A/N: Here's Chapter 22, and the start of "Season 2" of Beauty of the Dark. Thanks so much for the support; over 40 people followed this Fic in October alone which is so incredible. As always, I love to read reviews and would especially love to read your thoughts, hopes, and predictions for Season 2. Thank you to KimmyWSmith for proofreading! XO, Eden.
Song: All This Time
Artist: One Republic
Six on the second hand
Two New Year's resolutions
And there's just no question
What this man should do
Take all the time lost
All the days that I cost
Take what I took and
Give it back to you
All this time
We were waiting for each other
All this time
I was waiting for you
We got all these words
Can't waste them on another
So I'm straight in a straight line
Running back to you
Elena was kissing Damon.
I turned and ran.
I needed to get away. I couldn't be anywhere near either of them right now. Not caring if either of them heard me, I slammed my car door and sped back to my house. Deep down, I knew I shouldn't be driving, but there was no way I was going to sit in the street so close to them.
It wasn't until I pulled into my driveway that I let myself break down into tears. How could they do that to me? I knew I was deluding myself slightly. With Damon, it had just been one kiss- or, well, three kisses. There hadn't been any talk of exclusivity beyond that. He was free to kiss whomever he wanted. But . . . I really thought he cared about me. Evidently not.
All it took was kissing me to make him realize that he wanted Elena; the girl who's the spitting image of Katherine, the woman he's loved for over a century. I should have known it was too good to be true. That's what I get for trusting a vampire.
And Elena . . . my own sister . . . how could she? Only hours after encouraging me to go after Damon? Had she planned this all along? Did she want me to go after Damon so that it would be that much more rewarding when he finally chose her? I wasn't completely blind; I noticed the way she looked at him on multiple occasions. I had felt jealousy boiling deep inside me. When it came down to it, though, I truly thought she loved Stefan.
Oh god . . . Stefan. He was going to be devastated. The same day that he saved his brother's life, he went and betrayed him. There was no way that their relationship would survive this; they had already let a girl get in between them once and were only just starting to recover. Damon and Elena weren't just hurting me; they were hurting Stefan as well.
I cried until it felt like there was no water left in my body, sitting alone in my car. Only hours ago it had felt like everything was perfect. I was finally getting along with Stefan. Elena approved of my feelings for Damon; or said she did, at least. Damon told me that he needed me. Now . . . god, I had lost my only friends. There was no way Caroline was going to choose me over Elena. Stefan probably wasn't even going to stick around to witness the aftermath of Elena and Damon coupling. I was going to be alone. Truly alone. Starting all over. Again.
My phone rang, snapping me out of my cry fest. Elena Gilbert illuminated the screen, stabbing me like a thousand tiny knives. I wasn't even sure how much time had passed. It was already ten thirty. What time was it when I had arrived at Elena's? Of course she was calling me now. Enough time must have passed for her to realize what she had done. She and Damon must have come up with some way to break the news to me; and now were calling me to surreptitiously invite me over, oblivious to the fact that I already knew. I declined the call.
She called again. And again. I must have declined her call four or five times; each time it became a little more difficult to read her name on the screen, as it became more and more blurred with tears. The last time the phone rang I had to do a double take. Stefan Salvatore was calling. I barely even remembered saving his number into my phone. It had been back when I first moved here. Elena must be really panicking to call me from his phone.
"What, Elena?" I snapped, finally answering the call.
"Um . . . it's Stefan." Stefan mumbled awkwardly through the phone.
"Oh. Right." I sniffed.
"Where are you? Are you sitting down?" He asked.
"Uh. Yeah?" I replied.
"Caroline and John are in the hospital. Elena's been trying to get ahold of you. It's not good." Stefan explained.
"What?" Oh. Oh god. "Caroline? And . . . and John? As in . . ."
"As in your dad." Stefan confirmed.
"What happened?" I could feel the blood drain from my face.
"Where are you?" Stefan asked. "I'll pick you up and take you to the hospital. I can explain then."
"I'm at home." I answered. "Elena's not with you, is she?"
"No, she'll meet us there. I'll see you in a minute, Lucy." He said.
"Right." I replied into a now-empty receiver.
When Stefan said a minute, he truly meant a minute. I guess he was capable of driving just as recklessly as Damon in an emergency. His car pulled up behind mine before I could even process what he had told me. I got into the passenger seat, not making eye contact with him.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine." I lied. "Just worried about them."
"Right." Stefan nodded.
I couldn't bring myself to tell him about Damon and Elena. Not now. It felt incredibly selfish, with Caroline and John in the hospital, to be concerned about our relationships. If I could even call what I had with Damon a relationship. Plus, I knew he'd be hurt and angry when he found out. I'd prefer if Damon was around for Stefan to unleash some of that anger on.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Caroline was in a car accident. John was attacked by one of the tomb vampires. They must have escaped from the fire and gone to Elena's house. We don't know anything beyond that." Stefan told me.
"What? Oh my god." I gasped. "How did they get into the house? Who invited them in?"
Stefan grimaced. "We don't know. Elena found John bleeding out in the kitchen; he wasn't much help."
"Oh my god." I repeated. "Is Jeremy okay?"
He nodded. "Jeremy's fine. He's upset about Anna, but Damon came by to talk to him earlier. He's not hurt. Whoever attacked John was only interested in attacking John."
That wasn't all Damon came by to do. At the mention of Damon, I went silent again. How was I ever going to face him? I knew Elena was going to be at the hospital, and that was going to be difficult enough. I wasn't sure what I'd do if Damon was there too. This was too much to handle at once.
"Hey." Stefan reached across the console to squeeze my shoulder. "It's going to be okay. They're going to do everything they can."
I nodded, unable to reply. I could feel my throat starting to choke up again. Stefan didn't deserve this. He had his faults, that much I knew. But the more I got to know him, the more it became glaringly obvious that he was good at heart. I didn't want him to feel the same pain that I felt right now.
When we arrived at the hospital, Stefan followed me inside and to the front desk of the emergency ward. A very frazzled looking nurse in scrubs sat at a computer, and the entire hallway was bustling with doctors and nurses. It was clear that Mystic Falls had experienced more drama than it's tiny hospital was used to handling in one night.
"Hello." Stefan greeted the nurse. "We're looking for two patients that were admitted earlier tonight. Caroline Forbes and Jonathan Gilbert?"
"Are you family?" The nurse eyed both of us.
I nodded. "John's my dad."
"And Caroline is very important to us." Stefan maintained eye contact with the nurse. "We'd very much appreciate it if you would tell us where she is."
The nurse looked to her computer. "Johnathan Gilbert is currently in surgery, and will be moved to room 204 when finished. Caroline Forbes is also in surgery, and will likely be moved to the ICU if she gets out. There's a waiting area on floor two, if you'd like to wait for them to get out."
"Thank you." Stefan replied, guiding me towards the elevator.
"If she gets out." I repeated.
"It'll be okay." Stefan tried to reassure me, but I could tell even he wasn't convinced.
The elevator doors opened, and I saw that Bonnie and Matt were sitting in the waiting area right ahead of us. Both of them looked incredibly tense.
Stefan patted my back awkwardly. "It looks like you'll be good from here."
"What?" I turned to him. "You're not staying?"
He shook his head. "Elena's already on her way. I'm going to keep an eye on Jeremy. He shouldn't be alone, not with whoever attacked John still out there."
"Oh. Right. Okay." I said. "Thanks for picking me up, Stefan."
He gave me one last nod, before turning and heading back into the elevator. I walked up to Matt and Bonnie, taking one of the empty seats next to them.
"Hey." Bonnie greeted me with a sad smile. Matt just continued to stare at the floor.
"What happened?" I asked her.
"Matt said Tyler was driving them and heard a noise." Bonnie gave me a knowing look. "It made him lose control of the car."
"Tyler heard a noise." I repeated.
Matt nodded. "She was fine. One second she was standing . . . and talking . . . and the next she had just collapsed on the ground."
"Oh my god." I leaned back. "She's still in surgery?"
"Yeah." Bonnie confirmed what I already knew. "It's not good."
"Damnit!" Matt yelled, causing Bonnie and I to jump, and raising the attention of a few passing nurses. "God damnit. I can't just sit here. I'm going to go see if anyone knows anything."
"Matt wait!" Bonnie and I both stood up after him.
Matt turned and shook his head, indicating not to follow him. I sighed in resignation as he stormed off down the hallway. I already knew his efforts were useless; if Stefan couldn't compel any more than what we already knew out of the nurses, Matt sure wouldn't be able to find anything else out.
"Tyler heard a noise?" I turned to Bonnie. "You don't think . . ."
"No. Tyler's not a vampire." Bonnie shook her head. "I would know. I get this feeling of death whenever I stand too close to Stefan or Damon. The device shouldn't have affected him. It had to have been something else."
"Wait. Damon said Mayor Lockwood was in the fire. The device affected him too." I remembered.
"Mayor Lockwood was in the fire?" She asked.
I nodded. "But Damon said he wasn't a vampire."
"Oh my god. Poor Tyler. The car accident and now this." Bonnie crossed her arms. "This is a nightmare."
"I know." And it just got worse, I thought, as I saw Elena step out of the elevator.
"Lucy! Bonnie! Thank god you're both all right." Elena called out to us, and instantly pulled me into a hug that made my skin crawl. She pulled back and looked at me quizzically. "What's wrong?"
"Really?" I retorted.
"Right. We're here. Everything's wrong." She nodded. "How's Caroline?"
"She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it." Bonnie answered, sounding as exasperated as I felt.
"What?" Elena gasped, and crumpled forward to hug Bonnie. "Is there something that you can do? Like a spell or something?"
"She doesn't know how." My whole body stiffened as I heard Damon's voice behind me. "Do you?"
"No, I don't." Bonnie shook her head.
"No, you don't." Damon echoed. "Because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."
"Oh, well I can take down a vampire." Bonnie countered. "That spell was easy to learn."
"I can give Caroline some blood." Damon offered.
"No. No way." Elena shot him down.
"No, no, no, just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital, and it'll be out of her system in a day. She'll be better, Elena." He reasoned.
"It's too risky! I can't agree to that." Elena argued.
"Do it." Bonnie said, causing all three of us to look at her in shock. "This is Caroline. Okay? We can't let her die. D0 it."
Damon matched Bonnie's stare. "If I do this, you and me? We call a truce."
"No. But you'll do it anyway." Bonnie replied sweetly. "For Elena."
A hint of surprise flickered across Elena's face, but she swallowed it and nodded. I felt like I was going to throw up. How did Bonnie know about Damon and Elena already? Were psychic powers part of her witch capabilities? Or was I really just the only one in the dark?
I took a few steps back to lean against the wall as Bonnie walked away. Without her there as a buffer, I really couldn't stand to be near Damon and Elena. It was taking every bone in my body not to scream at the two of them in front of the entire hospital. Elena stepped up to the nurses station to ask a question, and I debated for half a second making a run for it. But it was too late, Damon was already walking up to me.
"We need to talk." He murmured, sliding an arm around me.
"Yeah, no shit." I jerked away from him.
He actually had the audacity to look hurt by my reaction. As if he didn't deserve me snapping at him. As if he didn't deserve worse than me snapping at him. His eyes flickered from me back to Elena, who was just barely out of earshot.
"Not here." He said.
"Yes. Here." I hissed.
"You're not going to like this," He sighed, pinching his eyes shut for a moment. "Elena kissed me."
"I know." I crossed my arms. "I saw."
"What?" He recoiled. "You were there?"
"I said I would meet you at Elena's. Or did you forget that, too?" I could feel myself shaking as I tried to keep my voice from getting too loud.
"Wait- but Lucy- if you saw what happened, You saw me pull away. I didn't want that." Damon pleaded with me.
No, I didn't. "I saw enough."
"I wouldn't do that to you. You know me. Please believe me." He was staring at me so intensely that I was extremely thankful that I was wearing vervain and could stand my ground against him.
"I know you? I should believe you? I know you were in love with a girl that looks just like Elena for a hundred and fifty years." My voice cracked and I could feel the tears forming in my eyes. So much for staying strong. "I believed that because Elena's my sister that she actually cares about me, but she still-"
"Wait, wait, wait, hold on." Damon held up a hand to silence me.
He turned to look back at Elena, and I followed his gaze. Jenna had arrived at the hospital, and they were having some sort of disagreement in the middle of the hallway that was attracting the attention of a few surrounding people. He took a few steps closer, and I followed, while trying to remain subtle about the fact that we were eavesdropping.
"Yes. I did." Jenna insisted.
"No, Jenna, you didn't." Elena shook her head.
"Yes, I did." Jenna reiterated.
"Oh." Damon groaned loudly. "Mm. You've gotta be kidding me."
Both Jenna and Elena's eyes snapped up to look at Damon. Elena looked confused, but Jenna just glared at him before rolling her eyes.
"Whatever. I need to go fill out paperwork for John." She sighed, shaking her head at Elena.
"Come on." Damon grabbed my arm as soon as Jenna walked away. "We need to go to Elena's. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." I tried to pull away from him.
"Lucy. There isn't time for this right now. We need to go." His voice was firm. "I think I know who attacked John."
"What?" Elena and I said in unison.
I could hear Elena's heels clack behind me as she struggled to keep up with us. With Damon not letting go of my arm, I didn't really have any choice but to follow him out of the hospital.
"I'll explain when we get there." Damon replied. "Elena, you drove, right? Stay behind me."
He practically shoved me into the passenger seat of his car, and I really regretted taking Stefan up on his offer to drive me to the hospital. If I had driven, I wouldn't have to be alone in a car with Damon right now. He threw a cursory glance in the rear view mirror to make sure that Elena was actually behind him before speeding out of the parking lot.
"Are you going to explain to me what's going on?"I demanded. "Or was this just a ploy to get me alone so you could feed me whatever bullshit story you and Elena planned?"
"You were right. Elena's your sister, and she cares about you. Even if she and Stefan weren't in the running for People Magazine's couple of the year award, she wouldn't throw herself at me knowing you and I had feelings for each other." He explained.
"Yeah? Well she did." I said curtly.
"No, no, no." He shook his head. "You didn't hear the first part of her conversation with Jenna. She had no memory of talking to Jenna when she got home tonight."
"So?" I raised an eyebrow.
"So think about it. What would make Elena act very not like Elena? Do reckless things to hurt the people she cares about? Forget entire conversations she had maybe two hours ago, tops?" He pried.
"I don't know, was she drinking tonight?" I snapped.
"No. What if it wasn't Elena?" He suggested.
"I'm not an idiot. I already told you I saw-"
"No." He cut me off. "You saw someone that looked like Elena kiss me. Who do we know that looks exactly like Elena, but doesn't give a damn about me, Stefan, or anybody else?"
"You don't think . . ." My stomach sank at the realization of what he was suggesting dawned on me.
He nodded grimly. "Katherine. She's back."
"But why would she be?" I asked. "She's been gone without a trace for a hundred and fifty years. Why would she come back now?"
"I don't know." Damon shrugged as he pulled into Elena's driveway. "But she's already proven that she's not here to make friends, and if I'm right she's been invited into Elena's house."
Elena pulled in behind him and she jumped out of the car. "What's going on? Who do you think attacked John?"
Damon shook his head. "Stay behind me."
Elena ignored him and stepped in front of us, keys bared in hand as if that would actually protect her from a vampire. Damon held out an arm to keep me from following her; not that I actually wanted to. She tentatively unlocked the door, opening it to reveal Stefan collapsed on the ground for the second time that evening.
"Stefan." Elena gasped.
"Elena." Stefan got up, eyeing her as if he wasn't really sure it was her.
"What happened?" Elena asked.
"Katherine happened." Damon answered.
Stefan kept his eyes on Elena for another moment before nodding. "He's right. Katherine's back."
"Oh my god. Are you- Are you sure?" She asked.
"Yes." Both brothers replied.
Elena looked shell-shocked. "She was here? Oh my god. Jeremy. Is he okay?"
Before she could even get an answer, Elena darted up the stairs, leaving me alone with Damon and Stefan. I leaned against the wall and sighed. So it really wasn't Elena that kissed Damon. But that didn't solve the Damon side of the equation. I saw him with Katherine. They were standing so close . . . and he kissed her cheek before she kissed him . . .
"Jeremy's fine." Stefan assured me, as if that was the only thing bothering me. "I was just upstairs before Katherine arrived, and she left as soon as she heard you at the door. She didn't have time to hurt him."
"I need water." I finally said, before heading into the kitchen, both brothers in tow.
Damon, who apparently knew Elena's kitchen better than I did, handed me a glass of water before I could even ask which cabinet the cups were in. Stefan looked at me suspiciously as I distanced myself from Damon; and I avoided eye contact with both of them as I drank. After all the crying I had done tonight, I really needed it, and it was also a welcome distraction from all of the problems at hand.
"Are you okay?" Stefan asked me.
"Of course not." I slammed the glass down. "Katherine's back. Caroline and John are in the hospital. Mayor Lockwood and Jeremy's girlfriend are dead. What else could go wrong?"
"Right." Stefan sighed.
"It's going to be okay, we'll figure this out." Damon tried to reach out for my arm.
"Don't." I snapped at him.
"Did she say what she wanted?" Damon asked Stefan before Stefan could raise any questions about us.
"No." Stefan answered.
"Woman certainly knows how to make an entrance." Damon muttered.
"She said she fooled one of us, at least," Stefan started. "What does that- what does that mean?"
"She pretended to be Elena with me too, when I showed up earlier tonight." Damon admitted.
"I told Jeremy." Elena interrupted as she came back into the kitchen. "I can't lie to him anymore."
"Are you alright?" Stefan walked over to her.
Elena shook her head. "No, I'm not alright. I thought that with all the tomb vampires gone things would get better."
"I know." Stefan said. "We all did."
"Katherine was in this house. That means that she's been invited in." Elena realized. "What are we going to do?"
"Move." Damon retorted.
Elena glared at him. "Very helpful, thank you."
"If Katherine wants you dead, there's zero you can do about it, you would be dead. But you're not. So clearly she has other plans." Damon pointed out.
"Right, and we need to find out what those other plans are and not provoke her in the process." Stefan shot a pointed look at Damon, emphasizing that he was worried about Damon provoking Katherine. "What happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?"
"Yeah Damon, what happened tonight when you thought she was Elena?" I crossed my arms.
"To risk another frown line encroaching on a very crowded forehead . . ." Damon hesitated. "She kissed me."
"And you thought it was me?" Elena looked disgusted.
"What do you mean you kissed?" Stefan asked.
"Well, you know, when two lips pucker and they go . . ." Damon imitated a kissing sound, unable to pass up on the opportunity to rile his brother.
"Wait, that's why you were acting mad at me earlier?" Elena looked at me. "You knew?"
I nodded. "Part of it."
Stefan lunged himself at Damon at a speed almost to fast for my human eyes to comprehend. I braced myself for the loud noise of the impact, but it never came. Damon must have predicted this move, and was now standing in Stefan's previous spot, next to Elena.
"Don't be obvious, Stefan." Damon mocked.
Stefan let out a low growl, eyeing Damon with a murderous gaze. Elena jumped in between them, holding up a hand to stop Stefan. Even in his rage, there was no way he would hurt Elena.
"Stefan wait. He kissed Katherine. Not me. I wouldn't do that." Elena turned to give what I could only assume was the meanest of glares to Damon, before turning back to look between me and Stefan apologetically. "To either of you."
"I didn't kiss anyone. She kissed me." Damon insisted.
Elena shook her head. "We don't have time for this, guys."
"Later." Stefan assured Damon that this wasn't over.
"John must know something. There has to be a reason why Katherine tried to kill him." Elena did her best to ignore the tension between the two of them.
"She's Katherine." Damon spat out. "She loves to play games and you're fooling yourself if you think you're going to find out what she's up to before she wants you to know."
"No actually, Elena's right. John could know something, through Isobel." Stefan reasoned. "Your mother, she was in touch with Katherine, so maybe we could go to the hospital and talk."
"I've got a better idea." Damon chimed in.
Elena sighed. "What's that?"
"I'm just going to ignore the bitch. See ya!" He turned to leave.
"Is that smart?" Elena asked.
"If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it'll lure her out. She'll make a move." Damon said definitively.
"Yeah? Then what?" Stefan challenged.
"Stake her. Rip her head off. Something poetic." Damon shrugged. "We'll see."
"Elena, you're right." I ignored him. "We should talk to John. It's overdue, anyways."
"So you'll come with us?" Elena asked.
"Tomorrow. I'm going home." I shot a look at Damon. "Alone."
I paced out of the kitchen, not giving anyone the chance to protest me leaving. It wasn't until I reached the front door that I remembered I didn't have my car. I sighed, debating walking home instead of turning around and asking for a ride. But I didn't need to do either. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and forced a small smile when I looked up.
"Come on, I'll drive you." Stefan offered.
I nodded. He was probably the only person who at least somewhat understood how I felt right now. Even if Damon hadn't actually kissed Elena, he still thought he was kissing Elena. Stefan had shown he wasn't happy about that earlier. I wasn't exactly thrilled at the thought of leaving Damon and Elena alone, but it sure beat the prospect of asking Damon to drive me home. I couldn't stand to hear any more of his excuses right now.
"I'm sorry, Lucy." Stefan broke the silence after driving for a few minutes.
I looked at him quizzically. "For what?"
"That my brother hurt you." He said.
I shrugged. "It's not your fault."
"I told you he loved you. It is my fault." He insisted.
"You two need to stop taking the blame for each other's actions." I replied.
"Old habits die hard." He offered me a half smile.
"For what it's worth, I'm sorry too. If you're feeling even a fraction of what I'm feeling, it sucks." I said.
"It was Katherine. Not Elena." Stefan reiterated; though likely for his sake as much as mine.
"But Damon thought it was Elena." I pointed out. "It's okay to be hurt by that."
"Do you believe him?" He asked. "That she kissed him, and not the other way around?"
"She did." I confirmed. "I saw it."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
I nodded. "But still."
"I know." He sighed. "I won't lie; I first talked to Elena because of her resemblance to Katherine. But I fell in love with her for her. And I always worried that Damon would just look at her and see-"
"A replacement Katherine." I filled in.
"A replacement Katherine." He repeated. "Until you came along, at least. He really was different with you. Katherine brought out his dark side, made him evil, and manipulative; it was always a competition. But when he met you . . . he was different. Good, almost. It was like he wanted to be better, for you."
"Yeah, that lasted all of two seconds." I retorted.
Stefan grimaced. "I'm sorry."
I shook my head. "Stop apologizing."
"Right. Truthfully I'm glad you needed a ride home; it gave me a distraction to keep me from killing him." He admitted.
I let out a cold laugh. "Yeah. I don't think I'd blame you for that."
The rest of the drive was in silence. As he pulled into my driveway, I was so thankful to see that my house was dark. I did not want to face questions from my parents right now. That could wait until morning. Not wanting a repeat of the last time he drove me home, Stefan walked me to the door. There was no sign of evil vampires lurking about this time.
Stefan patted my shoulder. "Try to get some sleep."
I huffed. "Yeah. Fat chance of that happening."
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He offered. "I'll take you and Elena to see John."
"Right." I confirmed. "Thanks, Stefan. I mean it."
He nodded. "Anytime."
Despite, or perhaps because of the stresses of the day, I could barely keep my eyes as I showered. I just managed to change into my pajamas and crawl into bed before I drifted into a restless sleep, knowing that tomorrow would bring a whole new set of issues to be dealt with. I should have known my nightmares would just echo the terrors of the day.
When I got to Elena's, I parked my car in the street. As I walked up to her house, I noticed that she and Damon were talking on the porch. Neither of them had noticed me yet, and I wondered how Damon didn't hear me. Something about the way they were standing made me pause.
They were so close to each other. Too close. And Elena was staring at Damon with the same doe eyed expression she had used to get him to hand over the Gilbert device. Damon said something that made both of them smile before reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. Then he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Just as he was pulling away, Elena turned her head, catching her lips against his.
Elena was kissing Damon. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't look away. I was frozen in place. She grasped his head, pulling him further into her. She looked over his shoulder, and her eyes found me in the dark. Even from a distance, they looked cold and menacing. She broke the kiss, and gave me a very un-Elena smile. This wasn't Elena. It was Katherine.
"What, you didn't think he'd actually want you, did you?" I looked to my right, but I didn't need to. I'd recognize that voice anywhere. Brandon.
"Yeah, not after what you did." Elena said to my left. Real Elena.
I looked away from both of them, and Katherine was standing right in front of me, giving me that same, empty smile. "It will always be me."
I don't know what day it is
I had to check the paper
I don't know the city
But it isn't home
But you say I'm lucky
To love something that loves me
But I'm torn as I could be
Wherever I roam
Hear me say
All this time
We were waiting for each other
All this time
I was waiting for you
We got all these words
Can't waste them on another
So I'm straight in a straight line
Running back to you
I woke in the morning not feeling like I had gotten an ounce of sleep. Knowing that as much as I wanted to, I couldn't afford to lie around all day, I groaned before dragging myself into a seating position. I checked my phone and saw that Elena had texted me, letting me know that she and Stefan would be picking me up in less than an hour to go see John. Great.
I pulled on a flannel, jeans, and my favorite black boots. When I looked in the mirror, I saw that all the crying I had done yesterday was very prominent in my puffy eyes, but I didn't have any time to fix that if I wanted to talk to my parents before I left. I grabbed my phone and a jacket before heading downstairs. Like almost every morning, my parents were sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee while my dad read the paper. However, the headline of the paper was very different this morning.
MAYOR LOCKWOOD PERISHES TRYING TO RESCUE CITIZENS FROM ELECTRICAL FIRE
Of course they had found a way to not only cover up the real reason for the fire, but also make the Mayor out to be a hero in his final moments. I know I shouldn't think ill of the dead, but nothing that I had seen or heard about the Mayor made me think he was the type to run into a burning building to save people. And I pretty much knew for a fact he wouldn't run into a burning building to save vampires. But I should have known the paper wouldn't give us any answers as to the real reason he was there.
"Good morning." I said, walking over to the coffee pot.
"Good morning, sweetheart." My mom gave me a sad smile.
"Elena told me," I gestured towards the paper. "I'm really sorry dad. I know he was a friend of yours."
Dad cleared his throat. "I wouldn't say he was a friend, more so an acquaintance. But thank you, Lucy. I'm heading out shortly; the Founder's Council is helping Carol Lockwood set up for the wake, and I thought I'd help out."
Mom shook her head. "I can't believe they're having the wake so soon."
"That's Carol Lockwood for you." I shrugged. "She was probably up all night planning."
"Will you be going?" Mom asked. "I know you know Tyler."
"I'll meet you guys there, yeah." I nodded. "I'm going to stop by the hospital with Elena to visit John first, though. She's picking me up soon."
"John? John Gilbert? What happened to him?" Mom asked.
"The fire was in their family building, remember? I guess he got hurt in it somehow." I lied.
Dad raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were still speaking to John."
"I'm not." Well, I wasn't. But I needed to, now. "I'm more just going to support Elena."
"Well that's very thoughtful of you, sweetheart." Mom said. "I know the night ended badly, but how was the rest of it? Did you hang out with Damon the whole time?"
"I'm not talking about Damon, mom." I suddenly became very interested in the mug of coffee I had poured.
"Why not? Did something happen?" She pried.
"I said I'm not talking about it." I shot back with probably a bit more bitterness than she deserved. "I'm sorry. Just, let's drop it, okay?"
She just nodded. Dad checked his watch, and noted that it was time for him to leave. He gave me a hug before heading out, and mom went upstairs to get ready for the wake shortly after. I was thankful that neither of them pressed the Damon topic any further. In fact, if I could compel everyone around me to just forget I ever knew him, I would.
I grabbed the paper that my dad left on the counter, and scanned the front page. Yesterday was clearly much more drama than The Mystic Falls Daily was used to recounting. Between Mayor Lockwood's death, the fire itself, and the Police Chief's daughter nearly dying in a car accident, the front page was crammed with tragedies. When Elena texted me that she and Stefan had arrived, I happily set the paper down, yelled upstairs that I was leaving before heading outside.
"Hey," Elena greeted me as I got into the car. "How are you feeling?"
"Fantastic." I replied sarcastically.
"Look, about Damon . . ." Elena sighed as she began to drive.
"Can we please not talk about it, Elena?" I requested.
"You're not mad at me, are you?" She asked. "That was Katherine. Not me."
I leaned my head against the car window. "I know. But you haven't seen her Elena. She literally looks just like you. I really thought it was you."
"Please don't be mad at me. You're my sister. I wouldn't do that to you." She tried to catch my eye in the rear view mirror.
"I'm not mad at you." I sighed. "I'm just . . . mad. And hurt. And confused."
"Are you sure you're up for talking to John?" She asked.
"No." I shrugged. "But I'm sure as hell not gonna make you do it alone."
She smiled. "Thanks."
Stefan was silent. He had already said everything he needed to say to me last night, I guess. I was becoming very thankful for the fact that he never felt the need to fill silence with talking.
When we got to the hospital, we skipped talking to anyone at the front desk and went straight to John's room. He was asleep, or at least pretending to be. He had tubes sticking out of everywhere, bandages covering his arm, and he looked incredibly pale. He must have lost a lot of blood.
"John?" Elena tentatively tried to wake him.
He opened his eyes, and gasped when he saw Elena. The frantic beep of the monitor indicated that his heart rate had increased. He reached for the call button that was positioned beneath his unbandaged hand, but Stefan reached out to stop him, moving the button out of reach.
"I'm Elena, I'm not Katherine." Elena assured him.
"We know she did this to you." Stefan said.
"We need to know why." Elena demanded.
"Where is she?" John asked.
Stefan crossed his arms. "You tell us."
"I don't know." John shook his head and tried to sit up.
Stefan put a hand on John's shoulder, pushing him slightly. "You're a little too weak to play tough guy. Why don't you just sit back, answer a few questions."
Elena put a ring that I recognized as one of the Gilbert family rings into John's hand. "Please. Tell us why she's here. What does she want?"
"She'll try again." Stefan sighed, when John refused to answer. "We can't help you if you don't confide in us?"
"In you?" John spoke with as much hatred as his weakness would allow him to muster.
"In your daughters, then." Stefan said.
"My daughters should have driven a stake through your heart by now." John replied. "I haven't spoke with Katherine directly. So either kill me, or get out. Because I can't stand the sight of you with my daughters."
"You see the problem with such hatred? It's gonna get you killed." Elena's voice was choked up.
"Wait, wait. One more question." I interjected, grabbing Elena's arm before she could turn to leave. "Why did you separate us?"
"How did you girls find out?" John asked.
"Lucky guess." I crossed my arms. "Now answer the question. Why would you separate us?"
"When Isobel got pregnant, I made sure to find a nice family that would agree to raise our child outside of Mystic Falls. Away from all of this." John explained. "Peter and Elise . . . I never knew them. I was too young. But Grayson was in school with them. Promised me they were good people."
"You said that was because you couldn't bear to watch me grow up. But what about Elena?" I pressed.
"That was the truth." John insisted. "By the time we found out Isobel was having twins, Grayson and Miranda were having trouble getting pregnant. They begged me to let them have one of you girls, to not tell Peter and Elise. I didn't tell them that Isobel was in labor until you were already born, Elena. They got to the hospital just in time for Lucy's birth, and were none the wiser."
"No. I don't believe you." Elena shook her head. "You're saying Mom and Dad knew? That I had a twin? They separated us? No. They wouldn't do that to me."
"Well believe it. It's the truth." John said.
Elena choked on a sob before turning on her heel and storming out of the hospital room. I gave John one last disappointed stare before following after her, leaving John alone with Stefan. I caught up with Elena before she reached the elevators.
"Elena! Elena. Hey. It's okay." I hugged her.
"No, it's not okay." She cried. "If what he's saying is true . . . how could my parents do that to us? How could they be okay raising me knowing I had a twin sister out there?"
"I don't know, Elena." I squeezed her as hard as I could, any lingering misplaced resentment for the Damon and Katherine kiss instantly fading away. "They must have just really wanted a child, and knew they had so much love to give you that they thought you wouldn't miss me."
"I felt so alone." She sputtered. "When they died. I felt so alone. John was never around. Jenna was just as scared as I was. Jeremy was on drugs. I wish I had you then."
"I'm here now." I whispered. "They didn't know when they separated us that they were going to die. They couldn't have known."
"I just wish I could talk to them about it." Elena pulled away from the hug and wiped her eyes. "I wish I could ask them why. But I'll never be able to."
I nodded. "I know. And I'm sorry. I really am."
"I'm glad you're my sister. Even if I didn't know until now." She sniffed.
"I'm glad you're my sister too." I smiled.
"Hey, you alright?" Stefan finally caught up to us. I gave him an inquisitive look, wondering what had taken him so long.
"I'll be fine. John's just an ass." Elena leaned in to hug Stefan as he reached over to press the elevator button. ""How did you leave it in there with him?"
"I uh, I asked him to leave town." Stefan said, stepping into the elevator.
"Asked?" Elena raised an eyebrow. "You threatened him."
"Yeah, I threatened him." Stefan admitted. I let out a laugh; I liked bad cop Stefan.
"Good. I want him gone, Stefan. I know that I shouldn't feel that way but . . . I don't want someone like that in my life. Or Jeremy's life." Elena ranted.
"I know, I know." Stefan hugged her again.
"Let's just get out of here." Elena shook her head.
"Gladly." I nodded.
"Okay. I just have to swing by home to pick up Jenna and Jeremy so we can go to the Lockwoods." Elena's voice had returned to normal and she looked to me. "Are you coming with us?"
"Can you just drop me off at home and I'll meet you there?" I asked. "I should change first."
"Sure." Elena nodded as we all got into the car. "So what now?"
"Now . . ." Stefan hesitated, glancing at me. "I need to go find Damon."
"Please Stefan, don't fight with him." Elena sighed.
"No, Elena, he kissed you. Or thought he did. I'm not okay with that." Stefan argued.
"That's not the problem. Katherine is." Elena insisted. "She's already messing with both of your heads and Damon's not stable when it comes to her. Last thing we need is to make things worse."
"If you want to get just one punch in . . ." I suggested. "I would fully support that."
"Lucy, be reasonable." Elena pleaded with me.
"I'm always reasonable." I pouted. "It's perfectly reasonable for me to think Damon deserves to be punched at least once."
Elena shook her head. "I should have known I was the older sibling."
I pretended to clutch at my chest. "Elena Gilbert. Was that a joke you just made?"
She smiled. "Trust me. I'm going to tease you for being the younger twin every chance I get."
"I'll get the last laugh when you get the first grey hair." I shot back.
Elena just laughed. I could even catch a hint of a smile on Stefan's face in the rear view. Maybe everything wasn't terrible. When I saw Elena- well, Katherine, kissing Damon, I knew I had lost him. Maybe I never even had him in the first place. But sitting here, I knew I at least wasn't going to lose Elena, or Stefan for that matter. A week ago I wouldn't have even care about losing Stefan, but now he was a friend. He had proven that much to me.
"Alright. We're here." Elena pulled into my driveway. "Are you sure you don't want me to wait? I can drive you."
"Nah it's fine. It's gonna take a while to make it look like I didn't cry for hours yesterday." I said, causing Stefan to grimace. "I don't think anyone would believe that I'm that distraught over Mayor Lockwood."
"Okay, I'll see you there. Love you, Luc." She called out as I got out of the car.
I paused. "Love you too."
When I got inside, I realized that my mom had already left for the wake. I had to hurry up and get ready if I didn't want to be the last person in Mystic Falls to arrive at the Lockwoods. Too bad I had my work cut out for me.
I grabbed another cup of now-cold coffee, and headed upstairs to get ready. I had half a mind to just throw a bag over my head and call it a day. I washed my face, something I had neglected to do earlier that morning, and the cool water at least soothed some of the puffiness around my eyes.
God, what's even appropriate to wear to the wake of a Mayor? I settled on just some concealer to cover up the remaining redness, and mascara to make it look like I had actually slept. I swapped my flannel for a black v-neck sweater and threw on a nicer pair of black jeans. That had to be okay, right?
Elena called me just as I was heading down the stairs. I thought about just sending her to voicemail, as I would be there in less than ten minutes, but I decided to pick up so she wouldn't worry.
"Hey," I greeted her. "Don't worry, I'm just about to leave. I'll be there soon."
"No don't!" She shouted. "Katherine's here. Don't come."
I almost dropped the phone. "What? Katherine's at the Lockwoods'? With you?"
"Not in the same room, thank god. I don't know how we'd explain that one. But she's lurking around, somewhere." She muttered, her voice full of understandable disdain.
"Are my parents still there? I don't want them there if she's there. She's dangerous, Elena." I said, as if she didn't know.
"It's okay. Stefan and Damon are here. I don't think she'd try anything with this many people here anyways. But you should stay home, just in case." Elena reasoned. "And remember, don't invite me in. I don't need to be invited."
"Okay, fine." I sighed. "Just make sure they keep an eye out, okay?"
"They will." She assured me.
"Any news on Caroline today?" I asked.
"She's fine. Damon healed her, like he promised." She said. "And speaking of Damon . . . Lucy, I talked to him. He's really torn up about you. I think I believe him. He really didn't want to kiss her, or me, or whatever. Maybe you should talk to him."
"I don't need to talk to him. I saw everything." I replied.
She sighed. "I won't force you. But I think this is what she wanted; to hurt both of you."
I grimaced. "Yeah, well, she got it then. I'm hurt."
"Lucy . . ." Elena trailed off.
"Don't worry about it." I said. "Be there for Tyler."
"Okay. Talk later."
"Bye." I hung up the phone.
So it was just me and an empty house for the rest of the afternoon. Not wanting to think anymore about what Elena said about Damon, I went into the living room to watch TV. I flipped through the channels for a little bit before I found a Harry Potter marathon. It looked like it was currently fifteen minutes into Prisoner of Azkaban. Perfect.
That was just what I needed to take my mind off of the world. I was halfway through the fourth movie in the series by the time my parents got home, bearing pizza. My dad set the pizza down on the coffee table, and my mom came over to kiss my forehead.
"We didn't see you at the wake, sweetheart. Did you decide not to go?" She asked.
I shrugged. "Yeah, I got dressed and I just . . . couldn't do it."
"That's understandable." She patted my shoulder. "I saw Elena there; she looked very pretty."
I froze, not sure if she was talking about real Elena or Katherine. Not that it really mattered, if she didn't do anything of consequence. But still. I'd need to find some way to make sure they didn't accidentally invite Katherine into the house thinking she was Elena or something.
"Is this Goblet of Fire?" Dad asked, ignorant to me tensing up at the mention of Elena.
"Yeah. Harry Potter marathon." I smiled.
"Awesome." He said. "I'll grab some plates, we can eat in here."
I sat sandwiched on the couch in between my parents, eating pizza and watching the movies. It felt almost like old times. We had gone to every single movie premiere as a family. Mom and Dad went to bed after the fifth movie ended, but I decided to stay up for the sixth one as well. It had nothing to do with the fact that I had eaten so much pizza I could barely move.
When the movie ended, I was so ready to crawl into bed. I considered just sleeping on the couch, but I knew my back would regret that in the morning. I trudged up the dark staircase, and into my bedroom. I nearly screamed when I turned on the light.
Damon was sitting at the foot of my bed.
All this time
We were waiting for each other
All this time
I was waiting for you
We got all these words
Can't waste them on another
So I'm straight in a straight line
Running back to you