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Raleigh Ritchie - Bloodsport
"Loving you is a bloodsport
It's not what I'm in love for, I know
But I don't know if you could help it
Baby I'm just being selfish."
ELENA SLOWLY OPENED HER EYES TO FIND HOLDEN SLEEPING BESIDES HER. She had no idea when they both fell asleep the previous night and what time it even was now. She rolled onto her back to check her phone to see that it was still morning before sighing and lying back in bed.
She always liked watching Holden sleep. He seemed the most peaceful then. And she wanted him to be happy.
Before Elena could wake him up, doors quickly opened and Izzie walked in. That made Holden move in his sleep and wake up with a confused face. "Izzie," Elena quickly sat up as the girl stopped in front of their bed.
"Sorry," Izzie looked at their clothes before shrugging to herself. "Good thing you two were dressed."
Holden finally woke up as he sat up next to Elena before raising his eyebrow up at Izzie, because he thought she'd be home with Damon by now. "Why aren't you home yet? Where's Damon?" Holden asked and when Izzie looked at him in confusion, Holden knew something was wrong.
Elena glanced at her boyfriend, who got out of the bed before putting his shoes on and grabbing his jacket. "Wait? Where is he, Holden?" Izzie asked, realizing something was wrong.
"Is your head okay?" Holden asked her worriedly so she nodded, not really caring about her throbbing head at the moment. "Stay here. I'll go see."
"Holden, you're worrying me," Elena mused as she got out of bed and approached him. Holden put his jacket on before kissing her cheek.
"Stay here. I'll be back soon, okay?" he asked as Izzie moved to walk, but Elena grabbed her arm softly. "See? Catch up or something. I love you both."
Holden then left Elena's dorm room as Izzie looked at the Gilbert girl worriedly.
Outside, Holden took his phone out before dialing Damon's phone number. It started beeping but no one answered the call so Holden hung up. He knew something must have happened to Damon, because no way he would've left Izzie in Whitmore by her own.
Holden knew where he had to go. To pay another visit to Dr. Whitmore. He looked around the campus before heading to his lab, to find it completely empty.
That made Holden angry as he walked inside carefully before seeing some signs of struggle. Some tubes were lying on the ground broken as well as the huge hole that Jesse made.
After searching for some more Holden decided not to worry Izzie. He walked back into the dorm to find the girls waiting impatiently. "What did you find out?! Where is Damon?" Izzie rushed over at him with questions.
Holden wasn't quick to answer as he glanced at Elena, who stared at him, knowing something really happened to Damon. "He's..." Holden paused as Izzie's eyes held so much fear. "He's home! Which is why you should go home too."
Elena furrowed her eyebrows as Izzie did the same. "But... Why did he leave me here? And why isn't he answering my phone calls?" Izzie questioned angrily.
"He thought I already took you home. And he said his phone is a little broken from the fight with Jesse," Holden fed her lies because if Damon was gone, he didn't need Izzie freaking out. Even if she'd be angry with him after she came home and found that Damon wasn't home. "So, I'm gonna stay here a bit longer with Elena while you take my car and go home."
"Your car?" Izzie asked as Holden handed her his car's keys. "Then how did Damon get home? Didn't he see your car parked here?"
Holden rolled his eyes. "Why can't you believe me?" he asked as Elena approached the two fighting people.
"Izzie, I'm sure Damon's home waiting for you. I just want Holden to stay here a bit," Elena told her as she stood behind Holden, putting her hand on his shoulder with a small smile. "Catching up and all."
Holden turned his head back with a smile as Elena giggled. "Fine. He better have a good explanation," she sneered before the three walked outside.
The Salvatore opened the car's door for Izzie to get in as she stopped before climbing in. "How will you get home?" she asked, because something deep down was telling her not to go and that Holden was lying to her.
"I'll drive him home," Elena grabbed Holden's hand and intervened their fingers. Holden nodded his head at Izzie, who only frowned before getting into the car.
She rolled the window down as Holden leaned closer to her. "Drive safely. Do not mess up my car," he warned seriously.
Izzie smirked. "You, Salvatore boys and your cars," she trailed off before starting the car and speeding away. Holden straightened himself as he and Elena watched Izzie drive home.
"You lied to her," Elena said quietly as she turned to look at Holden's stony face.
"I know."
ELENA WAS READY TO HELP HOLDEN FIND HIS OLDER BROTHER SO THAT IS WHY THEY HAD TO GO AND SEE AARON. Holden knocked on the boy's dorm's room and soon enough Aaron opened the door. He glanced at Holden in confusion before seeing Elena next to him. "Aaron. Hey!" Elena smiled widely as his eyes went to Holden again. "Oh, this is my boyfriend, Holden."
"Hey," Aaron mused quietly as Holden stared at the Whitmore. "So, you heard?"
Elena furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Heard what?"
"That Jesse's dead," Aaron sighed deeply causing Elena to glance at Holden before acting as if she was shocked. "He killed himself last night. Campus security came by to tell me."
Holden could see the guilty look on Elena's face before she shook her head. "We're terribly sorry, Aaron," Holden said as Aaron's eyes went back to a serious looking man.
Aaron then moved away from the door to let them walk in. "What's up with this college? It's supposed to be different. I came here to start fresh, get away from all the crap in my past," he complained before looking at Holden. "Sorry, man. I'm kind of friends with your girlfriend.
Holden closed the door before faking a smile. "I'm sure. And I get it. We've all been through something in our life, we lost people. Everyone would want to start over," Holden said those words to Elena and how happy he actually felt to have her in his life.
"You too?" Aaron questioned Holden, who mused with a nod. "Damn. How do you hit the reset button?"
Elena looked at Aaron in surprise that the question was pointed at her and not Holden. While they spoke Holden looked around Aaron's room. "Me? I-I haven't reset anything. All my problems, they've followed me here."
Holden glanced at Elena, who avoided eye contact. "Come to think of it, I'm probably not the right person to be getting advice from."
Aaron nodded his head understandingly as he didn't like how Holden walked around as if he searched for something. "Well, it's nice to meet you, I guess," he said causing Holden to turn to look at the boy. "If you're not here about Jesse, uh, why are you two here?"
Elena made a guilty face again. "I don't wanna bother you, especially not right now."
"But we will," Holden moved to stand behind Elena, who sighed before nodding her head.
Aaron looked at them in confusion as Elena spoke. "Okay. Well, um, last night, you told me that Wes was your legal guardian."
"Yeah. Since past summer after my aunt Sara died," Aaron explained even if he didn't like talking about it with Holden near. He just wanted to keep it to himself. "You see what I'm talking about? Everyone around me ends up dead, and my sunny disposition makes me so many friends. It's—I'm sorry. Go ahead."
Holden had no idea why that boy kept loosing so many people around him. "Um, the thing is Holden's brother Damon went to talk to Wes last night with Holden, but Holden left to see me... And apparently, no one heard from Damon since last night, which worries us. So I--I know how bad the timing is but I just- we were hoping maybe you could help us find Wes."
"Yeah. Yeah," Aaron nodded as he stood up from his seat. "I think I know a place where we can look."
Holden stared at Aaron. "Perfect."
And soon enough, the three were walking through campus as Holden's phone rang. He checked it to see Izzie before shutting his phone off. "Just doesn't make sense why Jesse would kill himself," Aaron continued on with the topic about Jesse.
"So, you believe what campus security told you?" Elena asked Aaron curiously when Holden caught up to them.
Aaron looked at the girl in surprise. "Why, do you know something else?" he asked and Holden knew he had to interfere.
"All she's saying is that it's weird how both of your friends just committed suicide before the first semester was even over," Holden commented as Aaron led them somewhere.
Elena looked at Holden pleadingly, telling him to be quiet. "Yeah, of course I think it's weird. Jesse loved it here, he had a huge crush on your friend. Megan had all these plans for her life," Aaron said sadly.
"Which is why none of this makes sense," Elena told him as they all stopped walking. Elena stood in front of Aaron. "Aaron, look. I found Megan's body the night she died. She was murdered, and Wes forged her death certificate."
Aaron was shocked as Holden thought it wasn't such a good idea to tell Aaron that. "You saw her death certificate?"
Elena glanced at Holden discretely. "I did some digging. Wes is part of something much bigger than anyone even realizes," she explained seriously as Aaron looked at Holden.
"You let her do such things?" Aaron asked as Holden raised his eyebrows up, which caused Aaron to nod his head, even though he was still confused. "Let's find him first. I want to hear his side of the story."
Aaron then walked away as Elena wanted to follow but Holden grabbed her arm. "You're telling him too much, Elena," he hissed under his breath.
Elena glared at Holden slightly annoyed. "He has the right to know. His life is messed up as it is," she snapped back as Holden looked at Elena in confusion.
"Why do you find this guy interesting?" he asked angrily.
Elena made him let go of her. "Holden, I love you, but stop being jealous. He's my friend. Only a friend. And I feel close to him, because both of us lost so much," she said before walking away as Holden clenched his jaw. He already disliked Aaron.
HOLDEN STAYED BEHIND A BIT BECAUSE HE HAD TO CHECK IF ANYONE HAD CALLED HIM YET. He tried to find Damon without Stefan's help, because he still remembered that something was wrong with him as well.
Holden turned his phone on to see five missed calls from Izzie and one from Stefan. He didn't know who whether to call. He sighed before calling Izzie. After a few rings she answered. Holden could already sense a wave of anger. "So I called back home," Izzie sneered lowly as Holden rolled his eyes. "Stefan said he hadn't seen Damon in two days!"
"I had to get you home, Izzie. I don't even know where Damon is," Holden argued as he looked down at his feet angrily. "I promise I won't come back home until I find him. It's probably just Wes."
"Oh really?" suddenly, Holden heard a voice behind him before turning around to see Izzie standing there, holding a phone to her ear. Holden stared at her in shock before hanging up the phone. "You're an ass."
Holden only mused as he looked at her angrily. "Why are you back?"
"What?! Why am I back?" Izzie asked, getting into Holden's face. He just stared down at her dully. "I am back because your stupid ass lied to me, and because Damon is gone somewhere! Are you serious?! How could even dare to lie to me?"
"Calm down or I'm gonna compel you to go home," Holden told her seriously as Izzie scoffed.
"I drink vervain."
Holden knew more than that. "Oh really?" he asked, mocking her voice. "I know you hadn't drank vervain since we got you back from Silas."
That sentence made Izzie become silent. She looked away before clearing her throat. "Did Damon tell you this?" she asked calmly but to Damon's luck Holden shook his head.
"No."
"Are you lying again?"
"No, I'm not. I just noticed that you aren't wearing your bracelet again, nor have the tea that we have home have been moved at all," Holden told her. He wanted to fight with her, to make her drink vervain again, but they had to find Damon. "Why, Izzie?"
Izzie sighed before becoming angry again. "We are here not to discuss me. We're here to find Damon, so we better hurry."
Izzie wanted to walk but Holden took a step back, blocking her way like that. "No, I want you to go home."
"You won't compel me. I know you wouldn't," Izzie shook her head as her eyes went wide. "Come on, I thought we were past this already. I can protect myself. Just let me help you find the man that I love, okay?"
Holden doubted that choice before nodding his head. "I mean, it's a doctor we are talking about. So, as far as you stay close to me, we're fine."
Izzie nodded her head. "Actually, I have some things that I can protect myself with," she mused as Holden got a message from Elena telling him where he was.
"What do you mean?" Holden asked as he wrote Elena back that he was on the way. Izzie looked around before lifting her jacket up to reveal a gun, hidden behind her jeans. "What the hell? Where did you get this thing?!"
Holden wanted to take it away from Izzie, but she quickly pulled away. "Not here, you idiot!" she hissed before looking back at him. "I bought it. Damon keeps telling me to have a thing that protects me."
"Do you even know how to use it?" Holden asked her angrily as Izzie stared at him in shock.
"Did you forget who my father was?" she snapped, hurt that Holden still saw her as a small defenseless girl. "Anyways, let's go."
Holden knew he made a mistake by forgetting that Izzie's dad was in military. He met him only briefly because he died when Izzie was only 16. That man never liked Holden and all the vampire thing. "By the way, where are we going?" Izzie asked as the two approached a Whitmore house.
"Elena's here with some dude Aaron," Holden said as he knocked on a door. The two waited for Aaron or Elena to come out, but what surprised Holden was Wes himself. He clenched his jaw when Wes smiled.
"Good day, Holden, Izzie," he said calmly while standing inside. Holden moved towards Wes only to see an invisible barrier. That made Wes amused. "Sorry, this house belongs to someone."
"Where the hell is Elena and my brother?!" Holden sneered as he put his arms on the doorway. Izzie stood behind a furious Holden as Wes raised both of his eyebrows up.
"Oh, you must have passed by her already," he told them calmly as blood boiled inside Holden's chest. "I'm not gonna tell you anything, Holden. I don't think I have the need to."
Holden snickered. "Then it's your own mistake, really," he said as his eyes vamped out a bit. "Because I'm gonna make you regret that choice."
"What are you gonna do?" Wes asked with a smile.
Izzie stared at Wes in disgust before Holden smirked. "I'm gonna stay here until it's dark... Then bright again. Until you run out of food, until you're starving. Until you decide to walk out. And then I'll rip your throat out."
Wes gulped a little before he tried to get his cool back. "How does it feel having a monster as your guardian?" he questioned Izzie, who only looked caught.
Holden rolled his eyes expressively. "That's clever. Making Izzie fear me just to mask your own fear. You know what, Doc? Maybe I don't need to keep you here inside. Maybe I just need to kill someone you care about. Starting with Aaron Whitmore."
Wes stood straight as Holden smirked. "I knew it would work," he mused before grabbing Izzie and vamp speeding away. Wes hit the doorframe before closing the door.
DAMON WAS LYING IN A CELL THINKING ABOUT IZZIE. He sighed deeply before turning his head to a side to see Elena lying in a cell next to his. "Come on, Elena. Wake up," Damon rolled his eyes to himself.
Elena then groaned as she lied on the cold cement floor. She moved around before opening her heavy eyes from the vervain. Last thing she remembered was fighting with Holden over something really stupid before going to see Wes with Aaron and getting vervained.
The Gilbert girl looked around before seeing Damon. "What's up," Damon mused dully, because out of all the people he had to see Elena. It's not that he disliked Elena, but he would've rather seen Holden, Stefan or Izzie.
"Damon?" she mused slowly getting up. "We were looking for you-"
"I'm fine," Damon cut her off as he rested his back against the wall. "Wes injected you with vervain. Maybe when it wears off, we'll be able to—" he grabbed the cell's bars and tried to shake them but was too weak. "—break through these."
Elena sat up as she put a hand on her forehead because it hurt. "What the hell is going on?" she asked in confusion. "Why are you here? Why am I here?"
Damon sighed because he was about to tell someone a story he hid for decades. "Wes is carrying out the grand Augustine tradition. Getting his kicks off vampire torture."
Elena stared at Holden's brother in shock. "Did he tell you that?" she questioned but Damon only smirked weakly.
"He didn't have to. I've been here before," Damon said dully as Elena frowned slightly. "Someone in my family sold me out to the Augustines in 1953. Every day, this nut job Dr. Whitmore tortured us, cut into us, took pieces of our eyes out, pushed us to every limit he could imagine, and he had quite the imagination. Kept me in this very cell, and don't think I haven't appreciated the irony."
Elena was shocked at such news and she doubted even Holden knew them. Or maybe they just chose to never speak of it again. "How long were you here?" she questioned him.
Damon stared ahead of him, thinking about Izzie. "Five years, give or take."
The Gilbert only opened her mouth in shock. "Damon, how did you not go crazy?" she asked curiously.
Damon smiled to himself before glancing back at her. "Believe it or not, I made a friend," he said before standing up. "He was a soldier in Europe during World War II."
"How did he end up here?"
Damon pursed his lips. He really didn't want to talk about it a lot, but telling it to someone felt like this rock being lifted off his heart. "Dr. Whitmore was working in a battlefield hospital when he discovered Enzo was a vampire, so he drugged him, locked him in a coffin to ship him overseas."
"Damon, Wes knew my dad," Elena told him seriously. Elena felt better knowing that Holden was looking for them. She just feared that Wes wouldn't do anything bad. Or Holden wouldn't do anything bad to Aaron as well. "They worked together. He said that my dad was an Augustine, too. I know that my dad was a vampire hunter, but he was also the town doctor. He was kind and gentle and loving. He wouldn't be part of a place that would cut your eyes out."
The Salvatore only shook his head. "People are full of surprises," he mused so Elena buried her head between her arms, laying face down on the floor. "Okay, fine," Damon rolled his eyes, because he never knew how to comfort Elena. It was Holden usually. "I'm not Holden but... I'm sorry, okay? I didn't think you'd get trapped into this too. But, good news is, Holdie's looking for us, isn't he?" he asked so Elena nodded her head, knowing he was. "Great! Then he'll get us out."
Elena raised her head up as she thought of Holden before smiling sadly.
AARON WAS ANGRY AND CONFUSED AFTER WES TOLD HIM ABOUT VAMPIRES AND WHY HIS WHOLE FAMILY DIED. He held a gun in his hand firmly, ready to go to see the man, who did this to him.
Leaving his room, Aaron bumped into Holden, who grabbed him by the neck before pushing him against a wall as Izzie stood ground. "Let go of me!" Aaron sneered as his gun fell to the ground from all the pressure on his neck.
Holden's eyes narrowed as he sneered at Aaron. "Gladly. If you tell me where's my brother and Elena?" he said but Aaron remained quiet. "Don't wanna talk? Fine by me."
Holden then began to crush Aaron's neck but Izzie stopped him. "We need him!" she hissed quietly causing Holden to release Aaron. The boy fell down while coughing. Izzie quickly grabbed Aaron's gun that had fallen on the ground.
"Here's a deal, Aaron. I hate when people mistreat the people that I love," Holden said as he made Aaron stand on his feet. He was still gasping for air as his face continued gaining back its color. "So in order for you to keep the only person that's alive to you safe, you'll take us to Elena and Damon. Understand?"
Aaron quickly nodded so Holden grabbed Aaron by his jacket before pushing him to walk. Izzie glanced at Holden weirdly before following right after.
THE DOOR LEADING TOWARDS THE LINE OF CELLS OPENED AND THE TWO PRISONERS SAW HOLDEN, AARON AND IZZIE. "What the hell is this place?" Holden sneered as he pushed Aaron aside before rushing over to the cells. "Elena!"
Elena stood up quickly before touching Holden as he approached the cell quickly. "Holden!" she smiled in relief as Izzie tried to go towards Damon, but Aaron pushed her against the wall before taking her gun out. "Holden!"
Aaron shot Holden in the chest with the gun before Holden could even realize. "No!" Elena screamed as Holden fell to the ground before groaning in pain.
Aaron held the gun aimed up as he told Izzie with his hand to go and stand in the next direction of Holden or the cells. "Move and I'll shoot," he sneered so Izzie did as was told. Elena looked at Holden to see his shirt bleeding.
"Is it wooden?" she asked so Holden grit his teeth with a nod. "Aaron, you have to help him!"
"Why?" Aaron questioned angrily. He hated Holden. "He almost strangled me. I... I didn't know what Wes was doing, I didn't even know there was a basement down here."
"Aaron, you have to help us. Holden isn't a bad person, I promise," Elena desperately tried as Aaron shook his head, not listening to her.
"I wanna know the truth. When we met at Megan's memorial, you asked me a bunch of questions," Aaron began as he tried loading a gun with more wooden bullets, but dropped some as he did so.
Damon snickered. "Slick hands, cowboy."
Elena glanced back at Holden to see him ripping his shirt in half. He seemed weak as if the bullet had hit near his heart. "Yeah? Well, I've never used a gun before..." Aaron mused as he looked at Elena. "...and I never killed anyone either unlike you."
Holden raised his eyes up as Izzie debated whether to attack Aaron while his gun was down. Holden only shook his head softly. "What are you talking about?" Elena asked Aaron.
"Wes said a vampire killed Megan," Aaron commented as he aimed his gun at Elena.
"And you thought it was Elena?" Holden spoke quietly causing Aaron to turn his attention to Holden, who gave up on the bullet in his chest.
"No. Megan was inside this house. I hadn't even been invited yet. You just—" Elena began but Aaron interrupted her.
"Wes also said a vampire killed my parents. Maybe that was you, too," he told Elena causing Damon to chuckle calmly.
"No. Aaron. That's impossible," Elena shook her head with wide eyes as Aaron clenched his jaw.
"Why else would you be so interested in me?" Aaron snapped then as Holden groaned in pain causing Elena's eyes to snap at Holden.
"Calm down," Damon suggested Aaron as he looked at Izzie, not understanding why she didn't go to help Holden.
"Why else would you pretend to be my friend?" Aaron questioned before looking at Damon. His gun was still aimed at Elena. "She's a vampire! Along with him!" he mused meaning Holden. "Maybe it was the two of you? That's why you were creeping around my room earlier?!"
Holden rolled his eyes. "They're definitely not the one's that killed your parents. That was all me," suddenly Damon admitted causing everyone to stare at Damon in shock.
"What?" Holden asked quietly as Aaron lowered his gun from surprise. Izzie stared at Damon, who avoided any eye contact with her.
"What did you just say?" Aaron asked just above the whisper as he moved over to stand in front of Damon's cell, pointing a gun at him. "Start talking."
"Damon, what are you doing?" Elena questioned as Damon stared back at Aaron, looking serious.
"In 1958, after the fire Enzo was dead, so I had to take on my revenge plan solo," Damon commented causing Holden to appear confused. Elena knew something more than Holden and he really wanted to find out it. "I promised myself that I would kill every Whitmore except one person. So that he can create a family and I could kill that family, then leave one again. And so on, and on. And that's exactly what I did."
Izzie didn't say anything and neither did Elena as Elena looked disturbed. "Wait?" Holden mused as he supported himself before standing up only to fall on his knees again. Elena rushed to help but couldn't reach him. "Why haven't I heard anything about you being stuck somewhere?"
Damon only smirked before turning back to Aaron, who was looked shaky. "How many Whitmores have you killed?" Aaron asked angrily.
"Since 1958?" Damon asked sarcastically as Izzie stood in one spot. She had no idea Damon killed people like that. "I lost count."
"When was the last one?" Izzie suddenly asked him as Damon looked at her sadly. Holden stood up again. "Damon, I asked you... When was the last one?!"
"A few months ago. Her name was Sara," Damon admitted as Elena looked shocked just as Holden. "Had to go all the way to Charleston to find her. I'm sorry I lied, Holden. I didn't start searching for Izzie until I got it done with Sara. I couldn't tell you."
Izzie teared up because if he hadn't taken that stupid off road thing, maybe he would've found her sooner. But he chose to kill someone instead of searching for someone he said he loved. "I thought you were out looking for Izzie," Holden sneered as he held onto his still bleeding chest.
"Yeah, while you and Elena were starting the summer of your lives," Damon commented regretfully as Izzie quickly wiped a few tears.
"I had no idea!" Holden shouted angrily as Elena looked away in disappointment.
Damon only glanced back at Izzie. "I'm sorry, baby," he mused before Aaron shot Damon in furry, causing him to fall to the floor.
"No!" Izzie shouted loudly as Aaron shot Holden in the head as well. Elena gasped loudly before kneeling down in horror to stare at an unconscious Holden, bleeding from his head.
Aaron then went over to Izzie before knocking her out. "No, Aaron, no!" Elena shouted loudly as he stared at her in anger.
HOLDEN OPENED HIS EYES BEFORE GROANING IN PAIN AS HE SAT UP. "A little help," he saw Damon leaning against the cell's bars, looking angry yet scared.
"Elena?" Holden asked as he stood up to see that Elena and Izzie were both gone. He turned back to Damon in shock. "Where are they?"
Damon shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I had it coming. I have no idea, brother," he mused causing Holden to approach the cell's doors and break them. "I guess we both need our little brother's help."
Holden glared at Damon before the two left the cells in search for their loved ones.
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