Damon didn't know how long he was away from Blair's past's perspective, but for him in was only a second. It didn't sit well with him knowing that there were lives the spell didn't send him to. What if those lives kept crossing paths with Klaus? What if those lives fell for Klaus over and over again giving Damon to chance of slicing their tether in two? Maybe he was wrong in thinking he and Blair were soulmates. Maybe Tatia was right in her thinking that she and Klaus were instead. Even with this thinking, there was something that Nysa said that gave him hope – she looked for him. In the lives between Ailia and Nysa, she looked for him. That had to mean something.

Once again, Damon had no idea where or when he was but he 'woke up' in a forest yet again. He found Ailia in a forest, too. No wonder Blair enjoyed the woods so much, at least one of her past lives sought solace in them for one reason or another. There was just something in the air around him that didn't make him think this was one of those cases. The air was almost heavy, eerie even. It was almost as if he could feel fear radiating through the trees. Something was happening in these woods and Damon just 'woke up' right in the middle of it.

Damon couldn't think too much on this because he had a maiden to find. Even so, he kept his senses on red alert. Well, as red alert as his human body would allow. Damon slowly made his way through the dark woods not knowing what to expect. If only he had some sort of clue which life of Blair's he had stumbled into then it would give him a sense of what to expect. Nothing of the sort was coming to pass so Damon would just have to hope the Spell would do its job and lead him right to Blair's life again.

He wasn't sure how far he had walked before the sound of running footsteps reached his ears. A sane person would have tried to hide or something until they discovered who or what it was, but not Damon. No, Damon stood where he was and waited for what – for who was to come. He turned around and saw a woman dressed in a tattered and bloodied gown come to a full stop not too far from him.

"Damon?" Marie gasped and ran straight to him, feeling such relief of finding him again. So many lived had passed from Nysa to now. She spent each life looking out for Damon but he never appeared and that left her with a hole in her heart. Marie didn't realize that was what she had been feeling all those years until she saw him again and felt whole. Somehow Damon had gotten under her skin and into her heart, never to leave again no matter the time or distance between them.

Damon closed the gap between them and held her close before pulling back and looking at her. "What has happened to you?" Between the dirt, tears, and blood on her gown it looked like she'd gone through the ringer a time or two. "Are you hurt?"

"I cannot explain," Marie answered quickly, looking around to make sure they weren't about to be closed in upon by Elijah or his Vampires. "But you were right, Damon. Klaus will kill everyone I love. He plotted to kill Katerina. How could I have been so blind?"

With these little details Damon knew which life he was talking to and was going to do his best to change it. "Marie, listen to me. We have to get you someplace safe. Now." Blair told him the story of this life from falling for her childhood friend William, to the arranged marriage with Lord Sebastian Abbey, all the way through to her death at Elijah's hand…again.

"I need to keep them away from Katerina," Marie countered, not wanting her to get captured and killed. "Elijah will find her and take her back to Klaus. I can't let that happen." She made a vow to protect Katerina – the woman who had the face of her first life. Marie didn't know how Katerina came to look like Tatia but Marie took it as a sign that they were meant to be in each other's lives. Marie had taken care of Katerina ever since her arrival and was like a sister to her. She couldn't and wouldn't let anything happen to her if she could help it.

"If you don't get to safety then Elijah will kill you. That is how you die, Marie. I just found you, I can't lose you so soon." Damon needed her to listen to him. If only he had time to explain what Katherine was up to – what she would become. It seemed this was one of the things the spell would not allow to change because he didn't get a chance to even begin.

"We will find each other again. No matter how many lives pass, somehow we always do." Marie went against all she was raised to do and kissed Damon deeply before quickly breaking the kiss and running off. She knew Elijah would find her eventually and if Damon was right that Elijah would kill her, she didn't want Damon to see it. Hopefully in her next life they will actually be able to share it.

"Marie, wait!" Damon called out and was about to run after her but stopped when Elijah appeared in front of him. "Of course," Damon muttered with snark.

"It seems my brother is not the only man Lady Abbey fancies," Elijah commented. "My brother will be disappointed." He almost sounded disappointed that this was the turn of events. Perhaps in a way he was because he had hoped that Klaus would find happiness with Marie. But if Elijah couldn't have his happiness with Katerina then why should Klaus get his?

Despite being human in his current state, he threatened, "If you harm her I will kill you." That was an empty threat and he knew it, but the least he could do was make his stance known and keep him away from Marie as long as possible.

"If you can reach her before I do then perhaps I won't," was Elijah's reply before he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Damon didn't waste any time running off in the direction where Marie had but he was only human, so by the time he got there it was too late. "No, no, no," Damon repeated over and over as he went over to Marie's body. Elijah had ripped her heart right from her chest.

He cried in agony as he held her. The spell wasn't working. Death came for them too quickly. How could Damon achieve his goal when he barely had any time with them. Was the spell doing its job by making sure things didn't change? Was Blair's soul destined to be tethered to Klaus' forever? No, Damon couldn't accept that. He was making changes – Marie's words and actions were proof of that. Damon needed to hold onto the fact that cracks were being made in the tether – more than he realized. It would only be a matter of time before it snapped completely. Hopefully the Spell would hold out long enough to do it.

End Journey 4 – Marie

A/N: Hey, Readers! Sorry for the short chapter. Marie's life had a pretty big part in Personification and I didn't want to take away from that by inserting Damon too deeply, if that makes any sense. Anywho, that's why this journey is shorter. Thanks for reading! :)