https://i.gifer.com/Snku.gif.
A FEW DAYS LATER
Although scolding me for speaking with Elijah and believing I could pull some important information from him with a stroke of my fingertips, Damon did congratulate me on eradicating our problem. Bonnie was successfully keeping my real intentions in daggering Elijah a secret between our quartet, only sharing the change with her Gram's the first chance she could. Besides that, Katherine had been running around the Boarding House and playing human, though I found it strange we hadn't crossed paths yet. Who knows, maybe she was avoiding me...
Matt and Caroline had finally made up, watching the live band at the grill going a lot smoother without exploding equipment and multiple fires. Ric and Jenna were still on the outs though, motivating me to the Gilberts front door early in the morning. I'd only been halfway through my first knock before the door sprang open, a frantic looking Elena almost collapsing into my arms. "Hey, hey, hey--what's wrong?" I held her close with a frown, glancing past her to see exactly what had her so stressed. "What's this, some warped family reunion?"
"Everything's gone wrong, Angel..." stuttering breaths hit my neck.
"Then it seems I'm right on time," I pulled away, stroking some of her hair back in place and forcing the brunette to focus only on me. "You and Stefan go upstairs. Calm down, okay? I'll be right behind the pair of you."
My gaze strayed to Isobel, Elena noticed. "Are you gonna talk to her?" She glanced at my arm, expecting my 'magic touch' to successfully decipher whether Isobel was lying or not.
"I think I deserve a private word with my kidnappers."
Her eyes widened, "Kidnappers? As in plural?"
"I'll explain everything upstairs. I promise, Elena." Her nod was shaky, Stefan taking her from my hold before it was just Isobel, John, and I left downstairs. "I'm sure neither of you was meant to be back in town 'till I said so." The door clicking shut behind me felt almost sinister. "Any reason that's changed?"
"Isobel learned some crucial information on Klaus," my eyes rolled as John almost cowered away from me, Isobel being the only one of the pair capable of maintaining eye contact.
I stopped in front of her, not missing how empty her eyes seemed... "I feel she did more than that," I caught her throat quickly, pulling her face closer for assessment and ignoring the strangled chokes that escaped her. "She found Klaus," I decided to share, assuming Stefan was listening in. "He compelled her..."
"W-what do you mean?" John panicked from behind me, Isobel's eyes widening in confused disbelief with my words.
Her vocal cords strained to form a raspy defense, "She's lying, John!"
"How rude," I shoved her head to the side, a snapped neck forcing her body to crumple in a heap. "I mean, of all the things to accuse me of(!)" I found myself scoffing.
"How do you know he compelled her? H-how do you know anything?" I turned toward the stuttering mess with a glare, successfully silencing him.
"I still don't like you--Ergo; you remain in the dark. Feel free to stare at her or whatever, meanwhile, I'm gonna comfort your daughter on the trauma you just caused." I paused in my journey, my hand finding his wrist and forcing the man to wince. "I'll be taking this back before you leave town," Ric's ring was twisted out of place from John's finger. "Call it compensation for what you did to Jenna. I don't care if you were protecting her, it was a dick move stemming from jealousy and you know it."
His brow crumpled, "Jealousy?"
"Jealousy toward the only man Isobel has and will ever love. You're nothing to her, John. Get over it." I took a sick satisfaction in seeing his expression break, real hurt bubbling beneath his features.
Only when he was well and truly hurt did I move to find Elena.
Elena looked confused when I entered the room, Stefan's comforting grip never leaving her as I refused to enter further, waiting for any questions she wanted to be answered and mentally debating whether to answer with the truth... "What aren't you telling me, Angel?"
"Your question is gonna need to be more specific than that, Gilbert."
Her eyes narrowed, "You said you had kidnappers."
"John didn't like the fact I was a know-it-all when we first met. I learned what he was to you and about Isobel, and he thought getting her to kidnap me and 'scare me into shape' would stop me from being so cocky with my knowledge. He knew I'd be taken and that she'd threaten me when she came to town looking for that watch, and neither of them liked me standing up for our Salvatores in the process." I shrugged out my answer, surprised even the cracks inbetween were honest. I mean, sure, I could always be more detailed with my truth, but Elena never specified wanting that.
She hesitated, almost afraid for an answer to her second question... "Snapping Elijah's neck, daggering him--what you did to Isobel just now..." I suppose that answers Stefan playing the role of the eavesdropper. "Does that strength come from what you can do with your eyes, what you showed us in the hospital?"
"Most of it," I nodded.
"Can you tell us what that is?"
"I would if I knew the truth wouldn't worry you."
Her eyes widened, "I-is it hurting you?"
"No," I promised firmly, a small approach not seeming to be rejected. "It's doing nothing to me that I don't want it to do. It's just--" I took a breath, trying to think of the right words. "It just sounds a lot scarier than it actually is." She seemed slightly relieved, but I knew the subject would continue to bounce around her skull, especially when I wasn't providing a clear enough answer on it... "Interrogation over?"
She scoffed at my raised brow, "Interrogation over." I smiled at her agreement.
Whether the day eventually came for me to be unashamedly honest, or I just continued existing with half-truths towards everyone I came across, I was just grateful I could pull them back from worrying about me. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the care. But after getting a bit of perspective on the situation, the last thing Elena--the last thing anyone--needed to be concerned for was me.
-TIME SKIP-
Elena's hands kept wringing with nerves as she curled up in the loveseat by the fireplace, staring off blankly ever since Stefan had brought her back to the Salvatore's. I'd managed to intercept Isobel being successful in leaving with Elena, incapacitating the vampire before she could tear away her pendant and end her life. Elena was unconscious the whole time, left assuming all of it was Isobel being compelled to give Katherine and the moonstone to Klaus rather than herself... "Why did they let me go, Angel?"
It was the first words I'd heard her utter since I'd arrived from Bonnie's Grams, my drop-off destination so Isobel's compulsion could be wiped and she could be sent on her way. Or at least I hoped she would once she gained consciousness. "What do you mean?"
"I mean why go to all that trouble? W-why compel her to remove every obstacle out of the way and then leave me at the Lockwoods, no Klaus creeping around corners to steal me away?" Her tone sounded so lost, so hopeless. As though she truly didn't understand if the Original hybrid was screwing with her or worse.
I was grateful Stefan returned with a hot drink, saving me the trouble of lying as he answered for me. "Anything that John told Isobel we have to assume that Klaus knows, right?" Elena nodded, "So he knows you're not gonna turn yourself into a vampire. He knows that you have us keeping you safe."
"He knows I'm not gonna run..." Understanding dawned on her; Elena Gilbert was officially an unmoving and blown-up target that Klaus could easily get from over a mile away.
"Which is why we need to take some precautions," Damon turned into the foyer, focused only on Elena as he strode towards her. I ignored the niggle in my gut over not even receiving a glance, "Because we got played." A stack of papers was set in her lap, "All of us..."
"What's this?"
"It's the deed to our house in Zach's name. As soon as you sign it, it'll be in your name."
Her jaw dropped a fraction, "You're giving me your house?"
"Isobel had the right idea with the safe house. We just stay here 'till it's all over, that way you can control who gets invited in and who doesn't."
"Although, I'll be super pissed if you lock me out."
My eyes narrowed at the look they shared, my brain confused over when they found the time to become playful buddies. I pushed down the envy. Of course, they're friends. It's only natural to find some form of equal ground with someone you see often, especially when they haven't done anything too cruel in your eyes. That was thanks to me stopping most of it but still. Besides, I have no reason to be jealous, Elena's even more loved up with Stefan than I remember from the show, and Damon and I aren't even remotely official--
A gasp escaping John Gilbert silenced my internal rambling.
Damon whooshed to him, holding him up by the collar of his shirt and pushing the cowardly weasel persona to control the humans' features-- "I swear I had no idea what she was gonna do! I'm sorry," his eyes found Elena. "I'm so so sorry."
"Damon, let him go." The doppelganger sighed in exhaustion, "He and I need to talk."
John was dropped to form a pile of limbs on the floor, Damon's frustration evident over still not being allowed to just tear the guy's head off. Stefan moved toward him, my jaw clenching as they just left without bothering to look back. I looked towards Elena, brushing off my annoyance to offer her support.
Her nod of thanks was all I needed to make my way towards Damon's room and leave them to their conversation.
My mind wouldn't stop, a small habit of overthinking now on steroids as I went about my nightly routine. The scorching heat of the shower was unsuccessful in calming me, the plush fabric of a towel struggling to keep me warm while I numbly moisturized my skin and thought about my interactions with Damon over the last few days. We hadn't had any arguments, at least none that I could remember. We may have been a bit distant but in the midst of Ritual drama and saving lives, that only made sense. We'd still seen each other every day and spent most nights together.
Could I be overreacting? Reading too much into silence because I finally felt in control for once and it was too foreign of a feeling for me to relax in? Was I just in self-destruct mode?
The clicking of a door made me realize I'd been blankly brushing my teeth for almost ten minutes. I spat out the toothpaste, cleaning up my mouth before turning to face the bed. Damon was sitting on the corner, tugging off his shoes before rubbing at his face. His shoulders were tense, body rigid, and it honestly took all I had in me to remain focused on my original thoughts... "Everything go well with the Martins at the witch house?"
"All sorted." His answer was quiet, "We officially have our secret weapon against Klaus."
I leaned against the sink, tugging on my earlobe and debating how to broach the topic. "That's good..."
"What's on your mind, Jones?"
"What?"
He sighed into his hands, "You're being quiet and distant. What's bothering you?"
"I'm being quiet and distant?" My words were a scoff that I couldn't hold back, "You basically ignored me from the second I got here."
Beautiful baby blues peaked over veiny palms, "What are you talking about?"
My eyes widened in disbelief, "Did you even see me downstairs?"
"Of course I saw you--"
"Then why didn't you say anything? I didn't get a 'hi', or a sly glance--not even a smirk! And then you just left. What else am I meant to think other than you're ignoring me?"
I saw the amusement quite clearly, the man standing to slowly close the space between us. "I didn't know you needed constant reassurance that I paid you attention--"
"It's not about attention," I tried to correct quickly, my arms moving to fold across my chest as he moved a mere hairline away from me. "It's just polite." My mutter pushed my lips into a small pout, my mind screaming about how childish I must seem.
His lips twitched, threatening a smirk over my rigid shrug. "When have I ever been polite?"
I hated how I felt vulnerable, his instant flip making me feel like I really just had a meltdown because I didn't get a 'hi' from the guy I'm fucking... "You're different with me..."
I shrugged again, his expression morphing from a smirking tease into something far softer... "I'm sorry," he reached out, my stomach tightening when his soothing grip danced across my jaw. "Everything going on must have finally caught up to me, I wasn't thinking."
"No, I'm sorry," I gave in with a tired huff. "I legitimately just freaked out because you didn't say hi to me," the pair of us shared a chuckle, my arms falling to my sides so he could move just that little bit closer.
"No, no--that's definitely a sin." His arms curled around my waist, "I have no idea how you could ever forgive me."
My hands chained around his neck, "I'm sure you know a few actions that will earn my forgiveness," I decided to play along.
"Grovelling?" I hummed in the thought of his suggestion, "Begging?"
A giggle escaped me as my hips were squeezed, "All are methods I'm sure I'd enjoy."
"Then I best get to work," my smile widened when he grew closer, nose brushing against my own, the look in his eyes pushing my heart to swell.
"I--..." I bit back the words, his brow crumpling in reaction to my sudden silence.
"What?"
I took a breath, "I can't wait." His smirk returned full force, tugging me closer so our lips could connect in a passionate kiss. My mind trying its hardest to get lost in it rather than focus on the fateful 'I love you' that was almost shared...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSfKSUd31MM... (Just One Yesterday by Fall Out Boy)
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Thanks for reading x