Elena sat numbly in her room. Why had Damon left so suddenly? Was something wrong? The questions swirled in her head; it was making her mad. Slipping off the side of the bed, she began to pace back and forth across the room. Rubbing her hands over her face, she exhaled deeply. The suspense was killing her.

Damon? She asked.

Elena, came his reply. It had no tint of sarcasm, no trace of taunt. It was purely and utterly bland.

What the hell is going on? First he left her, now he is acting monotone; something was definitely wrong.

Elena, he sighed, it's difficult to explain, and I don't have to describe it anyway. All I want you to do is try to not sleep. He paused. Until we get you safely back home.

Y-you want me to not sleep? Damon, you have to give me something here. I'm totally in the dark about all of this. She ran a hand through her hair.

Speed version goes like this: it turns out Originals can compel through dreams, and Klaus is trying to do that to you. That's why I asked you to try to stay awake as long as you can. As we speak, Scotty and Bonnie are preparing a spell to bring you back to the present.

Wait. I'm still not following. I get the whole Originals can compel thing, but why do I have to come home?

It's a long story; one that I don't have time to tell through telepathy. Just- just try not to sleep or interact with anyone for right now. Can you do that for me?

Hearing the seriousness of his voice, she couldn't help but comply. Yeah, I can do that.

Thank you, he replied. I'll see you soon, Elena. And with that he was gone. Deciding that she was probably going to be stuck here for a while, Elena walked back over to the bed and pulled Damon's journal from under it. Opening the old book, she turned to today's date: April 18th.

18 April 1861

The evilest of evils occurred today. I feel sick to my stomach. Not only because of the pure cruelness of the situation, but due to the fact that I did nothing to stop it. Today, Stefan killed a man; Jameson, to be specific. I knew he had been incredibly jealous of Jameson's ever growing bond with Caroline, but I never thought he would resort to something as treacherous as murder. The part of the situation that kills me the most, though, is that he had told me of his plan. Last night, Stefan stopped me in the hallway, and told me his idiotic idea of poisoning an apple, that he would then give to Jameson to eat. Stefan has never been the industrious type, so I thought little of it. This afternoon when we hosted the Hales for brunch though, Jameson's father came to us, and informed us of his son's death. Though the news was utterly horrific, Caroline took it the hardest. The expression on her face when the melancholy words 'he is dead' were spoken, was utterly heartbreaking- Caroline's once flawless face lied in ruins for all to see. Caroline proceeded to inform us that she was in need of fresh air, and we all nodded our heads, giving her permission. When Caroline had not returned after over an hour, Mr. Hale excused himself to check on his grieving daughter. As the rest of the party waited for the two Hales to return, the anticipation was high. When the master of the Hale family finally returned to the group, he came alone. Streaks of tears were blatantly displayed on the man's face, and his skin was flushed. Once his emotions had finally calmed, he proceeded to regale the group with his findings. Sometime, in the hour that Caroline had been gone, she had hung herself. My father stupidly asked if she had lived through the act, and Mr. Hale shook his head slowly. So, today, two of the most splendid people ever to walk the streets of Mystic Falls died. It is all me and my brother's fault. The feeling of guilt is so massive, I feel as though I may actually drown in it. I have no doubt in my mind that today marks the changing of the Salvatore brothers…

Elena clasped her hand over her mouth in complete shock. No, this must not be right! Stefan, her Stefan, killed a man. Elena's fucking boyfriend had the audacity to kill a man, and then never mention it to her. Her heart plummeted to her stomach, and she wrapped her arms around herself. This, she could not take. Elena felt her body begin to shake, and tears start to form in her eyes. She cried for Caroline; she cried for Jameson; she cried for Damon. She cried because of Stefan. Though the feeling felt oddly out of place, she couldn't help but feel that Stefan had betrayed her. Stefan Salvatore was a lying, deceitful, and evil specimen, she finally decided. Elena Gilbert could not stand Stefan; she hated him. Though it might be contradicting to hate Stefan for killing someone, since Damon had too, their situations were different. When Damon killed, it had been when he was a vampire; though that didn't compensate for what he did, it made the truth easier to accept. Stefan, though, Stefan had killed a human being when he was a fifteen year old human. That was pure wickedness. Elena fell back onto her bed, curling herself up into a ball. She was still trying to process everything she was just forced to intake.

2010

"Are you ready, Bonnie?" Scotty asked. The two supernaturals had just finished lighting the last set of candles. On the table, both Bonnie and Scotty's Grimoires were opened on the table. Bonnie was to read first, restating the Bennett time travel spell. That would then be Scotty's cue to enter with his portion of the spell. Since Scotty's family has a longer history than the Bennett family, his Grimoire held a spell for bringing one back to the present before the two week period had expired.

"Yes, I'm ready," Bonnie replied lightly, her voice wavering slightly. Scotty gave a nod, gesturing for her to begin. Bonnie nodded back, before closing her eyes and beginning to recite the spell. Just as it had done last time, the wind picked up in the room, and the candles flickered. A moment after Bonnie had finished her last sentence, Scotty picked up, in perfect rhythm. Chanting his ancient spell in Gaelic, he swiftly undid the Bennett time travel spell. The wind that had been swirling during the duration of Bonnie's spell, was slowly dying down as Scotty spoke. The words slipping so elegantly off his tongue were enchanting. All of Team Awesome was mesmerized by his language's beauty. Finishing his final sentence in a voice no louder than a whisper, the candles blew out with the last gust of wind. All eight members of the Team sat in tense anticipation. Elena would be arriving soon.

1861

Sometime when she had been curled up, Elena fell asleep. It wasn't until she felt an unusual chill in the room that she awoke. Her eyes fluttered open, to be met with a glow of colors. Shades of rose and lavender sprinted past her, as hues of sapphire and emerald sailed by leisurely. Although the scenery was quite magnificent, she couldn't help but wonder what in the world was going on. Moments later, Damon's words from this morning flooded into Elena's mind. He had told her he was going to bring her back to the present; and so he was. A gust of hot air suddenly hit her, and she was spat out of the tunnel of many colors. Closing her eyes, she waited for impact. Seconds felt like hours to her, and she couldn't wait until she was safely on the ground. As if fate had heard her plea, she fell into something; more specifically, someone. Getting up stiffly, Elena realized she was back to being in her jeans, T-shirt, and Converse. Never in her life, had she ever thought she would appreciate those three items as much as she did in this instant.

"That was some entrance there, Elena," Damon grumbled, while getting up from the floor.

"Oh, Damon, I'm sorry," she replied, covering her mouth to stifle her laugh.

"Mm, I'm sure you are," he replied, while cracking his neck. Elena rolled her eyes at him, and followed it with a chuckle.

"Elena," Stefan said, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so happy you're home safe," he continued, as he broke them apart, keeping his hands on her shoulders, to look at her.

"No," Elena said harshly, hitting his hands off her shoulders. "No," she said again. Stefan looked at his girlfriend in utter bewilderment.

"E-Elena, what's going on? What's wrong?" Stefan shook his head at her in utter confusion.

"What's wrong?" She crossed her arms before continuing. "What's wrong, is you! I've read Damon's journal, Stefan. More importantly, I know what happened with Caroline Hale. How the hell could you, Stefan? And you never told me about it. What the hell else are you keeping from me, huh?" Elena's eyes grew almost black in anger.

"Elena," Stefan pleaded, "I love you. Please don't do this." He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away from him before he could grasp it.

"Stefan, you loving me just isn't enough anymore. I- I don't even know how I feel about you now. You've kept so much from me, and lied to me. Stefan, I don't even know you."

"Elena," he said weakly, as tears formed in his eyes, "you do know me."

"No," she deadpanned in return, "I know the you that you want me to know. You're an absolute stranger, Stefan." She backed away from him slowly, standing next to Damon. Turning to him, she said, "Tell me what's going on, Damon."

Sighing, he started, "Well, you see, uh, as you know, Originals can compel through dreams. After they compel through them enough, they can start to compel through the mind whenever they want to. While you're sleeping and while you're awake; like Santa Claus," he stopped for dramatic effect. When he got the few chuckles he had been waiting for, he continued on. "Obviously, this isn't a good thing. Plus the side effects of mind/dream compelling are some nasty bitches. Paranoia, dementia, insanitary, massive headaches… you get the idea. This power that Originals have is a very bad thing for you. Klaus plans on using it, we think, to take over the world." When Elena raised a skeptical eyebrow, Damon said, "An overused plan, I grant you, but there it is. As I was saying, the first person he wants to use the ability on is you; it's revenge for Katherine ditching him all those centuries ago. You know the whole symbolic 'you'll bow to me now' type thing."

"Yeah, I got it," Elena replied numbly. This was so much to take in. First Stefan, and now this.

"Well, the situation gets worse. Klaus has a very powerful witch on his side named Loretta. She can do some pretty intense shit."

"Damon," Scotty piped in, "there's a part of the Loretta tale that I forgot to mention."

"What now," Damon replied tiredly.

"Loretta also has the power of mind torture. It's not like the spell we use to cause vampire's pain. This is something different; and much worse. The pain she causes is one hundred times worse, and she can cast it from anywhere in the world. She could be in Tokyo, and torture someone all the way in New York."

"So you're saying she could torture any one of us, at any second?" Damon inquired.

"That's what I'm saying," he replied grimly. "Oh, and she can still possibly change the past. Even though we got Elena safely out of 1861, the spell Bonnie set up is still in use."

"So she could break it at any point," Stefan said blandly. Scotty nodded his head sadly.

"Well," Damon said, clapping his hands together, "that's just peachy."

"It seems as if we have to begin putting the plan into action, then," Elijah stated. The rest of the Team nodded slowly in agreement.

"I'm going to go upstairs and take a shower," Elena said, before turning to the stairs. Almost exactly as she hit the step, she fell to the ground grasping her head with both hands. She yelped in pain, and began writhing on the stair.

"Oh my god," Caroline muttered, and sped over to her friend. The attention was turned from Elena when they heard a thud. Everyone turned to find Damon also grasping his head, and holding back a yell.

"Is the torturing both of them?" Stefan asked frantically.

"No," Scotty muttered in return, "that's impossible."

"Then what are you suggesting? That Klaus has another witch like Loretta?" Stefan began to pace back and forth, raking a hand through his hair.

"Destiny," Bonnie muttered.

"Destiny?" Stefan asked, confused.

"Yes. When Damon told me that he could speak to Elena through telepathy, I told him that could only happen if two people had a destiny together. It just dawned on me, that another aspect of this bond is that they feel each other's pain."

"You mean that if Damon got shot, Elena would be able to feel the wound as well?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But the part that's disturbing is that this aspect of a destiny is only triggered when someone casts a spell. Like the spell Lucy cast on Elena and Katherine the night of the masquerade. The reason her spell worked, was because Elena and Katherine are blood related and have a bond/destiny."

"Wait. So if I'm understanding you correctly, since Damon and Elena have a- a destiny," he spit out bitterly, "a witch or warlock could trigger the part of the bond that allows them to feel each other's pain."

"Precisely," Bonnie replied.

"That makes logical sense," Elijah chimed in. "Loretta could kill two birds with one stone. Knock Elena out of the offensive line by torturing her, and that also knocks out Damon too. Or, vice versa."

"Uh, guys?" Caroline piped in, "as much as I'm glad you're figuring all of this out, we have two friends and teammates who are literally going through hell right now. Maybe want to give me a hand in carrying them up to beds where it would be more comfortable?"

Stefan replied to Caroline's request with a nod, and picked up the writhing Elena and began to carry her up the stairs. Sighing, Caroline picked up the thrashing Damon, and followed Stefan up the stairs.

"Should we put them in Damon's room?" Caroline asked.

"No, my room is closer, so we'll just put them there," Stefan replied, going a little farther down the hall, and then kicking a door open, which Caroline assumed was Stefan's room. By the time Damon and Elena had been placed on the bed, their pain had lulled, and they were knocked out.

"Wow, the pain must have been horrific, for them to pass out, huh?" Caroline muttered to Stefan as the duo made their way down the hall.

"Yeah, I'd imagine it was hell," Stefan said distantly. Caroline exhaled deeply, and stepped in front of Stefan, keeping him from advancing to the stairs.

"Look, Stefan, I know you're upset about Elena. But you have to let it go. Not only because you need to give Elena space, but because you need to focus on the mission at hand. This isn't just some little issue that solely affects Mystic Falls. If we don't succeed, Stefan, we let down the world. So, I know this is going to sound harsh, and I'm sorry for that, but you have to buck up, and just deal. Okay?"

Stefan sighed. "Yeah, you're completely right, Caroline. I won't let my relationship with Elena interfere with the mission."

Satisfied with Stefan's response, Caroline stepped out of his way, and the two vampires made their way down the stairs and joined the rest of Team Awesome.

"How are they," Rose asked when they entered the room.

"They're passed out right now. Apparently the pain was that awful."

"My god," Rose whispered, "what have we gotten ourselves into…"

Meanwhile, back in Stefan's room, Elena was beginning to stir awake. Rubbing her eyes she sat up slowly in bed. Her head throbbed like it had just gotten a boulder hurled at it. Groggily turning her head to the right, she saw Damon lying beside her, out cold. The logical thoughts of 'what are we doing in Stefan's room?' and 'why is Damon knocked out?' or 'why does my head hurt like hell?" never crossed her mind. All she could focus on was the godlike man next to her. Damon looked so tranquil, lying on the bed. His jaw was relaxed, his eyebrows not scrunched, and his breathing slow and steady. He looked innocent; cute; harmless. A warm smile grew on Elena's face at the sight before her. Slowly reaching her hand to his face, she traced his cheekbones, his jaw line, and his lips with the side of her hand. Moving her way slowly up his face, she reached his hairline, and slowly racked her hands through his jet black hair. It was perfectly conditioned, and soft on Elena's skin. His hair tickled her fingers as she went, and she felt shivers run down her spine. This felt completely different from when she had run her fingers through human Damon's hair. It wasn't the obvious reasons, like the different hair products in 1861 and 2010. No, this was something entirely different. It was the feeling Elena got, when she touched vampire Damon opposed to human Damon. She felt warmer inside; her heart fluttered faster; her blush was redder when she touched vampire Damon. Removing her fingers from his luscious locks, she sat cross-legged, and stared at him, pondering why it was such a different experience touching him. Cocking her head to the side, Elena decided it was because she loved him. He was the first person she ever genuinely hated; he was the first person ever to redeem himself enough to earn her affections back. He, Damon Salvatore, was the first person to ever fully capture her heart, body, and soul.

Leaning down slowly, she kissed him softly on the lips…

~Howdy, folks! So there is chapter fourteen! I know, I know, another one filled with information. Hopefully I didn't bore you too much! Form this point forward I'd be prepared for much, much more Delena… yay! And after tallying up all of your votes, and debating which would work better for the story, Taroline won. But, for all you Staroline fans out there (such as myself LOL) I have a new one-shot posted called "It Is Me After All"! So, check it out and review!

Remember, reviews are love, people! ;)