Gravity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from The Vampire Diaries.

I know what you're thinking, 3 chapters in 3 days?!

I was looking forward to getting this chapter out...here comes the time jump...it's a big one!

March 3rd 2017

Friday 4.30pm

Whitmore College

"Okay everyone, times up! Put your pens down and close your papers. Please no talking."

I place my pen down and let out a sigh of relief. My last exam of the week is finally over. I glance over at Bonnie who wiggles her eyebrows at me playfully and I grin widely.

Classes are over for two weeks. Now it's time to relax.

We walk out of the exam hall where Caroline is stood waiting for us, her sunglasses covering her eyes. "Spring break baby!" she squeals as she skips towards us and pulls us both in a hug.

"Whoa, easy there Care." I giggle as I pull back and take in her appearance. "Have you been drinking?"

She shrugs casually with a smile. "Unlike you two, my last exam before we break up was yesterday so sorry that I wanted to start spring break early!"

"I can't believe you started without us." Bonnie teases as we all link arms, I nudge Caroline's hip with my own.

"I guess that means you won't be taking your shift on driving then!" I scold her playfully.

Caroline pouts. "Oh please, have you seen this manicure?" she holds out her spare hand. "These hands are not for long distance driving." I laugh and roll my eyes. Mystic Falls is barely two hours away, it's hardly long distance. Oh Caroline, please don't ever change. "Besides, I figured we should hold-fire on our road trip home. I was talking to Jesse earlier and he told me about this party tonight, apparently everyone will be there. We would be crazy to miss it to go back to boring old Mystic Falls!"

"I don't know Care…I told my parents I would be back tonight."

"So call them and tell them there has been a change of plan! Come on, Elena! We must be the only juniors in this whole college who is going back to their boring home town for spring break." She's right.

"You only want to go because Jesse told you about it." Bonnie teases playfully.

Caroline rolls her eyes. "Jesse is a friend."

"Right…just like Klaus Mikaelson was your friend when I walked in on the two of you making out in our dorm room freshman year, right?" I smirk happily. Wow, that was a shocker if I ever saw one. Talk about an awkward situation.

"Ew gross. Do not remind me of that mistake." Caroline grimaces and I smile.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad. You wouldn't have dated him for an entire year if you really thought so."

"I was young and naïve." Caroline sighs wistfully. "I am so much older and wiser now. Bad boys equal bad decisions."

"Damn right." Bonnie agrees.

I keep my smile glued to my face, ignoring the slight glitch that hit my heart. It doesn't last long and quickly fades away.

"Besides, I am enjoying the single life. I don't need a man to define me."

"Ahuh," I smirk.

"Shut up!" she elbows me and I laugh loudly. "Come on you two, call your parents! We have a party to get too!"

"Okay…so we have the fact that Zach and Connor owed Vaughn money. We have evidence that Zach and Connor were meeting up on a regular basis and sharing regular phone calls. Surely it hasn't taken you nearly four fucking years just to get that?" I bark at Grayson furiously.

He sighs loudly. "Your uncle has a lot of connections that make investigating him difficult. The case on your brother has been closed; this isn't exactly an easy run. All of that plus other big cases that I have been working on through the years, yes, that's almost all I have." He seems frustrated and I hope he is.

I'm sure it won't even be close to how I'm feeling.

It's been years, but this has been niggling away at me in the back of my mind ever since Damon got sent down. I can't look at Zach the same way anymore. I know he was involved, I know it.

"But…I've got something else."

I frown as he pulls out a large envelope. "I shouldn't be showing you this; I haven't even taken this to the sheriff yet. I just need you to confirm his identity for me."

"Okay…" I trail off as he opens the envelope and slides a large A3 photograph across the table to me. My eyes widen.

"This photo was taken one week before the night Vaughn was murdered." he states while looking at me curiously. "Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah…yeah I know him." I blink shocked. "His name is Will, he used to work for Zach but I haven't seen or heard from him in years." I frown. "He used to be friends with Damon." I look up at Grayson a little stunned. "Do you think he was involved?"

"It's a strong possibility."

I look back at the photo of Will and Zach, Zach looks pissed. He looks like he is threatening him. I know Will, or at least I used to, he was a cool guy. His only fault was that he was an idiot who didn't know how to stop partying.

He made bad decisions, decisions which often got him into a lot of trouble.

I never really thought much about what happened to him. He was one of those guys that just sort of slid off the radar.

"I know someone who might know something about Will." I speak quietly.

"Who?"

"Klaus Mikaelson."

I climb out of my car and see Klaus's legs sticking out from underneath a car at the auto repair shop he works in. I slam my car door shut loudly to get his attention. He rolls out, his hands and face covered in grease and for a moment he looks surprised to see me.

"Little Salvatore," he wipes his hand on a dirty cloth, strolling towards me with a smirk on his face. "Long time no see. Shouldn't you be away at college with all of the other preppy kids?"

I roll my eyes immediately at his attitude. We used to get along, we were friends even, but ever since Damon's sentencing we have barely seen each other and when we have it has always been somewhat awkward.

"It's spring break."

"Ah, spring break!" he grins. "Is there a reason you're back here in this glorious town and not partying it up in Mexico or Florida right now?"

"No reason in particular, money is a little tight these days. I did the whole Mexico thing for the last two years...I wanted a change." It's also not a secret that my Dad lost a lot of investors in the last few years. The aftermath of his fraud charges were bad enough but adding a convicted murderer son was practically financial suicide. All of that plus attorney charges and court fees, we've lost a lot of money and unfortunately don't get to live even close to how comfortably we used to. It's been a rough few years in more ways than one.

Klaus nods slowly as he eyes me up. "So...anything I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to know if you had a contact number for Will."

"Will?" he questions surprised. "Why on earth would you want to get in contact with him for?"

"Some guys at college need hooking up. I know Will always used to come up with the goods." The lie falls easily from my lips. "But I haven't spoken to him in years, I've had a new phone since then so don't have his number anymore."

"Will has been off the radar for a long time." Klaus frowns. "I haven't seen him in years myself."

"All I need is a number, I can do the rest."

He looks at me suspiciously. "I hope you're not getting yourself involved in anything dodgy, Stefan. One Salvatore in prison is enough, don't you think?"

"No," I look at him like he's crazy. "Just want a little pot for some friends, that's all."

He nods slowly. "Okay. Hold on while I go get my phone, I have an old number you could try but who's to say he hasn't changed it since then."

"That's fine." I'll take what I can get. "It's worth a shot, right?"

"Right." he eyes me for another long moment and I can tell he is unsure whether or not to buy my story. However he seems to give in because he turns around and heads back inside to fetch his cell. I let out a sigh of relief, sending a quick text off to Gilbert to let him know.

"Here you go," Klaus holds out a ripped piece of paper with a number scribbled on. "Try that one."

"Thanks," I pocket the note and turn to leave but he calls me back. I turn back around and look at him expectantly.

"You heard from your brother recently?" he asks somewhat awkwardly.

"I called him last week, but I haven't been to see him since Christmas." I sigh. "He won't accept any of my visitation requests. The only time I get to see him is when he sends me one himself and that's rare at the best of times."

"Good to know it's not just me he's been avoiding all these years." he shuffles his feet awkwardly on the path. "I can count on one hand how many times he's let me come visit him in the last three and a half years."

"He hasn't let my Dad go see him since his first six months there, or anyone else for that matter. Count yourself lucky you've been at all, I suppose." I frown. I know why he probably won't let Zach visit, but not my Dad. I shake my head and take a step back. "I should go."

He nods as I walk back towards my car. "Don't be a stranger, little Salvatore!" he calls after me.

"Didn't I tell you this party would be fun?!" Caroline grins happily as she wraps her arms around me from behind, one of her hand clutching a plastic cup full of booze which nearly spills all over me.

"Yes, I suppose you were right." I giggle as she squeezes me tightly. I take a sip from my drink and turn around to face her. "Much better than a movie night at home with my parents, I've got at admit."

"See!" she looks happy, happier than I have seen her in a long time and I'm curious to know if a certain one of her hot male 'friends' has anything to do with it. "Have you seen Bonnie?"

"Not for a little while." I reply, not thinking too much of it. She's probably off with some friends, or a boy, oh I hope it's a boy!

I watch as Caroline's eyes light up as she looks over my shoulder. "Here comes loverboy!" she slips away quickly before I can say anything else and I turn around just as a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist.

"Hello beautiful, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

I roll my eyes but a smile falls to my lips. My arms fall around his neck as he greets me with a kiss. "Liam, what are you doing here? I thought you were planning on locking yourself in your room all week to study?" I raise my eyebrow curiously.

"You not happy to see me?" he questions with a smile and I roll my eyes again and press a quick kiss to his lips. "A little birdy told me you were extending your stay for one more night, so I figured I could delay my plans for 24 hours. Speaking of plans, why didn't you tell me you weren't going back home tonight anymore?"

"Well I didn't want to interrupt your study time. You have some important exams coming up." I place my hands on his shoulders.

"Nothing is more important than you." he tells me pointedly and I smile, my stomach fluttering with butterflies.

"You sure know how to charm a lady."

"Every word I speak to you is true," he tells me seriously, his hand brushing my hair away from my eyes. "I'm going to miss you these next two weeks."

"I'll miss you too." I smile.

"You know, this will be the longest time we've spent apart since we started dating." he frowns. "I'm not sure I like it."

"You'll be so engrossed in books and journals that you'll barely notice me gone." I tease. "I've seen you study, you're hardcore, Mr Pre-Med."

"Is that your polite way of calling me a nerd?" he smirks.

I laugh and nod my head. "Yup!"

"You're not funny." he tugs on my hands, walking backwards and pulling me along with him. "Come on, come dance with me!"

Driving back to Mystic Falls with a hangover is not fun. Caroline is sprawled across the back seat, only lifting her head to vomit into a paper bag. I grimace as she gags behind me, keeping my eyes glued to the road ahead and breathing out of my nose so try and avoid the smell.

"Gross," Bonnie mutters beside me as she practically sticks her head out of the window.

"I don't feel so good." Caroline whines in the back.

"You know what didn't feel so good?" Bonnie glances back at her. "Me having to pretty much carry your drunk ass home alone last night." she turns to face me. "Thank you again for ditching me with her, by the way!"

I grin. "Sorry."

"Don't blame, Elena, it's not her fault she had a better offer from her lover-boy." I see Caroline attempt a smirk through the mirror but she immediately grimaces and gags again, her head going back into her paper bag.

"I suppose Dr Pre-Med was a good enough reason," Bonnie grins at me and I roll my eyes with a laugh. "You two seem to be getting pretty serious, how long has it been now?"

"Seven months." I nod, my eyes still glued to the road ahead of me.

"Ah so you've passed the six month mark," she smiles teasingly. "Really must be getting serious."

"We're just taking each day as it comes." I reply pointedly, not wanting the two of them to get carried away.

"He's already met the parents!" Caroline pipes up again from the back seat. "That's major serious, if you ask me."

"He came to surprise me over the Christmas holidays, so unless I kept him hidden away in a motel room alone, of course he would have met my parents." I roll my eyes, not a fan of boy talk when it's directed on me.

"Have you said the L word yet?" Bonnie asks excitedly. "I've seen the way he looks at you, he is completely smitten."

I groan loudly. "Guys come on, enough about my love life!"

"Oh you have!" Caroline gasps from the back seat. "I can tell by your face!"

"I'm sitting with my back to you, how could you possibly tell by my face?!"

"You smile every time you talk about him. You love him!" she argues happily.

"Fine," I give in exasperated. "We may have exchanged the L word a few weeks back."

"Yay!" Caroline squeals happily. "Who said it first?" she asks excitedly.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!"

"Fine, Liam said it first."

"And how did you feel?" Bonnie asks curiously.

"Honestly? I freaked the hell out." I admit, feeling slightly guilty about what happened. Liam had went all out, he hired out a restaurant just for the two of us, it was all very fancy. He put a lot of effort into the night and at the end of it, he told me he had never felt this way about anyone before and that he was falling in love with me, hard. I panicked, stuttered out an excuse about how I wasn't feeling too great and completely scarpered.

I hid in my room for two days, thankful that Caroline was away visiting her Dad and Bonnie was on a study weekend with some of her classmates. Liam came by, a bunch of flowers in his hands with an apology for being too full on.

I felt guilty immediately - it's not his fault I was so damaged. I let him in and we talked all night, I told him everything about Damon and he sat and listened without a word. He was shocked about my past but he understood my fears and my feelings and told me there was no rush. I he told me if I needed space, he would give me space, if I wanted to pretend like nothing happened, we could go on like nothing happened. He didn't judge me once; he didn't freak out or doubt me. I realized then what a great guy he was, I realized then that maybe I did love him.

So I told him so.

"Why did you freakout?" Caroline asks confused. "He's perfect for you!"

"Was it because of Damon?" Bonnie asks bluntly.

"Bonnie!" Caroline gasps from behind.

"What?" she asks defensively. "Are we not allowed to say his name now?"

Caroline huffs loudly and sends her a pointed look, not so discreetly motioning to me with her eyes.

I sigh loudly. "You're allowed to say his name." I glance back at Caroline. "I've moved on, I moved on a long time ago. Saying his name isn't going to make me breakdown."

Caroline shrugs innocently. "I just know you don't like to talk about it." She's right I suppose, even a year ago just the mere mention of his name used to hit me hard in the chest. Things are different now though, easier, it's okay.

I'm okay.

"Damon may have been a factor, but I quickly realized that what I have with Liam is completely different. They are two separate people, the complete opposites even. Damon's gone, Liam is here. Damon is the past...Liam..." I trail off and sigh, knowing that this will most likely freak Caroline out. "Liam is possibly my future."

"Ah!" Caroline squeals excitedly and I groan loudly. "I knew it! I knew you really liked him!"

I roll my eyes, "Enough about me. How did things go with Jesse last night?"

Caroline groans loudly and sinks back onto the back seat. "How many times do I have to tell you, Elena?! We are JUST friends!" she whines before her eyes widen and she reaches for her sick bag again.

I laugh loudly, Bonnie giggling beside me. I let out a content sigh. I feel happy.

"Do I really need to wear a wire?" I ask skeptically. I'm sitting in Detective Gilbert's unmarked car down the street from Will's house in South Hill. I tried Will's number, and although it was still connected, I couldn't get an answer. So I left a voicemail, letting him know that I was going to casually drop by today to buy some of his finest pot.

"It's just a precaution." Gilbert tells me as he connects his laptop. "He might not even be home. I'm still waiting to hear back from my buddy in IT for a trace on his phone."

"What exactly am I supposed to say? I doubt Will knows much about what happened to Vaughn."

"Just ask him about Zach; it also wouldn't hurt if you bring up your brother. Try and gauge a reaction." he explains and I sigh. It's been nearly four years but I still cannot believe I'm actually helping a cop, never mind a Gilbert. I keep reminding myself that it's all for a good cause. "You may think Will is a nobody who knows nothing but there has to be a reason why Zach would meet up with him so close to the time Vaughn was murdered. There has to be a connection."

"I don't know." I say warily. "Will and Zach were involved in a lot of things together back in the day but it was all kids' stuff compared to this." I tell him honestly. "Will's a cool guy, pretty harmless really, I feel bad for sneakily recording him like this. What if he drops himself in something that has absolutely nothing to do with anything but because I've got it taped you have something to arrest him for?"

"What if I promise you that anything that Will says which has no connection to what I'm looking for will be completely discarded and destroyed?" he sounds annoyed but I grin happily.

"Then I'll do it."

He rolls his eyes and waves me out of the car. "Go on then, I haven't got all day."

I glare at his attitude before getting out of the car. I tug on my t-shirt, feeling a little paranoid as I walk along the street. I round the corner to Will's house and cringe. The place looks abandoned, more so than usual. I remember though that this is Will, he never was bothered about the state of his house.

I approach the doorway and ring the doorbell. When I don't get an answer I slam my fist onto the door loudly. "Will!" I call through the letterbox. "It's Stefan, you home, buddy?"

Nothing.

I walk a few steps back and look up at the top windows but there's no movement. I sigh loudly; it's looking more and more likely that Will is long gone. That would explain his 'being off the radar' status lately. I edge around into the backyard but there's nothing. I peek through the kitchen window, it looks dirty inside. Like nobody has been living there for months.

"He's not here." I grunt in annoyance, knowing that Grayson can hear every word I say. "I don't think he's been here for a while."

I slam my fist against the back door in frustration.

Another dead end.

"So, how are things going with you and Mr Saltzman?" I tease Jenna playfully as we sit opposite one another in a booth at The Grill.

"He's not your teacher anymore, Elena, you can stop calling him Mr Saltzman." she playfully glares at me and I laugh. "But to answer your question, things are going great. Don't get me wrong, I found it tough when we first moved in together, he's not exactly known for his tidiness and personal hygiene but we soon cleared that issue up." she smirks and I let out another laugh.

"Oh I bet he loved you for that!"

She grins. "He's too scared to even place a cup of coffee down on the table without a coaster now, I've trained him well." we both giggle. "Anyway, enough about me? How are things with Liam?"

"Good." I reply honestly with a smile, unlike with the girls, Jenna's questions about my love life don't feel like an interrogation. "Things are going really well between us, I really like him."

"I can tell. He's a great guy," she gushes. "He's smart, funny, confident - he's going places. It doesn't hurt that he's also very easy on the eye." she wiggles her eyebrows teasingly. "He's like your very own Dr McDreamy."

"Ha Ha." I roll my eyes with a smile. "And he's not a doctor yet."

"Yet." she tells me pointedly. "You need to hold on to this one." she says. "Besides, I don't think your mother would let you break up with him even if you wanted too." she jokes.

"Oh tell me about it," I groan. "I think she secretly wants to date him herself. Every time she calls me it's all 'how's Liam?', 'where's Liam?', 'what's Liam up too?'." I shake my head but I can't help but smile. "Liam this, Liam that - she's obsessed." I laugh.

"She's just happy you're happy. We all are." she smile softly at me and I sigh.

"It took a while." I admit regretfully.

I wasn't exactly an easy person to be around for a good two years before I eventually snapped out of the phunk I was stuck in. I look back on my attitude during my senior year of High School and I wonder how I still came out with any friends at the end of it. My freshman year was a lot less angry but much more depressing, and I pretty much became a social recluse. It was during that summer between freshmen year and sophomore year of college where Bonnie and Caroline, with the help of Jenna, pretty much gave me an intervention to make me snap out of it and finally move on with my life.

"But you got there in the end." she reaches across and takes my hand. "I'm so proud of you. You've overcome so much in your short life, you're strong, Elena. So strong."

I smile sadly, glancing briefly up at her for a moment before I start to fiddle with my napkin. "Has uh...has Ric been to see him lately?" the question falls from my lips before I could stop myself.

I found out two years ago that Ric had been going to visit Damon regularly in prison. I was furious that Jenna didn't tell me, I was even more furious that Damon was accepting other visitors when he wouldn't even let me go and see him even once. However just like with everything else, time heals all wounds and I soon got over it. I actually kind of liked the fact that Damon had someone he was able to talk too.

"No." Jenna answers cautiously. "I don't think he's been in months."

I frown, trying to fight away the concern creeping into me. Damon is not my problem anymore; he made sure of that himself. "Why not?" I ask quietly, my eyes glued to the napkin in my hands.

"I don't know, Elena." Jenna sighs loudly and I can see her sympathetic smile from the corner of my eye as I continue to fiddle around with my napkin. "I don't even think Ric knows."

I nod slowly, dropping the napkin back onto the table and looking up at her with a smile. "Anyway...when am I going to be hearing wedding bells?" I question her teasingly. "That's usually the next step after moving in together, right?"

She groans loudly and throws her straw off me as I giggle while hiding behind my drink. I've missed this. I've missed her.

It's been a long day.

After hitting a dead end with Will, Detective Gilbert grumbled something about him being our last shot so I better get my act together and find him. I immediately took offence, accusing him of giving up on Damon. He argued that he'd spend the past three and a half years trying to prove his innocence, he could have just left the case closed after Damon's sentencing like he wanted too but instead he kept investigating using his own time and resources.

I said he obviously wasn't a good enough detective because we were barely any further forward than we were three years ago.

He then kicked me out of the car stranded in the middle of South Hill with no car or money for transport.

So I've had to walk all the way home, and to make matters worse it started raining and I didn't have a coat. I officially look as beaten and defeated as I feel. I don't understand why this is so hard, there has to be something out of there which will prove Damon's innocence. There has to be someone else out there who really knows what happened that night.

Vaughn's real killer is on the loose while my brother pays for his crime. I'm not going to stop until I fix it. It's the least I owe Damon.

I walk up the driveway tiredly but stop surprised when I see a head of blonde hair sitting on my porch steps. Thankfully the rain has stopped but I still feel like a I've just stepped out of a shower with my clothes on.

"Caroline."

She looks up, a smile widening on her face. "Hey," she pulls herself up to her feet. "What have you been doing?" she takes in my drowned rat appearance and looks at me bemused.

I smile. "You don't want to know." I wave her off as I walk up the steps to greet her. "Hi," I smile, my arms wrapping around her waist as I pull her against me and kiss her softly on the lips. "I missed you."

"I missed you too." she smiles back and my heart flutters. "Are you sure your parents aren't home?"

I shake my head. "My Dad is on a business trip in New York and my Mom has gone with him to go shopping. They won't be back until Monday."

"Good." she grins happily. "I've told my Mom I'm spending the weekend with my Dad in Charlottesville."

"What about your friends?"

"If you saw how hungover I was this morning, you would believe that I'm spending the whole weekend in bed with Netflix too." she smirks and I laugh loudly.

"Good party?"

"It was great." she nods happily, "but I really paid for it this morning."

"I bet," I grin and unlock my front door. "Come on, why don't we go spend the weekend in my bed instead?" I wink at her teasingly. She laughs loudly and follows me inside.

I look around my bedroom which has been left exactly the same way it was in high school. I look at my blank mirror, rolling my eyes with a smile when I think back to a night in my senior year in high school when I ripped all my photographs off angrily.

I decide to put those back.

Luckily, despite my rage at the time, I didn't destroy the photos. I stick them all back up in place, every single last one. I smile as I finish putting the last one up, a one taken of me, Bonnie and Caroline on our very first day of high school.

We look so young.

We were so excited to finally be high schoolers, Caroline especially was buzzing with the fact that she could finally join the cheer-leading squad. Bonnie and I just went along with it to make her happy but I suppose we enjoyed it at the time.

I sigh loudly and take a step back.

So much has changed since then and yet, so much has gone back to exact same way it has always been.

I frown slightly, a shudder running up my spine and I feel drawn to move to the broken floorboard underneath I bed. I reach under it, bringing out a box which I haven't looked at in a long time.

I open it up with shaky hands, using the key I keep hidden tapped underneath my bed. My hands are shaking as I pull out a photo of me and Damon together.

We look so happy. It was before everything happened with Vaughn, we were still in Mystic Falls and nobody even knew about us back then. He is smiling, looking happier than I think I have ever seen him, one of my hands is cupping his jaw as I kiss his cheek. It was New Years Eve and I remember the night so clearly.

It was amazing.

I feel a tear escape from my eye despite myself as I glance down into the box and see the necklace I kept hidden there. It's been there since I graduated High School. It took me almost an entire year before I could take it off.

My little secret.

With shaking hands, I lift up the necklace and I slip it over my head, letting the ring attached fall across my chest. I climb into bed and close my eyes for a long moment as I think about the past.

I think about those blue eyes. That devils smirk.

I just think about him.

I open my eyes and unfold the letter. My hands are still shaking as my eyes fill with tears as I read the one and only letter Damon Salvatore has ever sent to me.

I keep reading it over and over again until I fall asleep.

So…please don't hate me for giving Elena a boyfriend! It may have only been 24 hours for you guys but it's been nearly 4 years for her!

I spent a lot of time debating whether or not to have it be Liam or Aaron! I went with Liam, may as well keep it similar to the show haha!

I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review and let me know your thoughts! I am looking forward to reading what you all have to say!

Thanks again for reading! Until next time!