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"Trying to bring her back? No, Damon, there has to be some other explanation. Stefan wouldn't do that. He's not like—" Elena broke off, swallowing her next words.
"Not like me, you mean? Ouch." He shook his head. "Think, Elena. Why would he insist on 'burying' her alone? Why else wouldn't he have come back? Why would he kidnap Bonnie? He's always been unnecessarily nice to her—if he wanted something sane, he'd just ask."
"But Stefan didn't even know she was alive until two days ago! Why would he get so upset about her being dead now? He dealt with her being dead just fine for this long. No. There has to be something else. Maybe…maybe he didn't want Bonnie making a ring for Caroline?"
It was almost cute trying to watch her way reason out of this massive cluster fuck. Almost. Things were far too serious to spend time dealing with her denial.
"Stop thinking like a human." Damon turned the car sharply onto the side road that would take them near the tomb. "Stop feeling like a human. Remember, we don't experience emotions like you do. Well, not those of us who choose to have them. Everything is heightened—what he felt when he got her back, what he felt when he lost her again. He never really properly mourned her back in 1864—he was too busy dealing with all his new vampire super powers. Call this a delayed reaction."
Damon threw the car into park, sending Elena tumbling towards the dashboard with an indignant squawk. He turned towards the back seat, scouring for any of Ric's goodies. Damn. Not even a vervain grenade. "Is there any point in me telling you to stay in the car?"
Elena didn't even bother responding as she slid out of the car and began marching through the forest. "Why do you think they're in the tomb? Why would he bring her here?"
"It's a witch…thing." Damon fell into step beside her, resisting the urge to use his superior speed to race to the tomb. But nothing magical was going to go down until the moon was at its apex. They had time. Better to go slow than to leave her alone. "Even though Katherine wasn't trapped there, all those vampires left behind a lot of psychic energy. Lots of suffering, lots of death and blood magic stuff. Witches can use that kind of power to do all sorts of things."
"But Bonnie would never help bring Katherine back!"
"Look, I don't think Bonnie can really do it. Spells that bring people back from the dead—let alone ones that bring vampires back—are almost impossible. But that doesn't mean he won't try. And a broken knee cap is very persuasive." Damon wasn't exactly thrilled to be playing white knight to Bonnie just now—not when she'd nearly gotten him barbequed two days ago. But on the off chance that Stefan really could torture her into properly completing some sort of resurrection spell, Damon supposed it was better to deal with her than a pissed off Katherine.
The pair drew to a stop about a quarter mile from the tomb's entrance. "Stefan, I can't do it! Even if I wanted to, I don't have the power to do what you're asking. And I can't do that to her. I'd rather die first." Bonnie, her voice tremulous but strong. Damon couldn't help but admire the little spitfire.
"Bonnie, don't make me do it this way. You know I don't like hurting you. But I will." Stefan's voice sent a chill up Damon's spine. He hadn't heard Stefan sound like that in decades: calm, collected, utterly matter of fact. And then there was a sharp crack—probably a finger bone—and a scream cut through the air.
Elena started running as she heard Bonnie's cry in the distance, tearing through the leaves towards the tomb steps. Damon followed at a jog, letting her stay in front of him. Even with Stefan on a bit of a tear, he wouldn't put Elena in any danger. Seeing her might help calm him down.
Damon clattered down the steps just feet behind Elena. The scene was about what he'd expected: torchlight flickered off the dripping stone walls, bathing Katherine's body in eerie shadows where it rested on a low stone bower. Bonnie was huddled in one corner, her face stained with tears, clutching one injured hand to her breast. And Stefan—
Well, Damon had only a moment to realize where Stefan was as his own neck was wrenched to the side. Damon distinctly felt the cervical vertebrae grind, crack, and then shatter with an explosion of pain. Elena's scream ushered him into the waiting blackness.