[closed] don’t tell me how love will rescue me. i was carnivorous about love.

[eyething]

Who: Damon Salvatore, Elena Gilbert, + Stefan Salvatore
Where: The mansion
When: September 1
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Damon gets an invite goes to seek Elena who is already getting her Nancy Drew on, they argue until they're interrupted by one Stefan Salvatore.

Damon has been angry at Elena, but this is nothing Damon could ever sustain for very long even without the mansion throwing them for a loop. It's been strange not talking to her. They'd regularly spend time together every single day, and... he misses her a lot. Even without this very new, vary worrisome development, he would have caved sooner rather than later.

The moment he finds the invitation slipped underneath the door of his room, he heads directly into her room through the adjoining door that connects their two rooms together without hesitation, without thinking about that night. It doesn't matter anymore.

Something's up. There was no cryptic message ahead of time unless this invitation counts (does that mean everyone got one?), but there's definitely an event brewing, which means there's potential danger. It's why he reacts as fast as he does, walking in without knocking, expecting her to make some comment to him about that, except Elena isn't there.

She's not in her room. Of course, there's no bigger Nancy Drew than Elena Gilbert, and all he can think is she better not be thinking of heading into mystery solving mode without him. Of course, it's also just possible she was out and hasn't gotten an invite, but he's not taking any chances.

"Oh, no, you didn't."

He opens up the door leading into the hallway, searching in both directions for her as he starts to stalk out of her room.

Comments

[interpersonal]

[ oh, but she did. she did, and there is nothing damon can do about it.

you see, damon, while you were busy making your point and being butthurt over her admittedly callous actions, elena decided she could solve this mystery on her own. she is fully aware the invitation might come with a catch, but it could also lead to some answers—finally. she isn't going to turn down the opportunity just because it could get risky. all she plans on doing at the moment, however, is catching a glimpse of the second mansion. so scooch to the left, sir. ]

[eyething]

[damon catches up to her on her way out of the mansion. his gaze narrows from behind her, because he knows exactly where she's headed. on her own. he may have not been talking to her, but she could have at least gone to bonnie instead of heading off on this little mission all on her own.

he vamp speeds until he is in front of her, directly in front of her, blocking her path. if she tries to go around him, he'll move in front of her.]

Exactly, where do you think you're going? Alone? [HE SEES YOU.]

[interpersonal]

[ wow damon, you know elena can't go to bonnie right now. rin has evil plans for us later. ]

Now you're talking to me?

[ elena has no intentions of slowing down or looking his way, and she anticipated his vamp speed. it doesn't keep her from nearly colliding into his chest. jaw locking, she looks up at him stubbornly. ] Damon, I'm going.

[eyething]

[the most evil of plans. mwahahaha.]

No. You're not.

[damon doesn't move as she collides into his chest. he's like a mountain, he's like a rock right now, ad he locks his jaw equally stubbornly.]

We get a vague mystery invite, and no part of you screams, this is not going to be safe? This is probably a trap. Maybe I shouldn't go skipping into danger?

[interpersonal]

[ elena doesn't bother telling him she's already contemplated possible outcomes. it would feel like she is explaining herself, and she doesn't owe him this. he doesn't get to control her or her choices, claiming love as the scapegoat. they both know the story, because it keeps repeating. ]

That's not your problem, is it?

[ her hands plant themselves on his chest in an effort to push him back. ] Damon!

[eyething]

[that's a sharp word, and he knows she's lashing out at him back for ignoring her all this time, but it still hurts despite the fact they both know that damon will always, always make it his problem. he will never stand back while she willingly puts herself in danger, he will always jump in front of the train that's bearing down on her when he can]

You know it is, Elena.

[she shoves at his chest but he remains still, grabbing hold of her arm.] I'm not letting you go.

[stefanged]

I wouldn't do that if I were you.

[It feels like he's interrupting more than a fight, but Stefan's not exactly in the mood to play nice. He's in some strange and unfamiliar world (again), he's got an offline comm device (again), and he's gonna stop a fight between - between Damon and Elena (again?).

His throat tightens as he steps towards them. Elena hasn't changed a day, and technically neither has Damon, but it feels like a lifetime ago since he's last seen them.

Quietly:] Damon? Elena?

[interpersonal]

[ ✧ elena had been gearing herself up for a childish fight, one that she refused to lose, but if anything could take the wind out of her sails, it would be the sound of stefan's voice. she takes a step back, momentum no longer forward, and her hands fall to her sides. the memories surface, bright and unbidden. his pain. his lingering cruelty. the damnable hope she still felt. still feels. it won't be because he loves me. it'll be because he loves you.

her chest swells with an impossibly familiar ache. ] You're here.

[eyething]

[damon's mouth parts as he turns from elena abruptly at the sound of his little brother's voice. his gaze narrows after a moment like he half expects stefan to disappear, like maybe this is all some strange, weird dream, but it's not. his brother is still there. damon's hand remains on elena's arm as he swallows, breathing in.

there's a little smirk on his face, wondering which stefan they're getting right now (ripper stefan or otherwise). heh finally lets go of elena's arm (unable to miss what she says, the way she says it. mirror words ringing in his head always), but he smirks anyway as he steps forward.]

Took you long enough.

hover for translation!

[stefanged]

["I took a couple of wrong turns at Alberquerque," he almost says. The (terrible) joke's caught on the edge of his tongue, mostly because it doesn't convey what he wants to say. He missed them. He got by, sure, and he forged connections with new friends - but Elena and Damon are ‘aa’ila. They'll always be `aa’ila.

He returns that smirk right back at Damon (thanks for letting her go, bro), though his posture betrays just how glad he is.]

Better late than never, right?

sob

[interpersonal]

[ something wondrous fills her gaze when she sees the two brothers stand almost side by side. it makes sense to her; she doesn't know that anything will ever make as much sense to her. elena's surprise keeps her rooted in place, but so do stefan's reactions. the ripper is nowhere to be found.

she can tell, immediately, casting a glance at damon.

timeline discrepancies should be old hat to them by now, and yet. ] It's been—it's been a really long time.

wails .-.

[eyething]

[damon lifts up a hand, clasps his brother's shoulder lightly, before he looks back at elena, catching her gaze when she looks his way. they exchange that moment, that knowing without words at all exchanged. it's definitely not ripper stefan. it's definitely not a stefan without emotions. the relief in damon is palpable, and he swallows.]

Welcome to Wonderland, little brother.

[welcome back to you

is what damon thinks but doesn't say.] It's been a really long time.

[stefanged]

[Instinctively, Stefan pulls his older brother into a sideways hug. Salvatore wouldn't have done this, he thinks, but they're right - it's been a really long time. Let him indulge in this one moment.

There's a gravity in their expressions that he doesn't quite understand. They must remember something he doesn't (something bad from the looks of it), and he so badly wants to know. But time, place, etc.]

Yeah, it - [pause] Wonderland? That's where we are?

[stefanged]

[It's late when Stefan finally returns towards Damon's and Elena's rooms. He hadn't planned on seeing them before morning (for a certain definition of it); after all, Wonderland's library held far too many treasures for him to want to leave. But he'd left his things in Damon's room, and honestly, his diaries and Fleet device were too precious for him to leave there. (What if big bro rifled through them and found, horror of all horrors, the Arabic calligraphy he'd tried so hard to hide?)

So he rushes towards the hallway and - and there's blood. Stefan takes a deep breath, slowing down long enough to realize just where that trail ends. This isn't a Calibration. This isn't a dream. This isn't a Calibration-induced dream, Y'Allah, he seriously hopes not.

The last time he followed that scent, dying people were lying on the other side. Swallowing his fear (because this isn't going to be Winter again), he knocks at the door and yells,] Elena? Elena, are you there?

[interpersonal]

[ oh, god. stefan.

stefan.

elena and bonnie's worry, not to mention their determination to get damon somewhere safe, had left room for little else. now stefan's voice reaches her on the other side of the door, and her heart skips a beat. she feels so raw. stefan just got here, how is elena going to explain that his brother, that her —

it's impossible to miss the way elena looks when she opens the door. she looks wrecked; her silk gown is now splattered with blood, hands just as red. behind her is damon on the bed. one would think he was sleeping with a blanket covering most of his frame, if not for his too still, too pale form. ]

Stefan... [ she breathes out his name in a thick voice. ]

[stefanged]

Y'Allah... [His heart twists into hundreds of knots as he takes in everything: Elena's heartbreaking face, the blood on her hands and her gorgeous gown, and Damon's unmistakable quiet. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened here, and he - he -

He lets out a breath, tearing his gaze from his brother for one moment to look back at her. It's impossible. Damon's outwitted every crazy that's ever wandered into Mystic Falls, but ah. This isn't Mystic Falls, is it?

For the first time, Stefan's realizing the gravity inherent in such a topsy-turvy world. Quietly, like he can barely keep his voice together:] What happened?

[interpersonal]

[ before elena allows herself to explain what little she knows, she says the magic words: ] Come in.

[ he'll be safer in her bedroom. bonnie has turned it into as much of a fortress as she can. the hallways, on the other hand, are not so protected. there aren't many vampires elena will thoughtlessly invite into her most vulnerable space, but stefan is one of them, even without this kind of impetus. ]

I don't know what happened. [ she wills her voice not to shake. bonnie told her to be brave, and damon is stefan's brother, first and foremost. being there for stefan is so necessary and natural to elena it allows her to focus outward, not inward. ] Bonnie and I found him in the hallway.

[ she reaches for stefan's hand, fingers curling around his tightly. don't mind the blood... ] He's going to come back, Stefan. Wonderland's magic, it brings us all back. [ she's been skeptical about wonderland's death policy from the get go, but now she needs it to be true, and so she believes. ]

[stefanged]

[So even Wonderland follows the invitation rule. Stefan can't help marveling at it as he crosses the threshold and steps inside. Blood and death aside, this feels like hers. It should've been far more colorful and cheery and - and even his thoughts are deflecting, because Damon can't be dead.

He tries to listen to what Elena says, his brain short-circuiting at the mere thought of his brother's heart no longer beating. One more difference between Salvatore and Alesci, he notes bitterly. The stench of blood doesn't make his veins protrude.

No, it just reminds him of the person they lost, and he swallows his reluctance as he looks at her.] Wonderland's magic? Are you sure?

[One more reason it was Paradisa or Kyriakos, if even the dead are pulled back towards the plain of the living. He blinks back tears, his other hand immediately reaching for hers.] Elena, I- I don't know...

This is Damon. Resurrection magic shouldn't - it shouldn't - [Deep breaths.] it shouldn't work like that.

[interpersonal]

[ stefan reaching back for her is the only cue elena needs. she bridges the distance between them, arms wrapping around him whole. elena brings him to her, as though she can steady the trembling in his heart. she's known it for a while now, despite the brothers' rocky beginnings: stefan's true love is damon. if it's hurting her, she can't imagine what he must be feeling. it might be why she tries to steer him toward the kitchenette. leading him the way bonnie led her.

he shouldn't have to look at this. ]

I'm sure. [ elena speaks with unequivocal conviction, her hold on stefan growing tight. protective. her eyes are scalding, and she must blink back the sensation. ] I don't know how it works, or why, but death isn't permanent. I've seen it. I need you to trust me.

[ it's a lot to ask, she knows.

she knows. ]

[stefanged]

[He melts into her arms, barely finding the energy to return that embrace. Damon's dead, his brain keeps reminding him, like the unfortunate weasel it is. Damon's dead, and you couldn't do a thing to prevent it. Now, more than ever, he wants to believe that Wonderland is another Paradisa or another Kyriakos.

Even with Elena's best efforts, he can't help glancing over at Damon's pale form. His stomach churns. He should be preparing a funeral, he should be writing an eulogy, he should be mobilizing efforts for a vigil - but who would come? Who would remark on the Damon he knew? (He struggles, especially now, to turn off his interfaith brain. There will be no vigils this week.)

The kitchenette is a more than welcome distraction, but he doesn't let go of her. Not now.]

I always trust you. [he says, like it's a fact of life.] If you believe in it this much, then I'm gonna believe in it too.

[interpersonal]

[ how could she ever forget how seamless it is to have faith in stefan salvatore, the way he has faith in her? the quickness with which he believes her helps elena believe it, too. her fingers wind almost painfully around his, as though she's ready to fight anyone, wonderland included, who would think to try and sever them from each other. deep down, she knows all too well it's not her choice, and it never has been. the universe is cruel. it's never been on their side.

she nods, gratitude and affection alike blooming in her chest, a welcome reprieve from the aching of before. ]

I'm so sorry.

[ already, she is carrying the weight of this. she doesn't know what happened, or why, but he was left at her doorstep for a reason and it's gnawing at her. ] This is not the way I wanted to welcome you to Wonderland.

[stefanged]

You have nothing to apologize for.

[He feels like a broken record, but he refuses to blame Elena for any part of this. She's not the Red Queen, she's not the Princess of Hearts, and she's - she's a little like Alice, when he stops to think about it. She never asked for the chaos that he and Damon had ushered in.

Which is why it's even more urgent that he shares her burden, like they used to share everything. He'd shake his head if he weren't so close to her. As it is, he settles for leaning his forehead against hers, ignoring (for now) the connotations that such an action had once carried.]

Okay? This isn't remotely your fault. If anything, you and Bonnie... [He swallows.] you saved him from scrutiny.

[interpersonal]

[ elena presses her forehead to stefan's. almost immediately, it brings a calming effect. elena finally grows still, save for the lone shudder that ripples through her. is she alice? she's certainly a curious girl. she was warned, once, the consequence of being here too long was going mad.

she wants to fight it with every breath in her. ]

I still shouldn't have lost track of him. Of either one of you. Without the boundaries that keep the real side separate from the mirror side, it's not safe. [ wonderland isn't safe a lot of the time in general, but it's especially dangerous now.

she can't even remember why she was so interested in the puzzles anymore. but if her insistence on going to the throne party played a part in this ... ]

[stefanged]

["Not safe," she says... a few hours ago, he might've laughed. Stefan's seen and heard just about everything the multiverse can offer (aliens? magical girls?? superheroes???) and he knows that very little can take Damon down. Which then makes him think of what Damon had told him only a few hours ago, about the past version that had blurted out his big, bad, fang-y secret to the entire population of Wonderland.

Whoever did this to him must have known of what Damon was capable of. Stefan can smell the blood, and well - were it any other kind of injury, his big brother would've leapt up from bed by now.]

Our entire lives aren't safe, [He retorts quietly, kissing her forehead.] We knew the risks going in, and we prepared for them.

My question is, if they managed to kill Damon, how did they know his weaknesses? This doesn't feel like your average murder attempt.

[interpersonal]

[ he's right.

she knows it to be true: they aren't safe. they've never been. long before she ever realized it, she had the likes of mikael coming after her. they are doppelgangers, not that elena knows this about stefan, and it means safe isn't in the cards for them, but she misses feeling that way.

safe. knowing the people she loves are safe, too. ]

I don't know. [ her voice is thick with regret and wondering. ] If it was someone from the other side, they could've figured it out by ... stalking him. They can see us through the mirrors. Hear our conversations. We're always careful, but there's reflective surfaces everywhere.

[ and mirrors have nothing but time. and ... damon doesn't make a lot of friends wherever he goes. ]