Set after 3x15

The day was drawing to a close, Elena had found herself back in her childhood home after another day of suffering; she had been held prisoner within the caves beneath Mystic Falls whilst Esther had attempted to kill all her children, turning the whole town and the supernatural entities within it upside down, practically fearful.

She thought back to the morning, when she had visited the Salvatore boarding house and how she stumbled into Rebekah and Damon, an act he had likely pursued in attempt to get back at her for hurting him, when Elijah had took her prisoner with The Original sister and how she had lied to Elijah's face regarding his mothers ultimate plan, but the worst of her pain?

Hearing Damon had turned Abby, Bonnie's mum, into a vampire in order to sever Esther's connection to her power.

Elena's heart had broke when Rebekah uttered the words with such pleasure that she had to race to Bonnie's house and be there for her, for her best friend in her time of need but she was unable, she needed space, the look in Caroline's eyes when she had to turn her away would stay with her forever, whether she chose it or not.

As she climbed the stairs slowly and with a lack of energy, she stepped into her bedroom and switched her light on; something on her bed instantly caught her attention and she approached it nervously, her eyes flickering to the corners of her room in attempt to see if she was truly alone.

What she didn't know, that this mere letter, a flimsy piece of paper, would be the start of the end for all that she knew, the life she had grew accustom to, the friends and family she had come to know and love with every fibre of her being, taken away from her. And she was clueless.

She picked up the letter, unfolded it as she walked towards the window; her eyebrows had raised as she seen the name signed at the bottom;

Elena,

Today I did things I abhor to protect the one thing I value most: my family,

If anyone can understand that, it's you,

Your compassion is a gift, Elena, carry it with you, as I will carry my regret,

Always and forever,

-Elijah.

Her mind wandered, raced and went blank almost simultaneously, she didn't know how to feel about the words he had wrote to her, she had felt guilty over lying to him, detested him for how he had behaved that day, related to him as an older sibling and protector of those they held dear to each other but most of all, she couldn't feel anything towards him or his family, if she had not lied in the first place, if she had instantly went to him after her meeting with Esther, then maybe things would have been different, just maybe they could have concocted a different plan, one were those nearest to her wouldn't be hurting.

It was easy to ponder the 'What ifs' but the one that would haunt her the most:

What if she had instantly told Elijah about the spell, if she had ran from Esther's room after their meeting and knocked the champagne glass straight out of his hand before any of the siblings had a chance for the linking potion to pass their lips.

What if...

One could ponder the different decisions that should have been until their hearts couldn't take it anymore, until the guilt would eat one up to the point of no return.

She stood still, her eyes peering out of her bedroom window; noticing the shine of the almost full moon, the sway of the trees and the glimmer of hope in each twinkling star above her, praying to any higher entity that would listen, that she would make it through this, her friends intact and her life to feel normal again.

But even Elena knew, that would never happen.

She shook the desperate thoughts from her head before approaching her almost too-welcoming bed; she had just grasped at the soft blanket that lay spread across it in order to move it aside, ready for her tormented slumber when she heard an abrupt...

Knock, Knock, Knock..

The lines on her forehead crumpled ever so slightly at the confusion, at the late hour someone would be knocking; surely she knew better than to answer that, logically she knew everyone would be with Bonnie, consoling her in her time of heart break.

But she had a lingering thought at the back of her mind, what if someone needed her, what if it was important, what if it had been Bonnie or Jeremy, what if she had decided to ignore it and just climb into bed, choosing to deal with it tomorrow.

Oh, those what ifs.

They lead her out of her bedroom, across the hall, down the stairs and she found herself perched by her front door; her hand grasping at the latch and sliding the bolt across, she turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

There was nothing but darkness and the shine of the street lamp on the across the road, highlighting the empty area around her; in utter confusion, she called out, her heart racing, "Hello?"

Nothing, not even a murmur.

"Is there anybody out there?" She called out again, pursing her lips together as she shrugged it off.

Her better instincts were telling her to go back inside, slam the door shut and retire to bed for the night. But she saw guilt ridden and heartbroken, anxious in her steps and overthinking every little thing she did; instead, she stepped out, peering her head around both edges of her house, scanning the area, looking as deep into the darkness as her eyes allowed her too.

When she saw nothing before her, she cocked an eyebrow, a wave of fear washed over her entire body as she was just about to take that one step over the threshold, back into the safety of her home.

But just as quick, she realised the air was tight around her, unable to take a breath, she knew she was in the arms of a vampire, one who had claimed her so fast, that she barely even had a moment to process. A vampire that she couldn't see, one that was so fast, everything surrounding her was a blur and she slowly started to faint the faster he went.

And that one small step, the one she would never be able to take again, the one that would save her, was gone.

Elena was gone.