Revelations

Dusk had begun to fall upon the meadows of Mystic Falls, casting calming colors of blue, violet, and pink on the lush green grass. The air steadily cooled, the warmth of day time quickly being stripped away. Citizens had left the streets barren, knowing well that soon nothing but havoc will strike the poor town. Night time was a time of fear, for the darkness invited those who thrived of crimson plasma which flowed so freely through the veins. Though on this night, two foolish Victorians were still out and about, smiling as if the day were not coming to an end.

The two sauntered through the streets towards the home of Rachel Draut, palomino in tow. A girl with straight mocha tresses elicits an airy laughter, her cranium falling onto the males shoulder as he attempts to make a joke. They know well of the dangers the night brings, but just then, neither of them really thought much of it. The entirety of that day was spent riding through the meadows and forests on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, at some points dismounting to walk for a short while or lay in the soft grass and watch the clouds roll in a sea of blue. It was a day filled with nothing but joy, which was new to the young beauty Elena, and she liked enjoyed every little moment of it.

Never had she imagined that Damon would be like this. So kind, so loving and pure. He had done so much evil in her life that she almost couldn't believe that this is who he was. It was Stefan's fault he was so cruel, wasn't it? He had forced Damon to drink human blood... to complete the transformation, when the only reason he even considered becoming a vampire was for love. It was for love which he thought had been destroyed. An eternity without his true love was one he didn't want to live. But his brother made him do it anyways for his own selfish reasons.

Why she was accusing her lover at that moment didn't really cross her mind. Elena knew what she had considered was the truth. She knew for certain that the compassionate Damon Salvatore she had spent the day with was corrupted by his younger brother in a way that was unforgivable. It didn't occur to the 21st century doppelganger that her love for Stefan was dwindling every moment she spent with the male at her side, but then again was she really enthralled by this gentleman? Or was it the one back home, who had gone through so much and remained so strong?

"Come, Elena. We must hurry and retreat to the indoors." Damon insisted, guiding her towards the doors to the home at which Elena was residing. They had just previously put up the horse, rather hastily too. If anything, the elder Salvatore brother seemed to be just as frightened of those which lurk in the shadows. "Evil will be arriving soon."

Elena did as he said, lifting up the end of her dress so as to ascend the steps to the back door of the household. Though she waited at the threshold for him, a warm simper gracing her olive features as he approached. She had refused to allow him to return to his own home after getting her home, knowing well that by that time it would not only be risky, but it would mark his death for certain. If there was one thing that she didn't wish to happen, it was for Damon to die. Dying in 1863 would only mean death for him in his future, where he was most certainly working to bring her home to him and his younger brother.

At that moment, a blur was seen speeding towards the pair, ferocious snarls echoing from barred teeth. Horror swept over the doppelgangers being, knowing well that if she didn't do something Damon would surely die. Without hesitation, Elena lept down the stairs, silently cursing the enormous dress she wore. Just in time, she shoved the unsuspecting male to the ground, allowing herself to be the victim of the predator in his place.

In less than a second, a sharp pain exploded at the nape of her neck, the vampire who had captured her gripping her arms so tight it felt as if they were bound to break. Elena could feels her blood altering it's course, pushing painfully through her veins as if it had longed to be siphoned out of her body her entire life. To her right, she could hear Damon regaining his composure, surely noticing the imminent death painted across the beauteous girl's face.

The way he spoke sounded so much like the Damon she knew so well, so full of fear, anger, and pain. His voice ripped through the thin air, anguish lacing it as it projects from his pallid margins. "Elena!"

She felt as faint as she looked. It was apparent that her life was dwindling down by the second, ripping away from existence. Though, she had excepted it. Even if in the end, Damon still didn't survive this attack, at least she knew that she gave him that chance. Her eyelids slid shut, embracing the intense pain that was circulating throughout her nerves.

Then the sharpness of the vampire's teeth had disappeared, just as an ear deafening scream echoed throughout the area. There was no doubting that this cry came from her attacker, as it hit her ear drum with such a force that it seemed to injure her far greater than the blood being drained from her body. The grip on her upper arms was then released, allowing Elena to stumble backwards and away from the vampire. It took her a great deal of time to focus her line of vision, though eventually she was able to see past the blurring at the corner of her eyes enough to recognize the sight of the immortal predator crumpled on the ground, a wooden plank wedge deep into it's back. It was a woman, perhaps about the age of her aunt Jenna, with fair blonde hair and perhaps once beautiful features, now a hue resembling a light blue, and veins darkened to a grotesque blackness.

Her gaze, full of fear, shifted upwards to Damon, who made his way over to her just in time to catch her as she herself was consumed by the darkness.

"Elena!" Damon shot up from his seated position, sapphire orbs widening as he dawned upon his new found memory. He had been reveling in them all day long. The ride, the walking, the longing stares from both of them... the love he knew he saw in her beautiful chocolate depths. Though he had meant to get so much done that day, he fell victim the memories igniting in his mind. But the joy of it all hadn't lasted very long. No, only a moment ago he could see her throat being ripped open and fed upon, the life draining from her each second it was occurring.

There was no time to waste anymore. He couldn't... he wouldn't pretend that she can take care of herself there all alone with only his wimpy human self and an absent little brother to watch after her. There was no possible way for them to defend her against an entire town filled with hungry vampires. Something had to be done about this. He had to get her home, no matter what he had to do to achieve that goal.

Damon moved as quickly as he could to reach the Bennett witch, no longer wishing to waste time speaking with his brother about the situation. It had to be dealt with now. Lucky for him, Bonnie was sitting in the parlor, her gaze fixated on the grimoire in her lap. It seemed as though she had decided to skip school that day, which was exactly what the elder Salvatore had expected. After all, the witch had said herself that she would die for Elena. She was her best friend.

The vampire strode swiftly into the parlor, his brows knitted together. "Bon Bon, we have a problem."

Bonnie's eyes snapped up to meet the other, a surprisingly smug look crossing her features. It was as if his introduction had no affect on her. "Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I just solved it."

A wave of relief passed over him as he continued in his path to sit beside the Bennett on the couch. Damon's palms rub together anxiously, longing to know whatever it is that Bonnie had stumbled upon. "What have you got? Because trust me, time is ticking."

"I found the spell that Katherine had her witch use. It's extremely complex and probably one of the most difficult spells in Emily's grimoire... it even seems deadly. The spell literally throws a human being through space and time, but the safety for this spell expires after twenty-four hours." Bonnie pauses, as if to check if what she had just announced had been accurate. "This spell has been occurring for about a week now, which means that wherever this witch, or warlock, is, they're dying. I'll bet they only have about three days left."

"That's the full moon..." Damon contemplates the new information, his pallid margins pursing thoughtfully. "So we technically only have three days to get Katherine whatever the hell she wants. How does this solve our problem, exactly?"

Bonnie closes the grimoire and sets it on the coffee table directly in front of her. She seems fairly confident in what she was about to say. "I know how to reverse the spell without using any magic at all."

"What are you waiting for then? Tell me."

"The grimoire said that the spell is tied to the life force of a witch. So instead of draining the witches magic in a deadly manner, it's literally stripping their life away from them." She relaxes back into the couch as if her life mission had just been fulfilled. "Kill the witch, the spell ends, and Elena is returned to the present where she belongs."

Nothing more needed to be said. Damon was off the couch and bounding towards the door within seconds. If what Bonnie said was correct, which he assumed it was, all he needed to do was what he did best. He simply had to locate the witch and kill the son of a bitch. Then he'd have Elena back.

As he exited the Boarding House, Damon removed the journal he had stashed in his jacket pocket, his tormented sapphire hues skimming over it just briefly. It was the journal that they had been using to communicate with Elena, the one thing that had tied them to her. Jeremy was the last one to write in it, updating her on the recent events and everything that they knew about how to get her back. She was yet to respond, and Damon knew exactly why that was. But she was home now, and in pain. The best he could do to assure her that it would all be over soon was to talk to her himself.

The eldest Salvatore opened the journal to the next blank page, scribbling furiously across the delicate yellow-tinted paper.

Don't leave the house. Don't trust anyone. We know what to do.

- Damon

A/N

I apologize for the brevity. Next chapter will definitely be longer!

~ Charlotte