Chapter Twenty One

I own nothing but the plot line.

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Thank you to the guest who reviewed.

I promised you pain and sadness but I also promised you a happy ending. So are you ready dear reader?

Thank you all for being with me through this journey.

I appreciate all of you.

We are almost at the end.

The darkness snatched them abruptly and Caroline felt herself being dragged from the circle. She could sense Bonnie was close to her. She could smell the regular herb and flower scent of the witch. Bonnie always smelt like lavender and sage.

She felt the flaring heat of the candles still burning in the circle as they left. She smelt the stench of death and decay in the air. She saw tufts of grass lifting off the ground such was the force of the whirlwind.

The vampire closed her eyes as she was pulled through the fabric of time. The spell had ripped all boundaries of time and space. Caroline felt as if every cell in her body was rebelling against the magic. Her body hurt from the propulsion. Her hair was slapping against her face so hard that it stung. Her shirt felt as if was being pulled of her body, the force was so strong.

It was a tidal wave of time and magic.

Caroline had a delirious thought; it had not been like this for Alice when she had fallen through the hole in the ground and into Wonderland. Hell, this was closer to Dorothy in Kansas and the tornado. All she needed was Toto and some red ruby slippers. Ruby slippers would be awesome.

They were wrenched topsy turvy through the dark passage. The air felt cold and thin and they had to gasp for air.

Bonnie reached out a hand desperately and grabbed onto Caroline. Who knew what would happen if they were separated?

They were in the Cimmerian shade. A place so dark that shadows did not exist. Sound did not exist. It was if their screams were swallowed by the darkness. All that remained was the two girls and the enchantment of the spell. They could not process anything, the deaths of their friends and families. All that they felt was the here and now.

The vortex spiraled finally and a luminous glow called to them.

They tumbled out of the vortex quite ungracefully.

Caroline stood up on shaky legs and went to straighten her clothes.

But there was no need. She looked at Bonnie and they were both wearing the dresses that they had each worn to prom. Their hair was styled as it had been that night. Both girls looked chic and polished.

Caroline fell in love all over again with the dress that Klaus had given her. The dress was a work of art. The color and cut was perfection. It felt as if the dress was made for her. Her hair was still perfectly coiffed and she felt confident enough to take on the world. Or in this case she was ready to save the world.

Bonnie smiled a little as she saw her friend admiring herself. It was Caroline, it was how she behaved. Clothes were her language and her closet was her sanctuary.

"Care, we have to move," the dainty witch chided gently.

"Yes," the pretty vampire quickly agreed. She looked around to gather her bearings. They were at prom and currently standing outside the building. The light spilled out onto the area around them so that they could see clearly.

They could hear Stefan and Damon arguing with Elena.

"We need to call Elijah. That's the first step," Caroline said. She opened her clutch and took out her cellphone. She looked at the screen that lit up as she unlocked the touch pad. "I missed you," she murmured to her phone. She would never take technology for granted again.

She scrolled through her contacts and found Elijah's number, "Do I call him or text him?" she asked Bonnie. "I mean, how do I explain this?"

Bonnie frowned. She took the phone from her friend and called the original.

"Elijah?" she asked cautiously.

"Who is it?" Katherine asked in the background.

Caroline felt her heart flutter at the sound of her the doppelganger's voice. She was okay.

"Good evening Elijah. It's Bonnie Bennett."

"What can I do for you tonight Ms. Bennett?" came the very confused response.

It was not every day that Bonnie called the Mikaelsons.

"Well, something very bad is going to happen tonight Elijah," Bonnie replied gravely.

"Is that a threat little witch?" Elijah's voice was hard. "I had thought that a cease fire was called? We are on our best behavior?"

"Do they want to fight us?" Katherine's excited voice could be heard. "Cause I'm good to go Elijah. Just say when and I will kick Elena's ass!"

Bonnie sighed, this was not going well. Katherine would love to fight Elena now that Elena still had her switch flipped.

"If you don't help us tonight Elijah then the world will end. We will all die and it will be due to the actions of one person."

"Who is foolish or arrogant enough to break the peace?" Elijah asked concerned. "Is it Klaus? He has been particularly subdued tonight."

"No it's Kol. He's going to destroy the town and I managed to do a spell that brought Caroline Forbes and I back from the past. A past in which we just saw Rebekah, Jeremy, Katherine, Kol, Damon and Liz Forbes die," Bonnie felt her eyes tear up as she remembered the sheer horror. She relived the pain as she recalled Kol's screams of agonized pain. Her hand went to her chest because her heart hurt.

Caroline put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She shuddered violently as she recalled the first deaths. Someone else had been there to help her and Klaus. Some strangers but for the life of her she could just not remember who they were.

"I die," Katherine asked in a broken voice. She was shamelessly using her super hearing to eavesdrop.

"Yes," Caroline replied, knowing that they could hear her too. She did not want to mention their fledgling friendship just yet. That would be far too much for Katherine to handle.

"I will dagger him now," Elijah's voice was ice cold. "I will never allow anyone to hurt Katherine. Not so much as a hair on her head will be touched."

"She died saving you," Caroline whispered.

There was silence as the gravity of her words sunk in.

"Do not tell Kol anything," Bonnie insisted. She did not want Kol to be daggered. He could be stopped. The spell book was the problem not Kol. "We will change the events of tonight as we see fit. Caroline and I know what we need to do."

"What do you need from me?" Elijah asked simply.

"Can you meet us here at the prom?" Bonnie asked. "In the past, when we fought together you told us to ask you for help."

"I would not hesitate to save the one that I love," he replied.

Caroline sighed with relief, step one was taken care of. "Okay, we'll meet you outside. The first order of business that we need to take care of is close by."

Caroline and Bonnie tried to be inconspicuous as they watched Stefan and Damon try to get Elena to feel something.

It was obvious that the Salvatore brothers feared for the safety of innocent humans while Elena was looking at it like an all you can eat buffet kind of situation.

Elena had a sneer on her face that rivalled even Damon's. Gone was the sweet, complacent angel and in her place stood a she devil.

In Caroline's beautiful red dress. The dress that she had spent months fitting.

Caroline had to breath deep, she counted to ten mentally. She was fine. She had already lived through this. She had already felt the sharp sting of betrayal when Elena had stolen her prom dress. She had already seen Elena at prom in the stolen dress. But that didn't make the pain any less. Well, at least the dress that Klaus had given her looked better than the plain old red dress.

Klaus, even thinking his name send delicious shivers down her spine. He was going to be her prize for all her good deeds.

Elena stood on the red carpet facing off against the brothers. They were trying to make Elena remember as they watched the screens that lined the carpet. The screens had slideshows of photographs of the students.

Damon was trying to be flippant, "Where's the disco ball?"

Stefan sighed. He didn't need to handle two spoiled brats right now. "Caroline's been working on this for a while. It's a, ah, photo-yearbook of the senior class."

He stopped in front of a particular screen, "Isn't that photo from, ah, the first day of freshman year?" He was trying to help Elena but the sting of betrayal still hurt him. She had slept with his brother.

It was a moment frozen in time. a poignant image of the old human Elena and Matt. Their faces smiling.

The baby vampire stared at the image, "My mom took that when she dropped us off at school." A veritable life time ago. Before all the death and sadness.

Damon nodded with satisfaction at Stefan from behind Elena's back. This might just work. They were trying to use prom and her human history, her teenage years to bring back her humanity.

The picture of Matt and Elena faded away to another picture of Elena and Jeremy.

"I'm gonna get a seizure if I keep staring at these screens," she took off her jacket. There was not even a flicker of emotion.

Elijah appeared beside Caroline and Bonnie.

"What do you need me to do?" he asked without any preamble.

Caroline took him by the hand and with a big smile she walked over to the trio.

"Hello Elena you look lovely," she managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I love my dress," Elena was doing her best to goad her old friend. She stroked the fabric lovingly. "Is Elijah supposed to be your date Caroline?" The baby doppelganger looked at the original. "He's a tad overage and honestly it's a little creepy."

Elijah didn't even flinch.

Damon grinned, "Oh, come on. What badass senior's complete without a prom date that's slightly too old for high school?"

"Is that your sad way of referring to yourself as my date?" Elena asked him as she chuckled.

Caroline had had enough, the torture that Elena and Damon were inflicting on Stefan was too much.

"Elijah please fix Elena," she whispered to the original.

He moved faster than a bolt of lightning. The old, honorable original held a whimpering terrified baby vampire in his strong iron like grip.

Bonnie and Caroline had to restrain Stefan and Damon. Caroline was strong enough to hold onto a numb Stefan.

Damon fought hard and out of sheer frustration, Bonnie was forced to give him the mother of all aneurisms. That kept the elder Salvatore busy long enough for Elijah to work his mojo.

"Elena Gilbert," Elijah's voice was soft and kind, "come back. Be human again. Feel again."

With a wrenching gasp and a sob, Elena collapsed in Elijah's hands but he held her up easily.

"Stefan?" the doppelganger cried looking for her source of security. Her eyes were wide and panicky.

Stefan held her, he cupped her head and rained kisses on her teary face.

"I did such bad things Stefan," she sobbed. "I hurt people and I …" her voice trailed off as she looked at Damon.

"You wanted me princess," Damon's voice was bitter.

"I don't love you Damon, I may have felt pity for you but I don't love you. You used the sire bond and it was not real. It will always be Stefan." Elena turned to the younger brother. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Stefan's emerald green eyes were misty, "I would forgive you anything as long as you are mine."

Damon looked totally and utterly destroyed.

Elijah was not an emotional person but even he felt for the broken vampire. Who was currently off vervain. "Damon," the original looked into the azure eyes of his one-time nemesis, "the doppelganger was never meant for you. You do not truly love Elena Gilbert. You just think that you do. You will find love one day."

"With someone who loves him back and he must never force himself on her," Caroline hastily added.

"You will never use a woman. She will love you of her own free will and you will treasure her. Never change who you are but never force another to love you. Never force someone to be something that they are not." Elijah went on.

The original stepped back and Damon shook himself.

"What was I saying?" Damon asked.

"You were saying that maybe you should go inside and have some fun?" Stefan suggested.

Damon smiled his megawatt gorgeous smile. "Yeah that's a good idea." He left them all and went inside.

"Thank you Elijah," Stefan said as Elena cuddled into his side.

"It was my pleasure young Salvatore. I am sorry to say that I have witnessed firsthand the danger of loving a Petrova. It tends to tear brothers apart."

"But no more, thanks to you," Bonnie smiled. The love triangle crisis was averted.

Elijah shrugged carelessly. "So what is next on your list little witch?"

"Stefan why don't you and Elena go inside," Caroline said quickly. She did not want Elena and Stefan to be in the way.

"Okay Caroline," Elena replied. She hesitated as she looked at her two oldest and dearest friends. "I missed you both and I love you guys. Thank you."

The three girls hugged and Caroline and Bonnie watched as the couple walked away.

Once they were out of sight and hearing range, Elijah turned to Caroline. "How does Kol destroy the world?"

"Uh, well we'll tell you all about it on the way to your house but can we quickly fix something else first?" Caroline begged. She exchanged glances with her friend. They both had the same idea.

"It's important," Bonnie nodded.

"Matter of life or death," Caroline said dramatically.

"Fine," the original sighed. "I'll just wait here patiently not drawing attention to myself."

"Thanks Elijah, we won't be long," Caroline promised. "We just need to save the world one step at a time."

The original smiled as he watched them hurry into the tent. Teenagers were so dramatic but in Mystic Falls the end of the world was an actual possibility.

Elijah fixed Elena. Yay!

I had Elijah compel Damon to get over Elena because seriously enough already. According to season 5, doppelgangers are always drawn to one another so Damon never stood a chance.

I am tired of him being all angsty and broken hearted. Let the poor guy have a clean break. Maybe find a girl version of himself.

What do you guys think?

Reviews are appreciated : )