"JEREMY!" Elena grabbed the body, holding it as close to hers as physically possible.
"No!" Bonnie gasped through a mouthful of blood, tears already streamed down her face.
Damon wasn't paying attention to any of this though; he was watching the slowly shifting figure of Silas just feet from Elena.
"Elena, take Jeremy and go, I'll grab Bonnie…" He said, shoving Elena out of the cavern. Elena flashed out, taking Jeremy with her. Damon leaned down and grabbed Bonnie, mindful of the injury she had just received thanks to the damn hunter.
Once they reached the sunlit beach, Damon almost cried. Elena sat, shaking, crying and clutching Jeremy, telling him to wake up, telling him that everything was going to be alright. Damon felt as if his heart had been staked, but somehow he was still breathing.
"First my parents…and then Jenna, Alaric…and now Jeremy; how many more!?" Elena demanded, shouting at the sky.
"Elena," Damon removed his wrist from Bonnie's mouth, she would heal, but he wasn't so sure about Elena.
"I-Damon," She leaned into his chest and cried; she cried harder than he'd ever seen. It wasn't just for Jeremy this time, but for everybody that she couldn't save.
Night pressed on the island; the storm clouds rolled in, leading them into an impending darkness.
"She was here, she knew from the first mention of Silas," Stefan said aloud, breaking the deafening silence.
Damon stroked Elena's hair and glanced at his brother; nodding slightly. He didn't want to think right now…his heart felt like molten lead, and his thoughts were more twisted than this whole situation.
"So, where does that leave us? We have the world's most powerful being miles below our feet, ready to kill us. A dead hunter; a wounded witch; a psycho who's lead us to our deaths, and four vampires who are trying to fight for their lives."
"Wow, Bekah, You have an amazing ability to point out the obvious," Damon chided. He shifted so that Elena could sit without leaning against him, but he kept a protective arm around her shoulders.
"I'm only trying to help, I don't need the attitude," Rebekah replied sharply.
"We need to get off this island; if Silas doesn't have enough blood to sustain himself, then maybe he'll die." Stefan interjected helpfully.
"You guys go," Damon said, standing up and brushing the sand from his knees. "I'm going to kill Silas,"
"And I'm going to kill Katherine," Bonnie and Elena said at the same time.
"No, Elena, you're going home, take Jeremy home," Damon stared intently into her eyes, begging her to leave.
"Elena, go! I can take care of Katherine," Bonnie urged, stumbling slightly as she tried to stand. Damon held out his hand and she stood, swaying slightly.
"No, if anybody's going to kill that bitch it's going to be me, she killed my brother," Elena snapped tears spilled from her eyes again, but she let them fall.
"No, I'm not endangering you again! You take Jeremy and go home, I'll stay here with Bonnie and I'll meet you there…I promise." Damon moved Elena towards the small row of boats that were still anchored to the shoreline. Stefan lifted Jeremy in a fireman's carry and placed him gently in the first boat. Rebekah followed suit and sat in the second boat.
"Damon," Elena only needed to say his name for him to listen.
"Elena," he replied softly, "You need to get Jeremy home."
"But, Bonnie," Elena pleaded.
Bonnie sighed, "There's nothing I can do for him, Elena," the witch frowned, whipping stray tears of pain and sadness from her own cheeks.
"Are we going or what?" Rebekah called from the boat.
Elena gave Damon one last fleeting look; something flickered in her eyes, a movement very much like a light switch being turned off.
"Let's go," Elena said darkly.
Damon reached for her, but she flashed into the boat too quickly.
"I SAID LETS GO!" She yelled at Stefan, who flinched and started untying the ropes.
"I'll see you soon," Damon waved meekly as he and Bonnie were left on the shore.
Elena held Jeremy's still form in her arms and stroked his head, but there were no more tears.
The little boat floated away until it was almost invisible on the horizon, Damon glanced at Bonnie and gave her a smirk, "You ready for this?"
"I've been ready…"
"She hates me, right?" He wondered aloud, glancing back towards the ocean.
"Oh yeah," The witch replied, she turned and walked back towards the dark caves, very distantly, or so he thought, Damon heard the rumbling of something stirring, something he wasn't sure he could defeat, something he wasn't sure he could survive, but he knew he had to at least try, even if it killed him.