AN: Ugh sorry for the lack of updates. Real life takes up too much of my time -.- Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews
I know where I am but I don't know why.
The trees are dead and the air is biting at my skin with cold. I look up to see the starless sky.
It shouldn't be this way. I just had the most amazing night and now here I am without him. I beg for him to come into my dream.
Its like he knows. Within moments I can hear a crow. I look up to the sky waiting for it to light up but nothing happens. I look around me, I can only see a few feet out in front of me. The wind starts to pick up making the air even colder.
He flies down towards me but he doesn't change. Instead the crow bursts into nothing but feathers right there. My hand move to the ground where the feathers are now laying. I put my hand to the ground where they are but the area filled with feathers turns into a gray dust in my hands. My eyes widen in shock as I scream out his name. I can hear a female's voice whisper in the wind as it carries itself to me.
"Elena…" My heart beat picks up. I can faintly hear something in the forest.
Wake up, wake up, wake up.
I keep repeating it to myself in a desperate attempt that it will actually work.
The wind stops and everything falls silent. I stand there motionless. The area falls completely dark. I can't see anything. I can feel someone behind me.
"Damon…" I whisper out even though I saw the crow die. A single tear slides down my cheek. My hands begin to shake and I try to keep myself steady. I feel a hand grasp around my throat. My breath escapes me. I try to call out his name one more time but the hand around my throat tightens. I close my eyes letting more tears escape my eyes.
"He wont be able to save you." The same female voice is who's hand is around my throat. I can hear the smile in her voice. My hearts pounding in my chest with my blood racing. The last breath I was holding in escapes me. My eyes widening as I realize I can't take any air in.
I sit up in my bed, my heart still racing.
"Elena!" I look next to me and on the bed is Damon, his face filled with worry. I throw my arms around him and bury my face into his chest. I can feel where the tears were falling when I was asleep, they're now pressed against his bear chest. He has one arm wrapped around my back while his other hand is stroking my hair. A small sense of calm comes over me now that I am back in his arms.
"You weren't there." I whisper to him, trying to collect myself enough to make my voice even.
"I know I wasn't but I couldn't get to you. Its like there was something blocking me from getting in." His voice is so perfect. I try hard to concentrate on it. "Did anything happen?" I shake my head lightly, my face still buried in his chest.
"You just weren't there." I'm lying and I feel guilty for it.
I can't tell him about her.
I wont tell him that it was Katherine in my dream.
I move my face away from his chest. I lean up into him pushing my lips against his. Damon grabs me by my waist as he lightly picks me up and sets me on his lap. I ran my hands through his hair as he kisses me harder. Damon breaks away suddenly.
"I hate to do this to you but I have somewhere I have to be today. There is possibly a book that can give us more information about our unique situation. Will you be ok here today?" He brushes my hair behind my ear as I smile lightly at him. I want to tell him no, that all of this is hopeless and to stay with me in bed all day wrapped up in his arms.
"I'll be fine." Another twinge of guilt comes to me as I continue to lie. Of course I wont be ok. I know that I'll get sick. I know that I'll be able to feel the distance between us. I know that I'll be able to feel myself dying. There is this part of me that even though all of this is happening to me that I want to protect Damon form worrying about me.
I know it sounds crazy but Damon has changed so much. Well not completely. He is still a complete cocky jerk to everyone except for me. He still has that attitude that makes it him. My smile grows at the thought of him. The thought that this side of Damon is all mine, the side that no one else sees. The side that belongs just to me. I completely forget for a moment that I had just lied to him multiple times.
My intention are good but I don't know if they are always the best. Just like with Jeremy. I sigh at the thought because that's obviously been working out so well.
"I promise I will be back before the nightfall."
I watch him as he leaves as I still sit in my bed. The moment that he is gone I remember Katherine. My shiver goes down my back as I remember her voice. I don't know if it was my dream or if it was actually her. That's the part that scares me. What also scares me is that if it was her, and that if Damon finds out that I can lose him. I can't lose him, I know that I wont be able to handle it. I'll die without him.
I know that Damon is already outside of town. I know this because this is the sickest that I have been. My palms are starting to sweat as my body temperature is rising. All the energy I had has already disappeared from my body. My body is screaming at me to rest but I wont let myself fall asleep. I don't want to risk going back to Katherine. I'm going to have to wait the day out.
I walk down the stairs and to the front door. Aunt Jenna is in the living room working on a presentation.
"Whoa, you're looking a little pale. Are you ok?" I know that what she is saying is an understatement. I saw myself already, I'm beyond pale. My skin looks as if all the color completely faded from it. Even though my skin is hot, my cheeks wont even flush with color.
"Yeah just feel a little sick. I'm just going to go to the grill to pick up some food to bring back home." I say as I head for the door. I need something to pass the time and I don't want to risk laying in my bed.
"Ok be careful." She says as her fingers continue typing on her laptop.
I get to The Grill. Like always the setting inside is dark, illuminated lightly by the lamps around the eating area. I walk up to the bar to order something but the bartender isn't there. I look over to my left to see Alaric. His face is stern as I see him talking to a women with black hair pulled back into a ponytail. I become curious as I watch his facial expressions change. I can tell there is an anger to the words that he is saying to her. Alaric gets up from the bar, storming his way to the front door, he disappears out into the day.
The woman turns around and I recognize her immediately. Her skin is paler than the picture that I saw. Her make up is dark to match with her hair. Also to match with her new lifestyle and personality. Her eyes are dark too and no longer full of life like the photos that I have seen had captured her. A sadistic grin comes to her lips as she looks at me. My mouth is slightly open in shock.
"Hello Elena." Her voice is smooth like velvet. I can't let that fool me though. I need to remember what she is.
"Isobel." I collect myself quickly, pushing aside how my body is feeling.
"Wow, you really do look just like Katherine." It's a name that I don't want to hear, a name that I am beyond sick of hearing.
"You know Katherine?" I should really know better. For some reason everyone has met Katherine at one point in their vampiric life.
"Of course I know Katherine. She's the one who gave me this." There is a necklace dangling around her neck. She points her long fingers to it that are shinning in the light with black nail polish.
"Why are you here?" I know that she is dangerous but I'm also getting tired of all of this.
"Well to see my daughter of course. I was curious to see what you looked like."
"No." My voice is stern, I surprise even myself. "That was only part of it. You heard that I looked like Katherine so that was just a small part and a sad excuse to talk to me. What do you want?"
"Well that's no way to talk to your mother but it seems that you know my kind too well. There is a device, an invention of…" I cut her off.
"I don't have the compass or watch or invention. Whatever you want to call it I don't have it." I move away from the bar to leave but she grabs my wrist tightly pulling me back to her.
"Of course you don't have it but Damon Salvatore does and you're going to get it for me." All the courage that I had built up a moment ago has disappeared.
"What makes you think that I can?"
"You look just like Katherine, I'm sure he'll give it to you without a problem." With that she lets go of my wrist. My skin is red and starting to bruise where her hand had been. "It was nice seeing you Elena." With that she walks away from the bar. I don't bother to watch her walk out. I keep my eyes focused in front of me. I know that I should be thinking about Isobel and about the watch but my mind keeps going to something else.
Is he only with me because I look like her?
I feel like my mind is always plagued with these thoughts. I try so hard to push them away and tell myself that Damon is different. That Damon wouldn't be the one to lie to me, he's the type that would be blunt and hurt my feeling right from the start then lie to me to protect me. That's why he's not Stefan. There's still that nagging part inside of me though that wonders how much he still loves her. He's been searching for her for over 100 years. What made me think that he would stop now? I know that he acts different towards me but is it just because I look like her. A big part of me refuses to believe it. This is why I wont tell him about the dream last night though. I guess its more to protect myself than anything. Protect myself from getting hurt.