Book Two: Aquiver (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Sixty-One

At the Salvatore Boarding House, Alaric, Jenna, Elena, Stefan, and Elijah are in the living room talking about Alaric's time with Klaus.

"So you don't remember anything that happened?" Stefan asks him, Alaric shakes his head.

"No. It's like I blacked out. And when I woke up Katherine was there." Alaric closes his eyes. "I didn't even notice Diana" He whispers. Elena touches his arm as he gets upset.

"Katherine's under compulsion. Damon snuck her some vervain, but she can't leave until Klaus tells her she can."

"Where is Damon?" Elena asks.

"I saw him go upstairs." Jenna tells her. Elena gets up and leaves.

"So what else did I do?" Alaric asks them.

..............

Elena heads upstairs and into Damon in his bedroom. He's standing by the window looking out over the yard.

"You disappeared" She points out.

"I don't want to hear anymore." He admits.

"I need you to understand why I'm doing this."

"Why? It clearly doesn't matter what I think."

"I'll be fine, Damon. I'll drink the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus and then all of this will finally be over."

"If it works" Damon corrects.

"It will work." Elena defends.

"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one who's convinced it won't? There has to be another way."

"There isn't."

"And you're going to die, Elena."

"And then I'll come back to life."

"That is not a risk I'm willing to take" He walks over to her pointing his finger at her. "And you know damn well Diana would never let you do this....that she would never be willing to risk your life for anything..."

"But I am." Elena tells him. She takes his hand in hers. "It's my life, Damon. My choice."

"I can't lose you."

"You won't." She walks toward the door but Damon intercepts her.

"There is another way."

"What are you..." He bites his wrist so it starts bleeding. "Damon, no!" He puts his wrist to her mouth so she can drink his blood but she doesn't want to. Stefan arrives and pushes Damon. Elena falls on the floor. She has blood in her mouth.

"What did you do?! Huh? What did you do?!" Stefan asks him and then approaches Elena.

"I saved her life." Damon answers, he looks at Elena. "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back."

"As a vampire! She'll come back a vampire!" Stefan argues.

"It's better than nothing else."

"How could you, of all people, take that choice away from her?" Damon looks at Elena.

"Go ahead: wish me an eternity of misery. Believe me, you'll get over it." Stefan rushes over to Damon and pushes him.

"Stefan" Elena shouts. Damon takes a wooden stick and pushes Stefan against a wall with it.

"Admit it. You just wish you had the balls to do it yourself." Damon tells him. Stefan punches him in the face several times in a row. Damon falls on the floor. He has blood on his face. He takes the wooden stick and drives it through Stefan's abdomen. Elena rushes over to Stefan and pushes Damon. She looks at Damon.