A/N: Here's another one. In an attempt to break the pattern, much like they do in this chapter (You'll find out what that means when you read it) I'm going to try to kept this A/N short(er) at least at the top. I've been quite excited about chapter 10 and 11 for a while now and I finally get to write them so I will start chapter 10 tomorrow. I am also going to do and experiment. If I get 20 reviews for this chapter I will upload the next one the moment I get the reviews or the moment it is finished depending on whether it is finished by that point. I am not however holding the story to review ransom. I will update the day after tomorrow regardless. But I will update tomorrow if I get them. As I have said I just love to see people's reactions and reviews make me work faster. Te-he. (I've also become review obsessed, I even had a dream about one-it was weird) So, let me know what you think, I hope you enjoy it and see you at the bottom.

So on with the next chapter...

Chapter 9

Everyone nodded. They were all feeling a mixture of relief and disappointment. It wasn't that they were disappointed in the scenes. But there was obviously something that had happened and they couldn't help wanting to know what it was. There were still so many questions left unanswered. At the same time each scene took a lot of energy. Processing everything they saw, dealing with the feelings they bought up for themselves and the others. Elena also had the added pressure of knowing that once they were over she was expected to make a choice.

"Alright." Bonnie said before she began to chant again. So far they had seen Damon and Elena fighting, and making up, they had seen them having fun, joking about, but they hadn't seen them actually being serious. That was one of the doubt in everyone's mind. As the last scene started to form everyone turned to watch it.

Elena was sat alone in a bedroom. A picture frame in her hands, a lone tear trickled down her face. She hadn't got dressed and now she climbed back into bed and pulled the cover over her head, still holding the picture frame to her chest. A gentle sobbing sound came from underneath the covers.

"I wonder wants happened." Elena whispered. It felt like one of those moments were you had to be quiet for no particular reason.

"She looks so sad." Caroline commented.

"Someone must be hurt." Stefan added also in a whisper.

"Or dead." Damon said bluntly in his normal volume. The other occupants of the room all turned to look at him. It was a silent scolding. "I was just pointing out the obvious." He defended. They all turned back to the scene.

Footsteps were heard approaching the room. On closer inspection it was a bedroom in the boarding house. Damon's bedroom.

"Maybe you died." Caroline suggested turning to Damon.

"Ssshh" Elena interrupted any reply. "I want to find out who it is." Inside she was begging for it not to be Damon. Part of her was afraid Caroline was right. The other part refused to believe it.

A man walked into the room. He sat on the edge of the bed next to Elena.

"Elena," he whispered. There was no response. "You have to get up." He insisted. He was rewarded with a groan of protest but no movement. He pulled the covers down, uncovering her head.

"Come on, you have to get up. I want to take you somewhere." He persisted.

"Today? Really? I don't want to go anywhere!" she was angered but it didn't stop her tears and she didn't move from her position, not even to replace the covers. He lay down next to her and pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms.

"This is important, it has to be today." He told her as he gently stroked her hair and she cried into his chest.

"Why today?" She asked in a broken voice.

"Because today is today." He explained as though it made perfect sense, which to them it probably did. "Come on Elena, get dressed." He pulled her up into a sitting position and pried the photo out of her arms. "He's not in that photo." He reminded her as she let him move it.

"Why?" She asked him, sounding like a little child.

"Because it was his time."

"Why couldn't he just live forever?"

"Because he wasn't supposed to."

"He's supposed to outlive me. He's my little brother Damon." She finally revealed.

No one knew how to respond to that sentence. Elena wasn't sure how she felt. Yes she was relieved it wasn't Damon but was it better that it was her own brother instead. He wasn't a vampire so it made sense that he had to die. She knew it would be inevitable. When she remembered back to her future with Stefan she found Jeremy had been dead by this year too. She would outlive him whichever choice she made. But with Stefan it probably wouldn't be by much. With Damon it was almost guaranteed to be. That shouldn't make a difference though should it? She had outlived her parents and while she still missed them she could live without them. Surely she could live without Jeremy. Stefan and Damon had lived for a century and a half with only each other, and even then they had periods where they barely even had that. And she would have Caroline and Damon, and maybe Stefan again one day, as a friend of course, they had all and would all feel similar losses. She watched the scene curious to see what was coming next. This was another side to their relationship that they hadn't really seem.

Damon proceeded to help her to stand and dress. Once she was dressed she went into the bathroom, he followed possibly to ensure she didn't collapse again. She had stopped crying now and was mumbling things under her breath.

"Stupid heightened emotions." He held back a laugh. It appeared that even after 70 years she was still struggling with controlling her grief. "I hate being a vampire." Again he barely stopped himself.

"No you don't." He chucked slightly earning himself a glare from her.

Once she had finished applying her makeup he led her down the stairs and out to his car.

"What about breakfast?" She asked half confused and half in an obvious effort to sway him from taking her wherever it was he wanted to take her.

"After."

"I wonder where he's taking you." Caroline pondered. Elena shook her head signifying she had no idea.

They got into the car and Elena curled up on the passenger seat, she wasn't crying but she didn't look far from it. After a short drive Damon stopped the car. He got out and went round to open her car door and pull her out. She groaned again in protest having almost fallen asleep. He held her upright while she regained her balance and her senses then he took her hand and lead her around the other side of the car. When she saw what he was taking her to she became rigid. He must have sensed it because he put his arm around her waist inn what to the passerby looked to be a comforting gesture but on closer inspection was more likely a preventative measure.

They stood for a moment. In front of them was a grave yard. Mystic Falls cemetery to me exact.

"This is where you wanted to take me?" She sounded upset, almost angry. "This is why you insisted we come back to Mystic Falls for the week?" She seemed to be piecing something together.

"You need to do this." He answered, his tone still calm as though he was expecting her response.

"I never wanted to come back here!" She stood firm.

"But you need to."

"Why?" She no longer sounded upset, just angry.

"Because every year on this day you lie in bed and cry and you have since he died. You can't keep doing this. We have eternity Elena. You have to move on." He still sounded unaffected but her tone.

"You want me to forget about my brother?" She asked outraged.

"No. I know you will always be sad about it. I don't expect you to ever forget him. But you need to move on with your life. You need to get past this. You need to say good bye. Like you did when you set off those ridiculous Japanese lanterns." He explained still unaffected.

"They weren't ridiculous." She defended, the anger gone from her voice now. He took the opportunity to start walking her forward. She allowed him to do it without putting up a fight.

"He's taking you to see Jeremy's grave." Stefan figured it out first.

"By the sounds of it you haven't been in years." Bonnie added.

"I wonder how long he's been... gone." Elena whispered unable to say the word 'dead'.

Once they reached the grave she turned into his side and hid her face; letting her tears fall unchecked. He tightened his hold on her in a comforting gesture this time as opposed to the restraining gesture earlier. After a few minutes she managed to pull herself away from Damon and face the grave. He released her and she stepped forward, falling to her knees in front of it. Damon remained stood behind her unmoving.

"I don't think you've been since he died." Caroline observed.

"But why wouldn't I visit my brother's grave?" Elena seemed confused. She couldn't understand not wanted to visit and mourn her brother.

"You did mourn him Elena." Damon finally spoke up, almost as though he had read her mind. "You just didn't want to admit you lost your last remaining relative. Going to his grave meant you couldn't deny it." He pointed out. She looked up and met his gaze. It gave her a strange feeling. Like she couldn't hold his gaze but at the same time she couldn't look away. She wondered if he could read her in that moment. If he could see her choice.

In truth she hadn't made it yet. She wasn't sure she was ready to. Yes, she could feel herself leaning one way, but she still had so many unanswered questions first. She knew that was a risk when they started with this spell. Bonnie had warned them about it, but she couldn't help wanting to know more. She still hadn't torn her eyes from Damon's and she feared if she didn't in a moment someone would notice. He seemed to understand her better than the others. He had since she had turned and it wasn't just the sire bond she was sure of that. The sound of her own voice finally drew her attention away. It appeared the voice had come from her future self.

She had now stood up and turned back to Damon. Her tears had stopped and she wiped her eyes and face.

"Thank you." She said as she turned to him and slipped her arms around his waist as he encircled his around her, pulling her closer. "I did need to do it." She admitted.

"I know."

"Do you want to visit anyone?" She asked, her voice holding less sorrow now.

"No."

"Not even your parents?" she enquired an almost hopeful tinge to her tone.

"I don't need to visit my mother and I would find no peace in visiting my father. Come on, let's go home." He answered flatly, his tone only picking up at the end.

"Or Alaric?" she seemed to sense not to push him.

"Never without a bottle of bourbon."

"We could pick a bottle up." she offered.

"Today was about you and Jeremy. Not me." He clarified as he opened her door for her to get in the car.

"A Gentleman; who'd have thought." She mumbled under her breath. "When are you going to let them go?" She asked him as he got into the driver's seat.

"I don't know what you mean." He denied.

"Of course you don't my little hypocrite." She said softly as she ran her hand up his arm until it slipped into his. He narrowed his eyes but said nothing. "You know, I was thinking. As we're breaking today's usual behaviour, we could do something else in keeping with that theme of change." She suggested.

"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow, a smirk making its way onto his face.

"Mm hmm." She responded as she slipped her hand out of his and ran it back along his arm and across his chest.

"I should drive faster."

"Or you could just pull over." She whispered leaning over so her breath hit his ear. Within seconds the car was parked just off the side of the road. Elena swung herself out of her seat and into his lap. "Now did you know your plan for today would result in this?" she teased before he claimed her mouth.

"Really?! It's the anniversary of your brother's death and that's how you deal with it?!" Caroline burst out.

"I think I was breaking the habit. From the sounds of it I hadn't done that on that day from years?" Elena offered. She knew it was a weak excuse but she got the feeling her brother's death had happened years before this scene. She couldn't help the warm feeling inside that she got when she thought of Damon helping her move forward. The thought of how they decided to continue breaking the pattern brought a different kind of heat to somewhere else but she tried not to focus on that. As she looked back to the scene she noticed it had disappeared. She knew what this meant. She was supposed to choose now. She looked around the room, everyone but bonnie was watching her closely, as if any second she would shout out a name and that would be her choice. She needed a break. She wondered if she could run to the kitchen, or the basement, for a quick drink. Would anyone notice? That she was panicking? Would they follow? Ask questions? She was about to try and make her escape when Bonnie cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Actually, I think I can show you something else." She announced. The room fell silent. Only the sound of Bonnie breathing filled the room. "I can show you your death. Most of the scenes surrounding it on that day, in each time line." She explained. "I'm not sure how exactly it will work in your future with Damon but I think I can do it." She finished. No one moved, all shocked by the new information. The only noise in the room was Bonnie's breathing and beating heart, not even that was heard from the vampires. They could see the one thing everyone wanted to but never wanted to know for Elena. Elena was the first to regain her voice. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak.

Okay, I hope you enjoyed it. I know it was a little sad but it sort of had to happen. As I said I'm quite excited about the next couple of chapters. I am leaning towards continuing the story instead of ending it at chapter 13 but please continue to let me know what you think.

Onto guest review responses. To Guest (I don't have to use numbers this time-it feels really impersonal but I don't know how else to do it practically) thank you, I'm glad you feel that way. Is this soon enough? I didn't have internet over the weekend, well apart from when I nicked my dad or my sister's iPhone and I was lucky enough to actually have some form of internet. the next update should be sooner. To Alice, I'm happy you love this story. As I said I'm definitely leaning towards continuing it. And I definitely have an idea for it. There were some events that we know nothing about, like why Tyler is hiding and Caroline is looking for him, and why Stefan or Damon turned off their emotions and why Elena picked who (although more of that will come in chapter 11) etc. To my second guest reviewer, I got your review after I posted this so, thank you and here it is.

And since I went crazy last time with the story ideas I will just stick with a thought I have. I have another theory as to why Stefan and Damon turned down the cure. If one of them becomes human then they will have to leave the other and they will never leave each other. Just one of my random thoughts. I think I had another one, aside from thinking prefer Stefan as a person when he isn't with Elena and is drunk, but I can't remember it. I hate when I loose my thoughts, I'd say I don't have that many but I think my A/N's prove otherwise.

That was short in comparison to past ones. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think and see you in the next chapter. (*smiles*) (I always think manic grin rather than smile but still.)