a/n: so, i've been using flashback scenes for reference of what happens after the brothers are shot by their father. It's been a wonderful help and I know for a fact I would be completely lost in this story without them. For this chapter I will be adding in a scene that didn't air, but Damon talked about after Stefan woke up in1x20. I promise you, it's all as logical and canon as possible while working for this story.

Otherwise, all the Elena/Elijah moments are my own of course. Happy Reading.

Chapter 12- The Double Death of the Dearly Departed pt 3

1864

When Damon opened his eyes, he nearly cried out in pain. The deep searing heat from the gunshot wound still radiated through his body, but he kept silent. Sitting up quickly he looked around. Stefan was next to him, seemingly asleep in a slumped position against the old porch they were both currently resting on. He looked around, his eyes attempting to see through the darkness. He felt weak, but alive and slowly pushed himself to his feet. As far as he could tell, there was no one around. He didn't want to think about what happened, he didn't want to remember.

He only wanted to see Katherine. Judging by the position of the moon he took off in the direction he believed Fell's Church was. Blood rang in his ears, each step causing a sharp pain to shoot through his body. He didn't notice that the wound had healed, he didn't notice that he was no longer bleeding. He only noticed that he was slowly getting closer to Katherine. He stumbled slightly as the toe of his boot caught in a root, and reached out to brace himself against the tree. There was no going back, there just wasn't. Not now, not until he saw her for himself.

A few more minutes and a hundred more steps lead him to the sound of a rumbling carriage and shouting men. His head spun slightly and he weaved between two trees, wrapping his arm around a trunk to stay standing. His eyes closed for a moment, just a moment and then he saw her face. Her smiling face as she kissed him, her face all locked up as he and Stefan pulled her out of the carriage. He saw her tear filled eyes as he left the bedroom. Shock had him opening his eyes again as he shook the foggy memory away.

Katherine did not cry, and he'd certainly never left her in such a state. The men pulled open the doors and began dragging the vampires out one by one. Two men for every monster. Damon held onto the tree tighter, not noticing how the bark cut into his hands, not noticing that he healed almost immediately. More thoughts, more flashes of confusing memories hit him as he looked through the trees hoping to see Katherine. A woman with a muzzle like he'd undone was carried out of the carriage, but he didn't get a perfect look of her as he remembered Katherine falling down a hill and into his arms. No, it wasn't Katherine- was it? It had to be? He shook his head and looked back up.

Jonathan Gilbert closed the door of the church and took the torch that was handed to him. Damon watched with wide eyes as he set the building to flame. There were no screams as he thought there might be, instead deafening silence pounded his ears and he slumped against the tree. He was too weak, too tired to be standing anymore, and it was too late. Katherine was dead and there was no way to get her back. All he had left was Stefan, and so he turned from the heat of the flames and followed the path back to his brother, the sickest feeling of dread in his heart.

Boarding House

Bonnie jumped when Damon suddenly sat up from the couch, his hands clenched into fists. She'd never been his biggest fan, but these last few weeks had turned her hate to slight dislike to mild tolerance, so she moved next to him, awkwardly rubbing his back. "What is it? What did you see?"

He looked for a drink, wanting water but settling for the bourbon Ric handed him. They were all in the library, and once he'd felt the pull of a new dream he'd been unable to refuse it, hoping he would see Elena. "The night we were killed, I went to the church to find Katherine, but it was too late."

"That's old news." Stefan said, slightly bored from his corner as he lazily flipped through an old book.

Damon glared at him, not appreciating the martyr routine at the moment. "It was different this time. Katherine must have compelled me to forget Elena, and I guess it was starting to wear off. I kept remember things, memories I thought were all of Katherine but they weren't. I was remembering Elena."

"Good for you."

Another glare and Damon jumped to his feet. "Can it baby brother."

Ric stepped between the two Salvatore's before they could get in another fight. "What else do you remember?"

"Nothing." Damon answered through clenched teeth, allowing Bonnie to pull him down on the sofa.

A knock on the door had everyone looking up, expecting to see Elijah or Rebekah. Instead, Tyler leaned against the frame, arms crossed over his chest. He'd been working as a 'double agent hybrid' for the past few days, much to Damon's displeasure- but even he had to admit 'the dude' was on their side. "I have news, if the time is alright."

"The time is fine Tyler." Alaric motioned for him to enter. "Please, come in."

Tyler nodded, opting to stand beside the armchair instead of sit. "One hour." He said, looking directly at Damon. "That's how long you have before Klaus gets here. Elijah couldn't come to tell you himself, so he sent me."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Stefan asked, not looking up from the page he was currently pretending to read.

"You don't...but I'm all you've got."

"Thank you." Bonnie smiled, doing her best to keep balance between all the men. Without Caroline the past few days she felt helpless and quite the girl. At least they weren't expecting her to stay out of the battle tonight. "We will be ready."

Tyler nodded and turned to leave, looking back at Damon. "Look man, I know you miss her...but Klaus isn't going to be easy on you tonight. If you want her back, I suggest forgetting about her until all this is over."

"Thanks, man." Damon drawled, but nodded slightly at the hybrid. They would never be friends, but they had come to a seemingly even understanding.

When Tyler had gone and Stefan had returned to his normal statuesque silence, Alaric looked down at his friend. "I hope you aren't going to send me home. This asshole killed Jenna, and I won't be cheated out of my revenge this time."

Damon looked over at Bonnie and she nodded. "You have my word, no witchy traps."

Satisfied, Ric crossed his arms. "Let's get ready then."

Everyone, even Stefan went down to the basement. The dungeon that used to hold all the vervain had quickly become an armoury. Bonnie filled a bag with wolfs bane grenades; hardly new and inventive but there was no need to mess with a classic. Alaric loaded his crossbow and made sure that the case was full for reloading. Each arrow head was infected with a potent mixture of vervain and wolfs bane- the perfect combination to slow down a hybrid.

They knew to kill them it would require decapitation or fire, but the gang would need them weak before they could do either of those things. Damon shuddered slightly as he picked out a jewelled dagger and slid it into his boot. There were no magical properties to it, but it would do the trick in a moment if he needed a little help. His brute strength and speed was his real weapon, but it was stupid to go into this battle with nothing. Stefan pulled on a stake sleeve and slid his jacket over it, remembering how it had felt when Elena had stabbed him.

Both brothers exchanged a glance, an unspoken agreement that they both wished she was here was shared and they turned away once more. They were brothers and they loved each other, but that did not mean they had to like each other all the time. Stefan was well aware of the fact that as soon as Elena came home, she would not be running to his arms, and while he knew it was for the better, that didn't make it hurt any less. "I don't know what else we should grab." Bonnie said, slinging the bag over her shoulder. She had her spells for back up and the quick training she'd been put through these past few weeks with Damon and Alaric.

Alaric nodded and slid his crossbow into safety mode. "All we can do now, is wait."

1864

Elena really didn't know how this was all going to work. Klaus had finished beating his brother to turn on Katherine and demand from her just where the moonstone was. He'd already split Elena's lip open in an attempt to find the information from her, and when she refused, he'd dropped her back to the ground. The flames around her circle had yet to be reignited. Elijah came over and helped her to her feet, offering his blood to heal her. "No, but thank you." She smiled with slight pain and patted his arm. "Just in case I die, I don't want to go home a vampire."

"Of course." Elijah nodded and glanced at his brother. "Are you sure this is going to work?"

"Sometimes plans change." She whispered back, motioning for Mable to come out of hiding.

Klaus seemed to find that Katherine wasn't going to give him any information either, so he released her and stalked over to where George was laying, currently hiding the moonstone in his clenched fists. Elena knew they only had a few minutes and prayed that their back up plan was going to work. She felt the familiar scent of thyme in the air from when Bonnie had first performed this spell to send her back. This time however, it would not be Elena travelling through time; it would be the white oak stake. She felt for it again where it was hidden in her sleeve and said a quick prayer. She knew doing this would risk her being unable to ever go home.

Bonnie had told her in secret that once a witch performed this spell, she could not do so again. They had left his information out of Damon's knowledge to keep him sane, but now Elena had to take it into account. Was she really prepared to stay in this time forever? Could she live without her Damon and her friends? Never before had she felt this fear, felt this hesitation about saving everyone and risking herself, but in the moment she couldn't help it. She opened her mouth to tell Mable to stop, but a triumphant cheer from Klaus had her looking up.

"Poor dog." He said, dropping George Lockwood's dead body to the ground.

When he turned, Elena saw that his mouth was covered in the werewolf's blood and her skin turned cold. She clutched at Elijah's hand tightly, watching with wide eyes as Klaus tossed the stone to his witch. She caught it, placing it in the bowl and began chanting once more. This time, the bowl burst into flames and with a smile, Klaus bent over George's body, bringing his heart out through his chest. Elena and Katherine gasped together, catching Klaus's attention. With a non interested flick of his wrist, the Original turned to his vampire and sneered.

"Please Klaus." Katherine begged, stepping back in the circle, but only to cause the flames of her circle to jump. "Please don't kill me."

"It's your turn Katerina." He spoke smoothly, almost gently as he went to her, motioning for the witch to drop her circle of flames as well.

With no heat to warm anyone, Elena began to shiver, but she still noticed Elijah's sharp squeeze as Klaus offered Katherine his hand. "I won't die for you." Katherine spat, attempting to speed past him.

Klaus caught her by the hair, pulling her over to the altar stone and throwing her back against it. Elena heard the sick sound of broken bone and watched as Klaus thrust a stake into her back. It was a sick retelling of the sacrifice she'd already been through and for a moment all she saw was Aunt Jenna as Klaus killed her. She stepped forward, a scream on her lips but as Klaus raised the stake again to penetrate Katherine's heart, Elijah flew forward and threw his brother to the ground. "You won't kill her!" he shouted, taking the stake and stabbing his own brother with it.

The injury did nothing but immobilize Klaus for a moment, but it was a moment long enough for Elena to turn to Mable and shout. "Now!"

A small tornado of fog appeared a few feet from Elena and with a quick glance at the vampires around her, she pulled the white oak stake from her sleeve and threw it with all her might at the opening in time her friend had created for her. The fog spun faster, the stake disappearing into it and then suddenly it was gone. Elena watched as Mable sunk to her feet and Elena ran to her, checking her pulse the moment she reached the witch.

Thanking the heavens that her friend was not dead, Elena turned on Klaus and Elijah. Katherine was slowly pushing herself to her feet, her hand over the already healing wound at her back. The two women moved together, facing Klaus. "It's over Nicklaus." Katherine said, and then looked at Elijah. "Thank you, for saving me life."

"I love you Katerina, I always have."

Klaus opened his mouth to retort, but Elijah had already stepped forward to take her hands. He kissed each dirty palm and pulled her close. "You have?"

"Yes." His answer was simple, but it was all he needed to say.

Katherine allowed him to hold her for a minute before she stepped back, pain clearly etched on her face. "That was a long time ago. So many years have passed."

Elijah sensed her rejection and tried to hold it off. "I've waited for you, I've searched for you. Don't you see that? I did all this for you."

"I'm sorry Elijah, I care for you...but I love Stefan. I fell in love with someone else."

The pain was clearly etched on the Originals face and he stepped back as if he'd been slapped. "Go then."

"What?" Klaus and Katherine said together, both looking at Elijah as if he'd gone mad.

"We can go?" Elena stepped forward, placing her hand on Elijah's shoulder.

"That isn't really your choice to make brother." Klaus said, pain and anger in his eyes. "Do you not want me to be free?"

"Look around, it's over." Elijah hissed. "Wait for the next time Nicklaus. This night, is hopeless. Wait for the next full moon."

"You expect me to just let the doppelganger walk out of here?"

"For me, brother...I would expect you to do anything."

Elena held her breath, waiting for whatever the next move would be. She felt Klaus's eyes on her and saw his sick realization. Elijah would not allow him to kill Katherine, and if he left to get another vampire for the sacrifice, she would be long gone by the time he got back. "We will meet again, Elena."

"Oh, I'm sure of it." She said, not at all shocked that Katherine disappeared the moment everyone's attention was off of her. Once a coward, always a coward.

Elena glanced at Elijah once before she took off running into the trees. She knew that Katherine was well ahead of her but she didn't care. She just kept running and prayed that fate would be kind enough to let the stake find her Damon.

Boarding House

The living room was in complete chaos. Headless hybrids laid dead and burnt around the house as everyone fought. Damon kept his eyes on Klaus as he worked his way up to the main attraction. Hybrids seemed to come from everyone and even the momentary glance around told him that he would have to remodel once this was all over. He felt himself get thrown back as a Hybrid attacked from his left, but Stefan intervened before he could get bitten. The blood stained his already torn shirt and he cursed, pushing himself to his feet.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a blonde hybrid throw Bonnie against a wall, but Tyler quickly intervened and removed his head. With his attention back on Klaus, Damon pushed himself to his feet. The Original seemed unprotected at the moment, but just as he was about to jump for Klaus, the familiar scent of Thyme caught everyone's senses. Damon and Bonnie recognized it for what it was and quickly set their eyes back on the spot where Elena had disappeared from weeks ago. Klaus still stood, still alive- his eyes riveted as the small, fog tornado appeared before them all. Something long and white dropped to the ground and both men lunged for it.

Bonnie tapped into her powers and grabbed the stake with her mind, throwing it to the only person that didn't have his hands full. Alaric reached up into the air and grabbed it before letting out an almost war yelled and jumped over the body of a dead hybrid. Everyone watched as the stake was drove through Klaus's chest. The room seemed to freeze as Klaus's body erupted into flames beneath Alaric's hands. Then suddenly, there was no Klaus anymore- only a pile of ash and Ric standing there alone. Damon's eyes shot back to the spot where the stake had fallen, but Elena wasn't there and the smell of thyme was gone.

a/n: well...there you go. The longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoyed it, or at least as much as you could. As we all know, it's hardly far from over. Will Elena get home? And if so, what does that mean for the past and the future?