Phew! Finally got this up for you guys :) I am truly amazed by all of the feedback from just the prologue! I hope I don't disappoint and I hope I get the same on this chapter, because that would be amazing (because you guys are so amazing it's not even funny)

Also I apologize for taking forever to get this up, I am working on my other fic again Even in Death so my time is split, but expect at minimum weekly updates on all of my stories :)

I hope you enjoy! As usual, disclaimer applies.

Chapter One: It Changes Us

One Month Later

The witches-though weakened by the spell that killed Kol and Rebekah- were still a force that was difficult to contend with, so while Elena and Caroline slid down the hallway of the now abandoned Mystic Falls General Hospital, they remained on alert.

They had lost too much already.

Elena recalled how so many years ago, she woke up here- as a vampire. Now she found herself searching the desolate building. All for the remaining blood bags from the deliveries she had arranged by making sure she was very convincing to a team of vampires, who were hardly able to sneak out of the town themselves.

"Maybe…and I am going to kick myself for saying this…but maybe Damon had the right idea." Caroline stopped walking as she peered into an empty room while catching a glance at her disheveled appearance.

"You know Damon is not doing the right thing Care, now knock it off and stop staring at yourself."

Elena sighed as she continued forward, accidentally taking a look at her own image as well. It was times like these that she wished the myth about vampires not having a reflection had been true. Her hair was matted, even being held up in a ponytail, it seemed dull and knotted as it traveled down her back, past her shoulders where the smallest knots were beginning to form. Even her clothes were ruined, her black tank top worn mostly so the blood stains wouldn't show but even in the dim hospital light-running completely on generators as there was no more electricity- she could see the marks and each one had a different name. She fixed her denim jeans, tucked tightly into her boots, which could have looked like they were a new fashion statement (or an older, more unpopular one) as they were ripped at the knees. Elena Gilbert looked like she belonged in a horror movie, but to see if she was the mass murderer or the victim, was still left undecided.

Caroline mumbled something long winded, and at first Elena thought her friend was only talking to herself until she heard her clear her throat.

The brunette looked up to see Caroline push her blonde hair- it's usual bounce now lay flat with loss of life- away from her eyes with a glare.

"Are you listening to me?" she scorned and Elena shook her head. "I said at least Damon doesn't have to go out and search for food like a dog!"

Elena stopped in her tracks, and Caroline recoiled assuming it was due to her words, but she had heard a noise from behind them making her ignore her friend's repetitious remark. They have had this fight before and there were more important matters to take care of right now.

They were not alone.

Without explaining to Caroline what was happening, Elena pushed her friend into the room and pressed both of their bodies flat against the wall.

Listening intently, thankful that she didn't have to explain to her friend what was happening as Caroline adjusted to their new way of life just as she had. This was no longer Mystic Falls their home, this was Mystic Falls their prison as they were not able to escape. Witches were cutting down vampires one by one forcing them to remain in the town, fighting for their lives.

Elena listened closely to the sound of footsteps clicking down the hallway as she allowed her mind to drift. She began to wonder how Damon's means of survival- keeping the few remaining Mystic Falls residents as human donors, ensuring they have a constant supply of blood without any problems, was better than her own.

She still, even after all of these years, valued human life as a trait she would never let go of which was why when she caught the oldest Salvatore feeding behind her back, slowly gaining a following of his own, she felt betrayed.

"You cannot be serious Damon!" Elena shrieked one night two years ago.

She had walked into his room to ask if he needed anything, only to catch him with Melissa, one of the human rescues that Elena herself had pulled from a housing wreckage as she was unable to escape.

To say she was infuriated was putting it lightly; the vampire hated having the wool pulled over her eyes, but being it was by Damon shouldn't have been a surprise. She should have known better, but also knowing that the brother who had been one of her closest friends-even if they were ex-lovers (or boyfriend/girlfriend, whichever one seemed fit for the moment.) The betrayal hurt like a dagger to the chest.

The Salvatore released the girl with a sheepish grin and Elena caught her as she stumbled, nearly falling to the ground she was so dizzy. Quickly, she examined the wound and bit into her own wrist, allowing her blood to flow into the girl's mouth.

She was still a teenager, and he was using her as a cow.

"Does Stefan know about this?" she pried before turning the girl towards her, looking her into her eyes. "Leave this room, forget this ever happened." She compelled her. Melissa-the frail looking blonde, nodded and drifted out the door without a word, closing it behind her.

"What makes you think I'm hiding it?" Damon sneered, his eyes reverting back to normal, "I don't need to tell you everything you know."

Elena rolled her eyes in frustration as she subconsciously tapped her foot. She began to feel like his mother, and like her own mother used to do, she called for the one person (her father) who she knew would take her side.

"Stefan!"

In an instant, Damon's younger brother was by her side looking to them both curiously as Damon wiped the blood from his lip.

"Stefan, did you know Damon has been feeding on the humans?"

The younger Salvatore looked stressed as he glared at his brother, giving Elena the impression he had already known.

"Damon, you know you can't be doing that." Was all he said as Damon's blue eyes turned to ice as he shot up to Stefan glaring at him fiercely.

"Are you standing in my way brother?" he growled into his face, "That's not such a good idea."

"Damon these are innocent people! You can't just feed on them, they are trusting us to protect them, not use them as meals on wheels!"

"I call it payment for our services" he sneered, challenging his brother.

Stefan, even after all of the fighting, the deaths and the stressful situation, had been struggling to keep his own course of the "bunny diet" as Damon called it. He didn't deny the fact that he now had to drink from blood bags to control himself so he was already breaking his "no human blood" rule, even though that rule went out the window merely months after the witches began to attack.

He pushed his brother back, making him topple down onto the ground as he snarled. "This is wrong brother, even you know this."

Damon stood sharply, brushing himself off with dignity, refusing to look Stefan in the eye.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and glared at Elena before grabbing his coat off the door knob, storming out.

That was Damon's last night in their old safe house-the Salvatore Manor. He left that night and before anyone could stop him, he compelled Melissa and another human rescue to follow him. Not long after other vampires began to travel and by the time Elena and Caroline decided to move out to the newest safe house, the abandoned Mikaelson mansion, which had been left empty once the Originals were taken down, their numbers were down to eight.

Elena would have preferred to stay in the Gilbert home, but that was one of the first houses to be set ablaze in the witches rampant attempt to take out as many vampires as possible.

Each night, Elena thanked the stars that the witches powers were exceptionally weaker, if they had been at full strength, there was no doubt the vampires and werewolves would be dead, and then there would be no more balance to be restored.

"I think she's gone." Caroline whispered as she peered out the small door window.

Elena reached for her knife that she kept tucked in her boot-a gut reaction that she had established since the war started. She put her finger to her lips, edging closer to the door. The two vampires could easily overpower one witch, but multiple would be an issue as they had strength in numbers, which caused them to become like the wolves, and only travel in packs so it was unlikely she was alone.

Caroline slowly opened the door so Elena could poke her head out to see if anyone was in the hall. When she saw the coast was clear, she grabbed her friend's hand to keep her close behind. Caroline Forbes and Elena Gilbert were a team, best friends, allies and had unlimited trust in one another. They protected each other with all that they had.

As a human, Elena was rarely the stealthy type, but since being a vampire- and with extra training from a certain Original she had allowed herself to become close to, she had picked up rather quickly on a few things. She hugged the walls with her friend close behind as they aimed for the room where the blood bags were kept.

"Come on, we need to hurry."

Elena cleared the area quickly, she had learned to always be on alert for a fight. She stood by the door on watch while Caroline put the bags in her portable cooler, they needed to take every precaution since these deliveries rarely occurred anymore, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the team of vampires to get in and out of the town.

"There aren't a lot here Elena…" the blonde worried, "Do you think we will get another shipment?"

Elena shrugged as she looked outside again. She knew that the woman who was roaming the halls was still in the hospital, so they needed to get in…and get out as quickly as possible.

"Hurry up Care,: said the brunette impatiently, not only was she beginning to get nervous, but being near the blood was bringing her hunger out. Out of the rest of the group she and Caroline had the best self-control but that didn't mean either of them were perfect. They hadn't fed in a few days after all.

"Done!' she announced closing the door to the containment cabinet. "Let's go!"

Elena always admired Caroline's bubbly attitude, even in one hundred years and the present state of Mystic Falls- her home town- she kept smiling. Sure her demeanor was more rigid now, tougher even- but she was a deceitful one, always walking like she didn't have a care in the world. Even after she sat at her mother's death bed she held strong.

Elena envied this about her, she found herself…changed once everything began. She remembered once how Elijah begged her to never change, promising her always and forever in the same letter solidifying his feelings, solidifying them even though she didn't know it at the time, at least…she didn't want to admit it out of fear of more betrayal, but yet here she was now going against his hopes-she was prepared to kill any witch that crossed her path.

War changes everyone. She told herself, but she was not convinced.

When it came down to it, Damon Salvatore did as he pleased.

He knew he wasn't wrong for using the humans; he wouldn't let Elena's distraught expression haunt him. He wasn't about to feel bad for trying to survive.

It had been two years since he left her "group" and once in a while, they would still meet up; even though it has been a long time. They didn't have social calls anymore.

Elena had changed since the witches began attacking, she was still her obnoxiously moral self, but she was equally battle focused. The missing piece was her reasoning. She was fighting not for herself, but for the people of Mystic Falls, it could be her downfall and that concerned the older Salvatore.

He missed the old Elena, the almost child-like, fun-loving Elena Gilbert, the one who would do anything for her friends, even die for them but all of that without hurting a fly. Now she was willing to tear into a witch if she got the chance and cry about it later.

Now she was cold and ruthless, torn apart by instead of two vampire brothers but by her own compassion and the need for her friends to survive. They were all just fighting to survive but that didn't change anything.

Damon smiled at the thought of how much war could change those around you.

"Dude…are you all right?"

The vampire's attention snapped back to reality, a reality he didn't want to be living in.

"Yeah I'm fine." He replied, looking to the gruff, bearded man, his black hair slicked back into a ponytail. His name was Jack, a hybrid turned during Klaus and Stefan's reign of terror, and since Stefan's capture, he had been helping Damon assisting the other vampires in their survival.

It was one month ago that Damon lost his brother. Before that, it had been one year since Stefan joined him, leaving Elena's side in the Mikaelson's home, secretly doing so as a way to preserve the blood bags (an idea Damon still found ludicrous). As always, his brother sacrificed his humanity for Elena, just as he had done time and time again, only to be left in the dark

"Come on Stef, let her go." Damon directed his younger brother. He had to keep a close eye on Stefan since he had joined "his side" as once in a while he would drink too much, nearly killing the only humans they had.

"Sorry brother." Stefan apologized, even though he didn't mean it. He handed the girl to him so Damon could give her his own blood to heal.

"Come on, pick yourself up, we have things to do."

Stefan, wearing only a pair of worn blue jeans, stood gracefully and followed his brother up the steps to the living room of the Boarding house.

Once Elena and Caroline left the house to head to the much larger Mikaelson mansion, Damon brought everyone back to his home-where Stefan had stayed hoping to be left alone, but was never so lucky. It was much safer there than holding themselves up in the woods with Tyler and his wolf pack.

The house still looked the same-just like the creatures that survived in it- never changing. For years, the furniture remained still in the times, always in the same place and never moving. Once in a while Damon would see the memories of Elena curled up, wrapped in a blanket with him, and curved into his arms with a book in her hand. It reminded him of the days before things became complicated, and even though the good days were over now, he had learned to accept it. He hadn't lost her entirely after all, and that was what mattered the most to him. He still loved Elena, but things have changed, he knew she did not love him in return.

Pulling out of his own memory, Damon recognized the only sign of life in the boarding house, a glass left carelessly on the counter, and had it not been for that, or the soft footsteps on the hardwood floor, one would think that nobody lived there, and that is just how Damon wanted it to be. As long as the house remained "empty" the witches would leave it alone, which was why he chose to return in the first place knowing they would think everyone had left.

Or so he thought.

A loud shriek coursed through the halls by the front of the house to bring each vampire-all six of them- and Jack, the only hybrid there who could change at will, to snap their attention.

Damon and Stefan were the first to rush the door as it exploded open with a bang, and a small vampire with short choppy red hair that Damon had aptly named "Pixie Dust" barreled past them, screaming in agony. A quick look over by Damon, and he saw an arrow from a cross bow through the girl's neck.

"Everyone get ready!" Damon yelled scooping the screaming girl into his arms, "Do you have my back brother?"

Stefan nodded as he ran to the closet, pulling out a knife and crossbow, arming it and ready to go.

How things have changed, even during the worst times before all of this, there were never weapons in every corner of their house.

Damon ran into the bathroom while "Pixie Dust" struggled not to cry.

"You'll be fine." He soothed, breaking the point off of the arrow. "Just keep your eyes on me." The vampire held his gaze, two tears running down her cheeks. There was another explosion outside this time, it was an echoed pop, different from before. Damon, now needing to rush the process yanked the arrow out, causing the red head to let out an agonizing scream.

"Sorry Pix." He apologized instantly, "Stay here, I'll have to get you blood."

"Ma-Marla" the girl sputtered, holding her neck.

"What?"

"My name is not Pixie, it's Marla."

Damon smiled and opened the door to hear screaming from the other room.

Thankfully, it had been night out, otherwise most of the vampires would have been toast but all it takes is one vervain grenade to incapacitate most of them.

Damon ran towards the door, but felt like he went smack into a brick wall, the vervain was powerful, weakening himself and each vampire, giving the witches the upper hand while they went in for an attack. The older Salvatore could hear Stefan fighting through the vampire poison as they both had built up more of a tolerance over the years. It still burned, but the pain was manageable.

Rushing through, he blindly fought the pain as he made contact with a witch, swiftly snapping her neck and he could hear the other's scream at her death.

"Let's go!" he heard a man call over the howling of those injured in battle.

Damon searched for more witches as the smoke from the attack cleared, but they had fled.

Calling for Stefan, he couldn't find his brother anywhere and he began to search frantically when he heard a low groan as Jack stood and approached him.

"They took him Damon. They grabbed him and fled."

That night, Jack was the one to deliver the message to Elena about Stefan's capture. His ability to change at will and almost control himself in a wolf form (just enough to change back when need be) made him the perfect messenger between the two parties, but he was also a powerful ally to have on his side as it seemed only him and Tyler were left of Klaus' hybrid family

"Sometimes Damon, I don't know what you are pining over more, the loss of your brother, or your loss of your girl. Whichever girl it is this time at least. "

"There is only one girl." Damon growled through his teeth, "And she isn't mine." Elena had made that clear enough years ago.

She just wouldn't tear the brothers apart like Katherine had, she had told them. She left for a while after that, cutting both Salvatores out in the process until she returned, which was just in time for the witches to go crazy.

"Well, at least I know we are both talking about the same someone." He laughed, "Considering Katherine Pierce is dead."

The vampire twitched at the first doppelganger both him and his brother fought over. She was the first of the older vampires to fall victim to the witches, and that time…as much as it destroyed Damon's heart on the inside, he was sure she was gone for good.

"Did you get the message out?" Tyler kept himself perched on a strong branch, always on the lookout. They weren't safe where they were since the woods were surrounded by witches who did everything in their power to make sure they stayed put. They wouldn't attack however, until they made a move that much had been made obvious.

They were trapped in the forest for two years, and on the run for twenty trying to stay alive as the witches made every effort to prevent any wolves-or worse, hybrids- from helping out the vampires.

"Yeah, it may take a while to get to her though."

The hybrid-Klaus' first successful creation- nodded in understanding. He didn't care, as long as it got to her.

It had to make it's way to Caroline.

Since the war started, with the very first brutal attack from the witches at the Lockwood property, they have been separated, each fighting their own battles.

"Tyler…we cannot keep living like this." A young man with shaggy blonde hair stated with distaste. The words hadn't been random, the pack had been debating their future actions for the past couple of days, and unsure of what their move would be which is why he sent a message to Caroline, hoping they could find each other.

"We never should have sided with the vampires."

A low murmur of agreement carried around the trees where the rest of his pack was hidden. Since the beginning, Tyler has been dealing with the internal struggles of his wolves, and while they followed him and trusted his decisions, but once the witches surrounded their camp-taking away their freedom- they began to become restless, torn between the decision to fight back, or remain in the woods like helpless animals trapped in a zoo.

Tyler had chosen to stay still, he didn't want to risk the lives of those around him. Already by offering his help, playing as negotiator between the two species, he had put Caroline's life at risk, that was how they ended up separated in the first place.

"I'll figure something out." It was a half-hearted way of trying to convince the others they would be okay, he had everything under control.

However, Tyler Lockwood, unlike the generations before him, was hardly a leader. He was simply one hybrid out of who knows how many, to have the right (or possibly wrong) friends in order to make sure the wolves and vampires didn't rip each other apart. Yet somehow, he was the one they could trust, he was the one they looked to for answers even though he had none. For the past twenty years, he has kept his wolves hidden, breaking his pact with Damon to help. His cowardice is what kept them trapped and in turn, throwing Caroline, the woman he had loved, into the field of battle.

He wanted her to be safe, and he knew twenty years was a very long time so he could only hope she adapted.

"We need to fight back." The hybrid announced jumping down from his tree to be instantly surrounded by the pack. "We need to keep our word to the vampires."

He heard some of the wolves agree, but the rest-the majority- remained silent.

"It has been two years Tyler, the older ones of us have aged," One wolf, who had been his age when the war started, spoke up, "We are not all immortal like you are."

He was right, twenty years ago, the men and women that stood before him, taking his side at the first sign of war, were nearly his age before he turned, they had stood and fought by his side while fighting for their lives in hopes of an alliance with their "night walker" enemies.

"We will fight our way out." Tyler's voice was as powerful as it always had been, but this time was different and the pack could see it. This time he had conviction.

"There is no other way, and you are all right, we cannot live like this."

Tyler was never a leader, but he knew it was time to rise to the occasion.

War changes everyone; even those hidden in the shadows.

I hope you enjoyed this! I know a lot of you will probably hate me forever and ever for killing off Katherine, but you will have to wait and see to the end (there is also a flashback in the next chapter explaining how it happens to her) so don't give up just yet ;)

Also, no Elijah in this chapter, just mere mentions for now until a bit later and you will see soon enough as to how he comes into play.

Please please review! I am a glutton for it and I love to hear all feedback, anything specific you want to see in a flashback? Let me know there should be a long story ahead so I have a lot of wiggle room

So please, do not hesitate to tell me what you think and we can be best friends or something else awesome