Author's note: And here we are! Finally, at the tomb-opening chapter!


Mid-October 2009

The day had finally come. They were going to open the tomb and release the vampires, free from the torment of over a century of confinement and desiccation at last.

The deal was that Anna would see to Pearl's care and recovery, while the rest would leave with Aurelia, still in desiccated form, to be revived upon arrival to the Center of Serendipity, Aurelia's wellness center cloaked deep in the Himalayan mountains, minus Katherine Pierce.

Damon Salvatore was the first to arrive a bit earlier in the evening, having been unable to quell the scorching anxiety building within him. He should be happy – ecstatic, even. This was the moment for which he'd waited for nearly a century and a half. Not knowing what to do with himself until the rest of the party was due to arrive, he came to the agreed upon place shortly before nightfall. He was tempted to visit Elena, to say goodbye in private – despite not-yet having gotten an invitation to her house, their prank war never quite concluded, but seemingly on a mutually agreed upon pause.

An indefinite one, apparently.

Because he was leaving tonight. With Katherine in tow. Who cared if he'd never see her human lookalike again, right? So why did everything suddenly hurt at the mere thought?

He was probably just nervous. Katherine had been desiccating for over a century, and the idea of being reunited with her was most likely not registering properly. That's why he couldn't summon the appropriate excitement, he reasoned with himself. That was why all he felt was a quiet dread – an almost profound sense of loss.

Maybe he just got reattached to his hometown again? Nah, that wasn't right, either. He still hated his hometown, and everyone in it.

Except that wasn't true either. He didn't hate everyone. Not even a little. Not at all.

And so, he sat in the clearing, while he waited for the others, trying to will himself to imagine all that awaited him once he was reunited with his lost love. They would travel the world, sampling all its delights. They would hunt and feed and revel in all the joy life had to offer. Suddenly, he could see mirth and laughter in her expressive dark eyes, shining with kindness, and empathy, and love for him, and he was instinctively filled with a blazing warmth, only to have his brain catch up with his runaway fantasy and – at the realization that it wasn't Katherine's eyes or smile or laughter that his addled brain imagined –he suddenly felt his veins turn to ice.

Anna arrived soon after, evidently just as filled with nervous energy as Damon. She was surprisingly alone, alternating between checking her phone, looking around, and pacing back and forth.

"Where's the second part of the Great Little Miss Miss Mystic Falls Judgment Spectacular?" Damon snarked, finally making himself known after a near quarter hour of silence passed between them.

Anna noted the vague trace of disappointment in his voice. He counted on being able to say goodbye to Elena, apparently. Little did he know, she internally trailed off. Although, after what he would discover tonight, she wasn't sure how pleasant he would be, so hiding Elena away in the safety of her home was a wise idea, Anna thought, congratulating herself for her own forward thinking. "It's not safe for her to be around so many starving vampires," Anna replied distractedly.

"I thought they were being taken away in desiccated form?" Damon asked with a quirked eyebrow. "And I'd protect her from – " he began, only to cut himself off when his expression darkened upon realizing what Anna was likely implying, but he quickly covered it with amusement. "What, you think I'd let Katherine eat her?"

She scrutinized him for a moment and was surprised to find that she believed that no – no, he wouldn't. But that didn't mean he wouldn't take his rage out on her, either, when he learned of Katherine's betrayal and Anna's lie of omission. Though that didn't feel quite right anymore, either. Anna mentally admonished herself, realizing that there are more important matters to consider than a murder-happy game of what-if, especially if Elena was safely ensconced away. "Anything could go wrong. They might get their hands on the blood bags, and we'd have a bloodbath on our hands. I don't want her in the middle of that."

The rest of the squad began filtering in shortly after that. Bonnie and her grandmother, Sheila, came – with expressions on opposite sides of the happiness spectrum. Bonnie looked overjoyed to apparently be meeting an ancient vampiric ancestor – being able to cast such an advanced spell – knowing she would be partially responsible for reuniting Anna with her mom.

Sheila looked worried – mostly alternating between glaring at Damon and Anna and threatening them with aneurisms should Bonnie befall any harm from either of them.

Finally, the remainder of the requisite ensemble came. Aurelia Bennett was the image of grace and regality as she practically floated onto the meadow. There was an unusual aura about her – powerful and ancient. As a vampire, she was disconnected from Nature, and yet – like with all witches – it floated all about her. Flanking her on either side were four witches who followed her from the Center of Serendipity to assist with the seal opening and subsequent moving of the desiccated bodies. They didn't speak much, though both Anna and Damon noticed that they didn't have the usual apprehension and disdain with which witches typically viewed vampires – and both independently surmised that their experiences with the undead must have been a lot more pleasant than most.

Night had settled over the woods surrounding Mystic Falls as the peculiar group gathered around the tomb connected to Fell's Church. Halloween was due to arrive in a little over a week, so perhaps an innocent spectator could have assumed that the curious lot was simply in the midst of planning some shenanigans to unleash on the unsuspecting town as part of a prank. They'd admittedly gotten quite tame in years of late.

Strangely, unleashing mischief and mayhem was precisely what they were trying to avoid. Instead, they aimed to redirect it. Most of the vampires released from the tomb would be leaving Mystic Falls that very night.

"All right, people, let's get this over with," Sheila said, putting the necklace clasping Emily's crystal around her neck. Immediately, it glowed with power.

"Not yet," smiled one of the witches standing next to Aurelia – an elegant man wearing a curious array of banded bracelets. They wove patterns around his arms like golden snakes, only to glow as his companions began to chant.

Suddenly, a stirring in the clearing, and another figure stepped into the light created by their bonfire.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Anna growled, glaring at Elena. "I thought we both agreed that you'd stay home tonight, where it's safe?" she stressed, her subconscious forcing her to occasionally glance at Damon.

"No, you agreed with yourself and didn't let me get a word in edgewise," Elena shot back, then followed Anna's gaze to Damon, furrowing her own brows in confusion at her friend's paranoia about him resurfacing. Distantly, she recalled that Anna mentioned a secret she was keeping once and begged her to trust her. Could it have something to do with this night? Why was she being so weird? "I wanted to say goodbye," Elena urged with quiet determination. "In case I don't get another chance," she said, her soft gaze landing on Damon, whose expression was unreadable.

"Then say it, and go home," Anna ground out tersely.

"Why?" Elena cried, throwing her arms up in exasperation.

"She'll be fine," Aurelia said calmly. "There are enough of us here to protect her in case anything goes awry." Nevertheless, the vampire seemed to be unable to take her eyes off the doppelgänger, almost in curiosity, wonder. Sheila raised an inquisitive eyebrow at this. Aurelia didn't seem to be looking at Elena, but almost through her - seeing someone else.

"But –" Anna cried, her eyes darting to Damon, who only raised his own eyebrow in curious scrutiny, now positive that she was hiding something.

"No harm will come to the doppelgänger on this night," soothed a witch directly to Aurelia's right as dancing flames continued to surround her, her red hair aglow against their warming light. "I've seen it in scrying fires. On the contrary," she continued with a mysterious smile, now glancing at Damon, as well. "Her presence will be most welcome."

The vampire only studied her with a raised eyebrow before Elena approached him, suddenly shy – all her earlier bluster swallowed by the importance of the moment.

"I see your shallow dress code is back," she sassed. "Still trying out for that GQ sample sale commercial?"

"GQ sample sale? That's a magazine, Elena. Do I have to teach you everything?" he queried with a teasing smirk, his tone at once sprinkled with honey and spice. "And there are easier ways to get me to take my shirt off. No need for all that scheming," he intoned charmingly, wiggling his eyebrows in that way of his and falling right back into their pattern, as though he didn't plan to rescue Katherine in mere minutes.

She laughed, then quickly sobered what she remembered what the night meant. "I just – I wanted to thank you. For taking care of me at the Boarding House that night."

"You're welcome," he told her seriously, swallowing a think lump in his throat. There was so much more he wanted to say. He reached out to take her hand, about to tell her that he meant everything – that he hoped he got through to her – then quickly dropped it when he realized what he was doing, letting his hands hang at his sides.

"I –" she began to say, then forced herself to stop. I'll miss you. "I hope you find your happiness, Damon. Good luck," she forced out, the words tumbling forth at near imperceptible speed, before she followed suit and rushed away to Anna's side, unable to stay in his presence any longer, knowing what the night meant.

Damon just looked at her and nodded, mouthing 'you, too,' with a tight smile, despite being fully aware that the words hadn't even scratched the surface of everything that was on his mind. Coward.

"One more," another witch by Aurelia's side sang, as her vampiric interlocutor stifled a laugh in amusement.

"Looks like we're the 'It' event of the night, Cora," Aurelia mocked with a conspiratorial wink as Stefan Salvatore burst onto the scene breathlessly.

"What's going on here!? Damon, let them –" he began disapprovingly, only to become slack jawed upon seeing Sheila Bennett eyeing him haughtily.

"Just how many vampires are going to show up here tonight?" Sheila demanded. "Did someone send out a mass party invite on Vampire Twitter?" she sassed, then rolled her eyes at the surprised looks. "I know what that is! I'm not that old."

"We're ready, 'Rel," the witch previously addressed as 'Cora' said to Aurelia, who nodded in return, just as the rest of the visitors joined the chant and the flames in the bonfire began to rise.

Sheila and Bonnie joined them. The crystal around Sheila's neck began to glow, vibrating vigorously, but the witch merely took it into the palm of her hand, and just as suddenly, the vibrations soothed into a rhythmic humming. A great rumbling was momentarily heard within the tomb, when suddenly the stone covering the opening moved to the side.

A flash of light, a band snapping, and a lingering twinkling in the air.

It was done.

The seal was broken.

"Anna, you go get your mom first, and we'll follow behind to grab everyone else," Aurelia commanded as the exhausted witches dug into their supply bags for some restorative water and snacks. This spell was certainly not for the faint of heart.

"Well, that's my cue," Damon jabbed, annoyed at being overlooked, and blurred into the tomb.

Anna pursed her lips, leveling a gaze at Aurelia and the witches who accompanied her. "You said she'd be fine, so protect her," she said flatly, before vampire-speeding into the tomb.

"Does someone want to tell me what's going on here?" Stefan asked, exasperated, after Damon and Anna disappeared from sight.

"We opened Emily's seal to release the vampires," Sheila said calmly, interrupting Stefan, who had made several attempts to speak through his shock, only to open and close his mouth several times. "They'll be leaving with this lot tonight," she said, gesturing to Aurelia and her guests.

"How do you know they'll keep their word?" Stefan demanded.

"Are you seriously questioning my judgment and ability to keep my own town safe, vampire?" Sheila sassed back, crossing her arms over her chest in challenge to an immediately shrinking back Stefan who just shook his head. Bonnie just smirked from behind her, seeing all kinds of fascinating new sides to her grandmother that evening.

Anna sped through the tomb, her breath catching in her throat when her eyes fell on the familiar form. Still, covered in dust – Anna's heart broke at the agony her other must have suffered all these decades. She approached her cautiously, gently lifting her emaciated face, cradling it in her hands.

"Mama?" she choked, the sounds a muffled sob, before she remembered herself.

She instantly withdrew the blood bag from her backpack, feeding it to her desiccated mother, who almost choked on the life-giving elixir, muscles at first disobedient from disuse – but once she was through with half the bag, Anna was relieved to see Pearl's strength returning. Steadily, she finished it, and Anna helped her to her feet, walking her slowly toward the exit and freedom.

Damon ran through the tomb, desperation seizing him completely. Where was she? He must have circled the entire tomb three times, five, ten.

Eventually, he saw the visiting witches and that mysterious vampire enter, too.

Despair increasingly filled him, as he watched the desiccated bodies – all of whom were decidedly not Katherine – levitated out of the tomb, one by one.

How could she not be here? She was supposed to be here. He prepared for this for 145 years – at times, it was all that kept him alive – the thought that he would be the one to rescue her, that he…

Quickly, he blurred toward Anna and Pearl, blocking their exit.

"Where is she?" he growled at Anna, his vampiric features coming forth.

"I'm sorry, Damon," Anna said contritely – genuinely meaning it. "But I needed to rescue my mother, and you wouldn't have helped me otherwise."

He roared, making a dive for Pearl, grabbing her by the throat, only to be knocked off her by Anna. "Damon, please! You would have done the same if you were in my shoes – you know you would have. The lengths we go to save the people we love," she pleaded.

"Why should you get a happy ending?" he spat, the anguish bleeding through his very soul.

"She saw you," Anna said quietly, standing protectively in front of her mother. "Chicago, in nineteen eighty-three. She saw you, but she didn't care. I'm sorry, Damon."

He looked on at her numbly, forcing himself to ask to next question as he braced himself. He couldn't take any more betrayal, any more pain. Quietly, almost imperceptibly, "did Elena know?"

"No," Anna said. "I told her I was keeping a secret from her, but I didn't tell her what it was. Wouldn't put her in a compromising position," she explained.

Damon nodded, feeling a tiny sliver of relief.

"We'll help you find her," Anna said gently. "Now that I rescued my mother, she can tell us where to find Katherine. You know they were best friends. And this way, you and –"

"Why the hell would I want to find her?" Damon raged. "She clearly wants nothing to do with me, so why the fuck would I want to fucking find her, Anna?"

He was almost incandescent in his anger for a few seconds, before he deflated, coming still and stepping aside to let them out. As Anna and Pearl exited the tomb, he just stood there, unsure of what to do next. Everything crashed around him all at once.

He was so distraught that he didn't notice the sharp and disapproving glance Elena leveled at Anna as she approached the entrance, overhearing their conversation.

Nearly a century and a half – he planned to rescue her for 145 years, and all this time, she was free.

She never loved him. No one had ever loved him. No one would ever love him.

He was unlovable.

She didn't even see fit to let him stop his search, his attempt to rescue her. That's how little he mattered.

Worthless. Worthless. Worthless.

"All you'll ever be is a disappointment."

"I'm not trying to ruin your dumb, new life."

"You don't have to try, Damon. All you have to do is exist."

The words swirled around him, engulfing him whole. Suddenly, he didn't see much of a reason to leave the tomb anymore. What reason did he have? Who could ever want him?

He was spiraling, adrift. The world around him spun about, and everything within him lost all footing – when suddenly, he felt soft arms wrap firmly around his middle – a tether drawing him back from the abyss.

"Damon," a voice breathed, so softly, gently – it sounded like Katherine's voice, but she'd never use that tone with him. No, it wasn't Katherine's voice at all. It was one that filled him with warmth originating in his very soul, and shone a light so bright and powerful through his darkest crevices that no part of him could hide from her - he was consumed by it.

And just like that, the world came back into focus, and he lowered his gaze to meet hers.

Taking in the utterly broken look on Damon's face, Elena felt hot tears flood her own eyes, and squeezed him to her. "You deserve so much better this, Damon - better than her," she murmured in his ear.

He let himself be held, drawing comfort from the warmth of her presence, the guiding light, even if his own arms were too numb to reciprocate.

Slowly, he felt the world around him start to reform, the threads weaving together, enchanted by the arms that held him he mattered – mattered so much – like he was loved; by the thrum of the heart that he felt wildly beating against his chest; by the tears soaking his shoulder from the girl who showed him time and time again how much she cared.

He could never stand her sadness, even if it was for him. "This shirt's dry-clean only," he rasped when he finally found his voice. "I'm sending you the bill. It's soaked with so much sadness now, you could practically add it back to the Donovan pile."

"Shut up Damon!" she choked a laugh and smacked him across the chest lightly, almost exaggerated in its unexpectedness in the melancholy moment.

He almost smiled briefly – his lips twitching for a fraction of a second – before the haunted look returned.

Inside, however, there was a whirlwind of emotion. The juxtaposition of the awful discovery he'd made, betrayal he didn't deserve; followed immediately by such loving comfort, such softness from her, someone so - someone whose love and affection he undoubtedly didn't deserve. What tiny, tenuous defense he had against his humanity finally ripped apart by the gentle strokes of Elena's hands on Damon's back. The soothing tone, no doubt whispering words of affirmation, affection, which he barely caught, so wrapped in the throes of his agonizing discovery of Katherine's betrayal, his cautious elation at Elena's presence, her empathy. Her ability to see him.

Her ability to love.

"You hide behind your wit and your charm, like everything's a joke to you. But I think whatever's inside that you're keeping locked away is even more special, Damon."

"Why don't you let people see the good in you? Why do you pretend to be scarier than you are?"

"So you do care! I knew you were hiding a heart in there somewhere."

Elena was always stronger than his switch. It never had a chance.

It was only a matter of time until it all came rushing back.

"I'll take him home, Elena," Stefan said, who entered the tomb without either of them noticing, so wrapped up in each other in this poignant moment. "I'll make sure he's okay."

"I –" Elena began, planning to argue, before she saw a slight nod from Damon. She stepped back then, watching his brother guide him away. She studied them curiously. This is the first time she'd ever seen them get along. The few moments she shared in their presence simultaneously had all been filled with tension, if not outright malice.

But now, she could see something else – something that was hidden before – a certain quality that simmered beneath the surface of their resentment and rivalry. Love. Despite it all, it suddenly became quite clear to her that the Salvatore brothers truly did love each other. So, she stepped back, and let Stefan take Damon home, vowing to herself that she'd stop by to check in on him the following day.

By the time Elena left the tomb, Anna was long gone, as were Aurelia and her witch posse. Instead, Bonnie and Sheila awaited her with reassuring smiles, ready to take her home.

Fighting her own incoming exhaustion, she allowed them to, reflecting on one of the most baffling events she'd ever experienced in her life.


Anna had finally settled her mother to bed, after feeding her several more blood bags. She took her to the house she shared with Noah, who awaited the return of Pearl with undisguised eagerness – one step closer to reuniting with his dream-and-nightmare-in-one, Katherine.

It look nearly all her patience to get him to finally back the fuck off, explaining that Pearl might need at least a day to recover from a fucking century and a half of desiccation before she'd be ready to discuss the bitch who betrayed her and left her to rot.

A creak of an old stair, and suddenly, Anna shot up, the adrenaline accumulated during the day kicking all her senses into awakening. The spike immediately receded in abject relief when she saw Aurelia slowly saunter into the room.

"I just wanted to let you know that we're leaving, but you and your mother are more than welcome to join us," the Bennett vampire said.

"You know I can't," Anna winced. "I can't leave until I'm at least sure that Noah's out of town, chasing down Katherine. If I'm not around –"

"Yes, you fear that he may hurt your doppelganger friend," Aurelia surmised. "You'd be wise to lure him away."

"Damon and Stefan, too," Anna muttered.

"She has nothing to fear from them," Aurelia provided.

"You knew Katherine wasn't in the tomb," Anna deduced. "It was obvious from the way you spoke. How?"

"Our Center's located on a magical hotspot. In another Universe, it serves as one of several gateways to temporal magic, and thus allows us to peer into different worlds. It's how we are able to learn so many possibilities, determining a likely outcome."

"So, why didn't – ?" Anna began accusingly.

"The drawback is that we may seldom interfere, lest we lose the connection to the magic. Its purpose is not to make us omnipotent," Aurelia interrupted.

"So then what is the point of being able to see all that?"

"I'm honestly not sure – not yet," Aurelia replied. "But that's not the only reason I'm here. Call me when Katherine Pierce arrives. You'll need my help."

"Why would she come back here?" Anna scoffed.

"The Center's witches have seen it in the scrying fires. Her lie has been exposed. She'll have to take desperate, but measured steps to ensure her continued survival, and the key to that lies in this very town - and in your doppelgänger friend."

"Please vague that up for me, Aurelia," Anna snarked, having had just about enough of witches and their mysterious riddles.

"I'm afraid I can't say more at this time – not yet," Aurelia replied, making way to leave.

"Thank you – for your help," Anna called, running out of the room to catch her, only then realizing that in the stress of the day's events and the tumult of emotion that followed, she hadn't expressed her gratitude.

"It's my pleasure, Anna. Pearl and I were – close," she admitted, before turning back. "I will keep the fires of communication open for one week. That's how much time you have to decide to join us to help Pearl acclimate to life and the changing times in a peaceful environment. I suggest you take it."

In the next instant, Aurelia Bennett was gone, leaving only a small trinket behind as evidence of her erstwhile presence at all.

It was a box, containing a candle, incense, and a crystal – and what Anna had come to learn was not a phone number at all, but magical coordinates for meeting on the Astral Plane.


Well, there you have it! Finally, the tomb is open. :D YAY! With the tomb vamps gone, things will be different. :)

Wishing everyone good health, abundant joy, and happiest love.