The Woman I Love
DG32173

Sarah: welcome to the sister-fic of Setting Things Right. Where that story was told from Elena's perspective, this one is told from Damon's. I hope you enjoy.

DISCLAIMER
This is going to be the only disclaimer for the whole fanfic, so I best make it good. The only thing I own is what I write. Everything that you can find in the real world is owned by someone with a much bigger bank account than mine.

WARNINGS
ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! MASSIVE SPOILERS ALERT! Mostly spoilers for season one. There could possibly be other spoilers as well. Rated M for my sanity. Not that I have any. Damon's viewpoint. Also, combining elements I know are in the books – though I haven't read them yet – with what is known in the show.

SUMMARY
Setting Things Right told from Damon's perspective. Damon/Elena

Prologue

I watch as Elena tries to free herself from the witch's grip. There is no way I can prevent what is about to happen. I'm dead, after all. The witch starts chanting some spell or other and Elena turns her gaze towards the stairway leading to the basement of the burning building John had put all the captured vampires as well as the mayor in. After a few minutes, shapes appear through the smoke. The first to break free is Anna.

The child-vampire looks at Elena, her face so full of sorrow that there is no way that Elena won't realize something had gone wrong. "I'm sorry. I would have saved him, but the vervaine wouldn't let me move," she tells Elena.

Then Stefan breaks free of the smoke, carrying my body. A sound like a dying animal rips from Elena's throat as she rushes to my brother's side. "No! No, no, no, no!" she sobs, holding my head as her eyes land on the stake John had put through my heart. Tears flow down her cheeks as she cradles my body's head to her chest. I wish more than anything I could just be in my body again so I can open my eyes and tease her. The heartbreak in her face and eyes is torture. She rips the stake from my chest and flings it away.

Her body is wracked by heart-wrenching sobs as she repeatedly calls my name. I now know what I had been praying would happen did happen. She had fallen in love with me. But now it's too late to do anything about it. Stefan wraps his arms around Elena, trying to comfort her as best as he can. But I can tell that she barely registers anything other than the fact that I'm dead.

The next day, Elena and Stefan bury my body next to my mother's grave. Stefan gives my ring to Elena. I won't need it anymore. She puts it on a chain that she wears around her neck constantly. John leaves town later that week. He tries to apologize to Elena, but she just stares blankly into space on the couch. She's stopped going to school. She's to the point of despair where she only eats, sleeps, showers, and cries. Jenna doesn't understand what came over her niece. She was told that I left town and am not coming back.

As the days turn to weeks then months, Elena keeps sinking deeper and deeper into the black hole of despair she was sucked into when she saw my body. She doesn't even talk anymore when she's awake. But every time she falls asleep, she calls out to me repeatedly. I can tell she's having a nightmare. I would love to be able to go into her head and chase it away, but my Power disappeared when I died. Apparently, ghosts can't use the abilities they had when they were alive.

Stefan and Elena's relationship had gone south the day I died. By the time three months have passed since Founder's Day, their friendship is on very shaky ground. Stefan finally decides that he should leave and not come back. Seeing him just reminds Elena that I am dead. But Bonnie shows up just before he heads upstairs to my room to say goodbye to Elena. She spends most of her time either in my room or at my grave.

"Bonnie? What are you doing here?" Stefan asks when he answers the door.

"The spirits gave me a way to fix the mess I made," she says, stepping inside.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asks, his eyes narrowed. I watch them, knowing that this could turn interesting.

"Damon wasn't supposed to die on Founder's Day. Anna was," the witch says.

"Well, whoop-de-freaking-do," I grouse. "And how are you gonna fix that, witch? Your damned spirits won't allow a witch to resurrect the dead, you know. Not even a dark witch dares mess with necromancy." But, of course, neither of them can hear me.

"You said the spirits gave you a way to undo that?" Stefan asks hesitantly.

"They gave me a spell to send Elena back in time to the point in her relationship with Damon where she started falling in love with him. She can then rewrite history so that Damon lives."

"Fascinating," I admit. "I didn't know there were time travel spells."

"How?" Stefan asks.

"Well, only her spirit will go back in time. And she's the only one who'll remember the past several months. But I can give Damon back to her! She can change what has happened so that he lives!"

Stefan sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Where will that leave us?" he asks.

"Who cares?" I demand, even though he can't hear me. "I'm sick of watching Elena waste away! Anything is better than that!"

"Well, once she starts rewriting history, this timeline will disappear and be replaced with what will happen based on what she does. She will be the only one to know there was ever a difference. And she'd have to be extremely careful who she tells."

Stefan looks up towards where my room is. "If it means Elena will be happy again, I'd do anything," he says. "I'd even watch her be with Damon if that's what will make her happy."

"Then we better go let her know about this opportunity the spirits are giving her," Bonnie sighs. "Though she might try to kill me for being the reason Damon died."

"I'll hold her back while you explain things," Stefan promises.

I answer Elena's summons and flash upstairs. Funny thing about being a ghost: if someone is thinking of you, it's almost like a summons in the back of your mind. You can choose to answer it and go to them immediately to watch them, or you could just wander around. Every last one of Elena's thoughts has been about me since I died, giving me instantaneous access to her no matter where she is, even in the shower. That kick wore off fast thanks to her downward spiral into the heart of despair.

I look down at the broken woman lying on my bed. "Elena, they can bring us back together," I tell her softly, placing my hand on her cheek. Neither of us can feel it and she can't hear me.

"Elena?" Stefan calls from the open door. She tilts her head slightly towards him to acknowledge that she heard him for once. "I decided that I should leave, and I decided I'd go today." She nods slightly. "I wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"Miss you," she croaks, her voice rusty from disuse.

"About time you spoke!" I snap at her, though she can't hear me.

My back is to Stefan, so I can't see his physical reaction to her actually speaking. "I'll miss you, too. You have a key to the house, and you're welcome to come anytime, even when no one is actually living here."

He hesitates about telling her about Bonnie's offer. "If you don't tell her, I'll find some way to torture you for the rest of eternity!" I growl, turning to him.

He sighs. "Someone came over to see you," he says, stepping aside to reveal Bonnie, who was standing behind him.

Elena lunges out of bed, shocking both of them. She stalks towards the witch like a predator would stalk prey. "Why should I talk to you?" she snarls, her voice back in an instant. "It's your fault he's dead! It's your fault he's not coming back! I should kill you like you killed him!"

"Easy, kitten," I tell her, even though I know it's useless. "She's come to set things right."

Stefan dodges behind Elena and pins her arms behind her back before she can strangle the witch. Even though my brother is a vampire, even if he is on that stupid animal diet, he has to struggle to keep Elena away from Bonnie. "Listen to what she has to say, Elena. There might be a way to make things right again!" he says.

Bonnie's eyes are wide with fright. "I know you don't want to see me," the witch says quickly. "But the spirits said that Damon was not supposed to die that day. They gave me a spell that I can use to send you back to a point in time where you can alter history so that he lives. I can give him back to you, Elena!"

As the witch's words sink into her brain, the fight leaves Elena and she sags in my brother's arms. "I can save him?" she asks weakly. "I can have him back?"

"I can send you back to the point where your relationship with him took the first major turn towards love. That's where you have to start rewriting history before it happens again, and you can end up saving his life rather than burying him again. I have to warn you though; the one who was supposed to die that day was Anna. There is a slight chance where you can save both of them, the spirits said."

I know where my relationship with Elena took its first major turn: the trip to Georgia. That was when she stopped hating me and decided that we could be friends. But apparently, Elena is barely paying attention as life returns to her eyes. "I can have him back," she whispers. I see tears of joy filling her eyes. ""I can have him back."

"Kitten, pay attention to the witch. You can get caught up in the joy of the occasion some other time!" I growl.

Bonnie grabs Elena's arms to regain her attention. Elena looks at the witch, life back in her eyes. "Elena, you will be the only one who will know what will happen. You have to be extremely careful who you tell. It's preferable that you tell no one. Not until after it's all over, at least. And even then, don't go blabbing to everyone," the witch says emphatically, making sure that her words register this time.

Elena nods. "Okay," she says. "Tell no one what I remember if I can help it. Got it."

The witch gives my brother a look; he releases Elena and steps back. Bonnie takes a deep breath before placing her fingers lightly on the edges of Elena's face. "Now, I want you to concentrate on the point in time you started developing feelings for Damon," she says. "Let me know when you got it."

It's a few minutes before Elena nods. I roll my eyes at how long it takes her to realize when our relationship took its first step towards love. The witch starts chanting and suddenly, I'm caught in the spell. I see the look of surprise on my brother's face and realize he's in it as well. That's when I realize that everyone in the world is having their spirit sent six months back in time, not just Elena. Then my memories start playing backwards as a heavy wind snatches me up and sends me backwards. As each memory plays backward, it disappears from my mind.

I watch in fascination as the wind and memory rewind pick up their speed. Finally, the wind stops and so does the memory rewind and then it's all erased…