By the light of the moon, Ch 5: Lay the pieces where they fall
By the light of the moon
Disclaimer: The characters and other things from The Vampire Diaries don't belong to me. Credit goes to the rightful owners.
Chapter 5: Lay the pieces where they fall
"What took you so long?" Klaus said smiling, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he watched Katherine's fierce glare.
"I think you can answer your own question considering you sent your henchmen to stop us. He failed, obviously. Give him my regards before you kill him." Katherine hissed.
"Only to delay, Katerina," Klaus said casually, "I needed a bit of a time to get reacquainted with the players before your arrival. If I wanted you dead, you would be. You can't stop me, you know that.
"But even you can't stop all this from happening." Katherine spat out, "You're in over your head, Klaus. You cannot win."
Klaus' eyes narrowed to slits for a second before he assumed a benign expression, making a show of stepping inside the threshold of the house, prompting Damon to step forward the same second Katherine did.
"Oh, you know that's not true, Katerina," Klaus said calmly, "Otherwise, why won't you even let me see the newly human Stefan Salvatore? Let me say hello to him, Katerina. I don't want to be rude."
"That's as far as you go, buddy. Take another step and-" Damon threatened as Klaus took another step further.
"And what, Damon?" Klaus asked cutting him off, "You're a child compared to me. You don't stand a chance."
It was Katherine's turn to smile, a secret hidden in her lips, but before she could utter a single syllable, Elena stepped around Damon and spoke in a clear voice, "Leave."
"No," Klaus said evenly, but his eyes betrayed a softness that surprised everyone but Elena, "I lied earlier. I admit that but I don't need to answer those questions. You know why I'm here and what I am in this tale of ours. I can even attest to the truth that we can never be friends…not after everything and with the stakes so high. I've stopped lying but I think you're just getting started."
"Leave," Elena repeated, her voice stronger, the force behind it slamming against Klaus as if it were a physical force pushing him back, "There is nothing for you here."
"Not yet," Klaus said stepping back with a final smile, "But it's only a matter of time…majesty."
With that final word, Klaus vanished, speeding away into the night, leaving only silence and confusion.
Damon moved silently towards the door, shutting it then bolting it closed before turning to everyone else. "Katherine, you better start talking before I rip the words right out of your mouth."
"No, need to be dramatic about it, Damon," Katherine said sharply, her eyes veering towards the silent Elena, "I'm all about sharing and caring but I'm not the one who has the juiciest tale to tell."
"Let me," Stefan said intervening weakly, "What we did, well specifically what you and Elena did-your blood mingling over the moonstone set off a prophecy that was long delayed in fulfillment. The intent of the shaman wasn't simply to curse vampires and werewolves to stop the wars but to…to…to…"
"It was a pause button," Katherine continued when Stefan faltered, "on the prophecy and the catastrophe that was supposed to unfold. He bought us some time until someone came along that can stop it."
"Will someone ever tell us what the damned prophecy is?" Damon said in an exasperated tone.
"The power of Aztlan will grows. It will be unleashed fully on the day of the final battle between the shadows of the moon and darkness begins, cloaking the land in darkness and despair. The power will decide the fate of the world-if light will prevail or if the world shall be forever cursed, at the mercy of the First until it is no more, consumed by fire and blood." Stefan said quietly, quoting the prophecy, turning to Katherine to continue.
"But if time so sleeps, the shadow of the queen, the evil face she has banished from her soul, shall walk the paths of the dead to set things right. Men she will turn to darkness and her lies shall conceal the truth of a sacrifice that will return life though once lost," Katherine said, watching Stefan as he smiled at her gently, taking over the narration.
"And as Aztlan lays in slumber, the true queen will emerge following her shadow's trail to seek the lost king. The queen will find the king and their bond shall be stronger than any curse or man forced on them by any creature that walks the earth. Together they shall lead the way to unleash power and by the hand of the king, the true master of Aztlan, the war shall be won for the light. But beware of the First, for if he spills the blood of one whose life was returned, the very same who is brother to the king, the battle will be his. For that murder will restore the fallen lieutenants of the First, all thirsty for blood and revenge against the queen who banished them to the darkness. The king must emerge victorious or all hope is lost. Find him…the queen is the key." Stefan finished, eyes locked with Katherine who was shaking her head slowly.
"You never should have done it, Stefan," Katherine whispered, "Klaus will not stop until you're dead. I can't save you from him. I can only help you run. Even then, I don't know how long before he catches up with us."
Stefan gave her a weak smile, "Why is it that's the only part of the prophecy you zero in on? Didn't you hear the part where we can win this? I'm staying, Katherine. But I'm not stopping you from walking out that door."
Katherine laughed bitterly as she turned to Elena, "How can we win, Stefan? I was only bluffing with Klaus-it's us who don't stand a chance."
"All the players are here, Katherine. We have a chance." Stefan answered.
"A chance in hell," Katherine said incredulous, "We're doomed to fail because Elena doesn't want to save the world…she only wants to save-"
"Enough!" Elena cried out, "You know nothing."
"Don't I?" Katherine challenged, "But it seems I'm the only one who actually thinks around here enough to put the pieces together. I know everything, Elena. Or didn't you listen that I am part of the queen? I know her story as well as she does. Shall I walk you through it?"
Elena started to shake her head, backing away slightly as Katherine plowed on, flinching when Damon reached out for her.
"See, when I was in Damon's strong arms, I wasn't totally out of it so I heard about someone's failed experiment that cost Elena her memory… or so we think. Then enter Klaus, the evil one who I believe entered your lives and preyed on your ignorance and naiveté," Katherine said maliciously, "Now, he seems to be closest to our dear Elena, who should have run at the first sight of him. But instead she opts to take the hardest way out and just keeps everything bottled up inside, waiting to explode. I love secrets, Elena, allow me to guess yours?"
"Stop it," Elena said in a low voice.
Katherine looked directly at her, facing off with Elena, "No, you stop it Elena. Drop the act or if not you should learn to act better than that. You didn't even act surprised or confused when Klaus recognized who you really are. How can you even hope to conceal who -"
"Enough!" Elena yelled, "Stop it!"
"Bonnie is much powerful than you think, Damon" Katherine continued turning this time to Damon, ignoring Elena's warning glare, "See, I'm not the only lying bitch in this room. The witch unwittingly fulfilled her part of this prophecy and returned all of Elena's memories but she's being all stubborn about facing the truth."
Katherine walked behind Damon and made a show of whispering to his ear, "Oh, and when I say all, I mean all."
Elena shook her head in silence, backing away from everyone, before finally turning away to run out. But she didn't even get past the porch before Damon caught her wrist, pulling her back straight into his arms. Elena's chest heaved, her frantic breathing starting to get out of control in her panic as she sobbed uncontrollably as Damon held her.
"Shhhh," Damon said soothingly, rubbing her back gently as they stood, "You're okay. You're okay."
"I'm not," Elena said in a muffled voice, "I'm not okay."
Damon sighed and pulled away from her, guiding her to sit down on the steps with him, "And you'll stay that way unless you start telling what the hell is going on. Elena, you have to be straight with me. Mind-reading is not one of the vampire tricks. I can't guess what's in your head unless you tell me. I can't help you if I'm flying blind."
Elena held her knees to her chest, looking straight ahead, "Tell me about us, Damon, our story. Please. Distract me. Even just for a little while. And I promise you I'll give you all the answers you want."
Damon closed his eyes briefly and sighed, resigned, "Where do you want me to start?"
"How did we meet?" Elena asked without turning to him.
"Well, technically you came to my house looking for the brooding boy wonder and I introduced myself as the dashing older brother but I saw you far earlier than that," Damon started, "You were writing in your diary at the cemetery, which FYI is something you can do in the comfort of your own bedroom, I'm just saying. Anyway, you were sitting there looking like my undead ex and I decided why not make it fun and scare you off with fog and a creepy crow. Turns out I just made you run straight into Stefan."
"How nice of you." Elena asked finally facing him, a smile breaking through her tear-streaked face, "I suppose I didn't like you then."
"No one likes me when they first meet me, Elena," Damon said rolling his eyes, "Unless they're idiots who have a thing for a pretty face. Everyone else will fall for me later when I turn on the charm. Anyway to your point, yes, you didn't like me."
"So how-?" Elena asked, prompting him to continue.
"We became reluctant allies-you save my life, I somehow try to save yours, when convenient or when it worked well with my mission of making Stefan miserable or jealous," Damon said with a shrug, "I think it was only in Atlanta that we started to become friends. After that, you made it your business for me to trust you. I followed you out of magical tombs, went into a vampire's lair and even danced in front of Mystic Falls' best and brightest."
"And then you started to fall for me," Elena said simply
"Of course, like I ever stood a chance," Damon answered rolling his eyes, "and I just love that it was your biological mother who pointed that out to everyone. I was blindsided, you know, that I didn't see it until I was in too deep that I didn't even care about stealing you away from Stefan. But I did try and it made for the worst night of my entire existence."
"Explain," Elena asked him, watching as the struggled before giving in to honesty.
"I tried to tell you there was something between us and that you knew it, felt it but you were denying it," Damon started robotically, sighing heavily before continuing, "I snapped Jeremy's neck, Elena."
Damon bowed his head as he went on, "In my drunken state, rejected by Katherine then you, both telling me that it will always be Stefan, I lost it. If he didn't have that ring, the one in your family that protects the one wearing it from unnatural death, he would be gone and I would have been a murderer beyond redemption."
"And I forgave you for that?" Elena asked quietly, asking the question that still circled his thoughts every single day.
Damon winked at her, smiling mischievously, "I did save you a number of times to even the score and I should get points for full disclosure when I can just pretend it never happened. You'd never even know the difference."
Elena frowned and turning serious, Damon continued, "Mostly yes, you did forgive me even if you shouldn't have. What I did…Elena, I will still spend the rest of whatever I have left here on this earth making that up to you. It was unforgivable. But for whatever reason, you did forgive and I can only be grateful. And it made me realize it was enough to be around you, to protect you. I didn't need you to love me back-I had enough of that for both of us. So like a coward, I told you I loved you and then I made you forget."
"Then why is Stefan inside and you're the one with me now? Why do I know that you love me?" Elena asked him
"I think you know the answer to that, Elena," Damon said as he regarded her quietly.
"Because I love you." Elena said simply, "Because somewhere along the way I chose you and not even you could stop me from that."
"And she scores two points for the win. I should give you a gold star, Elena," Damon said with a small smile, "And now here we are. I'm waiting with baited breath for those answers, Elena, because I know better than to trust what Katherine just said back there. But you, I trust. Tell me, Elena, what do you remember?"
"Nothing of what you just told me, that much is true," Elena said turning away from him again, holding her knees tighter against her chest, "I can only tell what I feel towards the people in my life now but there are no images or memories to go with anything. I have…I have emotions and fragments of a past that isn't mine. Well not Elena's at least. I know enough to tell you that yes, Katherine wasn't lying."
"I'll need more than that, Elena," Damon said firmly but gently.
"I remember when I was someone else," Elena said carefully, "It was a different time-chaotic and full of struggle, none could be trusted. It was then the king was lost when he left to search for a way to bring and end to the destruction…a way to destroy the power of Aztlan forever. But he never came back and it started a struggle for power that cost so many lives."
"To protect the queen, the shaman hid her in the guise of someone else-as his wife," Elena continued, "For years they lived in relative peace, even having a daughter together, until the prophecy came to the shaman, shocking him to his core with images of so much carnage and desolation. Apocalyptic. And with the king lost, there was no hope. And he was awoken to the truth that his time with the queen was borrowed. He had to return her to him, but to do that he needed to buy her some time to find him."
"The curse…the moonstone," Damon said, "But if that was broken, the only thing it would have done was let vampires frolic in the sun or werewolves to turn at will…it wasn't…"
"That was a lie to conceal its true nature," Elena said sadly, "Done right, the moonstone released what it really held, which was what little power of Aztlan the shaman could control. It was enough to set things right, which included bringing back to life one who should never have been turned."
"Stefan," Damon whispered, "But what do you mean 'done right'?"
"There was only one way to break the moonstone, Damon," Elena said knowingly, her eyes filling with an infinite sadness, "Your blood and mine, just like Stefan said."
Damon shook his head, refusing the pieces slowly falling into place in his mind.
"Where's the key, Damon," Elena said with a tired smile, knowing once she started down this path there would be no turning back.
He pulled it out of his back pocket and held it out to her but she pushed it back towards him, "Can you see the inscription?"
"Yes but I don't understand ancient gibberish. Sorry, you're going to have to spell it out for me." Damon said impatiently.
"In your trust, keep safe my life, my power and my love..." Elena said
"…my queen," Damon finished, "You're the queen"
"The moonstone didn't shatter because of the sacrifice of a doppelganger and a vampire who loved her…it only worked because of who we are," Elena nodded, her face full of pain and anguish, "And now you know why I'm trying to protect you…why I'm trying so hard to forget you."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that :) Took a while, I know, but I hope it was worth the wait. Happy holidays everyone!