A/N: Hey all! This is just a new idea I had for a multi-chapter fic. Not sure how long it'll be – depends on how much information I stick in each chapter. It will involve a few characters of my own creation - but it is an eventual Delena fic.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away in a summary, so you'll just have to read and find out more. And, of course, put a little faith in yours truly ;)

For anyone reading the Closer collection, I will still be writing the odd chapter there. But I'd like to give a proper multi-chapter fic a go.

Disclaimer; I own nothing.

She didn't know where she was.

There were voices close by, whispering in harsh, hushed tones to one another; everybody was talking at once and she couldn't catch their words. Everything felt heavy, and her jaw ached angrily.

She ground her teeth together to relieve the pain.

Her tongue felt like cotton and she clacked it against the roof of her mouth, then rolled it against her gums and cheeks. They yielded nothing. Her head felt foggy and weighted, as though a thick mist was surrounding her thoughts and bogging them down. Said thoughts shifted sluggishly, blinded by whatever it was that clouded them. Slowly more senses came to her; she could smell wood, and grass, and fresh air, and behind that she could smell something distinctly mildew-y. She could taste...something foul, something that lifted a single phrase from the fog; morning breath.

She was lying on a hard mattress with a pillow beneath her head, and the scratchy sheets made her skin tingle unpleasantly. She shifted, rolling her shoulders away from the horrible sensation.

"Oh! She's awake!" One of the voices hissed. It was a girl's voice, and she sounded young and fresh and excitable. A memory floated into clarity at the forefront of Elena's mind, and along with it came a name.

Caroline.

Her eyes flew open, and slammed shut again. It was far too bright.

"Close the damn curtain." A hard, sharp voice barked. This one was male, and he sounded older. The light dimmed and Elena lifted her lids again. A sea of faces swam in her vision. None of them, though, were familiar.

"Caroline?" She tested the name on her tongue, but no reply came from within the group. They exchanged glances with one another.

"No Caroline here." A second man said. He had a smile on his face and a look of wonder in his eyes. The group gave a nervous laugh.

"And where exactly is here?" Elena asked. Her voice was croaky, and it occurred to her that she mustn't have spoken in a while.

"Enough chit-chat for now, love." A motherly voice spoke. It belonged to an older woman with soft red hair and bright blue eyes. Her skin was pale, and she had a smile that screamed 'friendly', and Elena felt an immediate trust. The woman moved forwards with a glass of water in hand. "Drink up. It'll clear that frog out your throat."

She had an accent that Elena couldn't place, but she guessed it was from somewhere in England. She made a mental note to ask, but not right now. The water looked far too tempting and her parched throat throbbed for relief.

"I'm Rosa." The red-head said with a smile.

"I'm Pippin!" The voice Elena had thought to be Caroline cried from the crowd. Pippin made her way forwards and kneeled beside Elena, her face shining with a smile. She shared the same unnameable accent as Rosa. Elena gave a shaky grin back.

"Pippin, dear, calm down now." Rosa scolded gently. Pippin's smile fell slightly and she gazed at Rosa with large, pretty blue eyes. There was something so familiar about those eyes, but Elena couldn't quite place it.

"Sorry, mum." She said, looking sheepish. "I've never met a new Shifter before."

"A what, sorry?" Elena asked, perplexed. She felt her own forehead dip into a frown.

"Not now, Pippin!" A young boy, about nineteen, nudged the back of Pippin's shoulder and licked his lips. She mumbled another 'sorry' and turned to glance at Elena.

"How're you feeling?" She asked, eyes wide. She had a look of such innocence about her, and Elena felt a sudden sense of endearment.

"I...I feel fine, actually. Thirsty." Her frown deepened. "Why am I here?"

"You don't remember?" It was Rosa's turn to stare, her gaze as open as Pippin's. Elena shook her head.

"I don't think so. I don't...don't really know what I'm supposed to be remembering."

"Oh, it was awful!" Pippin cried, clasping her hands in front of her chest.

"That's enough." That sharp voice rang out through the room and everyone flinched. Elena rubbed her ears and ground her teeth together. She turned to see a tall man standing in the doorway. He had thick black hair down to his shoulders, and a scratching of stubble across his jaw line. His features were strong and well defined, and he struck a chord of fear deep in Elena's gut. "She needs more rest, if she doesn't remember."

Elena looked up at him and met a third set of piercing blue eyes. It panged familiarity, and she tried floating a couple of memories and ideas to the surface, but every time she reached for something new it shrank back into the shadows.

"Lucas is right, Pippin." Rosa said gently. Then, she turned her gaze on Elena. The intensity of the blue was mesmerising. "And you, love, need to get some more rest."

Elena wanted to argue, to tell them she wasn't tired at all, but her lids felt heavy and her head dropped back to her pillow of its own volition. Rosa stood, taking Pippin with her, and the rest of the rooms' occupant shuffled towards the door. Lucas waited for them to pass, arms folded across his chest, eyes fixed on Elena's sleepy form. Her body shot into high alert, and as tired as her eyes were, something in the back of her mind told her not to sleep while he was watching her.

At last, with one final, narrowed glance, Lucas turned on his heel and stalked from the room, the door slamming closed behind him.


It had been a week. A week since Matt drove the truck off of Wickery Bridge. A week since Alaric dropped dead in Damon's arms. A week since Elena vanished without a trace.

They'd searched fruitlessly. They scanned every inch of the river bed, but found nothing. They scoured the surrounding woods, checked the boarding house, overturned every rock in Mystic Falls and shone light into every nook and cranny. But she wasn't there.

"She can't have just disappeared." Damon argued as he paced the length of the carpet in front of the fire. Stefan was ready to give up, but Damon wasn't prepared to let her go just yet. "She has to be somewhere."

"Then you keep looking." Stefan snapped, knocking back the remainder of his drink. "But I'm done."

With Elena MIA, everybody's nerves were fraught, and Stefan was saying all the right things to push all the wrong button. The next thing he knew, he was pinned with his back to the wall and a hand clamped around his throat.

"This is all your fault." Damon hissed, lips drawn back in a snarl to reveal sharp, pointed teeth. "You don't get to give up."

Stefan shoved Damon away by his forearm and straightened his jacket. He glared through angry green eyes, but said nothing. He knew it would be unwise to pick an argument with an already enraged Damon.

Instead, he brushed passed his seething older brother and left the room in a blur.

Damon dropped his arms to his sides and felt his fangs retract. Anger had been getting the better of him all week, and he was struggling to keep his composure. The last thing the Mystic Falls population needed was a murderous vampire on a grief-spurred killing spree. He took a calming, cleansing breath, then grabbed the bourbon bottle from the table and stalked through the door.

It was time to pay Ric a visit.

A/N: There's the first chapter, guys! I know nothing much happens here, but give it a chance. I've written more. There will be a plot, I promise :P

Leave me a review and let me know what you thought about this part!

I promise, this story will involve Hunters, Hybrids, Klaroline and lots of Delena! You just have to get through the first few chapters to get a bit of back story.

Thanks in advance.

Much love,

Someone x