Chapter 15: Unearthing Secrets

Damp tendrils clung to Damon's hair as he emerged from the house, the scent of Bella clinging to him like a lingering memory. Alaric sat in his car, a steaming cup of coffee warming his hands.

"Took you long enough, Salvatore," Alaric grumbled, the ever-present tiredness etched on his face.

The car pulled away, the cool morning air offering a welcome contrast to the heat of the previous night. As they drove, Damon filled Alaric in on the night's events – Stefan's refusal to feed, Elena's concern, and John Gilbert's unwelcome visit. He spoke quickly, eager to clear his head of the memory of Bella's laughter echoing in the steam-filled bathroom.

"So, anything good from Isobel's storage unit?" Damon asked, hoping to distract himself further.

Alaric produced a worn leather-bound book, its cover marked with the passage of time. "Found this little gem," he said, his voice tinged with curiosity. "Seems Isobel kept a detailed journal of her… supernatural escapades."

He flipped through the pages, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Lots about Katherine, some cryptic stuff about the Originals… and wait a minute, werewolves?"

Surprise flickered across Damon's face. Werewolves? In all his 145 years, he'd never encountered one. But that wasn't a pressing concern right now.

Silence descended, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the engine. Damon's mind couldn't help but drift back to Bella, the memory of their stolen moments sending a shiver down his spine. He cleared his throat, forcing his attention back to Alaric, who was engrossed in the journal.

"Did you find anything about Isobel and John?" he finally asked, his voice a touch strained.

Alaric met his gaze. "A few entries. Seems he pointed her in your direction – that's how she found you, Damon."

A new determination settled over Damon. They had to protect Elena, and find a way to stop John Gilbert before his obsession turned deadly.

Later that night

The creak of the front door announced Damon's return. Bella, perched on the couch, looked up from her book.

"So, how was the 'errand'?" she asked, a playful smile dancing on her lips.

"Futile," Damon admitted, collapsing onto the couch beside her. "Although, I think I witnessed the history teacher having an existential crisis over a spilled coffee pot. Not exactly the intel we were hoping for."

He looked at her, concern flickering in his eyes. "Has Stefan eaten anything yet?"

"He's taking it slow," Bella said, her smile fading slightly. "But he's got a lot to deal with. Guilt's a heavy burden, even for a vampire."

Damon sighed, running a hand through his still-damp hair. "Yeah, I know the feeling all too well. But he needs to snap out of it. We've got a bigger problem brewing with John Gilbert."

He explained the revelation about Isobel and John's connection, his voice laced with a mix of anger and worry.

O_O_O_O_O_O_O

The following day, a tense silence hung heavy in the air of Alaric's classroom. Elena, Stefan, and Alaric sat huddled together, worry etched on their faces. The door creaked open, and Damon sauntered in, a playful glint in his eyes that quickly faded as he surveyed the room.

"Alright, alright," he drawled, feigning annoyance. "What earth-shattering event could possibly be more important than my warm bed and a certain hot wife?" He shot a pointed look at Bella, who was conspicuously absent. (He really needed to find a way to get her a daylight ring.)

"Damon, thanks for coming," Alaric said, his voice serious.

Damon rolled his eyes theatrically. "It was a struggle, Ric, but Bella insisted. Now, spill the beans. Why the long faces?"

The air crackled with unspoken tension as Alaric dropped his bombshell. "Isobel showed up at my apartment last night."

"Isobel is here? In town?" he sputtered, his voice laced with a dangerous edge.

He pivoted towards Alaric, his eyes narrowed. "Did you ask her about Uncle John? Are they working together?"

Alaric shook his head, a grimace twisting his features. "No."

"No, they're not?" Damon echoed, confusion clouding his expression.

"No," Alaric repeated, frustration evident in his voice. "I didn't ask."

Damon threw his hands up in exasperation. "No? You didn't ask? What about the invention? Did she mention the invention?"

"Didn't ask," Alaric responded, his jaw clenched.

The frustration on Damon's face deepened. "Did she know about the tomb vampires? Did she say anything at all?"

"I don't know," Alaric admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

"Words completely escaped you, then?" Damon snapped, his patience wearing thin.

"No," Alaric countered, a hint of defiance in his voice. "I was a little too distracted by my dead vampire wife to ask any questions."

Damon glared at him for a moment, then sighed heavily. "Alright, alright. What did she want?"

"She wants to see me, Damon," Elena interjected, her voice trembling slightly. "Alaric is supposed to arrange a meeting. We don't know why or what she wants."

Stefan, his face pale but resolute, placed a hand on Elena's shoulder. "She threatened to go on a killing spree if the meeting doesn't happen," he explained.

Damon scoffed. "Oh, I take it that's not okay with you guys?"

Elena met his gaze, her eyes filled with a steely determination. "I want to do it. I want to meet her. If I don't, I know I'll regret it." Stefan gave her a silent nod of support.

...

The warmth of the Grill's interior couldn't penetrate the chill that gripped Elena as Isobel slid into the booth opposite her. Stefan, hidden in a shadowed corner, strained to hear their conversation.

"Elena. You look just like her, that's eerie," Isobel remarked, her voice devoid of warmth.

"You've met Katherine?" Elena gasped, a spark of surprise flickering in her eyes.

Isobel smirked. "She found me after I turned. Genetic curiosity, I suppose. She would be fascinated by you."

Elena's gaze drifted to Isobel's necklace, the lapis lazuli glinting accusingly. "Is that how you can walk in the day?"

Isobel nodded curtly. "Katherine helped me obtain it."

Elena, emboldened, pressed on. "Who's my father?" It was a question that had haunted her since she learned the truth about her heritage.

Isobel's response was a dismissive shrug. "Not important. He was a teenage waste of space."

"A name would be nice," Elena persisted, a flicker of defiance replacing the initial awe.

"It would, wouldn't it? You ask a lot of questions, Elena." Isobel's voice dripped with condescension.

Elena felt a surge of frustration. It was clear Isobel hadn't called her here to reconnect. She seemed more interested in reliving her twisted past with Katherine.

"Why did you compel that man to kill himself? Right after he told me to stop looking for you," Elena accused.

"Dramatic impact," Isobel said flippantly. "I wish it would have been more effective."

Elena recoiled, her heart pounding. Human life meant nothing to this woman.

A sardonic smile played on Isobel's lips. "Your new boyfriend over there by the pool table? Stefan Salvatore... Why Stefan? Why didn't you go for Damon? Or are you enjoying them both like Katherine did?"

The question landed like a blow. Elena stole a glance at Stefan, who looked uncomfortable, his gaze fixed on them.

Outside, Damon and Alaric paced anxiously across the street.

"We should be in there," Damon muttered, frustration gnawing at him.

Alaric shook his head. "Yeah, see, I don't get that. Stefan has his humanity, he's a good guy. And you're a dick and you kill people but I still see something human in you especially around Bella, who I haven't really met but hear she's very sweet and caring. But with her there was...nothing."

"You can turn it off, like a button you can press," Damon argued, surprising even himself. "I mean, Stefan's different. He wants the whole human experience. He wants to feel every episode of How I Met Your Mother, so he shuts his feelings out. The problem is, as a vampire, your instinct is not to feel because everything you do feel is magnified times 50 like you are a woman perpetually on her period. Isobel chose the easier road - no guilt, no shame, no regret. I mean, come on, if you could turn it off, wouldn't you?"

Alaric considered this for a moment. "You haven't."

"I have a reason not to now," Damon mumbled, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features.

Back inside, the conversation between Elena and Isobel reached a boiling point.

"What do you want?" Elena demanded, her voice laced with anger. "Why did you want to meet me? Can't be to just catch up."

"Because I'm curious about you," Isobel admitted, a hint of amusement in her voice. "But the real reason is...I want what your uncle wants, Jonathan Gilbert's invention."

Elena's eyes widened. John? How did Isobel know about him? "How do you know my uncle?" she asked, bewildered.

"I used to spend a lot of time here when I was younger," Isobel explained casually. "John had a crush on me for years. He was the first one that told me about vampires."

The revelation sent a shiver down Elena's spine. John, her seemingly harmless uncle, held secrets of his own.

"So what made you want to be one?" Elena asked, her curiosity piqued despite herself.

"It's a very long list of reasons, Elena. All of which I'm sure you've thought about," Isobel said enigmatically.

Elena couldn't help but glance down, the memory of her conversation with Bella the previous night flashing in her mind. Forever? Was that what she truly wanted.

Elena wrestled with the internal conflict Bella's words had sparked. Forever with Stefan was a tempting notion, but the weight of eternity felt immense. Isobel's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

"What do you say, Elena? Up for a little family bonding? Help your old mom out?" Isobel's voice dripped with a false sweetness that sent shivers down Elena's spine.

"I don't have what you're looking for," Elena said, her voice firm despite the tremor in her heart. The revelation about John and Isobel's past added another layer of complexity to the situation.

"Oh, come now," Isobel scoffed. "Don't play coy. Damon has it, and you can get it from him. After all, isn't that what boyfriends are for?"

Elena bristled at the implication. "He's not going to give it to me," she insisted, both for Isobel's benefit and to convince herself.

A sly smile played on Isobel's lips. "You underestimate the power of love, Elena. Damon may be a lot of things, but I can tell he cares for you deeply."

Elena choked back a laugh, the absurdity of the statement hitting her. "Damon tolerates me at best, for Stefan's sake. He's completely smitten with his wife, Bella."

Isobel's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of something akin to jealousy crossing her features. "What did Katherine tell you otherwise? Is she really so sensitive about never seducing Damon away from Bella without compulsion that she's deluded herself into thinking he's still hung up on her?"

Elena couldn't resist a genuine laugh this time. The image of Damon pining after Katherine while completely devoted to Bella was too comical. Isobel's smug expression faltered, replaced by a mask of irritation.

"Get the invention, Elena," Isobel hissed, her playful demeanor evaporating. "Or the blood will be on your hands."

With that ominous threat, Isobel rose from the booth and stalked out of the Grill, leaving Elena feeling shaken and confused. The laughter died in her throat, replaced by a wave of nausea. Wiping away a stray tear, she braced herself for the inevitable confrontation with Stefan and the weight of the decision before her.

As Elena got up to leave, she locked eyes with Bonnie across the crowded restaurant. The tension between them since Grams' death was palpable. Elena knew they needed to talk, but right now, dealing with Isobel's reappearance and the looming threat it posed felt overwhelming.