There was nothing that he could do. He watched as she was stabbed over and over and over again.
"Please, stop!" he yelled across the vineyard.
But it didn't stop. He could hear her tortured screams in his head, pounding his skull.
"Help me! Help me!" She screamed until she finally collapsed in a pool of blood. He ran to her then, and held her lifeless body close. Her ebony hair was turning crimson with blood.
"Stefan, wake up!"
Stefan opened his eyes and looked up at his wife. He looked at his surroundings and found only his room and not the Italian countryside. He could feel wet tears on his face. Elena's loving eyes looked down at him with concern. She moved closer to him and he could feel the bed shift under him.
"Honey, what happened? You were screaming and crying in your sleep. Did you have a bad dream?"
"You could say that," he replied, trying to regain some composure.
The phone began to ring. Elena reached it and answered it carefully.
"Hello? Yeah, he's up. Hold on a minute," she paused and handed the phone over to her husband. "It's Damon."
Stefan gave her a confused look. Damon never called at four in the morning; unless it was an emergency.
"Hello, Damon. What's wrong?"
"Listen, I just woke up from a horrible nightmare. I would have just contacted you with telepathy but my head still hurts. All she did was scream…"
Stefan listened intently to his brother's rant.
"The girl; it was the girl that was the worst part. It was…"
"Gena. I know Damon, I had the same dream."
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few minutes.
"So, little brother, what the hell does it mean?"
"I don't know Damon, but we need to find out."
"So, are you going to go or what," Gavin asked Gena, while she fiddled with her coffee.
She was looking at her laptop contemplating her fate. On the screen was a name with an address: Stefan Salvatore, 101 Midnight Ocean Drive, and Spring Cove. He was here, in the same town she had moved to.
"Well?" Gavin reiterated.
"I…I don't know. I mean…yes I want to, but part of me doesn't. He's not going to believe this."
Gavin looked at her smiling and caressed her hand.
"If I can believe it, he probably will. Just go. Do you want me to go with you?"
Gena looked into his deep brown eyes.
"Yes, please," she reached to hug him. "Thank you. I don't deserve you."
"Sure you do," he whispered into her ear. "Now let's go."
She grabbed her purse and they both made their way out the door.
Gavin paused outside of the garage and said, "Should we take my car or yours?"
Gena began to laugh immediately.
"Mine," she replied while stifling giggles. "My brother would definitely not believe it was me if I rolled up in that piece of crap!"
As they drove down towards Midnight Ocean Drive, Gena's hands gripped the steering wheel hard, causing her knuckles to become white. The butterflies in her stomach were starting to make her sick. As if sensing her distress, Gavin reached over and gently stroked her back.
They drove down the road, the numbers going down: 105, 104, 103, 102…101. She pulled up next to the curb and looked at the impressive house, noticing that it really wasn't her brother's style of home.
Gena sat in the driver's seat unable to move a muscle.
"So, are you going to go up there, or are you going to turn around and go home?" Gavin looked at her questioningly.
She knew that if she went back home she'd never forgive herself.
"Gavin, would you mind waiting here while I go up there? I would rather do this part by myself."
"Whatever you want, love." He kissed her cheek and gave her hand a quick squeeze as she made her way to the door.
Purse in hand, she walked up the stone steps to the wooden front door. In what seemed like slow motion, she pressed the lighted button of the doorbell.
Ding, Dong. Ding, Dong.
"Hold on! One moment!" The voice yelled from inside the domicile. The voice now had a face as the person opened the front door. It was the blond from the restaurant.
"Can I help you?" she asked.
"Yes, I was inquiring about someone who lives here. His name is Stefan Salvatore."