It's double update day so I hope you'll be so kind as to review. Thank you again for all of your support.
Sitting in my office, my chin in my hands, I still feel so discombobulated about the fact that Damon actually kissed me. Damon Salvatore kissed me. And if I were to be honest with myself, I could feel it all the way to the tips of my toes. It was truly that spectacular. But it was Damon. Why am I feeling all of these prickles and tingles and bombs bursting in mid air over him? Raising my head, I stare out of my office window, watching the cars pass on the street, the occasional person that walks past my window as they go their merry way on the sidewalk. When I see a mother and her twins, I can't help but smile, imagining that for myself one day. Standing up, I walk over to the window so I get a look at the sky. The weather forecast said it's supposed to rain but right now, the sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly but there is a nice breeze judging by the way the trees are swaying. With my back turned and my mind only on Damon, I don't notice that someone has joined me till I hear his voice.
"Elena, what's going on?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Well, you've been a little spacey all morning, you know, holed up in here, staring into space, barely noticing when yours truly enters your domain."
"Sorry, I've just had a lot on my mind."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, taking a seat. Sighing, I sit back down. With my elbows resting on my desktop, I plant my fingers in my hair then turn to face him.
"Elena, I'm your best friend. You know you tell me anything."
"I know, Kol. But it's so surreal."
"What is?"
"When I didn't join you all at the pub, Damon decided to take it upon himself to find out why I didn't show up."
"Do tell?"
"Kol, he actually said that he would stay away from the next one if it would mean that grandma wouldn't feel slighted by me not showing up."
"Really?"
"And that's not all, he actually kissed me, Kol. And not just any kiss, a smoldering, lightening hot one."
"You're kidding," he gasps, his widening eyes morphing into teasing eyes.
"Don't tease. It was electric and magical, Kol. What am I going to do? It's Damon effing Salvatore."
"But you did like it?"
"I did but that's not the point. I can't like him, he's been the Joker to my Batman for the entire of my existence. I'm so confused," I sputter, dropping my chin onto my chest.
"Elena, chill. It was probably a spur of the moment thing. I mean, he was probably overcome by your charm."
"I'm about as charming as a great white shark. Nice try though, Kol," I retort, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I have a confession to make," he starts to say, looking at me a little sheepishly.
"Spill."
"I may or may not have known that Damon was going to stop by your house..."
"And why didn't you give me a head's up?" I ask, trying to look imposing by crossing my arms over my chest, the set of my jaw tight.
"I told him that you'd have my ass if I didn't and he said that he'd have my ass if I did. And then there's the fact that grandma was sad that you didn't show up..." Raising his eyes to mine, he stands up, puts his palms on my desktop, asking, "What would you have me do, Elena?"
"Kol, you can be exasperating sometimes, you know that?"
"But you love me anyway."
"Get out of here before I plant my foot somewhere south of your belt buckle."
Cupping his package, he starts to back away, quietly slipping out of my door but not without giving me a wink.
Still unable to come to grips with all the feels that leveled me after Damon's kiss, I successfully avoid him all day. Although a part of me wants much, much more, I need to understand first. After hurrying out of the station, I drive over to Caroline's beauty parlor. Since it's gossip central in Mystic Falls, I'm hoping maybe she might know something about Amber. She and I never really talked about it when she died. I mean, we and the town's people as a whole were just in shock. At the time of her death, we all believed it to be suicide but now, given Ben's murder, I can't help but believe there's much more to her death than meets the eye. From our prior conversations, there's no doubt in my mind that Damon believes the same.
After parking my car in 'Caroline's' parking lot, I walk in, the bell above the door alerting her to my presence.
"Elena, hi. What are you doing here?"
"Hey Caroline," I say, giving her a hug.
"Well, it does look like you could use a trim," she says, fingering my hair. Picking up a strand, she shows me the split ends.
"Can you do it now?"
"Sure, have a seat." Once she drapes the apron around my neck, she wets my hair with her spray bottle then starts to trim it up.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Given the fact that Ben Bradley's death has been ruled a homicide, we're looking into Amber's case again too. You knew her better than I did, Caroline, do you really think a pregnant Amber would have killed herself?"
"No, I don't but the evidence was pretty cut and dried wasn't it?"
"But what if her death was made to look like a suicide? I mean, we do have some powerful people in this town. You know that as well as I do."
"What are you saying, Elena? Do you think Tyler's family had something to do with this?"
"I don't know, Caroline. I trust Tyler implicitly but she did work for Richard. Maybe she knew something, maybe she blackmailed him about something? I'm just throwing suppositions out there. Brady won't act on anything until Damon and/or I can come up with something that raises questions about her manner of death."
"All I know is that she worked for Richard. Of course, Tyler and I don't spend much time with his parents given how snooty they are but I don't recall Amber ever coming up in conversation. But I will tell you that Tyler heard rumors of Amber and his father having an affair. It was nothing more than heresay though, Elena."
"Often rumors have a grain of truth to them," I start to say when I remember that she's been cutting my hair all of this time. "How much are you cutting off anyway?"
"Relax, I only cut off an inch," she scoffs, putting the shears down. Picking up a comb, she combs my hair then takes a brush, styling it with the blow dryer.
"It looks good. Thanks, Care." After paying my bill, I walk out of her shop and to my car. As soon as I'm inside, I buckle myseat belt, ignite the engine and drive over to my grandma's house to apologize for skipping out on the hastily arranged get together they had at the pub the other night. Without realizing it, I'm touching my lips with my fingertips, still feeling the tingle where his lips joined to mine.
Damon:
"Hello Mystic Falls. Since our vampire lore show was so successful, we decided to stick in the realm of the seemingly impossible for one more week. Tonight, we have Professor Mikaelson joining us again. Tonight Elena is on scene with Esther at Whitmore college to discuss the creature known as the Chupacabra. The Chupacabra is a very recent addition to the mysterious monster club, coming many decades after Bigfoot and the infamous Loch Ness monster made the debuts. A few years ago, the carcass of a creature was found in the forests outside of Mystic Falls. Rumors were rampant that the mysterious Chupacabra was here and somehow, the remains disappeared. No one knows what happened to it," I explain to start off the program. After turning to face another camera, I continue.
"Bigfoot, the mysterious beast said to roam the North American wilderness, is named after what it leaves behind: big footprints. Bigfoot's Hispanic cousin, the chupacabra, is also named for what it leaves behind: dead animals. Though goats are said to be its favorite prey (chupacabra means "goat sucker" in Spanish), it has have also been blamed for attacks on cats, rabbits, dogs, chickens, and other animals. And now let's join Esther and Elena live at Whitmore. Professor Mikaelson, thank you for joining us again this week. I do hope I can talk you into being a recurring guest. Your area of expertise is fascinating."
"Thank you, Damon," she says when Elena holds the microphone to her mouth.
"Can you enlighten us on the legend of the Chupacabra?"
Nodding, she smiles at Elena before beginning.
"There are no known photographs of the beast, or even credible footprints. Instead, the chupacabra is known mostly through a few dozen eyewitness sightings and many dead animals. The chupacabra is probably the world's best-known vampire after Dracula, and its victims are often claimed to have been found completely drained of blood.
Descriptions of chupacabra vary widely, but many suggest that the creature stands about four to five feet tall. It has powerful legs that allow it to leap huge distances, long claws, terrifying, glowing red eyes, and distinctive spikes down its back. While some believe that chupacabra sightings date back to the 1970s or earlier, the monster actually first appeared in 1995 in Puerto Rico. There are no records of any vampiric Chupacabras before that time.
Theories about the chupacabra's origin are as varied as the sightings themselves. The most popular explanation is that it is the product of top-secret U.S. government genetics experiments in the rainforest of Puerto Rico. Some suggest that it's an extraterrestrial being, brought to Earth on spaceships. Still others suggest that the mysterious creature is part of some sinister biological warfare program, or even the embodiment of God's wrath.
The chupacabra had a heyday of about five years when it was widely reported in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Chile, Nicaragua, Argentina, and Florida, among other places—almost all of them in Spanish-speaking areas. After about 2000, a strange thing happened: sightings of the weird, alien, bipedal, spiky-backed chupacabra faded away. Instead, the Hispanic vampire took a very different form: a canine animal resembling hairless dogs or coyotes mostly found in Texas and the American Southwest," she explains, as depictions of the creature split the screen with her. After smiling at the audience, she continues.
"This was an important turning point because — unlike Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster, for example — suddenly researchers had animal carcasses to scientifically examine. Dead chupacabras were subjected to DNA tests and in every instance the body has been identified as a dog, coyote, raccoon, or other common mammal — usually stricken with a parasitic infection that caused the animal to lose its fur and take on a gaunt, monstrous appearance.
Geneticists and wildlife biologists have identified all of the alleged chupacabra carcasses as those of known animals. But if none of the animals were vampiric chupacabras, what was sucking the blood out of goats, chickens, and other livestock? Though dead animals were widely reported to have been drained of blood, this is a myth. When suspected chupacabra victims have been professionally autopsied, invariably they are revealed to contain plenty of blood.
So what attacked the animals, if not the dreaded chupacabra? Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one: ordinary animals, mostly dogs and coyotes. These animals instinctually go for a victim's neck, and their canine teeth leave puncture wounds that resemble vampire bite marks. Though many people assume that dogs and coyotes would eat or tear up the animals they attack, wildlife predation experts know this too is a myth; often they will simply bite the neck and leave it to die.
Though the canine chupacabras were identified, the question remained: what happened to the original chupacabra? Why did it suddenly appear in August 1995 and vanish after only a few short years? As reported in the book "Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore,", it turned out that the chupacabra could be traced back to a single original eyewitness, a Puerto Rican woman named Madelyne Tolentino, whose sighting became the basis for all other accounts of the creature. She offered a detailed description of the chupacabra, bipedal, dark eyes, long limbs, and spikes along its back, that did not match any known animal.
However, Tolentino's chupacabra was nearly identical to an alien monster in the horror film "Species." The similarities were too great to be coincidence; she had not only recently seen the film, but stated in interviews that the movie monster "looked like the chupacabra, with spines on its back and all. The resemblance to the chupacabra was really impressive.
She was the first person to report seeing the chupacabra, and her report was very influential, appearing not only on the front page of the local newspaper but all over the Internet. Soon other eyewitnesses repeated and exaggerated her description, but it is clear that what she described came from a movie, not real life. Though there's little mystery left from a scientific point of view, the goat-sucking monster will continue to be reported. Whether the creatures exist or not, the public has come to call any strange unknown animal as the chupacabra," she finishes, again, sharing the multitude of pictures that are supposedly the mythical goat sucker.
"Thank you, Esther," Elena says, then turns to face the camera again. "And thank you ladies and gentleman for making Damon's show and mine a great success. I look forward to bringing you new and wonderful stories over the next few weeks. Bye now, Damon," she adds, smiling as the camera turns off. Immediately I face the studio camera and thank the audience for their participation.
Once the show is over, I loosen my tie and walk back to my office to get my messenger bag. I made arrangements to meet Ric and Brady at the pub to have a few drinks. Rather than call my dad, I run by the house so I can change clothes before heading over to join my friends.
"Good show tonight, son," my dad says when I find him in the living room.
"Did you ever see the mysterious carcass? You were still on the force then."
"No, I missed out on that one. I think that's when I took you and Katherine to Disney World. And by the time I went back to work, the thing had disappeared."
"Well, it's probably rotted by now," I laugh, shaking my head.
"Do you need anything? I'm going out to have a drink with Ric and Brady."
"No, you go and have fun. Jim should be home pretty soon."
"I suppose he's with Lena."
"They're planning their wedding, Damon."
"Wow," I utter, my mouth slightly agape.
"I never thought I'd see the day but I am really glad that they have each other. They could have several great years together and I want that for him, them. Your grandpa has been very good to me since your mom died, even moving in here to help me when my heart problems started. I couldn't have asked for a better father in law."
"I know, dad. And I agree. I think it's great that he found someone at this stage in his life. But if you don't need anything, I'm going to change clothes and go."
"Have fun," he says. After giving him a nod, I run upstairs, change my clothes and hurry out of the door. Once I get to the bar, I look around till I see Ric waving for me. Smiling, I walk up to the bar first to get a tumbler of bourbon after which I slide in beside Brady on his side of the booth. Not long after, Mason just happens to show up, taking the seat beside Ric. After we shoot the breeze for awhile, Ric and I excuse ourselves to play a game of darts. Mason excuses himself too, saying he wants to go to talk to someone at the bar. Taking a dart in hand, I aim and hit the bulls eye. By the time we're done, we each have won a game. Deciding to get another bourbon, Ric and I walk up the bar.
"So how is it, you know, working with Elena and all?"
"But Listen, Ric, I know your family is really none of my business but don't be so hard on her. She was told point blank that her anchor job has been reassigned to Andie Starr. Elijah just sprung it on her, she didn't even have a say in it. And on top of everything else, she was told in no uncertain terms that she'd have to work with me. Now you and I both know that I'm her least favorite person. Just cut her some slack, okay?"
He stares at me for a few seconds. Picking up his tumbler of bourbon, he swallows it down before turning to face me again.
"You like her, don't you?"
"There's no sense in lying to you. Yes, I do. When I went after her the other night, I kissed her. She has barely said two words to me since so I'm sure I shoveled the dirt over my own coffin with her but..."
"But?"
"I want to get to know her. She's full of piss and vinegar, she takes no prisoners and she's beautiful, Ric."
"I'm surprised she didn't haul off and pop you in the mouth. That girl knows how to defend herself. She and Kol took self defense classes a couple of years ago."
"I, for one, am glad she didn't," I laugh, taking a swallow of my own drink. "What is it with her and Kol? From what I've seen they're really tight."
"They are. Maybe you don't remember but Kol used to be bullied a lot too. The youngest Mikaelson and he is a little odd, given his penchant for snakes and spiders."
"So they bonded over the fact that they were both picked on?" When he nods, I drop my chin to my chest. Even though everything inside is wishing I could have a do over on my past, I know I can't. All I can do is try to show her that I have indeed grown up. Picking up my drink, I use my head to motion that we should rejoin Brady. Sliding in next to him, he barely looks up as he's busy texting someone.
"Bonnie?"
"Yep," he says, smiling. Finishing up, he slides it in his pocket and takes the drink I offer him.
"So Brady, have you found out anything about the key yet?"
"Our bank doesn't have any keys like that for their safety deposit box. So it's either in another bank or it's something else altogether."
"Could it be an airport locker or something?"
"I suppose that's possible, Damon, but Ben has been gone for almost two years. When whomever stopped paying to rent that locker, the airport would probably have destroyed the contents. I will look into it though."
"About Amber, I know Elena and I are onto something."
"And believe it or not, I'm leaning your way but I need something concrete to be able to open her case again."
"Amber Bradley didn't kill herself, you know this, Brady."
"I'm back," Mason announces, sliding into the booth next to Ric.
"Mas, I didn't get a chance to ask you before but how is Meredith? I saw her briefly when I took my dad for his appointment but I didn't get a chance to speak to her."
"She's good, Damon. How's your dad?"
"He's doing as well as can be expected, thanks for asking. Can I ask you something Mason?"
"Sure," he replies, looking at me curiously.
"Amber Bradley, she worked for your brother right?"
"I haven't heard that name in a long time but yes, she worked for Richard."
"And Richard kind of has a reputation for liking the ladies..."
"Where are you going with this, Damon?"
"Elena and I have been investigating Ben's murder. We're thinking that maybe Amber's death wasn't as straight forward as it seems."
"Are you reopening her case, Brady?"
"No, Mason, I'm not. Damon and Elena are doing this on their own."
"Damon, Richard and I haven't always been best friends but he is my brother. I don't want his name dragged through the mud. If you have evidence, that's one thing, but you're operating on supposition... He is my family and I won't let you tarnish his reputation based on your own feelings."
"You're right, Mason, I'll drop it," I tell him only for the purpose of ending the conversation. However, I have no intention of just dropping the case because the mayor could be involved. The Lockwood's may think so, but they're not above the law. If Amber was indeed killed, I want to give her parents some justice. And that means putting her killer behind bars if our hunch turns out to be correct. I really hope we can shine some sunlight on Ben's killer too.
Changing topics, we start to talk about other things. Having lost track of time, when I look at my watch and notice it's almost midnight, I tell the guys that I have to leave. Knowing that I would be having a few drinks, I did walk to the bar so if I'm going to be in bed before one in the morning, I have to get started. As soon as I step outside, a gust of wind nearly knocks me over. When I hear thunder, I figure I better hurry because I don't want the sky to open up and drench me before I get to my house. Hurrying along, I'm still about seven blocks from home when I feel the first drops begin to splatter on my face. Moments later, a bolt of lightning blazes illuminates the area followed by a roaring clap of thunder. Next the rain starts cascading down from the sky in sheets. Dropping my chin to my chest, I stand there for a couple of seconds before I break out in a run. When I reach the intersection, I have to stop because there is traffic. Just as I get ready to run across the street and down the block towards home, a car pulls in front of me. Stunned, I pause, breathing a sigh of relief when I see who it is.
"Get in."
Information on the 'Chupacabra' and other cryptozoological creatures taken from 'LiveScience'.
Please keep the Dallas police in your thoughts. Five of them were murdered in addition to seven others being shot. There were also attacks on police in GA, TN and MO yesterday. Good cops hate the bad ones just as much as the rest of us do. And I know that there are some bad cops out there as there are some bad nurses but most of us do what we do to help people and make a difference.
Thank you so much, Eva. I love you a lot.
And thanks for all of you for your support. Truly you all are the only reason that I'm still here.
Chapter title: 'Hello It's Me' by Todd Rundgren.
I did update, 'Nothing Left to Fear' and 'The Game of Life' earlier this week. Would love to hear your thoughts on those too.
Please remember to click the review button.
Be safe and have a wonderful day.
