in a minute. Listen.' He grabbed her wrist and Elena looked at it in mild surprise. 'I don't care if you're the Creature from the Black Lagoon, It, Godzilla and Frankenstein all rolled up into one. I just—'
'Matt.' Panicked, Elena put her free hand over his mouth.
'I know. You're engaged to the guy in the black cape. Don't worry; I remember him. I even like him, though God knows why.' Matt took a breath and seemed to calm down. 'Look, I don't know if Stefan told you. He said a bunch of stuff to me—about being evil, about not being sorry for what he did to Tyler. You know what I'm talking about?'
Elena shut her eyes. 'He's scarcely eaten since that night. I think he's hunted once. Tonight he almost got himself killed because he's so weak.'
Matt nodded. 'So it was your basic crap. I should have known.'
'Well, it is and it isn't. The need is strong, stronger than you can imagine.' It was dawning on Elena that
'Who's 'we'?' Matt said sharply.
'Stefan and Damon—I think Damon—and me. And Meredith and Bonnie… and Alaric Saltzman. Don't ask about Alaric. It's a long story.'
'But what are you guarding
'I forgot; you don't know.
When she managed to tear her gaze away and look at his face, she saw shock giving way to sudden understanding. Then to something incredible: acceptance. 'It's okay,' Matt said.
She wasn't sure she'd heard correctly. 'Matt?'
'I said, it's okay. It didn't hurt me before.'
'No. No, Matt, really. I didn't
'I know. That's why I want to. I want to give you something you
Stefan, Elena was thinking. But Stefan had told her to come, and come alone. Stefan had known, she realized. And it was all right. It was his gift to Matt—and to her.
But I'm coming back to
As she leaned toward him, Matt said, 'I'm going to come and help you tomorrow, you know. Even if I'm not invited.'
Then her lips touched his throat.
The history room was warm and brightly lit. On the other side of the school building, the cafeteria was even brighter, shining with Christmas lights and decorations. Upon arriving, Elena had scrutinized it from a cautious distance, watching the couples arrive for the dance and pass by the sheriff's officers at the door. Feeling Damon's silent presence behind her, she had pointed out a girl with long, light brown hair.
'Vickie Bennett,' she said.
'I'll take your word for it,' he replied.
Now, she looked around their makeshift headquarters for the night. Alaric's desk had been cleared, and he was bent over a rough map of the school. Meredith leaned in beside him, her dark hair sweeping his sleeve. Matt and Bonnie were out mingling with the dancegoers in the parking lot, and Stefan and Damon were prowling the perimeter of the school grounds. They were going to take turns.
'You'd better stay inside,' Alaric had told Elena. 'All we need is for somebody to see you and start chasing you with a stake.'
'I've been walking around town all week,' Elena said, amused. 'If I don't want to be seen, you don't see me.' But she agreed to stay in the history room and coordinate.
It's like a castle, she thought as she watched Alaric plot out the positions of sheriff's officers and other men on the map. And we're defending it. Me and my loyal knights.
The round, flat-faced clock on the wall ticked the minutes by. Elena watched it as she let people in the door and let them out again. She poured hot coffee out of a Thermos for those who wanted it. She listened to the reports come in.
'Everything's quiet on the north side of the school.'
'Caroline just got crowned snow queen. Big surprise.'
'Some rowdy kids in the parking lot—the sheriff just rounded them up…'
Midnight came and went.
'Maybe we were wrong,' Stefan said an hour or so later. It was the first time they'd all been inside together since the beginning of the evening.
'Maybe it's happening somewhere else,' said Bonnie, emptying out a boot and peering into it.
'There's no way to know where it's going to happen,' Elena said firmly. 'But we weren't wrong about it happening.'
'Maybe,' said Alaric thoughtfully, 'there
All eyes turned to Bonnie.
'Oh, no,' Bonnie said. 'I'm through with all that. I