Fic: A Vampire's Policy [Vampire Diaries | R | Elena/Damon | 23/?]
I'll admit season two has Jossed the hell out of this story, and it's now firmly in AU territory - c'est la vie! That's what writing in an active fandom is like :-P
Title A Vampire's Policy
Author: jinxed_wood
Characters/Pairings: Damon /Elena, ensemble.
Rating: R
Category: Drama
Spoilers: All of season one.
Warnings: There be smut, blood and vampires, in no particular order...
Show/Bookverse: Show
Summary:Stefan reignites his hunger for human blood, Elena tries to hold on as she deals with being turned, and Damon ensures he gets his own way...
Previous parts: PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | PART NINE | PART TEN | PART ELEVEN | PART TWELVE | PART THIRTEEN | PART FOURTEEN | PART FIFTEEN | PART SIXTEEN | PART SEVENTEEN | PART EIGHTEEN | PART NINETEEN | PART TWENTY | PART TWENTY ONE | PART TWENTY TWO
PART TWENTY THREE
Dah-dum.
Elena felt the wounds on her back pull together as the hot blood flooded down her throat. She pulled her meal in tighter, drawing in more.
Dah-dum.
The haze slowly cleared as the pain and hunger eases. She remembered where she was. She remembered who she was.
Dah...dum...
“Tyler’” she muttered, against his skin.
Dah...
She wrenched her teeth out of his throat, shuddering as she tried to get her hunger under control. Instinctively, she bit into her wrist, but then she hesitated. What would vampire blood do to a werewolf?
Dum... Dah...
Elena felt her panic rise. Anything was better than dead, right? There was a time when you would have thought differently, a quiet voice in the back of her mind said, but that girl didn’t exist anymore What did she think now?
He was never human to begin with, what does he have to lose?
She pried open his mouth, and held her bleeding wrist to it.
~~~*~*~*~~~
“Are you ready for this?” Damon asked impatiently, as he peered through the branches. The sun was beginning to set and they still hadn’t made their move.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and turned to Stefan. “Remind me again - why exactly did we bring him along?” she asked.
“He came with the rescue package,” Stefan said dryly.
A shadow flitted through the treeline, and Damon’s nose flared. It was Anna. “Well?” he hissed, as Anna stepped into the clearing.
“The witch is on the ground floor,” she said, “I don’t sense Katherine but...” She shrugged.
Damon and Stefan exchanged a look.
“She’ll be expecting a rescue attempt,” Stefan said.
“The bitch is here,” Damon agreed.
“We need to lure her out,” Anna said, with a nod.
Stefan looked around. “Where’s Isobel?”
Anna’s eyes narrowed. “I thought she’d circled around to you.”
“Great, Mommy dearest is on the prowl,” Damon snarled, his nose flaring as he tried to pick up her scent. They hadn’t exchanged blood in years, so any connection they’d had, had long faded to the default setting of she is alive/she is dead. Frustration boiled through him. “I should have staked her when I had the chance,” he muttered.
“Tut, tut, temper, temper,” Isobel purred, as she strutted into the clearing. “You should keep an eye on that.”
“Any sign of Katherine?” Stefan asked, cutting to the chase.
“She’s availing herself of the local cuisine in the master bedroom,” Isobel said.
“Katherine always did have a big appetite,” Damon said flatly.
Bonnie’s face became as impassive as stone. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.
Stefan nodded and pulled out a small tranquilliser gun out of his backpack. It belonged to Alaric, something he kept at hand just in case he stumbled across a compelled human that didn’t know when to quit.
Damon smirked, as if he’d be able to tell if someone was actually compelled. Alaric was a quick study, but he was still impossibly naive about certain things.
“Now the difficult part - luring the witch out of the house,” said Anna.
“Maybe not,” Bonnie said quietly.
Stefan frowned. “Bonnie, it’s too dangerous, you need to keep your energy reserves for the other spell-”
“Who said anything about magic?” Bonnie interrupted, holding out her hand for the gun. “I don’t need an invite, remember?”
“Bonnie, I don’t think-” Stefan began.
“Do it,” Damon said.
Nodding, Bonnie took the weapon from Stefan’s fingers.
“How will you get her over the threshold?” Stefan protested.
“Jeremy will help me,” Bonnie said simply.
Annie frowned. “That’s a bad idea.”
“She’s his sister,” Bonnie said, taking out her phone. “Try and stop him.”
Damon snatched the phone from her fingers. “Phone tones carry,” he reminded her.
“I’ll get him,” Anna said, before blurring through the trees.
Isobel smiled as she leaned against a tree, folding her arms. “You do realise this is going to be a disaster?” she asked.
“And who is to blame for that, exactly?” Damon asked. “If you hadn’t gone running to Katherine, spilling your guts, Elena would be safe.”
“And if you hadn’t turned her, it wouldn’t have been an issue,” Isobel said flatly.
“You know as well as I that it was only a matter of time before she was turned,” Damon said,.
“And at least this way, you get to have a say in her life,” Isobel said, her voice sweet. “Enjoying the fringe benefits, are we? I remember how that was like.”
Damon sensed Stefan move uncomfortably beside him, and Bonnie’s hostility radiated off her like a furnace, but he ignored it as he gave Isobel his full attention. “You are not Elena,” he said lowly, “And you can’t remember what you never had. It was sex, Isobel, pure and simple, nothing more.”
“While you and Elena are true love, of course,” Isobel said. “I wonder what your brother has to say about that.”
“My brother has got nothing to do with it,” Damon said quietly. “That is Elena’s decision.”
“And, of course, you’re not pressurising her in any way,” Isobel said.
Damon saw the guilt flash across Stefan’s face but ignored it; he was well aware of his little brother’s...issues.
A twig cracked, and Damon turned to see Anna and Jeremy enter the clearing. Elena was probably going to kill him for dragging Jeremy into this, but beggars can’t be choosers. “Has Anna explained to you what we need you to do?”
He nodded, visibly steeling himself. “Yeah.”
Bonnie gave him a strained smile. “Let’s go, she said.
Damon eyed Stefan, who was watching them worriedly as they stepped from the cover of the trees and into the low brush that led into the house’s gardens.
“We should fan out,” Anna said, “Last thing we need is another nasty surprise.”
“Stefan and I willl take the left side of the house, you and Damon can take the right,” Isobel answered promptly.
Damon looked at her. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“Always, Damon, always,” Isobel said, with a false smile.
Stefan twitched an eyebrow at Damon, who shrugged. She was up to something, of course she was up to something, but it wasn’t as if they could do anything about it right now.
“Let’s get this party rolling,” he said, as he stalked out of the trees.
~~~*~*~*~~~
Elena sat crouched in the corner, as far from Tyler as she could possibly be in the cramped room, and closed her eyes. It didn’t help, his heartbeat seemed only to taunt her more. He groaned softly, and Elena felt her chest loosen with relief, he was regaining consciousness, which meant he was going to live.
He came to with a start. “What?” he spluttered, before his eyes rested on Elena. His reaction was immediate. He exploded to his feet and backed away from her until he hit the wall. “What the hell did you do to me?” he demanded, his hand flying to his neck.
Something inside Elena snapped. “You’ll survive,” she said sharply, as his heartbeat raced, stirring her hunger.
“I want out of here!”
“That makes two of us.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t give me that crap. You were the one who brought me here.”
“Think again,” Elena said tiredly.
“What? You’ve got an evil twin?” Tyler asked, snorting.
“You’re closer to the truth than you think,” Elena said flatly. “And I wouldn’t bother with the door, it’s solid steel.”
“If you think I’m just going to sit here and wait for you to attack me again, you’re crazy,” Tyler pronounced. “You bit me - and what is up with your face?” He scrunched up his face, in an imitation of hers, and Elena let out a laugh, despite herself.
“This from the guy who goes hairy at the full moon,” she said.
He gave her a puzzled look. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Elena rolled her eyes. “I know you’re a werewolf, Tyler,” she said. “You can drop the pretence.”
“Werewolf- wha- are you tripping or something?” Tyler asked.
Elena's retort died on her lips as she caught the expression on Tyler's face. “You really don't know what I'm talking about, do you?”
Anger flared in his eyes, his temper coming to the fore. “How about you tell me all about it,” he bit out.
Elena closed her eyes as his heartbeat went into high gear again. “Tyler, I'm finding it difficult enough to hold it together without you pushing me. Just sit and wait, they'll be back soon enough - once they’ve realised you're still alive.”
“I'm not sitting anywhere until-”
A loud bang and a scream came from upstairs, and Elena jumped to her feet on instinct, her teeth lengthening. Tyler backed away both from her and the door, as if he weren't sure which one he should be more afraid of. The door slammed open, and Jeremy was hurtled into the room, the witch following.
“Look what I found for you - another founding family snack,” she said harshly. Elena hurtled herself at her, snarling, and the witch had her on her knees with a twitch of her fingers. “You're friends can't rescue-”
Elena watched in astonishment as her eyes glazed over her and she slumped to the floor. Behind her stood Tyler, a stool in his hand. Blood smeared the edge of the seat.
“Is she dead?” he asked, his eyes wide with fright.
Elena listened for a heartbeat, there wasn't one. “We have to go,” she said abruptly,as she heaved Jeremy to his feet and pulled him towards the door. “Katherine will be here soon.”
“Who the hell is Katherine?” Tyler said, as he automatically took Jeremy by the other arm.
“My evil twin,” Elena said, through gritted teeth. “Keep moving.”
Jeremy groaned, and Elena felt her heart lurch with relief. Losing her parents had been tough, she didn't know what she'd do if she lost Jeremy too. She tightened her grip around his waist, eyeing the stairs that led up to the bedrooms warily as they limped past it She heard a man moaning, which probably meant Katherine had company and...
She came to a halt when she heard another sound, another heartbeat coming from the kitchen ahead. Katherine's voice drifted though the door.
“Well, come along, don't dawdle,” she said. “You might as well collect the whole set - or has your new lifestyle put a crimp in your friendship with the witch?
Bonnie, of course Jeremy didn't come alone. Elena's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She caught Tyler's eye, put her hand to her lips, and pointed at Jeremy and the front door behind them. She saw the look of rebellion blossoming on her face, but Elena stopped in its tracks with a flash of her fangs. His heart sped up as he nodded slowly. Gently, Elena let go of her grip on Jeremy and stepped through the door into the kitchen. Katherine had Bonnie by the neck, bleeding and unconscious.
“Don't worry,” said Katherine, “I haven't taken enough to kill her - I'm in need of her services, after all, now that you've killed my witch.”
“She'll never do it,” Elena said. “She won't help you kill. You've already lost.”
Katherine gave her an amused look. “Oh, you really are very young,” she said. “She's got family. Of course she'll help me. Just like you're going to help me, if you want your brother and aunt to survive the week.”
Elena felt her mouth go dry, even as the urge to rip out her throat soared to the surface. She clamped down on the instinct. There was no way in hell she'd win in a fight against Katherine, and Bonnie's life hung in the balance. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“It’s really quite simple. I want you to go back downstairs and into your cell, and eat all your meals,” Katherine said
A shadow flitted across the window, catching Elena’s eye, and she flinched as it broke, the glass and frame smashing into a hundred pieces. Damon landed in the middle of the room just as the back door was ripped off its hinges, and Stefan ran in, Anna behind him. Distractedly, Elena noticed that Isobel - of all people - had slipped into the room from the door behind her.
What the hell was going on?
“Ding dong, the witch is dead,” Damon said. “And we don't need an invite anymore.”
“Speaking of witches,” Stefan added. “We'd like ours back now.”
“And why would I do that?” Katherine asked archly.
“Because it's five to one, and you want to leave this house alive,” said Stefan.
“Really?” Damon asked. “We're letting her live?”
“She's got Bonnie, Damon,” Elena said, through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, so she does,” Damon said coolly
“Damon” Elena said.
Katherine laughed “Yes, Damon, you can't let Elena's little witchy friend die, she may never forgive you, and then you'll just end up pining like an abandoned puppy for another hundred years.”
“Shut up, just shut up,” Elena said, tiredly.
“Now, that was just rude,” Katherine said. “I may have to make you pay for that.”
Elena felt Damon tense beside her and knew things could go very wrong, very quickly, but she couldn’t see a way out of their predicament.
And that was when she picked up the sound of a police car in the distance. She risked a glance at Damon.
“I knew I couldn’t trust him to keep an eye on her,” Damon muttered.
“Trust who?” she asked, eyeing the room to see who wasn’t there. “Alaric?”
“Gilbert,” Damon said tersely.
“Uncle John?” Elena asked, disbelievingly. What had been happening while she was gone?
“This is getting boring,” Katherine said, as the siren got louder. She leaned into Bonnie’s ear. “I’ll see you soon,” she whispered, before throwing her at Damon.
With a curse, Damon caught her, and Katherine vaulted through the window. A split second later, Stefan jumped out after her, and they both disappeared into the trees just as the squad car pulled up to the house.
“Where’s Tyler and Jeremy?” Elena asked
“Out of the line of sight,” Damon said, as he pulled Bonnie into his arms. “Which is more than we can say about the dead witch in the basement.”
“I’ll head the Sheriff off,” Isobel said.
Damon’s head swung around “Go near her and I’ll rip your head off.”
“Can we leave the posturing until later?” Anna asked impatiently. “We need to leave.”
Police!” Liz’s voice rang clearly through the house, and Elena eyed Damon. His expression was cold as he turned to Anna.
“Make sure she-” He nodded at Isobel. “-doesn’t take any detours on the way back to the house.
Anna smiled grimly. “Count on it.”
He turned to look at Elena for the first time since he’d crashed through the window. Elena felt something inside her flinch at she saw the detachment in his eyes. “Let’s go,” he said.
And Elena could only mutely follow.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Title A Vampire's Policy
Author: jinxed_wood
Characters/Pairings: Damon /Elena, ensemble.
Rating: R
Category: Drama
Spoilers: All of season one.
Warnings: There be smut, blood and vampires, in no particular order...
Show/Bookverse: Show
Summary:Stefan reignites his hunger for human blood, Elena tries to hold on as she deals with being turned, and Damon ensures he gets his own way...
Previous parts: PART ONE | PART TWO | PART THREE | PART FOUR | PART FIVE | PART SIX | PART SEVEN | PART EIGHT | PART NINE | PART TEN | PART ELEVEN | PART TWELVE | PART THIRTEEN | PART FOURTEEN | PART FIFTEEN | PART SIXTEEN | PART SEVENTEEN | PART EIGHTEEN | PART NINETEEN | PART TWENTY | PART TWENTY ONE | PART TWENTY TWO
PART TWENTY THREE
Dah-dum.
Elena felt the wounds on her back pull together as the hot blood flooded down her throat. She pulled her meal in tighter, drawing in more.
Dah-dum.
The haze slowly cleared as the pain and hunger eases. She remembered where she was. She remembered who she was.
Dah...dum...
“Tyler’” she muttered, against his skin.
Dah...
She wrenched her teeth out of his throat, shuddering as she tried to get her hunger under control. Instinctively, she bit into her wrist, but then she hesitated. What would vampire blood do to a werewolf?
Dum... Dah...
Elena felt her panic rise. Anything was better than dead, right? There was a time when you would have thought differently, a quiet voice in the back of her mind said, but that girl didn’t exist anymore What did she think now?
He was never human to begin with, what does he have to lose?
She pried open his mouth, and held her bleeding wrist to it.
~~~*~*~*~~~
“Are you ready for this?” Damon asked impatiently, as he peered through the branches. The sun was beginning to set and they still hadn’t made their move.
Bonnie rolled her eyes and turned to Stefan. “Remind me again - why exactly did we bring him along?” she asked.
“He came with the rescue package,” Stefan said dryly.
A shadow flitted through the treeline, and Damon’s nose flared. It was Anna. “Well?” he hissed, as Anna stepped into the clearing.
“The witch is on the ground floor,” she said, “I don’t sense Katherine but...” She shrugged.
Damon and Stefan exchanged a look.
“She’ll be expecting a rescue attempt,” Stefan said.
“The bitch is here,” Damon agreed.
“We need to lure her out,” Anna said, with a nod.
Stefan looked around. “Where’s Isobel?”
Anna’s eyes narrowed. “I thought she’d circled around to you.”
“Great, Mommy dearest is on the prowl,” Damon snarled, his nose flaring as he tried to pick up her scent. They hadn’t exchanged blood in years, so any connection they’d had, had long faded to the default setting of she is alive/she is dead. Frustration boiled through him. “I should have staked her when I had the chance,” he muttered.
“Tut, tut, temper, temper,” Isobel purred, as she strutted into the clearing. “You should keep an eye on that.”
“Any sign of Katherine?” Stefan asked, cutting to the chase.
“She’s availing herself of the local cuisine in the master bedroom,” Isobel said.
“Katherine always did have a big appetite,” Damon said flatly.
Bonnie’s face became as impassive as stone. “Let’s get this over with,” she said.
Stefan nodded and pulled out a small tranquilliser gun out of his backpack. It belonged to Alaric, something he kept at hand just in case he stumbled across a compelled human that didn’t know when to quit.
Damon smirked, as if he’d be able to tell if someone was actually compelled. Alaric was a quick study, but he was still impossibly naive about certain things.
“Now the difficult part - luring the witch out of the house,” said Anna.
“Maybe not,” Bonnie said quietly.
Stefan frowned. “Bonnie, it’s too dangerous, you need to keep your energy reserves for the other spell-”
“Who said anything about magic?” Bonnie interrupted, holding out her hand for the gun. “I don’t need an invite, remember?”
“Bonnie, I don’t think-” Stefan began.
“Do it,” Damon said.
Nodding, Bonnie took the weapon from Stefan’s fingers.
“How will you get her over the threshold?” Stefan protested.
“Jeremy will help me,” Bonnie said simply.
Annie frowned. “That’s a bad idea.”
“She’s his sister,” Bonnie said, taking out her phone. “Try and stop him.”
Damon snatched the phone from her fingers. “Phone tones carry,” he reminded her.
“I’ll get him,” Anna said, before blurring through the trees.
Isobel smiled as she leaned against a tree, folding her arms. “You do realise this is going to be a disaster?” she asked.
“And who is to blame for that, exactly?” Damon asked. “If you hadn’t gone running to Katherine, spilling your guts, Elena would be safe.”
“And if you hadn’t turned her, it wouldn’t have been an issue,” Isobel said flatly.
“You know as well as I that it was only a matter of time before she was turned,” Damon said,.
“And at least this way, you get to have a say in her life,” Isobel said, her voice sweet. “Enjoying the fringe benefits, are we? I remember how that was like.”
Damon sensed Stefan move uncomfortably beside him, and Bonnie’s hostility radiated off her like a furnace, but he ignored it as he gave Isobel his full attention. “You are not Elena,” he said lowly, “And you can’t remember what you never had. It was sex, Isobel, pure and simple, nothing more.”
“While you and Elena are true love, of course,” Isobel said. “I wonder what your brother has to say about that.”
“My brother has got nothing to do with it,” Damon said quietly. “That is Elena’s decision.”
“And, of course, you’re not pressurising her in any way,” Isobel said.
Damon saw the guilt flash across Stefan’s face but ignored it; he was well aware of his little brother’s...issues.
A twig cracked, and Damon turned to see Anna and Jeremy enter the clearing. Elena was probably going to kill him for dragging Jeremy into this, but beggars can’t be choosers. “Has Anna explained to you what we need you to do?”
He nodded, visibly steeling himself. “Yeah.”
Bonnie gave him a strained smile. “Let’s go, she said.
Damon eyed Stefan, who was watching them worriedly as they stepped from the cover of the trees and into the low brush that led into the house’s gardens.
“We should fan out,” Anna said, “Last thing we need is another nasty surprise.”
“Stefan and I willl take the left side of the house, you and Damon can take the right,” Isobel answered promptly.
Damon looked at her. “Trying to get rid of me?”
“Always, Damon, always,” Isobel said, with a false smile.
Stefan twitched an eyebrow at Damon, who shrugged. She was up to something, of course she was up to something, but it wasn’t as if they could do anything about it right now.
“Let’s get this party rolling,” he said, as he stalked out of the trees.
~~~*~*~*~~~
Elena sat crouched in the corner, as far from Tyler as she could possibly be in the cramped room, and closed her eyes. It didn’t help, his heartbeat seemed only to taunt her more. He groaned softly, and Elena felt her chest loosen with relief, he was regaining consciousness, which meant he was going to live.
He came to with a start. “What?” he spluttered, before his eyes rested on Elena. His reaction was immediate. He exploded to his feet and backed away from her until he hit the wall. “What the hell did you do to me?” he demanded, his hand flying to his neck.
Something inside Elena snapped. “You’ll survive,” she said sharply, as his heartbeat raced, stirring her hunger.
“I want out of here!”
“That makes two of us.”
His eyes narrowed. “Don’t give me that crap. You were the one who brought me here.”
“Think again,” Elena said tiredly.
“What? You’ve got an evil twin?” Tyler asked, snorting.
“You’re closer to the truth than you think,” Elena said flatly. “And I wouldn’t bother with the door, it’s solid steel.”
“If you think I’m just going to sit here and wait for you to attack me again, you’re crazy,” Tyler pronounced. “You bit me - and what is up with your face?” He scrunched up his face, in an imitation of hers, and Elena let out a laugh, despite herself.
“This from the guy who goes hairy at the full moon,” she said.
He gave her a puzzled look. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Elena rolled her eyes. “I know you’re a werewolf, Tyler,” she said. “You can drop the pretence.”
“Werewolf- wha- are you tripping or something?” Tyler asked.
Elena's retort died on her lips as she caught the expression on Tyler's face. “You really don't know what I'm talking about, do you?”
Anger flared in his eyes, his temper coming to the fore. “How about you tell me all about it,” he bit out.
Elena closed her eyes as his heartbeat went into high gear again. “Tyler, I'm finding it difficult enough to hold it together without you pushing me. Just sit and wait, they'll be back soon enough - once they’ve realised you're still alive.”
“I'm not sitting anywhere until-”
A loud bang and a scream came from upstairs, and Elena jumped to her feet on instinct, her teeth lengthening. Tyler backed away both from her and the door, as if he weren't sure which one he should be more afraid of. The door slammed open, and Jeremy was hurtled into the room, the witch following.
“Look what I found for you - another founding family snack,” she said harshly. Elena hurtled herself at her, snarling, and the witch had her on her knees with a twitch of her fingers. “You're friends can't rescue-”
Elena watched in astonishment as her eyes glazed over her and she slumped to the floor. Behind her stood Tyler, a stool in his hand. Blood smeared the edge of the seat.
“Is she dead?” he asked, his eyes wide with fright.
Elena listened for a heartbeat, there wasn't one. “We have to go,” she said abruptly,as she heaved Jeremy to his feet and pulled him towards the door. “Katherine will be here soon.”
“Who the hell is Katherine?” Tyler said, as he automatically took Jeremy by the other arm.
“My evil twin,” Elena said, through gritted teeth. “Keep moving.”
Jeremy groaned, and Elena felt her heart lurch with relief. Losing her parents had been tough, she didn't know what she'd do if she lost Jeremy too. She tightened her grip around his waist, eyeing the stairs that led up to the bedrooms warily as they limped past it She heard a man moaning, which probably meant Katherine had company and...
She came to a halt when she heard another sound, another heartbeat coming from the kitchen ahead. Katherine's voice drifted though the door.
“Well, come along, don't dawdle,” she said. “You might as well collect the whole set - or has your new lifestyle put a crimp in your friendship with the witch?
Bonnie, of course Jeremy didn't come alone. Elena's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. She caught Tyler's eye, put her hand to her lips, and pointed at Jeremy and the front door behind them. She saw the look of rebellion blossoming on her face, but Elena stopped in its tracks with a flash of her fangs. His heart sped up as he nodded slowly. Gently, Elena let go of her grip on Jeremy and stepped through the door into the kitchen. Katherine had Bonnie by the neck, bleeding and unconscious.
“Don't worry,” said Katherine, “I haven't taken enough to kill her - I'm in need of her services, after all, now that you've killed my witch.”
“She'll never do it,” Elena said. “She won't help you kill. You've already lost.”
Katherine gave her an amused look. “Oh, you really are very young,” she said. “She's got family. Of course she'll help me. Just like you're going to help me, if you want your brother and aunt to survive the week.”
Elena felt her mouth go dry, even as the urge to rip out her throat soared to the surface. She clamped down on the instinct. There was no way in hell she'd win in a fight against Katherine, and Bonnie's life hung in the balance. “What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“It’s really quite simple. I want you to go back downstairs and into your cell, and eat all your meals,” Katherine said
A shadow flitted across the window, catching Elena’s eye, and she flinched as it broke, the glass and frame smashing into a hundred pieces. Damon landed in the middle of the room just as the back door was ripped off its hinges, and Stefan ran in, Anna behind him. Distractedly, Elena noticed that Isobel - of all people - had slipped into the room from the door behind her.
What the hell was going on?
“Ding dong, the witch is dead,” Damon said. “And we don't need an invite anymore.”
“Speaking of witches,” Stefan added. “We'd like ours back now.”
“And why would I do that?” Katherine asked archly.
“Because it's five to one, and you want to leave this house alive,” said Stefan.
“Really?” Damon asked. “We're letting her live?”
“She's got Bonnie, Damon,” Elena said, through gritted teeth.
“Yeah, so she does,” Damon said coolly
“Damon” Elena said.
Katherine laughed “Yes, Damon, you can't let Elena's little witchy friend die, she may never forgive you, and then you'll just end up pining like an abandoned puppy for another hundred years.”
“Shut up, just shut up,” Elena said, tiredly.
“Now, that was just rude,” Katherine said. “I may have to make you pay for that.”
Elena felt Damon tense beside her and knew things could go very wrong, very quickly, but she couldn’t see a way out of their predicament.
And that was when she picked up the sound of a police car in the distance. She risked a glance at Damon.
“I knew I couldn’t trust him to keep an eye on her,” Damon muttered.
“Trust who?” she asked, eyeing the room to see who wasn’t there. “Alaric?”
“Gilbert,” Damon said tersely.
“Uncle John?” Elena asked, disbelievingly. What had been happening while she was gone?
“This is getting boring,” Katherine said, as the siren got louder. She leaned into Bonnie’s ear. “I’ll see you soon,” she whispered, before throwing her at Damon.
With a curse, Damon caught her, and Katherine vaulted through the window. A split second later, Stefan jumped out after her, and they both disappeared into the trees just as the squad car pulled up to the house.
“Where’s Tyler and Jeremy?” Elena asked
“Out of the line of sight,” Damon said, as he pulled Bonnie into his arms. “Which is more than we can say about the dead witch in the basement.”
“I’ll head the Sheriff off,” Isobel said.
Damon’s head swung around “Go near her and I’ll rip your head off.”
“Can we leave the posturing until later?” Anna asked impatiently. “We need to leave.”
Police!” Liz’s voice rang clearly through the house, and Elena eyed Damon. His expression was cold as he turned to Anna.
“Make sure she-” He nodded at Isobel. “-doesn’t take any detours on the way back to the house.
Anna smiled grimly. “Count on it.”
He turned to look at Elena for the first time since he’d crashed through the window. Elena felt something inside her flinch at she saw the detachment in his eyes. “Let’s go,” he said.
And Elena could only mutely follow.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR