Imagination is the key (stefan, Damon love triangle)

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Everyone started to mingle after Hollee and Elijah left the room and I headed over to Damon. "She sure told you." I joked.
"Very funny." He said sourly.
"Aww, come on, Damon, it's your own fault. No need to be sad that she's smarter than you."
"She's blond."
"And there you go judging people on their appearance again."
"I'm trying to make myself feel better and you're not helping."
"I'm sorry. Was I supposed to be helping?"
"Well it would be the kind thing to do."
I stepped closer. "And how should I go about this?"
Damon smirked. "Oh, I can think of several ways."
I sighed. "Damon, you can't say things like that with everyone around."
His arms wrapped around me. "Why not?"
I looked up at him. "Are you seriously asking that question? Because it's weird."
"No it's not."
"For you, maybe. It's not your family witnessing it."
"You don't care what John thinks." He pointed out.
"No, but I do Jenna."
"And she knows about us now."
"She's not very happy about it. She doesn't like you."
"She's made that perfectly clear."
"Like Hollee."
Damon groaned and let his head fall heavily onto my shoulder. "You're really not helping... At all."
"But you love me anyway." I teased.
He kissed my neck a couple of times. "I do."
I tensed and squirmed away from him. "Damon-"
"Lillie, can I have a word?"
Damon reluctantly pulled back and his face twisted into a sneer as we took notice of John standing in front of us. "What do you want now, John?"
"To speak to Lillie."
"Not going to happen." I said. "I don't want you anywhere near me right now."
John exhaled angrily. "Fine, you may not think of me as your father and believe me- I don't want to replace your dad, but I'm looking out for you and Elena as best as I can. And I don't think that Damon's good for you."
Damon stiffened beside me and I grabbed his hand. "It's a good thing I don't care what you think then, isn't it? You don't get to come over here and shove your way into my relationship; if I want to be with Damon, I'll be with Damon and nothing anyone says will ever change that. You don't like it? Tough. I don't care."
"You need to think this through. What are you really signing up for by being with him? He lives forever. He kills people. He drinks blood, Lillie, he's a vampire."
"You think I don't know this? You think that that actually bothers me? It did," I admit. "to begin with, I wasn't sure what would happen. What could happen. But I don't care anymore. I love Damon, whether you like it or not and if we ever come to problems like his immortality then we'll deal with it when the time comes. I don't appreciate your big nose, John."
"I'm trying to help you." John insisted.
"No, you're not. You're trying to interfere."
"Lillie, just hear me ou-"
I squeezed Damon's hand and started to walk away. "Goodbye, John."
When we were far enough away from John, Damon pulled me to a stop. "You need to stop that."
"Stop what?" I questioned, confused. What did I do now?
"Defending me."
"But I-I wasn't, really. I was defending us. Would you have preferred it if I let he keep talking? Agree with him? Break up with you? If you want me to do that, I will."
"None of your friends and family like me, Lillie," He hushed as Elijah and Jenna walked past.
I looked up at him with big eyes. "But I like you and isn't that what matters?"
He sighed and let his shoulders sag. "Of course it is." He touched my face delicately. "I just don't want to hurt you."
"You won't, Damon. I trust you." I lent into his hand and smiled.
He returned it. "Sometimes I don't think you should."
"Me too, but I do anyway. Now," I said, pushing him away lightly and turning him around to face his mingling guests. "Entertain." I patted his shoulder and walked past him.
"Does anyone care for some cognac? I have a bottle I've been saving for ages." Damon, without waiting for a reply wondering off into the study.
Alaric seemed to think about following after him but decided it would be best to stay with Jenna, John on the other hand followed after Damon and I had a bad feeling about that.
"Maybe the men could take their drinks into the study." I suggested. I wasn't going to leave Damon and John alone, but I wasn't going to go in either. I refuse to face John once again.
"Well this has been a pleasure," Elijah said politely and smiled. "The food was delightful, Jenna."
"That's a relief, I don't normally cook, just unwrap."
And then Elijah disappeared after John and Damon.
"Hey, Jenna, are... Are you okay?" Ric asked hesitantly.
Jenna looked at him and handed him a stack of plates. "I'm fine."
With a longing glance back at Jenna, Alaric carried the plates out into the kitchen.
"What's wrong, Aunt Jenna?" I asked.
"Nothing." she denied.
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Ric did." She said solemnly.
"No he didn't. He just didn't want to push you. Now, what's up? You were okay with him earlier."
"John happened."
"Again?"
"Yeah. He keeps telling me things and then I can see Ric lying to me about them."
"And have you spoken to him about it yet?"
"No."
"There you go then."
"But, how would I even start."
"I don't know. Advising you talk is all I got. Sorry, Aunt Jenna. I'm not much help with these things."
She sighed. "It's fine-" She was interrupted by my phone ringing. "It's fine." She assured.
I smiled thankfully and pulled my phone out clicking the green button. "Hello?
"Lillie! Where's Damon? He's not picking up his phone-"
"Stefan, what's wrong?" The panic in Stefan's voice had me on edge.
"Damon's going to dagger Elijah and if he does, it's going to kill him."
"W-what do you mean?"
"The dagger can only be used by a human, if Damon uses it he'll die along with Elijah! You need to tell him before he gets himself killed."
My heart was pounding, was that what Damon was doing in the other room? With the phone still pressed to my ear I gave Jenna a forced smile. "Can you excuse me."
"Sure."
As soon as she said those words I was rushing towards the study.
"And Lillie, if Elijah does end up daggers, you have to leave it in. Okay? Don't forget that or we'll have a very vengeful vampire on our hands."
"Leave it in, got it." I hung up the phone quickly as I walked through the door and my eyes zeroed in on Damon hiding something behind his back.
"We forgot pudding!" I announced loudly grabbing everyone's attention. Damon threw me a 'what the fuck' face and quickly hid what I could only assume was the dagger behind his alcohol.
Alaric looked at me questioningly and nodded.
"Elijah," I said with a smile. "Jenna was wondering if you would give her a hand serving. She asked me but i'd end up making a mess and she doesn't like Damon."
Elijah straightened out his suit jacket and smiled. "Of course."
As soon as he was gone I glared at Damon.
"What the hell?!" He hissed.
I covered his mouth as Alaric walked over and pressed a finger to my lips telling him to be quiet. I grabbed a napkin .'Dagger will kill you if you use it! has to be human and it has to be left in.'
I passed it to Damon who, once read it, tossed it over his shoulder angrily before leaving the room. Alaric caught the napkin and skimmed his eyes over it. and shook his head. I offered him a smile and a shrug before following after Damon. As Alaric and I entered desert was just being put down on the table.
"Is there any strawberry sauce?" I asked Jenna, who was just heading back into the kitchen.
"I'll check for you."
Elijah was in the seat he occupied earlier, although now the space opposite him was empty. "Thank you for helping Jenna out for me."
"It wasn't a problem." He replied.
"So, Elijah," John said and just hearing his voice was grating on my nerves. "How exactly do you plan on killing Klaus. I mean, you do have a weapon I presume?"
Elijah sighed. "You're on Elena's list of loved one-"
"He shouldn't be." I mumbled.
"That means that I owe you protection, but don't mistake that as a mean to conspire together. You'll know when I deem it the right time."
"And when will that be, exactly? Because I don't trust you."
"And no one at this table trusts you." I snapped. "So maybe you should zip-"
I was abruptly cut off by a gargled scream and Elijah's face contorted into a deep burning pain. His skin grayed and wrinkled slightly with dark veins as he died. He slumped over him his chair to reveal Alaric standing above him, jaw tense. "Get rid of him. Before Jenna gets back."

After that, diner seemed to pass by in a blur, Elijah was dumped in the Salvatore basement, dagger still firmly intact. Jenna was a little put off that Elijah had 'left' so suddenly, but got over it quickly as I gave her my slice of cheesecake. And then I went home with her and Alaric. I was going to stay with Damon but I didn't feel comfortable telling Jenna that... Or John, so I just went home, sleeping in my own bed again actually sounded pretty good.