Chapter 10: To lost and broken memories

Pain. That was the first thing that registered to him. His head, it felt like a jack hammer had been set loose in it. There was nausea. His stomach felt heavy and the tingling in his cheeks made him feel like he was going to hurl.

He tried to think, but everything felt foggy, like it was just out of reach.

It was like being on the edge of a dream and you could go either way, wake up or fall back asleep.

His head and body pleading with him to get so rest. His head hurt so much and he was so tired, so he let himself drift.

He was vaguely aware that there was some kind of noise around him. But it felt distant and unimportant.

Again, he was drifting, but a thought caused him to jolt, 'Where am I?' Whatever he was laying on was hard, a floor maybe, definitely not his bed. He tried to focus on the world around him. It took what felt like forever for his ears to start making out sounds.

There was someone crying. At least that is what his head told him the soft sobbing was. Why was someone crying? What happened? Then there was a thud and someone groaning out in pain. Jeremy felt concerned but the lethargic feeling in his body and mind kept him from reacting. He felt distant from the sounds.

He started drifting again, ignoring the sounds.

'Clash!'

Despite how far away it sounded, the sound of broken glass pulled him closer to consciousness. 'What the hell was going?' He wondered and tried to pull himself out of the blackness he felt lost in.

As he tried to wake up, more sounds become clearer. The was shuffling and footsteps as what sounded like multiple people moved around him. Then there was yelling and shouting. Put it was a wail from someone in pain that made him fully aware.

He tried to open his eyes. But it was like they were too heavy. Growing worried both at his body lack of responds and the fighting going on, he tried to push himself up. But his arms were like lead, he felt them twitch but they didn't rise. He started to panic. Was he paralyzed? His heart picked up panic as he tried over and over again to get something to move. His willed his toes and fingers to move; nothing.

Scared he tried to cry out, to get someone's attention but it seemed like his body was not listening to his mind.

"Dammit, something is wrong!" Someone shouted. It was male, Jeremy could tell that much but he couldn't recognize who it belonged.

The shouting was quickly followed by a thud as whoever it was hit something hard.

'Please! Help!' He shouted out in his mind.

"BONNIE!" The area around him fell silent, as different male voice shouted, "His right, something is wrong. Jeremy's heart beat is fast and erratic." There was something familiar about this voice but again it was lost on Jeremy. But he felt relived they were talking about him, they knew something was wrong, maybe they could fix it.

The he felt a soft hand on his neck, pressing against his skin. Checking his pulse his brain supplied.

"He should be awake. I don't know why he's not. And I don't know what's causing his rapid heartbeat." A female said. And this time he could place a name to a voice. It was Bonnie, Elena's best friend.

He tried to make a sound to let her know he was awake. But just like before nothing happened.

"Maybe we should take him to a hospital?" How many people where around him, this was another male but not one he had heard speak yet. "I mean he has been out for hours and his body can't take his heart beating like that." The person continued on, and a face came to mind. Someone around his age and blonde.

"And tell them what?" Someone snarled, "That you moronic witch cast a spell and was prepared for the consequences." It was the male he heard before.

'Witch?' Jeremy thought, 'what the hell?'

"Come on, Bonnie you have to be able to wake him up?" It was the same guy that wanted to take him to the hospital. Matt! He realized. Why the hell was Vicki's brother worried about him?

Distracted he didn't notice the hand on his face start to move until it landed on his head. He heard, Bonnie whispering something and then it felt like ants crawling around on his brain. He tired to shout out for her to stop. He felt his body convulse and then it started struggle. He was to lost in the weird sensation going on in his brain to take in that his body was actually moving.

Then it was like a dam broke. He screamed and through his arms out. He felt his arm hit someone and heard them fall on the ground. He opened his eyes and pushed off the ground.

He was breathing fast and looking around. The room was full of people. He recognized Bonnie and Matt right away. It took him a second to understand that the skinny brunet in front of him was Elena. She seemed different, but he wasn't sure what it was about her that had changed.

"Elena?" he croaked out. It had hurt to speak; his throat was sore and dry.

"Jeremy!" She ran over and hugged him. He almost lost his balance but he held on to her and used her to keep himself standing.

"What's going on?" He asked. His head still felt scrambled and hazy, like he had taken something, hell maybe he had.

"Bonnie fixed you." His sister said and pulled back to look at him.

"What?" He was really confused.

"There was nothing wrong with him!" Someone behind him growled. That voice, it sent a shiver down his spine. He didn't recognize it but something in his body reacted to the man, but it wasn't fear like he could see in his sister's eyes when she looked behind him. Unsure why but something in him wanted to turn around and go to whoever it was. But the uncertainty of what was going on held him back.

"What do you mean Bonnie fixed me?" He asked.

"She got rid of the spell they placed on you. See I told you, they didn't care and where just trying to manipulate you." His sister sounded proud. And while it was nice to see her so confident, something she hadn't been since before their folks died, he still had no idea what she was talking about.

"Umm spell?" This time when he asked, he not only say but felt everyone look at him.

"Jer, man?" Matt asked, and it was weird how familiar he looked at him. "What is the last thing you remember?"

Confused he tried to think, but nothing came up. He knew his sister, Matt and Bonnie. He remembered his parents were died and that he hated high school. He remembered sneaking out and getting high with Vicki, he never remembered Tyler. Who was staring at him weird. Didn't that guy hate him?

"I don't know." He mumbled, "It's like everything is foggy like it's all mixed up." He said pointing to his head.

There was a collective gasp though out the room.

His sister looked around, "Do you remember him?" she asked and pointed to whoever was behind him.

He turned around only to notice three people he didn't know. One was one his knees and the other two seemed to hold him there. Something in his stomach clenched, he didn't like seeing this man hurt.

He looked over each of the three men. The first one had dark hair and was scowling. Jeremy couldn't name him but he got an impression. Something that told him he wasn't a huge fan of this guy. So, he looked over at the other man standing, this one a picture came to mind. This guy in his kitchen laughing with his sister as they made something. He still couldn't name him but he felt like he might know him.

He took in the last guy, the one on his knees.

The man's eyes were on him, it felt different then when the others looked at him. This felt more important but Jeremy couldn't place why. The man was attractive but dangerous, he knew that. Something in his brain told him, that this young look man was older then he appeared. There was something special.

Pain rippled through his head. He gasped and held his hand to his head.

"Jeremy?" Elena asked as she walked in front of him.

He barely heard her, his mind was full of flashes. In one he was kissing the man that had been on his knees, in another they were bickering over food in what looked like a school cafeteria, but in the last one it looked like they were fighting. They weren't whole images or memories but fragments of something.

"Jeremy?" She asked again.

He tried to hold on to them to get the whole picture, to understand what they meant but they seemed to slip back into the fog, leaving him with just pieces.

He groaned.

"Jeremy?"

"What?" He snapped at her.

Then realized what he had done.

"I'm sorry," He said looking down, "I felt like there was something. Like I was remembering something but it, I don't know went away." His headache was back though. He wondered if he still had the bottle of painkillers in his desk that Vicki had giving him.

Speaking off, he looked around, this was Matt's house. So where was Vicki?

He was about to asked, when more images slammed into his head.

Vicki dressed up as a vampire for Halloween and them making out by the school buses. Then it changed, Vicki standing there with something sticking out of her chest, blood on her face as she turned to look at him. Elena on the ground and Stefan blocking him as he ran to her.

He swayed as the imagines came in and he felt someone grab him. He looked up at Stefan; now he knew him. Elena's boyfriend. He tried to focus on the man's face but he just kept seeing Vicki.

He pushed the man away and turned towards the hall. He had to see her room. He had to know if that was a real memory. He ran until he was standing in front of her door.

He reached his hand out and froze.

"Jer?" He turned to look at Matt. Matt's eyes look sad, like he knew what was happening. He reached out and took Jeremys hand and pulled it away from the door.

"Let's get you out of here?" He whispered and pulled Jeremy through the house and out the back door. The jogged to a truck and once they were both inside, Matt sped away.

Neither of them spoke as Matt drove through town. It was only when the truck build in front of an old apartment looking building that Jeremy found his voice.

"Where are we?"

"Ric's." Matt answered and started to get out of the truck. Ric? Jeremy looked back at Matt.

The blonde froze, "Shit. Man, whatever she did you… I'm sorry. Ric is…." He ran his figures through his hair, "Mr. Saltzman?"

"My history teacher?" and he was back to very confused.

Matt smiled. "He is more than that. Come on. Maybe seeing him will make you remember."

With no better idea's in mind, he got out of the truck and followed Matt inside the building