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As promised a new chapter!
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Chapter 2: Farewell Again
Last I saw her was in Chicago. 1983.
Damon kept repeating Anna's words over and over in his head. It's been 27 years. Katherine could be anywhere now. If she still fed on human blood as he assumed she had the move often to cover her tracks. The chances of finding her were very low but Chicago was everything he had got, his only track to Katherine.
Damon had expected Stefan and Elena to stop him from leaving, telling him finding her wouldn't change anything… that he would be disappointed once again. Yet they hadn't. In fact, they even understood him very well, especially Elena. She'd been his support when his legs had threatened to give away after they'd left the tomb. The tomb in which Katherine should have been buried but wasn't. Damon just had to find her. She was everything he'd ever cared about.
She knew where you were Damon… she didn't care.
He just couldn't believe these words. He and Katherine had shared so much. He was sure she'd never compelled him. He had acted out of his own will because he had loved her. She must have had some feelings for him, as well. She had turned him so that they could be together for eternity. They'd planned a future together.
Flashback
Damon and Katherine were lying in bed, kissing passionately.
"When are you gonna turn me?" he hissed.
"Soon," she breathed and kissed him again.
"Why not now? Time's running out. I told you they'd get closer everyday," Damon insisted.
"I'm waiting for the right moment." She gave him one of those smiles he favored.
"When will that be?"
Damon locked his lips, looking questioningly at Katherine. He demanded an answer.
"You can be such a downer at times," she said offended and got off him.
She went to the mirror and started brushing her hair. It was then when Damon first had doubts whether Katherine really wanted to be with him. He knew she'd been with his brother, too.
Katherine watched him closely in the mirror. Damon straightened himself up.
"But really, why waiting?" he started again.
He heard her sigh deeply before she turned around.
"You never give up, do you?" she observed.
"I'm sorry," Damon quickly said and hung his head.
"It's okay." Katherine's expression softened while she returned to his side. "I like that. You'll be a marvelous vampire."
That made Damon smile. Katherine softly pushed him back flat onto the mattress and started caressing his chest. "I just don't want you to die so soon," she said ever so sweetly and gave him a puppy eyes look which he couldn't resist.
He leant forward and kissed her. Then he asked "And then? What happens if it becomes more dangerous for you?"
"Then we'll leave," she told him simply and started to kiss him passionately.
End of Flashback
Back then Damon had assumed she had included him in the "we" but now it started to down on him that he might not have been supposed to accompany her. He quickly shook it off. She wanted him like he wanted her. He strongly believed in that. As for her not getting in touch with him he found comfort in that she might be too busy. With whatever that might be.
And so he was boarding the plane that would take him straight to Chicago, wondering what the future might hold for him.
Elena was standing in front of the mirror in her room, getting dressed. She'd gotten up an hour earlier to look superb when she'd leave the house. The effort was worth it because she'd noticed Stefan losing interest in her. He'd changed extremely since Damon had left. It's been a month now in which they hadn't heard anything from him. Elena knew that he was worried about his brother but she also couldn't ignore the fact that Stefan was keeping his distance from her. She feared to lose him so she'd decided to show him what he would be missing, presenting all her beauty to him. Confident, it would attract him she went to school.
The first two people she met were Bonnie and Caroline.
"Elena!" Caroline said offended. "You're going to a party after school and you didn't tell me?"
Elena laughed at her indignant face and opened her locker.
"No, I'm not. It's for Stefan."
"Ah, so you're going out with him after school," Bonnie said knowingly.
"Nice thought," Elena replied and collected her books. "But it's not like that. In fact, we haven't been dating for quite a while now."
"But you're always together," Caroline observed.
"Yeah. That's it. We're together but we're not doing anything."
Sighing, Elena closed the locker and leant her back against it. "He's distancing himself from me."
"But why would he do that?" Bonnie asked incredulously. "You mean so much to him. I saw it."
"I don't know," Elena said. "All I know is it all started with Damon leaving."
"Well, personally I, am glad he's gone," Caroline bluntly said and Bonnie nodded in agreement. "Couldn't stand to see him almost everywhere I go."
"I'm not happy about it," Elena sighed. "Seems like something's missing."
The bell rang and they went to the classroom. In front of it they met Stefan. He gave Elena a short salutatory nod. Elena's face fell. So much for her plan. He had barely looked at her. Elena slumped into her seat and buried her face in your hands.
Their first lesson was American history. Elena hardly followed. All she got was that Saltzman was talking about how the town got its name Mystic Falls. She briefly wondered why he was revising this now. It would usually be taught two grades earlier. Actually, their topic now was World War II. Saltzman basically told them Mystic Falls' history in the nineteenth century.
"Can someone tell me when it was when the people in Mystic Falls believed in the existence of mystery and its creatures?" he asked.
"1864," Elena said monotonously.
She had encountered this date so often for the past months. She knew everything related to it. Back then Mystic Falls was founded, back then the people had been of vampires, back then Stefan and Damon had met Katherine…
"Right," Saltzman said. Of course he wasn't surprised she knew this as knew that she was in touch with vampires. For a moment Elena felt his gaze upon her. "Back then the people believed in everything," he continued. "Vampires… witches…" Elena and Bonnie shared a look and grinned. "It all ended it 1864 as well when they captured some people who were believed to be vampires."
"Terrible tragedy," Stefan said behind Elena.
She resisted the urge to turn around and look at him and turned her gaze to Saltzman instead. He was fixing Stefan for a moment.
"Yeah," he just said before he let his gaze wander around the class again.
"And what happened to the people?"
"Buried," Elena said before she could stop herself. Damn, she thought in the next moment. Her leg started to hurt because Bonnie had kicked it. Nobody aside from her, Stefan, Bonnie and her Grams knew that there was a tomb full of vampire bodies that might be resurrected anytime.
The class had gotten awfully quiet. Elena felt everyone's gaze upon her but Stefan, Bonnie and Saltzman's were the most penetrating ones. She tried to keep composure.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, pretending to be ignorant of what she had just said.
"You just said the vampires were buried," Caroline said.
"No, I didn't," Elena corrected her. "I said burnt. They were burnt."
"But I'm sure you said–"
"Sometimes I mumble, I'm sorry," Elena apologized and met Saltzman's gaze. "They were burnt," she added emphatically.
It seemed to take ages until Saltzman finally continued. Now Elena knew why he was revising the subject. As he knew there were vampires in town he wanted the people in class to not let their guard down. Of course he couldn't tell him the truth so he reminded them of what the people back then believed in.
The lesson soon ended after that little incident. The bell rang and the class was already getting up from their seats when Saltzman stopped them.
"I have an announcement to make," he declared and asked for everyone's attention. "Today's my last day here. I'm gonna leave Mystic Falls soon." Disappointment shot through the class because Saltzman had not been unpopular. "My successor will be happy to welcome you to his class tomorrow. I really enjoyed being your teacher. Good luck for the future."
Poor Aunt Jenna, Elena thought.
They left the classroom and went back to the lockers. Stefan and Bonnie waited for Caroline to leave for the toilet, then they turned to Elena.
"Elena, are you out of your mind?! Bonnie asked shocked. "You nearly gave me a heart attack in there."
"That was short. Too short, Elena. You have to be careful," Stefan reproached her.
"I know, I'm sorry," Elena said.
"What's wrong with you?" Bonnie asked. "You're never careless."
"I don't know, okay?" Elena said irritated. "Just forget it."
She knew she had been careless but she thought she had saved herself pretty well. Stefan probably sensed her feelings so he tried to cheer her up.
"You know our story pretty well now, don't you?" he said smiling.
"By heart," Elena replied dryly. She turned around to head for the classroom. Bonnie followed her.
Stefan didn't.
She had seen it coming all the way so she wasn't really surprised when Stefan send her a text message later that day to meet her at the Salvatore manor after school. Yet it didn't mean she accepted it.
"No!" Elena protested.
"Elena, all the vampire are leaving town. I realized it when Saltzman announced his leaving. I have to go. I have to cover my tracks."
"But the killings stopped. No one's suspecting you," Elena argued.
"Bu still it's never safe for a vampire to stay at one place for a long time. They could get to me by getting to you. It's for the best, Elena."
"But!" Elena insisted. "First Damon, now you. I can't take that, Stefan."
I'm sure you'll take it just fine. You're not alone. You've got Bonnie and Caroline and your family."
"But that's not enough!" Elena said. She was crying now. "Please don't go!"
"I'm sorry, Elena but I have no choice," Stefan apologized.
"Is it because of Damon? Will you go after him?" she asked.
"No, I'll go somewhere else. Anywhere. I'm not sure whereto yet.
"And when will you come back?" Elena inquired.
"I don't know…"
"You have to come back! I need you to come back! I love you, Stefan! Please, come back!"
"I love you, too, Elena. I promise I'll do my best to come back soon. Until then take care."
He kissed her softly goodbye, then he was gone, leaving Elena alone in the far too large manor.
