Oh my goodness! It has been a full week since I last posted. I was on vacation, but now I am back. All week I have been contemplating how I was going to write this next chapter, but it eventually came to me, so here it is. I hope you all love it. You people rule!

Damon's POV

The next couple days, Cadence and I keep our distance from each other and when we do meet, there is nothing but small talk. She takes on countless hours at the hospital, often the night shifts. I work a little bit, but my main priority is finding my family's killer. Whether my marriage was failing or not, I owed it to my wife and kids to find their murderer.

I got Cadence to talk a little bit about that night, so I have a little bit of a lead. So far I know that it was a tall man with black hair. It isn't much to go on, but it is better than nothing. I also know that the man is indeed a vampire. What did he want with my wife and kids? Why did they have to die?

I shake my head, trying to stop my mind from exploring the repetitive, yet endless possibilities. I search the web for people who have died from broken or twisted necks. A couple results come up in a couple cities: Des Moines, Knoxville, and Davenport IA; Galesburg, IL; Clarksville and Chattanooga in Tennessee.

I read each article carefully to see if there were any new information about the man, but I got nothing except each victim was killed in the same manner. I write down the names of each victim, so maybe I could track down their families and get some more information. Since the trail of murders has passed Nashville, it should be safe to leave Cadence home with Ash and Rose while I take this road trip.

After I pack my stuff, I call Cadence, but it goes straight to voicemail. I leave a message telling her where I am going and what my plan is. I also tell her that I love her, but I don't expect a response. I inform the nanny of my whereabouts and call Stefan and Elena. I realize I can't find my keys, so I search around the house and find myself in Cadence's office. Out of the corner of my eye I see a stack of papers sticking out from under some medical files. I cringe when I see them. They're divorce papers.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My mind is whirling, but I push all of those thoughts to the back of my mind so I could concentrate on the task at hand. The three of us meet at a coffee shop on the outskirts of the city. I profusely thank them for helping, but they both shrug it off as if it was no big deal.

"I think the best plan is to each split up so we cover more ground and talk to more families in less time," I suggest once they were caught up on my research and the plan in general.

"That sounds logical," Stefan answers.

"Where do you want each of us to go?" Elena asks.

"I was thinking I start up in Des Moines and Knoxville, Elena heads to Davenport and Galesburg, and Stefan makes his way to Clarksville and Chattanooga."

"What should we do if we get information or another lead?"

"Then you call me so I can come down and talk to the family myself."

Elena nods in agreement.

"If nothing comes up, I guess we have to wait until the next murder." The words taste like vinegar, but I spit them out because they are the truth. I write down the names of each victim and what town they are from and give them to Elena and Stefan.

"Alright then. I am going to pack up my stuff and head out," Stefan states

I nod my head and put my hand on his shoulder before hugging him. He stands there motionless for a second before he returns the embrace.

My mind flashes back to when we were human, before Katherine came to town. We were inseparable. People always referred to us as the Salvatore brothers rather than calling us by our first names.

We all get into our cars and drive off at about 3 in the afternoon. Elena and I end up driving on the same road until 10 pm. We both decide to stop at a motel on the outskirts of Springfield. As we walk up the steps and reach the balcony of the second story, my mind flashes back to our road trip to Colorado; when I caught her watching me; when I held her hand, making her heart beat a mile a minute; when she kissed me. I shake the thought, feeling guilty for even letting it enter my mind.

I unlock the door to the room with two queen size beds with floral bedspreads that are ugly as shit, but we were both tired so it didn't matter.

I climb into bed and stare at the ceiling. I am exhausted, but unable to find rest. I understand why Cadence wants a divorce, but it still hurts. I wonder what went through her mind when she was experiencing my life and my preoccupation with Elena. She knew that I had loved her, but I was positive she never knew the extent. I hear Elena toss and turn on the bed to my right.

"Having some issues?" I say in a smartass tone of voice.

"No more than you, Damon."

"Ouch."

We lay in silence before she speaks again, "did you need something?"

I open my mouth to answer, but realize that I didn't need anything. I just wanted to hear the sound of her voice.

"Nothing," I finally respond.

"How come I don't believe that?"

I laugh a little and close my eyes briefly.

"Do you remember our road trip to Colorado?" I ask.

"How could I forget?" she answers with a question.

"I guess I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed that little adventure."

"You do know that was over a hundred years ago right?"

I grin real big so she can't miss it, but my smile soon fades away.

The memory of when Elena chose Stefan comes to mind, but I can't shake it.

"You broke me with that phone call, you know…before you drove off the bridge."

"I know" she whispers.

I finally ask the question that has been eating at me ever since I hung up that phone. "Why did you choose him?"

She doesn't answer, so I sit up in bed and glance her way to see tears forming in her eyes.

I stare at her until she speaks. "Because he was safe."

"But that was never what you wanted."

"I know, but being with Stefan was what I knew."

She sits up and turns to face me. We both swing our legs over the edge of our beds and stare at each other.

"What happened then?" I whisper.

She tilts her head a little. "Ever since I died in that car, I've seen your eyes staring back at me every night. One day, a couple months ago, I realized that I needed to see those eyes. I had to make sure they no longer reflected pain and heartbreak." She trails off and gets even quieter. "In a selfish, twisted sort of way, I hoped that pain and heartbreak still lingered in your eyes so I could take that pain away for you."

I glance down at my lap while she speaks. I can't bear to look her in the eye. "I was a day late and a dollar short."

I find myself breathing heavy. My undead heart skips a couple beats. I swallow hard, trying to suppress the truth of my own emotions.

"She knows. Cadence knows I kissed you," I blurt out.

"I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry for coming back. I should have let it be. I'm sorry for ruining everything. I'll tell Cadence that I kissed you and that it wasn't your fault. I promise to fix this."

She cries, letting the tears fall down her cheeks.

I sit there daze, unsure of what to do. I feel like any minute my heart may explode.

"It won't do any good. She saw the truth and understands all of my feelings as if they were her own. She felt my feelings and lived my story on the other side while she was dead. Our end is inevitable."

Elena puts her head in her hands before getting up to leave.

"Don't," I say as I grab her arm and pull her back.

She starts to talk, but I shut her up with my lips on hers. I explore her back and ass with my hands while our tongues roam each other's mouths as far as the beginning of our throats. Her mouth tastes rich with blood and liquor. I move my mouth down to her neck, letting my tongue lick her jawline while she works on unbuttoning my shirt. I spin her around so her back is to my chest. I feel up the front of her body while working the cotton t-shirt off her body. I place my hands on top of hers while she unbuttons her pants.

"Wait!" I say.

"What?" Elena pants.

"Cadence is going to file for divorce."

"Oh," Elena says, "I don't know what to say."

"Tell me what I want because I have no idea. I did you the favor once when we first met, but I lost sight of what I wanted a long time ago."

She takes a deep breath and then begins to speak. "You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger."

"I remember now."

"You remember what?"

"That you're right. That's what I've always wanted. That's what you used to want too."

"I still want that, but now I realize that I've always wanted it with you."