We Always Survive ♥ (A Damon and Elena Fanfic)

Chapter 9 - Redemption

Elena POV 2/7 5:30pm-9:30am

“God! I hate not knowing what’s going on!” I exclaim as I throw open the door and wander around, trying to find where Bonnie has gone. I stop in my tracks and focus on my hearing, listening to my surroundings. I hear Klaus yelling faintly and rush toward the sound, it doesn’t sound too good. Shooting behind a tree, I lean over and see Bonnie and Stefan lying in a pool of blood by a cavern. Tears stream down Caroline’s face as she yells for Klaus to stop. He hovers over Bonnie and Stefan and I know they’re in trouble. Klaus is stronger than me by thousands of years, but he doesn’t know I’m here so I have the element of surprise to my advantage. I race over to Klaus and snap his neck from behind. Bonnie and Stefan look at me in astonishment as I stand over the original’s limp body. “I got tired of the car, Bonnie.” I finally speak up and help the two up off the ground. Stefan grovels at Bonnie’s feet for vamping out when her head was bleeding as she constantly reassures him. I walk over to Bonnie and force her to take some of my blood – I can’t have her dying on me now.

      “Okay, I’ll meet you in the car. I have to trap him here.” Bonnie shoos us away as she prepares to seal Klaus in the cavern for a bit. I roll my eyes and return to the car next to Caroline.

      “Thanks Elena. I knew you’re humanity wasn’t completely gone.” She gives me a weak smile and skips over to her car. This damn humanity keeps coming back. Katherine was right, no matter how much you push it away, it continues to fight its way back. I jump into the car and wait for Bonnie to come back.

       “I bought us a couple of days. 3 or 4 max.”  Bonnie smiles and pulls away, continuing on to the lakehouse along with Caroline and Stefan.

We finally reach the lakehouse and pull up the driveway, parking in the gravel by the side. Jeremy slowly comes into view and hangs out the doorway as I walk around the front of Bonnie’s Prius. This might finally be over and then we can go home. I’m tired of everyone treating me like I’m broken and need to be fixed, maybe I’m perfectly happy not feeling anything. Everything is easier this way.

      “Elena? What are you doing?” All the rest get out of their cars as well and Jeremy looks completely at a loss, “Caroline? Stefan? Bonnie? What is going on here?!” I walk up and put my hands on his shoulders.

      “Jer, where is Damon’s body? Bonnie needs it.” Jeremy looks around and stutters, obviously taken by surprise by our surprise visit.

      “Um, it’s uh- where Stefan left him.” He stutters and nods at Stefan. Jeremy has been up here with Matt since Damon was helping him complete the mark, I would think he would’ve moved the body. Apparently Jeremy knows what I’m thinking and so he continues on in a softer tone, “We didn’t want to see his body again.” Jeremy seemed to have bonded with Damon since Alaric died. They were both really close to him, and after he died, they kind of turned to each other. Jeremy could see Ric occasionally as a ghost but Damon didn’t have that luxury and I think Jer kind of felt bad for him because of that. Ric was Damon’s best friend, one of the few friends Damon had, and I think he lost part of himself when he lost him.

I pat my little brother on the head and walk past him into the house, waving Stefan, Caroline, and Bonnie forward as well. Since I wasn’t the one who took Damon’s body inside, considering I had been injected with vervain, I had no idea where to go.

      “Stefan? Where is it?” I turn on my heel and face the rest of them, waiting for Stefan to go first. He nods and goes around me, but his face flaunts the pallor of a ghost, reminding me where I am. I feel somewhat guilty for being so insensitive, but quickly push the feeling deep inside where it can’t show and I quickly fall in place behind him. He waits for Jer to invite him and Caroline in and we head down the hallway to the room that I guess Damon had stayed in while he was training Jeremy. As we round the hallway though, I notice the door we stand in front of - my old room. Stefan freezes, his eyes boring into the wood. Silence and apprehension floats in the air as we wait for Stefan to move forward. When he doesn’t move, however, Caroline walks around him and pushes the door open, revealing Damon’s body lying in the bed. I walk over with caution and kneel on the bed beside him, taking in the image. His eyes are shut, concealing the cerulean pools beneath his lids.  His once ivory skin is now grey and cold as stone, not bearing the comforting warmth it once used to. As I look over his still body, Bonnie comes over to the other side with the Hunter’s sword and Stefan begins to pick him up. My eyes wander, following Stefan as he holds Damon in his arms and walks out. Damon has always been strong and has never showed any weakness or dependence on anyone because of his immense pride, but now as he lies in Stefan’s arms, he is like a child once again. He seems so innocent.

The backyard is where we choose to perform the spell and so Stefan sets Damon down in front of the large oak tree, wiping the hair out of his face. Bonnie sets the sword lengthwise on his torso and kneels beside him, chanting unintelligible words above his body as Stefan, Caroline and I stand a few feet away. Jeremy silently slips out of the house and puts a hand on my shoulder as if to comfort the sadness that is buried beneath. I look to him and roll my eyes, smirking, when a large burst takes me by surprise. Bonnie jumps back towards us and we all back away at least 10 feet as Damon’s body becomes engulfed in flames. Seeing the burning flames, tension fills the atmosphere as nervous eyes frantically dart back and forth. Bonnie looks taken aback at first, but quickly resumes her chanting as the sword explodes into sparks and Damon’s body and lifted off the ground, planting him in a standing position. The winds gust and flames continue to smolder, but his body does not burn - rather his skin glows brighter. Bonnie’s chanting has increased its decibels to nearly shouting until the flames burn out and the winds cease. We all stand in silence and awe as Damon’s body remains upright yet motionless. Our eyes stare in hope. Hope that it worked. Hope that he has returned. Hope that this has not all been for nothing, and then it happens. Every emotion comes rushing to the surface, all the grief and sadness along with the love and excitement as his eyes open and the vibrant blue portals to his soul are revealed.