Thank you for the reviews again! I've now got several weeks off, so apart from a quick holiday abroad, way more writing time.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
x-x-x-x
The week passed quickly, them all falling into a routine. Damon still had everyone on their toes, insisting Katherine would show up at some point and cause chaos. He'd given her lifts to and from school every day, and had apparently driven Ric mad with messages checking in. Elena was glad he'd at least spared her from the messages.
Damon really didn't like waiting.
As the week went on and nobody heard from Katherine, Damon became more agitated. That agitation grew when Stefan made the decision to come back to school.
Stefan had been less of an issue than she'd expected, he wasn't following her around like a puppy. In fact, he was spending most of his time with Caroline and Tyler. Better him than her, those two had their tongues down each other's throats far more often than publicly acceptable. She'd never been like that with Matt or Stefan.
Sat at her desk in the last class of the week, she blushed at the thought of how she'd be if Damon were in the building. Perhaps she couldn't blame Caroline too much?
"Elena, I asked you what you thought about Sarah's answer." Elena tried to not fluster; she couldn't even remember what they were discussing never mind answer her teacher.
Her brain had wandered to last night, cooking with Damon. He'd insisted on making food rather than ordering in, and somehow, they'd both ended up with pasta sauce on their faces, giggling and messing in the kitchen. Her on the counter, him between her legs. John had come home earlier than expected that night, causing a sudden cooling between them.
John's face upon finding them both flustered, lips swollen, was a picture; she had thought she could see steam coming out of his ears.
That night, she'd agreed to stay at the boarding house over the weekend.
"Sorry, I'm not feeling well. Could you repeat the question?" Mr Brady merely shook his head at her, directing the question elsewhere.
She'd need to spend some of this weekend studying, and they had the parade. Feeling her time with Damon shrinking in front of her, Elena sighed. Maybe there was some wisdom in his plan for them to stay with him full time.
Shaking her head, she brought herself back to reality. She tried to focus on the lesson until the bell rang and she could walk out to his Camaro.
x-x-x-x
"Elena Gilbert, you will not leave this building." Caroline snapped as they left class, her arms folded. She couldn't believe she was watching her friend try to skip her duty, again.
Elena paused on the spot, turning around, a wince on her face.
"You skipped out of float making, you've spent pretty much every waking hour since with Damon Salvatore, and now you're trying to skip the dress rehearsal? Not on my watch. Get your ass in there."
Either her boss voice or the arrows she was shooting with her eyes worked, because Elena turned around and began to follow her.
"So, we've got two floats that I'm in charge of. Obviously, the founder's court has their own float. That's the one you stuck half a dozen flowers on. There's another one, a civil war scene, that Matt and Jeremy and some of the guys are on. Today we're going to test our costumes and spots. Got it?"
Elena nodded, "Sure, Care. Look, I'm sorry for skipping. Okay?"
Caroline flicked her hair and left Elena in front of the costume rack. She'd felt forgiving last weekend, the movie night had been a perfect way to make up after their little fight. However, since then it was back to no contact.
At least Bonnie had been around, spending less and less time with Bree; recently she'd been able to stay after school and help with the floats. Bonnie wasn't going to appear in the parade, but she was dutifully applying the ribbons and final details to the founder's court float.
Reaching over her shoulders and hugging her from behind, Caroline squeezed Bonnie,
"Thank you for being such a good friend." She said, the slight snark in her voice creeping out.
Bonnie reached a hand to her arm in a gentle gesture, "Did Elena make it?"
Caroline rolled her eyes as she stepped back, "I had to practically drag her. What is going on with her?"
"As if you have to ask." Bonnie smirked.
They'd had plenty of discussions about Damon Salvatore and his new status with their best friend. Neither of them particularly liked it, but both had seen it on the cards for a while. Damon seemed to be a seemingly half decent human around Elena, even Caroline had to admit it, and the Elena they'd known for so long was starting to reappear.
That laugh, the carefree smile and witty humour was slowly emerging from the withdrawn shell she had been for the past year. Surely, that had to be a good thing.
She made the rounds, visiting each of the groups in turn. Tyler and Jeremy were working suspiciously well together, for a pair that had been beating the crap out of each other regularly just a few months ago.
Tyler had told her, as they laid out in his summerhouse the other night, that Alaric had stood up to his father on career's fair night- Jeremy witnessing what a dick mayor Lockwood was. Perhaps that was why he tolerated the kid now, or their shared love of drawing. They'd even painted some scenes from the local area on the edges of the float. She had to admit, they were beautiful.
Even Elena, who was rarely present at the moment, had noticed the recent difference in Tyler and commented on it at lunchtime. Caroline, of course, took full credit.
x-x-x-x
"Nope," He said, "Nopity, nope, nope."
She rolled her eyes at him, instantly recognising his voice even though she couldn't see him. Bonnie was trying to tie her corset as she prepared for the dress rehearsal. Full costumes, on the floats. Caroline had insisted.
"Do I not look pretty in my dress, Damon?" She asked coyly, turning to face him and giving him the curtsy that she had been trained to do.
He actually looked pale, and she suddenly realised who she looked like. He must be remembering Katherine right now; he really did look like he'd seen a ghost. Is this the effect she had on him? She felt flooded with jealousy, he'd spent the week pretending that he wasn't constantly expecting Katherine and now he was taken aback by a dress.
Did he actually want her? Had it all been a lie.
She felt the tears pool in her eyes and fought to keep them back. He hadn't actually said anything, and she was probably just overreacting.
"Elena, you look stunning. That century though? Not my happiest time." He said softly, reaching out to run his thumb over her cheek- teasing the tear out of her eye he brushed it away gently.
"When was?" She asked, casually. They'd discussed so many periods of history during their car rides to and from school, both now and in the past months. He'd never told her his favourite time, or his worst.
"Right now." He grinned flirtatiously before leaning in to give her a kiss. "Unless it ever becomes the fashion to walk around naked, of course."
She laughed, throwing her head back. "Like that's ever going to happen."
"Elena, I've lived through a time when women couldn't so much as show an ankle without causing a scandal. If we keep losing coverage at the rate we have, I guarantee public nudity by 2030." He raised an eyebrow, and let his eyes scan up and down her body, "Can't wait."
Just then, he turned his head towards the civil war float and chuckled.
"Sorry little brother," He said, "Couldn't help myself."
Elena tilted her head, questioning what Stefan had said but Damon gave no response. He simply stepped past her to claim his own outfit. Unbagging it, he smiled.
"That's not the outfit they usually wear." Elena frowned at him.
"This is mine," He whispered conspiratorially back to her, "The ones they usually use are actually a decade out of fashion. I wouldn't want to be an anachronism now, would I?"
He winked at her before disappearing behind the curtain to change.
She turned around to make her way to the float, almost physically bumping into Stefan on the way. Frowning at him, she folded her arms. He had vampire senses; he knew what he was doing when he stepped in her path.
"What do you want, Stefan?" She asked.
His eyes were all over her, just as Damon's had been. His reaction was different though, like he was getting lost in the memory.
"You really do look just like her, especially with your hair curled like that. It frames your face well." He said, reaching out to stroke a stray hair out of her face.
She stepped back slightly, "Don't, Stefan. I'm not her."
He looked at his shoes, placing his hands into the pockets of the soldier's uniform he was wearing as costume.
"I know," He sighed, "I don't want things to be weird between us either, I, I'm going to stay for a while."
"I figured that when you came back to school, Stefan." She replied. She was probably too blunt, but Stefan had hurt her when he'd decided to leave. She couldn't blame him, she'd pushed him away first, but it had still stung. The pain may have faded, but she didn't exactly want to be besties.
"I just, I just wanted you to know that whilst I'm not happy that you and Damon are, erm, well. I just wanted to say that I don't blame you." He tried to smile at her, but it came out as a grimace. It was almost a frown.
"You blame him." She surmised, meeting his eye in challenge.
"I'm just trying to understand, Elena."
Just then, she felt his hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards the float they had to go stand on. Luckily, not the one Stefan was resident on. Neither her nor Damon spoke a word to Stefan as they walked away.
x-x-x-x
As he drove her home that night his mind wandered again. There was too much that didn't quite fit, parts of the story that didn't make sense. He had spent the past few nights half distracted, trying to piece it all together.
John wanted the device, presumably to kill the vampires in his town. He was a Gilbert; he knew of the device and probably of the Augustines and the original vampires they had read about.
Isobel wanted the device, but to what end? For Katherine? She potentially knew everything John knew, after all he had directed her to Damon. Ric had said her research had focused on Mystic Falls because of its history, it was why he had arrived in town.
Katherine? Katherine might be here for the device too, or for Stefan, or both. Hell, she could be here for a dozen other reasons that he had no clue about.
Then there was Mason Lockwood. He'd checked that guy out with Liz. He was born here, went through school with Jenna and John. He might know Isobel too, but that was more tenuous. Liz had said he hung around with Jenna's group, and when he'd subtly brought it up with Jenna within John's earshot it was clear there was no love lost between Mason and the elder Gilbert.
What was Mason? If he'd grown up here, he had to be human? His strength wasn't though, could he have been spelled by a witch?
Finally, there was the dead body. Damon hoped he'd been right on his theory it was a passing vampire, but the luck of this town probably meant he was wrong. There'd been no further victims, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be. Could Mason be involved?
"Damon, are you even listening?" He was pulled out of his thoughts by Elena turning down the stereo as she questioned him.
"Honestly?" He responded, his face pulling into a shrug. "No. I was busy scheming."
"You make yourself sound positively evil." She teased him.
"Oh I am." He growled, grinning at her devilishly. He loved how it made her face redden, her pulse race.
As he pulled up to the house, he hoped it was still empty. Jeremy and Anna had been left with the floats; Jeremy was touching up the final design. Ric had left to pick Jenna up, take her to the grill for food.
That just left John, whose comings and goings were the most random. He had a flat in Richmond, it seemed, but would stay sporadically when he was checking in with the council. Damon suspected he was more just keeping his face around in case Katherine or Isobel chose to use him again, or simply because it pissed everyone off.
The guy was a dick that way.
Unfortunately, they discovered they were not in for much luck tonight. As they unlocked the door, John was taking a phone call in the kitchen.
Looking up and seeing them, he clicked the phone off without saying goodbye. Jerk.
"Evening, Pa." Damon greeted, saluting John and letting as much sarcasm infuse his voice as possible.
John clenched his teeth. "Good evening, Elena. How was school?"
Elena was dropping her bag off by the sofa as she responded, "Just like every other day, John. We're all ready for the Founder's Day Parade. I'm sure you're thrilled."
"Of course," he nodded politely, "it is such a fantastic event for the council. Are you still partnered on the float?"
He almost sneered as he said it, the look of revulsion he was sending Damon's way barely hidden. Elena must have sensed it because she reached for his hand possessively, stepping closer to him.
"Who else would I be partnered with?" She asked, her voice sounded sweet and innocent but there were undercurrents of venom there.
John almost opened his mouth, almost fell for the bait, but to his credit he was able to close his lips again.
Elena didn't hold quite the same amount of restraint, "Surely, my boyfriend is the best choice?"
John looked between them with horror, then stormed past them and out the house.
Damon looked down at Elena, "Now that's the kind of stupid crap I normally pull. Antagonising dear, sweet, uncle-daddy John is not the wisest move, Elena."
She shrugged, looking up at him, "I didn't like the way he was looking at you."
"I can handle it. Plus, he's not the first Gilbert to give me that look. Not even the first one this year." He could remember how she'd looked at him after Viki died. There was attraction there, sure. He'd known that since their first meeting, and their second. But there was hatred and revulsion too.
"I didn't know you, Damon. I wasn't seeing you." She whispered into his chest, as she pulled him into a hug.
x-x-x-x
Caroline was up bright and early the next morning, eager for the day ahead. She was so excited for the Founder's Day parade and wearing her Miss Mystic Falls sash again that she actually gave her mom a kiss on the cheek in greeting.
"Morning, Mom. You look tired, are you okay?" She asked, realising that calling her mom out for the bags under her eyes may not be the best way for greet her in the morning.
Luckily, Liz waved it off.
"I was up late; another body was found between the school and the woods. Another animal attack." Caroline shuddered. They'd been at the school pretty late getting things sorted.
"Was it anyone I know?" She asked, her voice unsure.
"No, sweetie. Somebody passing through, we think." Caroline nodded, getting herself breakfast.
"Will you be at the parade?" She asked, changing the topic to a more cheerful one.
Liz nodded, "In an official capacity, I'm afraid."
Caroline's instincts usually would be to sulk, to complain her mom worked too much and was ignoring her. However, for once she didn't mind. She had her friends around her, her boyfriend would be by her side having switched places with her official escort, and her mom would still get to see her.
"Look out for me, I'll be the one at the top. With the sash." She grinned, happily.
x-x-x-x
Elena pulled herself out of bed begrudgingly. Today was Friday, which meant after school they had the parade. After the parade, she would have Damon.
That made getting up worth it.
She'd been upset to not find him lying there, the first night this week he hadn't stayed over. He'd not stayed the full night each time, either going to the grill or popping home. She'd insisted on it, that they needed lives away from each other, but he had stayed each night regardless.
They'd not had much time alone, Anna's vampire healing limited that. She'd begged Damon to ask Bree to sound-proof the room with a spell, the way she had with a few rooms at the boarding house. He refused.
Apparently, Anna and Ric needed to hear if she screamed. He really was a drama queen, she thought.
Then, she screamed.
Before she could do anything else, she was suddenly surrounded. Anna was there first. John appeared after her followed by Ric. Each of them looked completely baffled.
"There was something buzzing, a yellowjacket I think." She said sheepishly, pointing to the window where there was clearly an insect of some sort. "What? It flew right past my ear."
Anna was the first to laugh, heading over to let the poor captive escape.
"False alarm," she said loudly enough for Jeremy to hear. He was probably still pulling himself out of bed.
Ric was standing there in just his boxer shorts looking bemused. Admittedly, that was an improvement from the last time this sort of situation had occurred. Once, Jenna had screamed at a spider and he had run out of the bedroom in just her panties. Apparently, he hadn't been able to find his boxers.
Elena was pretty sure Jenna had hidden his boxers, and she'd never seen evidence that there was actually a spider in the first place.
Excusing herself from both of them and into the bathroom, Elena took a hot and very long shower. She just needed to get through 12 hours.
12 hours.
x-x-x-x
He woke up with a groan, his head throbbing and his skin sore. His neck felt like it was stitching itself together, and however much he wanted to hope it was just from sleeping in a funny position he knew that hadn't happened in a very, very long time.
No, that was his broken neck healing.
He knew he needed to open his eyes, figure out his surroundings, but he didn't want to. He'd been dreaming of her, of running his hands through her long, dark hair. He'd been kissing her, trailing kisses down her neck and onto that spot on her collar bone that made her squirm under his touch.
If he didn't open his eyes, he could pretend he was in her bed.
He had been, last night. Until he'd heard someone at the fridge, they'd popped a beer. He'd been half asleep, the sound waking him. It was late. The only reason either Jenna or Ric would be drinking beer was if they'd been fighting. It could be Jeremy, he supposed. Either way, the conversation would prove interesting and once he was awake, he was awake.
Remembering how he'd decided to get up and investigate, he groaned. It had been a bloody trap. The way he felt, he'd been vervained before his neck was snapped.
Probably a human then. John?
Panic rose in his chest as he considered where John would have taken him. If he was in an Augustine cell again… No. He wasn't even going to let his mind go there if it didn't need to. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes to discover.
The cell was a small one, clearly underground by the smell of damp and moss. There were no windows he could see, but the shadows suggested there may be one high up behind him, just a slit. He could see beyond the barred door a spiral staircase going up.
Relief flooded him. This, he could escape. Maybe not now, he'd need a plan, but it wasn't his worst nightmare. He could fight anything but that.
Footsteps on the staircase suggested an incoming human. As suspected, it was John Gilbert.
"I know it's traditional to hate the in-laws, but I think this is pushing it a bit, don't you?" He sneered at John.
The chair he was bound to was old but strong. As he rattled against it, it would not budge.
"Don't you dare, don't dare ever suggest you would have that with Elena. You don't deserve to even be in the same room as her." He spat back, walking behind Damon towards the window.
It was at that point that Damon noticed a difference in his hand, less of a weight, his fingers resting easily together which felt foreign. His daylight ring was gone.
Then, he felt the light.
x-x-x-x