Title: Wreck of Our Hearts

Summary: Elena's awake but everything has changed. Damon is being controlled by something evil and no one has any idea on how to save him, including her. Plus, Kai may have had one more trick up his sleeve when he cast the Sleeping Beauty spell and no one expected it. (Post Season 7; Continued AU)

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. No profit is being made from this work.

A/N: Since the response was so positive I've decided to continue with the story! Enjoy! xx


Stepping out of the shower, I wrap the maroon cotton towel around my body and squeeze out water from my hair. The mirrors are foggy and I run my hand across it enough to create a window to see myself. I stare at my face, at the frown pulling at my mouth and keep seeing Damon's face as he lunged at my neck. My hand slides up the slender column looking for any trace of the bite but I know there won't be any.

I'm a vampire again. I've healed.

But the memory is still there. Clear and vibrant as if it just happened.

I know the exact place his teeth pricked my skin and drew my blood. I remember the paralyzing shock of the knowledge that he didn't remember me; didn't remember us. I suppose this is all some kind of karma for pleading with Ric to erase the memory of Damon when I thought I'd never see him again. But even when he was gone from my memory, a connection was still there. I still felt drawn to him. Damon didn't have any inkling of even our acquaintance when his eyes landed on my face.

Taking my eyes from the mirror, I go about brushing my teeth and quickly blow drying my hair. After throwing on a pair of yoga pants and a grey zip-up hoodie, I twist my hair up into a messy bun and begin to make my way out of the room to go down the stairs to where I can already hear my friends talking.

"How could this not work?" I hear Bonnie ask. "Elena was our only hope."

I pause outside Damon's room, clutching at the doorway as I hear Stefan sigh. "Sybil's hold on him is just stronger than we thought."

"How did Enzo resist though?" Caroline questions. "He remembers Bonnie. He wasn't gone in all the ways Damon is. And—no offense Bon—but this is Damon and Elena…"

Bonnie expels a breath. "I get it. I don't understand it either. They've always found their way back to each other."

There's silence and then I hear Stefan say, "I was so sure Elena would be enough."

Hearing his words gets to me and I turn my face to look back into Damon's bedroom. It's always been so much different than Stefan's. Stefan's is cluttered with his journals and mementos whereas Damon hung on to very little through his long life. There are a few first editions, some vintage tee's that I know he bought brand spanking new, a photo I stole from his mother's prison world, and a few jewelry pieces he's held on to from 1864.

I used to find it so odd that Damon held on to so very little until I remembered that he never had much he wanted to remember. He fought so long for Katherine only to find out he was being used and much of his life before that was spent alone. Until I came along.

My eyes land on the picture frame beside his bed. It's one of the two of us at my parents' lake house from before he had died—during my amazing summer. I had snapped it from my phone when we had gone up there to escape for a weekend. He's smiling against my face and my eyes are closed in bliss. We look happy and remembering that weekend, I know we were. We are. Damon hadn't started hanging on to things until I walked into his life.

Now his room looks lived in; rather than just a place he crashed. That means something.

Photos of us are littered about the room, a stack of cheesy movies lay beside his DVD player from when we stayed inside one rainy day and tried to educate each other on classic films. I know I have several drawers filled with my clothes mixed in with the drawers of his; and his closet isn't just a homage to the different shades of black but full of bright colored tee's and sweaters. The essence of us is bringing more warmth into this room with its deep red sheets and dark furniture than any beam of sunlight through his windows could ever do.

If anyone has any hope of bringing Damon back it's me. And I'm not ready to give up on him just yet.

I flash to just about the base of the stairs, where I take the final few steps at human speed and stroll into the room. Three tired faces look up at me and I see the burning concern and questions they're all attempting to hide; all of it drowning in guilt and pity. They just remembered that I now have vampire hearing.

"Enzo didn't turn his humanity off. That's why Sybil hasn't gotten to him."

Bonnie is nodding her head, agreeing. "But why make Damon forget you? What's the endgame? What's the need to do that if he's already doing her bidding?"

"I'm not sure."

Caroline stands up, her flowy top swaying as she begins to pace around the parlor. "Both of them were Whitmore vampires, right?" At our nods, she continues. "They've faced torture that none of us can even imagine and Enzo only got out of it our Freshman year. Enzo can handle torture. It's possible Damon couldn't."

Stefan looks at me as he says, "It's definitely possible. So Damon gave in quicker—turned off his humanity. Enzo is supporting her purely out of fear. That's why he's capable of blocking Bonnie from Sybil."

"But it doesn't answer the question of why Elena was erased from Damon's memory," Caroline adds, crossing her arms over her body.

My mind is grappling at anything to make sense of this and nothing seems to be enough of a stretch to stick. Even if Damon loves me, Sybil controls him. It's not like Damon knew where I was being hidden and my life wasn't in danger the way Bonnie's can be. Unless maybe there was a way I was. "But Enzo answered that for us, didn't he? He's hiding Bonnie from Sybil. Maybe Damon tried to hide me and she found out."

"But," Bonnie says, "Why hide you? You were—for all intents and purposes—gone, Elena. You weren't a threat to her control on him because of Kai's curse."

Stefan's eyes widen in realization. "Elena is Damon's humanity."

"…Okay?" Bonnie drags out.

"Don't you get it?" he exclaims, stance opening up and gaining all of our attention. "Damon may not have fully given over to Sybil. He was hanging on to the thought of you and Sybil must have found out."

Caroline walks over to him, placing her left hand on his arm. "That's all well and good but with Elena gone from his memory, his humanity went right along with it."

"We still don't know how to pull him back," I add. "He doesn't remember me."

Stefan's arms cross over his body, his one hand lifting to rest against his cheek. "We just have to make him. Somehow we have to get him and help him remember you."

"Where do we even start?"

I want to fight for him, I need to. But there needs to be more of a plan than to just force him to face his humanity. We need more information on how sirens work and how deep their control is on the people they take.

Stefan looks at Bonnie. "We get Enzo."


"Bonnie's working on Enzo. Our job is to keep Damon and Sybil distracted."

I nod along, eyes scanning around me looking for any sign of Damon and the siren. Caroline filled Alaric in on everything and he managed to find some kind of tuning fork to take Sybil out of commission. They already know we have it, so we're trying to be extra alert. This time I know I'll be ready for when Damon will attack.

Stefan hopes we'll be able to capture Damon too but he isn't banking on it. It was hard enough just to lure them out to their respective places. We're already hoping for a miracle with Enzo and that this all doesn't go south. We can't exactly hope for much more.

We're in the parking lot of an abandoned carnival, a large broken Ferris wheel standing as our backdrop. Stefan stands in the forefront with me a few inches to his left and Caroline is hidden in the Hall of Mirrors to our right, ready for the moment Sybil or Damon gets too close.

The sound of heels against concrete alerts us to the sirens presence.

It's the first time I'm seeing Sybil and I'm not sure what I expected, but it was definitely something more sinister. She looks like some regular girl around the age that Caroline and I are supposed to be. Her hair is chopped to her chin and wavy and she's dressed more for a business meeting than for what is about to transpire here. Despite her appearance, I know exactly what she's capable of and I don't plan on letting my guard down.

Her pursed full lips open up into a faux smile. "You must be Elena."

"And you're Sybil—the siren controlling my boyfriend."

She gives an annoying fake laugh, one sure enough to make me cringe. "I can see what Damon must have loved about you. You have spunk."

My eyes narrow and I'm about to speak when Stefan interrupts me. "Where is my brother?"

"Oh, he'll be here shortly. He had one more errand to run for me."

Stefan's arms cross over his body. "That wasn't the deal. You promised both of you would be here."

She cocks her head at Stefan, smiling. "You think I don't know what you're up to, Stefan Salvatore? You're trying to free Enzo from my clutches by distracting me."

"Not at all," he lies.

That annoying laugh sounds again and my jaw tightens as she speaks. "I've been around a long, long time. I know when I'm being baited."

"Fine," I say. "You're on to us. But be honest—you never really had control over him to begin with, did you?"

Her eyes travel over my body. "He may not be as devoted as Damon but he's served me well. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to let him go."

"Then why come here? Why make yourself vulnerable?"

Her eyes slide upwards for a moment as she smiles to herself. "If I've made myself vulnerable it's because I want you to believe I am. Bonnie Bennett can have her precious Enzo…. if she's capable of breaking my connection over him. But my question is: why save Enzo and not Damon?"

I'm clenching my teeth as I bite the words out. "He doesn't want to be saved."

Sybil's growing smile is reminiscent of every big bad on every show or movie I've ever watched. It's slow and creepy and all-knowing and has me worried. The sight of it makes me nervous for Damon's lateness. My eyes start scanning the area around me.

"Damon was quite an easy candidate for my control; so many demons, so much guilt. I showed him his fiery fate and he gave his soul over to me to prevent it. Little did I know that while his waking hours we're devoted to me, he was hiding out in his dreams."

"His dreams?" Stefan questions.

She begins to look bored, annoyed. "He was escaping to his memories with Elena to hang on to his humanity. Damon was fighting against me. Just took a little tweaking is all."

My eyes land on hers as they shoot daggers at me. "So, that's why Damon didn't remember me."

That brings a smile to her face. "I have to admit; I wasn't quite sure how that would play out. I know all the disgusting details of your little love story and you were an obstacle I didn't expect to have to face for a few decades. However, it seems love truly doesn't concur all."

Her mouth curves downward in a pout before her head lulls back in laughter. The focus of her gaze captures my attention and Stefan and I both quickly twist around to see Damon holding Caroline by the throat with a piece of wood aimed directly at her heart.

"Caroline!" Stefan yells, moving to step forward. I halt him with my hand outstretched, urging him not to act hastily. One wrong move could end my best friend's life for good.

Sybil makes her way towards Damon, smiling like a proud mother. Her fingertips dance long the sleeve of Caroline's coat before flicking at the curls of her blonde hair. "Tsk, tsk… Stefan I really thought we were past these foolish attempts to capture me."

"Just let Caroline go," Stefan speaks. "Hurt me. Not her."

Damon digs the makeshift stake just enough into Caroline's chest to draw blood. She cries out against her attempt to bite her lip and I'm sure Stefan is about to lose it. The cold, heartless eyes of my boyfriend simply stare at us as he smiles, enjoying our pain. The heartbreak in my chest is no match for the anger brewing inside of me. I know what I have to do; it's just a matter of being strong enough to do it.

"This isn't you, Damon," I say.

His eyes narrow, the spider web veins growing from beneath his lower lashes. "It's who I am now."

"Caroline is Liz Forbes daughter. You remember Liz, right? She was your best friend. You once told me that with Liz gone you promised yourself you would always protect her daughter. It doesn't matter who you used to be, Damon. It matters who you are now."

"Aw, how sweet," Sybil says. "Elena is trying to pull out your humanity, Damon. She still hasn't given up on you."

"You haven't experienced, Hell," Damon says, squeezing Caroline's throat and making her gasp for air. "I'll do whatever Sybil asks of me if it prevents me from being on the menu at Cade's barbecue."

My eyes are pleading with him, trying to pull some memory free that's strong enough to shake his beliefs. "The Damon I love wouldn't back down from a fight. He'd go down fighting."

"This is my way of fighting, Elena."

It first sense of truth I've managed to get from him and I cling to it. He believes this is the only way to save his soul, but I know this is from a man who believed he would have to live without me for another fifty or so years.

"Or it's just another way of damning your soul."

The widening of his eyes is all the distraction I need. It's enough to capture Sybil's attention and for his hold on Caroline to lessen ever so slightly. I unclench my fist, letting the tuning fork slide free from sleeve of my jean jacket. Grasping it in my hand, I reach for the metal hammer and before Damon can form the warning to Sybil, I clank the hammer against the fork and watch as Sybil clutches at her ears. She falls to the ground and Damon releases Caroline to catch her. Caroline races into Stefan's arms as I repeatedly hit the fork over and over again.

With each vibration, Sybil's human form begins to change. Her skin turns a dark shade of green and her nails elongate into sharp talons. As she cries out in pain her mouth unhinges like a snake and her screeches pierce all of our ears.

"We need to get out of here!" I yell, starting to step back.

"What about Damon?" Stefan screams. "This is our moment."

Our eyes flicker towards him. Damon's crouched beside Sybil, clutching his own head, shaking it repeatedly and blinking his eyes at an alarming rate. He seems snapped out of whatever control Sybil had on him and this has to be the moment I've been hoping for.

"Damon!" I call, my voice rising above the tuning fork and Sybil's cries. It's like we're in a wind tunnel with the crushing volume and the swirls of pulsing air around us. "Damon!"

His eyes widen and I can sense the hope in his expression as he suddenly forms his mouth to say my name. "Elena?"

It's said so soft and full of hope that my heart soars. It's working. I'm getting through to him.

But then Sybil grasps his temples, meeting his gaze and he goes slack jawed. I'm not ready to give up on him and I find myself screaming his name, yelling above the chaos as I try to reach him, plead with him to come with me and let me save him.

"You're awake," I hear him say and forget to keep my repetitive beat against the fork.

In the brief second of silence, an arrow suddenly hits the arm holding the fork and it clangs to the ground with a final pulsating note. I pull the arrow free, tensing at the pain as my eyes glide over towards Sybil who is still in her horrifying form and clutching at Damon's face.

"Elena, we have to get out of here! Grab the fork and let's go!" Stefan yells.

I look over at Caroline's ashen face and Stefan's fear and decide to agree with him. Despite the brief breakthrough with Damon, I now know there's another enemy hiding nearby. It's too much to risk. If we lose this fork, we lose our only chance at destroying Sybil and getting Damon back. I reach down and grasp the tuning fork and with one last regretful look at Damon who is once again under Sybil's control and starting to rise up and attack me.

Quickly, I flash away from the scene with Stefan and Caroline at my heels.


Pulling the final splinter of wood from inside Caroline's chest, I deposit it in the small bowl on the coffee table and wipe my hands on the wet rag. Stefan offers Caroline a blood bag and she takes it greedily, sucking down the O negative in a heartbeat. Pun intended.

"I'm so sorry! Damon just came out of nowhere. He got my weapon from me and shot me up with vervain."

I press my hand on her arm. "It's not your fault, Care. We should've expected Sybil would be a step ahead of us even if we were trying to be ahead of her."

"And one good thing came out from today: we know the fork works." Stefan gives her a small smile before bending to kiss her head.

I reach for the fork resting on the table and run my hand along the cool metal. "And we got through to Damon. It was just a moment, but we know he's still in there."

Stefan sits on the arm of the couch beside Caroline, running his hand along her back. "I should of grabbed him before Sybil took him again. That was our moment."

"We'll have another one," I say to him. "We'll be more prepared."

They nod along, agreeing with me. Caroline takes a swallow and says, "I wonder who was helping them. Who shot at Elena?"

I shrug. "It happened so fast. I didn't have a chance to look where it was coming from."

"We'll just need more people in the wings next time," Stefan says.

The front door to the boarding house swings open and Enzo's voice booms. "And that's where I come in."

"You got free?" Caroline and I both say in unison.

"Thanks to this lovely lady."

Bonnie smiles up at him from beside him and grasps his arm in her hands. "We did it together."

Stefan stands up. "Did it go as planned?"

Enzo and Bonnie share a look and I see the understanding in it. I know the plan was to trap Enzo at their old hideout and Bonnie would do whatever it took to break his hold, but she never really went into specifics. She had a plan and besides the where, she didn't really elaborate upon it.

"There were a few bumps, but he broke the hold." Bonnie's smile tells me that's all we're getting from her for now.

Enzo's eye lands on the fork in my hand. "Is that the weapon that can subdue the siren?"

I nod. "It worked. She began to revert back to her original form and Damon managed to break free for a moment."

"Good," Enzo says, smiling to himself. "We're just going to need to find the last piece."

"One more piece?" Caroline says. "There's more?"

"Yes. We'll need to complete it to kill Sybil."