Hello everyone! Here it is! Here is the next chapter! I think I explained last chapter about the slow events happening with the last chapter and this chapter but if you don't remember I'll explain it again. Not much happens in this chapter. Not much at all but don't worry because next chapter we're back! Back into the interesting stuff! We're leading up to a major event in the story guys. I'm just warning you now.

Okay, on to an important matter though. That song request that I gave out last chapter. I'm still looking for songs everyone and I still need your help. I just need a few suggestions on songs you guys like and think would make a nice song for Damon and Adele. I have a few in mind but I'd like to know what you guys think.

And here's a nice little bribe for you.

I have the next chapter done.

If you guys can give me a few suggestions on some song ideas, I will be more than happy to upload the next chapter with-in the next week or so but it's all up to you guys. ;)

Shout outs to:

Guest(1), LiL RaBbIt, adela, NicoleR85, SomebodyWhoCares, klandgraf2007, Guest(2) and Guest(3) for your reviews. They mean so much to me. Thank you so much.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC's.

Chapter 17: Break On Through

She stands out on the balcony connected to Stefan's room, Caroline was in the shower and Stefan was down stairs waiting to let her know when it was safe for her to leave without the threat of running into Damon.

"Nate thinks it best if we take him back to Chicago. Bury him next to his sister, with his family. He wants to head out soon." Jasmine is explaining slowly and Adele pushes back the threat of tears as she listens, it's going to do her no good to start crying right now. "Michael wanted me to ask if you wanted to come with us."

"I can't." She whispers, keeping her voice low, undetectable to any kind of hearing besides Jasmine's. "I need to be here for Alaric and I just don't think I could stand to watch someone else I care about be buried."

"We understand, though we need a big favor. One you are not going to like." Jasmine snickers just thinking about what she's about to ask.

"Oh god." Adele almost groans. "What is it?"

"We need to barrow your Mustang." She says much to Adele's utter horror.

"What?" She squeaks. "No. You can't take my baby."

"Adele, please. Nate is a mess. He won't even step foot near Justin's truck and Michael's isn't big enough to hold all of us." Jasmine sighs and Adele can feel her resolve crumbling at the mention of Nate, she knows how much he's hurting, how much the death of his best friend is killing him. She's just grateful he hasn't flipped his switch.

"You can't rent a car?" She whispers, with no real conviction to her question.

"Adele…" Jasmine says and the blonde sighs.

"I want a full tank of gas when you get back." She finally snaps voice hard and Jasmine can't help but laugh.

"Done." She agrees. "We'll bring the truck by in a bit, where do you want us to meet you?"

"The grill will be fine." She mutters. "Caroline and I are stopping by for a bite to eat before I head out to Wickery Bridge Fundraiser. I have to drop off a check; they are finally repairing the bridge."

"Oh god." Jasmine whispers. "Adele, are you sure you want to go alone?"

"I don't really have a choice. I'm just going to drop the check off and leave. Plus I'm sure…" She swallows, grimacing even at the thought of saying his name. "Damon will be there, if I really need someone."

Jasmine hums before sighing. "Alright. We'll meet you at the grill in a bit." They hang up just as Caroline is re-entering the room and Stefan is yelling the all clear from down stairs.

*VD*

Adele tells Caroline to head in without her, that'd she be close behind as Michael and Jasmine pull up to the busy restaurant, parking in one of the only empty spots near the door, next to the mustang and she can't help the frown that pulls at her lips watching Michael exit the driver side of the truck.

"I know." Are his only words when he reaches her, pulling her quickly into his arms and she lets out a shaky breath as she eyes the massive Chevy over his shoulder. When he pulls away, he holds up the key into her line of sight and she has trouble reaching out to take it.

She runs the silver key between her fingers before swallowing and pocketing it while pulling out the key to her mustang. She pulls them back as he makes a grab for them.

"I want it back exactly the way it is." She warns to her ex-boyfriend blue eyes hard and voice low. "Only you will drive it and if you bring it back to me with even a nick, I will hang you by your feet and skin you alive and only when you're begging me will I rip out your heart."

Jasmine's eyes are wide; her lips parted in shock but Michael only grins, black eyes twinkling in excitement. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less." He says and snatches the key from her when she offers it, almost jumping in glee.

"Michael," Jasmine giggles. "You look like a child, contain yourself."

"No, babe, this is a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1." He shakes his head, whipping around to stare at the very car.

"I don't understand what that means." Jasmine says, arms crossed and brows furrowed.

"It's alright." Adele laughs. "A lot of people don't. A 69' Mustang Mach 1 in perfect working condition in and out is worth a good bit of money. It's the only one in town and it was a gift from my father, my dead father. So if you hurt it, I will kill you, slowly and painfully." The last comment is directed at Michael.

"I get it." The blonde male says, moving back over to give her a hug and she returns it before letting go and stepping back onto the side walk, watching the couple get into her most prized possession and she can barely watch as he starts it up and proceeds to pull out, driving away as carefully as he can, most likely for her benefit.

"Is that Michael, driving away in your mustang?" Caroline's frowns as she looks over Adele's pained expression, she came out looking for the blonde wondering what was taking her so long to come in.

"Yes." She crocks out.

"Did you lose a bet?" She asks quickly as Adele turns away from the parking lot to stomp into the restaurant.

"No." She grumbles as they make their way to a table and order there drinks. Caroline waits for the waitress to walk away before turning to her best friend and sighing.

"Okay Adele. That's it. I can't take this anymore. What is going on? I know Damon hurt you but there is something else going on here." Adele stares across at Caroline as she leans forward, concerned blue eyes regarding her slowly. "Does it have anything to do with last night? When you came home covered in blood? Stefan told me about that. He also told me how distraught you seemed."

Adele is silent for a long time as the waitress brings there drinks and takes there food orders before leaving again and Adele finally sighs. "You remember my friend, Justin?"

Caroline rakes her brain, trying to think back. She remembers the name, briefly remembers meeting the guy. "Yeah, he was the one you met in Florida?"

"Yeah, I didn't meet him in Florida that was a lie." She says right away much to Caroline's surprise. "Short story is, when I first met Justin he was working with my enemy, James the leader of an underground vampire hunting cult, they are the ones who killed Tony and everyone over the summer because they wanted me to join them. James knew my dad. I don't know the whole story there but either way, he killed my fiancé, he killed my friends. Broke into our home, killed them all expect for me and Jasmine and set the place on fire." Caroline's lips part in shock as she attempts this to her. "He didn't stop there. He found me, sent spies out to stalk me, took pictures of my family, my friends, threatened everyone I've ever cared about. He kidnapped Michael, injected him with vampire blood and killed him, intending to kill him for good once he was turned but I was able to stop him."

"Adele…" Caroline breathes. "Why didn't you tell anyone? We could've helped you; you didn't have to take that on alone."

"After what he did to Tony, after the threats he put out on you and everyone, Caroline I was scared. I couldn't let what happened to them, what happened to Michael, happen to anyone else and I'm not alone." She pauses to take a deep breath. "Justin was James's nephew. James sent him here to spy on me but I caught him." She smiles at the memory of that day. "He sucked at stalking but I let him and I don't know, somewhere along the way he…saw the error of his ways. He realized his uncle was just a power hunger douche. He betrayed James and told me that he'd work with me, help me stop him, protect me. He'd risk his life for me." She stops as the waitress brings there food, placing the dishes in front of them and disappearing again and when she's gone, Adele brings herself to look Caroline in the eyes. "He died."

"Last night?" Caroline whispers and Adele nods.

"James attacked us. I went to Justin after finding out about Damon, he helped me and when he told me that he was going to check up on a lead back in Chicago and asked me to come with him, I said yes. That's where I was. I turned my phone off, Michael, Jasmine and Nate, Justin's best friend who is also a vampire, decided to tag along and we set off. We stopped at a gas station and I traded places with Jasmine. I rode with Michael on his bike and she took my place in Justin's Chevy." She stops, to take a bite of a fry, to try and compose herself, stop herself from bursting into tears. "James hit us, Michael and I. Ran an SUV into us, totaled Michael's bike, he was killed on impact and I skidded across the pavement before I died which is where a lot of the blood came from. When I woke up, they were dragging me, trying to take me to the SUV but I managed to get away and I was so close. So close to finally ending it, I had him in my grasps." She growls almost slamming her fist on the table.

"James?" Caroline questions.

"Yeah. I was just about to rip his black heart out of his chest when Nate called my name and distracted me. He got away and when I went to see what Nate wanted, I saw him. He was leaning against the wheel of the truck. He got shot. I don't know exactly when but he bled out and we were so busy trying to save ourselves that we couldn't help him." She ducks her head, fighting back her tears as Caroline reaches across the table to grab her shaking fist.

"Adele, I'm so sorry." She whispers, unable to say anything else. She may not have known the guy at all but she could tell that Adele was close to him and that his death hurt. Caroline just couldn't understand why Adele was always losing someone she cared for.

*VD*

After taking Caroline to the hospital so she can grab some blood bags for Abby and Adele could check on Alaric who is in the process of an MRI scan, she drops Caroline off at Bonnie's and goes home to take a quick shower. She could still feel the blood on her skin, though she had been able to wash it all off.

Once she's done, she blow dries her hair and styles it into bouncy blonde curls before getting dressed in a light pink long sleeved shirt, some white jeans, matching pink heels and some gold accessories. She finds it ironic that she'd pick an outfit so light when her mood was everything but.

Once she's done, she grabs the envelope from her desk, the one Jenna had written out when the mention of restoring the bridge came about. The money was to be donated in honor of her parents who died when they had lost control and driven off that very bridge to drown in the river below.

She leaves the house, locking up and moving towards the driveway. She eyes the massive Chevy in place of her Mustang and sighs. Once seated inside, she starts it up listening to it rumble to life before she seats back.

She's come to the conclusion that everything is screwed.

Her life is forever put on hold, she'll never age, she'll never die, her life is screwed. Her family is dying out, her friends aren't much better, her family and her friends are screwed. Her relationship, as imperfect as it had been was amazing but even that is screwed.

How was she supposed to handle this? Where did she go from here? She needed to deal with Justin's death, she knows it'll be hard but she needs to deal with it. She needs to deal with Damon, she knows it'll be hard but she needs to deal with it but how did she even start?

She glances up towards the rearview mirror, to check that it was in the right position when her blue eyes zone in on the chain hanging off of it. It's a thick chain that a heavy medieval style cross dangles from and reaches out a hand to touch it, taking the cross between her fingers.

She stretches her back out before folding her legs up and glancing back over towards Justin, where he stands, picking up his discarded items and she watches him pull his white T-shirt over his solid frame before he takes the chain and runs it between his fingers before putting it over his head.

"What is that?" She question from her spot and he glances back at her, she gestures towards the cross.

"Oh." He mutters and sighs out before looking up at the sky. She told him about her locket, though at the time he asked, she hadn't known where it came from. She'd seen him wearing the thing on multiple occasions and everything before he put it on, he'd run it between his fingers and just look at it. "It's just a necklace. I don't even think it's worth anything but it was my dad's and he used to wear it all the time." He slowly explains before shrugging. "It was the only thing I could keep that belonged to him."

She wasn't sure what would happen to the truck now, she didn't know if Nate wanted to keep it or what but if he decided to get rid of it, she would grab the necklace. It meant a lot to Justin that it stayed safe and she'd keep it for him.

*VD*

Sage was in town and he finds it ironic how he had just been talking about her and now here she was, like she somehow knew. It was nice to see her; she was still as pretty as he remembers but she sure as hell didn't affect him the same say she did back when she showed him the true meaning of being a vampire, back in 1912 when she showed him how to live again. He'd seen her a few other times after that, each time as exciting as the next but he was too distracted, to distressed this time around to actually be excited to see her.

When Rebekah comes around, making some snappy comment at the red head Damon can feel his mood worsen. She was half the reason he was in this mess in the first place. He hasn't seen any sign of Adele, he couldn't get ahold of her yesterday not that he expected her to answer his calls or texts but he couldn't find her either, he didn't see her anywhere around town. It unnerved him. He was so used to seeing her, being with her every day.

And just as the thought of wanting to see her even from a distance crosses his mind, he catches a familiar sight. A black lifted Chevy truck. He knows that truck, it's her friend Justin's truck and he can feel the frown he has.

So that's where she's been? She ran from the boarding house and ended up with some other guy?

He watches the truck pull into a free parking space and when he's expecting to see the both of them pop out, he's surprised when it's only her but he quickly forgets it, all he's focused on now is her. She looks beautiful but that's nothing new and he can feel the guilt swirling.

He watches her walk towards the crowd, her head dipped but when she pick up her head and her eyes catch sight of him, she freezes her blue eyes locking down on him. He wants to do something. Wave, call her over, something normal, something he'd normally do but he knows she won't respond. The best he'll get is an empty stare and her walking away. So he stares and she stares back.

She already looks so tired, so defeated but when she finally tears her eyes away from him and they focus on the construction beyond him, her expression falls even more and he smacks himself for not realizing it sooner.

Her parents died driving off of this bridge and he so wants to go over to her, to take her in his arms but she just takes a deep breath and keeps walking, an envelope in her hands and her eyes set firmly on Carol Lockwood. She ignores his presence, a clear indicator that even if he tried, she wouldn't let him.

*VD*

She hugs Carol one more time, says goodbye to the council members around her and makes her leave as quickly as she can. She's moving back towards the truck, ready to get out of there. It was bringing back to many memories, to many painful nightmares being so close to the place her parents died for so long.

She can't get the image of Damon out of her mind. Him standing there looking every bit like Damon in his leather jacket. She missed him, god did she miss him. The only thing that had kept her from going over to him was the two women he was surrounded by. The home wrecker Rebekah and some red head she didn't know but wasn't at all happy to see, especially not that way she was standing so close. She got great satisfaction in the way he barely paid them any attention as the two bickered, his eyes solely focused on her.

Her cell phone vibrates and she digs it out of her pocket to see who it is before answering. "Hey." She sighs out and she can hear the slight commotion in the background.

"Hey." Michael greets after a moment. "I just wanted to call and see how you were doing; Jasmine mentioned something to me about how you were stopping by the Wickery bridge fundraiser." He explains and she stops walking, moving off to the side and out of people's way.

"Yeah, I needed to drop a check off that Jenna wrote out a while back when the news first started." She tells him.

"Well are you okay? You don't sound too okay."

"I'm not." She attempts. "But I had things I had to do and now that it's all done, I'm going home and I'm going to get in bed and cover up my head and not come out."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Just hang in there Short Stuff, you'll get through this." Her lips curl up slightly at her nickname and she tilts her head to the ground to kick a pile of dirt before sighing.

"What do I do Michael?" She whispers slowly and he's silent for a minute before he answers and she can only guess that he's moved away from Jasmine and Nate to talk to her.

"About what?" And she swallows back a bitter laugh. He knows what she's talking about.

"What do I do about Damon? Help me, because I don't know. I can't…" She breaks off with a frustrated sigh; she can't even find the words she's looking for.

"Adele, that isn't a question I can answer for you." His tone turns teasing and she manages a soft smile. "As far as I know I've never been cheated on, right?"

"Of course." She bites at her bottom lip. "Just try. Humor me."

Once again he's silent and she can just imagine his brows furrowing and his forehead creasing as he thinks of how to do as she request. "Well," He finally starts. "If the person I was with cheated on me, I guess the first thing I'd have to do is figure out whether or not I can still see a future with them, figure out if I could ever move past it, trust them."

"It's hard." She attempts. "I…I saw him here at the fundraiser, today and with everything that happened yesterday and being back at the bridge, I…I wanted to run to him. I wanted him to hug me and tell me everything was okay but then there was that little voice in my head reminding me of what he did but I still almost couldn't stop myself. He's where I want to be but how can I do that when that part of my brain won't let me forget?"

"Once again, I don't have the personal experience to answer that but I will tell you one thing Adele. I don't like Damon and you know that but," And he pushes out a breath of air, like he wishes he didn't have to say what he's about to. "I believe if anyone is going to be able to get past this it's the both of you. I've seen you guys together and you guys are great, perfect even. Damon may be a dick and he may make the biggest mistakes but he does love you and I know you love him, so if you want to try and work it out, go for it. Just make sure he knows, if it happens again, he may be older than me but I will have his head." And she snorts a laugh that he chuckles at.

"Thank you, Mikey." They hang up soon after and she pockets the phone once again as she turns around to make her way towards the truck but she jumps back, stumbling when she almost smacks into his chest.

"Damon…" She breathes blue eyes wide.

"Sorry." He mutters and she steadies herself on the uneven ground quickly. "I just…I wasn't going to come over but I…" He stops himself from apologizing and instead sighs. "I know you want nothing to do with me but I really think we need to talk."

She nods slowly, shuffling her feet a bit as she glances at the ground. "We do." She agrees much to his surprise. "But I can't right now. I need time, I need to think. I haven't had a single second to actually just think about everything."

"Okay." He says. "You can take all the time you need. I'm not going anywhere and I will wait." She pushes a piece of hair behind her ear and swallows.

"Then…I'll talk to you later. I'll come by or I'll call you." He nods watching her step around him and walk off.

*VD*

She tosses the keys to the truck onto her dresser before moving into the bathroom to change into something more comfortable, a pair of sleeping shorts and one of Damon's T-shirts before promptly falling face first into her bed.

She lets out a breath of relief as she's surrounded by warmth and the past couple days' worth of exhaustion quickly catches up with her and she finally slips into that welcomed darkness.

It's early. Almost 6 and she was ready to go dressed in her white dress and heels and ready to get the day over and done with. She had a lot to get done today and she needed to be at the university by at least 7 if she had any hope of getting done on time. Damon was already gone, already on his way up to the office. She had barely even heard him leave.

She checks her phone once again for the time as she's moving down the hallway towards the stairs. Soft footsteps from behind her have her steps slowing. "Mommy." She stops completely at the soft voice and turns quickly. Her daughter stands in the doorway of her bedroom, her pajamas are rumpled, and she has long blonde curls falling from her braid and into her ice blue eyes as she clings to the neck of her favorite stuffed animal.

"Scarlett." Adele whispers softly. "What are you doing up? It's early." Her daughters ice blue eyes, so much like her father's stare her down. When she was born Scarlett Mary Salvatore had been the most beautiful baby she'd ever seen. She had a full head of dark hair and her blue eyes were dark just like her own but as she grew, her hair lightened as did her eyes leaving her hair the same golden blonde as her own and her eyes the same ice blue as her fathers.

"I heard you getting ready for work." She finally answers as she averts her eyes to the wood floors. "I wanted to stop you. I need to ask you a question Mommy."

"It couldn't wait till tonight sweetie? Mommy's in a hurry and you need to get back to bed. You have school in just two hours." Adele tells her but the little girl shakes her head.

"No Mommy. I really need to talk to you. Please." Adele stares down at the 6 year old debating her time crunch before sighing and relenting, she looks so serious.

"Okay." Adele nods, turning around completely and moving quietly into her bedroom. "But first you need to get back into bed. It's cold." After tucking the 6 year old back under the covers she sits herself on the edge of the bed facing her. "Okay, what do you need to ask me sweetie?"

Scarlett hesitates, her eyes dropping down to her hands as she fiddles her fingers. "Don't get mad at me okay?" She lifts her head just enough for Adele to see her eyes, tears pricking in the corners.

"Of course not, Scarlett, what is it? Why are you getting upset?"

"Because, are you and Daddy going to get a d-divorce?" She struggles with pronouncing of the word but Adele can make it out all the same and it catches her off guard completely, like a smack in the face.

"What?" She whispers. "Scar, no." She shakes her head. "Your Daddy and I aren't getting a divorce. Why would you ask that?"

"Just because you guys are always yelling at each other and you're almost never together anymore. Rebekah says that that is what happens right before Mommies and Daddies get divorced. She says that it's only a matter of time." Scarlett explains quickly. "But Mommy you can't get a divorce. You can't do that to us, to me or to baby Isaac."

"Scar calm down sweetie." Adele reaches out a hand to run through the little girl's blonde hair. "It's okay. You don't listen to Rebekah. Your Daddy and I have our issues but we are okay. We'll get through them and we'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

"Do you promise?" She whispers, her bottom lip trembling slightly and Adele smiles softly down at her.

"Come here." She says moving over and Scarlett crawls up into her lap as Adele brushes her hair back. "I promise, okay? Nothing could ever make me divorce your Daddy. I love him; just like I love you and your brother and nothing could ever change that."

"Good." Scarlett says but her voice is still shaky and Adele sighs reaching out for her daughter's pink blanket to cover them up with. She begins to slowly rock and hums out the beginning tone to her daughter's favorite bedtime song. Baby Mine from the Disney movie Dumbo was an old song her mother used to sing to her and her sister and so she sung it to Scarlett as a baby and would still sing it to her when she was upset in times like this. It puts the little girl back to sleep quick enough and once Adele is sure she's not going to wake she shifts her over, back under the covers and lays her head onto her pillow.

She leans against the wall once she's outside the room. She feels ashamed and guilty. She didn't even realize how her and Damon's actions were going to affect Scarlett. Isaac is still only a baby but she can imagine the fighting wasn't easy on him either.

In a split second decision she calls the university and tells them she won't be coming in today and then she calls Damon who answers on the fourth ring.

"Adele, I don't have time for whatever it is. I've got a meeting in 10 minutes." For the first time in a while she realizes that he's stopped calling her Kitten and the realization makes her stomach twist.

"This won't be long." She assures him. "Just…" She stops and sighs. "Can you meet me for lunch?"

"You're joking?" He questions. "You actually have time for lunch?" His tone is bitter and she almost flinches.

"I called in today." She tells him and listens to the other end become very silent, the background sounds dying down.

"Why?" He asks quickly. "Are the kids okay?" His tone becomes concerned if not a bit panicked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, the kids are fine. Scar stopped me on the way out to talk and I just really think we need to talk." She explains. "So can you meet me for lunch or not?"

"Yeah." He says after a minute. "Yeah, I can."

"Okay." She breathes out. "Let's just meet at the bar. I'll pick us up some lunch on the way."

"2?" He asks and she agrees.

"Damon…Just, one more thing." She stops him before he can hang up and he mutters a gruff, 'what?' "I love you."

He's silent for a long minute before she hears him let out a long breath. "I love you too Kitten."

She wakes to her phone vibrating against the pillow beside her and the lingering images of her second dream in two days. Her subconscious seemed to like to throw her these 'This is what your life could've been like if your life was normal dreams' and she starting to envy the life her dream self has more and more these days but this one had been a bit harder to deal with. She could feel the distance of their straining relationship, feel the way it pulled and punched at her dream self. Could see the way it affected her.

It made her want to be with him, which made her realize that her feelings weren't just going to stop. If she broke up with him, the way she's thought about so many times in the past 24 hours, her feelings wouldn't just go away. She'd never be rid of them and no matter how much she tried to move on, he'd still be there lingering in her mind and her heart. As she's realized so many times before Damon was practically her all and how much of a horrible person would she be if she just gave up on them this quickly?

She picks up her phone, ignoring the text from Jasmine and calling that one number she has mesmerized. It rings and rings but eventually hits voicemail and instead of leaving a message or calling again, she gets up slips into a pair of flip flops, grabs the truck keys and heads out. She's going to talk to him one way or another.

When she gets to the house, she lets herself in. She's not going to bother to knock, he's already cheated on her, she's sure whatever she catches him doing can't be worse than that. She hears him in the study as clear as day. "Sage, let's go! We have Original's to kill." There's silence as she's coming up behind him and he whips around with an angry growl of the name Sage, before his expression melts away into surprise.

"No." She says. "It's just me."

"What are you doing here?" He breaths. "I mean not that I'm not happy you're here."

"I just thought you were right. We need to talk." She tells him watching as his face contorts into annoyance but she doesn't think it's directed at her.

"That's great, that's so great. We really do but…this is the worst time." He looks distressed about something and she frowns.

"What's going on?" She questions and he only comes forward, ushering her back towards the front door.

"I'll explain on the way." He tells her.

*VD*

"Wait, so you tricked Rebekah into thinking you actually liked her, then used her vulnerability to have Sage one of your oldest friends get inside her head to find out what she was hiding and that happened to be that there was another white oak tree in Mystic Falls and she knew you might know the location and you did." She recaps everything he's just explained to her.

"Yes." He nods. "The Salvatore's used to sell Lumber, one of our many fortunes. The tree was on our land and milled our yard. The tree was shipped and used to build the old Wickery Bridge."

"So the wood they stripped from underneath that bridge is a weapon we could use against the Originals?" She twist in her seat, to look over at him her eyes are wide in surprise and slight excitement.

"Well yeah, that is if we can get to it in time. Sage completely vanished and I can take a wild guess where she went considering her long lost lover is Finn." He tells her and she sags in the seat.

"Crap." She mutters and they fall silent as he drives until a thought hits her and she turns back. "So if the wood was used to make the bridge, wouldn't the same wood be used to make the sign?"

He's silent for a full minute. "What?" He mutters, turning to glance at her and she shrugs.

"The old Wickery Bridge sign is made of wood so it's only reasonable to assume that the same wood used to make the Wickery Bridge would be used to forage the sign." She explains watching as his eyes widen.

"You're right but I'm sure they are already burning that too." He mutters grip tightening on the wheel.

"It wouldn't even be there." She tells him. "It's a historical sign, more likely than not Carol will have it stored until she can figure out a way to preserve it. It's probably locked away in the Lockwood Manor."

"Adele…" He says slowly and she stares at him before he turns to glance at her. He wants to praise her, tell her he loved her, tell her how smart she was but he couldn't find the words to express his feelings and they didn't exactly have time anyways. "Get on the phone, call her."

"Right." She mutters pulling her phone from the cup holder next to her and dialing Carol Lockwood's number as they come closer and closer towards Wickery Bridge.

*VD*

When they reach the bridge Rebekah is standing in front of a large burning pile of wood as Damon shuts off the car and swings the door open in frustration. She follows him out, her eyes fixed on the burning pile of wood, the fire reaching high into the sky. She moves in closer to Damon almost automatically.

"Your grand plans always seem to get ruined, don't they? Sorry to disappoint you. Again." Rebekah snarls as she glares at the both of them before disappearing into the night and after watching her leave they glance at one another briefly before turning to the woman standing behind them, near the car.

"You set me up." Damon calls out to the pretty red head.

"No." She disagrees. "I'm just looking out for myself." Damon moves towards her, blue eyes full of frustration.

"I told you I'd save your creepy boyfriend." He snaps and Adele watches as Sage's eyes narrow at him.

"And you lied to me, Damon!" She snaps back. "The Originals are linked if one dies they all die. If I can get inside her head, don't you think I'd be able to get inside yours?"

Fed up with the entire situation Damon acts without thinking grabbing the older vampire by the throat and pulling her close. "I should end you." He growls.

"I'm 900 years old Damon. You're not capable of ending me." She snarls, ripping his hand away and moving past him, he spins around watching Sage grab Adele by the throat and rushing them back over to slam her back against the hood of the car, furious eyes trained on Damon as Adele groans fingers moving up to wrap around the older woman's wrist.

"You really think I would risk Finn for one of your petty revenge fantasies?" She questions him, watching his jaw tick and his eyes blaze as he tries to figure a way around this. She's got his little girlfriend and she knows he's helpless as long as she does but she's not expecting the little girl to actually speak up, to seem so unafraid.

"Let me tell you something." She croaks out drawing her attentions to her and she gets her first good look at her up close. She'd only saw her briefly from afar back at the fundraiser. Her blue eyes are striking and her pale complexion is almost perfect and her blonde hair is smooth and silky looking. She's beautiful and she can definitely see what Damon sees in her. "Your long lost love has a suicide wish."

"What?" She growls in her face and Damon seeing her angle quickly jumps in.

"She's right, when mama witch linked them together in a spell he's the one that volunteered to die." He explains and she seems so startled by the news that her grip loosens and Adele is able to break free, rushing back over towards Damon and throwing herself behind him.

"He wouldn't do that." She insists to them but Adele just shakes her head.

"He didn't want to live. Not for you. Not for anyone." Adele says. "He doesn't seem to love you, as much as you think." Damon reaches back, guiding a warm hand to her lower back and moving her towards the car, getting her in before rounding to his side and turning back to look at Sage.

"I was willing to let this go but you made a mistake putting your hands anywhere near Adele so now, when I do find another way to kill those Originals, I'll start with Finn." He growls before getting in the car and starting it, backing away quickly and speeding off.

*VD*

They are almost back to the boarding house when Damon's cell phone rings and he answers it with a gruff 'Hey' and she watches his lips slowly fall into a frown. She sits back, moving her eyes to look out the windshield as she taps into her over sensitive hearing.

He's talking to Elena. "…She's okay now. Turns out it doesn't matter if he's wearing the ring or not but Bonnie is on her way over. She's going to do a spell to try and reverse the effects or at the very least keep…that side of him locked away for good." She explaining and Adele realizes this is probably about Alaric and the fact that his magic ring that brings him back from a supernatural death has messed up his mind and turned him into a serial killer without him actually knowing about it.

"Well then what do you need from me?" Damon questions quickly. He hopes maybe they won't need anything. Adele was willing to talk and that's all he wanted to focus on tonight. He needed to save his relationship.

"I need for you to come by and keep an eye on him. Restrain him up in the bedroom or something. You're the only one I know strong enough to be able to sit with him and keep him in control." She explains causing him to sigh deeply briefly glancing to the side to see Adele shrug at him.

"Alright. I'll be there soon." He tells her after a minute and she tells him to hurry before hanging up. He wants to punch the stirring wheel but instead he takes a deep breath before glancing towards Adele. "Do you want me to take you to get your car?"

"No." She says surprising him. "Just go to the house. We still need to talk." Her words surprise him even more and he can only nod slowly as he makes a U-turn to head towards the Gilbert residence.

Alaric is still out cold when they get there and they waste no time in getting him up into the master bedroom and tied up to the headboard before they move back down into the kitchen to talk to Elena who is sipping on a mug of tea, having just got out of a shower. She's in a pair of sleeping shorts and a t-shirt and she looks exhausted.

"So what happened?" Adele questions softly and Elena takes a deep breath before relaying the story to them. How she spent half the day trying to find a way to help Alaric and the other half of the day with Stefan trying to find Alaric's wedding ring and when they had returned back to the house where Meredith was waiting with him, they found Alaric coming down the stairs and he was acting really weird. Stefan could smell blood and Alaric had blood on him but he said he just cut his hand but Elena saw the knife and then Alaric tried to attack her but Stefan stopped him. Choked him out before he told her to go upstairs with him where they found Meredith bleeding to death in the bathroom. Stefan gave her some blood before he completely vanished and that's when she called Damon.

"I sure hope you guys had a better day." Elena finishes and Damon nods slowly as Adele glances at him, waiting for him to tell her about the old Wickery Bridge sign but he doesn't. He just tells her that nothing she needs to concern herself with happened and she nods. "Well, I need to clean up the bathroom. I couldn't bring myself to do it before. I guess the shower was kind of pointless."

"It's alright. Just go to bed, I'll clean it up and Damon will keep an eye on Alaric and then we'll take him home. You said Bonnie should be by in the morning right?" Elena nods and Adele sighs. "Alright, well then there's nothing we can do now so just go get some sleep." Elena slowly nods, glancing between her sister and Damon before retreating from the kitchen after putting her mug in the sink. They listen until they hear her bedroom door close.

"Do you want something to drink?" Damon questions her and she nods before a thought hits her.

"This is my house shouldn't I be the one offering you a drink?" She questions and he just shrugs a shoulder as he grabs two glasses from the cabinet and then opens the cabinet above the stove.

"Might be your house but I know where Alaric keeps his stash." Adele watches him pull out a bottle of bourbon with her eyebrows raised and her arms crossed. How did she not know that was there? Oh yeah, because before all this stuff went down with Damon Klaus and Rebekah, she was never actually at home.

He pours them both a drink before replacing the bottle to its hiding place and then handing her one of the glasses. She takes a long sip from it before taking a deep breath.

"So is this it?" Damon finally speaks up leaning back against the counter and looking up from his glass to stare across the island at her watching her stare into her own glass. "Is this the part where you leave me?"

She doesn't say anything at first, trying to file through her thoughts and get together what she wanted to say. "This is the part…" She finally begins and he braces himself. "Where yeah I'm supposed to leave you." She swallows as his gut twist painfully.

"Adele…" He mutters grip tightening on his glass.

"Shut up." She snaps harsher then she intended but her emotions were starting to run haywire on her. "Let me finish." He closes his mouth, pressing his lips tight. "I said supposed to. That's what everyone expects me to do, what everyone wants me to do."

"Believe me, I know." He mutters taking a long sip from his drink before his ice blue eyes focus solely on her and she can feel the heat of them from where she stands across the island from him. "But I don't care what everyone else wants. I care what you want. I want you happy and I know I screwed up so if you don't want to be with me anymore I will…"

"I do." She cuts him off causing an abrupt end to his rantings. "I do want to be with you but you…" She swallows, even saying the words tears away at her. "You cheated on me. You got mad and you cheated on me." Her voice cracks around the words but she composes herself quickly. "It will take time for me to forgive you, to trust you but I won't be able to forgive myself if I don't at least try. I love you despite everything you've done, too much to not try." She tells him and she can practically feel his relief from where she stands. "But it will be hard and right now I can barely look at you." She practically spits out as he flinches. "And despite my feelings and the very obvious problem we have, we've still got 99 other problems. I will try to look past this and forgive you. I'll try."

And that's all she can possible promise him at that very moment but he'll take it, he'll take any option that gives him even the slightest chance to make this right.

That's it. The end of the boring chapters. Hopefully. Remember to leave a review, let me know what you think and give me your song ideas and I'll make sure to get that next chapter up for you guys.

Next time on Lose Myself:

The gang makes a game plan to kill the Originals.

Rebekah wants revenge on Damon for using her.

And

Nothing goes the way it's planned. Ever.