Alexandria Gilbert

by JChavz95

Vampires, witches, werewolves and doppelgangers, oh my! All Alexa Gilbert wanted was a quiet life, a free drink and to party the night away with her friends without being nagged by her twin sister Elena, but the arrival of the mysterious Salvatore brothers may just ruin those plans... Starts Season 1, Episode 1, Slowburn Damon/OC, Now on Season 5!

98. The Cell

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs

A/N: Another chapter in my backlog means another chapter posted :) I really enjoyed writing this chapter, so much Dalexa time! I love writing Dalexa time, although this isn't the happiest setting for them! We're also entering the darkest group of chapters that I have had the pleasure of writing. This one isn't too bad and there is a lighter chapter in the middle, but the ones after that? Yikes, they sure are something! At this point, I do feel obligated to say that I don't hate Aaron, but apparently Alexa does!

XXX

After I managed to drag myself out of the empty lab, only just avoiding a panic attack, I spent the night searching the Whitmore campus. Every building that I could enter, I did so. I searched every room, every corridor. I ignored my phone as it continued buzzing, my friends and family checking in on me, asking where I was. But I couldn't reply, not with the way that my hands were shaking. Because Damon was missing. He had gone back in to deal with Wes and now he was missing. And I was cursing myself for letting Elena get her way. She wanted to spare the creepy doctor for her sad boy friend. And now, my boyfriend was missing. What was I supposed to do with that? So, I ran away from it. I focused only on finding Damon, on searching the huge fucking campus.

I knew that I looked like a mess, still wearing my dress from the party. My makeup was smeared from the tears that I had failed to stop, even as I scrubbed them away. But I couldn't care about any of that. What I looked like didn't matter. If I encountered anyone, I used my compulsion, asking them if they had seen Damon before making them forget about seeing me. It was probably a Bad use of compulsion, but until my boyfriend was safe again, I didn't care.

The only building that I couldn't enter was Whitmore House. It stood in the centre of campus, almost mocking me, taunting me. Despite the early hour, there were lights on in some of the rooms. I knew it was where most of the important people on campus had their offices, probably where some of them stayed. And someone owned it. The damn building actually belonged to someone, and so, I couldn't enter it. Deep down, I knew that it would be where Damon was, but I couldn't let myself believe it. Because the thought that my beloved was stuck in a building that I couldn't get into actually hurt. And I wasn't strong enough to deal with that, not in the early hours of the morning, where the gloomy darkness made everything feel ten times worse.

It wasn't until it hit six in the morning that I finally answered my buzzing phone. I didn't even bother looking at who was calling me, I just stood in the middle of the courtyard that Ellie favoured, looking around as the sun rose behind me.

Before I could say anything, Ric spoke my name, "Alexa, where are you? Everyone is worried about you."

"Damon's missing," I shook my head, nails digging into the palms of my hand as I tried to hide the panic consuming my body. "I've been looking all night but I can't find him. His phone is off and there are some places that I can't get into. And I don't know where he is and I can't get a hold of him."

It took the Enhanced Original repeating my name, worry clear in his voice, to stop my rambling, "Alexa, slow down. What do you mean, Damon's missing?"

"Did anyone tell you about Dr Wes Maxfield?" I slumped to the ground, completely oblivious to the fact that I was now crouching in the mud. The sunrise had helped with the gloominess, but the early morning light made everything look cold and unfriendly. Which suited this fucking campus, if I was being honest.

"Elena told us about him when she called a few hours ago. She was worried that she didn't know where you were, and you weren't answering her calls and messages."

"Damon went back to go see him, after I saved him from Jesse," I whispered, digging my nails into my thigh as I tried to keep focused, to not let my panic take over. "And I haven't heard from him since. When I went to the lab, it was empty, but I could smell a faint hint of vervain. I'm… I'm scared that he's got him locked up somewhere, doing his creepy experiments on him."

"Why didn't you call anyone?"

Despite the situation, I couldn't stop myself from snorting, "I'm not exactly thinking clearly right now, Ric. I've only just sobered up and now Damon is missing after I let Elena persuade me to keep Wes alive. You're lucky that I actually picked up the phone to you."

"If you didn't, then I probably would have gone to Whitmore to find you," Ric sighed down the phone and I winced. I had known, deep down, that I was worrying all of my loved ones. But my panic refused to let me focus on that. My guilt had refused to let me focus on it. Because if I had just argued with Elena, telling her that sad boy's feelings weren't worth the risk that Wes posed, then maybe we wouldn't be in this situation. But no, I had let my sister get her own way and now Damon was in trouble.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, the cold breeze blowing my hair into my face. "I didn't mean to worry anyone, but…"

"It's Damon that's in danger," my aunt's boyfriend finished for me, his voice soft. "I'm going to call Elena. I want you to go back to her dorm and check in with her. She will help you search campus while I try and organise something from here." Just as I started to think rebellious thoughts, because I wasn't feeling particularly charitable towards my sister. And I probably wouldn't until Damon was back in my arms, Ric added, "If I find out that you didn't go and see Elena, then I'll set Jenna on you."

"That's not fair," I grumbled, finally standing up. I looked down at the mud covering my knees and sighed, trying to brush it off. "Going to find Elena will waste time that Damon might not have. He… he's always had issues about this place, Ric. I owe it to him to save him, and do it quickly. Because I never should have stepped foot here and now, he's the only suffering for my choices."

"You can't think like that, Alexa. He won't blame you for this, so you shouldn't blame yourself either."

I shook my head, "Maybe, once Damon is safe, I'll consider your words. But until then?" I sighed. "That just isn't possible."

XXX

Ric kept me on the phone until I promised to go see Elena. So, after he hung up, I went to go see my sister. A part of me knew that I was being unfair, that I shouldn't be blaming Damon's situation on her. But I couldn't help it. Because she was the one who wanted Wes to stay alive. I was more than happy to let my boyfriend rip him apart for hurting Jesse and just being a threat. But no, he was sad boy's guardian and that apparently meant more than all of our safety.

I knocked on her door, not wanting to just barge in. I had no idea if Bonnie and Caroline were in the room, or if they had found somewhere else to sleep. Especially since their respective boyfriends had attended the party. I waited for barely a minute before the door was being yanked open and arms were wrapped around me. Despite the panic and guilt and worry overloading my body, I couldn't stop myself from relaxing into my twin's arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked, the worry in her voice causing me to wince, as she squeezed me tight. "Ric said that you were but I know what you're like and you've been gone for hours."

"I'm fine, Els," I mumbled into her shoulder. "No injuries, just a fuck-tonne of panic."

Elena paused for a moment before easing me back. Despite my words, she studied my face, looking for any sign that I had been injured, before sighing, "Ric told me about Damon. Did you find any sign of him?"

I shook my head while Ellie led me into the room. It was empty, with the other beds neatly made. I could only assume that Caroline had gone back to Mystic Falls with Tyler, while Bonnie had done the same with Jeremy. But I couldn't be sure and that had my heart clenching again. Because I knew that I wouldn't be able to cope if more of my loved ones were missing.

"There were traces of vervain in the lab but there's been no sign of them on campus," I knew that there was a slight rasp in my voice, from the way that my twin winced. But I couldn't hide it. So I instead asked, trying to hide the desperation in my voice, "Where are Bonnie and Caroline?"

"They're fine, Lexa," Elena replied, carefully forcing me to sit down on sit down on her bed. She quickly moved to grab a wash clothe from their bathroom, before passing it to me. I murmured my thanks before wiping off the mud from my legs. "They went back to Mystic Falls with Tyler and Jeremy. You don't need to worry about them."

"I'll keep my list to just Damon, then," I muttered, shaking my head, before raising my voice. "I've searched all over campus, looking in all of the buildings that I can get into. But there's no sign. And Wes didn't leave any clues in his little lab. The one place that I couldn't look was Whitmore House."

My sister nodded, thinking on my words as she took the wash clothe from me. I watched her move around the room before sighing and running my fingers through my hair. I winced at the tangles that I found, before just yanking them out. The small pinpricks of pain helped break through the whirlwind of emotion that was threatening to consume me. And I couldn't let that happen. Because I would be useless if I crumbled to the panic. And I refused to fail Damon, to let him down. He had done so much for me, he had saved me so many times, I owed it to him to do the same.

"I can get into Whitmore House," Ellie offered, moving to sit next to me. She placed her hand on my knee, stopping it from bouncing. Which I hadn't even realised it was doing.

"Els," I gave her a look before rolling my eyes. "I'm already freaking the fuck out over Damon being in danger. Like hell am I going to let you walk into danger too. No, I'll find a way to get in there. Someone has to own the damn place, maybe Ric and Jenna can find out who it is."

My twin stared at me, before grabbing my hand, giving it a squeeze, "Lexa, Damon's going to be fine. He's smart, he knows how to get out of situations like this, and he won't want to worry you more than he already has."

"I don't know if I can believe that," I whispered, shaking my head. "Because I just can't stop thinking about his history here. He never told me exactly what it was, but I know that it was bad. He didn't want me to step foot anywhere near this place, it was that bad. And now, he's in the hands of a creepy doctor with a hard-on for experimenting on vampires."

"He knows that you'll come for him, that you'll save him. All you need to do, Alexa, is let us help you."

"Helping could put you in danger," I sighed before wincing at the look on my sister's face. "But if you promise to stay in the background, then I'll resist all of my illogical urges and let you help me."

"That's all I ask," my twin gave me a reassuring smile, squeezing my hand again, before nodding. "Now, there is one person that could know where Wes is. I just need you to promise to play nice."

"I don't know if I can promise that," I snorted, my knee bouncing again. "But I will try to stay silent and let you handle it." I paused for a second before frowning, "Who are you even talking about, anyway?"

"Aaron," Ellie said the name with as reassuring a tone as possible. Of course, it wasn't needed, the lingering panic in the back of my mind had me completely blanking on who the fuck Aaron was. Something my sister must have noticed as she shook her head, doing her best to hide the disappointed look in her eyes. "Sad boy."

"Oh shit," my eyes widened as I realised how stupid I had been. Of course sad boy would know where Wes was. The fucker was his legal guardian. He wouldn't leave the boy alone now that he had proof that there were multiple vampires running around on campus.

XXX

I gave Elena just enough time to make herself look presentable before dragging her from the dorm room. Now that I had a plan of action, I wasn't going to hang around. Damon needed saving and I wasn't going to wait any longer than I had to before saving him. So, despite the fact that Elena was makeup free and could have probably picked a better outfit, I was pushing her out the door. As she grumbled, I pointed out that she looked better than me. I was still wearing the same dress, although I had managed to keep it clean, but my hair was still a mess and I wasn't completely sure that I had wiped off all my makeup. But I didn't care. Looking presentable was pointless, especially when I was planning on ripping apart Wes when I found him.

My sister led the way to sad boy's dorm room. I just followed her, trusting my twin to stop me from bumping into anything, while I texted Ric and Jenna. I was now even more convinced that Damon was in Whitmore House. All I needed was to find out who owned the damn place. I hoped that the local archives, or even the fucking internet, would give me a name. And then I would track that person down and compel them into letting me in. So while I tried to get Wes' location out of sad boy, my guardians back home could find out who owned the giant building in the middle of campus.

Elena knocked on sad boy, fuck, Aaron's door, while I vibrated in place behind her. My boyfriend had been missing for far too long and I was quickly losing patience. Especially now that I had a plan of action. Hopefully my sister's friend didn't try and play hard to get, because I was not above compelling or torturing answers out of him.

"Aaron, hey!" Ellie greeted the blond kid with a quick smile when he opened the door. He looked sad again, but I honestly thought that it was just his default expression. Because I had only seen him smile, like, twice. Of course, it wasn't like I spent a lot of time with him. But still, he didn't seem like the smiling type.

"Hey," sad boy returned the greeting before sighing. "So, you heard?"

"Heard what?" my sister frowned, before reaching back and giving my arm a squeeze. I knew that I was moving far too much, full of nervous energy. But I couldn't help it. I just needed to get moving, to go save Damon and rip apart the person who had taken him from me.

"Jesse dropped out," the other kid shook his head, moving to the side to let us into the dorm room. It always amused me; just how big the dorm rooms were at this college. I was fairly sure that it wasn't normal, but hey, maybe it was the only way to get students to attend. Since the place was creepy as fuck and in the middle of nowhere, far too far away from the local bars. "He left me a note to tell me. I don't know why he left, but it's probably to do with his absence the past couple of weeks."

Ah fuck, I had almost forgotten about the Jesse situation. Luckily for me, Carmen hadn't messaged. And I had noticed that Caroline had also given her number, which was helpful. Fingers crossed the witch had reached out to the blonde instead, and that we weren't just continuing to vervain Jesse. Because that would fucking suck. A part of me wondered who had written the note, if it was Jesse or if someone had forged it, but I pushed the thought from my mind. It wasn't important, not until I got Damon back. The cutie had plenty of people to look after him, people who were a lot more capable in that moment in time.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Ellie winced as I just paced across the room, clenching and unclenching my fists. To distract her friend from my restless movements, my twin had settled them both on the couch, their backs to me. "Maybe once he is back home, he'll give you a call?"

I could practically sense my sister making a mental note to get Jesse to call the kid. To be honest, it could help if he did. Especially if the cutie wanted to come back to Whitmore once we had fixed the damage that fucking Wes had done.

Sad boy just shook his head, "What's up with this college? It's supposed to be different. I came here to start fresh, get away from all the crap in my past."

"I get it," Elena nodded, giving him the best comforting look that she could, considering the fact that my movements were getting sharper. She knew that we didn't have time to waste, but I also knew that she would comfort her sad friend. "After everything that you've been through, everything that you've lost, I would want to start over too."

"How do you hit the reset button?" Aaron asked, an unexpected level of desperation in his voice. It had me pausing for a moment, before I continued pacing.

"Me?" my sister blinked in surprise before shaking her head. "I… I haven't reset anything. All my problems, they've followed me here. Come to think of it, I'm probably not the right person to be getting advice from."

The pair were silent for a moment before sad boy shook his head, "So, if you aren't here about Jesse, uh, why are you here?"

"I don't want to bother you," my twin winced, deliberately ignoring my hard stare. "Especially not right now."

"My day's not gonna get any worse," the boy shrugged, a weak smile on his face. "So, uh, go ahead."

"Okay, well, um, last night, you told me that Wes was your legal guardian."

"Yeah, since the past summer, after my aunt Sara died," sad boy shrugged, glancing over at me as I scuffed my foot on the floor. I ignored his look, focusing only on pacing back and forth. The constant moving was partially helping to ease the whirlwind of emotion. But I knew that it wouldn't help for long. "You see what I'm talking about? Everyone around me either ends up dead or they abandon me, and my sunny disposition makes me so many friends." It took all of my self-control not to laugh at that. Which probably sounds bad. But hey, at least he knew that he was a sad person. "It's… I'm sorry. Go ahead."

"Well, the thing is that Alexa's boyfriend, Damon, went to go talk to Wes last night, and no one's really seen or heard from either of them since," Ellie kept her voice soft, trying not to panic the kid. "And you can see how much that is worrying Alexa. So, I, uh, I know how bad the timing is, but I just… I was hoping that you could help us find Wes?"

"Yeah, yeah," the sad boy nodded. "I think I know a place where we can look."

"Thank fuck for that," I muttered, immediately turning and opening the door. "Let's get going."

XXX

I walked behind sad boy and Elena, as he led us to where he thought Wes might be lurking. The only reason why I tolerated the slow pace was because of the texts on my phone. Carmen had finally responded, asking only a few questions about the situation. I quickly pulled together a group text, answering the questions the best I could while also involving Caroline. I knew that the blonde would be able to provide more details, especially since I was far too distracted.

While I wasn't doing that, I was checking in with Ric and Jenna. Annoyingly, they wouldn't give me any answers about Whitmore House until I told them how I was feeling. And they wouldn't accept my bullshit brush off answers. I knew that I should have done a better job with hiding my emotions from Ric. But I was barely able to stop myself from breaking down when I spoke to him. Hiding my emotions was practically impossible. So, I was forced to detail just how fucked up I was feeling. Which sucked and wasted time getting answers.

Not that the answers were particularly helpful. The local records only said that that the Whitmore inheritance had gone to an 'A Whitmore', after the death of their family. Jenna was searching for more clues on who that was, but it didn't help me very much in that moment in time. Of course, it helped to distract me from the conversation happening in front of me, which I didn't care about listening in to.

"Just doesn't make sense as to why Jesse would drop out," the sad kid was shaking his head. "He loved it here. It has to be something to do with his disappearance for those two weeks. But every time I asked campus security where he was, they just said that he was taking a temporary leave of absence."

"And you believed them?" Elena frowned, clearly pushing for something. I swear, if she was trying to get him on 'our side', then I would be pissed. We didn't need another person knowing the secret, just because she felt bad for him. And I just didn't trust the kid. He wouldn't be able to cope with our world. No, it would be better for everyone if he just faded back out of our lives. And I would tell my twin that. Hell, I would get everyone else to tell her that too.

"Why, do you know something else?" the blond looked at my sister and I barely hid my scoff. I knew that I should stop listening in to the conversation, as it would only just make me frustrated and annoyed and pissed off. But the alternative was staring at my phone, praying for answers that just weren't coming.

"Don't you think it's weird that both of your friends disappeared before the first semester was even over? That one committed suicide and the other suddenly dropped out?"

Elena was officially an idiot. She knew why Jesse had dropped out and she really shouldn't be pointing a giant red flag at it. But the soft spot that she had for the sad boy was making her blind to those reasons. Just like it made her blind to the danger that Wes posed. If I was in a better frame of mind, I would have put an immediate stop to it. But I knew that I wouldn't be able to effectively phrase what I needed to say and if I went about it the wrong way, it would only get Elena's back up. And I couldn't deal with her stubbornness.

"Yeah, of course I think it's weird," the boy shrugged. "Like I said, Jesse loved it here, he had a huge crush on your friend before becoming friends with her, and Megan had all these plans for her life."

"Which is why none of this makes sense," Ellie shook her head, reaching out to pull him to a stop. I narrowed my eyes at her, also pausing, waiting to see if I should get bitchy and force them both to move again. "Aaron, look. I found Megan's body the night that she died. She was murdered, and Wes forged her death certificate."

Sad boy focused only on one part of that sentence, "You saw her death certificate?"

"I did some digging," my sister brushed away his words, before going straight in for it. "Wes is part of something much bigger than anyone even realises."

Aaron stared at her for a moment, possibly wondering if she was insane, before just sighing and shaking his head, "Let's just find him first. I want to hear his side of the story."

The boy walked away, a determined stride to his walk, but before Elena could follow, I grabbed her arm. When she looked back at me, I narrowed my eyes even further, "You're playing a dangerous game, Elena. How do you know that you can trust him?"

"I don't know," my dumbass twin shrugged. "But I have a good feeling about him."

"Well, that's a shame," I knew that my smile was far too sharp, but I was quickly losing control of my emotions. And until I got Damon back, my control would continue to disappear. "Because the moment I find Damon, I'm compelling all of this from the kid's head."

"You can't do that," Elena shook her head, an annoyed look on her face.

"Can't I?" I snorted. "He's a threat, Elena. He's close to Wes and that could make him very angry when I rip the doctor apart. I won't make him forget us completely, that would be weird. But I will make him forget just how close you two have got." When my sister opened her mouth to disagree, I held up my hand. "Don't bother. I won't be talked out of this. You're lucky that I haven't just compelled answers out of him now, and that I'm letting you do this your way. Because I am very quickly losing control and I can't guarantee that I'll continue playing nice."

XXX

Sad boy led us to Whitmore House and I felt an odd combination of heart-stopping terror and vindication. Because while I always knew, deep down, that this was where Wes was keeping Damon, I also didn't want to go anywhere near the damn place. This was where Megan died. This place made me feel uneasy, it represented the dark heart of Whitmore. And now I had to find a way to get in there. Without making it obvious to the boy leading us that I couldn't enter the property. While also stopping my sister from doing something stupid.

Aaron opened the door, stepping in with an eerily familiar ease, as I glanced at my twin with wide eyes. She looked back at me, looking just as uneasy, before stuttering, "Oh, um, you know, when you said that Wes was probably doing research," she stood on the bottom step as I lingered by the door, clenching my fists as I felt that panic start to build again, "I didn't realise that it would be here… at Whitmore House."

"Oh, yeah," the boy just shrugged, looking around the place in a way that had my panicking skyrocketing. "This place is like a second home." When he failed to hear us joining him, he glanced over at us. "What are you waiting for? Come in."

I knew that I would never be able to properly articulate to my sister just how much I appreciated her waiting for me to enter first. She knew just how much I hated it when she went into places that I couldn't enter, especially after the events of the year. So the fact that she just didn't push past me and into the house helped ease the storm of emotions threatening to break free.

Of course, that didn't stop me from shooting her a helpless look. Because sad boy was expecting us to enter and I couldn't. And I didn't know how to fake my way out of trying, because I had to try and make it look good. Then hopefully me and my twin would be able to find a way to kick start our brains and think of an excuse.

So, it was a huge fucking shock when my foot actually entered the building. I stared down at it with wide eyes as my body moved on instinct, stepping further into Whitmore House. Behind me, I could hear my twin cover up a surprised gasp. Because I sure as fuck couldn't enter the last time that I was here. So what had changed? And why did the thought of it involving sad boy make me feel sick?

"So, who owns this place?" Ellie asked, moving to the front door. But before the kid could answer, her phone buzzed in her hand. "Shoot, sorry, this is my aunt. I need to get it. You two keep talking, I'll catch up with you in a few."

I watched as she walked back down the steps, her phone pressed to her ear, before turning to face the sad boy. He closed the door, breaking my line of sight to my twin, before shrugging, "Not to sound like a douche, but technically, I own the building."

"Well, you don't sound like a douche," I frowned, glancing around the gaudy parlour. "But it does feel weird. Like, how the fuck is that possible? Are you rich?"

"It's a part of the Whitmore trust that I inherited when my parents died," the boy replied, glancing out the stained glass of the door to see if my sister was ready to come in. "Yeah, don't hold that against me, and don't let your sister do the same. Usually, when people find out that my name's Aaron Whitmore…"

I interrupted him, breathing out, "Holy shit. A Whitmore. You're who she found."

It made sense in a way that made me feel sick. Because of course Elena's friend owned the dark heart of Whitmore. Of course he was directly linked to this place, even if he didn't know the secret. And it made Wes even more dangerous. Because he had all the powers of a Whitmore, because one was his ward.

"Who are you talking about?" the blond asked and I shook my head, refusing to give up Jenna's name. While the kid could very well be a true innocent, I wasn't going to put my beloved aunt at risk. He could mention her name to Wes, to anyone involved in the cover ups here. And I was not going to add Jenna's name to the list of those at risk.

"It doesn't matter," I quickly brushed away his question before shooting back one of my own. "So, how much of this place do you own?"

"More than my fair share," sad boy shrugged and I frowned, glancing around the room again. I tried to strain my hearing, trying to find any sign of Damon and Wes. But I was quickly distracted by one of the photos on the decorative table by the giant-ass portrait of a snooty person.

"What the fuck?" I breathed out, brushing my fingers against the photo. The caption read 'Whitmore House – 50th Anniversary Commemoration'. But it wasn't the inscription that caught my attention, no, it was the painfully familiar face staring up at me. "That's my dad. Why is my dad in this photo?"

But it wasn't the sad boy who answered me. Fuck no, it was a hell of a lot worse.

"Grayson Gilbert was one of the best doctors that the Augustines ever had."

I went to spin around, trying to break free from the shock of seeing my dad being associated with the dangerous secret society. But before I could a strong hand covered my mouth. I went to bite down, completely forgetting to use my fangs, when a sharp needle was jammed into my neck. I let out a muffle grunt at the pain before it became a lot fucking worse.

Liquid pain was injected into my neck, causing my body to go weak. My gaze shot to the door, even as my body went limp, unable to fight the potent liquid vervain. Ellie was still on the phone, pacing back and forth across the floor in front of the stairs. And while a part of me yearned for her to come rescue me, the rest begged for her to stay away. That she would avoid the dangerous doctor.

It was the last thought that crossed my mind before it all went blank, my eyes rolling back as my body fell to the floor. I was completely at Wes' mercy and I was almost thankful when I passed out.

XXX

Damon's POV

In a shocking turn of events, Wes had largely left me alone. From what Alexa had passed on, he preferred to do his experimenting at night. Which meant that I had plenty of time to work out how to get out of here. Again. I was just grateful that, this time, my body was a bit more used to vervain. Of course, it was still enough to weaken me. But I was hoping that my body burned through it quicker, giving me the chance to escape and rip Wes' heart out.

It was an easier thought to focus on, instead of the alternative. I knew that Alexa would be panicking over my disappearance. She hadn't wanted me to go back in to confront Wes after Jesse did a damn good impression of my ripper brother. But I had to get rid of the threat. It was just unfortunate that I discovered his ties to the Augustines. All I could do was hope that my girl didn't do anything reckless to find me. And that she kept herself safe.

Of course, all of that went out the window when Wes returned. I was just debating if I should add this year to previous carving when he walked in. I glanced over at the doctor, wondering if he would finally do something to earn his reputation, when I saw a painfully familiar body in his arms.

"Alexa?" I murmured, desperately hoping that I was hallucinating from the vervain, before narrowing my eyes at Wes. He had paused by the bars to my cell, looking far too smug. It didn't take a genius to realise that he was looking for a reaction from me. And it frustrated me that I couldn't hide mine. But the sight of my girl here, in the Augustine cells, set all of my instincts on fire. I had tried so hard to protect her from this, from my past. And now I had failed her. "Let her go."

"I can't do that, Damon," he shook his head and I was itching to rip the smug look of his face. He adjusted Alexa in his arms, her head slumping back, hair hanging low, before reaching out to open the door of the cell next to me. "She got herself involved in this."

"Oh please," I scoffed, unable to take my eyes off of her unconscious face, looking for any signs of injury. "You've been itching to get your hands on her since you found out that she was a vampire."

The doctor didn't have anything to say to that. Instead, he just walked into the cell next to mine, carefully placing her body on the floor. Wes was lucky that he was careful with her. Because for every way that she was injured, I would make him suffer ten times over.

He gazed down at my girl for a moment, before shaking his head and leaving. I paid him no more attention, instead dragging myself across the cell to the small window between the two cells. It took more energy than it should have, and I knew that I was weakening my body further. But I couldn't care about that. I needed to make sure that my girl was unharmed.

Fortunately for me, Wes had put Alexa down within arms' reach and I took full use of that opportunity. I squeezed my hand through the bar, reaching out to brush the hair from my girl's face. I let out a sigh as I stared at her. It didn't take a genius to see that she had been panicking, even with her face relaxed in her unconscious state. I could still see the signs of her makeup, smeared from tears, and not completely wiped away. She was still wearing her dress from the party and I knew that she had spent all night looking for me.

I knew that Alexa didn't do well if she didn't know where her loved ones were. Elena's death earlier in the year had only made those issues worse. It was, ironically, something that had remained true after she turned off her humanity switch. Oh, she never told anyone, but I had seen the tracker app on her phone, carefully informing her of her loved ones whereabouts. It was something that she never had to worry about with me. I was always by my girl's side, looking out for her, watching her back. So the fact that I was the one who went missing must have sent her panic into overdrive. Yet another thing that the good doctor Wes would pay for once I had managed to escape.

"I'm sorry, baby," I murmured, continuing to stroke the soft skin of her cheek, brushing her hair from her eyes. I knew that she couldn't hear me, but it helped me to say the words out loud. Because I had failed Alexa. I had tried so hard to protect her from this part of my past, from the Augustine society. I had spent decades ripping apart the Augustines, making them pay for what they did in the fifties. But I never imagined that they would find a way to rebuild. That they would continue their work. That other families would be involved.

As much as I wanted to find a way to get out, to rescue my girl from this, I knew that my body was still too weak from the vervain. Wes had gone a bit overboard when he topped it up earlier. But considering he was pissed that he lost Jesse and all of that hard work, he was probably taking it out on me. It was something that irked me at the time, but now I was just pissed off. Because that vervain was stopping me from saving my girl. I had to get her out of here, before the doctor did anything to hurt her. I was just lucky that he was more focused on locking her up after he took her. But I knew that it wouldn't stay that way for long. Once the sun set, he would continue his experiments. And I refused to let Alexa go through what I did. I wouldn't fail her like that. I couldn't save her from everything, even if it killed me inside, but I would save her from this.

XXX

Alexa's POV

It was the feel of familiar, gentle fingers brushing against my cheek that had me fighting through the deep heaviness caused by the vervain. I couldn't quite remember what happened and that in itself made me realise that I wouldn't like it. Because if my brain was trying to protect me from it, then it definitely wasn't good. It wasn't often that my mind tried to hide what I had been through, instead it took great delight in forcing me to relieve my nightmares. So it must have been pretty shitty if it kept everything fuzzy, even if for a moment.

I was just trying to force my brain into properly working, when a painfully familiar voice caught my attention. It was the voice that my heart had been craving. And now that I had heard it, I couldn't deny myself the comfort that it would bring.

"Come on, Ally," Damon murmured and I knew that I had recognised his touch. It was imprinted into my mind and it had my body relaxing. "You've got to wake up for me."

I fought to do as he asked, needing to make sure that he was okay. Because I was beginning to remember what had happened. Doctor Wes fucking Maxfield had vervained me, after I had found out that my dad, adopted dad, was involved with this fucking weird-ass society. Sad boy was involved in some way, having invited me into the Whitmore House, but he did seem truly innocent. Fuck. Elena. God, I prayed that she was okay. That Wes had left her alone.

It was Damon repeating my name, his hand moving to cup my cheek, that helped me finally open my eyes. I blinked for a moment, not expecting the sunlight that streamed in, before the hand on my face encouraged me to look to the side.

"Hey, baby," my boyfriend smiled at me, the relief in his expression making my heart clench in my chest. "Look who finally woke up."

"Damon," I breathed out, reaching up to grab his wrist, needing to feel more of his skin, needing that reassurance that he was actually here, with me, while ignoring how weak my body felt. Honestly, vervain was the fucking worst and I really wanted to burn all of it off of the face of the planet. "Please tell me that this is real and that I haven't gone insane."

"I'm here," he confirmed, holding out his other hand. I wasted no time in reaching out with my free hand. I knew that my grip was slightly too tight, even with my body as weak as it was. But I needed to make sure that this was real. That I had finally found my boyfriend. Granted, I was now locked up with him. But I was able to make sure that he was okay, that Wes hadn't killed him. Hadn't taken him from me. "Alexa, I'm here. It's okay."

"I was so scared," I whispered, using his grip on my hand to pull myself closer to him, needing to be closer. And now that I was back with Damon, I couldn't hold everything in any longer. I didn't mean to say what I did. But I couldn't stop myself. Not now that I was with my main source of comfort. "When I got to the lab and you weren't there, and I could still smell the vervain, God, Day, I was so scared. I thought I had lost you. That Wes had done something to take you from me. I couldn't breathe and I'm fairly sure that I freaked everyone else out."

"You're never going to lose me," Damon's grip on my hand was just as tight as mine. And that was how I knew how much this had gotten to him. He hated it at Whitmore, only tolerating it because I couldn't say no to my twin, and he refused to let me come here alone. And now he was locked up, facing the prospect of being tortured by a creepy doctor who would soon die a very painful death. "And as soon as this vervain leaves my body, I'm going to get you out here. Hopefully I'll be able to break through the bars this time."

"What do you mean 'this time'?" I asked, focusing only on my boyfriend's voice, soaking in as much comfort as I could from the comforting sound, from his touch. "Why are we here?"

Damon paused for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head, moving our hands so he could brush his lips against my skin. I gave him the time that he needed, closing my eyes and concentrating on his touch. And not the situation that we were in. Because I got the feeling that it was even more fucked up than I originally thought. Especially after Damon's words. Because if he had been here before, then it would open a huge can of worms that would make me want to cry and kill people.

"Well, Wes is carrying out the grand Augustine tradition: getting his kicks off vampire torture," my boyfriend eventually murmured and I opened my eyes again. There was an ancient pain, buried in those icy blue depths. One that had me frowning, stroking the back of his hand with my thumb.

"I always knew that he was a weird fucker," I couldn't stop myself from muttering before looking back at Damon. "Why do I get the feeling that I don't want to hear what you are able to tell me?"

"Because despite your tendency to run right into trouble, you are actually good at sensing it," Damon shook his head at me and I rolled my eyes. Even with the shitty situation that we were in, my idiot beloved couldn't stop himself from teasing me.

"Rude."

Damon smiled slightly at my pout before sighing, his gaze flicking around the cells, unable to hide from the situation for long, "This isn't the first time that I've been in this cell, Alexa. I know all about the Augustine Society and that is why I need to get you out of here, before anything bad happens to you."

XXX

"Damon," my voice was quiet, but it was still far too loud, breaking through the silence. "This Augustine Society, is it the reason why you never wanted me to be anywhere near Whitmore?"

My words drew Damon's gaze back to me. He had been staring out of the cells, quick eyes scanning for any weaknesses that may have developed over the past I don't know how many years. He was still holding my hand, one hand cupping my cheek, almost like he was reassuring himself that I was still here. That Wes hadn't stolen me away from him. I had never seen him this on edge and it was freaking me out. Because he would normally try and protect me from his panic and his worry, only really letting it out once we were out of the shitty situation. So the fact that I was able to see those dark emotions really did make me think that I was in a very bad situation, one that would almost definitely haunt me in the future.

"I never wanted to burden you with that part of my life," my boyfriend sighed, bringing my hand up to his face, resting it against his cheek. "Not yet. Maybe once Elena and the other girls were finished with college, and were unlikely to return, I would have told you."

"You know, if you had told me, I would have stopped them from applying to come here," I shifted my head slightly, pressing a kiss to his palm. I could see how tense he was and I was desperate to do something, anything, to help ease that tension. Even if only for a moment. Because while I couldn't break us out of here, my body still weakened by the vervain, I could do something to make him feel better.

"And if they decided to apply anyway?" Damon raised an eyebrow, his thumb pressing against the skin below my lip.

"Then I would have burned the place to the ground," I shrugged, enjoying the eye roll that I got. "Seriously, Day, if you had told me that you didn't want to step foot anywhere near this place, I would have listened."

"I know you would have," my boyfriend nodded, tucking my hair behind my ear, before cupping my face again. "But when the other girls decided to come here, I knew that you would worry about them, if I told you to stay away."

"That's what compelled bodyguards are for," I shifted slightly, moving to lie on my side. Damon's gaze drifted down my body, looking at the amount of thigh that my movement had revealed, before drifting back up, lingering on my boobs. He sighed and shook his head.

"You didn't change out of your dress," he muttered, looking me in the eye again, as he brushed my hair back over my shoulder. He carefully adjusted the strap of my dress, making sure that it wasn't in danger of falling down. I let him do his fussing, knowing that it would help him feel a little bit better.

"I may have been panicking a bit too much to do something like that," I muttered, Damon's hand returning to my cheek was the only reason why I didn't glance away. "I'm fairly sure that Ellie is the only reason why my makeup isn't smeared everywhere right now."

"I'm sorry I worried you, baby."

"It's cool, Day, you don't need to be sorry. But if it makes you feel better, I'm totally going to throw you under the bus when we get home. Cos I may have scared everyone when I failed to answer calls or messages while searching for you. And Ric may have made some Jenna related threats."

My boyfriend shook his head at me, "I feel like I shouldn't be surprised, but I'll protect you from your aunt's disappointment."

"And that's why you're the best," I gave his hand a squeeze, giving him a sweet smile. One that didn't suit the surroundings, but I couldn't help myself.

"You might not be thinking that when we get out of here," Damon tapped my nose, before his hand stroked down my body, resting on my hip. "Because I won't be letting you out of my sight for the next decade."

"Being in your line of sight is exactly where I will want to be," I sighed, refusing to let my gaze move away from my boyfriend's face. Because the alternative was to look at the bars of the cell, the scratches carved into the wall above me, the deep gouges in the floor. "If anything, you won't be able to get rid of me."

"I would never want to get rid of you," he gave my hip a gentle squeeze. "And when we are out of here, and I've ripped the good doctor into little pieces, I'll finally give that you day in bed that you've been asking for."

"Promises, promises," I traced the lines of his lips with my finger. "Am I allowed to start coming up with ways to kill Wes yet? Or am I supposed to wait until we're out of these cells?" My arm pressed against the cool metal of the bar and I glanced at it. "You know, this school is so fucking creepy. It started giving me bad vibes after Megan was killed by a vampire. But after learning about Dr Maxfield and getting locked in these ancient looking cells, I honestly never want to come back here."

"It's a feeling that I share," Damon pressed a kiss to the tip of my finger. "And if Elena needs help on campus going forward, I'm sending Ric. You can stay at home and help from there."

"I'm not even going to argue with that. And with Tyler back, he can provide them with hybrid backup too," I paused before adding. "And once we've fixed Jesse, he can come here and look after the idiot as well. Then I can hide in our bedroom and ignore the world for a little while."

XXX

"How did you end up here? The first time?" it was my words that broke the silence again. Damon had been content to keep watch, alternating between staring intently outside the bars and watching me. While one hand continued to hold mine, clever fingers drawing patterns on the back of my hand, the other roamed my body. It was like he was checking for injuries that didn't exist, making sure that I hadn't been hurt, during those hours that we had been separated. But I wasn't going to complain. The feel of his strong hand helped to ease the tension that was steadily building inside of me. Because we had been here for quite some time, definitely a couple of hours at least, and no one had found us. I knew that Elena would be looking for me, and by now, she would have brought the others in to help with the search. But no one had found us. Which had me thinking if we were even still on campus? I had originally assumed that we were beneath Whitmore House. But now I wasn't even sure of that.

"Someone in my family sold me out to the Augustines in 1953," my boyfriend's voice was soft and I hated that he was going down a painful memory lane. But I was hoping that there was a clue in his past that would help us escape now. I got the feeling that we wouldn't be able to escape the same way, but maybe there was some piece of information that we could use. And on a more selfish note, I couldn't stand the silence. It meant that I couldn't escape from this. I couldn't pretend we were locked in separate cells, by a creepy doctor with a penchant for experimenting on vampires.

"That's awful," I breathed out, frowning deeply. "Why would they do that? You're not supposed to sell out family."

"I'm assuming that he got a pretty penny," Damon paused before shrugging. "Well, he would have done, if I hadn't shoved a glass into his throat. I may have suffered here, but I got my revenge on the one who put me here first."

"1953," I murmured, wondering why it tickled something in the back of my mind. "I remember Elena mentioning something about a death at the Boarding House, back in 1953, when she first discovered what Stefan was. A J… Joseph Salvatore?"

"My distant nephew," my boyfriend nodded, his hand moving to my hip again. "He called us back home, planning on betraying us."

"Sounds like he deserved to get a glass in the neck," I muttered, narrowing my eyes for a moment, before Damon squeezing my hand drew my attention back to him.

"It was a small comfort, during my time here. Every day, this nut job, Dr Whitmore, tortured us, cut into us, took piece of our eyes out, pushed us to every limit that he could imagine. And he had quite the imagination."

"Oh my god," I breathed out, his words making me feel sick. I used his grip on my hand to pull myself even closer, until my elbows brushed against the bars in the small window between the cells. "That's awful. Damon… I'm so sorry that you went through that."

"It used to be a distant memory," Damon shook his head, closing his eyes as he pressed my hand against his cheek. His grip on my hand was slightly too tight, but if it helped him deal with the memories haunting him, then I wasn't going to complain. The fact that he was able to talk about it without breaking down was impressive. His voice was relatively calm, but I could see the pain in his eyes, before he closed them. "One that was easily drowned in a bottle of bourbon if it decided to rear its ugly head. It was easier when I could avoid this place. I could avoid what happened."

"I'm sorry you had to come back here," I murmured, wincing in guilt. Because he shouldn't have had to come back here. I should have been stronger, denying my sister whenever she wanted me to come visit her. But I couldn't deny my twin, especially after what happened. And because of that, I had hurt Damon instead. Even if I wasn't aware of it at the time.

"It's not your fault," he sighed, opening his eyes again, cupping my cheek, his thumb brushing my cheekbone. "I couldn't avoid Whitmore forever. Not with its proximity to Mystic Falls. But being here with you helped. I was able to focus on keeping you safe, making sure that nothing bad happened to you here. While also carrying out my revenge."

"Is that the revenge that I told you not to tell me about?" I snorted, remember his words about the 'measures that he would take to keep Whitmore safe for me'. It was a long time ago, but I always thought about them whenever I was at Whitmore. And I always wondered what it was that he had done. But I never asked, knowing that ignorance was bliss. Although, thinking about it, maybe he had been undertaking those 'measures' for years, before he swore to keep Whitmore safe for me.

"Do you want to know what it is yet?" my boyfriend asked, raising an eyebrow and I gave him a look, only just stopping my lips from tugging up into a smile.

"Is it still going to get me into trouble?"

"I think you already know the answer to that," Damon murmured against my palm, before kissing it. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Then I'm going to continue with the line that ignorance is bliss," I snorted, rolling onto my stomach, shifting so that I was facing him. I continued to hold his hand, because the fuck was I giving up that comfort, while his other traced the line of my shoulder before drifting down my arm so he was gripping one of my hands with both of his.

"Probably for the best, baby."

XXX

Damon was just checking in on me for the thousandth time, annoyingly ignoring the amazing view of my boobs that my position was giving him, when I noticed the carving in the wall behind him.

D.S.

53

I frowned at it for a moment before asking, "Was that you?"

"Yep," my boyfriend nodded, not even bothering to turn around, already knowing what I was asking about. "They kept me in this very cell, and don't think I haven't appreciated the irony."

"It's so weird, Wes never struck me as someone with a sense of humour," I muttered, unable to take my eyes off of the carving. It was a horrible sign of what my beloved had been through. That he had been here long enough to carve his initials into the wall. Marking it as his cell. Damon's fingers gently gripping my chin had me looking back at him. "Day, how long were you down here? How long did they have you?"

"About five years, give or take," he shrugged casually, but I could see the intensity in his gaze. It was obvious that he had never talked about this part of his life with anyone. That he had buried the trauma and the pain deep down, covering it with snark and booze. I could sympathise. Sometimes running away from your trauma was easier, even if it definitely wasn't healthy. But there were things that I wouldn't talk about, like the island, unless someone forced me to. Like fucking Silas did a few days back. And since people knew about the island, they could force me to talk about it. Somehow, I got the feeling that no one knew about this cell and the Augustines. Because someone would have said something before we came here.

"Holy shit," I breathed out, giving his hand a squeeze. "That's awful. You were trapped here for so long? How did you survive?"

"It helped that I wasn't alone down here," Damon glanced at the wall behind me but before I could look to see what had caught his gaze, his hand cupped my cheek. "I made a friend."

"I'm glad you weren't suffering by yourself," I murmured before wincing. "Fuck, is that a bad thing to say? Cos, like, I don't want anyone else to suffer but I'm glad you didn't go through this alone. And I'm going to stop talking, before I say something worse."

"I understand," my boyfriend's smile was soft, reassuring, as his fingers tucked my hair behind my ear. "Because I wasn't alone, I didn't lose hope. I was able to keep fighting, to work out a way to escape."

"You were here for five years?" I asked and Damon hummed. "He must have been a great friend. What happened to him?"

"You're skipping ahead in the story, Ally," his finger tapped my nose before returning to my cheek. "Don't you want to know his name first?"

"Shit, yeah, that would help," I shook my head, fingers stroking his forearms, drawing nonsensical patterns on his skin. "What was your friends name, Damon?"

"Enzo. Lorenzo St. John, if we're being formal. But he preferred Enzo."

"With a fancy name like that, I'm not surprised."

"Not everyone hates their full name, Alexandria," Damon rolled his eyes at me, as he gripped my hands in his. He ignored my muttered protests that a lot of people did, instead giving me more information about his friend. "Enzo was a soldier in Europe during World War II."

"Wow, Europe is a long way away, how did the creepy doctor in the fifties lock him up in this cell?"

"Dr Whitmore was working in a battlefield hospital when he discovered that Enzo was a vampire, so he drugged him, locked him in a coffin to ship him overseas."

"Yikes, that poor guy," I frowned, looking down at our linked hands.

"He'd been here for ten years by the time I joined the party," my boyfriend gave my hands a squeeze before easing them through the bars so that they were on his side. He immediately gripped them again, resting his chin on our linked fingers. I just stroked his skin with my thumb.

"That's a long time," I murmured, my heart going out to this Enzo guy. Because that was ten extra years of torture. That Dr Whitmore had a lot of pay for. And I really hoped that he got fucking wrecked at the end of this story. "How did he not go crazy? All by himself?"

"He found a way to live for the future. Each day, in between our time with Dr Whitmore, we were given a glass of blood. And Enzo, he savoured that taste of blood, treating it like a glass of fine wine. He refused to be broken, because he lived for his revenge. And he described some pretty creative fantasies, I was impressed. I do believe there was one involving a dead dog being mailed to his house, with the postage due."

"He sounds like someone that I would get along with," I smiled slightly, shaking my head. "Did you have any revenge fantasies? I know that you can get pretty creative yourself."

"That part of the story strays near information that could you into trouble with the noble people in our lives," Damon smirked, brushing his lips against the tip of my thumb.

"Damn, that's not fair," I grumbled, scrunching up my nose in annoyance. "Because I know how creative you can get, baby. Damn our less revenge focused loved ones."

"I can always just tell you; trouble be damned."

"I am seriously tempted to take you up on that," I sighed. "Because I like completeness to my stories. But I also don't want to be told off for something that I didn't do. And I know what my sister is like, she'll yell at me for shit that you did in the past." I paused for a moment before adding, "Well, not just in the past, right?" When Damon nodded, I shook my head, "Yeah, let me think about that one."

XXX

"How did Wes get his hands on you?" Damon asked and I glanced back up at him. My head was resting on my arm, my hands still on the other side of the bars, being held by my boyfriend. But I didn't mind. His touch was comforting, and I wasn't in the mood to deny myself any comfort. Not while I was locked up. And probably not after then. Because it got to you, eating into your mind. I knew that we were essentially playing a waiting game, until night fell and Wes returned. He wouldn't hurt us until he was no longer obligated to teach students and grade papers. But that waiting made me feel sick, because I couldn't stop thinking about what we were waiting for. All I could do was hope that the vervain burned out of our bodies quickly and that we were able to escape. Because as much as I wanted to avoid being tortured by a creepy doctor, I wanted Damon to avoid it more. It was bad enough that he was locked up here, reliving his past trauma, unhealed trauma, if we're being real, but I couldn't let him get tortured again too. No, I had to find a way to save him from that.

"Uh, after Ric told me to go to Elena, she had the bright idea of seeing sad boy," I replied, frowning slightly as I tried to piece it all together again. Because my panic from earlier didn't exactly help me with keeping things in a logical order. "He was sad about some shit that I don't even remember but he agreed to help us find Wes. Cos, you know, he was the last person that you were with. So he led us to Whitmore House, which he apparently owns? Yeah, cos his name is Aaron Whitmore. Trust my sister to befriend one of them for fucks sake." I took a moment to roll my eyes before Damon squeezing my hand reminded me to keep going. "Um, Elena got a call and she went outside to answer it. I might have followed her; cos Whitmore House is apparently a creepy fucking place. But a picture of my dad distracted me and then Wes decided to jam a needle into my neck. That fucking hurt, by the way. Needles are the worst."

"Wes knew your dad?" my boyfriend asked, his eyes tracing my face, and I knew that he wouldn't let me hide from that discovery any longer. But, to be honest, I actually wanted to talk about it. Because it didn't feel real. It couldn't be real. Because it would open a can of worms that I had been running from for a long time.

"He said that he was one of the best doctors that Augustine had ever had," I whispered, lifting my head, my hair falling down around my face as I looked down. One of Damon's hands moved to tuck it behind my ears, before gently gripping my chin, encouraging me to look at him. But I didn't know if I could. Because my dad was one of those doctors who tortured vampires, who cut into them and hurt them. Maybe even killing them. It was different to his history as a Founding Family member of Mystic Falls. This was darker, crueller. And it was something that I desperately wanted to run from. "And as much as I don't want to believe it, I just… I can't help it. My dad hated vampires and joining a society that experimented on them? It doesn't feel beyond the realms of possibility. Because after reading his journals, he no longer feels like the man who raised me."

"Alexa," Damon sighed, his thumb stroking my cheekbone. The beautiful blue eyes were so full of sympathy that I had to look away. Because I didn't deserve that sympathy. My dad would have locked him up or killed him or both, if he was still alive when the Salvatores arrived in town. He wouldn't have given them a chance, instead automatically labelling them as monsters. He would have staked them or locked them up in one of these cells. God, it was a sobering thought.

"I've been running away from the truth for so long, but I guess I know the answer now. If he was still alive, my dad would think of me as a monster," I shook my head, unable to raise my voice above a whisper. "And I don't think that he would be completely wrong to think that."

"Ally, you aren't a monster," my boyfriend's voice was soft, reassuring and I pressed my cheek into his hand. It wasn't what I was craving, but until I could be in his arms, it would do.

"My hands aren't exactly clean of blood, Day," my lips quirked up into a failure of a smile. "I've hurt people, I've killed them. Even before I became a vampire. I spent so long trying not to think about it, but deep down, I knew the truth."

"One day you will believe me when I say that you aren't a monster," Damon shook his head, finger tapping my nose. "Even if I need to tell you every day, for the rest of our lives together."

"I'm not liking your odds," I snorted, but I felt my body relax. Maybe one day, I would actually let my boyfriend convince me that I wasn't the monster that I thought I was. But until then, I knew that I couldn't escape that truth. And when you couple that with the information that I had just learnt about my dad? Yeah, it was a bit of a toxic mess.

"I'm feeling pretty confident," Damon's smile, even in this horrible place, had me smiling too. "And once I get you out of here, and I will get you out of here, Alexa, I'll be able to use all of my favourite tricks."

"You're gonna cheat, aren't you?" I squinted at him, getting a wink in return.

XXX

I was laying on my back, with Damon pacing back and forth across his cell. The sun outside was getting low, and I knew that it wouldn't be long until Dr Maxfield returned, ready to do his creepy experiments again. I was slightly peeved about the fact that the cavalry hadn't arrived yet. We had been here for hours and there was no way that no one had tracked us down yet. And I had to focus on my annoyance, because otherwise I would get worried. And if I got worried, then I would start panicking again. And panicking wouldn't get us out of here.

"How did you do this for five years, Day?" I sighed, staring up at the ceiling, watching the shadows move across it. "It's horrible. Just waiting here, knowing what is coming. It's driving me insane."

My boyfriend gave a sympathetic hum, "It was hard. But having company helps."

"Did your friend Enzo help you cope with this shitty waiting game?" I turned my head to the side, watching his legs through the bars. "God, I've only been here for a few hours and I want it to stop." I paused before frowning. "Oh shit, the waiting game only stops when it is time for pain. Yikes, I nearly forgot about that part. Please continue story time so that I can stop thinking."

"How can I deny such a request?" Damon shook his head, but he gave me what I wanted. "Enzo's friendship kept me sane and kept me alive. He gave me a reason to hang on to my humanity. Even when I thought that I'd be a prisoner forever."

"Why didn't you turn it off?" I asked quietly, crossing my legs, even as I remained laying down. "I mean, no one would have blamed you if you did."

"I didn't want to give Dr Whitmore the satisfaction. Besides, Enzo provided me with enough distractions."

"Enzo sounds like a real one."

"There wasn't a topic that he couldn't talk about. Be that cars, the world, women. Even after ten years, he could remember the outside world with an enviable clarity."

"Did you talk about girls?" I snorted, shaking my head. "That's adorable. I know you were hung up on Katherine back then, but who did he talk about? Anyone in particular?"

"Why are you so interested in Enzo's romantic retellings?" my boyfriend laughed and I was uber pleased with myself that I was able to get sound out of him. I knew that talking about all of this, especially in the same cell from fifty years ago, was difficult for him. So if I could make it easier in any way, I would do so.

"Cos he sounds like a cool guy, and I'm curious as to what kind of girl would catch his attention," I shrugged. "Besides, it's interesting and it's keeping my mind occupied."

"Well," Damon started and I smiled at finally getting my own way again. I had missed those days. Hopefully they would continue. "Enzo had actually found himself falling for one of Dr Whitmore's workers. Her name was Maggie. She used to observe him on behalf of Dr Whitmore, studying his behave. He claimed that she didn't know about the experiments, but I never argued that. If the thought of her gave him hope, then I wasn't going to take it away from him."

"That was very kind of you," I glanced back over at the small opening between our cells.

"Well, he returned the favour many times over."

Even I knew not to press that point, not from the guilt and pain that swamped those words. So instead, I changed the subject. Although, it wasn't as far away as I would have liked, "Did that Dr Whitmore ever say why he did this? What the point of the pain and the torture was?"

"Funnily enough, I did actually ask him that."

"Do I want to know what the answer was?"

I could tell that Damon was repeating the words from memory as he sighed, "He was seeking out the smallest indivisible unit of our biological makeup, looking to understand our vampire bodies on a cellular level. Once he had done that, he was looking to put us to use."

"Put you to use how?" I gasped, unable to hide my horror at his words. It was awful. That Dr Whitmore was a monster, and he had left a monstrous legacy.

"He never actually answered that question," my boyfriend shook his head, before moving to crouch down in front of the small window.

"Of course he didn't," I rolled my eyes before looking at him. I could see his eyes tracing my body again, reassuring himself that I hadn't gotten myself injured while he wasn't watching me. I didn't say anything, as I knew that it made him feel slightly better and fuck me, I would let him do what he needed to feel better. "I don't suppose you're willing to skip ahead to the end of the story? And tell me how you got out the first time? I'm assuming that Stefan didn't swoop in on his white horse, bringing the cavalry."

"Unfortunately, you are correct," Damon sighed, joining me on the floor again. He laid down on his back, crossing his hands on his stomach, as he glanced at my bare legs. I knew that my dress had ridden up my thighs again, from where I had crossed my legs. But since Wes wasn't lurking around, I didn't care too much. "Stefan doesn't even know that this place exists."

"I thought so," I scrunched up my nose in annoyance. "Cos he would have rescued us by now if he did." I shifted my head, so that I was properly facing him, as a thought hit me. "Hang on. You said that you were here for five years? How the fuck did he not find you?"

"We were in our off part of our relationship. But that didn't stop me from thinking, in the first year, that he'd rescue me. He didn't," my boyfriend shook his head. "Once I escaped, there was no point in giving him more to feel guilty about, so I never told him what happened here. I never told anyone."

"I can understand that. I wouldn't have wanted to think about what happened, if I was in your position. But how did you get out of here?"

"Well, they let us out the basement once a year."

XXX

"Every New Years Eve, the Augustine people had a little cocktail party with a vampire buffet on the side. We were weak from vervain injections, half-starved from living on a glass of blood a day, chained up like animals. This little annual shindig is where Dr Whitmore got to show all of his Augustine friends what he'd found in his research. He let his guests drink from us to demonstrate the healing power of vampire blood. But on the plus side, that's how Enzo came up with his plan."

"Every time I think I can't be surprised any more by how fucked up these people are, you say something that beats it," I muttered, shaking my head before rolling back onto my stomach, moving so that I was facing my boyfriend. "They would feed from you to celebrate the new year?" I paused before frowning, "Is that why you always get drunk on New Years Eve? I always assumed that you were indulging me in my desire to see in a new year in the drunkest possible way."

"Getting drunk with someone did help," Damon shrugged, finally letting me distract him with the view of my boobs. I had to hide my smile at the admiring look in his eyes, but hey, if it was making him feel better, I definitely wasn't going to say anything. Especially since we were approaching a dark part of the story. I didn't know what it was, but Damon's body was tenser than before. And since Wes hadn't shown his ugly face, I knew that it was because of our trip down memory lane. "I used to just wake up in bar full of bodies the next day."

"And that is information that would get me into trouble if others found out," I rolled my eyes. "But I'm glad that I can help with a difficult day, even if it just getting drunk together."

"You always help, Alexa," my boyfriend murmured, reaching through the bars again. I let him take my hands in his, my thumbs stroking the back of his hands. "Even if you don't always realise it."

"You say the nicest things, baby," I cleared my throat, looking down at our joined hands. The slowly lowering sun was casting deep shadows and I knew that our time was running out. We had to know how to escape, before doctor creepy came back. Because I just knew that if he started his torturing nonsense, it would take a lot for us to get out then, with our weak bodies. Now was our only chance, with our bodies burning through the vervain.

"Enzo used to say the same," a flash of pain crossed Damon's face before he shook his head. The look had my heart clenching in my chest. I couldn't bare seeing that pain on my beloved's face. It didn't belong there. And I cursed Dr Whitmore, the Augustine's and fucking Wes for putting it there.

"Do I need to be jealous of Enzo?" I teased gently, giving his hands a squeeze.

"You're the only one for me, Ally," my boyfriend tapped my nose before also looking at the shadows. "Enzo's plan was ingenious. We were given enough blood to keep us going, to stop us from desiccating in our cells. He theorized that if one vampire was to drink two rations for the next year, they would be able to become strong. Strong enough that they would be able to fight at the next New Years Eve party."

"Oh shit, so who got the extra rations?" I breathed out, eyes wide as I realised Enzo's plan. It was a smart one. Of course, it wouldn't help us escape now. But if it helped me learn more about what Damon went through in the fifties, then I would listen to every word.

"We played rock, paper, scissors to decide. I won, but I've always believed that he gave me the victory. That was Enzo's curse, he was too kind. He had been through fourteen years of pain by that point, but he still would have suffered if it meant of one his friends having an easier time."

"He sounds like a great guy," I smiled slightly, before it soon disappeared. "I'm suddenly feeling like I don't want to know how this story ends. How… how bad was it?"

"It doesn't have a pretty ending," Damon sighed, shaking his head. "It feels weird, talking about it. I never told anyone about Enzo. Along with Augustine, he's always been a secret, kept from my brother."

"I appreciate you telling me about it now," my voice was soft and I tried not to think too hard about his words. Because the sadness in his voice was too much. I knew that this story had a sad ending, but I hoped that it didn't end the way that I thought it would. Because that would be far too much. "Even if I don't appreciate our story time surroundings."

"I think the vervain is nearly gone," my boyfriend removed one hand from mine before clenching his fist. There was a look of deep concentration on his face as he tried to work out how strong his body was, and how much the vervain was affecting him. "It shouldn't be long now until we can get out of here."

"Thank god," I shook my head, my hair brushing against my shoulders, as I glanced around. "Because this place is officially the creepiest location that I had been to." I paused before grimacing. "Okay, the island was creepier, but that will remain a secret number one. This fucking cell will be the number one that I talk about if I feel like talking about this."

"Somehow I think we'll need to tell our siblings about this," Damon murmured, reaching through the bars to stroke my cheek. "We've been missing for hours; they will want to know what happened."

"I'll tell them once I stop being petty about the lack of rescue party," I grumbled, resting my face against his hand as a small smile graced my boyfriend's face.

XXX

I stared hard at the windows, sensing the sunset, even if I couldn't see it, "Do you want to take bets as to how long it takes for Wes to come play Operation, Augustine edition? Cos it's either that or I amend my creepy Shane bingo to make it more suitable for creepy Wes."

"I'm surprised you haven't already done that," Damon shook his head at me, eyes fixed firmly on my face. I knew that he was slowly starting to freak out even more about our situation. And that fact that he wasn't able to get us out of here yet. I had to admire his composure. If I didn't know him so well, then I wouldn't have known that he was freaking the fuck out. Of course, it probably helped that I was freaking out. The only thing stopping me from falling head first into a panic attack was the feel of Damon's hand in mine. And I let myself believe that everything would be fine, even if I knew that it wouldn't be.

"I kept getting distracted, thanks to fucking Silas, the asshole," I shrugged, tearing my gaze away from the window to look at him. The worry swirling in those gorgeous depths had me frowning. I hated seeing him like this, it just wasn't fair. Things were supposed to be good again, now that Silas was gone and Bonnie was back and Stefan was no longer an adorable amnesiac. But no, life was a cruel motherfucker and we weren't allowed to be happy. "Hey, we'll get out of here. I won't let Wes get his jollies off by torturing you. I'll rip him apart first."

"I feel like I should be saying the same to you," he murmured, one hand returning to my cheek, the feel of his skin against mine had me relaxing slightly. His thumb stroked my cheekbone as his fingers brushed through my hair. His free hand continued to grip mine, slightly too tight, but I didn't care. It helped to ground me, keep me in the moment, even if it was a shitty moment. But I wouldn't be of any use if I spiralled into a panic attack. "I'm so sorry that I got you caught up in this, Ally."

"It isn't your fault," I pressed a kiss to his palm. "I blame Wes and sad boy and, not gonna lie, Elena a little bit too. I swear, I'm going to use this situation to get something from her."

"I'm here if you need any suggestions," my boyfriend shook his head at me, his lips tugging up into a small smile, before sighing again. "I know that you're distracting me."

"I didn't want you to feel as though you had to finish story time," I whispered, drawing nonsensical patterns on his forearm with my fingers. "Cos I can see that it's getting painful for you."

"It's okay, baby, it helps, talking about it with you," he gave my hand a squeeze. "Although I do wish that we weren't discussing my past in our current location."

"It would be so much better if we were in the library, glass of bourbon in hand, my blanket covering us," I sighed, picturing it in my mind. "The fire would be crackling in the background, casting a warm glow. God, I wish we were there right now. And not in this cold cell."

"These cells always did get cold in the winter," Damon looked down at the stone floor. "They didn't keep heat in for shit. Even in the summer, they were cold."

"It sounds awful," I shook my head. "It's like they went out of their way to make everything about this place miserable."

"It did feel that way," my boyfriend nodded, his thumb brushing against my lip as he stared at it. "It made us long for warmth, be that a warming fire in the library or the touch of another body. After I got out, I indulged in both."

"Damon, how did you get out?" I breathed out, hating myself for asking. But I knew that he would allow himself to be distracted until I put that question out there. A part of me hoped that by finishing his story, he would find some kind of peace. But I should have known that it would be a naïve hope.

"The next Augustine party was in 1958. I'd been drinking Enzo's rations for an entire year. I mean, he kept a few drops here and there, so he wouldn't desiccate, and as he starved himself, I got stronger from all the extra blood, just like he said I would. Dr Whitmore began his usually pantomime, bringing me out of the cell. But this time, when he turned to face the gathered crowd, I was able to break free from the cuffs. I was running on pure rage, digging my thumbs into his eyes, forcing him to feel at least one iota of the pain that he put us through. After that, I ripped his throat out." I could feel my eyes growing wide as I listened to his escape. "The rest I killed, either by ripping out their throats or breaking their necks. One of them must have caused a fire in their panic and Enzo was still locked in the cage. I tried to break him out, but the metal was coated in vervain."

"Oh my god," I breathed out, giving his hand a squeeze. Damon looked so upset, that I was itching to pull him into my arms. And it was killing me that I couldn't. So I compromised in the only way that I could, gripping his hand tight, reminding him that he wasn't alone.

"Enzo trusted me with his life. The fire was getting out of control, and I would have burned up, or they would have captured me again. There's no way that I would have ever gotten another chance of escaping. So I chose to save myself. And I knew that if I was going to save myself, then I would have to stop caring about Enzo. So I turned off my humanity. And I left my friend to die." He closed his eyes for a moment, "After that, everything was fine."

XXX

"Damon," I squeezed his hand until he looked at me, and the pain in those blue eyes had my breath catching in my throat. "It wasn't your fault. You tried to save him; you risked your life trying to open that cage. You shouldn't blame yourself. I mean, you had to turn your humanity off so that you could leave."

"He trusted me with his life, Alexa, and I failed him. Enzo is dead because of me."

"Enzo was your friend. He would rather you survive than you both dying in that fire," I squeezed his hand whenever he looked away from me. "Hey, listen to me, Day. Let go of that guilt, your friend wouldn't want you to blame yourself for surviving."

"I want to believe you, but how can I?" Damon breathed out, shaking his head, sounding so painfully vulnerable. It broke my heart and I cursed Dr Whitmore and the Augustines for doing this to him.

"Listen, I am the queen of self-blame. I know guilt like the back of my hand. You are not allowed to feel guilty about this," I reached out to grip his chin, forcing my boyfriend to meet my gaze. "You can't feel guilty for escaping. Because if you didn't escape, you wouldn't be alive right now. And I wouldn't have you in my life. If you need to focus on something, to escape the guilt, focus on that."

"Focus on you?" my boyfriend murmured, his fingers tracing my lips. "You make it sound so easy."

"Think about what you would have missed, if you had died in that fire," I slowly moved my hand from his chin to his cheek. He pressed his face into my hand, closing his eyes, breathing in deeply. "We would never have met, fallen in love. You wouldn't have met your friends, become close with Stefan again. He would have lived his life, wondering what had happened to his big brother. What happened to Enzo was horrible, but it wasn't your fault."

"When did you start speaking so much sense?" Damon's lips curled up into a small smile, even as he kept his face pressed against my hand. My thumb stroked his cheekbone, giving him the time that he needed to listen to my words. I knew that he wouldn't believe them, not straight away. But that was fine. Because I would repeat them as many times as needed until he let go of his guilt. I refused to let my boyfriend suffer, because he had chosen to survive instead of dying with his friend. He didn't deserve to hold on to that guilt and I would make sure that he didn't.

"Pfft, I've always spoken sense," I scoffed softly, nuzzling the hand on my cheek. "You lot just never listened to me."

"It's such a lovely voice, sometimes it's easy to get lost in the sound of it and not pay attention to the words."

"Careful, Day, your romantic side is showing again," I couldn't stop myself from smiling at his words. We had been together for well over a year at this point, but I still couldn't stop myself from blushing like an idiot when he said cute shit like that. And it was a blush that had Damon's smile growing when he opened his eyes to look at me.

"When we get out of here, we are going to take a break from Mystic Falls," my boyfriend moved my hand to his lips, brushing them against my knuckles. "Blondie and your sister can look after Stefan for a few days. I'm going to take you somewhere far away, where I can properly show you my romantic side."

"I look forward to it," I kissed his hand. "We've earnt some time away from the insanity of our lives. If I'm being honest, I just thought that I would get a day in bed with our phones turned off."

"That's the plan for when we sneak back into town," Damon winked at me and I couldn't stop myself from giggling. Because for a moment, we were able to forget where we were and what was waiting for us in a few hours. And we needed that moment. After spending all day in these cells, waiting for a rescue that would never come, taking a trip down a painful memory lane, we were owed a moment for forgetfulness.

"I can't wait," I smiled before sighing, glancing down at the shadows that moved in front of us. "I don't suppose that vervain has left your body yet? Cos I would rather start our romantic getaway sooner rather than later."

My boyfriend frowned down at his body, clenching and unclenching his fist, as he tested his body. I watched him, trying to hide my hope that he was able to break us out of here now. And judging from the way he shook his head; I was right to hide it.

"Not yet," he frowned, giving my hand a squeeze. "Wes must have used some potent form of vervain."

"It wouldn't surprise me, the little fucker," I muttered, briefly fantasising about throttling him, before shaking my head. "Well, there is still time for the cavalry to finally make their appearance. And if that doesn't happen, then maybe the creepy asshole is too busy being distracted by other shit to come down here straight away."

"So full of hope."

"I figured I'd try being optimistic for once," I shrugged as his words, keeping my gaze on his face, and not the slowly darkening cell. "And if it fails, then I'll have extra things to be annoyed about and smash his smug little face in over."

"Revenge plans are a good way to pass the time," Damon nodded, his grip on my hands tightening as he looked at the side, frowning at the shadows.

"This is the part where I should probably ask about your revenge plans," I rolled my eyes. "But I am definitely still going to go with the ignorance is bliss approach."

"Probably for the best."

XXX

When the door in front of us opened, I let out a muttered, "fuck," before closing my eyes. It was a feeling that my boyfriend shared, as he gave my hands a hard squeeze, before letting go. I opened my eyes to see a reluctant look on his face, clearly unwilling to move away from me, before he stood up. I knew what my amazing, foolish boyfriend was doing. He was getting ready to insist that Wes takes him first. It was, admittedly, my plan too. Because I did not want my beloved to go through this pain again. It was bad enough that he was reliving his past, I couldn't let him get hurt in the same place. I would rip the world apart before that happened.

But it wasn't Wes who had arrived.

"What the hell is this place?"

I frowned, quickly pushing myself to my feet, ignoring the way my head spun, only to glance at the boy in front of us, "Sad boy?"

"Great, Mini-Wes," Damon muttered as I shuffled closer to the bars, gripping them tightly. I knew that I was going to regret not getting up earlier. But the vervain had weakened me a lot more than I had expected. Apparently, it was still affecting me, as I definitely should not be feeling this weak after standing up for the first time in hours.

"I didn't know what Wes was doing," the boy, Aaron, muttered to himself as he looked around the cells. It was definitely a creepy little dungeon, and not something that you would expect to find at a college campus. "I didn't even know that there was a basement down here."

"It's amazing what you can find if you do a bit of snooping," I tried to give the blond my most charming smile, but I got the feeling that it was a bit strained. Of course, I immediately regretted drawing his attention to me when he glared at me with sharp eyes.

"I wanna know the truth," he held up a hand gun, digging around in his pocket. I breathed in sharply as he pulled out some wooden bullets. I didn't know if sad boy had the stomach to kill someone, but I wasn't going to take any chance. "When I met Elena at Megan's memorial, she asked me a bunch of questions. I want to know why she was so interested in me."

The kid's hand shook as he tried loading the gun with the wooden bullets. And it was a relief as one slipped out his hand, hitting the ground with a ding. But he managed to get the next couple in.

"Slick hands, cowboy," Damon scoffed, drawing Aaron's attention away from me. He glared at my boyfriend as he finished loading the gun.

"Yeah? Well, I've never used a gun before," sad boy shook his head sharply before looking back at me. "And I've never killed anyone either, unlike you."

"Erm, would it be bad if I asked you to provide specifics?" I winced, wincing again as Damon murmured my name, his voice full of exasperation. I had killed a lot of people, enough to haunt me for the rest of my existence. But I didn't know who the blond was talking about.

"Wes said a vampire killed Megan," sad boy frowned deeply, actually sounding like he was fighting back tears, before he pointed the gun at me. I immediately held my hands in the air, trying to look as unthreatening as possible.

"And you thought it was Alexa?" Damon growled, sounding less than impressed with the fact that a gun was currently being pointed at me. I wasn't particularly impressed either. I mean, I had been shot before, it fucking sucked. And I definitely didn't want to go through it again.

"It wasn't me!" I immediately spoke up, shuffling back a step as sad boy's hand shook, giving the gun a wary glance. "I liked Megan, she was nice! And she was killed in this house and I wasn't allowed to come in before you invited me in earlier, whenever the fuck that was. I'm innocent of that, I promise!"

"Wes also said that a vampire killed my parents," Aaron shook his head and I winced as he put more pressure than I was comfortable with on the trigger. "Maybe that was you too."

"Dude, I am 19 years old!" my voice was far too high-pitched and it definitely didn't make me sound as innocent as I was. But I could feel the panic curling around my mind, unable to take my focus off of the gun pointed at me. "I swear, I didn't kill your parents! I don't even know who they are!"

"Then why is your sister so interested in me!" sad boy raised his voice, steadying his shaking hand with his free one.

"Calm down," Damon spoke up, his voice sharp and I shuffled closer to the wall separating us. I knew that I couldn't actually move closer to him, that I couldn't hide in his arms like I wanted to. But I felt a tiny bit better, being closer to him.

"Why else would she pretend to by my friend? Unless she was covering for you! Did you manipulate her into doing your bidding?" I winced at his words, wondering if I could speed forward and snatch the gun from his hands, without being shot first. I had the opportunity, especially when he looked at my boyfriend. But I could still feel the vervain weighing down my body. And I didn't know if I would be able to properly use my speed. "She's a vampire!"

"Not the one that killed your parents. That was all me," Damon's words had us all freezing. Aaron slowly lowered the gun, staring at my boyfriend with wide eyes. I closed mine. We definitely weren't going to get out of here unscathed. All I could do was hope that the blond boy didn't actually have the stomach to shoot someone.

"What did you just say?" Aaron demanded, moving away from my cell, standing in front of Damon's instead. He pointed the gun at my boyfriend instead, and I moved forward, letting out a noise of protest. Damon murmured my name, and I went silent, but I definitely wasn't happy. I didn't care that this was my sister's friend. If he hurt my beloved, then I would rip him apart. "Start talking."

"I hope you know what you're doing," I whispered, knowing that Damon's sharp hearing would pick up my words. I was desperate to see him, to see his face, to try and work out his plan. And I hated that the rock wall between us prevented me from doing that.

My boyfriend's voice was even as he spoke, and I knew that he was remembering his past again, "In 1958, after the fire, Enzo was dead, so I had to take on my revenge plan solo." He took a deep breath, "I wanted to start with the entire Augustine society, ripping them apart, before moving on to the Whitmore family. I was going to kill the entire lot, leaving only one person alive. They would grow up, start a family of their own, and then I would kill them all too. I would leave only one person alive each time, to carry on the family name, giving me a lifetime of revenge. And that's exactly what I did."

"Fuck my life," I muttered, closing my eyes and shaking my head. "No wonder you said that it would get me into trouble."

"How many Whitmores have you killed?" sad boy asked, his voice soft and shaky, but his hand was steady. And that was what scared me more.

"Since 1958? I lost count," my boyfriend replied, his voice flippant and I rolled my eyes.

"This isn't helping," I hissed, keeping my gaze fixed on Aaron Whitmore and his gun full of wooden bullets. "And when we get out of here, we're going to have a discussion about revenge plans that I should know about to keep us out of trouble and stop me from getting yelled at."

Damon was about to speak, but before he could say something, which would probably be along the lines of 'are we over' and 'are you mad at me', and before I could tell him that he was an idiot but he was my idiot, the blond interrupted him, his voice sharp, "When was the last one?"

"A few months ago," Damon's voice was quiet. "Her name was Sara. Had to go all the way to Charleston to find her."

"Oh shit," I breathed out, shaking my head. "I went to Charleston with you. But I got drunk at the local bar while you ran errands. And then we had drunk sex after."

"I wanted to tell you, but you were still recovering from turning your humanity back on," my boyfriend sighed. "I assumed that I would get to tell you in a more relaxed setting and not because a punk kid was playing games that were beyond him."

The noise of the gunshot was loud in the small area. It had me jolting back a few steps, wincing at the sound. For a moment, I glanced down at myself, looking for a wound that I couldn't feel, before I remembered who sad boy was pointing the gun at. I dropped to my knees, before covering my mouth as I looked through the small window between our cells.

Damon was on the ground, eyes closed, his head bleeding. Blood fell, thick and heavy, from the hole in his forehead, staining his skin. I reached out through the bars, my hands shaking, to touch his hand. His skin was already cold and I closed my eyes for a moment, before turning to glare at the little bitch who had moved back in front of my cell.

"I'm going to fucking kill you."

XXX

Sad boy pointed the gun at me, his hand shaking again, as I stood up, approaching the bars of the cell. I could feel my entire body shaking with rage and fear and panic. All I could see was the blood pouring from my boyfriend's head. The little fucker had the audacity to shoot my beloved. And I was not going to let him get away with that.

"You shouldn't have done that," my voice was low as I gripped the metal bars, testing their strength. I knew that I wasn't able to rip them open just yet, but if I could get the kid to believe that I could, then I could scare him into letting us out. Sad boy was just lucky that I was more focused on looking after Damon than taking my revenge. But if he did something else stupid, then I wouldn't be so merciful.

"He killed my parents, my entire family!" Aaron shot back, raising his voice and I narrowed my eyes. On one hand, I could see where he was coming from. The blond boy had lost everyone close to him. Because of what his ancestor had done. But he was a part of this legacy, just like I was part of the Mystic Falls Founding Family legacy. His guardian was continuing that work, torturing and experimenting on vampires. He was involved in it all, and if he wasn't my sister's friend, then I would be ripping him apart.

"Maybe you should have asked what your family did to deserve it," I scoffed, my mind spinning. If Augustine was still around, that meant that one of the Whitmore descendants had restarted it. That family wasn't as innocent as sad boy believed. A part of me wondered if his parents were involved in this little nightmare. "Did Wes tell you how he spends his evenings? What he does with his free time? How he experiments on vampires? He turned Jesse into one, spent weeks torturing him, until he turned him into some kind of ripper that fed only on vampires. He hurt your friend. Because he was following your family's legacy."

"He killed my parents," the boy repeated, gesturing with the gun, pointing it in Damon's direction before aiming it back at me.

"And I'm going to kill you if you don't stop pointing that fucking thing at me!" I raised my voice. I was just about to reach through the bars, hoping desperately that I could grab the gun, removing the threat, but before I could try it, the main door opened again.

Aaron moved away from the cell, one hand still pointing the gun at me, as we both stared at the new comer. Wes glanced between us, before reaching out, carefully removing the gun from sad boy's hand. My hands shook as I realised that I was completely fucked. I could have found a way to manipulate sad boy into setting us free, even if it was just a case of compelling him. But Wes? Nope, he wouldn't fall for any of my tricks, nor could he be compelled. All I could do was keep his attention on me, and keep him away from my boyfriend.

"Aaron, I want you to leave," the doctor spoke, keeping his gaze on me. The cold look in those blue eyes froze me where I stood. I didn't know what he had in mind for me, but I knew that it wouldn't be good. It wouldn't be good at all. "Go about your life as normal, and forget what you saw down here."

"You know he will kill me if you leave," I somehow managed to look away from Wes' cold eyes. I could hear the desperation in my voice as I looked at Aaron, I knew that it was written all over my face. "You don't have to be like him, like your family. Be better. And don't let him hurt me."

I never even saw the older man's hand move, as I was too busy staring at the blond boy, but I sure as hell felt the pain of the bullet. I couldn't hold in the scream as my shoulder erupted in pain. I dropped to my knees, spitting out curses, as I pressed my hand to the bullet wound on my shoulder. I couldn't feel an exit wound, and I knew that the bullet was still inside of me. I didn't know if it was in my head, but it was like I could feel it wedged into the bone.

"Aaron, leave. Now," the fucker's voice was sharp as he practically pushed the boy from the room, closing the main cell door behind him. But I ignored him, instead digging my fingers into my wound. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming as the pain increased. But I couldn't let it heal with the bullet still inside of me. So even though I wanted to pass out, the edges of my vision going black, even though I wanted to throw up, I focused only on getting out the bullet. I threw it to the side as I finally managed to dig it out, before glaring up at the creepy fucking doctor as he approached the bars to my cell. I ignored the tears that slowly dripped down my face, instead I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You motherfucking asshole," I spat out, still clutching my shoulder. It was healing painfully slowly, and I knew that it was because of the vervain still in my system. And the fact that I didn't even remember the last time that I fed. "What is wrong with you?"

I flinched back as Wes raised the gun again, aiming for my face, "For the record, this wasn't how I wanted it to go."

"I'm assuming that you are referring to the shooting part," I gritted my teeth. "Because I know that you were planning on conducting your creepy little experiments on me."

The man paused for a moment, his gaze drifting to the cell next to me, carefully examining Damon's unconscious body, before he looked at me again, "I was considering showing you mercy, at least for a day. But after what you said to Aaron, I think you'll get the honour of going first."

The last thing I heard was the sound of the gun going off again before everything went black.

XXX

Damon's POV

I woke up to the smell of blood. It took me a moment for it to register, as I groaned in pain, digging the bullet out of my head. I threw it to the side, lip curled up in disgust, as I opened my eyes. That little punk would pay for that. And for pointing a gun at my girl. I had heard the fear in her voice and the memory of it had my fists clenching. Those fucking Whitmores. They always hurt the people that I cared about. I had worked so hard to keep Alexa from them, to keep her safe. But I had failed. And now she had been threatened by one of them, before watching me get shot. I knew that it would have shaken her, especially since she was blocked from me. I would make Aaron Whitmore pay for that emotional distress. I didn't care if he was Elena's friend. He came from a legacy of pain and blood; he was just lucky to have survived this long.

I glanced to the side, hoping to see Alexa, needing to see her, to make sure that she was okay. But all I could see in her cell was a pool of blood. It had me shooting up, desperate eyes looking for any sign of my girl. I didn't know how long I had been out for, but the length of the shadows on the ground didn't fill me with hope. It had likely been hours by this point. And that was long enough for Wes Maxfield to have hurt her, like he hurt that Jesse kid. All I could do was hope that he had left her alone, content to examine his journals. It would kill me if she had been hurt, while I was unable to protect her. I had tried so hard to keep my girl safe, sometimes going overboard. But after walking in to the sight of Stefan torturing her into turning her humanity on, all those months ago, I had sworn that she wouldn't get hurt again. Silas' reappearance had only made me more determined. Alexa had been through too much pain already, in her short life, and I didn't want her to suffer any more.

Over by the bars, I could see a bullet, covered in blood, and it had my heart racing in my chest. And I swore that I would rip that Aaron kid apart when I saw him next. He had taken me out, so that I couldn't protect Alexa, when she needed me to. And now she had been shot. At least once. Because that pool of blood meant that she had been shoot somewhere severe. Somewhere that she couldn't dig a bullet out of. So either that Aaron kid had shot her, or Wes had returned to finish off the kid's dirty work. Not that it mattered, I would be killing both of them for this. For daring to make my girl bleed. For taking her away from me. Again.

It didn't take a genius to realise that she had been taken. The door to the cell was wide open, and it meant that Wes had returned. Whether he was the one who had shot her, I didn't know, nor did I care. Because either way, he was going to pay. He had taken her from the cell to hurt her. To carry out his experiments on her. And I would kill him for that. For every injury that he inflicted on my Alexa, he would get it back ten times worse.

By now, the kid would have told him about my revenge against the Whitmore family, about my role as their family curse. A part of me was scared that he would take that out on Alexa, that he would involve her in something that she didn't even know about. But the doctor was more focused on his medical reputation, to care about revenge for people that he probably didn't care about. No, I had met men like Wes before. All he cared about was his research. He was probably glad that the latest Whitmores had died. Because now he had more than enough money to fund his work. Well, he would soon learn that it wouldn't be enough to protect him from the vampires of the world, from me.

I tore my gaze away from Alexa's blood, a stark reminder of my failure, to look around the cell. The vervain was gone from my body now, and I was ready to break free. I refused to waste any more time. My girl needed saving and I would save her. I would rip apart everyone who had dared to hurt her before taking her away from this college, from this town. I had been promising her for so long that I would take her away from Mystic Falls and the pain that the town caused her. But each time, something happened that required us to save the other fools that we cared about. But this time, I refused to get distracted. Alexa deserved to take some time away from the insanity of our lives, and I would give that to her. Especially after this. After the pain that she had been through. No, I would take her somewhere far enough, turn off our phones, and help her to relax and recover. I knew that she was still suffering from Silas, from that doppelganger's death, even if she wouldn't admit it. But I would help her through it. And I wouldn't let the problems from home interfere until she was back in a better place.

I tested the strength of the bars, wondering if I would be able to kick them down, when something on the floor caught my eye. My lips curled up in satisfaction as I remembered the kid failing to load the gun, fear overruling his bravado for a moment. And so, I crouched down, reaching through the bars, my fingers plucking the bullet from the ground. I had a way out. I had a way to go save my girl. And I was not going to waste it.

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Alexa's POV

All I could feel was pain. It lingered on my mind, clawing away all rational thought. But I had to fight through it. I remembered what had happened, before I was shot in the head. And the fact that Wes had taken me somewhere was not good. What was even worse, was the fact that I didn't know if he had taken Damon too.

I forced my eyes open, frowning around the fuzziness. I could feel my blood on my skin, my hair sticking to it. My shoulder still ached, competing with the pain in my head, but I ignore it all. I gazed at my surroundings, seeing only surgical curtains. I had absolutely no idea where I was. And that fucking terrified me. How could my family save me if they didn't know where I was?

I went to move, but my body failed to obey my commands. I looked down, seeing the thick leather straps keeping me held to the gurney. My wrists were tied to the strap across my stomach, while others pressed against my shoulders and thighs and calves. I was very effectively strapped down. Not that I could have broken free. My body felt weak, like it did earlier. And I suspected that Wes had injected me with some more vervain while I was unconscious. Which was just fucking fantastic.

"What the fuck?" I breathed out, desperately trying to break free. I had to find Damon, I had to make sure that he wasn't reliving his past, that Wes wasn't hurting him. I didn't care what happened to me. I had to make sure that my boyfriend was okay.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a voice spoke from beside me. I jolted, my head swinging round to the side. I hadn't even noticed that I wasn't alone. There was a man strapped down to the gurney next to me. Short brown hair curled around his face, with warm brown eyes staring at me, as his lips curled up into a smile. "I'm 12144. My name's Enzo."

"Oh fuck."

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A/N: Thank you for the reviews! So many of them! It made me so happy to read them :) and they really did help with writing the latest chapter in my backlog, which was definitely a heavy one! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and all the Dalexa time, I do love writing Dalexa time, it is my favourite :) As always, the next chapter will be posted once I've added to my backlog again, which will help me when I reach the end of the season and need to properly plan out seasons 6 to 8, fleshing out my plan! I have started on season 6 and while it isn't my evilest season, (season 5 is taking that crown right now), it is going to be fun! Until next time, I hope you enjoyed xoxo