T i m e l e s s {book one}

➖chapter eighteen➖

"Why did you ask me to come with you? And why do you think you have my support by going behind Stefan's back?" Davina sits in the backseat of Damon's car and looks between him and Elena.

"We asked you to come because we thought you would know a thing or two about how Jeremy's mindset is right now," Elena explains. She then bites her lip before glancing at Damon. "I can't force you to keep this from Stefan, but I'm asking you not to tell him. At least, not before I get the chance to."

"So, do it," Davina prompts.

"Not over the phone. I'll tell him, though, I promise," Elena swears.

Davina sighs and looks out the window in time to see Professor Shane leading Jeremy and Bonnie inside. "You've got to be kidding me. Professor Shady-Pants is here, too? My day just got worse."

"Sorry, I invited him," Elena tells her sheepishly. Davina looks exasperated by Elena's current behavior, so she gets out of the car and marches into the house.

"Okay, we are ready to get started, but before we do that, we need her," Professor Shane informs Jeremy and points to Elena, who's standing by the doorway with Damon. "In here."

"This is your house now, Jer. You have to invite me in," Elena murmurs.

"Go ahead, Jeremy. Invite her in," Davina remarks with fake enthusiasm.

"You can come in," Jeremy says after a moment. Elena enters the house with her bags. She looks at Jeremy before touching him on the arm. Once she sets her stuff down, Jeremy pulls a stake out and aims it towards Elena, who manages to disarm him as well as keep him in a chokehold.

"What a day for this," Davina mutters to herself.

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Davina's lighting some candles while Professor Shane sets a pendulum up for the hypnotizing. Jeremy's currently strapped in a chair and seems to be in a trance.

"All Jeremy feels when he sees a vampire is the burning desire to kill them, even if he consciously doesn't want to," Shane explains.

"In your case, Elena, Jeremy's subconscious is calling the shots," Davina informs them as she finishes up with the candles. It felt like a manual labor kind of day.

"Persuasion helps reverse your subconscious thoughts," Bonnie says.

"Think of it as a conditioned response, okay? See vampire, kill vampire. What I'm doing is kind of creating a middle step. It's like a detour, where his subconscious learns to recognize you as someone he loves, someone he wants to protect. And that gives him a choice. He can choose to take the detour instead of the conditioned response."

"Alright, Elena, talk to him," Davina advises.

"I'm not sure what to say..."

"How about you start out with why you choose this as the location to do this in. Why your family vacation home?"

"Every holiday, we came here. This place was family. When Mom and Dad died, Jenna made us come here, and we thought it was an awful idea, but it was like they were here with us."

"Okay, Jeremy, how do you feel about Elena right now?"

"She ruined our lives. She's not even my real sister. She's just the reason why everyone I've ever loved has died. She means nothing to me. I will kill her, even if that means I die myself." Shane taps his knuckles on the table, waking Jeremy up from his trance. "Did it work?"

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"Seems like disappointment is in the works," Davina remarks as she leans on the deck railing.