Chapter 47 Five Minutes of Air
Three days in the bunker and Elena was losing her mind.
The routine was suffocating. Wake up in the small concrete room, stare at the ceiling, force herself to get up, avoid Pierce, eat something she didn't taste, stare at the walls, try to read and fail. Then go back to bed and Repeat.
There were no windows except the small one near the ceiling that showed nothing but trees. No natural light, no fresh air, no escape, just concrete walls and the constant hum of the generator and the awareness that Pierce was somewhere in this bunker, close enough to hear but refusing to speak.
Elena sat on her bed, knees pulled to her chest, staring at the door. The three days felt like three years.
Downstairs, she could hear Pierce on the phone. His voice was low, controlled, discussing things she couldn't make out. He was always planning, working constantly.
He'd been working since they arrived. Laptop open at all hours, phone pressed to his ear, pacing the living room while Derek brought in supplies and tried to make himself invisible.
Elena had seen Pierce maybe ten times in three days and those were filled with only rief encounters in the kitchen, passing in the hallway, him checking locks, her going to her room.
They didn't speak. What was there to say?
She got up, needing to move, needing to do something other than stare at walls. Elena opened her door and headed downstairs.
The bunker was quiet except for Pierce's voice from the office, a converted storage room where he'd set up his laptop and files.
"I don't care what it costs. Find him." He pause. "No, I want confirmation before we move. I'm not walking into another trap."
He was talking about Xander.
Elena moved to the kitchen, opening the fridge she already knew was stocked with things Derek had brought. She pulled out ingredients for a sandwich she didn't want.
Behind her, Pierce's voice stopped and she heard Footsteps approached.
Elena didn't turn around. Just kept making the sandwich, hyper-aware of him entering the kitchen.
Pierce moved to the coffee maker and poured coffee, while she cut break.
"Derek's bringing more supplies tomorrow," Pierce said finally.
"Okay." She said quietly.
"If you need anything specific..."
"I'm fine." The words came out fast.
Pierce stood there for a moment, coffee in hand, like he wanted to say something else, while elena kept her eyes on the sandwich, then he left, footsteps going back to the office.
Elena let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
This was hell. Existing in the same space as Pierce, both of them bleeding from wounds they'd caused on each other, neither knowing how to stop.
That night, Elena couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to Pierce moving around downstairs. He never seemed to sleep. Just worked through the night, his voice occasionally carrying up the stairs as he made calls in different time zones.
At two AM, Elena gave up and went downstairs for water.
Pierce was at the table, laptop glowing in the dark, his face illuminated by the screen. He looked up when she entered.
"Can't sleep?" he asked quietly.
"No." Elena said as she filled a glass at the sink and drank, then refilled it.
"Me neither," Pierce said.
She didn't respond. Just stood there with her back to him, feeling the weight of everything unsaid pressing down.
"There's nothing to talk about." She cut him off, her voice tight. "You made yourself clear three days ago."
She went back upstairs before he could say anything else.
The next day was worse. Elena woke late, disoriented, her body confused by the lack of natural light. She forced herself through the usual routine.
Derek was there, unloading groceries. He looked at her with something like pity.
"Good morning," he said carefully.
"Morning."
"Got fresh fruit." He said gently. "Thought you might want something besides canned food."
"Thanks."
Pierce appeared from the office, looking like he hadn't slept at all. His eyes went to Elena, then away.
"I need to make some calls," he said to Derek. "Can you.."
"I've got it," Derek said quickly. "Take your time."
Pierce nodded and disappeared back into the office.
Derek looked at Elena. "You okay?"
"No." Elena's voice was flat. "But I don't think that matters anymore."
She took an apple and went back upstairs.
By day three. Elena woke up and couldn't do it anymore. She couldn't stare at the same walls, couldn't breathe the same recycled air, couldn't exist in this concrete cage pretending everything was fine.
She got dressed quickly, grabbed her coat from the closet, and headed downstairs.
Pierce was in the living room, laptop open, phone to his ear. He looked up when she came down the stairs.
Elena walked straight to the door.
"Elena." Pierce's voice behind her. "Where are you going?"
"Out." She said quickly.
"You can't..."
"I need to get out of here." Elena grabbed the door handle.
Pierce was across the room in seconds, his hand on the door above her head, keeping it closed. "It's not safe."
"I don't care." Elena tried to pull the door open but his weight kept it shut. "I need air. I need sunlight. I need to not be trapped in this bunker for one hour."
"Elena, Xander's out there..."
"I don't care about Xander!" Her voice rose. "I can't breathe in here, Pierce. I can't... need to go out."
"It's not safe," Pierce repeated, his voice firm.
"Then come with me." Her voice was sharp. "Watch me. I don't care. But I'm not staying in here another second."
"Yes, you are."
Elena spun to face him, fury finally breaking through. "You can't keep me prisoner!"
"I'm keeping you alive..."
"By locking me in a concrete box?" Elena's voice cracked. "This isn't living, Pierce. This is just just existing. And I can't do it anymore."
"You don't have a choice."
"I always have a choice." Elena reached for the door again.
Pierce grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Elena, stop."
"Let go of me." She said sharply.
"No." Pierce's voice was cold.
She tried to push past him but he was bigger, stronger, and he wasn't letting her leave. Elena shoved against his chest, desperate, feeling the walls closing in.
"I can't stay here!" Her voice broke completely. "I can't be trapped in this place with you, hating you and..." She stopped, the words catching.
"Hating me and what?" Pierce's grip tightened on her arm, his eyes burning into hers.
"Nothing." The word came out fast. "Just let me go."
"Say it."
"Let me go, Pierce."
"Not until you tell me what you were going to say."
Elena's chest heaved, tears burning her eyes. "I can't do this. I can't be in this bunker, in this impossible situation, trapped with someone I..."
She couldn't finish.
Pierce stared at her, something raw in his expression. "Someone you what, Elena?"
"Someone I can't forgive and can't forget!" The words tore out of her. "Someone who told me exactly what he is and refuses to apologize for it! Someone I should hate but..."
She stopped again, pulling against his grip.
"But what?" Pierce's voice was rough.
"It doesn't matter." Elena tried to wrench her arm free. "Just let me leave. Let me walk out that door and get some air and pretend for five minutes that my life isn't completely destroyed."
"I can't do that." His voice was voice was cracked.
"Why not?" Elena asked, eyes filled with tears.
"Because the second you walk out that door, you're vulnerable and I'm not losing you because you need fresh air."
"You already lost me!" Elena shouted. "The night you told me what you are, the night you made it clear you'll never change, you lost me then. So what does it matter if I go outside?"
Pierce's jaw clenched. "It matters because you're still breathing. And as long as you're breathing, I'm keeping you safe."
"I don't want your protection if it means living like this!" She screamed.
"Too bad." Pierce's voice went cold. "You don't get to choose."
Elena stared at him, breathing hard, trapped between his body and the door. "You can't keep me here forever."
"Watch me."
Something snapped inside her. Elena shoved him hard, using all her strength.