompose immediately, if the coffin is well sealed and buried in winter, putrefaction might be delayed by weeks or months. Intestinal decomposition creates bloating which can force blood up into the mouth, making it look like a dead body has recently sucked blood. These processes are well understood by modern doctors and morticians, but in medieval Europe were taken as unmistakable signs that vampires were real and existed among them," she explains, pointing to some of the pictures depicting vampires on the archive walls.
"How did the local population deal with them? I mean, they're not real but they were real to the people who lived at that time."
"That's a good question, Elena. The best way to deal with vampires, of course, is to prevent them from coming back in the first place. A few centuries ago in Europe this was often accomplished by staking suspected vampires in their graves. The idea was to physically pin the vampire to the earth, and the chest was chosen because it's the trunk of the body. This tradition was later reflected in popular fiction depicting wooden stakes as dispatching vampires. There was no particular significance to using wood. According to folklore, vampires like djinn or genies and many other magical creatures, fear iron, so an iron bar would be even more effective than a wooden stake. Other traditional methods of killing vampires include decapitation and stuffing the severed head's mouth with garlic or a brick. In fact, suspected vampire graves have been found with just such signs. According to a 2012 Live Science article, "The body of the woman was found in a mass grave on the Venetian island of Nuovo Lazzaretto. Suspecting that she might be a vampire, a common folk belief at the time, gravediggers shoved a rock into her skull to prevent her from chewing through her shroud and infecting others with the plague."
"That's very interesting, Esther," I cut in. "But what about modern day blood suckers? Do people still believe?"
"Absolutely they do, Damon. There are indeed a few truly vampiric animals including leeches, lampreys and of course vampire bats. In all of these cases, the vampire's intent is to draw enough blood for sustenance but not enough to kill the host."
"But what about human vampires?" Elena asks.
"There are certainly many self-identified vampires who participate in gothic-inspired subcultures. Some host vampire-themed book clubs or secret bloodletting rituals. Others wear capes or get vampire-fang dental implants. It's all frightening and fun, but blood drinking is another matter entirely. Because it's so rich in iron, human blood is toxic. The human body has difficulty excreting excess iron. Anyone who consumes blood regularly runs a real risk of haemochromatosis, or iron overdose, which can cause a wide variety of diseases and problems, including liver and nervous system damage," she adds.
"Thank you so much, Esther. We really appreciate your expertise and again we thank you for taking the time to be with us this evening. You see folks, in one form or another, vampires have been part of human culture and folklore in different forms for millennia, and the bloodsuckers show no signs of going away anytime soon. And that is our show for tonight. Thank you all for tuning in. We'll be back next week with another show." I smile till the camera goes out. As soon as I can step away, I loosen my tie and walk off of the step.
Having made plans to meet at Ric's pub after the show, I get my things and walk out to my car. It was a good show tonight I think. I really hope Elena doesn't bail again. Our grandparents are going to be there. Katherine is leaving tomorrow so she's going to be there as well. Dad is staying with Winter and Autumn. He's not crippled and the girls know not to make him overexert himself.
Pulling into the pub's parking lot, I lock my car door then go inside. Looking around, I see my family and friends. Pulling out a chair, I take a seat next to Lena and my grandpa. Jenna is here as is my sister. Brady happens to show up a little later with his girlfriend, Bonnie. Waving at him, I motion for the two of them to join us. My cousin Stefan and Caroline show up too. It doesn't take much to convince them join in as well. We're all drinking and having a wonderful time. About the same time I glance at my watch, Kol walks in all by himself. When he sits down, I ask him where she is.
"Kol? Where is Elena?" Lena asks, looking more than a little disgruntled.
"I'm sorry, Lena, and this is the absolute truth, you know I wouldn't lie to you. I think she got a little food poisoning from lunch because she was puking when I left her," Kol explains.
"I really wanted her to be here tonight. But if she's sick, I guess it's better that she didn't come," she adds sadly. When her eyes start to get glassy, grandpa pulls her into a hug. I share a glance with Jenna and I can see that she's angry and upset too. Deciding that she and I need to have a word once and for all, I finish my glass of beer and then get up to leave. I've only had the one glass so I know that I'm safe to drive.
"Where are you going?" grandpa asks.
"I'm going to go to talk to Elena. What's her address?"
"It's 1844 Hamilton Lane," Jenna informs me.
"Damon, I really don't think you should," Kol adds, shaking his head back and forth.
"No, Kol, I am going to see her. I won't let her continue to disappoint her grandmother. Maybe avoiding me isn't the case tonight but it has been and you know it. I'll skip the next get together if need be but she and I need to talk. I would appreciate it greatly if you didn't give her a head's up."
"She'll have my ass if I don't."
"I'll have your ass if you do."
"Fine," he adds when Lena levels him with a stare. After giving Lena a grateful nod, I leave the bar, get behind the wheel and drive to Elena's place.
Elena:
When I hear my doorbell, I sigh heavily knowing that it's either Kol or Jenna. Feeling a little better, I quickly swallow a drink of water then walk over to open the door, gasping audibly when I see who is standing there. With his back turned to me, I can't help but admire his beautifully sculpted musculature. A millisecond later, he turns around, flashing that panty dropping grin of his at me.
"Hello, Elena."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came because you blew off another family get together. And I didn't like to see your grandmother glassy-eyed because the granddaughter she raised didn't show up."
"I'll admit I feel better since losing my insides but I didn't intentionally blow it off." After dropping her eyes for a moment, she looks at me again, "She was crying?"
"Yes, but she composed herself quickly. Look, can I come in for a moment?"
"No. I'll come out there," I tell him, stepping onto the porch.
"If you're not showing up at these things because of me. I wish you'd say something. I'll stay away if need be, I don't like to see your grandmother so upset. She's a great lady, Elena, and I would rather be AWOL then have her cry."
"You'd do that?"
"Yes, I'd do that for her and for you."
"I don't know what to say."
"Elena, can we be candid with each other?"
"Yes," I answer unsure of where this conversation is going.
"I'm sorry for all of the pain and hurt I caused you growing up. I was an asshole. And, I know I was a jerk when we first saw each other again too, it was wrong and if I could take it back, I would. I'm sorry, I really and truly am." He pauses for a moment, raking his fingers through his messy black hair and when he raises his eyes to mine agin, he starts to speak.
"I readily admit that I was a bully but I'm not that same asshole anymore, Elena. I've apologized to you repeatedly, admitted my jackassery repeatedly and it doesn't seem to make any difference. But this is the last time, Elena. If you can't forgive me, I'll quit trying and move on."
"Move on? Move on from what?" I ask, perplexed. He turns his back to me, his hands dangling at his sides. I can see his muscles rippling under his snug tee shirt. His biceps tighten and relax. Several seconds pass before he turns around. Closing the distance between us, he utters something about having something to feel guilty about just before he cradles my face in his hands, joining our lips in a heated kiss. I struggle for a millisecond before opening my mouth to let him in. When I feel him tilting my face, he deepens the kiss, weakening my knees. And when he pulls away, I stare at him with wide eyes and mouth agape.
"Goodnight, Elena," he whispers then jogs down the stairs and to his car. He turns around to give me one last long look before slipping into his car and driving away. Still stunned, I slowly raise my fingertips to my lips. In awe, I still feel the magic when I dizzily walk back into my house. Using my back, I push the door closed as I slide down, completely flummoxed about what all of this means.
**vampire information taken from Livescience.
That final scene is supposed to be a re-enactment of the 3x10 kiss. I know DE had many more steamy kisses then that but it's still my favorite. I just love the way Elena looks at him.
Thank you so much, Eva. Love you more than I can say.
Huge thanks to all of you for your support and encouragement. I really, really appreciate every follow, favorite and especially the reviews. Feedback is so important to a writer.
Chapter title: 'Holding On and Letting Go' by Ross Copperman.
Watch for 'The Game of Life' to update again soon. There's one more chapter to post for 'I Fall to Pieces'. 'Nothing Left to Fear' is nearing the conclusion but not quite yet.
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Have a safe and wonderful day. And thank you all again. We'll see you next time.
