Not on my watch…

Stefan made a play for the door to follow Damon but found it impenetrable; the shield that Melissa had placed around them to keep people out was now keeping them in. He turned to her for an explanation and was ready to act, Caroline, realising what had happened joined Stefan and both adopted a predatory stance and were preparing to defend or attack. "Wait!" Yelled Tom, "what's going on here?"

"Damon's rushing off as usual, without thinking…placing everyone in danger" said Melissa

"No, you are …lower the shield and let us out…NOW!" demanded Stefan

"Try and think logically Stefan…about everything that has ever happened between you and Damon, how he always puts you and those you love at risk, he always has and you always back him, ever wondered why?"

"I know why…he's my brother, now let me out" "It's more than that…it was meant to keep you together, so you would always have someone as the centuries passed but it makes you irrational and you need to stop and think."

Stefan tries to break through the force field with furniture and then through sheer will but he can't penetrate the magic. "Melissa! What are you doing? You can't keep us here…Damon needs us, now more than ever. Let us out!" cries Caroline. Melissa is determined to make them see it her way and appears to have little compassion for Stefan's situation. Stefan and Caroline position themselves strategically to advance on her position with Bonnie aligning herself to them and Blake slowly backing away.

Tom takes Melissa's hand and squeezes it to alert her of the problem that she fails to see…she looks at him bewildered and he shows her through their connection what it is that she's missing in this scenario. It doesn't matter why…the emotion is there and it's stronger than ever. "You said yourself, we have to trust one another and work together or we will fail…you must let them out and help them help Damon" uttered Tom in a calm and stern half whisper. "I agree with Tom" Blake sheepishly mentions "I kinda like Damon…he's funny…and kind". "What?" says Melissa in disbelief "Kind?" she shakes her head…"Yes, kind…in this scary and awful experience that I can barely comprehend, one in which I have been utterly terrified and scared beyond belief, he found a moment to be kind and to comfort me…so I will risk everything to help him the same way and as much as I would for any of you".

"She doesn't know what she's talking about, she doesn't know what he is really like"…scoffed Melissa. "Actually…yes she does, she knows exactly what he is like and that is why I always back my brother…because I remember it too." states Stefan.

"Lissa, I know you think you know more than all of us and about almost everything you do my love, but human emotion, that's something you are new to and you have to believe me when I say, we have to go…amplified human emotion is beyond what most can control…these two do a pretty good job until one of them is threatened. Like it or not…we have to save Damon…again" explained Tom.

After a moment's pause, in which a million calculations seem to have taken place, with Melissa's eyes flitting this way and that, she agrees.

Stefan left the second he felt the shield come down and was followed a millisecond later by Caroline. Bonnie was incanting a spell so that she could see the others and know if Damon and Elena were still safe. Silas' men are almost to Elena, Damon isn't there yet…they're going to kill her…what can we do?" asked a panicked Bonnie. "I can link with Damon more strongly and help him get there…if he'll listen" sighed Melissa as she closed her eyes. "Can't you just go and help him yourself?" asked Blake.

"And leave the three of you vulnerable…NO" "Okay…just thought I'd ask" said Blake as she slowly backed away. Tom threw her a comforting smile to let her know it was ok to ask questions and that she was safe with them.

Damon had no idea what had transpired after he left the boarding house and so was quite receptive to Melissa's intrusion in to his mind…a second later he was at the Salvatore family tomb, standing next to his beloved's sleeping body. In a single moment he had explored every feature of her face as though he was seeing it for the first time, every contour, every perfect imperfection and he was in awe of her all over again.

His moment was rudely interrupted by a dull thud against the crypt door which shifted his attention from the beauty of his sleeping love towards the door. With one hand still resting gently on Elena's crossed hands that sat so carefully placed across her waist, he turned his body to face the direction of the intrusion. The door burst open in triumph and as men rushed forward to claim their victory they were brought to a sudden and unexpected halt when they saw Damon standing there. One man, not picking up on the not so subtle cues from Damon's confidence in the face of certain defeat, rushed forward with the aim of dispatching this vampire and gaining favour with his new master. He had not travelled more than a couple of feet when his very essence was disintegrated in full view of his companions. As what was left of him floated in to the ether the others tried to fathom a course of action that would not result in their own demise. In such close quarters as they found themselves within the tomb, there seemed little chance of that and so retreat seemed the most appealing option, however, Damon had other plans for them and without travelling far from his beloved's side he thwarted all plans of attack from his enemy by dismemberment, decapitation and complete annihilation.

Within minutes, Stefan and Caroline arrived…Damon was still in a heightened state brought on by the Chanul power and as they approached, Damon was in a defensive position in front of Elena. "Damon?" Stefan enquired tentatively "are you OK?" Stefan felt his skin start to burn and he grimaced in pain…"Damon!" he yelled "stop!" Damon did not appear to hear him and seemed lost behind the glowing blue eyes. Melissa could sense what was happening and she could feel Stefan's pain and fear, she attempted to connect again with Damon but he was blocking her so she reached out to Stefan instead and whispered that he must remind Damon of who he is and what they mean to each other. "BROTHER!" Stefan screamed…"brother, hear me…stop what you are doing; it's me Stefan…stop" the last word was barely audible as Stefan fell to his knees. Damon snapped out of his fugue state and rushed to help Stefan but was knocked back against the wall by Caroline who then took a defensive position in front of Stefan. "It's Ok Caroline, I'm Ok." "What the hell Damon? What were you doing? You almost killed him…" "I have no idea what just happened, Stefan…I'm sorry."

"It's ok" panted Stefan, as he got back to his feet. "So long as that doesn't happen again."

"I take it this is what's left of Silas' men? Is this all of them, doesn't seem that many." "Erm…there were a few more…but they left…and I suggest we do the same before Silas realises that we are here."

"Do you still have any juice left in you Damon? I mean we were going to use that to rouse Elena…remember?"

"I do…and I think I still can bring a little light in to her world." He smirked as usual as his eyes began to glow…"Damon? Do you have control?" asked Caroline cautiously. "I do…" and if I say that one more time I guess we're married so shall we just get on with it. Stefan and Caroline took up positions either side of Damon. They joined hands and Stefan placed his free hand on Elena's head while Caroline placed a hand on Elena's feet. Damon chanted the words that came naturally to him now and the power passed between the three of them and then through Elena…destroying the hold the spell had over her and releasing her from her slumber. Once Stefan felt movement from her he pulled away from Damon fearing that he might go too far and take energy from himself and Caroline that they could ill afford to lose. Once the connection with Damon was broken he returned to normal and anxiously waited for Elena to open her eyes.

Stefan offered a comforting hand on Damon's shoulder and told him everything would be alright, "she will wake up Damon…she'd fight her way out of hell to be with you again…just give her a minute" Damon stared intently at her face, grasping her hand…just waiting. "I could kiss her" he said sarcastically… "really? Ok…kiss her, what the hell…couldn't hurt." Caroline showed an expression of being unamused by this and wanted them out of there as soon as possible but one puppy dog look from Stefan and she was content to wait for as long as necessary. Damon leaned in for a kiss that would wake sleeping beauty but before he could press his lips against Elena's she awoke startled and threw Damon against the wall. "Will people please stop throwing me against the wall" he said as he dusted himself off getting to his feet. Elena sat up and looked around, at herself and then at them and then at where they were. Once she had her bearings she stared at Damon with a blank expression…he went to move towards her but then hesitated sensing that something might be wrong…this didn't seem like his Elena. For what seemed like an eternity there was silence, then slowly a quirky smile came upon Elena's face and she simply said "Hey."

Damon rushed in to her waiting arms and they embraced one another, so tenderly and so deeply that Caroline and Stefan felt they were watching something so intimate they should excuse themselves but time was not on their side and they had to get back to the house.

Damon finally pulled away from Elena and said "no time to explain…we're all in trouble, we need to go…I love you" "Oh…ok" gasped Elena as Damon pulled her from the slab she was laying on. "Damon? Is the trouble we're in something to do with why your eyes are glowing?" "Uh…yep, it's a weird and wild story…you're gonna love it."

They all whooshed out of there at vampire speed and headed back to the relative safety of the boarding house.

As they just disappeared out of sight, catching a glimpse of them, Silas stepped from the shadows and he was not pleased…not pleased at all.