Damon's eyes flew open when he heard her.

Her. She was still alive. He sensed her weak aura through their blood bond. She was somewhere here on earth, somewhere and she had spoke his name. Now why?

"So how is Damon?"

She had asked for him. Why? Where was she? Was she looking for him? Or Calling for help?

"Katherine…" He muttered under his breath hoping for a response but of course, he didn't get one. She was too weak. She was starving but where was she? He needed to get to her. He needed to help her.

"Katherine!" He tried again this time throwing in all the concentration he had. Still, no reply.

He needed to look for her. Was he going to tell Stefan? Hell no.

Besides, he need not worry about Stefan hearing her. Having been living on the animal diet for nearly two centuries now Stefan was far from powerful enough to sense these little things.

Damon's head swiftly turned when he heard the gentle sounds of galloping footsteps only to see a sprinting dear run across the woods.

The earth below him was porous and dry with hardly blades of grass growing out from it. Besides weeds and old shrubs, nothing grew in this barren land. Damon still wondered how he had come to find this space in the first place. It was far from the woods but what had brought him here?

He shrugged, not bothering to remember, and sat up.

It was three in the afternoon and Damon was sure he had been diagnosed with some form of narcolepsy. It was either the fact that he was bored or pretty much didn't have anything to do but sleep.

Watching Stefan finally win his happily ever after was nothing but a monotonous show Damon didn't want to see.

He pulled himself up then ran his fingers through his hair before hearing her voice again. This time, slightly louder as though she had just gotten her first dose of blood.

'I loved Damon…."

The sentence was incomplete as her voice faded away but it made Damon's muscles contract.

She loved him. She still did.

"Katherine." He tried again, forcefully this time. "Katherine…" He begged but there was no answer. He tried again, determined to at least get her to respond but his every attempt met failure. Damon felt his heart from weak but determine at the same time like he wasn't going to give up. Katherine's voice had shone a radiant of hope onto him and he was persevered to find her. To finally be with her after all these years. To finally… tell her how much he loved her.

Damon closed his eyes again, slowly breathing in and accepting his failure today. Damon Salvatore never failed and Damon Salvatore always got what he wanted. He opened his eyes again. Perhaps it just wasn't today. Still, he needed some information.

Some hidden information perhaps their old house kept.

Elena pushed the doors to the boarding house open and stepped in. The interior was dark as it always was with nothing but dim lights to guide the way. She noticed the wilted flowers and it baffled her. The flowers in the boarding house never wilted under Mrs. Flowers' care. Hence, the name. She hung her coat on the coat hanger and froze when she heard creaking noises.

"Stefan?" She called out when she heard subtle footsteps from upstairs. Elena forced all of the lights on and took a deep breath. Stefan's car was outside so he must be here. Allowing the feeling of anxiety to ebb away, Elena walked up the stairs.

The lights were surprisingly on upstairs and her first thought told her that it was probably Mrs. Flowers cleaning their rooms up but then her second thought told her that Mrs. Flowers usually hummed or sang while she cleaned the house. This time, the eerie silence was menacing. Elena felt the shivers run through her skin as she ascended the staircase. The higher she got, the colder and thinner the air became until it nearly felt illegal and sinful to breathe.

"Stefan." She tried again, finally reaching their floor. She turned the door knob to open the door but it wouldn't budge. Elena frowned and tried again. Nothing happened.

Inside, she could have sworn she heard Stefan's voice and tried again, the door wouldn't open. She begged him but his voice went on like a continuous song and ignored her.

Elena felt tears well up in her eyes as she continued to knock on the door but it remained lock.

"Stefan." She gave up and made a last, tiny knock. "Stefan please…" Her voice broke and she rested her forehead on the door. "Stefan…." She whispered, tired of playing games, tired of begging. Just tired of fighting.

"Stefan, I'm over this." She began and heard his voice slowly fade away. "Stefan, I'm tired of us fighting and proving ourselves to each other. I'm tired of just arguing with you." She took a deep breath and felt warm tears escape her eyes. As a vampire, she would have thought her emotions would have been diminished but they remained the same. In fact she was the same Elena, except immortal.

"You're right okay…." She breathed out. "I should have supported you instead of Damon. He's dangerous and you have every right to be mad at me for falling under his charm." She whispered and tried the doorknob again but it was still lock. "Stefan please." She begged. "I don't want him to be the reason for our arguments. It's… It's not worth it Stefan." She pleaded and turned the doorknob again. It was still lock and after several tries, it remained locked and his voice inside was gone, leaving total silence.

"Stefan!" She exclaimed, feeling the tears down her cheeks. "Stefan please open the door!" She yelled slammed the door, harder this time. "Stefan please!" she cried and felt herself break down. "Stefan!" Her lips quivered and tasted her salty tears. They tasted like blood, in a way. Elena tried the doorknob again but it was still lock and in the end, she gave up. She could hear her heavy breathing as she pressed her hands on the door. It was loud enough for Stefan to hear and she knew it but why wasn't answering the door? Could he still be mad at the fact that she had sided Damon? This was so unlike Stefan. She couldn't believe it.

"Stefan…" She whispered again and sucked her tears in. "I love you…"

"Awwww…"

Elena swiftly turned and saw Damon standing there looking impressed while he clapped.

"That was really touching. Very touching indeed." He flashed her that mysterious smile again but Elena didn't have her mind on that neither did she even hear a word Damon say. Instead, her eyes were focused on the strange black figure behind Damon. She wasn't sure if it was real or merely a silhouette but as it emerged out from the shadows, she gasped.

It flashed it's fangs at Elena, clearly it was a vampire, and Elena saw blood dripping from both sides of it. It hissed but Damon seemed to not have noticed as he stood there still clapping.

"Damon!" She shrieked and this time he turned but everything happened so fast.

Elena watched the creature pierce it's fangs into his pulsating veins and jab it's left hands onto Damon's wrist, simultaneously stopping the blood flow from his arteries. Damon wasn't fast enough which was abnormal.

Elena shrieked as she watched Damon struggle to get out of it's grip but failed. His hands moved violently to throw the creature back but whatever Damon did, produced no successful results.

Part of her told her to save him. To attack the creature and to be vampire.

She was a vampire for God's sakes but Elena's muscles were paralyzed. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. She felt asphyxiated like she was drowning in a pool of water.

Elena felt water fill her lungs and she knew Damon couldn't breathe either. He was growing paler and paler with his lips almost the same colour of his skin. Elena barely had oxygen to breathe or speak and she felt her heart contract as though it was being squeezed by an enemy.

She couldn't talk but she could hear and Damon was calling out for her. He was yelling for help for the very first time and all Elena could do was stand there and watch. She struggled to move and break free from this paralyzing curse and when she finally did, Elena felt her heart shatter onto the ground.

The colour on Damon's skin was starting to return and Elena noticed his rich, red lips. He had life again but just before she stared hoping for the best…

Elena shrieked.

Damon was staked and all that colour that was once there drew out in a blink of an eye.

Elena shouted, this time charging towards the creature.

She threw herself forward and lunged for the enemy only to fall onto empty ground.

Elena felt her eyes grow red with hunger as Damon's blood soaked her hair and clothes.

Abruptly, Elena turned her head when she heard Mrs. Flowers' voice.

"No!" She yelled but it was too late.

The creature lunged it self at her and mauled her to death leaving a pale, drained looking Mrs. Flowers lying on the floor.

"Sweet dreams."He crackled before disappearing into the shadows.

Elena didn't understand. She couldn't fathom why the creature hadn't attacked her.

As fast as lightning, Elena sprang up and raced after it. She followed it's dark shadows out of the house but it disappeared the minute she stepped out of the boarding house. The sky was bright and welcoming like a usual warm summer evening and the flowers looked fresh and healthy.

Breathing deeply, Elena reentered the boarding house and dashed up the stairs but what she saw made her heart stop.

He wasn't there. He was gone.

She turned to look at Mrs. Flowers. She was gone too.

Elena stared at the clean floor incredibly. There wasn't a stain of blood from where both of them had lain then Elena looked down at her own outfit.

She was clean. There wasn't any signs of blood.

Thoughts lingered through Elena's mind. Twisting everything to form masses and masses of confusion.

She shook her head and ran her fingers through her dry hair. This wasn't happening.

Elena's head turned immediately when she heard the subtle sounds of a human from inside of the room. Stefan? Was the first thing that crossed her mind. This time, when she turned the doorknob, the door opened and she pushed it open defiantly.

"Damon!?" She gasped and he quickly turned to look at her with several letters and documents in his hands. "I..I…"

"You look like you've just seen a ghost." He snorted then picked up two boxes and placed them on Elena and Stefan's bed.

"What…."Elena felt tongue-tied. "You…"

"Chillax." Damon rolled his eyes and picked up several letters from the box. "I'm just here to collect some of my stuff okay. I won't disturb you.." He chuckled and looked down at old parchments from his ancient diary, or was it Stefan's? He couldn't help but think. Oh well, even if it was Stefan's, he wouldn't mind reading a few things going on in his brother's mind.

He was on the verge of looking up at Elena again, after remembering her presence, but found her by his side at once. For the first time, Elena had used her vampire speed gift. Elena's confused face not only aroused the confusion in him but her action of cupping his face in between her hands made him even more baffled.

"Uh… Elena?" He tried to talk with both his cheeks compressed by her.

"You're… alive." She finally breathed out and pulled her hands away.

It was official then, Damon thought. She was nuts.

"Literally?" He questioned but she ignored him.

"It can't be…" She breathed out and pressed her palms onto her head. "N.n.n..n..oo I ..I saw you." She stared at him. "I saw you get drained. I saw you get staked…"

Damon laughed as though whatever she said amused him.

"Elena if you honestly think my brother would maul me to death because of that nice brunch we had, you though wrong. See, Stefan and I have bigger things to argue about…"

"No it wasn't Stefan." Elena muttered and watch Damon return at doing what he had been doing earlier.

Elena stood there aghast and ashen. Damon Salvatore was standing right here looking as coiffed and neat as he always did in that leathery, black outfit of his. His neck did not have bite marks and he looked as alive and strong as he always did.

"Mrs. Flowers…" Elena slowly breathed out and Damon looked at her.

"You said something?"

"Mrs. Flowers."Elena repeated, clearer this time. "The both of you were killed right here in the boarding house."

"Mrs. Flowers is fiiinneee Elena." Damon dragged on as though bored by her obscure, fantasy imaginations. "In fact I just walked past her as she watered the flowers, humming that… what's that country girl called again?"

Elena was too busy rummaging through her thoughts to even answer.

"Oh yeah, Taylor Swift." He smacked his lips then looked back down at his box while humming Love Story by Taylor.

"Damon I'm not lying." She spoke up firmly.

"I know you're not Elena." Damon sighed slightly irritated. "You're just dazed and...." He scrutinised her. "hungry."

"Damon!" She hissed between her teeth. "I'm not lying and I swear, I know what I saw."

"Yeah, except do you know what you're seeing now too?" He took a step back and pointed at himself. "Alive-Damon?"

"That's why it doesn't make sense." She snapped and felt her face grow weak. " I saw you die Damon. I saw you get... mauled by that creature which didn't even look like a real vampire. He had...great fangs but his....power was just.."

"Elena you seriously miss Stefan don't you?" Damon interjected and crossed his arms across his chest.

" That's irrelevant." She sneered and watched Damon roll his eyes.

"Okay, then another factor might be because you're hungry."

"I'm not LYING!" She shouted and gripped the collars to his leather jacket but her loud shout was followed by a great thump sound from outside.

The both of them turned at the great din and Elena heard Damon whistle. Courage seemed like his middle name.

"Woah, you're good Gilbert." He snickered then followed her out of the room. The hallway was pitched black again and even when Elena had bad assumptions in herself, Damon reckoned it was the electricity cut. He followed her as she made her way out the backdoor then sighed when he saw an overturned tree with several workers and trucks by it. Obviously, the were collecting timber.

"You're growing paranoid you know that Elena." Damon chanted and was on the verge of walking back into the house when he felt Elena's strong grip on is arm. Reluctantly, he turned to face her.

"What?"

But this time she didn't answer and merely pointed at something on the rooftop. Damon followed her direction and felt his pupils dilate.

Mrs. Flowers was hanging from the lightning rod, bleeding.

"Man you're good Elena." She heard him mumble under his breath.

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