A/N: *Waves* Oooh this one was hella fun to write, The Reckoning is one of my absolute favourite episodes *ever* so I hope you all enjoy this one. I can't believe we've hit 250 reviews! Incredible. You guys rock. Every day. And a shout out to the guests who left me *lovely* reviews. Thank you so much. Okay enough from me. On with the show that I do not own.
The Reckoning
"I'm not the one who broke you
I'm not the one you should fear
And I wanted to be all you need"
Katherine and I have been driving for ages and if I'd known I was going to be the one doing the driving I'd have brought my own damn car. I'm pretty certain she said she would drive though. "You hungry? Let's stop for a bite. A truck stop, or a trucker" – "Oh stop being cute" – "It's not possible" honestly, why did I ever think that this was a good idea?
"We've been driving around aimlessly for hours, where are we going?" if she doesn't spill the beans soon then I'm going back home to face the wrath of Elena.
"Far enough away so that you can't go running back" on second thought she might have a point there; the wrath of Elena doesn't sound all that enticing right now.
"Not to worry, Mystic Falls and I are on a bit of a break" – "You and Mystic Falls, or you and Elena?" oh great, I see sexy Kat's coming out to play, it's almost a shame I'm in no way affected by it.
"Let's just say Elena and I are having a bit of a difference of opinion on how I should behave" – "Let me guess, Elena wants you to be the hero and you don't like playing pretend" she's running her hand along my chest and my jaw and her voice is all smoky and husky but...nothing. I got nothing.
"Something like that" however I can get something out of this, and by something I mean, an aggravated Katherine, which is always fun. "Her loss" she whispers before kissing me, she tastes like cherries and blood and sex and it's not in any way right. She just tastes wrong so I shove her off of me.
"What are you doing?" – "Thought I'd give it a shot. Truth is you just don't do it for me anymore" I love how she's the one that get's all pissed off when it was her who disappeared in a blaze of glory and never looked back. Not that I'm not glad about that now, as it transpires I waited 145 years for a whole other doppelganger. And whadd'ya know? Still waiting, that's probably all I'll ever be.
Okay, now I'm seriously tired of Katherine's pouting and silence so I pull into a rest stop. "Why are we stopping?" maybe because I'm not stupid? I know something is going on and there's no way I'm leaving Elena too far behind without knowing exactly what we're doing and where we're doing it.
Taking a break from the sexual tension, I'm tired of driving it's your turn" she stalks over to grab the keys and I throw them as far away as I can, no getting away from the truth now Kit-Kat.
"We're not going anywhere until you spill your guts" – fine" she pulls out Elena's necklace, which apparently Klaus wants but does nothing to explain why the hell we're out here.
"When I stole the necklace from Bonnie I found out something else, something better" uh-huh, getting to the point, "are you willing to do whatever it takes to stop Klaus? No turning back?" well I'm here aren't I?
"I'm not turning back" fairly sure no one's even gonna notice I'm gone anyway. "Good. Because this isn't gonna win you any points at home" what's in the trunk Kather-
"Jeremy? Really?" fuck yeah she was right, that's absolutely not gonna win me anything back home. And how exactly is Baby Gilbert gonna be of any use in this situation?
I get Jeremy out of the trunk and put him down on the table, "I'm listening" and I suggest you start talking before I get really mad.
"What if I told you there was a way to kill Klaus? And not dagger dead, dead-dead" – "I'd say you were desperate, and lying, or drunk. Or a desperate, lying, drunk."
"Do you remember my friend Pearl?" Oh, you mean the 'friend' you sold out so you could fake your own death? The 'friend' you left to desiccate alone in a tomb for 145 years? "Vividly"
Katherine goes on to explain that Pearl knew a vampire who could kill Klaus, but Pearl is kinda, dead-dead and all this talking in riddles is getting us nowhere fast and my heads starting to spin.
"She only ever told one other person" – "Who?" – "Her daughter, Anna" oh for. fucks. sake.
"Also dead" – "Which brings us right back around to-"– "To me. Back around to me" great timing Baby Gilbert, now will someone kindly tell me what the fuck is going on around here?
Ghosts. Bloody. Ghosts. Jeremy has been seeing the ghosts of girlfriends past ever since his present girlfriend brought him back from the dead. No wonder he's been so damn jumpy all summer. And now we're trying to contact Anna, honestly it's like a teenage version of Ghost and the Sixth Sense combined.
"What's she saying?" 'Cause really kid right now it just looks like you're talking to yourself and it's kinda creepy.
"She doesn't wanna help you" well there's a surprise, no one ever does. "My advice?" Katherine whispers at me, "you wanna make an omelette you have to break a few legs"
Aw man, as if I'm not in enough trouble as it is. But yeah, she's right. Anna has information and we need it. "Jeremy, I just want you to know, it's nothing personal" I smack his head off the table and, god, so much trouble.
"Anna I know you can hear me, tell us what you know. The sooner the better for your little boyfriend here" and for me. "Mikael" he shouts. Well great, a name is a good place to start.
"Who's Mikael?" – "He's a vampire and a hunter. You guys would be idiots to wake him" well no one ever accused me of being a genius. And 'wake him'? The fuck does that even mean? Jeremy asks my question for me and I can get my answer later. "It's time to go find the keys" who's great idea was it to throw the keys with vampire strength anyway? Oh right. Mine. Idiot.
"Don't fall asleep Jer, might have concussion" I say when I finally get back with the keys. "Thanks for the concern, dick."
While I was traipsing through the woods I realised that my phone is suspiciously absent, "Where's my phone?" – "Do you need to check in with Elena? Make sure it's okay you pummelled her little baby bro?" fucking just give me my damn phone "Now"thank you. Well, that's...unusual.
"Bonnie's been texting me" – "What is it?" Nothing good is what it is. "It's Klaus" – "No turning back Damon" – "Shut up Katherine" – "Hey, look at the big picture, the best shot at taking Klaus out is by finding Mikael."
Doesn't she get it? I only care about Klaus insofar as it affects Elena, he can take over the damn world if he wants to because without Elena there is no bigger picture. And I swear to god if anything happens to her I will tear the fucking world apart and if Katherine kept me from saving my girl then I'll drag her to hell right along with me.
I need to get back to Mystic Falls. Yesterday.
"Stay with her so Anna can guide you. I'm going back" I give Jeremy the keys and grab Elena's necklace out of Katherine's pocket as I brush past her.
"You're gonna get yourself killed. The Damon I remember wouldn't have been that stupid" I stall at her words for just a second; this girl does not know me at all. How is it possible that two people, who look so identical, in almost every way, can be so very, very different underneath?
"I wouldn't have done it for you" and I'm running, I'm running faster than I've ever run in my life and I'm far away. I just hope I'm not too far away. I have to get to her, why did I leave her? God it was just a fucking fight, I should never have left her.
Katherine thinks it's a weakness, but it's not. My only goal, aside from retrieving my brother from Klaus's evil clutches, is keeping Elena alive, protecting her. I don't care about the fight, I don't care if she was trying to change me, I only care that she stays alive to continue fighting with me. That's not weakness. That's love.
I finally make it back to Mystic Falls and track Elena to the hospital, what the fuck is wrong with her?
Klaus. Of course he would be here. "Well look who finally decided to show up to the party" better late than never right?
"Where is she?" – "Elena? Uh, she's making a...donation to a greater cause" I try to walk past him but obviously my life can never be that simple. "Can't let you interfere mate" – "You'll have to kill me."
"Oh I would love to kill you but uh, I made a pledge to your brother and unlike him I keep my word; although you know what? Thinking about it now, he probably doesn't care that much anymore" the fuck does that mean? God I don't have time for this.
Klaus slams me down on a car and raises his hand but hopefully my news will stop him from ripping my heart out; "Don't you wanna know about your friend Mikael?" yep that stopped him all right.
"What do you know about Mikael?" I know you sound mega-scared right now which is good enough for me. "Just that he knows you're here" – "You're bluffing" hell yes I am, but he will know.
"Katherine and I found him. Consider it our leverage" he throws me into another car and ouch! I think he broke a rib. Or two, but he's gone.
Elena. Now.
Oh 'Lena. I find her in a hospital bed and detach all the wires and she's been bitten. Who the fuck? I will kill. And there's a tube with her blood, they've been taking her blood. And although I remember, vaguely, drinking her blood the night I nearly died, I'm not even tempted by it now. Oh it was divine, of course it was, but Elena can give me her blood willingly or not. at. all. And it makes me furious that another vampire has bitten her. Again.
"Damon" oh thank god, she's awake. "Hey" I pick her up in my arms and she wraps herself around me, lays her head on my shoulder and as I carry her home she tells me what happened.
Stefan. Stefan bit her. And a girl called Rebekah, Klaus's sister. So, great, even more Originals and people I can't kill.
When I get Elena home I get her wrapped up in a blanket and bring her a glass of my best bourbon. "It'll help you forget" if you drink enough of it. She looks broken and I feel broken just looking at her.
"You know I can help you forget too, at least the memories you don't wanna keep" I almost wish I could. Take it all away. A part of me wishes I could compel the last year from her life, make her forget that she ever met me; make her forget that she ever met my brother.
I wish I could take away all the fucking pain that burns in eyes that used to shine with fire and passion and bring back the girl that she was that very first night I met her. But I can't do that, not only because it wouldn't work but because I am that fucking selfish. I can't lose her.
"No. No compulsion. I need to remember, all of it" god she's so strong, so brave. I dangle her necklace at her, that thing is seriously becoming the bane of my existence. "I stole it back for ya" but she doesn't take it, just stares at me with those big sorrowful eyes for minutes that could be hours.
"He's really gone this time, I watched it happen. After everything that we went through to get...to help him, now he's just...gone" yeah, I don't really know what to say to her because I can't make her words any easier to bear. It's the truth. Stefan flipped the switch and bit Elena and fuck yeah he's gone. A thousand fucking miles gone.
I put her necklace down on the table and she's gonna cry and I'm not even sure what to do here, I wish I could make it better.
"Where were you, Damon?" fuck. my. life.
Oh god, someone just stake me. Right now. How can four miserable little words have so much power? Right this second I almost want to wish myself an eternity of misery.
I'm sorry. So fucking sorry and I literally think my heart just fucking broke.
"I shouldn't have left" she nods her head but it's not enough, it's not good enough Damon, make it better!
I reach out and put my hand on her knee because it seems the safest place to touch her right now. "I promise you, I will never leave you again" and I won't. I'll be there until she orders me away. I'll be there for fucking eternity if she'd only have me.
She tries to smile a little at me and nods her head again with her eyes brimming with tears and you have got to love the courage of this girl.
"Well isn't this cosy" Stefan. Shit. Elena's heart jumps and her pulse races and she's afraid, she's scared of my brother. I stand up and move in front of her so she knows she's safe. Nothing will hurt her.
"What are you doing here brother?" – "Last I checked I lived here" and great, cocky Ripper Stefan really is back.
"Klaus is gone but he's asked me to keep watch on you until he returns" he says pointing at Elena. "From now on, you are under my protection" yeah right, over my un-dead body Stefan.
"By all means, carry on" he says waving his hands towards us. Ye-ep. There's my Ripper brother. Lights are on, but nobodies home.
Dear Diary,
Oh, such a bad day. The worst day. Stefan came home. Stefan came home and Klaus came with him. Klaus found me at school where we were setting up for Senior Prank Night. He said it was my fault that his Hybrids were dying, because I survived the Sacrifice, and he ordered Bonnie to find a way to fix it.
Klaus hit me and Stefan tried to fight him so Klaus compelled him to stop fighting, to obey him and then he made Stefan kill Dana and Chad right in front of me. And then his sister, Rebekah came, she bit me when she found out that Stefan gave me her necklace and I told her I didn't have it anymore.
Katherine stole it from Bonnie. And I didn't know where Damon was, I needed him and he wasn't there. And it was my fault, because of the fight that we had. Because he thought I was trying to turn him into Stefan.
Klaus gave us 20 minutes to find answers and he compelled Stefan to feed on me if Bonnie couldn't do what he wanted.
I got angry with Stefan; I knew he could fight the compulsion, if he just tried hard enough. After everything that we've been through, everything I've gone through trying to get him back, he owed me that. He owed it to me to fight. And he did, he told me to run and I ran. Straight into Klaus.
Stefan staked himself so that he wouldn't hurt me and Klaus told him that his humanity was 'killing him' and he kept shouting at Stefan to turn it off but he wouldn't and I was so proud of him. And then Klaus compelled him.
I watched it happen right in front of me. Stefan just...Stefan was gone. Klaus said he 'fixed him', he forced him to flip the switch and then he said that Stefan could drink from me. Stefan transformed right in front of me, his face, oh god it was terrifying. I mean, obviously I've seen his vampire features before but never like that.
He bit me and it was so painful, and he wasn't compelled, not to bite me. He did it because he wanted to, and just because he shut out his emotions doesn't mean that he doesn't remember who I am all of a sudden, doesn't mean that he doesn't remember that he loved me. How could he do that to me? I never thought Stefan would hurt me, but he would have killed me if Klaus hadn't stopped him.
When I woke up in the hospital and Damon was there, I thought I was dreaming at first. But Damon was really there, he came back for me, he found me, he rescued me and carried me out of the hospital and I was safe. I felt so safe.
I asked him where he was and he didn't really tell me, but he promised me he would never leave me again, and I felt everything he put into those words. I believe him, Damon always keeps his promises. I couldn't stop staring at him, his eyes; they really are so beautiful, even if there was pain and sadness in them tonight. It was like we were in another world, and then Stefan came home and the world was shattered.
I don't care if it's selfish of me anymore, Damon will protect me, take care of me, I need him. I need Damon because I don't know how else to cope anymore.
Elena