Chapter 32

But you'll never be alone

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

I'll be with you from dusk till dawn

Baby, I am right here

Dusk Till Dawn- Zayn Malik feat. Sia

The man was silent as he was dragged into the court room. It was empty save for Damon on the throne along with his high council surrounding him. Ser Lorenzo pushed the shackled man down on his knees in front of Damon.

"He has two children and a wife, both are in our custody." He informed Damon.

"Name?"

Silence.

"His Grace asked you something!" Lorenzo whipped out his sword, knocking the blunt end against the man's skull, making him wince with pain.

"Wes."

"Wes." Damon leaned forward in his throne. "I will be very straightforward with you, Wes. You know how this works. You talk; I spare you and your family. You stay silent…well…I will leave it open to interpretation."

The unspoken threat hung ominously in the air.

"Who do you work for, Wes?"

"You know who I work for." Wes replied quietly, keeping his eyes downcast on the marble floor.

"Your Grace! You will address him as Your Gr-"

"That is enough, Lord Lockwood." Damon waved the man away in annoyance.

"You found the letter I was writing, Your Grace." Wes continued as if they hadn't been interrupted at all. "From what I have observed, you are a smart man, aren't you? You can put two and two together."

"I will end you right here." Lorenzo threatened.

"Yes, but I want to hear you say it. Won't you say it for me, Wes?" Damon urged him on, his face curiously blank.

Wes appraised Damon silently for a few moments, his eyes uncertain. "Promise me; promise me you will protect my family from harm. You know what he will do to them when he finds out. I will need your word on it, Your Grace."

Damon spoke louder than the sounds of protest around him, "I will give you my word when I deem your information worthy of consideration. Now, why don't you start talking?"

Far behind in the court room, Rebekah fled from her hiding place behind the pillars. She needed to write to Elijah immediately.

x~x~x~x

A whole week had gone by since the incident at the orphanage. With each passing day, Elena's confusion only heightened. The orphanage – which was in dire need of funds – refused to accept any more donations from the crown. Her own people, who once adored her, looked down at her with disdain. Had she somehow failed them unknowingly?

Try as she may, she couldn't get to the root of the problem. Damon had outright prohibited her from venturing out of the castle as he feared for her life. According to him, it didn't take long for a group of resentful villagers to turn into an angry mob.

Elena was not happy.

"Just how long are you going to pretend that you're asleep?" Damon asked her, flopping down on the bed beside her rather ungracefully. She remained still and squeezed her eyes shut. She was in no mood for conversation.

"Elena."

Silence.

"I know you are awake."

She gritted her teeth but still did not speak.

"You are squeezing your eyes shut in a rather obvious manner and people don't lie stiff as a board when they're sleeping, Elen-"

"Oh, alright!" Elena sat up and flicked Damon's hand away from her shoulder. "Now let me be, Damon."

"The Queen has risen!" Ignoring her, Damon threw himself down in a mock bow, nearly knocking his head on the floor. Had he been wearing his crown, it would have surely bounced off his head. How ridiculous, Elena thought, unable to supress a small giggle.

"Has my Queen finally decided to bless her most humble subject with a smile?" The wonder in his tone was almost genuine.

"Perhaps." Elena decided to play along, throwing her nose up in the air haughtily.

"Then I declare myself most successful in my endeavour."

"Or maybe I am secretly plotting your demise and laughing all to myself."

"Or maybe you are just happy to be around me and are unable to help yourself."

"Maybe you're overly presumptuous."

"Maybe I am," Damon grinned, rising off the floor. With such a simple gesture as that, he instantly towered over her, making Elena crane her neck in order to glance up at husband. Was she ever going to get used to his looks?

"Or maybe not." He added as he came to stand between Elena's legs, pushing her knees open with a nudge from his leg. In a matter of moments, Elena found herself lying back on the bed with her wrists pinned to the mattress on either side of her head.

"You are crossing a line, Ser!" She expressed with mock indignation, the delivery sounding somewhat pathetic as Damon commanded her focus.

"The line is all but a speck at this point." He murmured, dipping his head down to graze his lips along her collarbone.

"Damon, you are being ridiculous." Elena laughed in spite of herself, humming in approval as he started trailing soft kisses along her neck.

"And I will continue to be so if it means that you'll smile. Smile, Elena." He urged her, trailing his fingers up her abdomen. Elena's eye's widened and she immediately made an effort to push him off her, for she knew what was coming.

"No, don't you dare-!" She was too late. Peals of laughter reverberated off the walls of their room as Damon's dextrous fingers tickled her sides. She gasped and laughed in equal measures as Damon ran his fingers overs a particularly ticklish spot.

"This is much better than all that moping around, is it not?"

"No!" She moaned, which resulted in him attacking her with renewed vigour. "Alright, alright I concede! You win. Oh Lord." She rolled over so that she was on her stomach, protecting her midriff from Damon's devious hands. "This is a rather torturous way of making someone laugh, Damon."

"It works, though." Damon shrugged, lying down beside her. "Come here, you know you want to."

Despite herself, she found herself automatically rolling into his open arms and tucked her head against the junction between his chin and chest. Oh how perfectly they fit together. His hands went around her immediately and hauled her atop him. They just lay there for a few serene moments, simply catching their breaths and enjoying each other's warmth.

"You know they love you, right?" Damon spoke after a short while. Elena had her ear pressed against his chest and the deep rumble of his voice vibrated against her ear.

"I am certain that the only person who loved me at this point is you." Elena mumbled, tightening her arms around his neck.

"Insecurity does not become you, Elena."

"Wouldn't you be insecure if your own subjects regarded you in such a-such a-"

"What are you talking about? They have always hated my guts. Stefan was and is the glorious haired prince they always wanted." Damon scoffed.

Elena lifted her head to glare at him, "That is simply not true, you make a fine King."

"According to you." He pinched her nose.

"No, Alaric says you are a capable ruler-"

"Alaric works for me, Elena. That man is paid to say that."

"No, I disagree." She cupped his cheek with one hand, her gaze significantly softening. "If there is a person in this Kingdom who is capable of being honest – even brutally so- in front of you, the King, it's Alaric. You know I am right, Damon."

"Yes, he is a damn cunt, alright." Damon conceded with a smirk.

"Language." She chastised him playfully. Men would always be men.

"Coming back to my original point," He persisted, turning his head slightly to place a kiss against Elena's palm. "You never know, maybe it's a phase! Plenty of people loved Father as a ruler before they came to their senses and started hating his guts."

"Hilarious." Elena commented dryly.

"And plenty of people love you, you know. I love you."

"Of course you do; you are my husband. You are obligated to."

"Care loves you."

"Care loves no one except herself right now." Elena murmured under her breath. The further Caroline's pregnancy progresses, the more unpredictable she became. It seemed as if each and every aspect of her personality was heightened. There were at least four breakdowns in a day, triggered by miniscule things like a speck of dirt on the table or the absence of red grapes from the breakfast table.

"There's Bonnie, Jenna…" Damon was too busy listing off names to pay attention.

"Damon, it's not about who loves me! That is not the point. I feel like I have let our subjects down somehow, that I've disappointed them. If you'd only let me investigate-"

"Out of the question." He shook his head adamantly.

Elena let out a frustrated sigh, "This is important to me."

"And you are important to me. I will not be the fool who gives in to his wife's whims and ends up losing her-"

"This is not a 'whim'- what - you will not lose me, Damon!" She shoved a cushion away out of exasperation. "You are overreacting. I will have my guard with me the whole time and there is no possible way-"

"No." His words rang final.

"Is this even about me, Damon?" Elena found herself asking, vaguely getting the feeling that her mouth had disjointed itself from her brain and was working autonomously.

Damon blinked at her, appearing confused. "Of course it is. Who else can this possibly be about? Stefan?" He snickered.

"I think you are better equipped at answering that than me."

"As astute as you usually are, Elena, you really do not make any sense sometimes."

"Katherine." Elena blurted out. "Is this a way to redeem yourself over to what happened with Katherine? Because-"

"Enough." His words were sharper than the edge of a newly crafted sword. He unwound his arms around her and sat up, facing away from her, the muscles of his back tense and rigid.

Elena lay there for a few moments, staring up at the intricate pattern carved into the canopy of the bed. There was little she knew about Katherine except for the fact that she bore an uncanny resemblance to her. All she was aware of was that Damon had tragically lost Katherine and blamed himself for her death. After a few failed attempts, she had stopped asking. Clearly, Katherine was still a sore subject for Damon.

That thought made Elena feel really uncomfortable.

"Damon." Elena sat up, reaching for his shoulder. "I am sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned her."

"No, you shouldn't have."

"Forgive me?"

"No lecture for me on the integrity of marriage or something of the kind? You know you are dying to."

Elena scowled at his back and withdrew her hand.

"Look, Elena." Damon sighed, his shoulders hunching over. "Katherine and I, we have a history. She was a huge part of me in the past. And that's where she should remain- in the past. She is dead and is not coming back, ever. She in no way governs my feelings for you or the actions I take to protect you. I had imagined that it was pretty evident at this point." There was an edge to his voice, a strain to his words which hurt Elena. With a pang, she acknowledged for the first time, the extent of his feelings for her. Solely for her. The moment of clarity was so blinding that it took her breath away as she gazed into his earnest, blue eyes.

"Forgive me." She whispered once again, wrapping her arms around him.

"Always." He responded after a moment, leaning in to close the distance between their lips. "Always."

x~x~x~x

As anticipated, Damon overstayed his welcome and by the end of the morning, Elena had to practically shove him out of the room so that he would attend the council meeting which he had called in the first place. While Damon attended to his duties, Elena summoned her handmaids and started getting ready for her visit to Caroline as she had promised to spend the day outside with her and Bonnie.

While Rebekah prepared her bath, Bonnie helped her select a dress for the day. She chose a cosy autumn-red dress to match the sunset shades outside the castle walls. Breakfast was an uneventful yet pleasant affair with Bonnie keeping her company. She made sure that Rebekah packed some freshly picked red grapes for Caroline this time.

This should put her in a good mood, Elena thought as she carried a basket full of Caroline's favourite foods in her hands while descending the stairs. She didn't really blame Caroline for being moody these days, not really. After all, she was five months pregnant and her husband was nowhere to be found.

While it was not uncommon for men of Klaus' stature to go on month long missions, Caroline really needed her husband by her side. His absence was beginning to take a toll on her.

Five whole months, Elena thought, her hand fluttering to her own abdomen. While they hadn't spoken of it out loud, there was an understanding between her and Damon about this subject. One day – and soon- Elena was going to bear Damon children. She was going to give him an heir.

The very thought made her dizzy with nervousness- and anticipation.

They may have realised their love for each other fairly recently, but to the world, they had been married for quite some time. Time enough for Elena to bear at least one child. While Damon might not have said anything out loud, Elena knew that he wanted it just as much as she did. He would often drift off to sleep with a hand placed securely on Elena's abdomen, his tender touch speaking of a longing that they both shared.

And while her husband wasn't vocal about it, her mother in law on the other hand was a complete different story.

Elizabeth Salvatore had made it a task to drop at least one hint to Elena each time they saw each other. Not that Elena minded, since Elizabeth Salvatore was as close to a second mother as Elena could ask for. She had heard tales of tyrannous mother in laws from her friends back at Fell's Church and she deemed herself very lucky in this aspect. Elizabeth Salvatore had a knack for being as motherly as humanly possible and her kind nature had made it easier for the Salvatore brothers to accept her as their mother after Lily Salvatore died.

Elena could only dream of being as good a mother as her mother in law, one day.

If she ever conceived, that is.

The thought wasn't persistent, but it was there. With each passing month, it grew louder. Hadn't it been quite a few months since she and Damon consummated their marriage and started living together as husband and wife in the true sense?

These things take time, she reminded herself, tightening her hold around the food basket.

"Elena?"

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to address the familiar voice.

"Stefan." She greeted him with a small smile. "Good Morning."

Stefan was tight lipped and strained as he approached her, acknowledging her greeting with a small nod. He had the look of a somewhat sleep deprived man. The dark circles beneath his eyes stood out in contrast to his pale skin and the green in his eyes appeared especially dull this morning. His hair, usually slicked back, fell over his forehead in a disarrayed fashion.

"You appear unwell. Is something the matter?" She asked him concernedly, stepping forward to touch his arm. To her surprise, he flinched back from her touch, as if she had burned him with fire.

"Stefan…?"

"Elena," he took her name. "Elena…"

"Look, why don't we sit down?" She said gently, while getting more and more alarmed on the inside. With a soft touch, she steered Stefan sideways and sat down with him on one of the benches which lined the balcony. The stone of the bench was cool beneath her touch.

Stefan seemed to be having a hard time meeting her gaze, let alone holding it.

"You seem awfully interested in your boots this morning." Elena tried to infuse some humour into the situation to put Stefan at ease. It did not work.

"Stefan, at least look at me. Please. I need you to tell me what's wrong." She beseeched him, her hand automatically reaching for his. I guess old habits die hard.

"We shouldn't have, I shouldn't have…"

"Shouldn't have what?"

"Oh, come on Elena!" He burst out, yanking his hand away from hers, startling her. "Are we really going down that road where we pretend nothing happened?"

"Stefan, what are you talking about?" Elena raised her voice to match his. "What on earth are you talking about? What happ-?"

"Enough with the games, Elena!" He snapped. "If this is your way of punishing me, you are doing a damn fine job."

The tortured look in Stefan's eyes kept Elena from snapping back. She put the fruit basket down and stood up, coming to stand right in front of Stefan. "Stefan, look at me. No, don't you look away-" She took his face between his hands and forced him to meet her gaze. What he saw in his eyes bewildered her. Stefan had the look of a man who had been haunted all his life.

She saw guilt.

"Tell me what happened." She said firmly.

"You really don't…? How can you not?" He scoffed, seeming disturbed by whatever he saw in Elena's eyes. "I agree it was my fault, I shouldn't have been let myself get so inebriated as to lose control in the first place but…Elena." He swallowed. "Elena, you lead me on."

"Lead you on how?" Her heart was beginning to hammer unpleasantly in her chest.

"Elena…things happened between us last night. Things that should have never, ever happened."

It took Elena a moment to understand what Stefan was trying to insinuate. As soon as she realised it, she staggered back a couple of steps, her eyes widening.

"How dare you, Stefan." She managed to gasp out.

"Are you actually denying it?" He let out an incredulous laugh.

"Of course I am! Whatever you think happened between us - rid yourself of these notions at once, Stefan! Nothing happened!"

Stefan looked heartbreakingly confused for a moment, so much so that Elena almost reached out to comfort him out of habit.

"No – Elena – We – " He struggled to form a coherent sentence. "You came to my room last night-"

"I did not! I was with Damon-"

He spoke over her. "You came to my room and we just sat there- we just talked for a while. You-you poured us both wine, and we toasted. You proposed a toast to the 'old times', something about having history together. This was when things got out of hand- you kissed me- we kissed. Then we-"

"That's enough! I've heard enough Stefan!" Elena's heart was pounding in her ears and her face was as red as the newly picked grapes in her food basket.

"You are either a very good actress or…" Stefan trailed away helplessly. "I remember what happened between us, Elena. I remember it with startling clarity." He stood up and closed the distance between them. "Nothing, nothing in this world can make me forget the way you sounded, the way you felt, the way you tasted-"

"Stop." Elena whispered.

"-the way you said my name over and over and over again. It was dishonourable, it was wrong and it shouldn't have happened but it did! It was real." His eyes went cold. "At least to me."

"Stefan-"

"I just wanted to tell you that I am leaving Mystic Falls."

"What? No. Stefan you cannot-"

"I think its past time when you tell me what to do and what not to do. You asked me to love you, I did. You asked me to fight for you, I did. You asked me to stop loving you – I did! At least, I tried! I tried to fall out of love with you just so you could love my brother instead!"

"I did not ask for it, any of it!"

"And I did not ask for this!"

"Stefan, please, let's just sit down and talk it through. Maybe it was a misunderstanding-"

"Unbelievable." He shook his head. "Don't worry yourself, Elena. Whatever happened between us will stay between us. Nothing will reach your husband, I promise you that. You can drop the pretence any time you want. Or, don't." He shrugged.

With one last unreadable look at Elena, Stefan whirled around and walked away from her.

"Stefan, don't walk away from me!" She called after him.

He did not stop, did not even acknowledge her words.

She just stood there for a few moments, trying to process it all. She knew Stefan, she knew him enough to realise that he wasn't lying. In his mind, it had really happened. What on earth could have prompted such a fantasy?

There was a sound behind her. A shuffle. Just as she turned around to address it, there was a searing pain in the back of her head. With a small cry, she fell to the floor, the very breath knocked out of her lungs. The last thing she remembered seeing was the bracelet which Damon had given her slip away from her wrist and fall to the floor, the blue glass beads scattering and bouncing off the polished stone floor.

And just like that, everything went dark.

x~x~x~x

Caroline pinched her nose shut and counted to ten in her head.

Don't scream…don't scream…

1…2…3…4

Anger is bad for the baby…think of the baby….

5…6…7…8

Just breathe…

9…10…

"My Lady, is the fish not to your liking?"

Caroline snapped. "What on earth is the meaning of this? I specifically asked for fish to be excluded from my diet! I don't even know what you are playing at right now, blatantly disregarding my orders like this, but if you wished to be jobless so badly, you could have just asked instead of shoving a terribly cooked fish against my nose!"

"My Lady! I assure you, the fish has been cooked by the best chef in the-"

"That is not the point of this conversation, Martha! Ugh…Davina, get me the pan. I am going to be sick."

Instantly, Davina Claire was beside Caroline with a pan. Caroline heaved a few times but thankfully, nothing came out. Her stomach must have been empty. Praise the lord.

"Remove this at once. Can't you see its offending Lady Caroline?" Davina ordered the quivering maid, who didn't need to be told twice. Instantly, the affronting fish was removed from the room and a couple of windows were thrown open to let some fresh air in.

"My Lady, are you alright? Do you need to lie down?" Davina asked kindly.

"Oh, no. I am going to be fine; I just need a few minutes." The cool air wafting in through the windows felt good against Caroline's skin. She leaned against the window sill, one hand protectively curled around her swelling stomach as she let her eyes flutter shut.

"Thank you, Davina. I wouldn't know what to do without you." Caroline thanked her companion. Davina of house Claire was the ward of the Mikaelsons and acted as Caroline's chief handmaid. More than that, she was a friend to her, more of an equal. Her company provided Caroline with a small solace in times like these.

It should be Elena or Bonnie. Or…Klaus.

Instead, the role was being filled by Davina.

Klaus was supposed to be here with her, he was supposed to help her through this. The original plan had been that they would visit Mystic Falls together and spend the remainder of her pregnancy here. Her mother wanted the baby to be born under her supervision and it wasn't an unreasonable demand.

And then, Klaus had vanished without a single word, leaving behind a measly letter explaining his absence. What mission could be more important than his own wife and unborn child?

She wanted to cry, but she held back.

"Move, let me in. I am expected by Lady Caroline."

Caroline turned around at the familiar voice. "Elena! For heaven's sake, where were you? We were supposed to meet like hours ago!" She couldn't help but whine as the guards instantly jumped aside to let Elena in.

"Caroline," Elena strolled inside, a basket swinging at her arm. "You do realise that I am the Queen of the castle, right? I got held up." She shrugged nonchalantly. Caroline gave her a strange look.

"And I am heavily pregnant and in need of my best friend. I think I win this argument – hands down."

Elena laughed and linked her arm through Caroline's. "I am here now, aren't I? You do whine a lot, my dearest."

"Only when I am heavily nauseous." Caroline murmured under her breath.

"Oh, come now. Take a walk with me, wouldn't you, Carol? I even got you bits of this and that!" She waved the basket in front of Caroline's face with a mischievous look on her face. She sure was in a jovial mood today.

At least someone is, Caroline thought dryly as she let Elena drag her out into the corridors, while Davina stayed behind to tidy up her room for her.

"Oh, I don't think I can eat anything right now. I don't have the stomach for it - literally." Caroline laughed, her hands fluttering to cover her belly. "With this one taking up all the space."

"Mmm, he sure is active today." Elena remarked, placing her hand alongside Caroline's.

"It's a she, Elena. I told you that last time."

"Ah ah, you can never be sure. I think it's a he."

"No," Caroline was adamant. She didn't know how she knew. She just knew. Klaus had played a big in convincing her that they were having a daughter. "I have even thought of some names – girl names. If it's a boy, Klaus can name him himself." She giggled.

"Ooh, the name game. Do I get to have the honour of being the middle name of your little girl?" Elena cooed.

"Uh, yes? Who else am I going to name her after? Definitely not my mother-in-law, if you ask me. Wait, what have you done to your hair?" Caroline ran her fingers through Elena's glossy ringlets which hung down to her mid-waist in tight curls. "It suits you." It was not only that. Caroline noticed that Elena had decided to dress differently as well. She was adorned head to toe in a body hugging black gown with slightly flared shoulders and full, voluptuous sleeves. The neckline of the gown plunged down in a sharp v shape, showing off a considerable portion of skin.

"My my, you're an observant one, aren't you?" Elena's eyes followed Caroline's appraisal of her. "Definitely more observant that Steffie dearest, I must say."

"Huh?"

"Grapes?"

"Oh no, I told you-"

"They're the red ones which you seem to favour so much."

"No, thank you. Maybe later."

"Suit yourself, Care bear." Elena shrugged, plucking a grape for herself from the basket. With a carefully controlled gesture, she popped it high in the air and caught it with her mouth, piercing the juicy flesh with her teeth. Caroline watched, transfixed, as she swallowed the grape and wiped the red juice away from her lips.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"It's not that hard, I can show you if you want."

"I don't think my mother in law would approve." Caroline snickered.

"Ah yes, the infamous Esther." Her voice dropped as her grip on Caroline's arm tightened conspirationally. "How do you tolerate her, Carol? She's an obnoxious one."

Caroline simply stared at Elena. "What has gotten into you today? You know I hate it when someone calls me Carol." It was more than that. Elena was never disrespectful, not to such an extent. There was something off about the whole situation.

"Oh you mean why, all of a sudden, I am not boring you to death and making everything about myself?" Elena asked her with a secretive smile on her face, as if she was sharing a secret with Caroline.

"What? I don't…"

"Oh Care, admit it! Alright, I will make this easier for you by admitting it myself. I, Elena Gilbert, think that the whole world revolves around me and I am the centre of the whole, wide universe. In a way though, I really am, aren't I? I mean, there is Damon, of course. It's almost pathetic, the way he drools after me. And then there's the absolutely delicious Stefan-"

"Elena! What is wrong with you?" Caroline hissed as she gripped Elena's arm tightly. "Are you out of your mind? You simply can't say things like these-"

"I fucked Stefan last night."

Caroline let out a strangled noise. "I am not hearing this. I am not hearing this right now…"

"And I enjoyed every second of it. Oh no, did I say that out loud? You know my deepest, darkest secret now, Carol."

"Elena…" Caroline took hold of her best friend tightly by the arms. "Snap out of it!"

"You know, I actually like you Caroline. You don't fake it, like Elena. You're like a transparent pool of water- albeit a shallow one- but transparent nonetheless. Such a damn shame…" Elena clicked her tongue as she reached up to smooth a strand of Caroline's blonde hair behind her ear.

"You-you're not Elena." The realisation hit Caroline like a wall of brick.

"Smart! No, I am not. Oh and before you scream-" She held up a hand just as Caroline opened her mouth to call out to Davina, to the guards, anyone. "Just know that this could have been way worse. I was ordered to poison you and your unborn baby to death but sadly, you gave me a soft spot." She moved closer to Caroline, who was quivering in her place by now, both her arms wrapped protectively around her budging stomach.

"Who are you?" She asked quietly.

"Oh I am so glad you asked me that, doll. I just get so sick of people assuming that I am Elena Gilbert all the time."

Caroline took a step back, prying her arm away from the imposter.

"The name is Katherine Pierce." Another step back. "You know what I do best, Caroline? I survive. And this… is survival. Don't forget to name your little princess after me!" With that, Katherine shoved Caroline back with all her might, sending her tumbling down a spiralling staircase.

"The Mikaelsons send their regards." Katherine whispered, the words getting lost somewhere over Caroline's wails or pain and terror.

Yep, that happened! Kitty Kat is starting to cause mayhem from her first official appearance lmao. Reviews and comments are MOST welcome. I'd love to hear about your theories.