Midnight Rising

Special

Drunken teenagers litter the house, most fast asleep still clutching bottles or red plastic cups. The living room is trashed, tables tipped over. The main party seems to have moved outside, music pouring in from the back porch. Caroline stands amidst the wreckage, attempting to tidy up. She turns towards me, the look of a disappointed parent plastered across her youthful features. She strides across the room, slamming the bottle of vodka she's been carrying around most of the night into my chest. "You missed the cake."

Boohoo. I wander up the hallway towards my room. The door is ajar. I swear if there are teenagers having sex in here, they're losing their heads. Never mind how annoying it is to hide a body. I need to be alone. I've got a letter from Diana that demands my attention, the only thing I can think about right now. Inside is Elena. She stands at the end of the bed, a stack of papers clutched in her fist.

"What are you doing here?"

Elena spins towards me, unleashing all her hurt and anger. She waves the stack of leads in my face, tears already building in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it a secret?"

"Can we not do this right now," I don't feel like fighting. I have no witty comebacks or ways to tear down whatever hopes Elena is still clinging to. "I'm having a really bad night."

Elena ignores my plea for solitary, once again waving the papers in my face, "All summer, every single time I came to you with a lead, you made me feel like an idiot for having hope."

"You were an idiot," anger bubbles up inside. "We both were."

As I go to walk past her into the bathroom, Elena grabs my arm, "Tell me what you know, Damon."

"I know you need to get back to your party, Elena."

She won't accept this, "We're supposed to be in this together. Why didn't you tell me you've been tracking Klaus' victims?"

"Because they're not Klaus' victims, Elena. They're Stefan's!" There's not point in trying to sugar coat anything. If she's set on finding Stefan and bringing him home she needs to know exactly what she's walking into. Stefan won't return the same person who left.

Elena staggers back, swallowing hard as her lips part and clamp back together over and over. I can already see it, she's refusing to believe the truth I've just given her. "What?"

"He left a trail of body parts up and down the eastern seaboard."

I get a violent headshake, Elena squaring her jaw, preparing to defend Stefan till the end, "No. You're wrong."

"I've seen it happen before. He's flipped the switch to full-blown ripper!" Snatching the papers away from Elena I let them fall to the floor. She's an idiot, a stubborn little girl who thinks everyone is exactly how they present themselves. This world is going to chew her up and spit her out. There was a time I wanted to protect her from that. Now, I can't wait to see her shot down, hurting.

Elena takes a step away from me, fear flashing in her eyes. Good. "Stop it, Damon."

"No, you stop it, Elena!" I thunder back. She wanted this fight. She has to deal with it now. "Stop looking for him. Stop waiting for him to come home. Just stop! Stefan is gone and he's not coming back. Not in your lifetime."

"Diana –"

I cut her off before she can get any further, "I thought I told you I never wanted to hear her name come out of your mouth again."

Before Elena can continue, I storm across the room, yanking the door open, letting it slam shut behind me. Continuing through the house, I exit onto the porch. Teenagers giggle and dance, passing drinks between themselves. Climbing onto the wall around the porch, I let out a sharp whistle. The music cuts out. "Get out! Parties over! Leave or I'll call the cops!"