Chapter Forty-Six: Making Me Nervous

One step at a time, don't be living on the line
I don't need a friend, I got morbid on the mind
Sunshine in my brain, making everyone complain
Radio in the heart, don't be being so strange
I think I'm losing it baby, where you been?
Everybody says that you're moving again
I don't wanna be right baby every single night
I could tell you a thing about taking your time
~Brad Sucks

Nilly confidently walked up to the boarding house's front door, she used the large brass knocker to knock several times and then waited. The heavy door opened with a confused looking Elena on the other side.

"Nilly?" she questioned.

"You needed to talk to me." Nilin stated simply, walking around Elena into the house.

"Well, yeah," she said, closing the door. "But I meant when I got back home."

Nilly crossed her arms over her chest and turned towards her sister. "I thought Stefan would like to hear about how his girlfriend has a death wish," she announced loudly.

Elena glared at her as she walked passed Nilly and started to go up the grand stairwell. "Nilin, can we please not do this."

"You're not going with me, even if I have to get Stefan to duct tape you to a chair. You are not putting yourself in harms way for me," she ordered Elena.

"I going, and that's that." Elena deduced, watching as Nilin went up the steps and closed in on her.

"We'll see about that," Nilly said before she followed Elena up to the study, where Stefan was sitting at the massive wooden desk.

He looked up and smiled.

"Told you it was her," he said to Elena. She just smiled and waved her hand for Nilly to talk.

"Did Elena tell you about her latest plan?" Nilin got to the point quickly.

"No." Stefan said hesitantly, raising an eyebrow as he stood up behind the desk.

"She wants to go to Hopesville with me to get my things." Nilly explained, wandering over to one of the shelves.

"Elena?" Stefan asked, turning to her for an explanation.

"She can't go alone." Elena justified. "You saw what happened the last time, Stefan. She almost didn't make it back alive."

"And that last sentence is why you are not going." Nilin pointed out. "Stefan, there is a very likely chance that Christian is there. He doesn't know about Elena, which makes her safe. Don't you see if she goes there's a chance that she won't make it back."

"Oh, not fair!" Elena said, turning towards her. "You can't play Stefan like that. He's my boyfriend."

"No one ever said I played fair, Elena." Nilin shrugged.

"Nilin's right Elena," Stefan spoke up. "You're safe for now. Going there with her can cause more problems for us."

"Nilin needs someone there with her, if not for protection then for support at least," Elena tried again.

'Death wish.' Nilly mouthed as she ran a finger across the books' spines.

"This isn't a good idea, I can't have you going down there. It's not safe." Stefan said and Nilly's grin perked up. Her plan was working.

"Stefan I need to go." Elena urged.

"I'll be fine, Elena!" Nilin insisted. "As long as I stay at the house this time, he can't get to me."

"Then as long as I stay there, I'll be fine too," she shrugged.

"No, I'm going alone." Nilly said determinedly, her eyes hardening. They glared at each other, both with their arms crossed, both not budging. God, the Gilberts were a stubborn group.

"You're not going alone." Elena said her voice strained.

"Yes I am," Nilly said in the same tone.

"Nilin, I'm going with you," she ordered.
"I'm. Going. Alone." Nilin said slowly, her teeth gritting with each word.

"No, you're not!"

"Yes I am!"

"No you're not," said a cocky voice. Nilly groaned, not even needing to turn to know who had said it. Well, she didn't plan on this…

"Damon," Stefan greeted, making his way around the desk to stand next to Elena, almost instinctively.

"Brother," he replied uninterested. "Ladies," he smirked. Nilly went over and plopped on the couch, slouching down. "Oh don't be pouty," Damon rolled his eyes. "Do you think we'd really let you go without any protection?" he asked.

"That's exactly what I though actually." Nilly shot back. He shook his head at her like she was a child being chastised. She sat up, eyeing him. "Yeah, because Elena would be sooo much protection," she said sarcastically.

Damon snickered. Nilin honestly didn't see what funny about this. "Yeah, you' both would surely get killed then," he snorted.

"Hey!" Elena said defensively. "Well then who else is going to keep her safe?"

"I will," Damon smiled.

"There is no way in hell that we're letting you go with Nilly down there alone." Stefan leered.

"And why not?" Damon and Nilin asked simultaneously. Though, Nilin's was louder and a bit more frantic than Damon's usual bored sarcastic tone.

"Yes, we're trying to protect Nilin from one manic vampire, let's send another one to go with her!" Elena said sarcastically, looking between the two of them. "Good plan," she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Would you give it a rest, Elena?" Nilin asked. Elena's eyes widen as if insulted. "Damon's probably my best choice for protection, but that's beside the point because he's not coming with me either. No one its." Nilin finalized.

"Um, sweetheart," Damon said, sauntering over to her. "It looks like you're out numbered here," he informed her, placing his hand on the small of her back. "You're going with protection detail, and at the moment that looks to be me."

"No," Elena put her foot down. "I don't trust you with her at all Damon."

"Fine," Damon dawdled out. "Then brother dearest comes with us," he said, turning to Stefan. Stefan nodded his head in agreement.

Nilly was standing suddenly, rocketing off the couch. "No, no, no!" she shouted. "No, you are not going."

"Why not?" Stefan questioned.

"Because, don't you see? Christian doesn't know about you or Elena, that means you two are out of harm's way." Nilly explained, getting shivers from the memory of her and Damon's last encounter with him. "I just lost my dad, I can't lose anyone else."

"I don't care," Damon said. "You're not going alone, and that's it."

Nilly turned back to him in disbelief. "Do you want to reenact Georgia?" she threatened, lifting an eyebrow.

"No, I want to finish it." Damon told her, taking an even more menacing step towards her.

"Georgia?" Stefan asked, looking towards his brother.

Damon shrugged. "We had a run in with the bastard. He tried to kill me, failed and here we are," He tried to downplay it. They both knew now wasn't the time for that story to be retold.

"What?" Elena practically shrieked.

Nilin winced. "It wasn't a big enough deal for me to tell you," she lied, it was actually a huge deal.

She didn't tell Elena because Nilin knew Elena would go off, stake in hand, looking for Christian herself. Just like how she was about to now.

"Nilly, we're going with you." Stefan said, placing his arm around Elena. "I'm sorry, but this is the only way to keep both of you safe."

"No, the only way to keep both of us safe is if Elena stays here in Mystic Falls and I go to Hopesville alone," she nearly growled. "That's the only way."

"Say we do that," Damon said, spinning her around to face him. "Then what's stopping Elena from hopping in the nearest car and chasing after you? Huh?"

"I was hoping the two perfectly capable vampires would," Nilin glared up at him.

He leaned in towards her, getting a little too close for Nilin's comfort. "And what stopping me from doing the same?" he asked her, his voice sending shivers down her spine.

Nilin didn't realize she had been holding her breath. She exhaled slowly, her head still inclined towards him. "I think a stake would do the trick," she told him in the most smart ass tone she could muster up.

He just chuckled, shaking his head slightly, before taking a step back from her. Nilin felt her cheeks heat up. She caught Elena and Stefan's expressions out of the corner of her eye, causing her to blush more.

"Nice try," Damon smirked at her. "We're still going."

Nilly closed her eyes, putting her hands on her forehead. How did she go into this house planning on keeping Elena here and leave with two more signed up to go?

She sat down again her eyes still closed and her head in her hands. She could feel her heart start racing, and those pre-panic attack cold sweats break out on her forehead. Focusing her breathing, she faintly rocked back and forth.

"There's no changing you're minds?" she asked in a dry voice when she managed to calm down enough. Nilly looked up to see them shaking their heads. "Fine," she said getting up fast and leaving the room.

Nearly flying down the stairs she was about to leave the boarding house when a hand grabbed her. Nilly was spun around and found herself pressed up against Damon, his hands gripping her wrists between them.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked with that cocky smirk.

"Furious," she glared, trying to get out of his grasp.

"I promised I wouldn't let him touch you again, and I mean it. Whether you like it or not," he said.

Nilly stopped her useless attempt to break free and stare up into his onyx eyes. "I don't like it at all," she said in a hushed tone.

"Oh well," he shrugged before bending down and kissing her. Her eyes fluttered close as an electrical current passed through them. When she pressed into the kiss more a shock stung her lips and she pulled back.

"What was that?" she questioned, feeling her tingling lips.

"Who knows," he said strangely. "We'll have to find out later," Damon grinned. She rolled her eyes and tried to pull out of his hands again. This time he let her.

"I have to go," she said with a small smile.

He frowned, jutting out his lower lip. "You're going to leave me here with the Saints?" he asked in fake hurt.

"God bless you," Nilin said, giving him her own little smirk before leaving the boarding house. Before she closed the front door she turned to look at him. "If you go and get yourself killed, I'm going to personally raise you from the dead and kill you myself," she threatened him.

"Is that a promise?" he winked at her.

Nilin couldn't help the smile that forced the corners of her mouth up. She laughed a little before closing the front door and heading towards her car. Once in the driver's seat, she touched her ring finger and middle finger to her lips gently, still feeling the effect of the shock. Looking at her self in the rearview mirror, she shook her head in disbelief.

Shit, what have I gotten myself into?

Author's Notes:

It's Mystical Monday! Ha, see what I did there? Ha.. yeah, so anyway. Happy Monday, I hope you're weekend was wonderful and I didn't just ruin your day with my terrible pun. Tell me how I did, you like? More?
Well, you'll get it on Friday! I hope to see you then.
Have a fabulous week!
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