Elena blinked up from her kneeling position on the forest floor. She tried to remember what she was doing the second before and came up blank. She rubbed her hands over face and felt something odd. She held her hand out and saw the ring. The sight of it disturbed her because she couldn't figure out where it was from. Frowning, she tried to remember where she had gotten it. It was a diamond. On her left hand. Like an engagement ring. But that was absurd. She was sure she would remember being engaged. She tugged the ring off her finger and slid it into her pocket. She would worry about it later.

She stood and brushed the dirt off her skirts. She looked around and realized she was by the ruins of the old Salvatore mansion. Turning, she picked up her skirts and started hiking toward town.

. . .

Damon paced the floor. She should be back today. If Elijah, Katherine, or his crazy blood-high brother hadn't killed her. He cursed and turned to pour himself another glass of bourbon. Before he had picked up the crystal decanter, he heard the front door open. A second later, he was in the hallway. He froze. As Elena looked at him through the hair that had fallen into her face, dressed in her 1800's garb, he forgot to breathe for a moment. Not that he needed to breathe anyway.

"So, you made it back alive," he said, when what he wanted to do is throw his arms around her and breathe in her scent.

She gave him a curt nod, then looked over his shoulder at Stefan, who was walking up behind his brother. A smile broke across her face and she moved forward just as Stefan brushed by Damon.

Damon turned and walked away as the two embraced. Who needed to see that again?

. . .

Two weeks later, Elijah, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Alaric, and Elena were all gathered in the living room of the boarding house discussing the impending ritual with Klaus the following night. Bonnie was also present, but only through the computer video chat set up on the table. No need to bring her out of hiding and risk Klaus seeing her when you had technology.

"I still don't like this," Damon said.

Elena rolled her eyes, "Of course you don't. You never approve of anything that anyone else does. But you give yourself free reign to do all kinds of reckless things that get all kinds of people killed. Usually by you. But no one's asking your opinion."

The group all stared at Elena, shocked by her outburst.

"What? Did I say something that wasn't true?"

"You're right. I am stupid and reckless and I kill people. While you are stupid and reckless and try to get yourself killed and half the people around you while you're at it. Which is why I am always having to run around cleaning up your messes," Damon replied, anger more than evident in his tone.

"No one asked you to, Damon. In fact, I wish you would just stop. I don't want any of your help. I don't want anything to do with you. If I need any help, I'll ask Stefan. You know, my boyfriend? Not the vampire that has abused or killed almost everyone I care about. You are nothing but trouble."

Damon took a step back and for once, pain was evident on his face for the briefest of moments. Then his face went perfectly blank. "You know, I thought that maybe when you went back things would change. I always figured you would like me if you could have met me as a human. Or are you just reminded now that you are back of how far I have fallen? You know what, I will give you your wish. Once the ritual is over, I'll get out of your way. Assuming you are still alive." He glanced at Stefan. "You can update me later." With that, he turned and strode away. A moment later, they all heard the front door slam behind him.

For a moment, Elena felt a twinge of something. Felt like maybe she should care. Then she shrugged. "Anyway, about tomorrow..."

. . .

For Elena, the next day passed in a blur. Her and Stefan took a hike and talked about all kinds of things, trying to keep their minds off of what was going to happen that night. They both avoided mentioning Damon, though, after the awkward scene the night before.

By the time the sun started to dip to the horizon, Elena had begun swinging between feeling resigned and feeling panicked. If this didn't go well... No. She had to stop thinking that way. Things would be fine.

Stefan and her were standing in the driveway when Klaus arrived. Leaving Stefan standing there was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, second only to burying her parents. But after tonight, Klaus would be dead and they could live happily ever after.

. . .

No one ever lived happily ever after. It was truly impossible. Elena had woken up after being killed to face the fact that her aunt was dead and Klaus was still alive. Things had all gone wrong. As usual. She wandered the house, remembering all the laughter, the good times when her, Jenna, Jeremy, and their parents would spend whole days together. Cooking in the kitchen. Watching movies in the living room. Staying up late talking on the porch. It was all gone.

Elena shook her head and headed up to bed. She doubted she would sleep, even though she was exhausted.

. . .

Elena was standing in her bedroom and Damon was in front of her, holding her necklace. Her hand went to her neck. Why did he have it? she wondered.

"I brought you this," he held the necklace out to her.

"I thought that was gone. Thank you," She knew she was talking, but she didn't seem to have any control over the words.

Damon pulled the necklace back when she reached out to take it. "I just have to say something."

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?"

"Well, because what I am about to say is probably the most selfish thing I have ever said in my life."

"Damon, don't go there." No. Why did she say that? She wanted to know what he was thinking. She never knew what he was thinking.

"I just have to say it once." As he took a step forward, she stepped back. Again, without permission from her mind. What the hell was going on?

Damon continued speaking, "You just need to hear it. I love you, Elena." A giddy feeling washed through her. "And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you. Why you can't know this. I don't deserve you." No. You have no idea what you deserve. You are better than you think. She tried to force the words out of her mouth, but it was like she had no control over her voice. "But my brother does." Elena snorted in her mind. Yeah, right. Maybe the Stefan I thought existed. But he is not the kind of person I want to be with. Wait, what? Where had that thought come from? She was so confused. Damon stepped forward and kissed her forehead. Her body turned warm and she longed to wrap her arms around his neck, stop the pain she could hear in his voice. "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." Oh, hell no. He was not going to erase her memory. "But you do." Son of a bitch. She saw a tear fall and her anger melted away, replaced by sorrow for him.

Suddenly, she was no longer in her bedroom. She was in another bedroom. She recognized it as the bedroom she had slept in when she was in 1864. That was when she realized she must be dreaming. Stefan was sitting next to her on the bed, staring at her. The look in his eyes scared her. They were cold, calculating. He leaned towards her and smiled, a creepy smile that made her feel like he was the snake and her the mouse. "You will go back to the future as planned. When you get there, you will have nothing to do with my brother. Any help you need, you will get from me. You will not remember anything about your time alone with my brother from your time here in 1864. As for right now, I was never here. You woke up and called a maid to help you get dressed."

Elena jolted awake. She looked frantically around her bedroom. She was home, in bed, alone. She thought about the first dream. Damon holding her necklace. Her saying she thought it was gone. The only time she thought she had lost her necklace was the night Damon and Stefan came to rescue her from Elijah. The night that her necklace ended up around her neck without her remembering how it got there. And the second dream. She searched her mind, trying to remember what had happened while she was in the past. Every other time she had tried, there were blanks in her memory. Bonnie had said that maybe it was a side affect of the spell. This time, though, she was assaulted with memories. Of her. And Damon. Together. Memories of naughty activities, sweet moments, and serious conversations paraded through her mind.

She could only think one thing, over and over. Oh. My. God.