Warnings: Mature – character death, violence, language, adult content, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline

Elena's head pounded with the same intensity as the night Matt snuck his mother's vodka out of the house in celebration of Elena's sixteenth birthday. She'd never thought her head would throb that badly again, but her current headache made that one seem trivial. And she couldn't figure out where she was. Or how she got there. Each attempt to open her eyes was met with a definite lack of success. She rolled onto her side, and listened to the crinkle of plastic and felt the rough fabric rubbing against her cheek. But the smell was familiar.

Dank.

Musty.

A faint hint of something Italian.

Fresh cut wood.

Nothing in that combination made sense, so she gave up the attempt at waking up and surrendered to sleep once again.

Elena registered sounds first. Rhythmic and continual. Someone was here in the darkness with her. She wasn't certain how long she'd been asleep since her last attempt to open her eyes, but the headache was less like an elephant tap dancing on her head and more like the worst hangover in her life.

She cracked one eye open a fraction of an inch. The world around her was still a blur.

"Finally." Jeremy's voice cut through the darkness. "I was beginning to think Dr. Fell guessed wrong on the sedative. You've been out for almost five hours."

Sedative? Elena felt her forehead crease as she struggled to remember exactly what was going on. Why was she … here? And why was Jeremy with her? Her last memory was of being with Damon – literally.

Her eyes shot open and she sat up in shock.

Which was a really bad idea.

"Whoa." Jeremy tossed something down on the floor and caught hold of her shoulders before she tumbled off the narrow cot she was sitting on. "Meredith said you'd be dizzy for a while. Here, drink this."

Elena looked suspiciously at the deep red liquid. Her last attempt at consuming blood of any kind hadn't gone so well.

"It's grape juice. She said raising your blood sugar would be a good idea once you woke up. You are awake, right?" He tilted his head and studied her suspiciously.

Grape juice. Blood sugar. Meredith. Elena had joked that Dr. Fell wouldn't be happy with her drinking the sweet tea, and Damon said that what the doctor didn't know wouldn't hurt her. And then….

"Where's Damon?" Her pulse pounded in her ears as she tried to stand up.

Not a brilliant idea.

The glass of grape juice crashed to the floor as Jeremy caught her right before her knees hit the ground. "Yep, Dr. Fell definitely overestimated how much you'd need."

"But how did she give me anything?" Elena sat on the side of the cot and rubbed her temples. "You have no idea how much I love you." Damon's voice was coarse with emotion, as he shifted against the pillow. "Which is why I have to do this." Shocked, she looked up at Jeremy in disbelief. "He drugged me."

Jeremy nodded, and Elena didn't miss the fact that he gripped his ring tightly on his finger. "He couldn't let you go, Elena."

"But I need to be there." She struggled to her feet and paused while the room stopped rolling beneath her. Running to the door of the Salvatore basement, she threw the lock open and was immediately blocked by an invisible barrier. She turned back to Jeremy and begged him, "Please let me out."

"I can't." He shook his head, and she knew it was the truth.

"Why can't I be there?" Jeremy just stared at her. All the signs had been there, she'd just hoped she was wrong. "This is his way of protecting me, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Jeremy seemed much older than his seventeen years. "Everyone else is waiting in the tunnels."

"And they all knew about Damon's plan?"

Jeremy nodded in agreement.

"Caroline?"

"Yep."

"Bonnie?"

"That would be how we sealed you in here."

"Stefan and Katherine?"

"They were in on it too. Katherine's even wearing one of your shirts. They're hoping it'll buy everyone some extra time."

Elena dropped back onto the cot. She thudded her head against the wall, happy to have a reason for the tears forming in her eyes. "Everyone's there – fighting for me."

"Not quite everyone." Jeremy reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He unlocked the home screen and opened his text messages. He handed it to her.

A smiling Matt stood with his arm around Mickey Mouse. Cinderella's Castle was in the distance. "This is why Matt wasn't at school today?"

"He'll be back tomorrow. Right now, he thinks he's on a trip he won as Employee of the Month. So Damon sent him to Walt Disney World." Jeremy's eyes met hers. "He didn't want to leave you alone."

"So we're just going to stand here and wait?" Caroline crossed her arms in front of her chest and glanced down at her watch. Only Caroline would be annoyed at the tardiness of their current nemesis of the week.

"Unless you'd like Bonnie to do some type of summoning spell, yes." Katherine snapped back.

The two of them had been going back and forth for the last hour. The rest of those gathered in the deepest part of the tunnel had wisely decided to give them some space.

Vampires.

Hybrids.

Werewolves.

One doppleganger.

One witch.

Normally the supernatural creatures would be fighting each other – or at least avoiding being in the same place at the same time, but now they were unified by a common enemy. Only working together did they stand a chance of ensuring Elena's survival, and that was the key for all of them to stay alive.

"What time is it?" Bonnie glanced at Caroline. They'd been in the tunnel for hours. The cold crept into their bones…or maybe that was just the fear of what was to come.

"Almost midnight." Damon chose to answer. He had to focus on those around him and avoid thinking about Elena. As he'd gently placed her on the cot, Jeremy had promised that he wouldn't leave her side. He'd take care of his sister. Damon had no doubts about that. But would she ever forgive him?

He wasn't sure, but he'd always promised he'd do everything he could to keep her safe. He had to leave her behind. But he refused to leave her alone. She'd have Matt and Jeremy – the two young men who'd be able to contribute least to the fight ahead would be the most important to her eventual survival.

"Were those cracks here yesterday?" Stefan ran his hand along the arch at the far side of the cave. Centuries ago someone had been sealed into this crypt – of that they were certain, exactly who spent eternity here was still a question.

"No." Katherine remarked, spinning around quickly and studying their surroundings.

In the distance, the clock tower chimed midnight.

The occupants of the room held their collective breaths. Nothing happened.

Tyler shoved his hands into his pockets as minutes ticked by. "Maybe Silas operates on Pacific time." The rest of the hybrids chuckled behind him.

And then they stopped.

A low rumble echoed through the tunnels. Like a freight train, but not quite. The stone floor vibrated beneath their feet as wind moaned and howled and rolled around them.

"Somehow, I think he's right on time." Damon turned to face whatever was descending upon them.

"And then I found you underneath the basement stairs." Jeremy continued to whittle as they tried to pretend this was just another sibling bonding moment.

Elena nodded. Her headache was finally gone, and it was safe to move around…if she had anywhere to go. But she didn't, so she and Jeremy were taking a walk down memory lane. "I'm not sure who was more angry, Mom because I'd been hiding or Sheriff Forbes because you knew where I was the whole time. I still think they believed you were in on the prank."

"I never had trouble finding you."

"And that made hide and seek really suck." Elena picked up her glass of grape juice from the floor. She might be trapped in the cellar, but Jeremy could move around just fine. Dr. Fell was right, the grape juice made her feel better – at least physically.

"Do you think I could find you because I'm a hunter?"

"And I was always destined to be a vampire?"

"No." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "You're the doppleganger."

Elena sighed. Sometimes she forgot that she'd always been a supernatural creature. "Maybe." Silence fell between them again. As time passed, it was becoming more difficult to carry on a conversation. "What time is it?"

Jeremy pulled his sleeve back and looked at his watch. "Just past midnight."

Elena stood and began pacing the room. "I guess we just have to wait."

The floorboards creaked above their heads.

"But I guess not for long." Jeremy gripped the knife he'd been using to whittle the stakes tightly in his hand.

The wind swirled around them, picking up dust from the floor. The air in the room thickened and pressed menacingly in on them as if it were alive. Beams from flashlights tried to cut through the darkness, but something was there with them.

Actually, it wasn't a single something.

No aged wizard made his appearance.

Instead, the swirls of dirt thickened and coalesced into columns and shapes. Faces appeared.

A soldier in a Civil War uniform.

A woman wearing a floor-length ball gown.

Two teenagers standing hand in hand, their attire appropriate for Woodstock.

The room filled beyond capacity as the cluster of living residents of Mystic Falls stood back to back and shoulder to shoulder.

And even more specters arrived. But these were familiar.

Lexi. Vicki. A carnival worker. Andi.

And they were all angry. At some signal apparent only to them, they began to move forward.

Guisieppe lunged in Stefan's direction as Bree knocked Damon to the ground with a thud.

"How do we fight ghosts?" Caroline's earlier bravado was gone. Damon was fairly certain she'd happily go back to waiting right now. He spun beneath Bree's grip and threw her off him at least for the moment.

Ghosts weren't his biggest concern.

Where was Silas?

"Isn't this sweet?" Dr. Shane stood in the doorway after throwing open the door as if it were made of tissue paper. He eyed the knife in Jeremy's hand. "Do you really think that will defeat me?" He grinned and took a step into the room.

"Silas." A strange calmness settled over Elena. After weeks spent dreading this meeting, it had finally arrived. Her only regret was how devastated she knew Damon would be when he learned that his attempts to protect her had been in vain.

"I don't believe I'd ever properly introduced myself, have I?" Dr. Shane bowed low. "While you're a copy of my lovely Tatia, I can assure you that I am Silas. At least I am now. Dr. Shane was more than happy to offer himself as my host once I'd presented myself. Reincarnation is a beautiful thing, even if my spirit lay dormant until …. certain things lined up correctly." He took another step in Elena's direction, ignoring Jeremy's presence in the room.

"Stay away from her." Jeremy bravely wielded his knife.

Dr. Shane turned to Jeremy and waved his hand as if brushing away a fly. Jeremy flew through the air and out the door, bouncing off the stone wall with an oddly wet thud. His body slid to the floor, and a pool of crimson immediately formed beneath his still form.

"Jeremy!" Elena rushed to the door, but the invisible barrier once again prevented her escape.

"I'm afraid he'll be no help." Dr. Shane's eyes were focused intently on Elena. "Dear, dear. You are progressing along nicely. Such a shame. But that little one can never see the light of day."

Elena searched the room for anything she could use as a weapon, but seriously, how could she contend with that? She turned back to Jeremy and tried to listen for even a faint breath from her brother.

"I don't understand." Elena backed against the cool stone, running out of room for retreat.

"Witches are over-confident, so certain their conditions could never truly be met. Your blonde friend was right. Just name a loophole, and they all come back to you. I really am sorry about that. If I could have prevented this, I truly would have." He reached down and took hold of one of the stakes Jeremy had whittled. "I wonder how many people will think Jeremy was finally overcome by his Hunter blood. Locked in a room with you, he was overwhelmed by the need to destroy his sister."

"Everyone knows that Jeremy wouldn't hurt me." Elena flung the cot in Dr. Shane's direction, and he deflected it with ease.

His cheeks flushed red with anger and he nodded, sending her flying into the wall. "I worked too hard to ensure this would never happen. Did you ever wonder why there are no other Petrovas...or Salvatores for that matter. I can't let it break."

"What are you talking about?" Elena tried to stall him, blinking through tears as her eyes watered from pain.

Dr. Shane smiled. "You won't live long enough for it to matter." He followed her eyes as they stared at the doorway. "And I'm afraid no one is coming to help. Your friends are – busy." His grin widened to jack o' lantern proportions as he continued to stalk closer to her. "They've been met by some old friends." He cackled and suddenly went silent. He ran forward and thrust the stake deep into her shoulder.

"You missed." Elena panted, tearing the stake out of her chest.

"My dear, we're only getting started." He looked up and a chunk of the ceiling rained down on top of her. She felt a warm current of blood begin to trickle down her cheek. "And imagine how much fun my friends are having playing with all those trying to save you."

The air in the room changed. A deep roar built as a cloud of dust raised off the floor.

Dr. Silas lunged in Elena's direction, the stake gripped tightly in his hand.

"Not all the friends work for you." Ric knocked Elena out of the way as his hands locked on Dr. Shane's wrists. The pair struggled. Dr. Shane's cheeks reddened as he struggled against Ric's superior strength. "Not so easy to fight a ghost." Ric knocked the stake out of the other man's hand and knocked him down on the floor.

An explosion of white filled the room as everything went silent.

March 13

Elena –

As I write this, you're sleeping peacefully in our bed – your hair fanning out against the pillow. Your hand is resting atop our child in the same position as where you'd just pressed my hand against your stomach to feel the baby kick for the first time. In these past few months, I've been happier than I thought I would ever be in my lifetime, and I've been around for quite a while.

If you're reading this… Well, we both know what that means. This is one time I wish I'd been wrong.

Elena struggled to breathe as the first tear hit the page, threatening to blur Damon's neat handwriting. She blotted the tear away and continued on.

Elena, you need to know that I loved you more than any man could love a woman. I should know. I've traveled the world and met countless others, but you were the one who made me complete.

You challenged me to be a better man. And for the first time, I believed I could. I wanted to be one.

It wasn't an easy task – loving me – I know that. Robert Frost is one of my favorite poets. He can sum my journey up much better than I could.

"And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

-Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken"

We took the road less traveled, Elena. The bumpy road. The ones others avoid. But along that path, I found a home…and it was in you. It hasn't been easy, but it was worth it.

I have no regrets except one – that I'm not there with you right now to hold you in my arms and tell you how much I love you.

Forever yours –

Damon

Elena drew in a shaky breath and let the tears fall freely. She folded the letter in half and slid it back into the envelope.

"Hey." Strong arms wrapped around Elena and lips pressed against the back of her neck. "You weren't supposed to find that." Damon spun her around to face him and tenderly pushed a tendril of hair over her ear. "And you've been through enough today. You shouldn't have read it." He ran his thumb over the bruise along her chin.

"Damon." Elena's hands were still trembling from the wave of emotion contained in Damon's goodbye.

He shook his head and tilted her chin up to better reach his lips, quieting her with a kiss.

"Really?" A familiar voice called out from the doorway. "Haven't I had to watch enough of that over the past few months."

Damon glared back at Alaric. "No one said you had to watch." He pressed his lips back to Elena's hungrily. Last night, he'd thought he was telling her goodbye. Now, he had other needs.

But Alaric wasn't going away.

"Guys, we need to talk."

Alaric waited for Damon and Elena to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace. Saying it had been an eventful night was an understatement.

When Elena saw Damon's blood-spattered clothes, she'd realized how close he'd come to being correct with his assumption that he wouldn't be going home. For now, she was still struggling to comprehend the fact that through an odd twist of fate, killing Silas brought Alaric back to them. That was an occurrence that the sheriff's department was going to have to attempt to explain.

Tomorrow.

And, based on Dr. Fell's recommendation, that was also when Elena would be told of the lives they'd lost…the reason for the blood on Damon when he came home.

But for now, Alaric apparently had a message that couldn't wait. He was on his third tumbler of whisky now. He definitely missed a few things while watching them from the afterlife.

"If you have something to tell us, get on with it." Damon might be acting annoyed, but Elena knew he'd happily watch his best friend drink his entire liquor supply right now. "Otherwise….."

"Trust me. I know what you two are waiting to do." Alaric dropped into the chair facing them and rubbed his eyes. "Like I said, I've seen more than enough of that for one lifetime."

Elena blushed. She'd never considered the thought that Alaric might have been there when….

"While I was," Alaric cleared his throat, "dead, I had a chance to get to know a few witches. Bonnie's Grams being one of them. She took me to the original Bennett witch – the one who wrote the spell for Esther."

Damon laughed. Somehow he'd known a Bennett was behind all this.

"Witches can't create a spell without a way to undo it. It's one of the rules. But with the more important spells, they try really hard to make sure the loophole is almost impossible to create." He paused. "Almost."

"And why are you telling us this, Ric? Dr. Shane already explained it, I was the key to bringing Silas back. We know that." Elena fought to keep her eyes open. She was emotionally drained beyond caring about anything related to witches at this point.

"Because Silas wanted to make sure the loophole didn't happen." Alaric took a long breath. "In order to reverse the vampire spell, the blood of the Petrovas has to mix with the blood of the Originals and the Hunters since the three families created the vampire race."

"And that's why Bonnie said I was the key." Elena finished Alaric's statement.

"You combined the Petrovas and the Hunters. That was enough to usher Silas back to the world." Alaric nodded. "But Bonnie didn't fully understand what her ancestor meant. More than one spell was at work here."

"Of course." Damon nodded for the bottle at Alaric's feet. He took it in hand and took a long drink. He'd already had quite a night. He wasn't sure if he was ready for any other witchy pronouncements.

"Petrova, Original, and Hunter. The three bloodlines have crossed…or they will in about five more months." Alaric stared at Elena's stomach.

"That's what Silas meant."

"The witches didn't know about Elijah's child when they created the spell. They assumed their curse could never be broken – and then it was their very insistence that the Petrova line had to continue that will bring the curse to an end."

"When the baby's born…." Elena was too overwhelmed to finish the thought.

Alaric turned to look at Damon. "The baby's the cure. She'll bring death to all the supernatural creatures because she'll make them all mortal."

Damon leaned forward in his seat and grinned gleefully at Elena. "Did you say she?"

Author's note: Still an epilogue to come tomorrow. Reviews are always appreciated. I love to know what y'all think. So….is the Bennett witch telling the truth?