A/N: Hey, long time no write. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this updated. I know I suck. I was really having an issue getting this posted, and I had a stupid plot bunny in my head that wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to get that written before I could even think about this. The plot bunny will be posted here as well as on a couple other places if you want to read it. It's an outtake of the reason why Carol Lockwood hates Elena. So, if you're interested let me know. Also, reviews have been kind of slow for this story, but there are quite a few likes/follows. So please, let me know what you think of it. Last but not least, I own nothing!

I Remember You

Chapter Two: Searching

While Tyler was busy calling Matt and Bonnie, Elena was busy calling Jeremy's cell phone over and over again trying to see if maybe he would finally pick up. Thinking back to the past week Elena realized that she really hadn't heard from Jeremy or Ric. They all lead pretty busy lives but made sure to check in once a night with each other. She had heard from the both of them last Monday, letting her know that they had tickets to some sporting event a few towns over so they wouldn't be home that night. After that, neither of them had called or texted her and she hadn't called them either.

Pacing Tyler's room Elena tried to not listen to his conversation with Bonnie, but it was hard when she could hear Bonnie screaming on the other end. She couldn't catch everything that was said, but she caught some words like 'Why should I bother?' 'Only wants to be my friend when it's convenient.' and 'I'm not doing this for her.' Elena heard Tyler end the phone call quickly after that statement and he turned to her, frustration at the last conversation evident on his face.

"Matt will be here in fifteen minutes. He has to get someone to cover at the Grill for him," Tyler told Elena, pausing for a moment to figure out the best way to tell her about what Bonnie had said. "Bonnie doesn't want to help. She's mad about what you said last night. She told me that she'll help figure out where Jeremy is and that's it. She doesn't want to be a part of this." Tyler finished, gauging Elena's reaction.

Elena nodded her head slowly, taking in Tyler's words. "I figured Bonnie wouldn't want to help. So, where should we start?" She asked, her voice cracking with the tears that she was holding back. Elena squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears not to fall. She just wanted to get her brother back. He was the only family that she had left, and if anything happened to him, Elena didn't know what she would do with herself.

Tyler looked at Elena and felt his heart break at her expression. Her eyes had lost what little bit of life had come back into them and she just looked like she was trying to disappear. Elena had her arms wrapped around her waist tightly, and she had hunched her shoulders over so far, it looked like she was trying to fold herself in half. "Hey, we'll find them. I promise," he told her quietly while walking over to her and pulling her into a tight hug. Tyler felt Elena slowly unwrap her arms from around her waist and hug him back.

"What if we don't? What if we can't find them on our own?" She asked quietly.

Tyler heard the unspoken question Elena was asking him; 'what if we have to call him to help us?' and he felt himself getting angry all over again at how broken his best friend had become. "We will find them. Between all of us, Jeremy and Ric will be fine. And don't forget, those guys are two of the strongest guys either of us knows. They're probably kicking ass trying to get back here. So don't worry, okay?"

Elena nodded and mumbled "Yeah, I guess so," in response. She stood wrapped in Tyler's arms just trying not to break down and cry until they separated when they heard a knock at the door downstairs.

"That's probably Matt," Tyler said, glancing at his cell phone and noticing that almost twenty minutes had passed since he called Matt, "Do you want to stay up here and meet us down in the office in a few minutes?" He asked gently.

Elena shook her head, "No, I'll come down with you. It's best if we can get started as soon as possible."

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Damon

Damon had kept himself well hidden for the past two years. He may have written in his letter that he was leaving Mystic Falls, but after his brief trip away when he first left, Damon found that he couldn't stay away from Mystic Falls. He was still drawn to the town, to Elena. So after wallowing in his own misery and drinking so much Bourbon that people were beginning to think he had stock in the beverage for two months, he ran back to Virginia. He found a little house a few towns away from Mystic Falls, and by day he would stay hidden, never knowing who would be lurking around. At night, he would watch Elena. Sometimes he felt like that creepy dude from those vampire books, watching a young woman sleep while she had no idea.

If someone were to ask him why he still hung around after two years, he might lie and say it had something to do with the fact that there was an Original Vampire still lurking around. Oh, and let's not forget Damon's brother who was conveniently compelled to turn his humanity off by said Original Vampire. People would very easily believe that he was hanging around just in case Klaus and Stefan decided to show up in Mystic Falls. The real reason Damon stayed, and sometimes he could barely admit it to himself, was that he wanted to know if Elena ever found happiness after him.

It comforted Damon though, knowing that Elena was safe and being looked after. He would watch when she was out with Bonnie and Caroline, laughing and smiling. He would feel a little smile come to his face when he saw her playing COD with Jeremy, Matt and Ric into the wee hours of the morning, kicking ass and taking names. Damon could almost make himself believe that he didn't feel guilty over what he had done to her. He says almost because then there are the nights where she calls Tyler at two o'clock in the morning, crying because she can't sleep or because she just woke up from another nightmare from that night.

Looking back on the past two years, Damon didn't know why he hadn't showed back up on Elena's doorstep begging for forgiveness with a bouquet of roses. It was clear that she still loved him, and God knows he still loved her. Even when she would go out with Matt, that twinkle never reached her eyes the way it did when they were together.

Last night was a hard night. For Elena and himself. Last night marked the two year anniversary of when he shattered both of their hearts, just so he could make sure that she would stay safe. He watched from a back alleyway while she was in the Grill with Matt, Bonnie and Tyler. He saw the laughter that was just a little to overdone, the smiles that never reached her eyes. He noticed how she would check her watch every few minutes and sigh deeply when she realized that she couldn't make a graceful exit yet. Damon growled lowly when he heard Bonnie and her arguing. The fact that Bonnie could tell Elena some of the things she did, made Damon remember exactly why he hated the Bennett witch.

Damon almost showed up on Elena's porch that night, begging for forgiveness. He was halfway out of the shadows when he noticed that she was in Tyler's truck and that Tyler was walking her up to the front door. I should have known, Damon thought, it was only a matter of time before Elena gave him a chance. Damon ran away from Elena's house before he could do anything that would ruin her life anymore than he already had and when he reached his house, he just kept running. He ran until he was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He would have kept running, and only stopped and turned back around because he heard whisperings about Mystic Falls, and the doppelganger.

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Elena

It had been almost two weeks since Jeremy and Ric went missing. There hadn't been any leads on figuring out where they were, and everyone's patience was wearing thin, Elena's more than anyone's. Right now, she was pacing Matt's kitchen, while Bonnie was trying another locater spell, "It didn't work the last fifty times Bonnie, what makes you think it'll work this time?" Elena snapped at her ex-best friend.

Bonnie sighed in frustration and resisted the urge to storm out of the house, reminding herself that she was doing this to save Jeremy, "Well, Elena, if someone wasn't being so ungrateful and bitchy, the energy in the room would be better and I might have more success."

Elena groaned in frustration and walked into the living room, ignoring Bonnie's comment. Flopping down on the couch in between Matt and Tyler, she grabbed the remote out of Tyler's hand and changed the television from ESPN to VH1. "Oooh, Rock of Love, this show's funny." Elena laughed at one of the girls crazy antics trying to win the heart of Bret Michaels.

"Hey, we were watching the game highlights 'Lena. You can't just steal the remote whenever you want-" Tyler started to protest before Elena cut him off.

"Remember yesterday when I was watching a movie, and you two turned it off and then played X-Box for three hours?" She asked, looking between Tyler and Matt.

"Okay, you win," Tyler said, hanging his head in defeat, "But seriously 'Lena, do we need to go over sports TV etiquette again?"

Elena shook her head and smiled innocently, "No, I promise, never aga-" she was cut off by Bonnie yelling from the kitchen.

"Matt, Tyler, Elena! Get in here! I think I found something!"

Elena was the first one into the kitchen, Matt and Tyler following close behind her, "Well, what do you have?" She asked expectantly

Bonnie pushed the map she was staring at closer to Elena, "Tennessee. They're somewhere in Tennessee."

A/N: That's it folks! Sorry it took so long to get this out. Hopefully next chapter will be up soon. This is unbeata'd, so I own all mistakes. Let me know what you think. Xoxo