How could I have Forgotten?

There were three things that Damon Salvatore had only ever done for one person, because he felt a deep connection with them that was not related to blood or Power.

One: Apologized

Two: Died

Three: Bought three cotton candies

These things seemed, to Damon, very important, though he could not for the life of him remember why, or who he'd done these things for. He remembered crying in joy because this person was safe in his arms after he had put her in so much danger. He remembered the pain of the stake going through his heart but none of it mattering, because she was safe. He remembered her fluttering her eyelashes at him as she talked about tunnels of love and stuffed toys. But he still couldn't even remember what she looked like. Who was she? Damon didn't know.

He remembered that he'd saved her from danger many a time and that once, he and he alone had been the one to figure out how to save her from something that would have killed her. He remembered thinking that she was a maiden 'no longer a girl but not yet a woman' and he remembered that she was the only true maiden he knew.

Damn the creature that had done this, damn them to the deepest pits of hell! How dare they take away his memories of this beautiful, powerful - yes he remembered that she was very powerful - maiden. He swore that the creature behind this was going to wish that they hadn't been born. He remembered that she hated violence and the slightest drop of blood made her faint so he decided that she would be appropriately far away when he ripped the monsters heart out.

Just then, there was a rapping on the door and Damon heard Mrs. Flowers' voice say 'Damon? Are you okay? Mama can feel dark magic all around your room.'

Damon opened the large oak door that led to his bedroom and told Mrs. Flowers what he knew. 'I have forgotten someone, a maiden, someone powerful and beautiful and I have forgotten her.' He sighed. Then he thought of that kitsune, Shinichi, who had infiltrated his mind and taken his memories one by one. 'I believe that a kitsune is tampering with my mind.' In fact, Damon was sure of it. So he was surprised when the wise woman said 'No dear, I would have sensed a kitsune, plus kitsune spells are not this obvious. This is arcane witchcraft, amateur work at best.' Mrs. Flowers shook her head at nothing in particular. 'Now you say you have forgotten a young lady? Do you recognize the name, Elena?'

'Yes, that's my brother's girlfriend. Who I used to chase after like a puppy.'

Mrs. Flowers just nodded.

'Meredith?'

'Yes, she is the scary one who I can't look in the eye.' Damon wasn't sure why he was telling this to Mrs. Flowers but something told him not to argue it.

'Bonnie?'

Now who was that? Damon thought about it for a minute but could not put a face to the name. Although when he did think hard enough, he saw a splash of red and heard a giggle in his head.

'No, although I hear a girl laughing and see what looks like flames.'

Mrs. Flowers smiled at him. Then she started chanting in some weird language that sounded vaguely familiar. Damon felt a shock go through his body over and over again, until Mrs. Flowers stopped chanting and said 'Because the person casting the spell was human, a powerful human but yes it was a human, I was able to reverse it. The effects should kick in soon.' But Damon didn't hear her, he was too wrapped up in the images in his head, bright red curls that looked like flames, large doe brown eyes, bravery in the most unlikely of situations and a laugh like a peal of bells. And then he remembered.

Bonnie.

As Damon's memories of Bonnie returned, he started to remember the moments before the spell had been put on him. He could only see flashes in his head, but he saw grey mists and black walls and blonde hair, whipping in an unnatural wind. Then he recalled that Mrs. Flowers had said that the human that had done this was powerful. And now they were blonde. Only two people came to mind and one had been a vampire not human. So it had to be... but it couldn't be... Elena.

The pieces came together in Damon's head, one by one. He had been spending a lot of time around Bonnie lately and Elena's attitude to them both had changed. She made an effort to flirt with Damon and often shot Bonnie death glares. Elena was jealous. He needed to talk to Stefan, and fast.

Stefan refused to believe what his brother was telling him. 'But Stefan, you have to believe me! Please Stefan.' That shocked Stefan even more, but it proved that Damon was telling the truth about what Elena had done. He just didn't understand. Elena had sworn to him that she was over with Damon, that she was going to concentrate on them, that he was the only one she truly loved. But she had lied. Stefan had seen Elena's shift in mood toward Damon and Bonnie too, he hadn't wanted to, but he had. It hurt him when he saw her throw a flirty glance at Damon or when she made extra sure that she would be the one to sit next to both him and Damon at breakfast. Stefan remembered a morning last week when she had sat down between the two brothers, opposite Bonnie, who received a smug look. Damon had moved from his seat and sat between Bonnie and Meredith. Elena had fumed, and Bonnie was ignored for the rest of the day. He had trusted Elena and she had messed with his heart. For that, he would help his brother in any way possible. 'What do we do?' he said.

'First I need you to get Meredith here, I'll get Bonnie. Oh, and Matt too. We're going to need the muscle.'

Stefan smiled at Damon. 'You called Matt, Matt. YOU'VE GONE SOFT!' and he burst out laughing. Damon walked away, muttering under his breath.

Elena had been enjoying a day of being alive with her family. What had happened last night wasn't even registered as a coherent thought in Elena's blonde head. Until she neared the boarding house, that is. Then she smiled at the thought of the two Salvatore brothers wanting to pander to her every need. She wondered whether Bonnie had shown up yet and been rejected by Damon as a stranger or even better, been drained dry by the no-remorse vampire she wanted. It wasn't that she loved both of the vampires as they both thought; she just wanted them to be hers and hers alone. But Damon had been straying to Bonnie lately; he even had the cheek to sit with her at breakfast instead of me! That just wouldn't do, so Elena took a look in Mrs. Flowers old Grimoires and found the perfect spell that even she could do. She felt confident it worked. Until she walked into the boarding house living room and saw five pairs of very angry eyes trained on her. Uh Oh.