PULLED BACK FROM THE EDGE

"When the sun has set, no candle can replace it."

For him a genuine smile rarely made a public appearance, but today was an exception. Today was the happiest day of his life. His heart was so full of joy, he thought it would burst.

She was breathtaking, a goddess in white gliding towards him. She caught his eye and winked, making his smile grow wider. And as she took her place beside him and he took her hands in his, he could see the rest of his life in her eyes.

The familiar scent of her perfume wafted over him, sweet and floral. . . . . . but there was something different.

Damon's brow furrowed in confusion. . . . . . . was that gasoline?

A sudden burst of heat caused him to drop her hands. His eyes widened in alarm as he saw that Elena had been engulfed in flames.

He bolted upright in his bed. For a second he thought it had all been a nightmare. But then reality began to set in and with it, a crushing pain that threatened to consume him. He choked out a sob, his head in his hands.

Hell was not fire and brimstone. It was not the devil with a pitchfork. Hell was waking up and realizing that you would never again hold the woman you had just dreamed of, the woman you had loved. Hell was your future, your dreams, and your hope that you could truly be happy extinguished by one act.

Hell was knowing that it was your fault.

He climbed out of bed. He couldn't be here anymore. He needed to be close to her.

"Bonnie, there's nothing we can do," Stefan told her sadly.

"I need to at least try." Bonnie replied without looking up as she flipped through the Grimoire.

"Bonnie, the other side is gone. There isn't anywhere to bring her back from," he tried to reason.

"I should have been there!" Bonnie shouted, her voice raw with emotion. " If I had helped you with Damon instead of being angry, he would have never had a chance to hurt Elena. This is our fault Stefan, so I have to try something!"

Stefan fell silent. He knew she was right, that they should have stopped this. It was Julian's fault for trapping Damon in the stone but it was their responsibility to take care of Damon afterwards.

Bonnie closed her eyes and read the spell. When nothing happened, she moved on to another. And another. And another. She could feel her pain rising closer to the surface with each failed try. She knew she was on the verge of giving up and breaking down.

Suddenly a bright light filled the room, blinding both her and Stefan. As the light slowly faded, Bonnie squinted, realizing that someone else had appeared in the room. Her eyes widened in shock as the woman turned to face her, revealing her face and an infant clutched to her chest.

All 3 stood there speechless until Stefan broke the silence. "Elena? Is it really you?"

"Yes. Though I'm a little confused about everything else. "

Bonnie leapt forward embracing her best friend. Elena laughed "Careful, I'm holding precious cargo."

"I don't understand. What?. . . How?. . Where?" Stefan stammered.

"Well I'm going to go out on a limb and say you cast a spell," Elena replied.

"Damon told Stefan that he burnt your body while he was hallucinating. I was trying to find a spell to bring you back," Bonnie explained.

Elena shook her head, laughing. "It's 2016."

Stefan looked at her quizzically. "Yeah. Is that supposed to be funny?"

"The spell didn't bring me back from the dead. It brought me from the future." Elena looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "And this is my daughter, Eden."

"She's gorgeous," Bonnie marvelled watching Stefan play with the little girl. "She has Damon's baby blues. And your impossibly long lashes."

"Yeah, we like her a little bit."

"I never thought I'd get the chance to meet your kids, or get a glimpse into what your lives would be like," Bonnie told her, a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Elena reached out and grasped one of her best friend's hands, signalling understanding.

Bonnie broke through her sadness with a laugh. "I really can not imagine Damon as a parent though."

"He's kind of great at it actually. He's even better than I am."

Bonnie's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Wow."

Elena smiled. "Yeah, I know." She grew serious then. " I need to find him. Make sure he's okay."

Stefan walked over, handing the baby back to Elena. "Valerie just messaged. I need to go."

"Go", Bonnie told him. "We'll find Damon."

Stefan hurried out.

Elena turned to Bonnie. "Taking a 1 year old with us into a vampire infested town, looking for her emotionally unstable father who thinks he killed me and doesn't know who she is may not be the best idea."

Bonnie took the child into her arms. "All right. How about you go find Damon and I take advantage of my time with this cutie."

Authors note: Leave a comment and let me know what you think and if you want me to continue because of course I post these stories for you.

Also let me know if you want me to stay in line with the show and have Damon sleep with someone else. Or if you would prefer that I leave out that part.