AN: Hey, everyone! So, as you can see, I'm back on after over a year. I'm so incredibly sorry for the absence! I have an explanation on my profile if you want to know more since I don't want to post that with the story. Anyways, I've decided to rewrite He's Back and make it longer and more polished and mature. Thanks to everyone who's supported me and this story through out this year and a half!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. In fact, I'm not even quite sure who does since it isn't L.J. Smith's now.
Elena wasn't all right. Despite the example she'd just had of a turn-on-a-dime plotting and scheming, she was scarcely listening. All she knew was that her voice had gone husky and that tears blurred her eyes. "And… for the Master Key-I want-"
Stefan squeezed her hand. Elena suddenly realized they were all standing, all three of them, beside her. And the look on every face was the same. Dead resolve.
"I want Damon back." Elena hadn't heard quite this note in her voice since the day she'd been told both her parents had died. If there had been a table, she would have put her clenched fists on it and did her best to loom over the women. As it was, she simply leaned towards them, speaking in a low and grating voice. "If you do that- bring him back, exactly as he was before he walked into the Gatehouse- then you get the Master Key and the treasures. You say no- and you lose everything. Everything. This is non-negotiable, get it?"
She kept staring into Idola's green eyes. She refused to see dark Susurre drop her forehead onto three fingertips and rub it in small circles. She wouldn't even give a glance to blond Ryannen, who was looking at her steadily, having gone into people-management mode. She stared directly into those green eyes under their willful eyebrows. Idola gave a little huff and shook her head.
"It isn't that simple. This isn't just a matter of bringing back an innocent human who's life ended too soon because of the supernatural. You're asking for us to bring a five-century old vampire back. A vampire who's killed more humans than he can count, remorselessly. I don't see how we could allow your Damon to rightly come back to his life."
Hair swinging as she shook her head at the Guardian's words, Elena responded, "I know that by just looking at his life in general, he's done a lot of terrible things. But he's changed, so, so much. He was an innocent person caught up in the battle in Fell's Church. He didn't cause it to happen, and especially didn't want it to. Damon died for us, to save us. Without him, we'd all probably be dead ten times over. I know it's hard for you to believe and trust me when I tell you Damon deserves to live again, but you have to. He's lost enough and been punished enough already. Please, just give him a second chance." Tears were streaming down Elena's face by the end of her plea, yet she refused to break eye contact with Idola.
The two girls stared at each other for a minute, one pleading while the other judged, until the eye contact was broken by Idola signaling to Susurre and Ryannen. The three Guardians gathered to the side, seemingly arguing yet doing so quietly so nothing could be heard by Elena. Finally, Idola broke away from the other two with a frustrated look on her face. Rather than say anything though, she just crossed her arms and glared at the group.
Ryannen stepped forward, taking this as her cue to deliver their decision, "We have decided that Damon will be brought back along with the others. However, there is a catch. We will be watching him, and consequently you, to make sure that he truly has changed. If we believe he has, then he will be allowed to stay. If not, then he will be brought back here with no more chances. Do you agree to these terms?"
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Elena whispered, "I do."
XXX
Elena startled awake in a dark room. She widened her eyes to try and get them to adjust to the darkness, not wanting to move until she knew where she was. When she was finally able to see without trouble, her eyes immediately opened wide in shock again. She was in her bedroom, the one in the house she had lived and grown up in for seventeen years! Looking around, she was amazed to see her room in a spotless condition, old things mixed with new, unfamiliar ones. There were some changes, new clothing peaking through the gap in the closet door, a diploma hanging on the wall, and new photos littering nightstands; yet, it was still definitely her room. She glanced at the digital clock next to her bed and saw that it was just a minute past midnight. Elena smiled to herself, and grabbed her diary from it's trusty hiding spot, beginning to chronicle their adventures.
Bonnie woke up on an angel soft bed. She felt safe in this place, as if it was a refuge. A dull orange light from a nightlight lit up the room, revealing blue walls, white furniture, and random books and clothing dotting the room. Bonnie immediately knew where she was- her bedroom in little ol' Fell's Church. Laughing in disbelief, Bonnie flopped back down onto her bed, knowing that everything was okay. At least for the moment.
Maroon was the first thing Meredith's eyes were greeted with when she woke up. She swore to herself quietly, not understanding how she had just been transported from the Saitou's house to a completely different place, that upon further inspection, turned out to be her bedroom. Analyzing the room, Meredith noted a few changes: a diploma was being proudly displayed on her desk, a new bedspread covered the mattress in the corner, unfamiliar pictures were hung on the walls, and some of the pictures that had used to hang were no longer there. Desperate to try and find out what was going on, Meredith grabbed her phone and checked the time. 12:01. Turns out they survived the Last Midnight after all.
Matt found himself on a slightly lumpy, but comfortable mattress. Confused barely even began to cover how he felt. How did he end up in his bedroom when, a second ago, he had been in front of the Saitou's burning house celebrating the victory over Inari? Why was he on a mattress he knew all too well, having struggled to find a flat, soft spot on it for seventeen years? What had happened to Meredith? Knowing his questions likely wouldn't be answered anytime soon, Matt decided to look around his all too-familiar bedroom. Yet it wasn't quite as familiar as normal. Additional football plaques hung all the walls, along with a diploma. The room didn't look as raggedy or dirty as it had been just this morning, but rather neatly lived in. Running his hand through his hair, Matt checked the time. Shaking his head in disbelief and just plain confusion, he looked at the four numbers proving that they had survived the previous day.
Both residents at the boardinghouse woke at the same time. Stefan was wary and confused about where he was until he looked around. He relaxed noticeably when he saw that he was in the boardinghouse. Yet his room looked more lived in and homey than ever before with photos of him and Elena, Bonnie, Meredith, Matt, and even a rare few of Damon at various events. He saw some commemorating graduation, others at a beach, some in the boardinghouse, and others at places he didn't even know. Looking at the antique clock on the wall, Stefan saw that it was 12:01. The Last Midnight was over. Meanwhile, Mrs. Flowers had been experiencing a similar process. She had searched her room visually, identifying new and old objects until she landed on the clock. "Oh, Mama, it's finally over."
XXX
Opening his eyes, Damon found himself in a tree. Deciding not to question it, he chalked his perch up to boredom. Then, feeling restless, he launched himself out of the tree, transforming into a crow midway through. The crow let out a loud caw, soaring over the darkened town of Fell's Church and landing in the tree just outside Elena's bedroom. He watched as Elena scribbled into her diary, filling up pages and pages with her handwriting. Hours later, she finally fell asleep having run out of room in her diary. Finally morphing back to his human form, Damon entered her dreams, determined to once again try and convince her to be his.
AN: And that is the new first chapter of He's Back! I'll be deleting all of the old ones at one time, so it'll basically be like they never existed and I'm just posting them for the first time. There have been some plot changes as you can see, but I feel like this will be much better than the first copy! :) Again, thank you all for your follows, favorites, and reviews! Please, please, please let me know what you think of this! You're all awesome.