Close…

Moving away from Blake but keeping a sly eye on her Damon settled for a leaning position against a small bannister that gave him easy access to the alcohol. Following his statement Tom felt obligated to have something more to say other than they need to have a plan and so hurriedly tried to come up with something that wouldn't make him look like the least useful person there. "well…Damon, I don't exactly have a workable plan yet but I do know that whatever it is we must all keep a very low profile…right now we're safe here, for how long we don't know and it seems to me as if we're running out of time."

As though deep in thought and looking right at Tom Damon asks "You got any suggestions?"

"As a matter of fact I do…. We still need four people to fight Silas, Katherine, Elena, Tatia and Amura, they are all in or around Mystic Falls, so no travelling, Damon still has some Chanul power running through him so maybe he can get one of them while Melissa does another….that will cut the time in half."

"What if his power ends half way through the ritual Tom? Then it's lights out for him and whoever's with him…the fight would end right then and there, for everyone…NO…that's too risky" says an alarmed Stefan because he can see the look in Damon's eye and he knows it spells trouble. "I didn't think we would make it this far, but we have… and I do have this awesome power Stefan…we need to do something." "How the hell is this defensive and not offensive Tom? Interrupts Stefan. "It just came to me ok…I thought out of everything this might be our best play." "Maybe it is for you because you won't be there will you?" "Look Stefan, we all have the same to lose at the end of the day…we all want to keep the one's we love safe…but to do that this time we are going to have to risk it all. All of us… I was dead…so was Blake, we're here to fight for our lives and to have a future, I will do everything I can to make sure we all have one."

"Um… I don't have anyone… so I guess I'm in it just for me." Pipes Blake

"Oooh….the little mouse speaks."

Damon heads over to her and initiates conversation… staring at her trying to decide exactly who she is he begins with,

"Not true…you have us, we'll look after you. With a face like that you won't get hurt while Stefan's around."

"Great"

"You seem to be handling all this… 'Supernatural stuff' rather well for someone who had no clue and a short while ago was dead."

Blake smiles and replies "Well, it's not really happening is it? So I don't have to handle much…just waiting for it to be over."

"It's not happening? Oh thank God…I thought we were in trouble. So…what exactly is happening Blake?"

"Four possibilities…"

"Ok…go on"

One, I'm crazy…sitting in a nut house somewhere thinking I'm here, Two, I took some evil drugs that I'm tripping out on, Three, I fell through a hole in space and time and I'm in some weird alternate reality…and Four, this is real, which means I am either dead and in hell or I'm crazy and on drugs and in an alternate reality…none of the possibilities is good."

Damon Chuckles and Blake looks at him disapprovingly, he takes her hand and says softly…"I get it, I really do, but this is real, there are monsters out there but there are also good people and not all the monsters are bad…all of the time. We WILL look after you and when we kick Silas' butt we will all have a great life to look forward to."

Sensing that his kind and encouraging words didn't quite cut it he turned to Melissa and asked "Hey Melissa! You haven't pulled anything out of your pocket of magic for a while…you got anything in there for a 'cuckoo for cocoa puffs' kind of moment?"

"Yes Damon I do"….she squeezed in between Damon and Blake and removing something from her pocket she placed it in Blake's hand, folding her fingers around it as she did so and with Damon doing his best to get a look at it. "Hold tightly to this, it has a strong energy that will protect you and help you to understand… you'll be ok."

Blake seemed calmer almost straight away and grasped the object like her life did literally depend on it. As Melissa moved away again Damon said "Was that more of that bullshit magic or the real thing?" Melissa smiled as she threw him a fleeting look…

"Ok everyone… I think we may have to split up the next time; Tom might be on to something with his suggestion. Stefan, I know what your concerns are and why you have them but I would make sure we all had the best chance of success before we did anything."

"Whatever we do, I'm with Damon and Caroline." Caroline squeezed his arm and Damon looked chuffed to have been picked…

Melissa looked at them and the sense of awe could be felt around the room. Stefan picked up on it straight away and wanted to know what it was for, why was she looking at them this way, it wasn't the first time he had caught her doing it. "What?" he said quietly and inquisitively, "You two have no idea do you? That's kind of sweet all on its own…" Stefan looked puzzled and Damon was showing an interest…"Your bond…your brotherly bond, the thing that drives you and others crazy…no matter what either of you does, it's never enough to drive the other away…and it never will be. It's not natural and I think you both know that no normal siblings would be so bound to one another, especially over centuries."

Damon looked over at Stefan with a slightly startled and look of increasing fear on his face as though he knew Melissa was about to reveal something, perhaps the only thing, that would make Stefan finally leave him…abandon him to 'forever' alone. "It's ok brother…we share a bond as strong as ours because we love each other and would do anything for each other, nothing will change that. Let's concentrate on our next steps…what can we do?"

"With four people still to 'resurrect' we must take two each, you, Damon, Caroline and Blake will go for Elena first. Because she's only sleeping there will be enough of you to bring her back and then with her you can get Amura from the tomb. Tom and I will go for Katherine and Tatia…but we can't do anything until we reconnect with Bonnie. We need to find her and once she is back here we can finalise our plans. Trust me…"

Damon looked as though he had only just realised that Elena would be coming back. Stefan noticed and approached him grasping his wrist as he drew in close and turning him away from the others for a private chat, fearing that he would lose control over the prospect of having her again.

"Damon…what's up?"

"Elena"

"She'll be back with us soon enough brother…I thought you'd be happy."

Damon looked at Stefan with tears in his eyes, "I didn't dare hope it was really true…I didn't think we'd survive this long… but we have."

"Yes we have…and you'll be together again soon."

Stefan knew something more was going on with Damon and he pushed him to tell him what it was.

"I couldn't help her Stefan…I left her there, I moved on with my life… how will I explain that?"

Stefan took hold of Damon, his hands on Damon's arms and facing him he spoke quietly and in a way that the brothers had come to recognise as 'this is the gospel and you will see it as and know it as the absolute truth "She loves you and she knows that if there had been a way you would have found it…no doubt in her mind…and what's more, you will be the one that brings her back, it'll be your face there to welcome her home."

Damon looked up at Stefan and quickly nodded his head in acceptance as words were not quite possible at this time. Stefan slapped his arm and moved back to Caroline to give him some space.

"Who's Bonnie?!"

They all turned and looked at Blake.