Elena
Elena was itching to get out. Every moment she couldn't see if the spell had worked was unbearable. Stefan and Bonnie were helping in the wrong ways. Bonnie didn't need to purify her. All Elena needed was to see Damon. When that happened, she was sure she'd be okay.

With the past month's grief on her shoulders, Elena knew there were only two ways her life could lead. One way, the best, would be if Damon was back, and they could be together. She wouldn't think of the other way. She knew the spell had worked, just as she knew Damon needed her.

When Bonnie was doing spells around her, Elena felt the need to hurt her. Logically she knew she should just put up with it, but a voice inside of her whispered attack...

The same thing happened with Stefan, only the voice told her to run, to get away. Sometimes she tried so hard to stay where she was, her limbs would be tired and start shaking. Those were the moments when she worried. The rest of the time, all of her attention was on Damon, on getting to him.

She could tell that Bonnie and Stefan were worried. They brought all of Bonnie's books and looked through them. Every few minutes, they would look at her in a worried way.

They hadn't tied her up, but Elena could barely walk. All of her energy went into holding back the urges that almost overtook her. Whenever she managed to move her hand an inch, Stefan watched her carefully, ready to stop her if she tried to run. She had just enough energy to get to Damon, if she was careful. It would be so tricky to get to him.

So she plotted. She struggled to find an answer. There was no possible way she could stay here much longer. Everything inside of her was screaming for answers. The darkness Bonnie had talked about had done just as she'd said. It was taking over Elena inch by inch, starting with her thoughts.

But Elena knew somehow that seeing Damon would take the darkness away. He was the anchor to her purest self, and nothing could change that.

Bonnie
Bonnie was having a hard time dealing. It was so hard to watch Elena turning darker when Bonnie couldn't do anything. She wanted to save her friend, but they couldn't find a way to do it. Maybe, she thought suddenly, it's not the spells that aren't working, it's something in Elena that's blocking them.

She knew her friend was desperate to see Damon. Maybe that was what was keeping the spells from working. Bonnie knew as well as anyone how stubborn Elena could be when she wanted something.

Elena shifted a little on the sofa, eyes still closed. She had barely moved in the past few hours. Even opening her eyes seemed to take every bit of energy left. Bonnie hoped this was a sign that Elena was fighting the darkness inside of her. Even if she was, though, it seemed to be in a stalemate. Elena just didn't have enough energy to fight it off.

Bonnie thought about giving her energy, but what if Elena didn't use that energy to fight the darkness off? What if she used it to escape and find Damon? The further away Elena was from the site of the magic, the better off she'd be.

She closed the book she'd been looking through. Stefan looked up. He looked tired, and kept glancing at Elena. They were both so worried about her. Elena had dabbled in magic she didn't understand, and Bonnie hadn't been lying about consequences. She had a feeling that the darkness was just the beginning.

Every moment they didn't find some way to help Elena was another moment in which Elena was closer to giving up. It killed Bonnie to think of that, just as it had hurt her earlier when she'd realized that the Elena she'd known was gone. But she wouldn't, couldn't, give up. She understood now the determination Elena had felt to bring Damon back.

She wasn't sure how she felt about Damon coming back. He would still be a vampire, because that was the form he had been in when he'd died. He wouldn't look weird or anything from being in the ground. He'd probably still be the same Damon, just much more confused. From his perspective, he'd been asleep for the past month.

No matter what happened, Elena could not be allowed to see Damon. In Bonnie's mind, that would mean that she'd finally given into the darkness that was currently nesting inside of her.

Tyler
Tyler Lockwood was watching the sky intently. He'd already turned this month, thankfully killing only a small rabbit. Most of the members of the pack were always in control, even when they had turned. Tyler wished they could teach him.

The moon was still invisible. Just yesterday had been the new moon, and he'd felt a peace in him that had rarely been there before. The beast was further away then.

The Lycan pack had been moving north for a few weeks. According to Ryan, the leader, they were moving towards New York City. When Tyler had asked why they were going to such a largely populated area, he just got crypted answers. Even though he wasn't the youngest member of the pack, everyone treated him like one.

He still wasn't sure if leaving Mystic Falls was the right decision. A part of him was still there with his mother, Matt, and Bonnie. He did miss them, just as he missed the familiar faces and streets that he'd grown up on.

For now, he was with the pack. He wanted to learn everything they knew. They had the answers he needed, and he wouldn't leave without knowing.

Elena
Elena struggled for hours. Every moment the thoughts became harder to ignore. Every second she thought about giving up, but if she could just hold on until she saw Damon again, everything would be okay.

She fell asleep for a while, dreaming of the spell. When she woke up, her mind was blissfully quiet. Bonnie and Stefan were gone, their books still lay on the table. There was a blanket around her, and a pillow under her head. Elena shrugged them off and stood up. All of her energy was back.

She doubted Stefan and Bonnie had gone far. Sure enough, voices drifted in from a nearby room. Before they could come back, Elena tiptoed to the front door and slipped out into the cool evening air.

She ran from the house, not wanting to stick around any longer then necessary. She went straight to the cemetery then up the hill to where Damon had been buried. There, a few feet from his headstone, was a hole in the ground. It was large enough for a human to fit through.

Elena felt possessed as she walked further towards the forest. Her heart was beating fast and she felt anticipation rise up inside of her. Surely this was where someone would come looking for shelter. He must be in here somewhere...

A branch cracked behind Elena. She spun around, straining her eyes in the darkness. A shape emerged and a pleasant hum warmed her mind.

"Damon?" she whispered, not believing her weak eyes.