This chapter took longer than I wanted it too and it is shorter than I originally intended, but I've been sick these past couple days, and only now am I breaking through the haze of illness and medicine. I really want to thank everyone who reviewed alerted, and favorited this story. It means so much, especially the people who take time to review. You guys are really the best. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy.
Before rational thought reenters my brain, the predator in me registers the smell of blood that fills the cold, dank storage facility. My vampire instincts call out to the source of the smell until a memory reminds me of how I ended up on a concrete floor with a snapped neck. Through the fear of the moment, I have only one remaining terrifying thought, Elena.
I remain flat on my back staring at the ceiling willing myself to wake up from this nightmare. Human blood has a distinctive smell, not quite as fragrant as vampire blood, but all the more addictive. For the first time in 146 years, the scent makes me physically nauseous, because I know that it has to be hers. Elena is the only human in the entire facility, and I'm still alive, despite Ric's rather determined attempts to kill me. The realist in me knows there are only a couple of ways that this could go, and none of them end happily for Elena.
Slowly I lift myself up off the floor and the sight before me is straight out of some cheap horror movie, young heroine with her throat slashed lying dead on the floor. If I do still have a heart after all these years, it's dropped into my stomach and shattered, poking its rough edges on my insides, causing greater agony than a vervain scented bubble bath.
No, not her, it's not possible. It's not fair. We did everything right. We sacrificed everything, and everyone in the pursuit of one goal; keep her alive, and we failed. I failed, because she sacrificed herself for me. The evidence lying at her feet only confirms my suspicions. The small utility knife soaked in her blood is clutched tightly in her hands, and Alaric's dead body provides the motive. She killed herself to save me. No, not just me, I tell myself. She saved Stefan, Caroline, and Tyler. That's who she did it for. That's who she truly cared about. It has to be about them, because in all the stories I read growing up, the hero sacrificed himself for a great cause, for a great person, not for a mass murderer with a hint of a conscience. I need to believe that this isn't my fault, because that thought is the only thing keeping me from jamming Alaric's stake right through my own heart.
I crawl over next to her and place her delicate, beautiful young face in my lap as I stroke her hair. One minute, sixty seconds, that's all I give myself to wallow in self-pity and guilt before I come up with a plan, because I do not accept this. Elena Gilbert has faced down way worse odds than an unkillable vampire slayer. She doesn't just get to die on some cold dirty floor like she's nothing, not this girl, not this day, so I call on a little witchy help with ties to the other side.
Luckily, I don't have to wait long for a response and Bonnie answers, obviously distracted, until I gain her full attention. "Elena's dead," I deliver in an emotionless tone that would fool even my brother into thinking that I've flipped my switch. It's not as if I'm not tempted, because that button deep inside me calls louder than it ever has. No creature, living or dead was ever meant to hurt this much, feel this much. That's why that blasted switch was created in the first place, but I can't. Until I know that she's truly gone, I can't give up, because flipping that switch is an act of forfeit. It means acceptance and it means I've given up on her, and I'm not prepared to do that just yet, so I scream stop into the phone to end Bonnie's cries of grief.
"I have a plan," I declare, refocusing her attention. "You saved baby Gilbert from the eternal sleep once before. You can do it with Elena. Call on your judgy little ancestors to bring her back."
Bonnie's voice cracks, but she no longer sounds inconsolable. She understands the stakes and returns to being moderately helpful. "It's not that simple, Damon."
"I'm making it that simple," I snap right back at her.
"There are consequences to tapping into that kind of magic," Bonnie warns reproachfully.
"So she sees a few ghosts now and then. She might like that. You know how she's always talking about hating to lose more people. This sounds like a win-win," I respond, heavy on the sarcasm.
I expect another witty comeback or at least a condemnation of my glib attitude, but instead the witch surprises me. Her voice lowers and it is filled with something that remarkably resembles sympathy, which I think is meant for me. "I know you want to save her. I do too, but the witches might not even give me the power to save her. I'm not exactly on their Christmas list at the moment."
"Please," I beg with all my strength left and all the civility that I can muster. "Bonnie, I need her. You need her. I believe that you can find a way. You always do. All I'm asking is that you try." There is dead silence on the other end that I actually think Bonnie has hung up on me.
"Okay," Bonnie finally relents, after trying to give me a heart attack. "Bring her back, and I'll do what I can." Despite her hesitation that almost gave me an aneurysm, I'm grateful for her help, since I know she still hates me.
"Thank you," are the last words I say before hanging up with a heavy sigh of relief. There's a plan. I can still fix this. There is only one more call to make before Elena and I embark on the journey back home. He can't hear from anybody else. I owe him more than that.
Stefan answers in a panic, asking about me, asking about Elena, and I actually feel tongue tied. In about three seconds, my little brother's gonna hate me again, just when we were starting to get along. He'll never forgive me for taking away the epic love of his life. I don't even forgive me, how could he?
"I have a plan," I clarify first, so I don't have a full scale meltdown like with Bonnie. "I'm handling it, but you need to know that Elena died." Even with my vampire hearing, the only discernible noise is the sound of Stefan's labored breathing. It becomes short and stifled, like he is having a panic attack, which is exactly the wrong time for this type of reaction. "Hold it together," I order harshly. Empathy and understanding are emotions I can cultivate later, but right now I need Stefan focused and on point.
"How did she die?" Stefan asks, clearly as heartbroken as I am, but I can't bring myself to tell him the truth.
"Bonnie's going to bring her back, so we can waste more time talking about how, or we can fix it, your choice." I reply, more harshly than I intended, but clearly making my position known.
"What do you need me to do?" Stefan questions, suddenly remembering how to be a useful member of society.
"Meet me at the old witch house in an hour and bring Bonnie," I command before pressing the end button.
Hard part is over I tell myself as I load Elena into the car. I place her gently into the front seat. While it might cause some trouble with the police if I'm caught with a dead girl in my passenger's seat, I can't bear to put her in the trunk. That is where the dead bodies go, before I find a nice secluded spot to bury them. It's not the place for Elena, so I strap her in and start the car. I try to turn the music up loud to drown out the silence of the drive. I stare straight ahead and for a few brief seconds, I can delude myself into thinking that she's only sleeping. I pass the sign for Mystic Falls when a sharp gasp echoes over the radio, and the shock of seeing new life breathed into Elena causes me to lose control of the car, and I crash it into a tree.
"I thought vampires were supposed to have good reflexes," Elena jokes as she casually exits Klaus' totaled car. I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. You expect a person's first words after coming back from the dead would be a little more profound and a little less cheeky, but that's Elena, always bucking convention. For a minute, my mind is racing trying to explain how Elena can still be alive. Her own state of shock wears off quickly, which I realize after she almost tackles me to the ground with a giant hug. "You're not dead," Elena proclaims ecstatically. She starts jumping up and down like a four year old, and because she hasn't let go of me, I sort of am as well.
"Why are we so happy? What's with the jumping?" I ask her perplexed, an expression that seems to amuse Elena to no end.
"Because I saved you," she states matter of factly. "Feel free to thank me anytime. I accept cards, gifts, flowers, and chocolates. Whatever you think is enough for saving your life, again."
I grab hold of Elena's shoulders to stop her jumping around, so we can have a serious conversation, because I have a sneaking suspicion what is responsible for Elena's 'miraculous' recovery. "Elena," I proceed cautiously, not wanting to overwhelm her. "I may not have died, but I think you did."
"Huh," she responds, looking at me like I've gone mental.
"You're in transition," I explain calmly.
The color drains from her face and all traces of excitement or joy are replaced with a deep sadness, because she knows that she has an impossible choice to make, and she doesn't have much time. She can either become a vampire, the one thing that she never wanted to be, or she can choose to end her life at 18, and leave her loved ones in shambles. I have to convince her to complete the transition. I already lost her once, and I won't lose her again just when she came back to me. The situation is further complicated when my brother wins the award for worst timing ever. He speeds in between me and Elena. Well its official, Mr. Free Will has arrived. She's dead.
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