Chapter 11
Elena parks her car in front of the boarding house and sighs. She leans back in her seat and stares at the enormous house without seeing it. She takes a deep breath in order to calm her nerves, but the images in her mind aren't helping. All Elena can think about is how in the hell she's supposed to meet her future self. Her future vampire self. When Stefan told Elena about their new time traveler, she laughed. She thought it was a joke. There was no way Elena could survive 200 years. And she was right. Technically, Elena dies at some point, but wakes up a vampire.
Of course Elena had considered the possibility of turning over the past few months. You can't love a vampire without considering forever. But deep down, Elena knew she'd never do it. As much as she loves Stefan, she wants to grow up and have a normal life. Apparently that's just not in the cards for her because she is some freaky, supernatural carbon copy of a psychopathic vampire. Stefan managed a quick explanation on the reoccurrence of doppelgängers throughout history, but it seems Caroline would be a better source for details. Or why not ask this new Elena? Or is it 'old' Elena?
No, that's just rude, Elena says to herself as she finally climbs out of her car. Grabbing the extra set of clothing that Stefan suggested she bring over, Elena takes one final breath before entering the mansion. A few steps in, and she's surprised no one's shown up to greet her. With vampire hearing, Stefan or Damon always manage to sneak up on her before she gets too far into the house. She swears Damon does it just to see her jump.
Standing in the foyer, Elena glances upward and considers calling out, but she hesitates. What if the other Elena sneaks up on her? It was creepy enough when Katherine did it. No, better to go to her. Determined, Elena stalks down the hall toward Stefan's room. It makes sense that her counterpart might be there, since that's the part of the house with which this Elena is most familiar. When she passes the kitchen, familiar voices snag her ear. She pauses next to the open door frame to listen.
Damon asks about gaining forgiveness for killing Jeremy, and Elena scowls. He can't possibly think she'll just forgive and forget about his attempt to kill her little brother. She promised to hate him forever, and her future self better be holding to that promise. Alas, a giggle from within and a suggestion to offer a cupcake as reparation indicates otherwise. Elena wonders if this is truly her from the future. Apparently, doppelgängers show up every few hundred years. Maybe this time traveler is another doppelgänger masquerading as Elena. It wouldn't be the first time Damon was fooled, but Stefan should've known better.
Elena steps around the corner to stand in the open doorway intent on confronting her phony counterpart, but she finds a surprising situation. At first, Elena couldn't figure out why the vampires didn't hear her enter the house, but now she realizes it was due to their intense focus on each other. Future Elena lounges on the counter in a man's shirt and boxers that look far too expensive to belong to Stefan. Damon stands next to the imposter, staring at her with an expression that would make any woman quiver with need. The worst part is the slutty imposter's response to him. She actually has the nerve to shift closer to Damon and lift her face toward him as though expecting a kiss. Luckily, she changes her mind and turns away from him before he can accept the invitation. That's when she notices Elena at the door.
"Hi," the fraud says. Damon straightens as he spots the younger Elena.
"I'm sorry, was I interrupting?"
Cringing at the anger in Elena's tone, Damon shifts so that his back is against the counter, and he can see both doppelgängers.
"Nope, just enjoying some cupcakes," he says with an innocent expression that seems infuriate the younger brunette even more.
"Really? Because that's not what it looks like. You know that's not really me, right? She's obviously just another doppelgänger." Elena glances between the two vampires with an angry scowl. "Hell, you might just be Katherine in disguise. It wouldn't be the first time she's tricked you. Right, Damon?"
"Wow." Vampire Elena's eyes widen as she jumps down from the counter with her hands held up in surrender. "I am sorry. No need to be jealous. I just got carried away with cupcakes. Look, I get it…"
"I'm not jealous," Elena interrupts, and Damon raises an eyebrow at the accusation. "I'm just tired of people pretending to be me."
"Elena, this is really you," Damon says.
She crosses her arms angrily. "I'm sorry if I don't take your word for it."
"How about Stefan's? Or Caroline's?"
"I really am you," vampire Elena says. "I know it's strange and not at all the future you expected, but it's really me. Or you, or whatever."
"If you're really me, then I should hit a barrier when I come too close just like Caroline," human Elena says. She lays the clothing in her hands on a nearby counter then steps toward her counterpart, but the vampire back pedals.
"Wait, no. We're doppelgängers. We don't get a barrier. We get freaky magic stuff."
"What does that mean?" Damon asks, crossing the kitchen to distance himself from the two doppelgängers.
"It's different every time, but there's always something weird that happens."
"Well that's convenient," human Elena says.
Vampire Elena sighs in resignation and rolls her eyes. "Fine. If it'll prove my identity, let's do it."
With a defiant nod, the human, Elena, steps forward, and the vampire follows suit. Both Elenas feel a humming in the air, and one hesitates. When her human counterpart pauses, vampire Elena continues toward her. She wants to make certain no one doubts her identity. She may have gotten caught up in Damon and his cupcakes, but she'll be damned if she lets anyone else compare her to Katherine. Taking another step and ignoring the intensifying charge in the air, Elena glances at a nervous Damon with a cupcake still in his hand.
How many times has her husband offered a cupcake as an apology? She has no idea how the tradition started, probably sometime within her lost memories, but Elena loves it. No matter how mad he makes her, she can't resist an apology cupcake. It rarely extinguishes her anger, but it certainly helps to remind Elena how much she loves Damon. Smiling, Elena takes a final step and grasps her counterpart by the arm. The instant the doppelgängers touch, the energy all around them crackles and sparks into a bright light that blinds them.
"What's going on?" Human Elena calls, covering her eyes with an arm while her counterpart does the same. With a blink, the light disappears, and Damon is gone. Both Elena's stand in the kitchen across from a third Elena, unloading the dishwasher.
"I don't know," vampire Elena says. The third Elena doesn't seem to hear her response but continues with her task uninterrupted. "Wait, this feels familiar."
"What do you mean? Where's Damon?" Human Elena hurries toward the kitchen doorway only to slam into an invisible barrier a couple steps from the door. "What the hell?"
"I remember this." Vampire Elena watches the third Elena finish with the dishes. "This is right after graduation. Maybe a week or so."
"High school graduation?"
"Yeah." She nods. "I can't believe I remember. I hardly remember anything from that summer."
Human Elena frowns and steps closer. "Why wouldn't you remember?"
"The real question is how I'm remembering now. It's like the compulsion is lifting. I remember unloading the dishes and thinking how happy I was that I could unload the dishes without worrying about Klaus, or Katherine, or any other supernatural big bad. Jeremy was alive and safe. Klaus had allowed Tyler to come home, and Caroline was thrilled. Bonnie was off on some world adventure with her mom. And I was in love and happy. I remember feeling so grateful. Then," Elena pauses as she remembers, and her face lights up with joy, "Jeremy."
Jeremy shuffles into the kitchen wearing sunglasses big enough to cover his entire face. He groans as he slumps into a chair at the table. "Coffee. Please."
"What happened to you? Are you hung over? Jeremy, I have one night out with Caroline, and you break into Damon's liquor cabinet? What are you, twelve?"
"I didn't break into anything. You had girl's night, so we had guy's night."
"You're too young to be partying with Damon," Elena says. "Actually, you'll never be old enough for that. Just because Ric is gone does not mean you are Damon's new drinking buddy."
"I'm not! I'm just the interpreter," he jokes.
"Ric was there?"
"Yeah, we had fun. I broke Damon's arm."
"Great, now you're wrestling? So booze, ghosts, and violence." Elena shakes her head. "Do you want to throw in some drugs for good measure?"
Jeremy cringes. "Well.."
Elena blurs to his side and snatches the sunglasses from his face to examine his red eyes. "Jeremy, I thought we were past this. I can't believe you're getting high again."
"It's Damon's fault. It was his stash."
"I'll deal with him, but you're grounded. I can't believe you're making me say that."
"What? It was one time, Elena. I don't have anymore, and Ric already yelled at me plenty," Jeremy says, but then reconsiders. "You know what, I don't even care. It's not like I have any plans anyway."
"Good, you can spend the day in your room sleeping off this hang over."
As Jeremy shuffles away, Elena shakes her head. She can't believe Damon. He's supposed to be a role model for Jeremy. Oh, the talking to she's going to give him when he gets home.
"Speak of the devil," she says to herself when she hears the front door open and Damon call for her. "In the kitchen."
"Hey." Damon greets her with a smile from the kitchen door, but the piercing glare from his girlfriend makes him drop it fast. "Oh no. That's your serious frowny face. This does not bode well for me."
Elena presses her lips together and stares at him as she crosses her arms over her chest. She wants him to squirm, and Damon knows it. So he tip-toes into the room and sets a little white take-out box onto the counter. Elena glances at it, but decides to ignore it. She won't let him distract her from her anger.
"Before we jump into whatever it is that has you all riled up into that sexy little tizzy, I want to give you this." He opens the box to reveal a large cupcake.
"A cupcake isn't going get you out of trouble, Damon," Elena says with an insulted tone.
"That's not why I brought it, Elena. I didn't even know I was in trouble until I got here." He steps closer to slip his hands over her arms, and Elena deflates at his touch.
"Then why'd you bring it?"
"Because I thought you'd like it." He runs his fingers along the length of her arms. "I didn't realize Blondie could bake that well. Sheriff Forbes decided a bake sale would be a good excuse for the council to meet, and Caroline couldn't help herself."
"Yeah, she told me last night that it would be the best bake sale to ever grace Mystic Falls," Elena says with a smile.
"I don't know about the sale, but the cupcakes were delicious."
Elena stares up at Damon as he smiles back. Somehow, he's gotten so close that she can feel the heat from his body. His crystal blue eyes watch her with pure devotion, and she can't help but surge with love for this man.
"So you brought me a cupcake because you thought I'd like it?"
Damon picks up the small muffin and offers it to his girlfriend. "Am I not allowed to do that?"
Elena takes the treat with a shy smile as a blush spreads across her face. Damon seems to love the sight of her because his grin grows.
"It's just unexpected. And, sweet," she says, and he raises his eyebrows at her.
"Mmm, you don't like sweet?"
Elena shifts back onto her heels and rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's antics, but the smile stays on her lips because she also loves them. Damon steps closer, almost pressing Elena against the counter. He watches her with his smoldering eyes as she bites into a cupcake, smearing icing on her cheek.
"Wow." Elena's eyes widen in surprise as she forgets about Damon's overwhelming presence for a moment. "This is good."
Damon's jaw drops at his sudden dismissal. A moment ago, he thought he was going to get angry kitchen sex, but now Elena's more interested in the damn cupcake. "Note to self, Elena likes cupcakes. Correction she loves cupcakes."
Elena giggles at his offended pride. "I'm sorry, but this is really good."
"I know. That's why I brought it home," he says. Then he wipes the icing from her cheek to lick it from his finger, and Elena's focus returns with sharp snap. He can see her desire boiling up, and he leans down to close the deal.
"Elena. Elena. Wake up!"
Reality slams back into Elena, and the only thing that keeps her on her feet is Damon's hands on her face. Both Elenas stand in the center of the kitchen were they initially touched, while Damon shakes human Elena awake. When she finally returns to the real world, she sucks in a surprised gasp and the older Salvatore's distinct smell of bourbon and leather overwhelms her senses. For a moment, all she can see is Damon's blue eyes staring into her soul as relief floods his face. His gentle grip on her cheeks send shivers down her spine and her eyes fall his tempting lips. Realizing the danger she's in, Elena steps back and out of Damon's reach.
"What just happened?" Elena asks in a husky voice. Her eyes dart around the room at anything but Damon. She finds vampire Elena dancing in a small circle with a big grin.
"You tell me." Damon flips an odd glance at the dancing vampire. "You two touched, and both your lights went out. You guys stood there like empty shells. Neither of you responded to anything I said, so I started shaking you to see if that would wake you up. I was this close to calling for back up. Whatever that was, it was creepy and freaky, so don't do it again."
"But we have to." Vampire Elena stops mid-hop. "It was a memory. I actually got one of my memories back!"
"That was real? Like, it actually happened?" Human Elena asks.
Watching the memory unfolded was one of the strangest experiences of her life. It was like watching a movie play out right in front of her. It was living theater, except nothing she did interfered with the show. The strangest part was watching herself interact with Damon so intimately. She was openly flirting with Damon, and he was trying his best to seduce her. It seemed like a game for them, and it made Elena sick with guilt to see herself that familiar with her boyfriend's brother. She could've sworn that memory Damon was about to kiss memory Elena. But she's not certain, since she woke up too early to tell. She hopes that it didn't happen. To lead Damon on like that was wrong, and suggesting she'd betray Stefan was worse.
Meanwhile, a small, nagging whisper reminds Elena of Damon's sweet gesture. He brought her a cupcake simply because he thought she'd like it. It was such a small and innocent act, but she could tell it meant a lot to the other Elena. And for an instant, this Elena remembers how much this Damon has done for her. Between protecting her from stray vampires at high school dances, rescuing Stefan from tomb vampires, protecting Sheriff Forbes from powerful witches, and saving the town from the same tomb vampires, Damon's proven to be a good friend.
Until he got his feelings hurt and killed my brother. Elena frowns as her favor toward the older Salvatore brother dries up.
"Yes, it was a real memory that I'd lost, but I remember it now," vampire Elena says with a grin. "I remember every second like I never forgot it, so we have to do it again. There are so many memories that I'm missing."
"Wait," Damon says. "Someone needs to start explaining. Did you share a memory?"
"Yes, that's exactly what happened. It was like I was reliving it. I felt every emotion and remembered every thought that I had at the time. It was amazing."
"It wasn't like that for me," human Elena says. "I didn't feel anything. It was like watching a play or a movie unfold."
"That's because it wasn't your memory. It was mine."
"It was a memory that you'd forgotten? How?" Damon asks.
"I don't know. Obviously, it has something to do with me time traveling and us being doppelgängers. I told you, freaky magic stuff happens when we get too close. Usually, it's just lightening or gusts of wind, but this is the first time my past self was human. So maybe that has something to do with it-"
"Okay, but how did you lose your memories to begin with," Damon says with an impatient wave.
"Oh, I…" Elena pauses and cringes at the idea of admitting to Damon that she voluntarily compelled all her good memories of him away. "Well, the thing is…"
"You were compelled," the younger Elena says.
"No, if she were compelled as a human, she would've gained all her memories back during her transition to vampire. Examples include Blondie and her unyielding hatred toward me."
"Rightfully so," human Elena says, and Damon smirks.
"Actually, I was compelled as a vampire to forget," the older Elena says.
"I thought vampires couldn't be compelled?"
"They can't," Damon says.
Elena frowns at the younger versions of her self and her husband. "How long has Caroline been here? She should've already filled you in on this."
"Caroline has told me exactly nothing about the future even though she promised to dish. Just like you did. So it's time to pony up, Elena."
She shrugs. "Original vampires can compel other non-Original vampires."
"What the hell are Original vampires?"
"Klaus and his family are the Originals. They were the first vampires ever created over twelve hundred years ago. Or, I guess a thousand years now."
"Klaus? The super old hybrid that wants you for his creepy sacrificial ritual?" Damon asks with great annoyance that this information was only now being shared.
"Oh, so Caroline did tell you something."
"Barely." He turns toward the living room. "I need a drink."
He pauses a few steps from the door and motions for human Elena to exit first. "I need you two to observe the ten-foot rule, so find a comfy spot on the far side of the room."
Human Elena rolls her eyes before shoving her way through the kitchen door and into the living room. She shuffles over to the far window and glances out into the night sky. A few minutes later, Damon has a fresh drink in hand and vampire Elena sits in a sofa chair. Damon watches Elena stare out the window, and he lets slip a small smile at the sight of her standing in the moon light. He can tell she's struggling with something and wonders if it's about the future she saw.
"What was the memory about?" He asks vampire Elena. He has a feeling she'll be more forthcoming. From the corner of his eye, Damon sees his Elena twirl to face them.
Vampire Elena chuckles. "It was about you, Damon."
"Really? Was I naked?" His bounces his eyebrows, but he doesn't really expect a 'yes' for an answer. Still, a small ray of hope nagged at the back of his mind.
"Sadly, no." She offers a faux sigh. "You just gave me a cupcake."
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