Hey all! This is just a piece for Damon, immediately following the end of Season 2 Episode 22, "As I Lay Dying."

A The Vampire Diaries Fanfic: Dream for the Unrequited

My strength was returning, slowly, slowly, so slowly. It was inching closer as whatever the hell that was in the bottle inched its way through my system. But I was so tired and none of the words made sense. Stefan had what? Brother, why? Why would you leave her to me? You can't do this. I was supposed to die.

"You need to sleep, Damon. We'll-we'll figure something out in the morning."

But I had to move...My arms just flopped and my chest coughed and my head was hot. Elena had to be...but she was leaving, going to the door.

"Elena, wait," I called. She looked back at me. "Are you...Are you going to be alright?"

I reached for her to make her understand.

Her eyes teared back, but she blinked it away. Her lips were in a thin line and her jaw tightened. "Just-We'll figure something out in the morning, Damon. So sleep now."

I fell back on to the covers and let sleep overtake me.

I was in one of the bits of forest in and around Mystic Falls. It looked familiar at least, and I supposed it might have been where Stefan once hunted Bambi. A carpet of brown pine needles for a world of brown stick trees underneath a startlingly blue sky.

A girl was standing in front of me like she belonged there.

She was beautiful. I noticed that first.

She was wearing a simple blue cotton summer dress and looking at me like I was the lifeboat to save her from drowning.

"Damon," she said. "Oh my god, it's really you." The girl-woman-started to cry. Not a thing on my priorities list: having strange women cry at the sight of me. But then, she was giving off this weird sort of energy, connection. Like I knew her from somewhere. Goose bumps skittered across my arms underneath my long shirt sleeves as an invisible something seemed to pull me towards her. And she knew my name.

"Um, can I help you?" The lady looking for a hot lifeguard? She didn't answer. This was really my brother's department. Really. Picking up depressed girls was supremely his cup of tea. Which is fine with me. This whole feeling thing was freaking me out though. It was like a strange magnetism almost.

I should go and find Stefan and Elena and make sure nobody was getting themselves killed. Again. I turned away from the human water fountain. "Well, if you're not going to be any help, I'll leave-"

"No! Damon, please!" Suddenly she sped in front of me, vampire-style. This woman was getting more and more interesting. Her eyes and cheeks were still wet and she was looking at my face, searching. Interesting: she smelled mostly human. Then she must have not been a vampire for too long.

I felt it again like a punch in the gut: connection. Magnets. Why did she seem to know me and I, her? Why did her eyes seem to have already memorized my face though this was our first meeting? She crossed the gap between us with her hand and cupped my cheek. Her hand was shaking as her head started moving back and forth slightly as she stared at me. She stopped moving her head about, took a breath, and moved her hand to the back of my neck. Well, wasn't this friendly?

"Damon, I need you to listen to me," she said, now looking into my eyes. "I have a message. I know you're hurting now. I know all the pain you carry in your heart. But, but." Her eyes flicked down a moment and then back at me. "Wait for me, Damon. I'm coming soon. For you. And only for you. Don't do anything stupid or rash or dumb before then. Because, Damon, we're going to be beautiful and special."

The last words had trembled to a whisper and she closed her eyes, her face leaning closer almost unconsciously, like she was trying to breath me in. Her eyes suddenly opened to bore into mine and her voice came back with renewed force. "You, my not-hero, are beautiful and special. You have waited so long and been through so much and I'm coming soon. Don't lose hope. Wait for me, my love."

Then she yanked me forward and our lips locked together easily as her hand stroked the hairs on the back of my neck. This was nice. I tasted her tears. Then she started turning into light, started dissolving away from me. "No, wait! Who are you?" I demanded as I tried to grab hold of her, keep her to me. "How will I know you?"

Her face was still distinguishable and wet from crying. She gave a half-smile. "Just you wait, Mr. Salvatore," she said. "We'll have the best of times. Wait for me." And then in a bright flash she was gone.

I woke up.

Everyone understand what just happened there? Damon's true love just sent him a message via a dream. She's from the future and let's say somehow giving this dream to past Damon is important and Bonnie was called in to work magical spell thing. In other words, my sincere hope for the show is they'll introduce a new character, and she and Damon will legitimately fall in love/she will help him get over Elena. Aaaand that she won't die within 3 episodes (Rose) or have to be compelled into liking him (Andy) or be just a 'distraction' (Rose & Andy). Damon really deserves love and somebody to care for him...in my humble opinion.

Please review?