Elena hadn't left her room in two days. She couldn't believe it was real. Stefan was locked in the tomb with Katherine, and Bonnie wasn't anywhere near strong enough, even with help, to get him out. Jeremy had apologized at least a hundred and fifty times, but Elena couldn't blame him. She couldn't blame anyone but herself. After all, she was the one who had taken off, and caused Damon to come running after her. If it hadn't been for her, Damon would have been around to stop Stefan from doing something as stupid as running into the tomb.
Stefan. She missed him. His soft skin, his comforting touch. She wondered if she'd ever experience it again. The very idea of him being gone forever was too much for her to bear. Tears filled her eyes once more, and she curled up into a ball in her bed. Her brown eyes shut as she attempted to fall asleep. As she was about to drift off, she heard a noise. Someone was coming to check on her again. She groaned, not wanting to open her eyes and find Jenna standing there with more comfort food that she wouldn't eat, trying to coax her out of hiding, not wanting to find Jeremy with another speech on how it was all his fault and how he'd do whatever it took to fix it.
But when she opened her eyes, it was Damon standing at the end of her bed, a sad expression on his face.
"Go away," Elena said firmly, rolling over and closing her eyes again.
"No." He shook his head and sat down at the end of her bed. "You can't stay in here forever, Elena."
"Why not?" She asked icily.
"Because it's not going to get Stefan out of there, and it's not going to make you feel any better."
"And you know a way to do either of those things?"
"No," he admitted slowly. "But I'm going to try to figure one out."
"To get Stefan out or to make me feel better?"
"Both." Damon stood, and leaned over to grab her arms.
"Let go of me." she struggled, but he pulled her to her feet without an ounce of difficulty. Defeated, she folded her arms and glared at him. "There, I'm up now. Happy?"
"Not really, no." His blue eyes gazed down at her in a way that was hard to read, which wasn't unusual. "Now, get ready, and come with me. You're going to stay at the boarding house for a few days, because we're going to spend every waking moment working on this."
"Why?" She didn't budge an inch.
"Do you want to figure out how to get Stefan out of the tomb or not?"
"Alright, you win." She rolled her eyes and began to move towards her closet.
"Don't forget to shower." He added, and she glared at him again. "It only shows a little." He said defensively.
Within forty five minutes, Elena and Damon were on their way back to the boarding house.
"Bonnie and Ric are meeting us here," Damon told her as they arrived. He pushed open the door, and held it for her as she walked in. He instantly noticed her fallen expression. "I'm sorry."
"It's already weird without him here." She said stiffly, holding back tears.
"You can take your bag upstairs." He offered awkwardly. "You can sleep in any room you want."
Without responding, Elena headed up the stairs and into Stefan's room. It was like being punched in the gut. She turned on her heel instantly and walked out, heading down the hall. She picked the next room that looked decent, and wandered in. It seemed comfortable enough. She swung her bag down and lay back on the large bed. It was rather nice...
"Not this again." Damon groaned and tugged Elena up and out of bed for the second time that day.
"What?" She shook his hand off of her arm.
"You're taking a nap, and we're downstairs trying to figure out a way to get your little boyfriend back."
"Your brother, too," she snapped back, but then hesitated. "I'm sorry. It's hard for both of us."
"Yes," he smirked. "Yes, it is."
Elena sighed and headed downstairs, Damon following close behind. Alaric and Bonnie were both seated on couches pouring over old books.
"Hi, Elena," Bonnie smiled at her awkwardly, and then glanced back down at her book, muttering to herself. "There has to be a loophole."
"Hi, Bonnie," Elena responded slowly. "What can I do to help?"
"Just start looking." Damon replied dryly. "It's not like we have anything to go on."
Ignoring him, Elena grabbed an untouched book from the pile and flipped it open. Nothing. She turned the page and read more. Nothing.
Five hours and twenty books later, discouragement was oozing from the room.
Bonnie closed the book she had been reading, and without looking up, mumbled, "I don't think there's anything we can do until I find a witch as powerful as Grams was to help me reverse it."
"How long will that take?" Alaric asked, setting his book back down on the table too.
"Could take years." Damon responded cheerfully. Elena glared at him.
"We're not giving up." She insisted, standing. "This is Stefan we're talking about."
"At least he has company." Damon grinned as he stood. Elena's palm met his face before he could deflect it. No one spoke as she disappeared up the stairs.
"Well, that was interesting." Damon said, rubbing his cheek where she'd slapped him.
"Stop messing with her," Alaric said firmly. "She's pretty upset right now, Damon."
"Oh, I'll do what I want." Damon's eyes glinted. "But we're going to have to postpone this little gathering for now. I guess we have an over-emotional teenager to deal with."
"She's my best friend." Bonnie snapped. "And even though I don't like your kind, I'll do what it takes to make her feel better."
"Is that so?" Damon smiled and lifted his eyebrows.
"Come on, Bonnie," Alaric said comfortingly. "We better get going."
"Just leave her alone, Damon." Bonnie hissed as they left the boarding house. Damon rolled his eyes and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He chugged it easily, and set it down on the table. It was time to go calm the girl down. He sauntered up the stairs, wondering if she'd be crying, sleeping, or ready to fight him again, which he didn't mind so much.
As he opened the door to the room she had chosen to stay in, he realized the answer was none of the above. Cold air blew into the room through the open window. She was gone.