I'm almost at 100 reviews, that is completely ridiculous! Thank you so, so much. I appreciate every single one immensely.
How would you guys feel about a darker Delena story, set in an AU where the comet arrives 5 years later? I'm drafting one for my own enjoyment and will post when this one is finished. I might have to write something more light-hearted at the same time though, it's a bit dark.
Enjoy this chapter, apologies that it is a short one.
x-x-x-x
What the hell was she going to do? The stranger knew Katherine, knew her. He was a vampire. Damon was still nowhere in sight.
A part of her wanted to just wait, to sit despondently and just accept her fate. He was going to take her, to do whatever he wanted to her, and she was going to die. It was probably Katherine's plan all along. If it just happened now, it could be so much easier.
A stronger part of her wanted to fight, to punch the stranger's chest in and rip out his heart. She wanted to be free of this drama, of this never-ending list of threats against her. She wanted to be back at the lake house, or anywhere really, as long as she was in Damon's arms. That is what she really wanted, and the desire to fight burned brighter.
Spinning around, she tried to spot him, the stranger in the crowd. So many people were in period costume she couldn't identify his outfit. She looked for his stubble, his distinctively messy hair, her ears listened for his accent. There was no sign.
Barrelling around the small area between the floats and the school building, she was determined to find him, instead she found Jenna. She nearly collided with her.
"There you are! Where are you running off to? You looked fantastic by the way." Jenna rested her hands on her arms, stopping to look at her.
Elena felt the breath come back to her body, her rational mind engaged once again. Why was she trying to chase an unknown vampire?
"Oh, erm, thanks." She said weakly.
Jenna just smiled, "Ric called. Damon's sorry he couldn't make it, something about Isobel. He, John, and Ric have gone to see her."
The warmth she had been missing for the entire day suddenly flowed through her again, her fingers feeling alive again, her face able to smile.
"Is he ok?" She asked.
"As okay as anybody can be when they're on a road trip with John." Jenna laughed, "I just hope they all make it back in one piece."
Elena laughed at that, she actually laughed.
Perhaps, she thought to herself, she should worry about how much she'd lost herself today. One day without Damon and she'd felt the will to just stop, to feel the world stop spinning and just sit. She'd felt that way before, after the accident. For weeks she had just sat. On her bed, at Liz Forbes' table, at their kitchen counter when they moved back. She hadn't engaged with the world and hadn't wanted to.
She wouldn't lose Damon, she couldn't.
x-x-x-x
The party after the parade felt like too much, he couldn't fathom why the people of this town chose to spend so much time celebrating a period of history that was so detestable. The people who founded Mystic Falls were not good people, and he should know. He'd ended most of their lives out of vengeance.
Stefan had changed as quickly as possible after the parade, removing the soldier's uniform and returning to his modern jeans and shirt. Today's clothes certainly prioritised comfort, it was one of the perks of this century. Modern plumbing being the best, of course. He'd driven home without accounting his departure, he was pretty sure nobody there would miss him.
As he let himself into the boarding house, he was surprised by the noise from upstairs.
Bree should have been working. Damon was on his way to North Caroline; or so a text from Ric had informed him.
Cautiously, he climbed the stairs. The sound was somebody pacing, occasionally banging, and it was coming from his room.
"Good evening, Katherine." He said as he pushed the door open, not needing to check who was there.
"Stefan." She practically sighed his name, speeding to him and taking his face in her hands. "You're okay."
"Why wouldn't I be?" He questioned.
"He's here. The bastard is here. He was up there with her, holding her." She was pacing again, her eyes darting around the room as she spoke, muttering plans and machinations to herself.
"Katherine, slow down." He reached out for her hand, pulling her to him. He stroked the sides of her arms, hoping to calm her.
Katherine may be the most manipulative bitch on the face of the planet, but if she was panicked he needed to know why.
"Who is here?" He asked softly.
"Klaus." She said the name as if he should know who she was speaking about. When he gave her a questioning look she clarified, "Niklaus. Niklaus Mikaelson."
He still had no idea who she was speaking about.
"Chicago, Stefan. Don't you remember?"
He didn't. He'd been in Chicago in the 20s, when he wasn't himself. He was a ripper, his humanity hanging on by enough of a thread that he still felt guilt. Everyone one of his victims had driven him to further despair, but it hadn't stopped him. He had still killed them, tortured them.
That decade had been his worst, that city reminding him of how brutal he could be. Quite honestly, he didn't remember most of it. Whether his memory was protecting him from the worst of his atrocities or whether he'd simply become such a monster he couldn't think; he wasn't sure.
"No. No, I don't, I don't have many memories of that time." He said, his eyes cast down. He didn't want to remember either, he didn't want to admit what he had become.
She frowned at him, a hand rising to stroke away the tear that was following the line of his nose.
"He compelled you to forget. The bastard." She actually looked concerned, but that would involve her being able to feel empathy.
"I can't be compelled, Katherine. I wasn't a human when I was in Chicago."
"Klaus could compel you. He's an original. His whole family are." She sighed, ushering him to the bed.
"In the 20s, in Chicago, you met a girl. Rebekah Mikaelson, a complete and utter floozy. For some completely unknown reason you had a thing for her. You made friends with her brother, Niklaus. At some point, he must have compelled you to forget. Over the centuries, there's been many people who have been made to forget Klaus."
"Why?" He asked.
"I don't know. He rarely stays settled for long and leaves little trace. The only place he really stayed was New Orleans." She continued, "It makes it hard to predict him, to stay away."
"He's why you faked your death." He surmised. Suddenly, she made perfect sense. She was running, hiding from this vampire who could compel others.
She nodded, wiping a tear from her own eye. Katherine? Katherine was crying?
"I've been running for 500 years, Stefan, from him. I thought I was finally going to be free, that I finally had the upper hand. Instead, he's arrived. He's found her. She's all he wants."
"Elena." He felt sick, Katherine was the strongest, most cunning vampire he knew. Yet here she was, crying and running scared from Klaus. The same Klaus who had found Elena.
She took his hands in his, meeting his eye. "We have to leave Stefan; we have to run now whilst he's distracted."
What was she saying? How could they leave Elena to defend herself against Klaus? Damon wasn't even in town, but if he was, he would be by her side. He may doubt his brother's intentions were as pure as he made out, but he didn't doubt for a second that he would stay and fight for Elena, defend her. Even if it cost him his life.
"I can't, Katherine, I can't leave Damon here."
She looked up to the ceiling in a silent prayer and nodded. It was as if she could switch the tears off, her cunning smile returning instantly. "Better you than me."
At that, she was gone. He watched her speed out of the door, hearing the front door slam behind her. At least she was using the door this time.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he wouldn't see Katherine Pierce again, that she truly meant to disappear. Stefan tried to focus on anything but the hole that thought seemed to leave in his gut. Instead, he flicked his phone open.
"Ric." He said, "Can I speak to my brother?"
x-x-x-x
"Satan speaking." Damon quipped as he took the phone from Ric. If that's how Stefan wanted to continue to see him, he might as well have fun with it.
"Katherine's left town. She's running from Klaus." Stefan said, his voice heaped with concern. Damon wondered if it was concern due to the fact he wouldn't be seeing Katherine.
"Klaus?"
"Apparently, he's an original. He wants Elena." Damon's blood ran cold, he had to focus on the feel of plastic in his fingers so that he wouldn't crush the phone. His other hand was in a fist, and he spun in the office, letting it launch into the wall.
The sound made both John and Ric jump in alarm, spinning around to face him.
"Get to Elena. Now. Stay with her, get Anna and Bree as well. Do. Not. Leave. Her. Side." He was aware he was almost shouting, but he quite frankly didn't give a fuck.
"Damon?" Stefan said, "Do you know who he is?"
"I know what he wants with her." He sighed, shaking his hand as the bones knit themselves back together. The pain temporarily distracted him from the anxiety that was twisting around his heart, trying to rip it from his body.
"I'll go get her now." Stefan said.
"Stef," he paused, hoping his brother would for once have faith in him, "Please, keep her safe. I can't be there until tomorrow and I'd…"
"I'll protect her with my life, Damon. As you would."
Damon swallowed what Stefan said was undoubtedly true, but to hear his brother say it gave him more hope than he had held in a long time. Hope that his little brother would not hate him for eternity, that they could work together.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the best at dealing with hope. So, instead of thanks, he clicked the call off.
Turning to a pale John and annoyed Alaric, he updated them. "There's an original in Mystic Falls. Klaus."
Ric sighed, a hand on his hip. "Then let's pack everything as quick as we can, we could need any of it. Plus, the quicker we leave the smaller the repair bill Duke send me is likely to be." He raised a brow and glanced at the rather large wall cavity Damon had created with his fist.
Damon just shrugged.
"When will she be here?" He asked John, who had finally looked away from him and started packing Isobel's large collection of grimoires.
"3 hours. She said she'll meet us at the restaurant we used to meet at." John muttered, glancing at his watch.
Ric growled slightly at that. As they'd filled him in on the drive, the timing of John and Isobel's reunion hadn't been discussed. The way John spoke about her, had made Damon feel uncomfortable so he was quite frankly rather surprised that Ric hadn't hit anything yet himself.
They were all too focused, he hoped. Normally, he would be more than happy to wind both sides up and watch the fight- stepping in to defend Ric only once he'd got in a few punches himself. Today though, today he just wanted to get back to Elena quickly.
They should have been in his bedroom 3 hours ago.
He suspected John's infatuation was one sided, anyway. He could see Isobel falling for his allure when they were teenagers, but now John had a receding hairline and wrinkles were starting to form in his frown lines and around his eyes. He wasn't ageing gracefully. Isobel could do far, far better.
When they met her later, they would see. The car ride back to Mystic Falls would be an interesting one, for sure.
He just hoped he didn't have to break any necks. Or perhaps, he would break all 3. Between a vampire and two Gilbert rings he wasn't going to do any lasting damage and he could drive home a lot faster without the distractions.
Soon, he would make it home to her.
x-x-x-x
She had let Jenna talk her into staying on the town square for the party. Not that she felt like partying, or even being social. However, she refused to put her life on hold because her boyfriend was away for the night, or because there was a strange vampire in town.
Elena Gilbert would live her life, thank you very much, and she wouldn't get another chance to dance to her favourite songs in a 150 year old ball gown. Probably. This was Mystic Falls, so it wasn't beyond question.
Caroline had outdone herself with the preparations. Not only had she been responsible for 2 floats and the decorations, but she had also managed to convince all the local businesses to run food stalls. Even the Mystic Grill, positioned on the corner anyway, had put a stall outside. There was a small stage set up in the square, where the Mayor and Mrs Lockwood had made a particularly pompous speech celebrating the founding families.
Now, the stage had a band playing and her friends were dancing.
The last time they had danced like this was at the Lockwood mansion, the day she had let Damon dance far too close. That was the day he had tried to kill John, she remembered with a slight bitterness. Had she forgiven him too easily for that, had she let her love for him overwhelm her disdain for killing? Then again, he was on a road trip with John now, so he had learnt from his mistake.
Was it for her to judge his past sins, if he kept trying to learn, to improve?
Deciding that she was thinking far too deeply for such a celebration, she broke herself from the dance crowd in search of a drink. Walking towards the bar, she spotted Jeremy and Anna secluded on a bench, deep in conversation.
Their relationship should bother her, her younger brother as deeply enamoured with a vampire as she was. She knew what she would eventually do for Damon, how she would choose, one day, to spend forever for him.
Was Jeremy having the same thoughts?
Anna appeared a lot younger than Damon, even though she was centuries older. She could barely pass for 18. Would Jeremy want to ever be 25 if he was with her? How about 21?
The thought sent a spike of pain from her heart up to her throat, would she lose her brother?
Fighting the instinct to march over there and scream at Jeremey to walk away, her own love for Damon stopped her. Nobody would be able to stop her, when she decided. She wouldn't be lost; she'd just be different. Surely, she should be happy there was a chance she may keep her brother for eternity. She would never have to mourn Jeremy.
A sense of peace settled on her heart as she wandered further, in search of a drink.
x-x-x-x
Caroline waved excitedly to Stefan as she spotted him running to the square. He had gone home early, but it seemed he had decided to return.
She was happy for him, moving on from Elena and choosing to have fun again. It was the right thing for him. She hated watching him miserable, and today he had been particularly so. He had spent most of the day watching Elena, pining over her as if she was a triple chocolate muffin.
"Hey, Care, have you seen Elena?" She decided not to take offence, keeping her smile plastered. After all, she had Tyler to dance with, so she didn't need to worry who Stefan was thinking about.
"Yeah, she was just over…" As she turned, she realised the spot Elena had been dancing in was no longer occupied, "Sorry, she must have gone to get a drink or nip to the ladies. Maybe try the Grill?"
He nodded and walked off.
She couldn't help but watch him walk away, his shoulders slumped with a burden she couldn't name. Her heart went out to him, wanting to make him smile instead.
Turning back to Tyler and the group, she continued to dance.
Caroline Forbes did throw one hell of a party.
x-x-x-x
She winced as she woke, her hand rushing to her head and feeling wet blood there. Opening one eye with caution, she looked around her.
The room she found herself in was large and mostly empty, the sofa she was lying on was probably the only furniture there. It smelt damp, musty, and the feel of the fabric on her face was rough.
Her shoulders and hips ached, like she'd been curled up into an awkward position for hours. The corset she had been forced into earlier in the day was still digging into her, the spots it was rubbing feeling chafed and burning uncomfortably.
Elena resisted the urge to scream in frustration.
She was sick of being kidnapped.
x-x-x-x
Stefan felt his heart in his knees as he scanned the place, unable to find her at all. Entering the grill, he found Bree behind the bar.
"We need to find Elena, now." He said, his voice filled with conviction.
Bree raised an eyebrow, "Two locator spells in a day, are you sure she's not just with Damon?"
Stefan glared at her through his eyebrows.
"If you want, Bree, I could call Damon. I could explain to him that you won't find his girl, that she could be dead due to you." He paused, letting the words have the intended effect as he watched the witch swallow. "We need to find Elena, now."
She nodded, "I can't get off for an hour. Get Bonnie to Elena's, she can perform the basic spell. I'll try and get a more accurate picture once I get there."
He found Bonnie easily, dancing with Caroline, Tyler and Matt. He didn't have to say a word, his expression must have told her all she needed to know for when he offered her his hand she took it unquestionably. They walled past Anna on the way to the car, and he whispered the situation as they passed, his pace not slowing.
Jeremy and Anna arrived at the Gilbert house only moments behind them, which he was grateful for. He had been deciding between breaking the lock and carrying Bonnie up to Elena's ever unlocked window. Luckily, they had broken his indecision with a key.
Getting inside, Bonnie rushed up the stairs and arrived triumphantly with a hairbrush. He headed to the kitchen, retrieving candles and matches; glad he remembered where they were stored from cooking attempts here months and months ago.
Soon, they were sat in the living room, watching Bonnie on the floor with a circle in front of her. She was chanting, focusing on the map.
"She's moving." She muttered, and they watched the small stone travel across the map- following the highway.
He reached for his keys, nodding to Anna. "We'll pick Bree up on the way."
She nodded at him, stopping to give Jeremy a tender kiss on the cheek. "Don't let anyone in, promise me." She whispered at him, and he nodded.
"Call me once she stops." He shouted to Bonnie and Jeremy before he left the building.
He was going to get her back, and she was going to be okay. He could not let Damon down on this, he would not let his brother down. If he had lost Elena, if she was gone, there would be no return from that. Damon really would make his eternal existence a misery.
x-x-x-x
