Bet Me; Chapter 4; This Could Actually Be Dangerous.
Chapter 4 - This Could Actually Be Dangerous.
Damon put his wineglass down on the table and looked at her.
"Is that really a good idea?" he asked her.
"I don't see why not. Unless of course, you're…afraid?"
Damon was surprised and pleased Elena wanted a new bet. Hopefully this meant she was all for putting the past behind her, and getting along with him for the sake of the story. It would have been far too soon for him to propose another bet on his first day back in town, and after the debacle of the last week he hadn't been about to bring up the idea, but since she was the one suggesting it…
"You know me, Gilbert. I'm a betting man." he said to her. "Let's hear it."
"I bet you, I can write a better article than you, on Von Gruber," she told him.
"Who decides the winner?" he asked her.
"Our bosses do."
"Whittleman and Jensen?"
She nodded.
"What are the stakes? What do you want if you win?" he asked her.
"If I recall correctly, you used to like to leave your bets open-ended."
A sense of unease tugged at him for a moment or two, before he shrugged it off. Just because their last bet had ended very badly didn't mean this one would.
"I take it you have something in mind then?"
She shrugged. "I can't tell you that. That's not the way we used to do things ten years ago. I believe you used to say to me, 'winner decides all."
More than likely she wanted to even the score - turn the tables, Damon thought. He liked the idea that she wanted to take him on again. It would keep her focused; keep him focused, and make them both work harder. If it made her feel better about working with him, then that would be a bonus too. A harmonious working relationship would help him write an even better story.
"Don't tell me you're scared," she said mockingly, when he didn't respond straight away.
He smirked at her. "No, I don't get scared, Elena."
He was a damn good journalist, and while he knew the woman across from his was too, he'd won the scholarship, and he'd won each of their previous bets. Why should this be any different? Just because he wasn't the one suggesting this bet, and just because his luck was due to change at some point, didn't mean he had anything to be scared of, did it?
"Good. We should make the penalty for welshing the same too."
"Remind me again what that was."
"Anything the winner chooses, but Damon Salvatore is no welsher."
Damon recognized the words immediately, and wondered if fate had brought them back together to even out the past, before he dismissed the thought as ridiculous. What he'd done ten years ago had been wrong. It had been a stupid idea, but he'd been eighteen, and he hadn't set out to hurt her. No, but he had hurt her anyway, his conscience reminded him. The way she had looked at him when she learned it was a prank - that his taking her to the prom had all been one big joke, was suddenly imprinted in his brain. He hadn't been subjected to that image for a very long time, but sitting across from her right now, it wouldn’t leave him alone.
He had to shrug it off. He had to forget it. He had to do his job. If he kept remembering that image, he might soften; he might weaken, and then his decision making process would be off again. He'd screwed up once already since he'd been back, letting his personal feelings intrude, and that had been after spending a few measly hours with her. She would distract him, if he let her. He was attracted to her, and he always had been. Good thing she was making this bet. It would make sure he didn't lose focus again.
"No, I'd never welsh on a bet, Gilbert, but you have to beat me first."
"Oh, don't worry about that," she told him. "I will."
She said it with so much conviction, that for a moment he actually believed her.
***
One Week Later (Two Weeks till the Retreat)
The morning was freezing despite the expected top of 100 degrees the weatherman had forecast last night. Elena, stepped out of her car without her jacket, rubbed her arms, and reached back in for it immediately. She slid the jacket on, locked the door, and watched Damon drive into the parking lot with Andie Star in his car. Andie had been more than happy for Elena to work on the Von Gruber story again. Elena suspected that was because she wanted to date Damon without worrying about looking unprofessional.
It didn't bother Elena. The days of her being jealous of the girls Damon dated were long gone. Damon got out of the car, holding two cups of coffee, and waved when he saw her standing there. Elena did something she hoped looked like a wave, and then walked into the office quickly. He believed she'd put the past behind her, and to a certain extent she had. He'd taken her story, but she had it back. She would write the better article, and she would win their bet.
Elena didn't think of herself as a malicious or vindictive person. The bet was simply about keeping her focused, and making sure that momentary pang of attraction she'd felt at dinner that night didn't make itself known again. Her plans for the bet were simple. When she won, she would simply do to him what he had done to her - the toned down version of course.
She would attend her ten year high school reunion. She would ask Damon to go with her, and when they arrived, she would walk through the doors with Stefan instead of Damon. She doubted Damon would be angry. More than likely, he would expect it. It's not like she would be crushing his heart the way he had crushed hers. It's not like he had feelings for her. She doubted he would even blink an eyelid. He would end up enjoying the night with any of the various high school girls he'd dated ten years ago. It would simply give him a small taste of what she'd experienced at the prom.
She knew the moment he walked inside the office because Jensen came out to say good morning to him personally. Her colleagues were loyal, and they'd steered clear of him after she had been slighted, Jensen not included, but now that it looked like everything was fine, they were warming up to him. Melody had even started calling him Mr Big-shot affectionately. Elena wondered if she was still angling for a date with the man.
Damon had decided to move back to the desk behind hers again, because it made it easier for them to talk about all things story related.
"Morning Lena," he said to her, as he sat down.
Elena glared at her computer after hearing him use the nickname he'd given her when they'd been friends for five minutes back in the day. It grated on her now since they were not friends. For the sake of keeping the peace, however, she said nothing.
"Morning," she said briskly.
She jumped when he put something on her desk. She realized it was one of the coffees he'd been holding.
"What's that?" she asked eyeing the cup suspiciously.
"I believe they call it coffee."
"Why are you buying me coffee?"
"A thank you would suffice."
"Damon-"
"We have a road trip ahead of us this morning."
"Road trip? What did you find?" she asked him, turning around to look at him.
"Klaus Von Gruber has a brother named Elijah Von Gruber."
"And?" Elena questioned, already aware of this fact.
"And," Damon told her smugly, "seven years ago Elijah was arrested for an odd role in a bank robbery."
"I read about that," Elena told him. "He was arrested for hypnotizing a couple to commit a robbery in a jewelery store."
Damon leaned in towards her. "Did you know that at the time it happened, Klaus was supposedly in the same city? Elijah accused his brother of setting him up."
Damon watched Elena's face light up. She was an incredibly beautiful woman at any time, but when she got a new lead on a story she literally glowed. He told himself he was just sharing research and information, like he'd been told to, but he was fast becoming addicted to the smile she rewarded him with when he shared new information with her. He knew she still wasn't entirely comfortable working with him, but she was trying hard. He was trying equally hard not to piss her off again.
"You're kidding? How did you find that?" Elena asked him
Before Elena could move out of the way, he was standing behind her. She told herself she felt light-headed from the scent of his aftershave as he leaned over her shoulder, his right hand reaching for the computer mouse. Her pulse raced as he brushed against her. For a solid year in high school, he had been the subject of so many of her night time fantasies. Her body seemed to have a conditioned response to his, Elena thought, as arousal swept through her; and it needed to go away immediately.
"This website here," he said to her.
"I know this website," Elena told him, looking at the website he'd clicked on. "I've used it before."
The website held general information about arrests, and was open to the public.
"I'm sure you have, but if you click this tiny box down here, it gives you access to a range of information that the public doesn't get. You just need Jensen's Tribune ID."
"Did he give it to you?"
"No, I used Whittleman's for this."
"How did I not know about this?" she said to him. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he said softly in her ear.
She shivered slightly, and he stepped back from her.
"Let's go talk to Jensen about this road trip," he said to her.
Elena clung onto the arm rest with one hand as Damon sped along the highway to the town of Gate's Crossing. To someone obeying the speed limit, it was a drive that might take a little over two hours. They were already more than halfway there, and they'd only been on the road for forty minutes.
"There are a few ninety degree bends in the road ahead," she said to him.
"I remember," he told her.
"Perhaps you could slow down a little."
Damon frowned and looked at her. After he took in her pale face, and white fingers, he eased off the accelerator slightly.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
The CD that was playing in his car finished, and Damon turned the radio on.
"And here's a flashback to 2001, Butterfly by Crazy Town," the radio announcer said.
Without thinking, Elena reached out and turned the dial, changing the station and the song. That song would always remind her of Damon and prom night and she hated it by association.
"Not a fan?" he asked her
"No."
They lapsed into silence for another ten minutes before he spoke again. "We should work out our back story."
She looked at him.
"You know - where did we meet? How long did we date before we got married? What was our wedding like? Who said I love you first?"
She had known this was coming, but she had been putting it off, and trying not to think about it.
"I haven't thought about it," she told him.
"Come on Gilbert, this is your chance to create our whole back-story. I give you full creative license."
She closed her eyes for a moment, and reminded herself this was necessary. "Umm, we met in high school."
"Sounds logical."
"You were a jerk."
"Ah, I see where this is going," he said with a tight smile.
"It would be nice to keep things as close to the truth as possible," she said to him.
"Continue," he said to her.
"You left town after graduation. When you returned a few years later you had changed."
"Of course."
"You begged me for a date."
"I would never beg."
"And I would never date you."
Damon felt the sting of rejection, even as he told himself he didn't care. She never would have dated him ten years ago, and she would never date him now. He had the money now that had been an issue ten years ago, but the past would always be between them. Plus he'd acted like a jackass when he'd come back. Now he was reaping the consequences of both prom night and his first day back in town. Not that it mattered, she was doing the story with him, and that was all that mattered.
"But for the sake of this story, eventually I succumbed-" she started.
"To my charm."
"Because you were an upstanding member of the community, and I realized-"
"You couldn't resist me."
"That your behavior at high school was that of a scared, hurt little boy, acting out for attention, and you're actually a good person."
Damon raised his eyes heavenward. "Then you fell in love with me."
"Then you fell in love with me, and begged me to marry you."
"Again with the begging."
"This is fiction."
"I thought we were sticking as close to the truth as possible."
"Beyond our time together at high school, we have no history to recall on."
"Why not say that I won a bet, asked you to prom. We danced all night, had a good time, and we've been together ever since?"
Elena turned to look at him. After what had happened on prom night, how could he possibly say that? Did he think that was funny?
"That's further from the truth than my story."
"How?"
Was he serious? Did he really not know?
"Well for starters we didn't dance all night. You danced with Katherine all night," she said to him, priding herself on not sounding too bitter.
"While you glared at me over Donovan's shoulder."
"I wonder why," she said angrily.
"I told you that night, after Katherine found us, that I wanted to go to the dance with you."
"Which was why you took me there with the express purpose of humiliating me?"
"I told you that was stupid and childish and-"
"And you're sorry. Yes I heard you the first time."
Damon felt frustrated. He was trying here. For some reason it was suddenly important she understand this.
"I knew after I kissed you that I didn't want to go through with it," he tried.
"If I remember correctly, you thought I was a stuck up bitch and a snob, and you wanted to teach me a lesson. In Katherine's words; "you never would have taken me to the prom."
Damon was hardly going to admit that he had been jealous and sour because she wouldn't date him. She didn't need to know that he'd felt rejected and that was exactly why he'd been so bent on revenge. Right now it seemed like a childish game of tit for tat.
"It's not like you would have gone with me if I hadn't won the bet," he said to her. "You wanted to go with Donovan."
"So what? That gives you the right to ruin my evening?"
"I hardly ruined your evening, Gilbert. I hurt your pride a little. You dusted yourself off and spent the evening with Matt, which was what you had intended to do in the first place."
"You have no idea," she muttered.
"Then enlighten me."
"The past is the past, Damon. It's pointless discussing it. As you said that night at dinner, it can't be changed or undone. You gave me creative control. I've given you our back-story. Let's move on."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"So how long have we been married for?" he asked her.
"Four years," she said decisively.
"Marriage problems after four years? I suppose our failing marriage is my fault?" Damon asked her.
So much for her trying to put the past behind them, Damon thought. It made him wonder what was in store if she won their bet. Not that she would. He would just have to bear this.
"If you want to own up to it," she told him.
"Let me guess, Elena. I'm a lying, cheating bastard, and a premature ejaculator."
"Close, but I was thinking we're having problems because I earn more than you."
His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. "Is that it?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"You don't like intimacy, and you won't open up and talk about your feelings."
"Anything else?"
"You don't get along with my family. You think they look down on you because you don't earn as much money as I do."
He glared at her, his desire to get along, vanishing rapidly. "And you're completely faultless?"
"You think I'm in love with someone else."
"Let me guess, it's all in my head?"
"Of course."
"So you say."
"I would never be unfaithful."
"I'm sure Stefan is relieved."
"Leave Stefan-"
"It can't be entirely my fault, Elena. You have to take some part in it too."
"Fine. What is my contribution to our marriage problems?"
"You don't forgive, or forget, and you make me pay for every mistake I make by being cold and hostile."
"I'm never unreasonable, Damon. Considering-"
"This is fictional, Elena, remember? And I say you do, which is why our marriage isn't working."
"So you blame me entirely?"
"Not entirely. But you need to own up to your share."
She shook her head, about to disagree completely, when they pulled up outside a two-story, brown, brick home. She was relieved to get out of the car and get some space. Their conversation had hit every one of her exposed nerves.
"This is Rose and Trevor's house?" she asked him.
"From the address I have here. Let's go."
Rose and Trevor Jones were expecting them. The couple, in their early thirties, seemed very nice. They owned a garden supplies store in town and had agreed to take the time out to meet with them, and answer their questions. Once they were all sitting down with coffee, Elena asked the first question.
"I understand you went to Elijah Von Gruber to undergo hypnosis to quit smoking?"
"That's right," Trevor said to her. "I never wanted to go. I'd tried hypnosis before, and it had failed, but Rose talked me into it."
The couple were sitting together on the couch, his hand on top of hers.
"I was desperate to spend time with Trevor," Rose told them, looking affectionately at the man beside her.
"Rather foolishly, I couldn't see what was right under my nose," Trevor told them, before leaning in to kiss Rose.
Rose and Trevor were clearly in love. Damon and Elena looked at each other briefly before looking back at the couple.
"You weren't together before the hypnosis took place?" Damon asked.
"No," Rose said to them. "I was in love with Trevor, but he was in love with someone else."
"Pretty much straight after hypnosis, we went out on a proper date," Trevor told them. "It was like all of a sudden I couldn't keep my hands off her."
"Did the hypnosis work for the smoking?" Elena asked.
Trevor and Rose looked at each other. "No," they said together, laughing.
"Of course we've given up now, but I walked straight out of that room and lit up," Trevor told them. "When Rose asked me for a cigarette, there was just a magic about the way the light hit her eyes that had me enraptured."
"Amazing isn't it?" Rose asked them.
Elena nodded, but she was actually thinking that it was close to the most disturbing thing she'd ever heard. These two had gone into a 'therapist' to be cured of their smoking habit, only to come out still smoking, and unable to keep their hands off each other. Then they'd attempted to rob a store six months later. It seemed they were happy, and they were in love, but it was still very disturbing.
"Did you see this man there?" Elena asked them, passing them a photo of Klaus Von Gruber.
Rose and Trevor passed it back and forwards between them, and both of them shook their heads.
"Was anyone else there, before or after you went into the room?" Damon asked.
"When we came out, there was a man with a long ginger beard, and a beret, but he didn't look like that," Trevor told them, handing the photo back to Elena.
"What do you remember about the attempted robbery at Brighton's on Fifth?" Elena asked.
"Very little," Trevor told them. "I still can't believe we weren't charged."
"It was like I was asleep," Rose said. Trevor squeezed Rose's hand, before she continued. "When the music started-"
"Music?" Damon inquired.
"When we went into the jewelery store, it was quiet - no music, but then the clerk put on a CD, and…"
"She doesn't remember anything else," Trevor said for her. "Neither do I. We watched the footage from the attempted robbery, but we didn't do that. We weren't there. We weren't present."
"You really don't remember any of it?" Damon asked.
"We know it sounds crazy, but-" Rose started.
"But the police believed us," Trevor finished.
"Thank god," Rose said. "And only because Mr Von Gruber came forward and said it was a result of hypnosis, and that his brother had set us up to rob the store, and slipped us the gun and everything."
"And Elijah went to jail for it," Elena confirmed.
"The gun was registered to an Elijah Von Gruber, and he knew everything," Trevor said to her. "He knew which song had triggered the robbery, and when they played it in the interrogation room, the police actually witnessed us trying to pull the robbery again, until Elijah broke us out of the trance we were in."
Damon and Elena asked a few more questions before finishing their coffee and walking out the door.
"What do you make of that?" Damon asked her.
"It's the craziest story I've ever heard," Elena replied.
"You know what they say," Damon said to her as he started the car.
"What do they say?" Elena asked.
"Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction."
It was an effort for Elena to keep up her end of the conversation as they drove back to the office. There were too many questions floating around in her head. Would Klaus hypnotize her and Damon? Would they come out of this couple's retreat, not only infatuated with each other, but capable of committing a crime? The thought was horrifying. This story was far more dangerous than she'd originally anticipated.
"You're awful quiet there, Gilbert," Damon said to her after a twenty minute lull in conversation.
"Sorry. I just can't stop thinking about poor Rose and Trevor."
"It was certainly wasn't an ideal situation, but they weren't charged for the crime."
"Not an ideal situation? They went to Elijah Von Gruber and trusted him to cure their smoking habit, and instead they came out as a couple, and attempted armed robbery."
"You think Von Gruber's going to set us up to fall in love and rob a bank or something?" he asked her, his tone mocking.
"This isn't funny, Damon. This could be…this could actually be dangerous."
Damon decided not to make another joke when the look on her face. Sure he could see the grim determination there in the set of her jaw, but her eyes spoke of an uncertainty that he really didn't like. It surprised him that he didn't want to laugh it off, like he would have with anyone else. Instead he felt the need to reassure her it was going to be okay; that they would be safe.
"Okay," he said to her. "Suppose Von Gruber is capable of doing something like that; how are we going to stop him?"
"I don't know, but I think we need to work something out. I know it sounds crazy, but…" she trailed off, when she noticed he had pulled into the car park at Dominique's Pasta House. "Why are we here?"
"You're worried, and I need you to feel comfortable with this," he said to her. "We can discuss it over lunch."
If it had been any other time, or for any other reason, Elena would have said no, but Damon was taking her seriously, and for that she was grateful. Even the way Mrs Lockwood had looked when she'd heard that piece of music, and started dancing, kept playing in her head now. After meeting Rose and Trevor, Elena thought it was all too eerie. It would be the story of a lifetime - if they weren't hypnotized by Klaus to fall in love with each other, and commit a robbery first.