AN: GAH! I'm sorry I haven't updated in forever. My life is a mess at the moment. But, here's the next chapter!

Damon POV

Damon stood, jaw to the floor, staring at the screen. Stefan wasn't moving. He wasn't moving. How could that be? Stefan always made it through. No matter what, he was a constant in Damon's life, whether he liked it or not. The elder Salvatore couldn't wrap his mind around what had just happened. Stefan wasn't moving. The thought kept repeating in his mind. Dimly aware of a tugging on his arm, Damon was frozen. Stefan couldn't be… He couldn't think the word. If he did, he wouldn't be able to deal. He needed to stay strong in this strange place. This could've been one of the kitsune's tricks. Shinichi did love to play games. Maybe this was his way of getting back at Damon, through pain and suffering. Damon had, after all, ruined his plans. And, he'd taken his sister's soul. Shinichi certainly wasn't happy about that.

Someone was dragging him. Damon's vision was blurry. He closed his eyes. He didn't know what was happening. Was he in shock? He supposed it was possible, now that he was human. Couldn't humans die of shock? He panicked for a moment, before a numbness took over his emotions. He could no longer feel. Stefan was the most important person in Damon's life. He never showed it and he'd never even come close to sharing that information with Stefan. Now, he never would. Damon had always believed he'd get a chance to say what he needed to before his brother died. He hadn't expected it to come so soon, so unexpectedly. He didn't even know wherehe was! How could he have possibly gotten to Stefan in time to tell him all that he needed to know? Waves of guilt crashed over Damon, breaking through the numbness. It was as if there was a grate, blocking out every other emotion. He remembered every awful thing he'd ever said to Stefan. In fact, the very last thing he'd said to Stefan was, "That's for messing up my face." Offhandedly, Damon realized his face was dripping wet. He didn't care. It didn't matter; nothing mattered anymore.

Suddenly, something occurred to him. Elena. Oh, hell. If he was going to pieces over his brother, what was she going through? Damon couldn't even imagine. Thinking about it made everything hurt more. Damon opened his eyes to find himself back in the cement room, again chained to the chair. He didn't even struggle against the chains. It wasn't worth it. Why fight if there was nothing to fight for? Elena, the voice in his head put in. Fight for Elena? She'd loved Stefan more than Juliet loved Romeo, more than Damon had loved his own mother. Would she ever get over him? And, even if he decided to fight for her, would he be able to escape the hell he'd been thrown into? No. He slumped back in the uncomfortable chair. He just didn't care anymore.

Bonnie POV

Bonnie was panting next to Meredith. Both girls were out of breath and shocked. Where had they come from? And then, there was a terrible noise. Bonnie hadn't had the mind to notice anything that wasn't a part of her circle of foes during the battle. Looking over, she located the source of the noise. It was Elena, sobbing over something on the ground. Bonnie didn't want to look, to see what had made Elena so hopelessly depressed. But, as Meredith moved closer, Bonnie reluctantly followed. Then, she could see everything. The blood, the stake, and…the body. Bonnie could sense nothing from Stefan Salvatore. It was as if his mind had gone dark…forever. And, by the look of things, it had. She rushed to Elena, taking her hand and embracing her. Meredith did the same on the other side. They had been prepared for the bad things, but no one had expected something like this. It was impossible. Stefan was a vampire. He was immortal, invincible. He was Elena's fiancée. He couldn't be dead. It seemed the others in the group shared her thoughts. All except for Elena. Bonnie couldn't detect any coherent thoughts from the blond girl's mind. It wasn't like the dark and empty depths of Stefan's, but it was too jumbled up to be understood.

Bonnie was scared. If Stefan could be killed so suddenly, a sob shook her petite frame, any of them could be. Then, Sage was there, holding her hand. Matt joined the circle. He was followed by Mrs. Flowers and Dr. Alpert. Elena was lost to the rest of the group. She would not be consoled. In response, the group crowded closer around her, doing their best to make her feel just a bit better. They had to get out of the clearing. They had been ambushed once. Staying out here would be inviting the teens to strike again. That was something they obviously couldn't handle. They would be captured…or killed. Bonnie began to shake. She felt an arm wrap around her torso and smiled. Sage was too nice to her.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Bonnie saw something moving. She screamed. Were there more already? Had the teens regrouped to come after them a second time? Everyone was looking at her. Even Elena, tears still streaming down her face, had looked up. Bonnie didn't notice. She was staring at a small piece of land. It was moving. But, the strangest part was the small white object that seemed to be rising from the ground. That would explain the movement. As if in a trance, Bonnie stood and moved closer to the thing. She still couldn't see what it was. Though, the ground had stopped moving. The small white thing was simply sticking up. Moving closer still, Bonnie could see that it was a piece of paper. Still cautious, Bonnie picked it up. There was writing on it.

"Elena, there's something over here." She knew Elena would care the most. If the paper had any information on Shinichi's whereabouts, the kitsune was as good as dead. Bonnie watched her friend rise robotically and make her way over. The others followed. As soon as she was close enough, Bonnie handed Elena the piece of paper. She hadn't read it yet. At this point, she felt that Elena would want to know first. Bonnie could only watch as Elena read and reread the paper, her face turning whiter by the second.

"Elena, what is it?" Asked Meredith, always calm in a crisis.

"It… It says, 'Give us what you took and the killing stops. Or, keep it and watch your friends die one by one.' What do we do?" Elena looked around, eyes wild. Meredith came over and placed an arm around her.

"Now, we go back to the boarding house and analyze this note. It's a clue from Shinichi. If we're lucky, it could lead us to Damon." She told Elena, her calm façade once again in place. She was always so calm. At Elena's nod, the girls, Mrs. Flowers, and Dr. Alpert crowded around Elena protectively and walked her out of the Wood. As they walked, Bonnie realized something. Magic leaves traces.

Matt POV

Matt and Sage stayed, knowing they had a job to do. Looking at each other, they both cringed. They would have to take Stefan back to the boarding house so Elena could bury him. Matt didn't want to think of the awful scene. Elena would be sobbing again and the thought of lowering Stefan into the ground for good unnerved him. Stefan was unbreakable. He'd made it through months of torture at the hands of the kitsune, only to be killed two days after being freed. The thought was too much. Matt shoved it out of his head and focused on the task at hand, not much better than his morbid thoughts. Taking one last look at Sage, Matt turned to face his friend's body. What? Something was very wrong. Sage grunted in surprise when he turned. Stefan's body was gone.

AN: O.O What do you think? Reviews are greatly appreciated! I'll try to update soon.