Author's note: Thank you for the lovely feedback!
I'm sorry that this chapter took a while to come out, but I wanted to get it to a place where I was happy with it – and for that to happen, it had to marinate a bit. :D
Caroline's suggestion was met with a variety of reactions that ran the gamut from alarmed to amused to annoyed – though she noted with a sense of simultaneous pride and trepidation that it did seem to shock the rather vocal group before her into stunned silence – at least Damon took it upon himself to shatter her illusion of victory with his sarcasm, because of course Damon Salvatore couldn't go five minutes without making fun of someone. Jerk.
"You want to play 'group therapy with Vampire Barbie'?" Damon laughed in a way that Caroline didn't think was very nice, thank you very much.
"What I want, Damon," Caroline hissed, "is for us to treat this altogether dire situation like actual adults instead of a group of petulant tweens!"
"Then we have the perfect poster child for it," Damon retorted wryly, walking over to his tragically lacking wet cart and pouring himself a tumbler from one of the few remaining bourbon bottles that had the good fortune to escape Katherine's tantrum.
"Care's right," Bonnie sighed, having come to the conclusion that her life was inextricably tied to the poltergeist's – at least for the time being. "We need to get this situation with Katherine under control, and in order to do that, we need some semblance of order. It couldn't hurt to try."
"Yeah, okay there, Cult of Sisyphus. You want to waste time on the impossible and get Katherine to act like not a deranged psycho, be my guest. Go roll that boulder up the hill, only to have it come crashing down again," he quipped, allowing the amber liquid to pleasantly burn his throat. "I'll be upstairs, sorting Steffie's journals by 'forehead intensity, 'danger to critters,' and 'dolly reassembly for rippers'– something that has an actual chance of success."
Elena frowned in observation. She knew how much Katherine's words hurt Damon a few days go – had witnessed their devastating effect firsthand. Although he tried to hide the depth of the impact, she could see it lingering just beneath the surface – in his distance after teaching her control, in the taste of his blood. Maybe this exercise could have some benefit for him. She approached him swiftly before he had a chance to escape, gingerly taking one hand in hers, while placing her other hand on his cheek, willing him to gaze into her eyes. What she saw in them was a startling vulnerability that belied his acerbic words. She smiled, continuing a little game they began on their road trip. "Camus says we have to imagine that Sisyphus is happy – ascribe our own meaning to the absurdity. Nothing's wasted. Maybe some good will come from this – at the very least, it'll be more entertaining than sorting through Stefan's journals," she attempted in a voice that was more cheerful than she felt.
Damon just rolled his eyes, though the smile attached to the look he gave her was steeped in affection, the crescendo of his beating heart doing everything possible to remove the validity of the carefree demeanor he affected. "Elena's taking a Philosophy class this semester, in case she didn't find a way to make it clear this hour, like every other hour, of every day."
"What!?" Caroline shrieked in outrage. "You told me you couldn't take Reporting Multimedia with me because it conflicted with your Bio Lab – which is taught at the same time as Intro to Philosophy!"
Elena winced. "I found another time slot – and the description sounded interesting, and I've always been curious –"
"Whatever," Caroline huffed, trying to mask her hurt feelings with an air of indifference. "You're allowed to take whatever classes you want," she said in a shaky tone, then looked at Bonnie hopefully. "You'll still take it with me, right, Bonnie?"
"Actually, I kind of had my eye on Intro to Accounting for time time-slot," Bonnie winced.
"What!?" Caroline asked, positively scandalized.
"Don't worry, Blondie – your presence in her academic life is still felt," Damon smirked. "This class has some hipster douche named Brannigan in it, so she's still getting her fix of 'overbearing, talkative know-it-all.' You're there in spirit," he supplied in a sardonic display of sympathy, with just the most obnoxious parody of a comforting voice that he could muster.
Caroline narrowed her eyes, ready to unveil a vicious retort because Damon seemed insistent on driving everyone crazy today, she felt, when an increasingly worried Elena came between them with her arms extended.
"Okay, everyone – let's please calm down. Care," Elena beseeched, turning to Caroline, "let's give your idea a try. Since you have the talking … bottle… why don't you pass it over to Bonnie so she could tell us what we need to do about Katherine?" She took seat on the couch, pulling Damon along with her and let her head rest on his shoulder, wrapping both arms around his middle and tracing comforting circles on the palm of his hand. She knew why he was so agitated – as well as his tendency to cover his discomfort with sarcasm. She suspected Katherine knew, as well, since no one else in the room heard her words that viciously ripped the fragile scabs right off barely healed old wounds, letting them bleed anew.
"You ruin things."
"That's why no one ever loved you."
"You're unlovable."
She could feel the tension in him, remembered vividly the self-loathing she tasted during their round of blood-sharing in Niagara Falls. Working on instinct, she allowed her hand to move away from his palm to rest on his cheek, cupping his face gently to beckoned him to look into her eyes. "I love you," she mouthed silently when his gaze finally met hers – outwardly wry and cocky – but she could see the fear and pain beneath the surface, and almost collapsed with relief when she saw some of it recede with her words. There was still so much for them to talk about – her mind still reeled at the horrors she learned that day – astonished at how to help him process them, cope with them, heal from them. She'd managed to trick him with the allure of blood-sharing to confide in her about his father's abuse, but they'd yet to even broach the topic of that clandestine society that experimented on vampires and apparently held Damon for five years of torture. She shuddered at the thought, as ice swept through her veins, leaving her as rigid and brittle inside as a sculpture – one that appeared outwardly fine; but inside, a stiff, immobile bout of confusion. How would she even begin, without him shutting down immediately? As is, she'd been shocked that he even discussed the torment he suffered at that vile excuse of a father's hands – but this? He'd brush it off with a joke if she was lucky. The more likely scenario would be that he'd avoid her entirely until she dropped it, keeping all his pain locked deep inside, erratically manifesting in wit and caustic monologues until it led to a seemingly unforeseen spiral.
She knew that he'd already been more open with her than with probably anyone else in his unnaturally long life, but it wasn't enough. She needed him to heal – to be happy, healthy, whole. So, she wouldn't give up. She had to try. Just as he did for her when she spent months acting out her post-accident death-wish under the guise of it being 'her choice' to sacrifice – her survivor's guilt manifesting in all manner of reckless behavior. He was the only one who understood, even when it made her angry. He wouldn't let her throw her life away – instead, he made her laugh, and find joy in existence – his company became the key to regaining her happiness, until she genuinely wanted to live again. She would fight for him just as ardently as he fought for her. She would find a way.
Damon felt the faintest trace of a smile to curve his lips of its own volition as his eyes met hers, so open, so raw – shining with love, belief in him. "I love you, too," he mouthed back to Elena, as the vivid truth of the statement sang through his very core. He tried to appear reassuring, confident in the breadth of their relationship and her feelings for him, despite the whispers of his subconscious that sounded suspiciously like his father, like Katherine – even like Stefan on occasion.
"She's just slumming it with the 'bad brother' until she comes to her senses and realizes that everything inside is worthless."
He shut his eyes, willing the poisonous words and voice to dissipate, and instead focused on the moment. Tenderly, he brushed a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear and placed a kiss on her forehead, an echo of a moment filled with desperation and vulnerability – of a Damon of yesteryear that could only dream of being where he was now – one who finally lost the battle with the raging wildfire within that burned and consumed everything with love for her and gave voice to his feelings, only to compel all memory of it away. "I love you, too," he repeated just as silently as he let his eyes flutter open again to take her in, wrapping his own arms around her as well to hold her close to him, as the room around them all but dissipated and all that was left was a mutually healing embrace.
Bonnie furrowed her brow, studying them both as she felt Katherine uncomfortably look away through their newly developing bond. There was definitely more to this scenario than met the eye, though she doubted she would get the full story that day. Damon hid vulnerability behind humor; and the matter seemed entirely too serious for Elena to betray his trust by speaking about it with anyone else in any manner of detail. While she mentioned taking a trip to get away from Katherine, Bonnie didn't consider it to be this serious at the time – though she suspected Katherine did more to rile old wounds rather than inflict new ones. Whatever this was, it was tenacious and lingering. Resolving to question Elena about this later, Bonnie got up to get the talking-bourbon-bottle from Caroline and took a seat on the chair next to Katherine's deceptively casual post against the parlor wall. "I'll start," she cleared her throat. "So, as you already guessed, I died," she winced, pausing at the predictably hurt, terrified, and bewildered looks she received from friends around the room. "But I got better!" she added with an attempt at cheer that mostly rang hollow, then sobered when she didn't see their expressions change. "I asked Jeremy to keep this a secret over the summer because I love you guys – and I really didn't want you to be concerned. I wanted you to have a good summer – you deserved a break after everything we've been through," she beseeched, willing for them to understand.
"Bonnie –" Caroline interrupted, only for Bonnie to raise the bottle, indicating that it was her turn to speak. With a sigh that sounded suspiciously more like a huff, Caroline nodded and backed down, gesturing for Bonnie to continue.
"I watched you all, you know," Bonnie smiled wistfully. "Care," she turned to Caroline, knowing that she needed the most attention in the group by far, so to keep the peace, she'd start with her. "It was such a privilege watching you grow into yourself. You'll make an amazing broadcast journalist – and please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I've seen how diligently you followed every lead. And would you look at that? For once, your penchant for sniffing out all the best gossip could come in handy," she smiled, earning scattered chuckles from around the room and a deep blush from Caroline. "You'll use those instincts – the ones where you have to know everything about everyone – and share that information to touch people's lives, and maybe even save some. You picked the right field. It's your calling. I know it."
"Thank you, Bonnie," Caroline mouthed silently, feeling the beginnings of moisture coat her eyes.
"Elena," Bonnie turned to the friend in question, affecting a playfully chiding tone and expression with a wag of her finger. "I know what you've been up to at Whitmore – and I love the idea, on the surface," she was quick to add. "I love that you're embracing every part of being a vampire and using it to heal – to do good. I love how well you're adapting to a lifestyle you didn't choose, and you're making the absolute best of it. But Damon's right. There's a lot more going on at Whitmore than you realize, so you need to be careful – very, very careful. We love you and none of us could bear to lose you." She thought of the basement in Whitmore Hall and that vampire – the one they absolutely had to save. Her mind reeled and her heart constricted at his bravery. They had to save him. She had to save him. When she caught a suspicious look from Damon, she elaborated, "more on that later. After we find Stefan."
Elena nodded with almost too much understanding – after Damon had revealed the truth about the Augustine Society to her, Bonnie's words held little comfort. Were remnants of them still around? Almost involuntarily, her arms tightened around Damon, afraid he'd take off any moment to finish what he started all those years ago.
"Damon," Bonnie said with a surprising softness, especially considering their near-adversarial past, as she turned to face him. "Thank you for taking care of Elena, for loving her so much. I've watched you both all summer – and sometimes saw a lot more than I ever wanted to," she half-smiled, half-grimaced to Elena's blush and Damon's smirk. "But there's a lot more to you than you've ever let us see, and I can admit when I'm wrong," she shrugged, to Caroline's aghast scoff, which she quickly silenced with a gesture of zipping her lips. "You're good for each other, and you might be the best thing that ever happened to my best friend, and," she leveled him with a gaze hoping that he caught her meaning, "she knows it. So, you should try actually believing her when she says it. I've seen the doubt on your face when she looks away, and there's no reason for it – none at all," Bonnie concluded softly. When she saw that Damon's face was an unreadable mask that looked away from her, and Elena's eyes filled with grateful tears, she thought it was time for a change of topic. They were all gathered at the Boarding House for a reason, after all – and that reason was an increasingly impatient, petulant poltergeist.
"While I was watching all of you, Jer and I got a lead from the witch house," she said somberly, to an encouraging nod from Jeremy. "When we got there, we got locked inside, and invited to the Astral Plane by Emily Bennett, who alerted us that Silas was back in town," she said to the genuinely alarmed faces around her. "But before that," she added, hesitating, "before Katherine was locked in the cell, she stole Jeremy's cell phone, which had a protection charm that I made in the case. At the moment that Silas attacked her to take her Cure, a connection between us became active. As she bled out, the witches curbed the healing properties contained in an immortal's saliva that allow humans to survive an otherwise deadly feed and used it as a sacrifice to revive me. I was resurrected using Katherine's dwindling life force, and as a result, she's a poltergeist – tethered to me." Bonnie let the severity of the words hang for a moment, the talking bottle unnecessary as the majority of the room's occupants were shocked into silence, sans her and Jeremy. "So, that's my story," Bonnie concluded with a weak laugh. "We don't know what to do, exactly. Katherine seems to have the ability to occasionally become corporeal for seconds at a time…" she shrugged helplessly, trailing off.
Damon raised an eyebrow, gesturing to the bottle, and being surprisingly well-behaved. "You said you've encountered poltergeists before," Bonnie gasped with realization, before tossing him the bottle.
Damon caught it swiftly, opening it to take a long, indulgent sip, before leaning back and closing his eyes to let Elena continue running her fingers through his hair, enjoying her ministrations. "What?" he finally allowed a smug eye to open, his ever-present smirk gleaming with satisfaction. "I just wanted a drink." When Elena pulled back to cross her arms over her chest with her eyebrows raised, mirth dancing in her eyes, he finally relented. "Fine," he sighed oh-so-melodramatically, leaning forward as his grin noticeably widened. He loved getting a rise, and with this group, it was almost entirely too easy. "I had a run-in with some poltergeists in Oregon in nineteen twelve. The local witch and healer told me that they'd been sacrificed using blood magic to save some of the townspeople, and as a result, they were vengeful. Unlike regular ghosts, they come equipped with some menacing powers – like becoming corporeal for seconds at a time – and having that same time frame to possess a human, so try to keep her away from Donovan before she destroys his Hallmark Chic Fall Collection and actually makes him interesting," he snarked, then his grin grew wider. "Actually, on second thought – throw her at Captain Cardboard. Knock off two birds with one stone."
Caroline used that opportunity to blur by Damon and steal the bottle. "No one is 'throwing Katherine at Matt,' Damon!" she hissed. "But this does present a problem. You also said that you knew how to work with a poltergeist?" she asked him pointedly.
Damon just shook his head innocently, using one hand to point to his closed mouth and the other to the talking-bottle, then shrugged helplessly.
Caroline rolled her eyes and held the bottle out to him, but Damon simply vamp-sped upstairs and came back with Gummi, Elena's teddy bear, before taking his seat next to her again.
"Why did you bring Elena's bear?" Caroline asked impatiently.
Damon took the talking-bottle from her and sat back down, bringing a hand to his chest in mock-sincerity. "Gummi is here to help me process you taking away my ability to speak my truth when you rudely snatched the bottle for me. It was very traumatic, and Gummi wants to help me cope."
Caroline shot him an annoyed look, but Damon simply pulled the plushie closer. "I need my emotional support teddy bear, Caroline," Damon said so very seriously. "Unless you mean to say that you don't respect safe spaces."
As Bonnie's locator spell reached its completion, a figure in the surrounding woods sensed its presence through the scrying fires. Soon, her cloak would be undone, and they would be able to find Stefan. With little time to waste, she had to ensure that they would find him in the appropriate condition.
Taking another moment to focus her intention on the spell, she blew the ceremonial dust from her hand straight into the flames.
Hey everyone! You'll have to wait just a little longer to find out exactly what's going on with Stefan – but at least the cat (and the Kat!) is completely out the bag with Bonnie! :D
For the story about the poltergeists, Damon was referencing Chapter 9! :D
Damon and Gummi make appearances together in all my stories, so I'll try to update soon, since they just barely got to spend any time together in this one. :D
Sisyphus was a figure in Greek mythology whose punishment from Hades consisted of pushing a boulder up a hill every day, only to have it come back down again, forcing him to repeat the process in perpetuity. Albert Camus was a philosopher who dabbled in Absurdism and Existentialism (among other branches), who wrote an essay called The Myth of Sisyphus, in which he considers that we must imagine Sisyphus happy, because the struggle itself gives him meaning.
Much love, all! :D