Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries. I'm just borrowing.

Note: Previously, in "Hunter's Moon," Elena visits Damon on her way to work.

Hey, guys, I know that I haven't updated this story in a while, it's just been hard to figure out which direction to go with this story, with one of the main characters out of the action. But, I'm going to attempt to update.

Later on...

Elena walked into the precinct house, a heaviness in his chest. It wasn't going to be easy to still be doing the case without Damon, but she knew that the only reason she wasn't backing out right now was because she had a promise to keep to see the case through to the end. When she got to her desk, she saw Elijah sitting there. What the hell was he doing here? Hadn't he done enough damage already?

"Let me guess, you're the one that I'm going to be working with temporarily?"

"Believe me, Detective, no words can describe just how sorry I am that your husband is in the hospital," he replied. "But, the least we can do is try to put this behind us long enough to find Silas and Tyler before they kill anyone else."

"And you're expecting me to just trust you that you'll make sure that I don't get shot?" said Elena. "Thanks, but seeing as how my husband is currently in the hospital because you failed to protect him, I think I'm better off getting shot."

Elijah sighed. Obviously, he wasn't getting anywhere with her. "Elena, at the risk of repeating myself, I suggest we try to put this behind us. You don't have to talk to me, just work with me. Damon would want that."

Elena was about to give him a snide remark, but stopped herself, knowing that it wouldn't do her any good. Besides, they did have a job to do, and less time in which to do it. Sighing, she said, "All right, I'll work with you. Now, what do we know about Tyler's involvement with Silas so far?"

"Only that his hair was found on Giselle Carson's body," said Elijah. "Had we been able to apprehend him, I'm sure we would've been able to interrogate him about what Silas' motives are and why he chose him as an accomplice."

"Yeah, that does strike me as odd," said Elena. "Though, your father had him as an accomplice about ten years ago." Her eyes widened. "Do you think maybe that's why Silas chose Tyler? Because he knew about his involvement with Mikael?"

"That's a good theory, but with nothing to test it against, that's all it is, a theory."

Elena sighed again. "Shit, and here I thought that the reason."

Elijah nodded, but didn't get a chance to reply, because Captain Forbes came in, looking concerned. Then again, when didn't she look concerned when it came to the cases this precinct handled?

"Elena, Elijah, I just got a call about another victim."

"Where?"

"Oddly enough, she lived two blocks from the apartment complex Giselle Carson lived in," said Captain Forbes. "Same age, too. CSU is already there."

Elena nodded and, without a word, hurried out the door, followed closely by Elijah. All right, you son of a bitch, what's your game and why are you involving a man I used to work with?

One Hour Later...

When Elena and Elijah arrived at the scene of the latest murder, they found that Captain Forbes wasn't kidding about CSU already being there. The victim's body was on the floor, covered by a white sheet. Anna was also there, shaking her head as she looked at the body.

"Obviously, Silas didn't wait too long before selecting his next victim," she said. "Her name was Abigail Clemmons and, just like Giselle Carson, she was a dancer. She was also the same age. However, the difference is in the height. Giselle was a tall woman, about five foot five, and Abigail was just a bit shorter, about five foot two."

"I doubt a three-inch height difference is the reason he chose her, Anna," said Elena. "He may have chosen her because he's getting anxious, and when killers get anxious, they tend to pick a new victim randomly."

Anna nodded. "Whatever the reason, I won't know for sure until I do an autopsy at the morgue."

Elena nodded as well, and then saw that Elijah was examining the doorknob, like he did at the scene of Giselle Carson's murder. "Elijah, what's going on? See anything out of the ordinary?"

"I think our victims have another thing in common," he replied. "They were both tricked into letting their killers in. There is no sign of forced entry, just like with Miss Carson."

"And with any luck, we'll find another black hair."

"Precisely," said Elijah. "Elena, I think that this was deliberate. Silas knows that we know that he and Tyler are in this together, so he killed Miss Clemmons here to send us a message."

"That son of a bitch," said Elena. "He's definitely more clever than we give him credit for."

Southside Regional Medical Center – That Same Moment...

Stefan and Caroline walked down the hall to Damon's room, armed with a basket of flowers that they had purchased from the gift shop. They wanted to cheer him up and keep him company while Elena was at work. When they arrived at his room, they saw him poking at the food on his plate.

"Not a fan of hospital food, are you?"

Damon looked over and saw his brother and sister-in-law standing there. "No, I'm not. They say it's good for you, but I think it's bullshit." He finally pushed the tray away with his good hand. "Damn it, I wish I didn't have to be here. Elena feels the same way."

Stefan nodded. "I know how you feel, Damon."

"No, you don't," said Damon. "You don't know just what's at stake here, Stefan. That asshole, Silas, is still out there and with Elena being in the condition that she is, she could be in danger."

"Condition?" said Stefan. "What condition? Damon, what are you talking about?"

"Elena's pregnant. We just found out the other day."

"She is?" said Caroline. "Why didn't she say anything? I mean, Stefan and I would've been glad to hear that we have a new niece or nephew on the way."

"Probably because she thought that given the circumstances, it wasn't the right time," said Damon. "That's why I'm worried about her. She's not showing yet, but it still puts her at risk. Silas might see that as a weakness and try to exploit it."

Caroline nodded. "Still, we would've liked to have known. Hell, your mother would like to know as well." She went over to one of the chairs in the room and sat down, placing her hand on her belly. "While we're on the subject of babies, Stefan and I just found out that we're adding to our family as well. Cora is going to have a new little brother or sister soon."

Stefan cleared his throat. "Yeah, and we were going to tell Mom, knowing that she'll be thrilled at the thought of having more grandchildren to spoil."

"That's great, I'm happy for you two," said Damon. "I'll call Elena later and tell her." The phone on the nightstand rang just then. "That must be her now. Excuse me while I take this." Clearing his throat, he picked up the phone and put it by his ear. "Hello?"

"Damon, it's Elena. I'm calling to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine, angel," he replied. "Stefan and Caroline are here to visit me."

"Good, at least you've got someone there to keep you company while I'm out here working the case," said Elena. "Speaking of which, I got to the precinct house and I found out that my temporary partner is Elijah."

"They put you with FBI Guy?" said Damon. "Elena, he's the reason I'm in here."

"I know, but I'm trying to tolerate him for the time being," said Elena. "We just got another victim, a woman that lived two blocks from where Giselle Carson lived. I wouldn't be surprised if one of Tyler's hairs winds up being on her body when Anna does the autopsy."

"Yeah, that's what scares me, other than the fact that you're risking not only yourself, but also the baby," said Damon. "Oh, and I told Stefan and Caroline about our new addition. Coincidentally, they're giving Cora a new sibling."

"Elisabetta will love to hear that, that's for sure," said Elena. "Listen, I've got to go, but I promise that I will keep you posted on any developments."

"I'd definitely like that," said Damon. "Be careful, and know that I love you."

"I know, and I love you too," said Elena. "And I'll definitely be careful."

With that, the call ended and Damon hung up the phone, looking at Stefan and Caroline, who were no doubt interested in knowing what they were talking about. "Seems that Silas has claimed another victim. Get this, she lived two blocks from where the last victim lived."

"Shit, that's scary," said Stefan. "What do you think it means?"

"Not sure, but the best guess would be that he knows we're onto him," said Damon. "This is a step in the right direction, little brother, and I know that Elena will do what it takes to put him in jail. The bastard has killed enough people to earn him at least three, maybe four life sentences. Hell, it might even get him the death penalty."

"I just hope Elena is careful out there," said Caroline. "No telling what could happen."

"I have no doubt that she will be," said Stefan. "Elena is a Salvatore, like the rest of us, and Salvatores are strong."

Note: Yeah, I didn't know what else to add, so I'll add Chapter 14 here. I have a feeling that this story is going to be longer than "Freedom isn't Free" (which had 14 chapters). Rest assured, though, my friends, regardless of how many chapters this story winds up having, it'll be worth the effort I put into it. Stay tuned!

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