Chapter Nine- The Ace and The Open Road

Nothing much had changed in the small yet charming bar since I had been here a few months ago; but Damon and I were certainly different people. The establishment was busier than I would have expected for late in the evening on a Sunday night, but it was clear that this place was home to a lot of the townsfolk. Bree had a quiet calm about her that was undeniably infectious; and people tended to be drawn to it. We all needed that in our lives. I was walking as almost a shadow to Damon but kept far enough away to keep myself comfortable. I didn't have the home field advantage like I did when I was in public in Mystic Falls, and considering the car wreck of an encounter that we had just been through, I wasn't exactly in the best control of myself. Better to be safe than sorry. We hadn't even made it to the bar yet before Bree spotted us from across the counter and made almost inhuman strides in order to welcome us. The joy on her face at seeing us was touching; and seeing her warm smile again reminded me of just how much I had liked her when we had met.

"You're a half hour late Salvatore. You're losing your touch" She greeted with a contagious grin on her beautiful chocolate face. Damon wasn't amused by her light and playful address and I sensed from his tense body language that my hopes of an easy and pleasant meeting with Bree were going to be unfound.

"And you're looking old. Seems we are both slowing down" He grumbled, brushing past her and making his way to the bar. He was pissed; and clearly in need of a stiff drink, but that was no reason to be unbearably rude to an old friend. Bree watched him disappear to the bar then immediately flicked her head in my direction; asking the question of what was wrong with him with her dark brown eyes.

"Don't ask" Was all I could manage with the shake of a head. "It's lovely to see you again"

"You too Elena. You have no idea how much it warmed my heart to hear your voice this afternoon. I owe Mr. Sullen over there a swift kick in the ass for conveniently leaving out the part of you being okay"

"Forgive him. He's not himself lately" I told with the raise of an eyebrow. The all-knowing look she gave me told me everything I needed to know: she was worried about him. Her head jerked to the left of her shoulder as she guided me from the crowded room to the side. It was strange, standing in the bar and looking around, I hadn't even noticed it, and even as we approached it I hadn't realised there was a brightly lit green booth there until we were sitting down in it. My eyes darted around the room, surveying my surroundings, and as my eyes found her, Bree was looking visibly frantic as she sat opposite me

"Quickly, we don't have much time. Tell me, is his humanity still off?"

"Bree" I whispered in a hush. She was a witch who was well versed in the supernatural, surely she must know that even in a crowded bar Damon could hear us from across the room

"The booth has a spell on it. What is said in here cannot be heard, by anyone. And a perception filter spell shifts people's attention. Even when you're looking for it, the spell directs your eyes away. Now quickly…"

"Um…in short yes, but, he has been displaying some emotion"

"What kind?"

"Anger, vengeance, jealousy"

"The typical go to when the switch is acting faulty…" She paused for a moment, taking in the information I had given her "You know, the moment I heard your voice my heart instantly filled with relief and faith. I guess a part of me thought that once he knew you were alive, he'd come back"

"It hasn't been that simple unfortunately" I replied with a strained smile. "There has been some positive signs. He got jealous when he saw me with another man last night and attacked him. Then later on he kissed me. But, he's fighting it. The moment he shows even a shred of emotion or vulnerability, he lashes out. To prove that he's unfeeling"

"Okay…Okay…so there's some light at the end of the tunnel" Her response wasn't so much a reply as it was almost a mantra of reassurance to herself. Her eyes drifted over me and into the crowded bar where she watched Damon sullenly sipping his drink and subtly searching for us. He had to know about the booth, so he had to know that's where the two of us were. "I'll be honest with you girl. I've been terrified. Before I knew that you were alive, I had lost all hope of him coming back. Now, at least he has a chance"

"Why does everyone keep saying that? I don't have magic powers, I don't have the cure to 'fix' him"

"Of course you do" She chuckled "You have his heart. He loves you more than he loves himself. And that? That is more powerful than anything magic is capable of"

"I'm not so sure" I admitted. I didn't believe that, not completely, but I was emotionally exhausted after our fight.

"Love is the supreme emotion humans have the capacity to feel. It is the purest and strongest thing that exists; it's why it cannot be manufactured. Sure, spells can create infatuation and lust: the illusion of it, but magic does not have the capability to craft true love. And that my dear is why it is such a powerful tool. It's the key to bringing him back to us; you'll see"

"I'm trying" I told sternly. I didn't mean to be abrupt, but I'd heard this speech more than once, and the more times it fell on my ears, the more I felt like I was failing. If it was so powerful and strong, why hadn't it broken him yet? Almost like she had read my mind, Bree provided some insight.

"He scared me Elena. And I'm not talking just being a disapproving friend. I mean, he petrified me to my core. I've seen him with it flipped before. I've seen him back in his 'dark days'. But hell, that was a spring carnival compared to the blackness that I sensed in him when I saw him. I looked into his eyes; I looked deep into his eyes, right down into his soul….and there was nothing" Her hand moved from her lap where it had been resting to the bottle of whiskey that was sitting next to the green table lamp. She poured two glasses and after placing one in front of me and motioning for me to drink, then threw her own down her eager throat before pouring another. "He has wanted revenge on her before….after she killed their father. But that revenge was tangled in anger and hurt and emotion. This time, when he came to me a few months ago….there was just nothing. The lights were on but nobody was home. He wanted my help again but this time, he just very matter of factly wanted her dead. Not because she had hurt him or caused him pain or killed not only his father and his girlfriend but simply because her existence….I don't know how to explain it…..was….an inconvenience to him or something." I opened my mouth to respond to her but her eyes drifted to Damon again, who was now walking dangerously close to where we were sitting "Do not tell him a thing" was all she said before muttering a few inaudible words under her breath. Almost like a curtain had been lifted, Damon immediately looked in our direction with the predictable scowl on his face, and made his way over. Bree's demeanour instantly changed; her worried eyes were filled with faux joy and her shoulder relaxed out of the tense stumps they had been a mere second ago. A laugh that sounded so genuine escaped her lips and it occurred to me just how well she was at playing her part. By the time Damon reached the booth and began leering down at us, all traces of the conversation we had been having had dissipated.

"Damon! Do you know this girl has never been on a bull before? You gotta bring her down here during the rodeo festival and enter her in our bucking bull competition!" She smiled with the same laugh. God she was good.

"She's a big girl Bree. She doesn't need a chauffeur to come to town" He grumbled as he took a seat in the booth next to me. I could feel the sudden contact of his leg as he sat and his close proximity to me sent a mix of excited and angry shivers across my skin. Traitorous hormones, now was not the time.

"You love that festival though. Do you remember last time when that big fat Indian girl got up toward the end of the night and ended up knocking out three of my bar staff when she got flung off" The upset that engulfed her beautiful features when Damon's face didn't soften at her anecdote was heart wrenching. He truly was a cruel bastard.

"Do I remember my life? Of course I do. I didn't drive all this way to take a trip down memory lane Bree. I came here to get the information I'm paying you for. So if we could just get on with that it would be greatly appreciated

"Damon" I hissed lowly. It wasn't my place, but I somehow still felt responsible for him.

"Is he always this rude and arrogant Elena or does he just save it for his visits with me?" Bree asked, glazing over his insolence without the blink of an eyelash.

"Why on earth would you be asking her. She's not my keeper" He growled.

"No, but she is a good girl who just happens to be the best thing that's ever happened to you, so watch how you talk about her. And while we're on the subject, I don't give a shit what is going on in that head of yours; Humanity or not; I'm your friend and you are in my bar, so start treating me with the respect I deserve or I'll have Tito over there stick a wooden chair leg through your sternum" Ouch. Bree didn't hold back, and my respect for this commanding woman just surged. He bared his teeth at her in dissatisfaction and shifted in his spot

"I don't need this shit…"

"Quite frankly you do. Because like it or not, you are paying me, and trust me when I say; I've got something you want. Something you've wanted for a very, very long time…"

"And what exactly is that" He barked, simultaneously livid and inquisitive.

"A way to take care of Katherine Pierce" Bree told in a sing song tone "For good". Silence fell in the booth bubble as the ramifications of the words Bree had just uttered sunk into both mine and Damon's conscious. Was it possible? Was there something Bree had for us that would allow us to live the rest of our lives not having to look over our shoulder for the next kamikaze attack? I was a positive person, but something like that seemed just too good to be true.

"Bullshit"

"When has my word ever been anything other than trustworthy" She stared him down and it was not a question, it was a statement. "You may have the king, queen, jack and ten Damon….But I've got your Ace" We all fell silent again for a few seconds and my brain couldn't help but drift to thoughts of being rid of her. I could see my brother again. Get a place of my own and stop living in the survival camp that was Salvatore Manor. I could have a life again…

"I'm listening" It was a valiant effort to seem cool and collected in this situation, but it was blatantly obvious that he was hanging onto every word Bree had said. Getting revenge on Katherine seemed to be the only thing that motivated him when he was sans humanity, so hearing this, well, that was a game changer, for the both of us. I'm not too sure what I wanted more: to have Damon back for good, or to see Katherine gone forever. To have both well…that would just be a dream come true.

"So obviously we have been looking at her patterns for a few years now. Which towns she has lived in, how long she will stay somewhere before she moves on. We have always attributed it to her getting bored and wanting a new group of people to torture and a new town to set on fire. But after you were here a few months ago I got to thinking. Every vampire has a maker right? The person who turned them. And nearly every single vampire I have ever come into contact with was turned by someone they had a very close relationship with; almost like they were sired. Think about it, Katherine turned you and Stefan because she wanted to be with you forever….Katie from Michigan, she fell in love with Phillip in the early 1800's and that's why he turned her. What about Katherine though? She has never uttered a word about who created her…and it's only in very rare cases; like for revenge or to create minions, that someone is turned for an alternate reason."

"Enough with the hypotheticals Bree, where is this going?" He asked impatiently

"What if Katherine wasn't moving from place to place because of restlessness. What if…she was running from someone?"

"Someone who?"

"Her maker" I answered. Bree's eyes lit up when she realised I was on the same track as her. It made complete sense; she had a relationship with the vampire who created her, she ultimately betrayed them and had been hiding ever since. She had to have learned her diabolical behaviour from someone, and it fit into her pattern of creating an army of minions to do her dirty work for her.

"Say you are right, say she's been on the run from her creator. From the information Stefan and I have collated she is old….like…a few centuries. How would we ever begin to try and find out who turned her all those years ago?"

"We wouldn't have to" Bree answered with a simple smile "Because I already know"

"What?"

"Katherine Pierce hasn't always been her name. That's why we have never pieced any of this together before now. In 17th century Europe, she was known as Katerina Petrova" I could feel Damon's energy next to me, and he was vibrating at an insanely high frequency. "And the name of the man who turned her was Klaus"

"Well is he still alive? What did she do to him?" I asked, about to jump out of my own skin with excited curiosity. All this time I had been envisioning Katherine as a modern day bullet proof demon; to find out that we may have a secret weapon against her now was almost too much for me to handle.

"He is very much alive; and as for what transpired, I'm unsure, it's crowded in secrecy. What I do know is that he is ancient. There isn't a period in the history of humanity that I haven't been able to place him or his family in. Which means he is very old and very powerful- and that makes getting a hold of him almost impossible" The anticipation I had coursing around my heart sudden staggered at those words, and suddenly it seemed like we were back to square one. How could we utilise a weapon we couldn't reach?

"Great" Damon exhaled, as disappointed as I was that our hopes had suddenly been dashed

"Don't be like that kids" She cooed with a reassuring smile "I may not have been able to reach Klaus. But I did manage to reach one of his closest confidents" My head lifted to look at her and I hadn't even realised it had dropped towards the table in disappointment. Her hand moved from her half empty glass to her bosom where she pulled out a folded white piece of paper and slid it across the table to Damon. "His name is Elijah. And he is expecting your call" Damon stood up to excuse himself almost immediately before Bree grabbed him by the arm "Hon, there is a silencing spell in here for a reason. You can never be too sure who is listening out there. Do it here, there is too much at risk" He nodded in agreement before sitting back down and taking out his cell phone. I couldn't be certain, but I was sure I was his fingers shaking in nervousness as he punched the numbers from the piece of paper into his phone. He seemed shaken, and I could understand why. This was unfound territory in his war against Katherine, and for once, he seemed to be one step ahead. I decided to excuse myself to the bathroom and reduce the size of the audience observing the phone call. I squeezed my way past an uneasy looking Damon and strode into the ladies restroom. Although I could still hear every noise from the bar, it seemed more zen in here which allowed me to gather my thoughts. So much had happened in the last 24 hours, and now this? A possible way to defeat Katherine? Well, that would just be the cherry on the sundae. I had to remain level headed and not let my anticipation get the better of me. Katherine was a piece of work, and I could only imagine just how diabolical the man who made her would be. I had to be ready for anything; and I had to make sure Damon was as well. After splashing some water on my face and drinking in the image of the exhausted looking vampire staring back from the mirror in front of me, I took out my phone to send Caroline a quick text.

"Made it to Georgia relatively unharmed. Will let you know when we're back on the road. Hope you're having a good night with Bon. Love you xx" I should have texted her and let her know we arrived safe when we first pulled up to the bar but I was still fuming over our roadside boxing match that it hadn't even crossed my mind. After a few minutes had passed I walked out of the restroom and back to where I thought the booth should be. Luckily, Bree had seen me coming and lifted the perception filter to guide me. I was surprised to see Damon standing up and putting his jacket on as I reached them.

"What's going on?" I asked, noticing his car keys were in his hand

"You stay here with Bree. I've got a meeting with this Elijah gentleman"

"Where?"

"A farmhouse, a few hundred miles away in Alabama"

"An associate of the most ancient vampire you've ever come across wants to have a meeting with you, in an isolated farmhouse in Alabama?"

"That's what I said"

"No way. I'm coming with you. It could be a trap.."

"All the more reason for you to stay here"

"This entire thing reeks of a setup, there is no way in hell you're going in there alone. Safety in numbers right.."

"Even if it is a trap, you're a young vampire with no fighting experience…"

"I think we both know I can throw a decent punch Salvatore" I said, narrowing my eyes. He stood silent for a moment, thinking through his options, before finally submitting to my insistence of tagging along. Whether he agreed that I was right or thought it easier just to give in, he gave me the nod of approval and picked up his phone off the table.

"Should this meeting go well and your information prove reliable I will make good on my promise of a bonus payment" Was all he said to Bree, and I could tell she was a little wounded by his callousness.

"That's Damon for thank you" I smiled, patting him roughly on the shoulder before pushing him out of the booth so I could give Bree a brief and private goodbye "I will get your cell number from his phone and let you know that we are safe"

'I appreciate that Elena"

"He's not exactly capable of expressing it at the moment but I know he is grateful for your help. And I want you to know that I am as well. You're a wonderful person and I am thankful of how good of a friend you have been to him. He is lucky to have you, and I truly am sorry you have to see him like this. I hope you don't take any of this to heart and know that the real version of him…well…he thinks he absolute world of you" Bree observed me strangely for a moment, looking me up and down and turning her head from side to side

"Strange" She whispered

"What?" I asked confused

"Other than your fangs and the lack of heartbeat in your chest- you possess no vampiric qualities. I didn't think it was possible but I think immortality has made you even more empathetic" I gave her a thankful smile at the compliment "Thank you though Elena. I know who he truly is, and that's why I won't give up on him. But I want you to think about what you just said to me, think deep and hard, and I want you to say it to yourself. I'm not the one who needs to not only hear that but believe it honey….you are. And you need to, because every word of it is true" I was a little shocked at her instructions and quite frankly, a little uncomfortable discussing it with him standing in such close proximity. I knew he couldn't hear us, but his mere physical presence left me feeling unsteady on my feet at her words.

"I'll see you soon" Was all I could manage, before I stepped out of the enchanted booth and walked with Damon toward his car. I pulled out my phone and quickly opened up a new text message.

"Change of plans Care. Cancel my morning meetings…we are going to Alabama.."

xx

We had been on the road for around two hours and the darkness of the night seemed to cloak us with a welcome invisibility. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about what was waiting for us at the end of the track; it could be an ambush designed by Katherine herself for all we knew. But I knew Damon felt exactly the same as I did: we had nothing more to lose, so we had to try. Looking out of the window at the blurred dark night, I had no concept of where we were, but I knew it was somewhere between hope and the unknown. Damon and I had been in complete silence since we left the bar, but strangely it wasn't uncomfortable. We were both just too consumed by our own thoughts and as the new Katherine mission came into view; our fight from hours earlier seemed like an eternity ago. I had a million questions swirling around in my mind, and as Damon took an exit off the interstate onto an even darker dusty dirt road, I knew he was the only one who would be able to give them to me.

"Damon….when you were with Katherine. When you were a human…did she ever talk about her past? Where she was from?" It took him a moment to snap out of his mind and address the question I was directing at him. Thankfully, his tone seemed flat yet receiving.

"Not in the slightest. She has always been very secretive, especially about her life. She would constantly tell me that her life before me was insignificant and it wasn't until she met me that she started truly living"

"Smooth" I said with a chuckle

"Oh you have no idea. She is the master manipulator. I must admit though, her lines were like butter back then. I'm not even ashamed to say I've stolen a few of them over the years and used them on women" Ordinarily I didn't enjoy hearing about his past conquests, but the twisted beautiful irony of him using her moves on other women after she turned him was just too amusing.

"Did you ever use any on me?" I asked with a humoured smirk. He eyed me from the side suspiciously, attempting to figure out if I was trying to pick a fight, but the light grin on my face reassured him otherwise

"No. I doubt they'd work on someone like you"

"Someone like me?" If this ended with an insult after I had taken a chance of conversation with him I would not be pleased

"Those types of things only work on women who are trying to fix their inner issues with the approval of men. You'd see through it in a second flat" I nearly choked on my own saliva at the statement. He shifted uncomfortably in the driver's seat before returning his gaze back to the empty road. He was struggling with something and I'd wagered that the compliment wasn't sitting right with him. He had a tendency to fly off the rails anytime he said or did something nice to me lately, which caused me to mentally brace myself for a fall out.

"So when we get there, and it is a trap, what's the plan?" The desperation to change the subject was obvious but I didn't want to argue

"Wing it" He responded with a shrug, causing a small chuckle to escape from my mouth

"Wing it? That's the plan?"

"Yepp" He said with an overpronouciation of the letter p

"Alright well; no matter what happens we just need to stick together alright" No matter what had happened between us lately, and especially the last few hours, I had a strange comfort inside of me that he would have my back.

"Alright" He said softly. We sat in silence again for a few miles and I let my mind enter an almost meditative state as I watched dark blurry objects pass us by "Elena?" There was something about the way he had said my name. Something soothing and familiar.

"Yeah?"

"About….earlier…."

"Damon we don't have to…."

"I know we don't" He interrupted before exhaling the breath I didn't realise he had been holding "But I am…..apologetic…for throwing your….property…..out of the car like that. I wouldn't like it very much if you had done that with one of my books so…sorry I guess"

"Thank you" I said genuinely. It wasn't exactly heartfelt, but he meant it, and he was showing remorse for his actions. It was a step in the right direction.

"And what I said….out on the road….you can't take anything I say seriously….I was just trying to hurt your feelings…so"

"I know" He paused again for a moment, fighting an imaginary battle I couldn't see

"I..." He began lightly before coughing harshly "He did love you. You should know that" I could sense a wave of emotion threatening to wash over me, but with one deep breath, I composed myself.

"I do" I smiled lightly. There were so many things I wanted to say to him, to get off my chest, but it wasn't the time. It never seemed like the time. Instead, I decided with the less risky road "I guess I…over reacted…and…I'm sorry too. I'm still working on this whole 'controlling my anger' as a vampire thing"

"It's going quite well for you" He laughed, causing a sharp pang in my chest. I hadn't heart that joyful noise from him in such a long time. "It gets easier"

"What?"

"Controlling your emotions. Anger was the one I fought with the most at first as well" His confession was startling, and he seemed to be showing a sliver of human vulnerability in this moment. I suddenly felt like I had to tread on eggs shells so I didn't disturb it.

"How did you reign it in?" I asked lightly

"I met you" And with three words, all the blood drained from my face. My mouth fell open as I continued to stare at him like a wide eyed zombie. "We're here"