Hi everyone :)

I would like to thank you for all your feedback, which has been growing bigger by any chapter lately. It is really amazing to come home from a hard day at school and find out that there is someone new who likes the story or that the ones who were with it from the beginning still enjoy it as much as you did before, no matter which button you click to show it. You are simply the best. ;)

Now I know that this chapter is a bit shorter than the last ones, a filler really, but it's needed for the characters, to be able to grow normally after everything that had happened.

Enjoy,

AGirlThatDaresToDream


Chapter 15

The darkness was haunting her as well as the dreams she couldn't remember. She screamed for her body to wake up, but it didn't listen, leaving her trapped inside her head. Something was wrong, she could feel it, it was coming after her fast, too fast. She tried to scream, realising it was too late when the liquid filled her lungs as she was gasping for air she didn't need.

"Are you afraid?" The voice came; from where, she had no idea, the blood banging in her ears, her sense for orientation lost. She was lost. Was she? Afraid? She wouldn't know, not being able to feel anything anymore. Maybe it was for the best. She tried fighting, she did, but she just couldn't win. She wasn't in control of herself anymore. She didn't even know if she existed and if her speculations were right there was no answer needed. It knew her better than she knew herself - the darkness.

Maybe that wasn't real too – the thought itself was soothing. No she wasn't afraid, there was nothing to be afraid of anyway anymore, except for losing the only thing that was worth holding on to, good enough for her to start the fight she knew was pointless. She searched for the word for a while, embracing the feeling, the darkness turning into lighter, but still dark surroundings as she found it after all. The reason she was here was hidden inside of her all this time. Hope – her heart was made of it.


It was comic, really, how staying in bed wasn't his priority anymore as soon as he heard a loud smack of the front door shutting. Someone was here, which meant something has happened, which meant Elena…

Jeremy was running downstairs in a heartbeat, not even stopping to put on his slipper, the wooden floor cold, letting him know that it was still too early for the drama to begin, especially after yesterday evening. He squeezed the wooden fence tighter at the thought, the pain rushing through his knuckles as a few drops of blood found their way down his arm, the wounds opening again.

He didn't remember feeling any pain yesterday, only blood streaming down the wooden door of the locked living room as he hit them over and over, until the last bit of energy left him and he fell asleep, hoping that the group was honourable enough that it wouldn't break its word completely and that he would see his sister as soon as he will open his eyes, yet that never occurred. He remembered what happened next only barely: screaming, Alaric trying to calm him down enough he would understand what happened being sure they all lied and already sold Elena to some rich vampire pig, that wanted to be the one to kill her, or did the job themselves, dumping her body at the side of the road. More screaming followed. He remembered Jenna's cries as Luka and Kylan held him back, but he was still struggling, wanting to fight. He remembered a loud smack as Bill's hand collided with his cheek, shocking him enough to actually listen.

Running to the first room he found upstairs, not wanting them to see his tears as he felt he will reach his breaking point… And then nothing for a while, until he heard the door open and looked up to see his aunt slipping into the room, her hands stroking his hair, just like his mother did, until he fell asleep.

She was sitting on a couch now, a remote control in her hand as she was skipping trough the channels.

"Any news?" he asked as she noticed him, her gaze worried.

"Oh, you mean besides both of us probably being wanted by now?" she waited for a smile to appear on his face before continuing. "Nope, nothing… You okay thought?"

"No, but I am better. Thank you… For everything."

"Don't mention it." The awkwardness was growing, causing the room to fell into silence for a while, until his aunt broke it with a short nod towards kitchen. "There are some pancakes in the oven for breakfast if you want. I promise they are eatable."

"Well, I will see about that," he smirked, his expression becoming serious again as he leaned against the doorframe. "Has anyone come here, by the way? I could swear I just heard the front door…"

"Sure, Alaric came by an hour ago and you just missed Ethan. It looks like Lyn was able to do some digging again: The vampire who kidnaped Elena… His name is Damon Salvatore."


"The property belongs to an old friend of mine…" Damon's tender voice rang in her ears as he continued, probably hoping that knowing what is going on would sooth her, yet she kept looking through the window, silently observing the reverberation of the sunbeams on the still lake surface.

"…It takes more than an hour to get to the nearest town, so it should be for you to go outside. We need to get some vitamin D in you, it has been a while." She didn't miss how his tone changed as he forced a small smile on his lips, even if it faded fast as he realised that she won't respond.

"Elena…" He sounded really worried now, begging her to look at him, taking her hand in his in a beseeching motion. "Hey, talk to me."

She let her eyes to give in to the urge and meet his concerned ones, sounding distant even to herself.

"Is there any food here? I am hungry."

….

He blinked in surprise a few times, not being able to figure out what to say for a long moment. She has been through more than any person should be: her parents died right before she was brought to the centre, living in fear longer than a month and when he got her out she was asking him about breakfast? What the hell was wrong with her? Her eyes looked empty.

"Sure. The kitchen is downstairs and to the left and as far as I know, the fridge should be stuffed."

….

She stared at the white dress she found in the dresser blankly, the water drops falling from her loose still dump hair causing her to shiver. She brushed it slowly, taking her time, not feeling the sadness she usually did at the motion nowadays. She pulled the clothing over her head almost robotically, the open back allowing her to get it over her wings, so that it fell normally. The warm air blowing out of the hair dryer, noting that she will have to face the problem that will appear when she will want to wear a t-shirt sooner or later, but not tonight.

It wasn't until she walked downstairs, opening the cupboard and filling a bowl with her brother's favourite cereal that she felt her throat closing.

…...

He rushed to the girl, hearing her broken sobs all the way to the study, but stopped at the doorframe suddenly, the scene shocking him completely.

Elena has fallen on her knees, her eyes half-closed, her hand on her chest as she was struggling to breathe. Her head was turning quickly, uncontrollably, like she had no sense for orientation and with her wings flapping furiously she looked so scared, her crying almost hysterical.

"Elena." He got himself together quickly, crossing the distance between them, trying to somehow get her attention as he sat down next to her; but it was like she couldn't hear him so he took her hand in his. Her wing collided with his side before he could react, thought, as she struggled, banging in all directions in panic.

"Elena!" he ignored the blows, grabbing her shoulders firmly, shaking her. "Hey, it's me. You need to calm down. Elena!"

"Da…Damon?" The struggling stopped as her eyes finally snapped open, taking in his figure next to her for a second before launching herself in his arms.

He caught her easily, pulling her to his chest, after quickly kissing her forehead. She was too tense.

"Shhh, you are going to be alright. Listen, I know that you think that you can't breathe, but that's all just a feeling, OK? I need you to try and take a deep breath for me." He tucked an escaped lock of her hair behind her ear, his words almost drowned in her wheezing, tears running down her face as she tried hard to form a sentence.

"I… can…can't"

He could sense the fear in her voice, holding her closer. "Yes, you can. You need to try again. I know it is hard, but you have to. We will do it together, Ok?"

She met his gaze, for the first time letting him see what she felt, without hiding; despite her vulnerability scanning his eyes with intensively that made his world stop for a moment. She was so beautiful. He wished she would trust him enough to let him see her like this every day, mourning after the moment as it passed when she closed her eyes. Maybe one day, if he will do his job right. He cannot protect someone who is afraid of him.

He placed his lips to her forehead in a whisper of a kiss, until her breathing got back to normal and she fell asleep in his arms, still holding on to his shirt tightly, leaving him amazed by the feeling. There was no way he could have ever imagined to be blessed enough to hold an angel in his arms.

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