╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
what goes up
must come down
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

( let the right one in )

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Harper's POV.

*The Salvatore Boarding House*

"I say we go to Pearl's, bust down the door, and annihilate the idiot that attacked us last night," Damon seethes, boarding up a broken window from last night's attack. Apparently, all the tomb vampires are out, and two of them, a man and a woman, tried killing Stefan and Damon last night. The brothers killed the female vampire, but the guy got away.

Just when I thought our vampire problems were over, and now we're being thrown right back into it. But hey, at least Elena is upholding her word about keeping me in the loop. Apparently, yesterday, while Elena and Stefan were on their double date with Matt and Caroline, a tomb vampire had mistaken Elena for Katherine.

Elena was concerned that I might be in danger as well if one of the tomb vampires think that I'm Mary, like that vampire who attacked me at the decade dance. So that's why I'm here now at the Salvatore Boarding House, to be up to date and involved in what's going on. Elena insisted on taking me here with her, and since it's a Saturday, I told my parents I'd be busy all day hanging out with her.

It's my first time really being inside the boarding house, and not just hanging by the front door. It's crazy big in here, yet cozy in a way cause of all the antic looking decorations.

I'm sitting on one of the couches, mostly listening to the conversation since Damon is here. His presence alone is all it takes to intimidate me.

"I can't believe you made a deal with her," Elena says irritably to Damon, referring to Anna's mom, whose name I now know as Pearl.

Finished boarding up the window, Damon walks over to us. "Oh, it was more like a helpful exchange of information. Not like I had a choice," he says. "She's . . . scary. Besides, she's gonna help me get Katherine back."

Elena scoffs. "Of course she is. Damon gets what he wants, as usual." She rolls her eyes. "No matter who he hurts in the process."

"You don't have to be snarky about it." He glares at her.

Triggered, Elena steps closer to Damon. "I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky," she defends.

"Uh," Damon sighs in annoyance. "How long are you gonna blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

Oh yeah, and then there's that. Elena found out that her real mother was Alaric's wife. I already knew that Damon was the vampire who killed Alaric's wife. But instead, what really happened was that Damon turned her into a vampire. It's all so messed up and twisted. However, we know that Elena's mom is still around because about a week ago she sent a compelled man to give Elena a message, a message that she wanted Elena to stay away and stop looking for her. What that means, I have no idea. Like I said, the whole thing is super messed up and twisted.

Elena crosses her arms and shakes her head. "I'm not blaming you, Damon," she says. "I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities."

"Ouch," Damon says, feigning being hurt. He groans tiredly before turning on his heel and walking in my direction. Much to my dismay, he plops himself lazily beside me on the couch.

I try to remain calm and just go with it and ignore him. But Damon has other ideas. He rests an arm over the back rest of the couch — right above me.

I'm fine with it at first until he slowly lowers his arm to where it touches the top of my shoulders. Upon contact, I flinch and scoot away immediately.

Embarrassment floods my cheeks when I realize Elena and Stefan probably saw that.

"Damon," Elena scolds, dropping her crossed arms and going into protective mode.

I look back at Damon, and he's grinning.

I wanna wipe that grin right off his face.

"This isn't being very productive," Stefan speaks up. "We're gonna figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires, yeah?" he says, mostly looking at his brother.

Without another word, Damon gets up from the couch and leaves the room. I'm a little off-put by his sudden departure, but I'm okay with it since that means I won't have to go through anymore awkward interactions with him.

Elena turns to Stefan. "I'm sorry," she apologizes. "He just makes me so cranky."

Stefan embraces her in a hug. "I know. He makes everybody cranky," he assures her soothingly.

Probably remembering that I'm still here, Elena lets go of him. "So, what are we gonna do?" she asks.

"Damon and I are gonna handle everything, okay?" Stefan assures.

"Well, what about me?" Elena says. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"That's exactly what you're gonna do," says Stefan. "Because that's what's going to keep you and Harper safe."

Sometimes I wonder if my cousin thinks before she speaks. I mean, she knows she and I don't stand a chance against any vampires since we're human. What does she think we could possibly do to help?

Elena grabs Stefan's hands. "That means nothing if you're not safe too," she reminds.

"What do you mean?" Stefan begs to differ. "I'm perfectly safe. I have Damon, the self-serving psychopath on my side," he says, quoting Elena from earlier.

Elena sighs. "Well, that's comforting," she says sarcastically.

*Elena's House*

Elena and I just finished eating a snack. After cleaning up, we head for the staircase to go up to her room.

That's when Elena's phone starts to ring for the sixth time. She takes it out of her pocket.

"Let me guess," I say. "It's Damon again?"

"Yup." Elena immediately presses the ignore button. She starts to head up the stairs, but I take my time to follow her.

"Hey," I speak up, growing concerned. "Maybe we should see what he wants."

Elena stops her ascent up the stairs and looks back down at me.

"I mean," I continue, "he's called about six times. It could be something important."

Suddenly, someone knocks on the front door, and Elena goes to answer it.

Damon comes striding into the house. "You're ignoring me," he says, casting a glance at Elena.

Irritated, Elena closes the door and turns to Damon. "The six missed calls? Sorry. My phone's dead," she says sarcastically.

Ignoring her, Damon looks at me then searches the living room with his eyes. "Is Stefan here?" he asks.

"No," Elena responds, becoming serious. "Why? Something wrong?"

"He went out in the woods and didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone. I figured he was here with you," Damon explains. He checks his phone again.

Elena tries dialing Stefan's number. After a moment, she lowers her phone. "It's going straight to voice-mail. Where could he be?" she wonders tensely.

"You're not gonna like what I'm thinking," Damon says, his jaw clenching.

*The Woods*

Rain falls heavily outside Damon's car. Elena and I are waiting in silence for Damon to return.

I hope Stefan is okay. Damon thinks the tomb vampires captured him, but I don't want to believe it. Because if they have him, they can kill him. He could already be dead . . . We don't know . . .

I just don't want to think about it. Period.

My heart pounds in my chest to the beat of the pouring rain. I feel like I'm in that one scene in Jurassic Park where the T-Rex escapes its paddock. It's not too far-fetched from our situation now that I think about it. There are predators around here somewhere, and with the dark clouds blocking out the sun, they have free rein.

"Damon," Elena says suddenly. She pulls out her umbrella and gets out of the car.

I follow her, doing my best to speed-walk through the muddy ground to keep up with her. Rain constantly lands on my face, but I try my best to ignore it.

Damon jogs up to us.

"What happened? Where is he?" Elena demands.

Damon shakes his head in frustration. "They have him. I can't get in."

That was not what we wanted to hear.

"Oh no," I say worriedly, crossing my arms cause of the cold rain and shaking my head.

"Why can't you get in?" Elena asks.

"Because the woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in," he says.

"Then what are we gonna do?" I wonder out loud.

"I don't know." Damon sighs.

"I can get in," Elena says. She starts to move forward, but Damon grabs her by the arms and pushes her back.

"You're not going in there," he tells her.

She struggles against him. "I'm going!"

"You're not going in there," he repeats firmly, but she continues to fight against him.

"Elena, don't be stupid," I blurt out. "If you go in there, they can kill you."

"Listen to your cousin," Damon says.

That finally gets Elena to stop, and she sighs. Damon lets her go now that she's calmed down.

I'm surprised at myself. I don't know if it's the rain or the adrenaline from our situation, but I never tell Elena off like that. I'm glad it worked though.

"Why are they doing this?" Elena inquires. "What do they want with him?"

"Revenge. They want revenge," Damon explains.

"We gotta do something," Elena says.

"I know," Damon agrees. Thinking to himself, he looks back at the house where they're keeping Stefan that's too far away for my human eyes to see.

Elena continues to worry anxiously. "We can't let them hurt him. We gotta get him out of there."

Zoning out, my brain starts to churn in meticulous thought. My mouth absentmindedly runs with what I'm thinking like I'm working through a math problem. "All we have to do is get in the house. Vampires can't get in because they have to be invited in, so only a human can do it. But it's too dangerous for us, so it has to be someone else . . ."

It's at this moment that I realize I've been talking to myself. I look up at Elena and Damon and find them watching me. I blush profusely as my mind races with something to say.

"I might have an idea," I announce in a small voice.

*Mystic Falls High School*

For some reason, Damon wanted to head into the school first. I don't know if Stefan told him how Alaric almost shot him with a stake gun, and, maybe, for that reason, Damon wants to keep me and Elena out of the way in case we get in the crossfire of another surprise attack.

I know that Alaric would never hurt me or Elena though, but it's not like I have the guts to argue with Damon about it. He can do whatever he wants. I don't care, as long as he doesn't hurt anybody. We're all on the same side here — to save Stefan. So far, the urgency to rescue his brother is keeping him under control.

Damon turns a corner up ahead. "Well, don't you look . . . alive." I hear him say.

He must be speaking to Alaric. Elena and I pick up our paces to catch up with him.

"You can't hurt me," says Alaric's voice.

"Oh, I can hurt you, alright," Damon threatens.

For goodness' sake, Damon! Don't start a fight before we even get there!

Finally, Elena and I round the corner and reveal ourselves to Alaric.

Elena addresses him first. "Mr. Saltzman," she pauses, then continues once she knows she has his attention. "We need your help."

His gaze seems to soften at the sight of Elena. His eyes then fall on me.

I nod to him with pleading eyes, and that appears to do the trick. We move ourselves to his classroom so we can talk more formally. He sits at his desk while Elena and I stand before him. Damon hangs back, leaning against a shelf by the classroom windows.

"Stefan's in the house," Elena explains to him. "Damon's a vampire. He can't get in. We need you. I would go, but —"

"Your life is valuable," Damon finishes for her. He looks at Alaric. "Yours, on the other hand, is . . ."

Elena doesn't let him finish. "Stefan told me about your ring," she says.

Alaric clasps his hands together. "What about it?" he questions.

"Let me recap," Damon says. "You tried to kill me. I defended myself. You died. Then according to my brother, your ring brought you back to life. Am I, uh, am I leaving anything out?" 

Alaric unclasps his hands. "Yeah, the part where I try and kill you again." He gets up from his desk and moves towards Damon. "And only this time, I don't miss."

Elena steps in front of him and blocks his way. "Mr. Saltzman, please," she begs. "It's Stefan."

Alaric stares hard at Elena. "I'm sorry, Elena," he apologizes. "But it's not my problem."

Now, he knows that's not true. I was there when the agreement was made. I decide to break my silence. "But Stefan promised to help you," I speak up. "You owe it to him to help him. He's in trouble. They could kill him. We need you."

Guilt appears to fill Alaric's eyes as I stare into his pleadingly.

"You know," Damon speaks up from behind us. "The woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

Alaric's gaze flicks up to Damon. "You're lying."

Damon walks forward to stand evenly with Elena and me. "Am I?" he says. "Why don't you ask her for yourself? Coward. Come on," he says, motioning for me and Elena to leave.

I see what he's doing and follow him and Elena to the classroom door.

Any second now . . .

"Alright. Wait," Alaric calls after us.

We stop and turn around to face him.

"I'll go."

Bingo.

*Time Skip*

Elena, Damon, and I watch as Alaric pulls out a bag. He sets it on his desk and opens it to reveal a variety of stakes and other weapons for fighting vampires.

"Teacher by day, vampire hunter by night," Damon muses.

"I've you to thank for that," Alaric retorts.

Elena points to some syringe-like objects. "What are these?" she asks.

Alaric crosses his arms. "Those are tranquilizer darts filled with vervain."

"Just get me in," Damon says. "I'll get Stefan out."

"That's your plan?" Elena questions flatly. "You're just gonna take them all on yourself?"

"Well, I'll be a little stealthier than that, hopefully," Damon says.

Elena picks up one of the vervain darts.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Alaric asks, raising a cautious hand at her.

"I'm going with you guys," Elena says as if it's obvious.

Oh my gosh, not this again.

"No. No. No. No. No way," Damon says firmly.

"You need me," Elena continues. "I'll get in. You could distract them, and then I'll get Stefan out."

"You'll get yourself killed. You're not going in there," Damon says.

"I'm going," she repeats.

Damon looks at me. "Harper, please talk some sense into your cousin." He turns to Alaric. "So, when you get me in, get out as quickly as you can. I know how to sneak around where they can't hear me. You'll basically just be in the way."

"Damon, now is not the time to be the lone ranger," Elena says irritably.

"Fine," Damon gives in, turning to my cousin in annoyance. "Elena, you can, you can drive the getaway car, hmm? You're not going in the house."

"You can't stop me," she says. "It's Stefan we're talking about here. You don't understand."

That triggers something within Damon. "Oh, I understand. I understand," he begins mockingly. "He's the reason you live. His love lifts you up where you belong." He rolls his eyes at her. "I get it."

Offended, Elena purses her lips together before spitting out, "Can you just not joke around for two seconds?"

Having had enough, Damon raises his voice at her. "I can't protect you, Elena. I don't know how many vampires there are in there." He snaps his fingers for emphasis. "That's how long it takes you to get your head ripped off. I have to be able to get in and get out. I can't be distracted with your safety. Or, this will end up a bloodbath that none of us walk away from . . . including Stefan."

I don't think I've ever seen Elena speechless like this before, but gosh darn I think he got through her thick skull. She looks down at the floor, defeated and hurt. She loves Stefan and is worried about him. I can't blame her for that. I'm worried about him too.

"You can drive the getaway car, okay?" Damon tells her in a calmer voice. He then looks over at me.

I expect him to tell me to watch her, but instead, he says, "And you are going home. Elena can tell you what happens later."

"Okay," I respond immediately. Unlike Elena, I'm not going to put up a fight. Quite frankly, I'm glad I'm not going. I don't want to be anywhere near those tomb vampires. I've had enough vampire attacks for a lifetime.

I did my part. I led Elena and Damon to the idea of asking Alaric for help. I may not be with them in person for the actual rescue mission, but that isn't going to stop me from praying constantly for their safety and success.

Oh, Stefan, please be okay.

*Later That Night at the Donovan's House*

This isn't how the day was supposed to end.

I was supposed to get a call from Elena saying that they rescued Stefan, and everything was okay. But instead, my dad gets a call from Caroline's mom that they found Vicki's body. Now my parents and I are at the Donovan's house, grieving with Matt and his mom. Caroline and her mom are here too, along with Tyler and Jeremy.

I'm in Matt's room, sitting on the edge of Matt's bed with my head rested on his shoulder. Tears are trickling down my cheeks, and I can feel Matt's body shudder every few minutes.

It wasn't until this moment that I've realized I've been holding in how I felt about Vicki's death. I never really allowed myself to let the reality of it sink in. She's gone, and she's never coming back. I remember when we were little and how she would play tag with me, Matt, and Elena. And those times she let me play with her Strawberry Shortcake figurines that Aunt Miranda gave her for her birthday.

I've taken Vicki for granted and treated her death like a strangers. I grew up with this girl whether I liked her or not. She deserved better. She needed someone to help her, and that person could have been me, but all I did was look down upon her like she was a mistake.

I was the one making a mistake, a mistake I can never go back and fix because I was too scared.

I hear footsteps and look up to see Caroline standing at the door of Matt's room. She has a cup of coffee in her hands. She looks like she's about to open her mouth and say something when Elena comes out of no where. She brushes past Caroline and into Matt's room.

Elena joins us on the bed and wraps her arms around Matt. I hear him start to sniffle louder, and it makes a new round of tears burn in my eyes. I feel one of Elena's arms pull around me as well.

The three childhood best friends, together, once again. But this time, with a hole in our hearts.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

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a/n:

So, yes, I skipped the episode "There Goes the Neighborhood." I skipped it mostly because Harper would really have nothing to do in that episode, and I wasn't going to be like those other TVD fics that have their OCs go on the double date with Elena and Stefan and Matt and Caroline. Cause, to me, that's just weird. Who invites a fifth wheel to a double date?

Anyway, you're also probably wondering why Harper didn't go with Elena, Damon, and Alaric to save Stefan. Well, first of all, Damon did tell her to go home. Plus, Harper is still very much shook-up from the last two vampire attacks. Vampires pretty much terrify her at this point, except for Stefan obviously, and Damon, well, she's just tolerating him for now as long as he behaves himself.

Also, I named this chapter "what goes up must come down" because, A, Harper's mood kinda went up and down from the last chapter to this one. And B, because it was heavily raining in this chapter, and if you know how the water cycle works, it pretty much goes up and down.

-- roxy

( word count: 3.5k )