Daybreak the following morning found me in a near manic state. We were no closer to finding out who had killed Jeremy and Stefan, yet all I wanted to do was find that bastard, rip his heart from his chest and feed it to him. I was ready to go at a moment's notice. I just needed that first clue.

During the night, Elena had fallen asleep in my arms while we were still huddled on the parlor floor. Once again, I carried her to our bedroom and tucked her in. I know, flipped switch, it shouldn't matter to me whether Elena slept on the floor or not. Flipped switch or not, I still loved Elena. I would always take care of Elena. I had spent the night working the phone, trying to turn up the tiniest of leads. Nothing. If there was anyone who knew what was going on, they weren't talking.

Matt and Bonnie took turns checking on us through the day and night. They must have set up a schedule because every two hours from the time I opened the box until daybreak, one of them walked through my front door. They never said a word, just gave me a nod before going to check on Elena, brought me a blood bag or a glass of bourbon, depending on my mood. Sometime after midnight, Matt walked to the table where the box with my brother's heart still sat. I made a move to stop him, but the look he gave me, tears in his eyes, stopped me in my tracks. He reverently removed Stefan's ring and placed it on the table. Without another glance in my direction, he picked up the box and walked out of the house.

With the light of the new day, I became more determined to get my revenge show on the road. Staying in Mystic Falls wasn't accomplishing anything, so I went to pack a bag and leave before Elena woke up. I should have known that would be an epic fail. I had no more stepped across the threshold of our bedroom when she sat up in the bed, a curious look on her face. After a heated debate, otherwise known as Damon and Elena screaming at the top of their lungs, she agreed to stay home if I agreed to be home in twenty-four hours, no matter what. I promised to call if I found anything that would lead us in the right direction. I promised I would come home with a clue.

What I didn't know was that the clue would find its way to Elena in the worst way possible.

Elena followed me out to the Camaro, putting on a brave face. I knew the last thing she wanted was for me to leave, but she knew I needed to do something. Being the wonderful woman she is, she let me go, even though I'm sure it was killing her.

Without a backward glance, I started my car and drove away from my life as I knew it. Heading for the highway, I had a decision to make – north toward New York or South toward Atlanta. I chose Atlanta, since that where Stefan was when I talked to him less than two days earlier. It had been longer since we talked to Jeremy, so there was no telling when he had met his end.

I made a few phone calls as I drove. The first one was to Matt. I needed him to stay at the house with Elena, no matter what she said. She might think I was willing to leave her alone, but nothing could be further from the truth. The second call was to hire a cleaning crew to undo all of the damage I had done the night before. No way was I going to leave all that mess for Elena to deal with. I spent the rest of the drive touching base with my contacts, again. I'm sure they were tired of me calling, but it sucks to be them. I wasn't letting up until I had something concrete to go on.

I was an hour outside of Atlanta when my phone buzzed. A quick glance showed a text from Elena.

Come home. NOW.

That certainly caught my attention. While I wondered why she didn't just call me, I pulled off I-85 at the next exit, pulling into a gas station to fill up the Camaro. I didn't have time to play text tag with my girlfriend, so I opted to call while I was waiting for the gas pump to shut off.

Elena answered after the first ring, but I didn't even give her a chance to say hello.

"Elena, I can't come home now. I'm only an hour from Atlanta. I need to retrace Stefan's movements from the time he left."

Before I could say anything else, another voice came through the speaker.

"Damon, it's Matt. Elena just can't talk right now. You need to come home. Now. Something has happened, but she won't let me tell you over the phone. Just get here as fast as you can."

"Matt, just tell me what happened. It can't be more important than finding my brother's killer."

"Damon, just get back here. She needs you."

I was torn between going on to Atlanta and returning to Mystic Falls, but I knew that whatever had happened must be bad if Elena wasn't able to speak to me herself.

"OK, Matt, I'll turn around. Tell Elena I'll be back as soon as possible. If I really push it I can be back in five or six hours."

If I hadn't already flipped my switch, I would have done it then. The guilt I felt for leaving her would have overwhelmed me, instead I was able to ignore it, shove it out of my way and keep moving. That's what I need to do, keep moving, because if I stopped, I might not start again.

Five and a half hours later, I pulled into my driveway, noticing a strange car parked there. Before I could even get the car door open, Elena was there opening it and pulling me out. She threw herself into my arms as she cried her heart out again. As much as I wanted to kill Stefan and Jeremy's murderer, I was starting to want to keep him alive long enough to torture him for putting my girl through this over and over again. Looking over Elena's head, I saw that Matt had followed Elena out. The grim look on his face, the shake of his head told me I wouldn't like what I was about to hear.

I managed to get Elena moving toward the front door, although I thought I might have to carry her instead. I heard Matt mumble the word 'library' as I walked through the door. Apparently, that was where we were gathering since I had rendered the parlor void of furniture. I led Elena in the room and was surprised when I saw Tyler sitting next to Bonnie on a couch, his arm around her as she cried. Looking around, I wondered where Caroline was since Tyler was supposed to be bringing her back.

"Where's Caro-"

I stopped. Sitting on the reading table was a small, intricately carved wooden box. I didn't even have to ask. I just knew and I couldn't make any of them say it. I sat Elena in a chair and slowly walked over to the table. With unsteady hands, I opened the box lid and looked in. A lock of long blonde hair, a silver bracelet and a daylight ring that I was very familiar with were the only contents. I was right. Caroline was dead.

Tyler chose that moment to grow a pair and speak up.

"Klaus killed Caroline. He sent me to deliver a message. He said to run. Run fast and run far. He's giving you a head start, but he won't stop until he finds and kills you."