Thank you for sticking with this story so far. You're going to start to see a greater divergence from canon in the next few chapters, hopefully you enjoy and are excited!
x-x-x-x
Elena crashed through another set of double doors, running in heels had slowed her down but she hadn't time to stop to throw them off. There'd been no time to look back. She only had time to hope that Damon had noticed her prolonged absence and she had bought enough time for him to follow her, for him to catch the vampire who was chasing her.
He'd threatened Jeremy's life, and she knew it was stupid to give in to his demands. Damon would have forced her to call his bluff, she knew that, but losing Jeremy was too greater price. Even for the second before she made her decision, the pain in her chest had been too much. She couldn't lost anyone else, she'd rather die. She might die.
The realisation of where she was came to her slowly, she was almost half way into the room before the lack of escape route struck her. Would hiding be pointless? He would hear her. Instead, she surveyed her surroundings. Could she fight?
He had her by the hair in the next moment, Elena couldn't help scream at the pain of strands being tugged from her scalp. She felt the table on her back and rolled instinctively, landing awkwardly on the floor. He was playing with his food, which bought Damon time. Maybe she had a chance.
Elena's shoe came off as she was thrown once more like a ragdoll. This time her assailant approached slowly. She could hear only him. Maybe Damon wasn't coming? She'd never questioned why he was protecting her too deeply, what if she was just bait? Elena kicked off her other heel and slowly pulled herself up. She wasn't going down without a fight.
Any wooden object would do, the pencil surprised him.
There was a mop, Elena broke the handle over her knees and lunged with the splintered end.
She missed.
The mystery vampire was done playing with his food, it was time to eat. Elena thought of Jenna and Jeremy as she closed her eyes, she thought of her Mum and Dad. She thought of Damon. It felt like she was lost in her memories for hours, but it must have been less than seconds because she never felt the fangs on her throat. There was no tearing of flesh, there was only the sound of a groan. Elena risked opening her eyes.
A man, a vampire, appearing to be in his 20s knelt in front of her. She noticed he was handsome first, his chestnut hair matches his hair, and despite the grimace on his face she noticed his strong features. He wasn't anything compared to the man behind him. Damon's blue eyes were scanning her over for injuries, and for once he had no hint of a smirk on his face.
He hadn't killed her attacker, but the other half of the mop was firmly through his stomach. Without a word, Damon pulled a small vial from his jacket pocket and forcibly poured it down the man's throat. The sound was a wail of pure, guttural pain, and Elena thought she even saw a faint whiff of smoke escaping his nose.
"Vervain should keep him weak. You alright?" Damon finally spoke, barely above a whisper.
Elena could barely nod at Damon, "You came."
Damon shrugged, gesturing for her to take a seat as he dragged their unknown quarry out of the sight of the doors.
"Hey, dickhead- in a moment, you're going to have healed enough to talk. You'll be too weak to fight, so you best 'fess up quick, before I get a bit creative with these." Damon reached over to the pile of pencils Elena had ineffectively used only moments before.
"Screw you."
"Why are you after Elena?" Damon followed the question with a pencil to the shoulder.
This was met with a grimace, but then the vampire cocked an eyebrow and turned to Elena. Her initial thoughts of him being handsome disappeared with the crude gaze he gave her. She felt she was being undressed with his gaze. He leered at her. "She looks like Katherine."
This had Damon surprised, Elena noticed the change in tone of his voice. He went from threatening to vulnerable, and this question wasn't followed by a pencil. "You knew Katherine?"
Her assailant hadn't missed this either and his grin turned smarmy as he mocked Damon, "Aw, you thought you and your brother were the only ones. You don't even remember me."
Elena envisioned the cogs turning in Damon's mind as a dozen emotions flittered over his face, before it turned stone cold.
"What are you doing here?"
"Same thing as you, Salvatore. I'm here for her, for our happily ever after. The only difference is, she actually wants a life with me." This time, Damon didn't hold back, before Elena's eyes registered his movement 3 pencils appeared dotted around the vampire's chest. None in his heart, yet.
"How are you getting in the tomb?" That question was received with a shake of the head only. More pencils followed, this time in the legs.
"Why did you turn Logan Fell?" Damon's question had surprised the vampire, even Elena could tell. She suspected he was in too much pain to keep his face straight now, as the leering had stopped a pencil or so ago.
"Who?" His response was barely above a whisper. He was growing weak.
Damon turned on the spot, running his fingers through his hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Elena could see him pacing but she didn't dare take her eyes off Damon's target. She knew vervain weakened vampires, but she still felt vulnerable.
She was essentially in a room with two vampires, both in love with a carbon copy of her. She reached up and gripped her necklace, reminding herself they couldn't compel her. Even if it were removed, she'd been drinking vervain tea for the past few days at Damon's insistence. Elena made herself remember drinking her daily dose, gulping at the thought that she might have forgotten. Either one of the men in this room might want to compel her to be a replacement Katherine. No, she definitely remembered drinking it before the got ready, and she still had her necklace. Being compelled to act like a doll would be a fate worse than death.
"Who are you working with?" Damon had paused his pacing and resumed his questioning. No result.
"Righty-o." Damon's face seemed resolute, he had made a decision. He bent down and scooped the weakened vampire over his shoulder before walking out of the canteen.
Elena followed, still barefoot, remembering to grab her discarded heels as she passed them. One of them looked broken, the heel wobbly, so she decided against putting them on. Damn, she'd loved that pair. Perhaps she could persuade Jenna to take her on a shopping trip this weekend? That's what she needed to get over Stefan, a new wardrobe. They could even go get their hair done, maybe a manicure.
Elena was still picking out nail colours in her head when Damon came to an abrupt stop before her. That brought her crashing back to reality- why was she daydreaming about shopping trips when they were kidnapping a vampire who had assaulted her? Who maybe wanted to kill her? Why the hell was she okay with this?
She didn't get to dive too deeply into self reflection as the reason for Damon's lack of movement appeared. Mr Saltzman, her history teacher, rounded the corner and looked up at them. Elena couldn't read his expression, but it wasn't the complete and utter shock and panic she would have expected- not until his eyes met hers at least.
Damon rushed too him- the speed he could move whilst carrying that much dead weight was astonishing to her.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked, pulling the teacher's gaze to him.
The response came in a deadpan monotone, "Looking for Miss Hilden." Elena realised Damon must be compelling him.
"What are you in Mystic Falls?"
"Got a job as a teacher?"
"Do you know what I am?"
"You're the brother of one of my students. I've not met him yet, but I was told he will be back this semester. The girls in my class talk about you, many of them want to date you."
Elena couldn't help grin at that, especially when Damon himself turned to grin at her- only after he had told Alaric Saltzman to forget everything he had seen in the corridor. He even told him to give Elena a few bonus marks on her next assignment. Maybe Damon did care? Or maybe he just wanted her the way the vampire slung over his shoulder did. Elena briefly shuddered at the thought, as she followed Damon out of the building and to his car.
x-x-x-x
Caroline paid close attention to her gait as she walked into the grill. One foot directly in front of the other, hips swaying, chin up, she was determined to look like a model. Her mission was to make Matt realise how much he wanted her. Not Elena, not some dumb job, her. Caroline.
Bonnie walked demurely beside her, not stealing the spotlight for a second. Caroline was glad Elena had wanted to stay at the dance, though she was worried about the fact she was staying with Damon. Caroline still remembered how rough he had wanted to be in the bedroom, how small and weak he had made her feel outside of it. Luckily, Elena wasn't the type to rush into bed- she hadn't even slept with Stefan- and wasn't likely to switch from mourning Stefan's absence to accepting the advances of his brother in just a week. Still, Caroline would speak to Elena in the morning- warn her off. Just in case.
They were only just inside the doors, about to reach the main section of tables, when Bonnie's entire body language shifted. Caroline turned to watch her, following her gaze to the bar. Ah. Bonnie had spent an entire period talking about how the barman had flirted with her. Caroline was pretty sure it was all in Bonnie's head, she hadn't dated anyone yet- to get the attention of the town's resident football player? Not likely. Ben had won the state championship- he'd had half the girls in mystic falls fawning over him for the past year. There had even been a few of the older single ladies looking this way, Caroline remembered the way Matt's mum had flirted with him on his last visit. She did that with all the bar staff though, so maybe it wasn't that unusual. Either way, Bonnie didn't stand a chance, but Caroline didn't want to tell her that.
"Don't be so obvious Bonnie." Caroline could probably stop her making a fool of herself, and Bonnie would forget about the guy in a day or two. Especially if Caroline pointed out his flaws.
"He's hot." Bonnie wasn't looking away from the bar at all. Oh boy!
"He's a washed up jock who pours drinks for a living." Caroline thought that would help. Bonnie had high aspirations and wanted out of Mystic Falls as soon as she could, the thought of being stuck here after high school should put her off, "You could do way better."
Matt appeared at her right hand side, passing her with a tub full of collected plates. He ignored her greeting, which stung. Bonnie was looking at her with pity, but it still took Caroline a few moments to realise what she had said. Matt was also working here, also a football player, also unlikely to make it out of Mystic Falls- though Caroline hoped he would get a scholarship or something. Dammit, and she was missing the dance for this. Was it really supposed to be this hard?
x-x-x-x
The cellar was coming in useful, Damon thought as he shackled his new guest in. Perhaps he should consider retrofitting it to be more accommodating. More secure. Soundproofing could be invaluable. But then, he wasn't planning on staying long. He'd soon get the Gilbert's journal, then the Forbes', then the Fell's. He had a plan to work through all the founding families until he knew where Emily's grimoire was. Then he only needed to call Bree, convince Bonnie and hey presto he would have Katherine back. He was thinking Venice for their first stop, maybe Florence. He had everything planned.
Pacing up and down, he looked carefully at his vampiric hostage. His looked familiar, but he couldn't place him at first. Grabbing the vampire's chin he moved his face to study it from different angles before the profile view finally helped him click. This one of the Lockwood workers. They'd mainly kept slaves over there, but some roles had been seen as too important. This lad had worked with the horses, Damon remembered. He'd caught Katherine flirting with him once, but she'd assured him she was just looking for a meal. A pang of betrayal sparked in Damon's heart. Knowing she had been with Stefan, chosen to turn him too, had eaten him up for over a century. Now there was another? Noah. His name was Noah. Damon's fist made contact with the stone wall before he thought about it.
That was going to hurt as it healed. He needed a drink.
Securing the door behind him, he made his was up the steps to his favourite drinking spot. The house was eerily quiet without Zach or Stefan, Damon almost missed them. Katherine would be here soon, he reminded himself. She would surely tell him that turning Noah was a mistake, an accident of some sorts. Over the decades, Damon had convinced himself that Katherine had only been feeding Stefan her blood so that he wouldn't have to face the loss of his brother. They had spent many hours discussing the future, turning, leaving Mystic Falls. Any hesitations he had shown her were all about his worry of leaving his brother alone with Giuseppe Salvatore. That man had too much anger, and without Damon there who knew how he would treat Stefan.
Collapsing onto a comfy chair, Damon swilled his drink. He loved Katherine, of that he was certain. Katherine wanted him, loved him, he knew that too- even if he had doubted it in his darkest moments. Whether she would still love him now, hearing about his many sins, he wasn't sure. If anyone could, it was her. He hoped she would accept him, after all she had made him what he was. Did she love Stefan? Noah? Did they love her. That was where he was less certain.
If she had turned Stefan for him, then she didn't love him, no more than a sister loved a brother. But she had been with him that night as well as all the others. Stefan had told him that much. Did that mean she loved them both? That had certainly always been Stefan's opinion, Damon had convinced himself that part was just a game. Did Stefan love her? It was certainly possible, hell it was probable. He'd practically stalked Elena for months. Even Damon hadn't stooped that low, he'd left her to live after the initial shock of meeting her. He'd only checked in when he was returning to Mystic Falls anyway, for the comet and for Katherine.
Stefan had left though. Yeah, he'd been partly dragged by Lexi, but he had left. Was that because he didn't love Elena? Or he did love Elena and wanted to protect her? Either way, did it mean he loved Katherine?
He needed another drink. This was all too confusing.
Tomorrow, he would ask Elena for the Gilbert journal.
x-x-x-x
It was a weekend, so she was not expecting a knock at the door at 10am. Elena groaned. She'd been awake but reading, happily spread out in her bed enjoying Pride and Pejudice for the dozenth time.
"Jeremy, will you get that?" No response. Typical. He was probably still dead to the world.
Swinging her legs out the bed, Elena gasped as her bedroom window opened and Damon climbed into her room.
"Thought I'd save you the trip." The corners of his mouth rose as he checked out her pyjamas. This was a million miles away from the leering look she received last night. Elena could feel her cheeks reddening.
"Um, thanks, I guess. What are you doing here?" She grabbed a hoody and tossed it over her head quickly. Damon Salvatore looking at her like that was just not something she needed to deal with right now, he grinned at her embarrassment.
"First, I wanted to let you know that Noah- that's his name- is locked away safe in my penthouse suite. He won't be bothering you anytime soon." Elena opened her mouth to ask if he'd learnt anything else, but Damon placed a finger over her lips. "Second of all, if you want rid of us all, I need a favour. The Gilbert journals."
Elena sat back on the bed. The thought of Damon leaving made her stomach unsettled, but she knew that it was for the best. Like Stefan, he was a vampire, and she was just a teenage girl. Her life wasn't supposed to be this dramatic.
"Jeremy has it. I'll ask him about it at family night tonight."
Damon nodded and turned to climb out the window, when Elena added something that she immediately regretted, "You should join us, tonight. It will be fun."
x-x-x-x
He was stood in the kitchen tossing the salad with olive oil and balsamic when Elena returned home. He'd arrived early, mostly out of boredom- and avoidance of his own thoughts- and been pleasantly surprised by what good company Jenna Sommers was. He had learnt before he even knocked on the door that Jenna wasn't the best cook, she'd already burnt the pie she had attempted. He'd quickly taken over, whipping up his favourite pasta with a few sides whilst he fed Jenna red wine and listened to her old boyfriend stories.
If he'd been human, this was exactly the kind of life he would like. He could almost imagine Elena coming home from work, children running around the kitchen. That thought made him shake himself, Damon hadn't thought about a family and children since before we went to war. The anticipation of seeing Katherine soon really was messing with his mind.
He greeted Elena before she entered the room, making Jenna laugh.
Elena's huge brown eyes doubled in size at the sight and smells of Damon cooking. She side-eyed Jenna, "Well I know you didn't make this." Her eyes strayed back to Damon, and pride swelled in him at her admiring look. "Wow, it smells like you can cook."
Even he had to admit his response sounded smug, "Wait until you taste it."
Jeremy had arrived soon after, Damon had to bite his tongue until he tasted blood to stop him immediately asking about the journal. The company happened to be a positive distraction though, both Jenna and Elena pulled heavenly faces with every bite. His mind wandered to what faces Elena might make if she were satisfied in other ways, he was so distracted he almost missed Jeremy's comment.
"Mr Satlzman passed me, he thought my essay was inspired. He even asked to see the source material." That caused his ears to prick up, and Damon responded quickly.
"Was that the family heirloom journal Elena told me about?"
Jeremy nodded, "Yeah. He said he'd give it back in a couple of days." He glanced at Elena looking sheepish, "That's ok isn't it?"
Elena nodded at him reassuringly before giving Damon a stern warning look. "Of course it is Jer."
Damon gripped his fork hard enough it bent under his fingers, but he stayed quiet. For some reason, he didn't want to disturb the night. Instead, he stood up and started cleaning the dishes making sure to repair the utensil he had damaged.
Later in the night, after hours of playing video games with Jeremy, they called an end to family night as Jenna headed up to bed. Damon hadn't meant to stay so long, but he'd enjoyed the company. Especially the part where Jenna had called him hot, and Elena had struggled to disagree. Vampiric hearing had its perks. He'd heard all about Jeremy's new girlfriend Anna, who was apparently hot and weird, and was genuinely glad the kid was moving on from Vicki.
Once Jeremy headed up, he poured another glass of wine for himself and one for Elena, before taking a seat beside her on the sofa.
"So, how are you going to get the journal?" She asked him.
"I'll go to the school, see if I can get it. If not, I'll have to see if I can get into his flat. Or I could just wait a couple of days." Damon shrugged. He wasn't sure why he had said that; he shouldn't want Katherine to suffer another moment never mind a couple of days. The idea of just letting things run their course, of staying sat on this sofa for hours chatting, all of it felt so right.
Elena nodded, shifting in her seat.
"Thank you for saving me. From Noah, I mean. You've really been there for me since Stefan left. Thank you."
Damon's only response was to shift his wine to the other hand, and wrap his arm around her, pulling her in to the crook of his shoulder. In this position, he could smell the Lavender of her hair and he inhaled slowly. He'd miss this. Waiting a day or two would be ok.
"Anything I could to help, Elena." He sighed, taking a sip of wine. "How you doing, with the Stefan thing?"
He felt her stiffen against him, but she didn't move away. "Okay, I guess. I miss him. I was falling in love with him, with the idea of him always been here, I think. But he left so suddenly, and the way he told me the truth was so blunt and cruel, he almost made it easy for me to hate him."
Upstairs, Jeremy was helping his new girlfriend sneak into his room. Damon chuckled to himself, to be young and in love again. Good on the kid.
"I'm sorry it hurt you, 'Lena'. The affectionate name just slipped out, but it fit. Damon couldn't even resist the temptation to place a kiss on the top of her head.
They sat comfortably for a while, occasionally chatting about his life and hers, before Elena had to disappear to the bathroom. She really had to stop doing that, Damon thought to himself; the last time she'd been almost kidnapped. Maybe if he turned her, she'd never had to leave his arms. Wait, where did that thought come from? He had Katherine to be his vampire girlfriend, Elena was just his way of getting there. Plus, she wasn't half bad company.
It was the sound on the stairs he focused on first, the footsteps that were too heavy for Elena. Then Jeremy's voice, "Hey, has Anna been down here?"
Damon shook his head.
"Weird, she went to the loo ages ago."
Damon left the room at human speed but searched the rest of the house as fast as he could. He really, really, needed to start escorting Elena everywhere. How on earth had she been kidnapped again?