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Marieniz V: I'm glad you're enjoying the story and thanks for the suggestion and don't worry that is what I was planning, cause I'd think they'd be amazing together as well :)

Chapter 13

Children of the Damned

"So are we really helping Damon or not?" I question Elena, as I take a bite out of my toast.

Mindlessly looking through my history textbook, "We're pretending to but no we're not," she explains to me. I sigh, unsure of how I felt about this, "We can't let him open the tomb, Elouise," she reminds me.

I shake my head, "I know, I don't exactly want any doubles running around," I admit.

"Me neither," Elena agrees, "as long as you're on board, Stefan was worried since you and Damon have kind of bonded lately."

I choke on my toast, not quite believing, "We have not bonded okay, he's still done a lot of bad things, this whole being nice act does not change that," I protest.

Elena laughs, "Good, I'll see you later then." I put my phone down, wondering if Damon and I had bonded. I didn't want him to die I knew that, but then again bringing out Katherine and by default Rose didn't exactly sound like the best idea either, and it didn't kill him.

Mystic Falls 1864

Rose watches beside Pearl as Katherine descends the stairs, she sighs in annoyance when she hears the Salvatore brothers. "Its good to see you Pearl, Rose," Katherine greets them.

"Perhaps we can talk outside," Pearl suggests.

Katherine looks at Emily, "Emily, would you please tell Mr Salvatore I've stepped away?" she asks her politely.

"Which one?" Emily replies.

Katherine smirks, "Both."

"You really are having your fun," Rose comments as they walk down the porch steps.

Katherine grins, "Yes I am, thanks to you," she reminds Rose.

Rose laughs, "Why Katherine, love only lasts for so long. Loyalty through friendship, that never fails," she says.

"How long are you planning on staying with the Salvatores?" Pearl asks in annoyance, ignoring there bickering, "people talk Katherine. You, carrying on with both brothers, doesn't help the situation."

"The Salvatores have been kind to take me in. As far as everyone knows here I am a poor orphan girl from Atlanta, lost her family in the fires," she reminds her.

Rose smirks, "A match you lit no doubt." Katherine giggles as they stop at the end of the yard.

"Honey, please be careful," Pearl shouts looking at a young girl. "Honoria Fell came by the apothecary yesterday with a case of this elixir," she tells them, pulling a bottle of liquid out of her bag and showing it to the girls, "she asked that it be sold at the reduced rate."

"I don't follow," Katherine replies.

"Try it," she encourages.

Rose takes the bottle, uncorks it, sniffing it carefully. She places the rim of the glass on the palm of her hand and gasps in shock as it burns her, "What in hell."

"Vervain," Pearl explains, taking back the bottle.

"They know," Katherine says sighing.

Pearl nods, "They're trying to find us and they're getting crafty about it."

"The townspeople ingesting vervain, well that's inconvenient," Katherine comments.

"It might be time for us to move on again," Pearl suggests.

Rose and Katherine both shake their heads, "No I like it here, I'm not interested in leaving just yet," Katherine tells her.

"Can we go mama?" the girls asks trotting over. Katherine and Rose look over at Pearl with steely glares, "Is something wrong?" the girl questions. No response is forthcoming.

"So does Damon really believe that you're both trying to help?" I question Elena and Stefan as we search through old boxes of her family.

"I don't think Damon knows what to believe. Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him," Stefan admits, "he hasn't talked to you?" he asks me.

I shake my head, "No, its actually been kind of nice you know Damon free time," I confess. I felt like I was so nervous around Damon, I still thought that he looked at me and saw Rose. I just didn't know how to respond to that. I sigh, "You know what the sad thing is that I'm starting to believe that Damon thinks that every single thing he has done in a very dark twisted way has been for love. It would make an amazing story," I comment.

Elena nods in agreement, "Its actually kind of sad."

"There are other ways to get what you want. You don't have to kill people," Stefan argues, "Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others. For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again." I lay my head on the bench, stewing over Stefan's words. Damon was dangerous I knew that, of course I did, but my brain was having trouble processing it.

"If Damon gets Katherine and Rose out of the tomb, what's going happen," I ask Stefan.

"I think that no matter what Damon promises a lot of people are going to die," he tells us.

I sigh, grabbing my bag from the ground, "Okay I have to go and meet Daniel," I inform them.

"How is he?" Elena questions her voice sincere. I consider her words, I felt immensely guilty for compelling him but also glad because it meant that he didn't remember our fight.

"Fine, he's not the one I'm worried about," I admit.

"Caroline," Elena guesses.

I nod, I had left the house extra early and spent most of the time at Daniel's to avoid her, "I just know she's not going to be happy, not that I'm blaming her and I'd rather wait forever to deal with her wrath," I say to Elena.

"It was one dance with Damon, she'll get over it," Elena assures me.

"Sure," I mutter unconvinced, "bye."

I knock on Daniel's door nervously, maybe it was my ability to tell when people were lying, but I felt as though Daniel would sense my deceit every time I saw him. "Hey," Daniel greets me cheerfully as I walk in.

"Hey, is your mum here?" I question.

Daniel gives me an odd look, "In the kitchen," he tells me.

I smile making my way in there without explaining, "Elouise," she greets when she see me, giving me a hug. I grin up at her, Daniel's mum Nicole despite having six kids, always treated me like her own. I'd never met a more devoted mother and why Daniel called it suffocating I'd always secretly envied him.

"I brought something for you, a herb actually," I tell her, grabbing out a bag of vervain Stefan had given me. After what happened with Daniel no way I was going to let it happen again. However the only way to get vervain near him would his mother, who was quite the herbalist, to force him to have it.

Nicole takes it thankfully, taking a branch out and staring at it in the light, "Is this vervain?" she questions shocked.

I bite my lip unsure how she could know about it, "Yeah, how'd you know?" I ask nervously.

She shakes her head, the strange look on her face gone, "I've heard about, I didn't realize it still grew in this parts. I'm so glad you found some, I've wanted it since I first heard about it," she says adding it to her herb collection.

"You had to give her a herb, I believe you've heard how much I despise herbal teas," Daniel accuses me frowning.

I laugh, shrugging away his mum's strange reaction to the vervain, "Sorry its meant to be really good for it and I knew your mum would want it," I explain.

"She loves it, you'll thank me when you're a hundred and still alive," Nicole says to Daniel ruffling his hair, like he's a little kid. I giggle, trying to hold back a full laugh as Daniel glares at me.

"Are you coming up?" Daniel calls making his way to the bedroom.

"Sure," I reply, the laughter bubbling forth.

Mystic Falls 1864

Rose and Katherine stand in Pearl's apothecary, smelling various perfumes. "Have you thought any more of what I said?" Pearl questions Katherine.

"We'll leave soon, Pearl, I promise. I need to take care of a few things," she tells her as her and Rose share a mischievous look.

"You're going to turn both of them, aren't you?" Pearl guesses, "Katherine please be careful," she begs.

"We'll all be safe I promise," Katherine assures her as Rose smirks. "Mr Gilbert's coming. Quick your cheeks," Katherine says pinching both of her cheeks, "perfectly rosy."

"Miss Pearl, may I have a moment?" Jonathan Gilbert asks her.

"Yes, Mr Gilbert. I'm still waiting for you to explain that comet in the sky," she says as they both leave together.

"Your mother has an admirer," Rose comments to Anna as she smiles watching her mother.

"Which begs the question why you don't?" Katherine questions linking her arm through Rose's.

Rose smiles sadly, "I told you that's not how I acquire my followers," she reminds Katherine.

Katherine laughs, "Of course you believe love breed enemies, not loyalty."

"I'm glad you decided to come for dinner," Elena admits as we make our way up to her porch.

"Well I do need to be filled in and I still for guilty about Daniel," I confess as we walk into her house to see Damon and Jenna cooking together.

"Hello Elena, Elouise," Damon greets us.

Jenna turns around, "Hey where have you been? We're cooking dinner," she explains.

"Is Stefan with you?" Damon questions.

"He'll be here soon," Elena informs him leaning against the counter and watching Damon with distaste.

"This is going to be so fun," I mutter sarcastically, wishing I had stayed back with Daniel.

I pick up the dinner plates making my way over to the table, trying to ignore Damon who deliberately bumps into me. I place the plates at the table, "Don't do that," I scold Damon, annoyed.

"Do what?" he questions in fake confusion.

"You know what. That move was deliberate," I tell him.

"Well, yeah I was deliberately trying to get to the sink," he denies, still denying it.

I roll my eyes scoffing, I place the last few plates and make my way back to the kitchen for more, "Is it real?" Damon asks me.

"Is what real?" I ask him confused, wondering about the subject change.

"This renewed sense of brotherhood," he explains, taking the spoon out of the pot and tasting the sauce, "can I trust them?" he asks.

I know that I can't hesitate but I hate lying it wasn't built it me, "Yes, you can trust them," I say boldly, hoping I didn't sound as nervous as I felt. I make my way back to the table to place the napkins trying to stop my inner turmoil, I turn to see Damon behind me mere inches away, I gulp.

"Can I trust them?" he repeats.

"I'm wearing vervain," I remind him, wondering if he was trying to compel me.

"I'm not compelling you. I just want to answer me honestly," he replies.

I take a deep breath, "Yes, Stefan and Elena are good people if they say they're going to help then you should trust them," I reply firmly. Carefully I make my way around Damon, feeling more guilty than I ever have in my life. In truth I shouldn't after everything Damon has done, he doesn't deserve my sympathy, but somewhere along the way I think he had earnt it.

"There was a time when I trusted him more than anyone," Damon confesses to me.

I sigh, "Trust breeds trust. You have to give it to get it," I tell him.

"Are you lecturing me?" Damon questions me smirking.

I laugh, "Do you need to be lectured?" I ask.

"I just want her back, I want them both back. I'm sure you can understand that," Damon says to me, seeming genuine.

I nod, "I guess I can, I mean I've never been in love but I mean if it was Daniel, if that's what Rose was to you. I mean," I give him a look, "stop me any time," I tell him.

"Rose understood me more than anyone and I cared about her more than anyone save Katherine. She never lied to me, so yes I guess you could say she was to me what Daniel is to you and more," Damon admits.

I look down taking it in, "Then I understand why you want her back, why you would want them both back," I inform him, taking a bowl and placing it on the table.

"Then you understand what I will do if anyone gets in my way," he says threateningly behind my back.

"Who took it?" Damon questions as we stand around the porch after Stefan arrived.

"I don't know," Stefan admits, but something seems off about the way he's says it. He's not lying but he's not telling the whole truth either.

"You know what, its that teacher. There's something really off about him," Damon claims.

"No he doesn't know anything," Stefan argues, "someone got to it right before me."

"Who else knew it was there?" Damon questions as Stefan looks through the window at Jeremy.

Damon follows his gaze and begins to walk back into the house, "No Damon, leave him out of it," Elena tells him firmly.

"Why, what's the big deal?" Damon asks as if really doesn't know.

"Damon!" Elena exclaims as he walks back into the house.

"So I heard you found a really cool journal from back in the day. Who else did you show it to?" Damon questions Jeremy sitting on the arm of the sofa, as we walk back inside.

"Huh?" Jeremy asks in confusion, still focused on his game.

"Don't ask questions, just spill," Damon snaps not in the mood for waiting, not that I could blame him.

Jeremy chuckles, "You're kidding right?"

"Jer, did you tell anyone other than Mr Saltzman about Jonathan Gilbert's journal?" Elena tries questioning him now.

"Why is everyone so obsessed with that thing?" Jeremy asks us confused.

"Who else did you tell?" Elena questions him, sounding exasperated now.

Jeremy shrugs, "Just that girl Anna," he tells us as my phone rings. I sigh seeing it's mum and walk away hoping they'd get answers soon.

"Yeah mum?" I question, still trying to look and see what's going on.

"Where are you, I'd thought you'd be home for dinner," she asks me. I bite my lip I had forgotten to tell her but I didn't count on her remembering that.

"Sorry I didn't think you were home, I'm eating at Elena's," I explain.

"Oh, you two seem close," she comments.

"I know it's a shocker, who thought I could get a friend that wasn't Daniel," I reply sarcastically. Elena walks past me as well, answering a phone call too.

"Honey, I never thought that," mum seeks to correct herself.

"Its fine, even I thought that," I admit, "got to go," I tell her spotting Jeremy and Damon walk out the door.

Stefan nods up to Elena's room and I follow him, "Where's Damon?" she questions us.

"He left to track down Jeremy's friend Anna seeing if there was anything there," Stefan explains to us.

"Aren't you going to go with him? I mean don't we need the journal," I stop short when I see Stefan pull out a stack of papers, "doesn't matter," he tells us.

"Is that a copy?" I ask in shock, I knew he had been hiding something.

Stefan nods, "Mr Saltzman made a copy and he was kind enough to loan it to me," he explains.

"He was?" Elena questions her tone implying she was unconvinced.

"Not exactly but I got it," he replies smiling as I laugh.

Mystic Falls 1864

"The sheriff was here earlier, he brought large volumes of vervain elixir," Pearl tells Katherine, Rose and Damon.

"Did he try to put his hands on you again?" Katherine asks her smirking.

"Doesn't he always," Pearl replies.

"She's saving herself for Jonathan Gilbert," Rose explains to Damon in a light tone as Katherine slips her arm through his.

"I'm beyond saving, we know that," Pearl tells them, as they all chuckle softly.

Damon looks at them unbelieving, "How can you be so calm? They're getting closer to you each day."

"We are the respectable ladies of Mystic Falls. Thanks to Emily we walk the streets in daylight. No one will ever suspect us," Katherine assures him.

"Not unless a human tells them," Pearl says looking at Damon.

"I'd sooner die," Damon promises them.

"And soon enough you will," Katherine responds, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

Rose watches on distastefully, "Oh the fun we'll have for eternity," she muses.

"Mrs Fell is approaching," Anna says entering the shop from the porch.

"Thank you Annabelle," Pearl says, walking over to hug her. Anna smiles, laughing gleefully.

"Hey I found something," I tell the other two and was search over Jonathan Gilbert's journal, I couldn't help but think he must have seemed like one crazy man. Elena and Stefan look up at me expectantly, "Okay it's a reference he wrote about Emily," I say reading aloud from the page, "The Fell family believed it should be I, not them, who protected the witches spell book. But I feared she would haunt me from the hereafter. They mocked my fear but it was Giuseppe Salvatore," I pause looking up at Stefan, "is that your father?" I question intrigued.

"Yeah," Stefan confirms it, taking the page from me and continuing to read, "it was Giuseppe Salvatore who removed my fear. He told me he would protect the secret of the spell book. He said he would carry it to his grave," Stefan finishes looking up at us, obviously mulling over what he had read. "I know where it is," he announces to us. Elena and I look at each other, impressed Stefan could figure it out but I frown when I see his face.

"What?" I ask confused.

"His grave, its in his grave," he answers us, voice full of apprehension.

I shine the flashlight on Giuseppe's tombstone, nervously searching around the graveyard. It was normal to be scared of the graveyard after dark and I wondered what compelled me to not leave this to Elena and Stefan. Stefan walks around the grave setting up torches, and I busy myself with putting down the supplies. "Why isn't your father buried in your family tomb?" Elena questions him curious.

"It wasn't built until well after he died," Stefan explains to us.

"Are sure the grimoire's in there with him?" I ask him, begging him to say no.

"As sure as I could be," he replies, killing my hope.

"Great," I murmur sarcastically, picking up a shovel and passing one to Elena.

Stefan grabs the last one looking up at us, "I can do this alone," he tells us, offering us a way out.

"No," I say firmly, I would help Stefan he had done so much for me.

"We promised to do whatever we could to help," Elena adds.

"I know and I appreciate that but," Stefan starts, "this town is our home. Our friends and family are here, you're here, we don't want that tomb opened any more than you," Elena interrupts and I nod in agreement.

Stefan nods looking down at the grave taking a few moments to get himself together, "I'm sorry," I mutter, to dig up what's own father seemed so wrong.

I sigh tired sitting on the edge of the grave as Stefan continues to shovel it out and Elena holds the torch so he is able to see. I had managed to shake off my fear of being here, but it didn't make me feel anymore okay about what we were doing, I could only imagine how Stefan must feel. "What?" Stefan questions, looking at Elena who has an odd smile on her face.

"Not many girls can say that they've done this," she explains, causing me to smile as well, it was pretty original. I gasp as Stefan's shovel hits something solid, sending a loud thud through the air. Stefan looks up at us with a face I'm unable to read, throwing the shovel out of the grave.

Stefan opens the lid of the coffin as I look on in shock, "Is that it?" Elena asks, looking at a book cradled in the arms of the skeleton of Stefan's father. Stefan retrieves the grimoire from his father's eyes as I pull myself up from the ground. Stefan looks at the two of us eyes watery and my heart goes up to him. Elena kneels down next to Stefan as they rip the cover off the grimoire, searching through its pages.

"Well, what do you know?" Damon's voice calls through the darkness and I turn around shocked to see Damon, "this is an interesting turn of events," he comments.

"I can't let you bring them back, I'm sorry," Stefan tells him.

"So am I. For even thinking I could trust you," he retorts, sounding truly hurt.

"Oh. You're not capable of trust. The fact that you're here means that you read the journal and were planning on doing it yourself," Stefan argues.

"Of course I was going to do it myself, because the only one I can count on is me," Damon shouts at him causing me to wince, "you made sure of that many years ago, Stefan but you," he says turning to me, as guilt rushes up into my chest, "you had me fooled." I look down unable to see the expression on his face because he seemed hurt by my betrayal, "so what are you going to do now? Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip their hearts out," he threatens, looking at me and Elena.

"You won't kill them," Stefan argues. Damon nods before rushing over to me and grabbing me in a chokehold, I struggle desperately against him.

"I can do one better," he announces, forcing me to drink his blood from the wrist he has bitten, I attempt to spit it out, but I know its no use. "Give me the book, Stefan, or I'm snapping her neck and me and you can have a vampire best friend again," he threatens.

"Let her go first," Stefan demands, looking at me worried.

"The book," Damon argues, moving his wrist away from my mouth, causing me to cough.

"I'm not giving this to you until she is standing next to me," Stefan exclaims angry.

"Problem is, I no longer trust that you'll give it back," Damon argues.

"You just did the one thing that ensures I will," Stefan tells him gravely. "Ok," Stefan says looking at Damon, slowly placing the book on the ground and reaching out for me. I whimper as I wait for Damon to release me, breathing a sigh of relief as he slowly releases his arm from me. I begin to edge towards the grave, jumping over it and into the safety of Stefan and Elena's arms. I look over at Damon in terror, wondering how I ever could of trusted him.

"Are you alright?" Elena asks me worried, as we walk away.

"When I'm away from him I will be," I hiss, as they each put an arm around me.

"How are you feeling?" Stefan asks me as Elena and him drop me home.

"Like I'm getting forcibly feed vampire blood way too often," I joke, sighing sadly, "like I started trusting him and realized how wrong I am," I admit.

Elena gives me a quick hug as I look towards Stefan, "Are you okay?" I question, after everything that happened tonight, it affected him as well.

Stefan looks at us, "Damon was right. This is my fault," he confesses to us.

Mystic Falls 1864

Two men carry Katherine into a cart, that is already occupied by a bound and muzzled Rose and many other vampires. Damon attempts to run towards the cart but is stopped when Stefan thrusts his arm in front of him. "Damon, Damon, stop I'll help you, we'll get them back," he promises.

Damon shoves Stefan violently, "Help me, don't you think you've done enough? You promised not to tell him," Damon shouts at his brother betrayed and hurt.

"I didn't think this would happen," Stefan admits sadly, as the cart begins to leave leading Katherine and Rose off to their deaths.

Damon looks at Stefan with anger, "you did this, this is your fault," he claims running off.

Stefan recounts the story to us on the way back to Elena's place, I just couldn't allow myself to be alone tonight. I needed to be around someone who understood what I was going through and Elena did. "I put my faith in my father, but Damon put his faith in me, and I destroyed that, this is my fault," Stefan confesses as we walk inside.

"You didn't do anything wrong, don't forget that," Elena reminds him.

"Okay," Stefan says as Elena and I pause on the steps.

"Thanks for everything Stefan, I owe you," I confess, glad to have Stefan as a friend. Stefan nods as I make my way upstairs, leaving Elena and Stefan to talk.