Disclaimer: Not my characters, obviously. Just playing in their world for a while. ;)
Author's note: Thanks for the follows and faves. Much appreciated!
Shit's about to go down. Enjoy!
"Wait For Me to Come Home"
Chapter Seven
Faster the days go by and I'm still
Stuck in this moment of wanting you here
As Elena waited impatiently for Alaric's plane to land, she thumbed mindlessly through the latest issue of Cosmopolitan. Flipping past pages and pages of assorted sex positions, relationship quizzes, and makeup tips, she smiled wistfully remembering the way her, Bonnie, and Caroline had always hidden the coveted magazine under their beds and pulled it out to giggle over during sleepovers.
When a voice came over the intercom and announced the arrival of Ric's flight, she closed Cosmo and tossed it in her purse. Making her way toward the baggage claim area, she was grateful he'd gotten here so quickly. After hanging up with her yesterday, he'd booked the first available flight to New Orleans.
According to the witch—Kira, she'd said her name was—tonight would be the best time to perform the spell. It was a full moon, and she was going to draw on it to give her already substantial powers a boost.
Turning another corner in the maze-like airport, Elena reached her destination at the same moment Alaric did. Running over to him, she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. "I'm so glad you're here, Ric."
"Me, too. I'm glad you're still in one piece." He squeezed her in return, and she gasped when she felt a few of the vertebrae in her back pop.
"Whoa, easy there. Not that I don't appreciate the chiropractic treatment, but pretty soon, it's going to interfere with the still-in-one-piece thing," she laughed.
"Oh, sorry." He loosened his hold before pressing a kiss to her temple and stepping back. "I still haven't adjusted to the super strength part, or any of the parts, actually."
"No worries. I may not be an Original, but I'm still durable." Dropping her voice to a whisper, she gestured to the duffel bag hanging off his shoulder. "Were you able to get the blood?"
He patted the front of his jacket. "Right here, safe and sound."
"Let me guess—you compelled your way through security?"
"You know it," Alaric chuckled.
"So what did you tell Stefan and Jeremy?"
He grimaced. "That part wasn't so easy, at least not with Stefan. Jer's no stranger to blood loss lately, so I was able to convince him that I needed a sample so I could have it tested at the hospital to make sure he's still healing properly."
Elena started to walk toward the exit. "And Stefan?"
Shrugging, Alaric fell into step beside her. "I told him I'd found a witch who was going to try to remove the anti-magic spell around Mystic Falls. I explained that she would need some of his blood and some of yours since that's what the Travelers used when they cast it. He was buying it until I refused to tell him where I was going. I tried to brush it off by saying I had to find you first."
"Do you think he'll figure it out?"
"I don't know. You said Elijah and Klaus's buddy Marcel know you're here, not to mention Marcel's witch friend. If Elijah happens to contact Stefan, or Stefan calls Klaus, we may very well have company."
"Great." Elena wasn't looking forward to seeing Stefan again, especially after the way she'd treated him since everything had taken place. She owed him an apology, possibly several of them. "Hopefully, if he does show up, it'll already be over and Damon and Bonnie will be with us. Otherwise…" she trailed off, not in the mood to contemplate how it could all go wrong.
"Yeah, hopefully." There was a hint of doubt in Ric's voice, but she ignored it.
"C'mon. You can drop off your stuff at the hotel, and then we'll grab dinner before it's time to meet up with Kira."
###
Just before midnight, Elena once again found herself in one of New Orleans's renowned cemeteries. The night was unnaturally still, the sky free of clouds. The moon was enormous, bathing everything in an ethereal glow. Despite the ample light source, candles were scattered over every available surface—mausoleum steps, the tops of gravestones, along the edge of the path leading to the spot Kira had chosen for the spell.
While the witch busied herself by arranging all of the ingredients beside two large earthen bowls, Elena glanced over at Alaric. He looked as anxious as she felt, pacing back and forth and continually scanning their surroundings to make sure no surprise visitors showed up. Elena herself couldn't stop fidgeting—she tugged at a loose thread hanging off the bottom of her jacket, tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, and brushed some grass off her boots.
Damon's warning from yesterday kept replaying in her mind: Elena, please be careful. If anything happens to you because of this spell, I'll never forgive myself.
After she'd ended the call with Ric, she'd been en route to her hotel when she'd heard Damon's voice just as clearly as if he'd been speaking directly into her ear. It wasn't just his words; she could sense that he was worried and even upset with her. Their connection seemed to be growing stronger since he was obviously aware of what she was planning. Exactly how he knew was anybody's guess.
She hadn't told Alaric about Damon's message, mostly because she figured his former drinking buddy already shared his sentiments. As if on cue, she noticed Ric walking in her direction.
"Hey," he said as he moved to stand beside her while he watched Kira grind up some herbs with a mortar and pestle. "You okay?"
Elena shifted her feet, feeling like she'd been rooted to one spot for too long. "Honestly, I don't know. Ask me when it's over."
Ric cleared his throat and stared up at the sky. "I'm not trying to be a downer, but you understand there's a chance this might not—"
"I know," she cut him off, "but I can't think like that."
"Believe me, I get it," he said quietly. "I miss him like hell, and I want him and Bonnie back just as much as you do, Elena. I just don't want you to get hurt in the process."
She smiled tightly and wrapped her arms around herself. "Thanks for coming with me."
He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Like I'd let you do this alone? Damon would kill me."
Their conversation was brought to a halt when Kira appeared in front of them. Her eyes were wide and childlike, but Elena sensed the woman was harboring an old soul beneath her youthful features. "The preparations are complete. Are we ready to begin?"
Nodding nervously, Elena gripped Alaric's hand and followed the witch back to the area where she'd set up the spell. They stopped a few feet outside of the pentagram Kira had assembled on the ground using salt. Carefully kneeling in the center, the woman turned her attention to Elena.
"Do you have the items I requested?"
Reaching into her purse, Elena withdrew three vials of blood—the two Ric had brought with him and one of her own. She was done letting witches cut into her, thank you very much. Handing them to Kira, she stepped back.
"Perfect. And the personal effects?" Her soft lilting voice would have been soothing under different circumstances.
In addition to the blood, Kira needed an object that belonged to Bonnie and something of Damon's. At first, Elena thought she'd have to enlist Ric's help in gathering those as well, but as it turned out, she'd been a step ahead without even realizing it.
Pushing back her sleeve, she slowly pulled the silver bangle bracelet off her wrist and passed it to Kira. Bonnie had loaned it to her before one of the parties they'd attended at Whitmore, but Elena hadn't had a chance to return it. She'd been wearing it all summer in memory of the best friend she'd lost.
Deciding which of Damon's things to part with had posed a challenge. His daylight ring was the only jewelry he'd worn, and she definitely wasn't giving that away. All of his clothes were off-limits at the boarding house thanks to the Travelers' magic-free zone, and Alaric asking Jeremy to go get one of Damon's shirts probably would've made her brother suspicious.
She dug through her purse once more until her fingers made contact with a jagged, metallic edge. She'd forgotten it was in there, and now, she was glad she had it even if the knowledge that it was about to be destroyed made her slightly ill. Removing her hand from her bag, she took one last look at the spare key to Damon's beloved Camaro before dropping it reluctantly into Kira's outstretched palm.
Next to her, she heard Alaric suck in a breath. "Is that what I think it is?"
She nodded, no longer trusting her ability to speak.
The heavy silence was broken by the sound of a nearby church bell announcing the arrival of the midnight hour. Placing the bracelet in one bowl and the key in the other, Kira added the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the blood, until the air was filled with the scent of sage and a variety of other herbs Elena didn't recognize.
Closing her eyes, Kira whispered, "It's time." She began to chant quietly, and Elena noticed that she was speaking in the same language Bonnie and her Grams had used when doing magic. At least she's not a Traveler in disguise.
As the witch's voice grew steadily louder, the candles flared brighter, making Elena jump. The wind picked up, sending leaves and petals from graveside flower arrangements scattering across the ground. Continuing her chant, Kira held Jeremy's vial over the bowl with Bonnie's bracelet in it. Pouring out half the contents, she resealed it and quickly tucked it in her pocket. She repeated the action with Stefan and Elena's vials, this time over Damon's bowl, again using only half of the blood and stowing the rest away.
Elena watched Kira closely, puzzled as to why she hadn't used all of it. Wouldn't that make the spell more effective? She was on the verge of asking for an explanation when a blinding light suddenly filled the space inside the pentagram, engulfing the woman and making Elena and Alaric step back and shield their eyes. It lasted for a few seconds before fading completely. In its wake, Elena noticed thin curls of smoke rising up from the two bowls, their contents reduced to ash. Kira emptied the bowls in the middle of the circle, and Elena stared in wonder as the ashes were absorbed into the earth.
Rising to her feet, Kira dusted off her pants and began returning the herb jars to her bag. Her intense gaze landed on Elena. "It is done."
"Done? If it's done, where the hell are they?" Turning in a circle, Elena looked around anxiously, searching for any sign of Damon and Bonnie. Finding nothing, she sped through the entire cemetery, checking behind every crypt and monument. Still nothing.
Racing back to the site of the spell, Elena saw that the woman had dismantled the pentagram, the circle broken and salt scattered over the grass. Kira was packing up the rest of her things when Alaric moved toward her with a murderous expression on his face. "It didn't work. What the fuck did you do?"
The witch ignored him while she zipped up her bag and hoisted it over her shoulder. When she turned to leave without a word, Ric grabbed her by the throat and pushed her roughly against the cracked wall of an old mausoleum. "I suggest you answer me. Where. Are. They."
"Ric!" Elena frantically pulled on his arm, but he didn't loosen his grip. "Stop! Maybe she can try again."
Smiling as if having a vampire crushing her windpipe didn't bother her in the slightest, Kira laid a hand on Alaric's wrist. Gasping in pain, he released her and dropped to his knees.
"Kira, no!" Elena approached the woman cautiously, as one would a feral animal. "I trusted you. You said you'd help me!" Tears threatened to fall, but she scrubbed her eyes to keep them at bay.
"I did," said the witch, all traces of humor gone from her face, "and you have given me a very valuable gift in return."
Elena tried but failed to make sense of what she was saying. "What? I don't understand."
"You will." Kira glanced down at Alaric as he writhed in agony. "It's nice to see that my hunter has been given a second chance at life." Lowering her hand, she ended the torment. As he slowly stood, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a fistful of something. Before either Ric or Elena could react, she uncurled her fingers and blew the crushed herbs she'd been holding into their faces.
Dizziness overcame Elena, and she slumped to the ground. She struggled to stay conscious, but it was no use. As darkness claimed her, her last thought was of the man she loved. Damon, please come back to me.
###
The light was fading. Damon didn't know what was going on, but it appeared someone had finally gotten the memo about him and was preparing to send him where he really belonged. I'm on the highway to hell…
Or maybe not. He wasn't the only one affected by the change. Bonnie was in full-on panic mode. She was afraid they were about to be sucked into the same oblivion that had taken Katherine.
Damon was mulling over that depressing possibility when he felt a tug, like he was being pulled from behind by an invisible force. It was subtle at first, but it grew steadily stronger until he found himself wishing there was something to hold onto. Not good.
Just then, the universe decided it would be fun to fuck with him some more—no vision this time, only Elena's voice in his mind begging him, in an eerily familiar way, to return to her. I want to, sweetheart, more than anything.
Noticing that the light was nearly gone now, Damon was resigning himself to the inevitable when he thought of one last thing he needed to share with Elena before he lost the opportunity to do so. He didn't want to say goodbye to her again, but he could show her what she hadn't been able to see that night in the Salvatore crypt.
When the darkness descended, followed by a particularly vicious yank, Damon focused on the memory of his parting words to Elena and prayed she'd hear them…
"You lied to me," Elena sobbed.
Damon stepped forward and brushed her hair back, surprising her with his unseen touch. "Even if I wanted to apologize, you couldn't hear me, so I won't."
"Please don't leave me."
"I don't have a choice, baby. You are by far the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my hundred and seventy-three years on this earth. The fact that I get to die knowing that I was loved, not just by anyone, by you, Elena Gilbert, is the epitome of a fulfilled life."
As Elena sank to the floor under the weight of her grief, he hated that he was causing her such pain; hated that he couldn't offer her comfort.
He crouched down in front of her even though she couldn't see him. "It's never gonna get any better than this. I peaked." Damon tenderly stroked her cheek and jaw, his hand trailing down to her wrist where it was tucked beneath her chin. "I love you, Elena."
"Please. Please come back to me," she pleaded.
"Bye…"
