A/N: Thank you SO MUCH for your beautiful reviews! :):):)

Please note that from now on there are going to be some spoilers for The Originals all the way through 1x22 ;)

Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries belongs to L.J. Smith & CW.

Chapter 4

All kinds of disastrous scenarios rushed through Caroline's head on her way to the door, loud knocking and incoherent shouting scaring her even more when she recognized Stefan's voice.

"What happened?!" she asked with a terrified gasp, opening the door and expecting some fatal announcement, but the expression on Stefan's face threw her for a loop completely.

"Caroline!" Stefan exclaimed in a voice that Caroline would take as a sign that he was drunk if she didn't know better."I got you an inflatable neck pillow!" he declared a little breathlessly with the most ridiculous grin on his face, lifting the pillow for Caroline to see. "I ran all the way here. Five times. And then five times around your building," he added with a chuckle, trying to catch his breath.

Caroline stared at him in silence for a moment, before her eyes widened upon the obvious conclusion. "Oh my God," she whispered in dismay.

"It's pink!" Stefan continued, beaming and pushed the pillow into Caroline's arms with a laugh. "They also had green ones and blue ones, but blue ones didn't have speakers and green ones didn't vibrate and this one has stereo speakers and it vibrates."

"It's a great pillow," Caroline said slowly, regaining her composure, pulling Stefan inside and closing the door behind him. "Everything is going to be OK," she said in the calmest voice she could muster, grasping Stefan's shoulders. "We should call Dr. Fell," she muttered, more to herself than to Stefan. "Everything is going to be fine," she repeated, giving Stefan a strained, reassuring smile and was both relieved and even more perplexed when she noticed that instead of a vacant look, Stefan's eyes glimmered not only with inexplicable joy, but also with complete lucidity.

"Caroline, they found them," Stefan said after a pause in a lower tone and Caroline stiffened.

"What?" She whispered, blinking.

"They found them. Or brought them back. I don't know. I didn't listen. I mean I did, but..." Stefan laughed again, shaking his head. "They are in New Mexico. I booked the flight for us and Alaric. We'll meet him at the airport. We need to pack. You need to pack. I'll go pack and then we'll drive-"

"Stefan, what are you talking about?" Caroline cut in, her lips barely moving, her face brightening despite her efforts to remain collected and reasonable until she would get all the facts straight.

Stefan drew a breath and smiled, looking Caroline deeply in the eyes to ensure that she knew he was being utterly serious. "Elena and Jeremy found Damon and Bonnie."

For a few long moments Caroline's eyes were wandering frantically all around Stefan's face before she finally let herself believe that what she was hearing was true.

"What are they doing in New Mexico?" she asked with a nervous laugh, trying to focus on technical details to keep herself from giving in to shock and panic.

Stefan grimaced a little, although his expression was still bright. "Yeah, that's where it gets a little complicated. Apparently, they're both human and they don't remember who they are."

xxxdelenaxxx

Leaning her head against the cab window, Elena wrapped her arms around herself to keep them from shaking. Then she remembered about her new red dress she had bought at the airport in Italy and placed her hands on her sides to keep the dress from wrinkling. The weather was a little too warm for a leather jacket, so she shrugged it off her shoulders, put it in her lap and drew a deep breath.

She was doing her best trying to sit still, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. The closer to their destination they were getting, the more she wanted to just jump out of the car and run to that hospital.

She had been rehearsing the upcoming conversation in her head over and over again during the plane ride, but right now she couldn't recall any well-prepared sentences. All those mental rehearsals weren't probably very useful anyway, because they had always proceeded rather easily and involved either Damon regaining his memories on the spot or at the very least them kissing madly. And then him regaining his memories on the spot.

Either way, Elena had a hard time working out the details, because all she could think about was that Damon and Bonnie were alive. She couldn't even bring herself to analyzing how it had happened, despite Jeremy's efforts to strike a reasonable conversation concerning that. She also wasn't really thinking about Damon being human and what it meant. All her thoughts were revolving around seeing Damon and Bonnie again and it was the only moment she could picture quite clearly in her head. She was just going to think about everything else later.

"Elena, we have to stay calm. And behave calm," Jeremy said, as much to Elena as to himself since his heart was hammering in his chest so hard he half-expected it to jump out of his chest any second. "We can't have anyone suspect that something weird has happened."

"I know that, I'm calm," Elena said resolutely, giving Jeremy an amused look when they got out of the cab in front of the hospital.

"Right," Jeremy muttered, but decided not to argue, as he doubted Elena remembered anything from their flight from Italy anyway.

She had seemed completely lost in thought, not hearing Jeremy's questions, but asking him when they were going to land every five minutes or so, even though for the duration of their entire transatlantic flight she had been staring at the screen in front of her that was showing precisely what time it was and when exactly they were going to land. Jeremy's personal favorite moment of the trip was when a flight attendant had asked Elena if she would've liked something to drink and she had offhandedly replied: "No, thank you, I just had a blood bag."

"You know what that doctor has said," Jeremy continued, trying to draw Elena's attention to what he believed was an important thing to keep in mind. "They lost their memories. They don't know who they are and they probably won't have any idea who we are when they see us," he said carefully, watching Elena's face and hoping that his words were at least registering in her mind, even if she wasn't listening to him very intently.

"I know that, Jeremy," Elena said with a trace of seriousness in her voice that appeased Jeremy's fears a little. She stopped walking and turned toward him. "But it doesn't matter. Sooner or later they'll remember or even if they won't, we'll just rebuild everything from scratch. What matters is that they're alive," she said with a radiant smile, her breath catching in her throat, the last word bringing tears to her eyes.

Jeremy smiled as well, trying to share Elena's attitude and focus on the bright – there was hardly any other – side of the situation, but he couldn't help worrying about how it would all go. For one, surely one's past had some impact on falling or not falling for this particular person and not another, and if so, what if this past-free Bonnie wouldn't feel about him the same way? What if whatever had made her love him was gone along with her memories of him - and of herself, of who she was before?

But since Elena didn't seem to share his reservations in the slightest, Jeremy made an effort to push all the grim thoughts away. At least for the time being. Elena was probably right anyway. All that mattered was that Bonnie and Damon were alive and that they were going to see them in a couple of minutes. Any problems that might arise from now on could be resolved in time.

Barely controlling the trembling of their voices, they briefly explained the reason for their arrival when they entered the hospital and were told to wait for the doctor with whom they had spoken on the phone.

The doctor's office was austerely appointed except for the excessive number of pictures on the walls. Elena didn't even spare them a glance and was looking out of the window instead, but Jeremy's attention was immediately drawn to one of the pictures that he felt he had seen before. He blinked in surprise at the sight, his eyes widening a little at the strange coincidence and he was about to point the picture out to Elena, but then the door opened and the doctor walked inside, greeting them with a friendly smile.

"Gilbert?" Dr. August asked when introductions were made, glancing fleetingly at the same picture that Jeremy had just noticed. "The name Grayson doesn't by any chance ring a bell with you, does it?" He asked conversationally, looking back at the documents on his desk.

Elena and Jeremy exchanged a look, not as gladly reminiscent as it could've been a few months ago.

"Actually... that's our dad," Jeremy said cautiously.

The doctor looked up at them in surprise. "This is truly a small world, isn't it?" he laughed. "What a coincidence. Feel invited to a family dinner next week. My wife and daughter will be delighted to meet you. So how is Grayson? And Miranda?" The doctor asked and then frowned at the expressions that appeared on Elena's and Jeremy's faces.

"They died in a car accident three years ago," Elena said in a low voice.

"I'm so sorry, I had no idea," Dr. August shook his head with an apologetic grimace and leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "We didn't keep in touch much in the last, well, twenty years or so. Ever since Grayson had moved to Virginia..." The doctor trailed off, as if searching for the right words. "We were working on a project together and it grew big, bigger than we had expected. He moved to Virginia to carry on with the research there. It was where the headquarters, so to speak, were."

"At Whitmore College," Jeremy observed evenly and Elena stiffened, not sure if bringing up such a perilous subject was a good idea. So much for being inconspicuous.

"Yes." Dr. August nodded, somewhat surprised. "I see you know a little about that," he said in a tone that seemed both more relaxed and suddenly wary.

"Probably even more than a little," Jeremy said with a shrug and Elena wanted to poke him, but didn't, since it was impossible to do without the doctor noticing. She just hoped that Jeremy himself would realize that right now was not the best time to play detective.

Dr. August squinted briefly, looking between them with a pensive frown on his face. "I see. Well," he cleared his throat. "I heard that about five years ago he quit, withdrew himself from the research work, and I didn't really hear anything about him since then. I often wondered... why did he quit? Do you know?"

Elena and Jeremy stared at the doctor in surprise, both struck with some abstract, bittersweet relief. But they quickly shook themselves out of it.

"He just wanted to have more time for us," Jeremy blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

Dr. August nodded in understanding.

"Could we go see Damon and Bonnie now?" Elena asked a little hastily, impatient to see them, but also wishing to interrupt the conversation before it'd take a hazardous turn.

"Oh, of course," Dr. August rose to his feet. "I didn't tell them you'd come, because, well, you know, sometimes people call and inquire, but never show up. First I wanted to make sure you really exist." He chuckled briefly under his breath. "They're going to be so happy to see you. Just keep in mind their heart conditions. Don't drop all the shocking social news on them at once," the doctor said with a wink, ushering Elena and Jeremy out of his office and into the hallway.

xxxdelenaxxx

"Did you forget to tell me about something?" Tyler asked, fighting an amused smile and slumping onto a couch across from Matt, the living room bright with sunlight.

"Not funny, Ty," Matt grunted in a surprisingly solemn voice, his eyes fixed on a letter in his hands.

"Well, kind of funny if this is what I think it is," Tyler said with a chuckle, glancing at the stroller. "Is she coming back or is it a permanent keepsake?" Matt looked up with a frown. Tyler extended his arms and shrugged. "Just trying to figure if you're going to be a single father or perhaps there's hope for a happy, nuclear family."

Matt just stared at him for a second before rolling his eyes with an impatient huff. "Cut it out. This is not my kid."

Tyler laughed. "Right. How do you know?"

"I know it may come as a shock to you," Matt said, folding the letter and putting it away, "but there actually are some people on this planet who can know such things for certain." He sighed. "I just need to take care of her for three days," he added after a pause, glancing at the baby who was sleeping peacefully in the stroller.

"Three days?" Tyler widened his eyes at Matt and then sat back on the couch. "Easy."

Matt shot him a grim look and for a while Tyler was just snickering at him in response, but then a thought struck him and he jumped to his feet.

"No," he said, glancing at the baby and then giving Matt a demandingly questioning look. "Tell me that's not it. Tell me this is not that kid."

"What kid? What are you talking about?" Matt asked in slight confusion – and surprise, wondering how Tyler could possibly know about that. And if he did, why he hadn't ever said a word.

Tyler narrowed his eyes at him. "Bonnie just died, Jeremy and Elena are on the verge of insanity, our town is under some dumb-ass spell. I really don't think we have room for more problems!" He exclaimed angrily. "It's all their fault!" he continued, pointing to the baby and shouting despite Matt making hushing gestures at him. "It all started with them! He killed Jules, he killed Elena's aunt, he killed my entire pack! He killedmy mother, Matt! But I guess that's all still not quite enough to stop my girlfriend from sleeping with him and my best friend from babysitting his child!"

"Hey, calm down, man," Matt grabbed Tyler by his shoulders and sat him back down on the couch. "It's not about Klaus. Rebekah showed up in the middle of the night. She was terrified, could barely breathe, because of the spell. She asked for help, left the letter and vanished into the night within three seconds. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't say no."

Tyler snarled, tossing his head backwards. "Like Rebekah is any better! What's wrong with you, people?!" Tyler glared at Matt, shaking his head in bewilderment.

"Listen-" Matt started, but Tyler just shoved him aside, stood up and headed for the door, loudly shutting it closed behind him.

xxxdelenaxxx

Following one of the hospital's long, bright hallways, Elena and Jeremy headed toward the park entrance making an effort not to run.

"Elena, I know your mind is now elsewhere, but..." Jeremy fell silent and waited until a group of people went past them before continuing. "We should be careful and just grab Bonnie and Damon and get out of here as fast as we can," he said in a low, urgent voice, shooting Elena meaningful looks to which she didn't seem to be paying much attention.

"They're human, Jeremy," Elena said, glancing around with glimmering eyes and an anxious, dreamy expression on her face. "No one can be suspecting them of anything. They've been here for six months. This doctor didn't act as if he was suspecting them or us of anything."

Jeremy shook his head with a frown. "He might've noticed your ring."

Elena shrugged without looking at him. She bit her lip, impatiently scanning their surroundings just in case Damon and Bonnie would appear.

Jeremy widened his eyes at her. "I think it's pretty clear what kind of research he was talking about. If he's been torturing vampires for a quarter-century it's rather likely he can recognize a daylight ring. Don't you think? What if this hospital is another Augustine torture chamber? Not that it can't be a complete coincidence that his last name's August," Jeremy whispered with a mirthless snort. "We can't risk staying here. You can just give Bonnie and Damon vampire blood to heal them. They won't need any surgeries now or ever. There's no reason for us to be staying here for even a day longer."

"If they're human and they have no memories, don't you think that would freak them out? Leaving in such a hurry?" Elena observed quietly, biting her lower lip and shuddering at the sight of the silhouette of every person that looked at least a tiny bit similar to Damon or Bonnie.

"Really?" Jeremy grimaced. "That's what we're going to worry about right now? You can compel them not to freak out. We'll sort it all out once we're back home."

"Don't you think that this is exactly what will raise everyone's suspicions here, if we decide to leave immediately, regardless of scheduled surgeries?"

"Who cares? Besides, we don't have to leave in broad daylight. Alright." Jeremy stopped walking and looked right and left with a sigh. "The park is over there and the therapy session room is down this hallway, Bonnie should be out of there in a couple of minutes. I'll wait for her by the door."

Jeremy looked at Elena and for a moment they stared at each other, terrified, before radiant smiles simultaneously appeared on their faces and they laughed briefly, squeezing each other's hands before heading into different directions.

Elena tucked loose strands of hair behind her ears and pushed the door that led to the park open.

It was a sunny day and she could feel the breeze skim over her skin and hair when she stepped outside and walked down several stone steps, looking around. Almost immediately, she noticed the silhouette of a man who was standing with his back to her, but then slightly turned around, squinting against the sunlight that was illuminating his face.

Elena's breath caught in her throat, all the happiness and all the grief rushing back to her and with tears blurring her vision, forgetting all about any precautions, she dashed forward and stopped only right in front of Damon just when he turned around.

"I'm sorry, the door was... open."

She had been thinking about this moment for the last two days, expecting exactly this: looking into his eyes again and yet this moment now was completely unexpected – because it was real. And so simple. She couldn't remember where the words "messy" or "complicated" had ever come from. They seemed so absurd, so entirely meaningless now. They had vanished that night when she had lost him. Everything had disappeared that night. Good and bad. Everything, except her love for him – and his for her, because she could feel both, she was feeling both for the last six months and maybe that was what had been causing that excruciating pain. So much love couldn't be contained in one person. It had to be shared.

Damon tilted his head to the side, looking at the girl in front of him with a small, lop-sided smile on his face.

"Hey you," he said gently, because the girl was looking at him with some curious kind of amazement that he found disarmingly endearing. He also made a point of not taking a step back even though they were standing so close it was almost impossible for them to keep their balance.

But the girl wasn't stepping back either and he suddenly found himself grasping her arms to steady her. She shuddered and he stopped smiling struck by a feeling, a thought he couldn't quite place.

Damon's eyes wandered over Elena's face in confusion as he began noticing everything at once: the expression on her face, the tears in her eyes, her lips trembling as she continued staring at him with such intensity and amazement that he quickly guessed that it must've been caused by some kind of recognition and he held his breath.

"Hey you," Elena breathed out with a broken smile, her hands flying to Damon's face, cupping his cheeks and looking at him with such warmth in her eyes that he felt as if every inch of his skin was suddenly set on fire.

Elena grimaced and with a stifled sob, she impetuously wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and hugged him. To her surprise and exhilaration, his arms instinctively closed around her and she laughed soundlessly through her tears.

Damon ran his hand up and down Elena's back in a soothing gesture, intrigued and astonished by just how natural, how endlessly familiar it felt to hold her in his arms, how much he needed to hold her. Slightly tilting his head to the side he buried his face in her hair and slowly breathed in her scent, his eyes widening at the startling realization that her scent didn't make him think of any flowers or spices - but rather of dreams and memories. He closed his eyes with a tentative, feverish smile. And of home. She made him think of home.

Reluctantly, Elena drew back to look at him. "I'm sorry, I just..." she began, drawing a hasty breath, holding his face in the palms of her hands and acknowledging with relief that he was making no attempt to stop her or put any distance between them. Instead, he was gazing at her with ardent curiosity. "I thought you were dead," she whispered, stroking Damon's cheeks with her fingertips and smiling through her tears.

She was about to continue, but then held her breath, startled by Damon's hands landing on her cheeks in a gesture mirroring her own.

"I thought you weren't real," he murmured with a trace of utter reverence in his tone, looking at her with wonder in his eyes, brushing the tears off her face with his thumbs.

Elena grinned feverishly, unable to stop crying and then, all of a sudden, to her astonishment, Damon's lips captured hers and gingerly, he kissed her.

He was somewhat aware of the fact that it was perhaps preposterous to do that, but he wasn't able to stop himself. He just needed to press his mouth against hers. The kiss was meant to be brief, but the moment his lips touched hers everything inside him and the entire world around him seemed to shatter and collapse and burn in flames – and then reappear, white-hot, red-hot, incandescent and he cradled her to him and kissed her more and again, relentlessly.

"I'm sorry," Damon said breathlessly when they at last pulled away. "I just... had to kiss you," he whispered and Elena smiled against his lips. "What's your name?" He asked under his breath, sliding his hand into Elena's hair, the sunlight sifting through it in the exact same way it always had in those recurring dreams of his.

Elena leaned her forehead against his and closed her eyes. "I'm Elena," she said quietly, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Your name's Damon." Elena's eyes blinked opened and the tears rolled down her face when she smiled, overjoyed to finally be able to say to him the words that had been reverberating in her head for the last several months. "And you are my life."

xxxdelenaxxx

"How did I pack faster than you?" Caroline asked in pretended astonishment, propping her hands on her hips as she watched Stefan finally close his suitcase and send it rolling toward the door.

"I'm guessing you just didn't pack anything at all, so you'd have an excuse to go on a shopping spree as soon as we land in New Mexico," Stefan offered matter-of-factly.

Caroline punched him playfully in the chest. "Do you really think I can think about shopping right now?!" She said, laughing under her breath and following Stefan to the door. "All I can think about is that I'm the worst friend ever," she added with a genuinely troubled frown.

"Don't worry," Stefan said with a sigh, shooting her a comforting smile. "I'm the worst brother ever."

Caroline smiled, but then narrowed her eyes at him in mock consideration. "Actually, you're both. You're the worst brother and the worst friend and I'm the worst friend and the worst frenemy... which makes you worse than me overall!" she concluded happily.

Stefan smiled back at her and opened the door, but then his hand stopped in mid-air before he had a chance to reach for his suitcase.

"Going somewhere?" The man who was standing in the doorway asked in a mildly sardonic, even tone, looking between Stefan and Caroline with an ominous glint in his eyes.

"Seriously?!" Caroline exclaimed and Stefan was momentarily shaken out of unpleasant bewilderment and genuinely amused by pure annoyance and no fear whatsoever resonating in Caroline's voice.

But then Mikael's expression darkened and he stepped inside, slamming the door shut behind him.