So sorry for the long wait! I wasn't sure where to take this chapter so it took me a little longer than usual and then my laptop stopped working so.. finally here it is! Chapter 3! Reviews make me write faster :3

~Ducky


Elena woke up. She was lying on something hard so she assumed she had tossed during the night and fallen off her bed. She stretched and opened her eyes, waiting a moment to let the spots clear. When they were gone, she did a double take. She was definitely not in her room. She was in the tomb. Everything came rushing back to her and it made her dizzy. Katherine, the tomb, blood of the doppelgänger. She sighed wearily and noticed something at the entrance to the tomb. She looked closer and realized who it was: Damon.

"Damon!" she cried. As fast as she could, she hurried over to him.

'Damon! What happened? Did Katherine do this? Damon?!" He groaned. Give me a minute Elena, I've been throwing myself against this damn barrier for who knows how long. He sat up slowly, his head throbbing.

"Why were you throwing yourself against the barrier? it's a spell you can't break it with vampire strength, not that you have very much left.." she mumbled.

"We'll see about that," he replied. He moved to start his next barrage of attacks against the barrier but Elena stopped him.

"Damon stop. You can't keep doing this or you'll get so weak you can't stand up! I need you ALIVE and not mummified if we have any hope of getting out of here. We should just wait for Katherine to come back before we do anything." Damon looked at her carefully before saying

"Fine."

Satisfied Elena went back into the tomb and leaned against the wall, exhausted. Still at the entrance to the tomb Damon heard something outside the tomb. He listened harder and realized it was a person. From the sound of their rapid heartbeat and music it was a runner, dumb enough to run in the forest while there were still 'animal attacks' going on.

Once the runner was close enough, Damon cupped his hands around his mouth and started yelling.

"HELLO! DOWN HERE!" Startled out of her stupor, Elena returned to the entrance to the tomb.

"Why are you yelling Damon? There's nobody out there," she said.

"On the contrary dear Elena, there IS someone out there. The thing your very average human ears can't pick up is a heartbeat. And some very funky you ever want to get out of here alive, help me yell." Elena got how important this was that they got out of the tomb. The pair yelled and yelled and yelled until their voices got raw. After what felt like 3 hours but was actually 5 minutes, they both heard footsteps coming down the stairs of the tomb. A short woman appeared at the entrance to the tomb.

"Why are you in there?" she asked.

"We're stuck" Damon replied. He pretended to be really weak so that the short woman would be more likely to help them.

"Come closer," Damon said weakly. The woman, believing Damon's façade came close enough to see his beautiful blue eyes. Damon took his chance and compelled the woman.

"You're going to run to the Mystic Grill. You're going to make sure that you're careful. When you get to the Mystic Grill ask for Matt Donovan, tell him to come to the tomb." Damon said. The woman repeated Damon's instructions in a zombie like manner then ran off.

"I'd say that went well," Damon mused. "Maybe next time I hear a runner I can use them as my own personal blood bank," he smirked. Elena wrinkled her nose. She was long used to vampires but the way Damon said it gave her chills. Damon slid down the wall, weakened by the compelling.

"Damon what's wrong?" Elena asked. She was extremely worried about Damon. Sure he was a big bad vampire but Elena knew he was more exhausted than he was letting on.

"Yes Elena. Don't worry about me, I'm just peachy." he said.