A/N: This chapter was a little harder to write. Let me know what you think because I'm not completely confident with this one. Tell me how I did.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or Gone with the Wind because I borrowed a tiny quote.
I was sitting on the couch, staring at the phone, praying it would ring. It had been nearly two hours, and I had heard nothing from Bonnie. The sun had set long ago, and I was ready to crawl in bed and dream of Damon.
"The phone won't ring any faster the longer you stare at it, Elena," Rose said. She sounded like my mom used to when I was younger. I would sit in front of the door for hours and waited for my father to come home from the office. My mother would say, "He won't be home until three. Just because you sit around and wait doesn't make time move faster or make him walk through the door any sooner."
"What's taking so long?" I asked, actually turning my eyes away from the phone for a short second.
Rose was standing with the curtains drawn and the moonlight streaming through. She was leaning against the glass, just dreamily gazing into the distance.
I focused my attention back to the telephone.
"Perhaps she couldn't find Caroline," Rose reasoned.
"No, they're both on high alert right now with Stefan and Damon being taken and the possibility of more vampires in Mystic Falls. If Bonnie called Caroline, she would drop whatever she was doing and come to help."
"Then, I suggest you have patience."
I sighed. That was definitely not what I wanted to hear. I wanted something definitive, the guarantee that we had a way to find Damon or the crushed feeling of a failed chance, not this sickening uncertainty.
A motionless hour later, the phone finally rang. I picked it up before the first ring had stopped.
"What happened? What took so long? Did you find him?" I asked as soon as I had it to my ear.
"Elena clam down," Bonnie said.
"What happened?" I tried again.
"It worked."
I felt a sudden weight lifted from my shoulders and a smile spreading across my lips. I released the breath I was holding. It worked. We could find them. We could save them.
"So where is he?" I couldn't contain my excitement.
"I don't know where Ste-," Bonnie started.
"What do you mean you don't know where he is?" I asked, cutting her off. "You said it worked. How could you not know where he is if it worked?"
"Elena, calm down and I will answer all your questions. Yes the spell worked. Caroline has Damon's blood because he turned her, but since Damon and Stefan are brothers, it works to find them both. We started with a map of just Virginia, and nothing happened; the blood just ran over the side. Then we tried an entire map of America. One trail of blood went all the way to Nevada. It's in the middle of the desert. We searched that area; there's nothing there but dirt. The other is in New Orleans. I couldn't find any more specific locations, and I can't tell you which is Stefan and which is Damon, or if they're just vampires that Damon or Stefan turned. It probably works for that too. Caroline's blood can point to Damon's and Stefan's and any other vampires that came from them because they have their blood too. I'm sorry, Elena. There's just no way to tell."
My heart sank and my throat constricted. It had worked, but it hadn't helped. We couldn't find them. We couldn't save them. That bright glimmer of hope that had grown so quickly was doused and destroyed so easily. I should have known that we couldn't be so lucky to find them that simply.
I suddenly felt like crying. I could feel the tears collecting in my eyes, waiting to overflow and slip down my cheeks. Though it was hard, I held them back, not wanting to cry, wanting to stay strong.
"Elena are you okay?" came Caroline's soft voice.
"Um, yeah," I lied, taking a deep breath to steady my voice. "I'm fine. Damon's working on an escape plan anyway. We haven't exhausted all our hopes yet. Thank you, both of you, for helping me."
"Is there anything else we can do Elena?" Caroline asked.
"No, right now I just think I need to sleep. I have to talk to Damon. He might be able to tell us where he is…"
"Wait you haven't asked Damon if he knows where he is yet?" Caroline queried.
"I have, and he said he has a good guess, but he wouldn't tell me."
"Why wouldn't he tell you?" Bonnie inquired.
"He doesn't want any of us trying to save him. He doesn't want us to get hurt. He wants to try getting out on his own first."
"Who leaves him to make the decisions?" Caroline asked, angrily.
"That's Damon." I shrugged. "Anyway, the sooner I get to sleep, the faster we may be able to find out."
"Goodnight, Elena," they chimed together.
"Night, Bonnie. Night, Caroline."
I hung up and stood up slowly and began to make my way to the stairs, my feet dragging across the floor.
"Elena," Rose called after me.
I turned but didn't say anything.
"He'll be okay. Just give it some time. Damon will find a way out."
I nodded and ascended the rest of the stairs. I crawled into bed feeling completely defeated. Silent tears escaped my eyes and blurred my vision to the point that I wasn't sure if I was falling asleep or waking up. Either way, I just hoped Damon would be wherever I was going.
I was standing in the middle of an almost empty town square. The square was just a small garden in an open part of the street with a little bench. Little shops lined each side of the road. Most were painted with soft colors, whites and tans, anything that wouldn't stand out too greatly, though many were left without paint, the dark brown of the wood the only color to show. Some had signs, though they were simple: Apothecary, Liquor Store, Groceries. It was straightforward, easy. There was a road, but it was just packed down dirt that led off in different directions, some leading behind me to quaint little houses, others twisted off into the forest. The town seemed to end where the forest began not far away. The trees grew untouched, and the only sign that people occupied the area was the road winding away. Trees grew everywhere, behind the buildings, along the road, far off in the distance. The sun streamed in through the leaves, creating a green glow around the town and shadows of the leaves that fell to the ground in dark patches. The smell of pine and oak filled my lungs and the air all around. It was pure and clean. This place was absolutely beautiful.
The people who walked the road wore bright colors to counteract the dull buildings. The women wore elaborate skirts that cascaded to the ground, but didn't drag through the dirt. Each skirt had hoop underneath that stretched wide around the women, completely hiding the women's figures. The women also carried parasols and shawls draped around their shoulders. The women were covered in colors, brilliant colors, bright blues and greens and pinks. The men were dressed far simpler, waistcoats, matching pants and overcoats, leather boots up to mid-calf and button up shirt that left only the neck visible. The men only wore black, brown, gray, and navy blue. Like the buildings, they didn't stand out.
I looked down to find myself dressed the same as the rest of the women. I had a dark, midnight blue dress that was made with a fabric that caught the light and reflected it. The skirt hung low and wide but was bunched into rows that wrapped around the entire circumference and were held up by small, sparkling flower pendants. The bodice was decorated with white velvet that crisscrossed around the entire front of the gown. The sleeves were white lace that covered my shoulders and the tops of my arms. The fabric was soft and smooth under my fingertips.
I lifted my head from my dress and thoughts to seek out Damon. He was bound to be around here somewhere. Just as I began to think of him, he emerged from the apothecary in a suit the same color as my gown. He walked up to me and bowed slightly, one hand crossing his chest as he bent, and he offered a hand to me, open and his palm facing the sky. I put my hand in his, and he brought it to his smiling lips and left the whisper of a kiss across the top that made me spine tingle and my skin flush.
"Miss Gilbert," his soft lips whispered against the skin of my hand, tickling it and sending a tiny tremor through my entire body. His voice was hushed but steady and sent new chills through me.
"Mister Salvatore," I answered in far shakier voice.
He finally released my hand and straightened his back. His dark hair was curled into loose ringlets around his face, something I'd never seen on Damon. It made him look far younger, and after long consideration in my head, I decided that it didn't suit him. The dark blue of his suit made the baby, crystal blue of his eyes stand out even more than they already did.
"Where are we now?" I asked quietly.
"This was Mystic Falls before the war started, before Katherine Pierce tried to bring this town to its knees, before vampires haunted every waking moment, a time when vampires were just a myth used to keep children in the house at night, and there was no war to steal the good gentleman away from their homes. Times were easier. Everyone knew their neighbor and was friendly to any stranger." Damon heaved a sigh as he looked around the small town. "There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South… Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow… Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave… Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered… A Civilization gone with the wind…"
I smiled sadly at the quote. Damon held this place with such reverence and respect. I could hear it in the tone of his voice which was laced with a deep pitch of remembrance.
"It's so beautiful, and different. It's hard to imagine that this is Mystic Falls."
"It's not too hard. Those two stores," he said pointing to the building on the left, "became the Grill. The apothecary became your father's office; the liquor store is still there."
As Damon began showing me all the things that still stood in modern day, I could see a small semblance of the Mystic Falls I knew. It was comforting to see that small piece of home wrapped up inside this wonderful place.
Damon held out his arm, and I took it without hesitation. He led me through the town, telling me the histories of each building, the owners and previous owners and future owners. There was so much rich history surrounding this place. When we came back to the square after weaving through every shop, we sat on the bench and watched the birds dart from the trees to the ground in front of us just to peck around in the grass and fly back to the trees with their catch.
We sat silently together, just enjoying the sounds the wind whistling softly through the leaves. As we sat, I tried to think of how to approach the subject of the locator spell. Damon was certain to be upset that I didn't listen to him and tried to find him. But I had to try, even if he didn't want me to, and I had to ask him if he knew where he was or if he knew any of the vampires he had turned. If we could figure out what vampires there were with a connection to Damon or Stefan, it would be easier to track down Damon and Stefan.
"What's bothering you, Elena?" Damon's voice broke into my reverie of thought.
"If I asked you a question," I started slowly, "would you answer it honestly?"
"One question?" Damon asked with a smile and a laugh.
I nodded. "I guess I could," he answered.
"How many people have you and Stefan turned into vampires?" I held my breath, afraid he might not answer.
His face reflected his shock at the question. His eyebrows shot up and the smile he had been wearing all night fell slightly. "What makes you ask that?" I shrugged, not knowing how to answer and still holding my breath. "I've turned five vampires in my entire life, including Vickie, Caroline, and Isobel. The other two were just passing fancies that didn't last long, as humans or as vampires. As for Saint Stefan, he would never subject any living being to this life. Now why did you ask?"
His blue eyes burned into me, and I was scared for a moment to answer. "Bonnie did a locator spell…"
"Elena, I told you-"
"I know. I know, but I had to, Damon."
"Elena, it'll only take a few more days to get out of here. I've told you I don't want you risking a jail break for my sake." He took both my hands in his. "It's too dangerous, Elena. There are too many vampires. You could get hurt or worse. You promised me you'd stay safe and careful. You can't do that coming after me. And besides, what does a locator spell have to do with the vampires I've turned?"
"Well Caroline's blood could track you, your blood could track Stefan, and both of your bloods can track the vampires you've created," I explained quickly.
Damon sighed, and I hung my head, almost feeling bad for the spell. Almost. "Well, what happened?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"New Orleans and the middle of the desert in Nevada," I answered.
Damon nodded slowly. "Elena…"
"I'm sorry, Damon. I had to try. You can't take on all those vampires by yourself. I want to help you, Damon. Let me help."
"Elena, I'll be fine. I can get out of here, just please be patient."
He waited until I nodded. "Now, let's take a walk; this dream has become a little too dark for my taste, and there are only a few more hours before you have to wake up."
Damon stood and helped me to my feet. He wrapped his arm around my waist and we followed the road into the forest, the weight of our conversation still hanging thickly in the air.
This chapter was the hardest to write so far. Let me know what you thought about it.
