Past Requiem
Chapter II
"Mystic Falls, 1864"
...
Head pounding, Damon Salvatore opened his eyes only to be met with a vast expanse of grey. It was the sky. Furrowing his brows, he slowly lifted himself and cast his bewildered gaze across his surroundings. It appeared to be some sort of field. Had Silas left them somewhere? 'Weird.'
Turning his head, he saw Elena lying on her back, eyes closed and expression calm. She appeared to be okay. Jeremy was beside her, though his mouth was open in a very unbecoming way. Damon made a face at his expense before rising and absently brushing the dirt off his jeans.
'Question is…where are we?'
He sighed before striding forward and resolving to figure out their location. He would work on uncovering why Silas had done it at a later time. The vampire breathed in the crisp air as the scattered leaves crinkled beneath his boots. Nearing a bordering forest, he continued forward after glancing back at the duo on the hill. He had a feeling they'd be alright, though he decided not to venture too far.
The trees looked familiar and so he figured they hadn't been dragged too far out of town. Catching sight of a bridge, the Salvatore hastened his pace and emerged from the foliage only to narrow his eyes as intense confusion settled in. The bridge looked both foreign and familiar to him. Where had he seen it before?
Stepping towards it, he noted that the 'road' was merely a worn path within the ground, completely absent of pavement. The wood of the bridge creaked as he took several steps across before stopping in the middle and looking out over the lake below. He definitely recognized the place.
It was Wickery Bridge. Only, it was how he used to remember it.
Damon's mouth parted and he again scanned his surroundings as he tried to deny the obvious. It wasn't possible. 'You've gotta be kidding me.'
Deciding to confirm his suspicions, he determinedly began to saunter towards where he knew the town to be.
…
Jeremy winced as he rose from the ground, hand lifting to the back of his neck as he rubbed at the skin, attempting to alleviate the soreness. Looking to his sister, he sighed before quickly gazing around. 'Where's Damon?'
Hearing a soft moan, he looked down as Elena opened her eyes. She stared up at him in confusion before quickly rising and widening her gaze, taking in the scenery. "What happened? Where are we?"
Shaking his head, the boy continued to look about the area. "Not sure."
"Is Damon not here?"
"I don't know where he went," her brother stated before pointing to the ground, where a set of footprints were dented within the mud. "But I think he decided to check things out."
Elena nodded and tried to clear her head, the events of what felt like a few minutes ago seeping back in. She suddenly recalled what Silas had said about Bonnie and breathed in sharply before looking to Jeremy, with eyes that began to shimmer with realization. "Jer…was he telling the truth? Is Bonnie…?"
The boy brows creased with regret and he slowly nodded, unable to provide her with an audible answer. What could he really say?
"You've known all this time?"
Words found him then and he again nodded, "she asked me not to tell you. She's been with me all summer."
"Oh my god," Elena lifted a hand to her head as she closed her eyes and tried to handle the prominent ache that had suddenly started overpowering her chest. It was acute and difficult to bear, her heightened emotions coursing through her veins. She all the sudden knew why her brother had been spared. Bonnie had sacrificed herself for him.
"Hey," Jeremy softly called to her as he placed an arm around her shoulders. "It's okay."
"No, it's not," she shook her head. "Bonnie's…Bonnie's gone." The sobs threatened to rise and she desperately tried to suppress them. Her hand clenched over her chest and she squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm going to find a way to bring her back," the boy assured his sister. "I don't know how but…I am."
Elena's eyes opened and she slowly lifted her head to look up at him before nodding and trying to breathe in. There was great possibility that they wouldn't be able to succeed in that endeavor but his assurance at least offered her a subtle reprieve.
Jeremy offered a small, consoling smile before again sighing and looking out across the field. "It's strange but…for some reason, she disappeared when all this happened and she isn't here now. I don't know what's going on but it isn't normal."
The girl lifted her head off his shoulder and joined him in scrutinizing the strange place. Silas had said something about an experiment. What had he meant? Deciding to try not to dwell on the matter of her best friend passing away, Elena slowly stood and looked in the direction Damon had supposedly gone. Should they try and follow him?
However, after another moment, she narrowed her eyes and caught sight of the Salvatore as he made his way from the outline of trees and towards them, expression cross. What had he found out?
Jeremy rose beside his sister and they both waited for the vampire to reach them before offering him equal gazes of curiosity.
"Find anything out?" the former asked as he stepped forward.
Damon sighed before nodding, "yep."
Elena crossed her arms and continued to observe his expression, "what's wrong?"
"We've got a problem," the man replied morosely. "Apparently Silas has the ability to manipulate time."
"What'd you mean?" she asked, all the more confused. That was impossible.
"We're in the past."
"What?"
"Yeah…" Damon released another sigh as he met her gaze.
A silence followed, in which Elena continued to reject the very idea. However, Jeremy lowered his eyes and took the vampire's word for it. He had no doubt Silas would be able to pull it off.
"So…" he began before looking to the Salvatore. "Where are we?"
"Mystic Falls," the vampire responded with a humorless smirk. "1864."
Elena exhaled sharply before shaking her head, "there's no way, that's just…no."
Damon tilted his head and awarded the girl an indignant look, "really, Elena? You think I'm just making this up?"
"No," Jeremy shook his head in disagreement with his sister. "I think this is definitely possible."
The vampire motioned towards the boy, "you see? Your kid brother believes it."
"Well," her gaze shifted between the two of them before she started to relent. "How do you know?"
"Came across some people on my way to town, compelled them into telling me the year and then made them forget that conversation ever happened. I decided to head back here because," he looked to his clothes and extended his arms, "I didn't wanna risk standing out any more than I already do."
"Are you seriously making a joke right now?" Elena asked with a slight glare.
He rolled his eyes but withheld a reply as he lowered his arms and simply looked out across the field.
"Okay," Jeremy continued, trying to stay on track. "What are we supposed to do about this?"
"Trying to figure that out," Damon responded as he returned his gaze to the siblings. "Ideas and suggestions would be helpful," he sent a pointed glance to Elena.
"Fine," she sighed heavily. "What we really need to do is figure out a way out."
"Not sure how we can manage that."
"We can't stay here," Jeremy stated simply. "Elena's right."
"I know," Damon replied. "All I said was that I don't know how we're gonna do it. We have to take one step at a time."
"What day is it exactly?" Elena asked then.
"September 16th,"he replied. "Which means we don't have much time."
"Time for what?" Jeremy asked, narrowing his gaze in curiosity.
"We'll get to that," Damon only smirked before turning and motioning for them to follow, "but first thing's first. Allow me to introduce our temporary residence."
Elena furrowed her brows before falling in step beside him as her brother trailed behind. She cast a gaze across the passing scenery and wondered where her boyfriend was planning to bring them. They could hardly go to the Salvatore manor as they would inadvertently come across their doubles. It was too risky.
She still hardly believed any of this was actually happening. How was she supposed to wrap her mind around it?
Damon cast the girl beside him a swift, concerned glance before refocusing his attention ahead. He wondered how she was coping with the Bonnie situation though surmised that it would be best to delay that conversation for the time being. They had to figure out how they were going to manage living in the prehistoric era and how they would manage returning to their own time.
He followed the river and led the group only a few miles from where they had woken, stepping through a small, wooded area before halting as he reached a quaint log cabin at the mouth of an intersecting stream.
"What is this place?" Elena asked.
"The unclaimed Salvatore hunting lodge," Damon smirked down at her. "A good five miles or so from the main estate." Upon her look of concern, he merely wrapped an arm around her shoulders and prompted her forward. "Don't worry, no one ever comes down here anymore. Katherine doesn't even know about it."
Jeremy followed the pair as they continued towards the cabin, looking about the area in order to make sure they were safe. He found it strange and almost lonely without Bonnie beside him. She had been his companion for the past couple months and her absence was both notable and undesirable. He missed her.
Damon opened the door and frowned at how musty the house had become, before removing his arm from Elena's shoulders and watching as she walked about the room in silent observation. "I know," he stated. "Not much to the place but," he sighed. "It'll have to do."
Cobwebs adorned every nook and corner upon the walls and the floor was littered with dust. The fireplace sat unused and the windows were covered with grime. Only a small table, cast iron stove, and couch in the corner adorned the main room and, through the open door to her left, Elena noted the adjoining space, where a weapon rack sat beside the bed.
Jeremy exhaled before nodding, "it's not…that bad."
"That's the spirit," Damon cast the boy a smirk. "We can fix it up, add some personal touches. Make it all homey." However, his smirk faded as he observed Elena's distant stare.
Moving towards her as Jeremy took it upon himself to explore the adjoining room, the Salvatore captured the girl's gaze and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Elena nodded. "It's just a lot to take in."
He returned her nod and continued to stare down at her tenderly. Of the three of them, she seemed to be having the most difficulty coping with what had happened. "I promise that we'll make it back, okay? There's gotta be a way."
Elena sighed. It was the second promise she had received in under an hour and both seemed entirely implausible. However, she decided to remain as positive as possible. The least they could do was try and, even if they didn't somehow manage to return to their own time, she had both Damon and Jeremy with her. They were the two people she loved most and she was relieved Silas hadn't taken it upon himself to split them up or anything.
"Okay," she managed a small smile before stepping forward and wrapping her arms about his waist, sighing as she closed her eyes and leaned into him.
Damon secured his hold around her shoulders, embracing her tightly before looking up as Jeremy walked through and his mind returned to their current dilemma. He lingered another moment within Elena's hold before slowly stepping back and looking through the open door, observing that there was only a few more hours of daylight remaining.
Jeremy observed the direction of the vampire's focus before stepping over to the table and taking a seat atop it. "What's the next step?"
"A little road trip," he replied vaguely.
The boy furrowed his brows and Elena looked up to him questioningly.
"What'd you mean?"
"You're staying here," Damon told the girl before continuing as he saw the protest on her face. "I'm not letting you anywhere near Katherine. I'm gonna go with my gut here and say that it won't sit well with her if she discovers her doppelganger."
Elena reluctantly nodded, "fine but…where are you two going?"
"To abduct myself."
"What?" she asked, voice even.
"Four days from now, my double's goin' to defect and head back this way. The confederate camp's about 50 miles north of here. Jer and I can head up there, nab the kid and bring him back here. We can just compel him to go along with it."
"Why do you need to do that?" Elena shook her head.
"'Cause I need to be able to communicate with the townsfolk in order to start figurin' out a way back, which means I need my human self out of the way."
"I don't know," Jeremy appeared skeptical. "What if this like…messes something up? You know, like permanently alters the past?"
"I think we have more important things to worry about," the vampire protested. "We can worry about all that later."
Elena appeared doubtful and shared a look of agreement with her brother before relenting. There was no use in arguing with Damon once he had set his mind to something. He was right, they couldn't simply hide away. Their chances of getting some answers were definitely better within the society of Mystic Falls. They didn't really have a choice.
"When are you wanting to leave?" Jeremy asked.
"Like in the next few minutes," Damon replied. "The sooner the better. We need to grab him, me, whoever, and get back here before I'm scheduled to return home. If everything goes as planned, it'll coincide perfectly."
"And once we're back at the manor? Then what? What's Elena supposed to do?"
"I'm gonna figure all that out as we go," the vampire replied. "But first, go outside and sharpen some sticks. Don't wanna risk being unarmed in case we run into any friends."
"No," Elena shook her head. "You can't kill anyone, Damon. Do whatever else you want but there's no going back from someone dying before their time."
He rolled his eyes, "I'll try my best. Odds are we'll be fine but, if our lives are at risk and I have no choice, I don't give a damn about changin' history."
She exhaled deeply before nodding, "alright, just…be careful."
"I will," he replied before looking to Jeremy and motioning his head towards the door.
The boy sighed before reaching out to hug his sister, "we'll be back soon, okay?"
She smiled up at him and he turned to head outside. After he had gone, she returned her focus to Damon. "Look after him, alright?"
"He's gonna be fine," he assured her. "I'll make sure nothing happens."
Elena nodded.
"Listen," Damon began then, looking to her sincerely. "You need to be careful too. Don't leave this property. No one really owns this house and so the other vamps don't need to be invited in. That means no lighting the fire 'cause you don't wanna risk someone seeing the smoke. Also, when you need to feed, just take the good ole' Stefan route and hunt down a deer or two."
The girl offered him a reassuring smile before lifting both hands to either side of his face, "don't worry, I can take care of myself. Just hurry back to me, okay?"
A soft smirk spread and he nodded before leaning forward to embrace her within a firm kiss. As he pulled away and she lowered her hands, he gazed down at her another moment before reluctantly stepping back and towards the doorway.
Elena walked out onto the porch and watched as he sauntered towards Jeremy, inhaling deeply as she reflected over their situation. How were they going to pull it all off? She had a feeling it was only the beginning. Damon keeping his past self locked away had to have some consequences, of that she was certain. However, it didn't appear as if it could be helped.
Looking back inside, she figured she would spend the next few days tidying the place up. It desperately needed it and the task would serve to distract her from dwelling on everything that was happening.
"Okay, Jer bear, let's go. Gotta go pay Old Jube a vist."
The boy furrowed his brows and looked up as Damon past, only two sticks in hand. "Who's that?"
"Doesn't matter."
The boy glanced back and waved to his sister before falling in step with the vampire. He held up the makeshift stakes, "you think these'll be enough?"
"They'll have to be," Damon responded, attention directed ahead.
Jeremy was silent for several moments before sighing, "Where is this place we're going, exactly?"
"Some clearing outside of Lexington. Confeds're on the move to Shenandoah Valley, where a battle's scheduled to take place at Fisher's Hill. I took it upon myself to leave before then."
"Huh," the boy replied as he thought back to his class with Alaric Saltzman. "That was won by the Union army, right?"
Damon shrugged, "probably."
Jeremy shook his head, marveling at the fact that he knew more about their history than the 100 year old vampire beside him. "You know, this is actually pretty exciting, seeing what the past was like an' all."
"Save the sentimentalism, Gilbert," the man countered. "We just need to focus on getting out of here a.s.a.p."
"Right," he nodded before looking to the road as they veered off course and into the seclusion of the forest. "How long do you think it'll take to get there?"
"If we can keep goin' like this then we should make it right at that three day mark. That'll give us another three days to head back with my double and come up with a plan before havin' to show up at the estate."
"Okay," the boy replied.
"Any more questions?"
He glared, "nah, I think I'm good."
"Good," the Salvatore responded before hastening his steps. "Pick up the pace."
"Dick."
"Nice one, Dumbass."
…
By nightfall, Elena decided to try venturing out and hunting as Damon had suggested. She strode through the forest quietly and kept her eyes peeled for any signs of life. Despite thirsting for her usual diet of blood bags, she disregarded it for caution. It would be best for her to stay away from anyone within town.
Spying a deer grazing several feet ahead then, she adjusted her stance, feeling her muscles tense in response to the impending task. After breathing in slowly, Elena rushed forward and fell upon her prey before the poor animal even had a chance to react. Closing her eyes, the girl tried her best to savor the copper tasting crimson that flowed from the puncture in the neck of her victim. It smoothly glided down her throat and only somewhat satiated her cravings.
Lifting her head, Elena sighed and wiped at her mouth before gazing down at the lifeless corpse of the animal. Her compassionate nature had only intensified as a vampire and it didn't help the hunting process at all. After another moment though, she proceed to do her best at making the attack appear unrelated to her species before rising and swiftly making her way back to the cabin.
Her breaths were released in wisps within the cool air and she shivered before closing the wooden door behind her and looking to the fireplace as it tempted her. However, she ignored the impulse and instead ventured into the bedroom before sitting upon the worn, rickety bed and staring down at the ground.
If only she could wake and find it all a dream.
To be continued…
A/N: Please favorite/review! :D
