The Other Side

An Echo

The three of us look at the two of them who are clueless. They look at each other and I put my hands together. "What are you two willing to do to get Evie and Ricky back?"

"Anything," Jade answers.

"We need you two to get 50 people each."

"For what?"

"100 lives are needed to bring them back. You two happen to want to get them back, so we need your help."

"So we basically have to seduce people then you'll kill them."

"Yes."

"Fine." Jade goes upstairs and Christian walks up to me. "What about them? Evie's going to be pissed and I don't want her to leave me." I put a hand on his shoulder. "What she doesn't know won't kill her, okay?" He nods then grabs his jacket and puts it over his white t-shirt. Ariana, Bonnie, and I get into my Camaro and follow them to the Grill.

"Okay. We have to be careful because if Klaus is here, he'll know we're up to something." Christian and Jade both nod. I call Jeremy.

"Damon? What made you call me finally?"

"I need you to let me in from the back."

"Okay." I drive around and he lets us in. I look at him for a moment, then I have to take my eyes away. He looks too much like Elena.

"What's going on?"

"We're starting the ritual." He raises an eyebrow.

"100 people. You're going to kill 100 people inside of Mystic Falls."

"Yes. Your point being?"

"My point is that I love my sister. And nothing would kill her more than you being dead. Sheriff Forbes will kill you if she found out that you were planning on killing 100 people."

"Damn it. I didn't think about that... 25 people here, then we'll jump to New York or something." I call Christian and I add Jade to the call. "You two need to be careful. Only 25 people between the both of you here in Mystic Falls."

"Got it," Jade says. Christian agrees. I watch through the window as Christian flirts with a woman and Jade flirts with a man. Soon both of them are led outside, and when we get around the man and woman are knocked out.

"Where should we take them?" Ariana asks.

"I think I know a place." Bonnie replies. They load them into my trunk and I look across the street. Under a streetlight stands Elena. She's smiling at me, and not the bitchy smile that Tatia does, but the true smile that makes me feel everything. I run toward her but when I'm almost hit by a car I get distracted and when I look up, she's gone. I walk back to the others. I gulp then we drive to the old witch house. We head inside and I stand alone in the room where Elena came back from the dead.

"A lot of memories, aren't there?" I flip around and there she stands. "Elena?"

"Hi you." She walks over to me. I inhale shakily as she touches my cheek.

"This isn't real." I whisper. "That's not a very important detail."

"It means you can't stay." She looks down at the floor. "No. I can't." She smiles at me. "That doesn't mean it can't last for a little while longer."

"Damon." I turn around and Jeremy stands there. "Who are you talking to?" I look behind me and she's gone. "Nobody," I whisper. "Absolutely nobody." I walk past him down the stairs. Bonnie and Ari sit down there, and I watch as Bonnie cuts the throat of the man and Ariana cuts the throat of the woman. They let it drip into two stone bowls as they chant.

"What are they doing?" I ask Christian. "Blessing the blood, I think. Something that has to be done before the ritual." I nod then I take a deep breath.

"I'm gonna go get some fresh air." He nods and I walk upstairs and outside. I sit down on the balcony and I stare up at the stars, making me remember something long forgotten, from before everything got so screwed up- before Klaus came back into our lives.

~Mystic Falls~

I kiss her shoulder gently. "They're so beautiful, aren't they? The stars." I look at her. "I don't know, Elena. I think I'm looking at something more beautiful right now." She looks at me. "You're so cheesy." I laugh and soon she does too. "But seriously. I never take time to look at them anymore." I look at them with her.

"So we decided to come up here to escape everything, yet here we are, staring at the stars although we are one pair of lovers that are crossed in them." She looks at me. "Did you just call us star-cross lovers?"

"I did indeed, Miss Gilbert."

"You do know what that means, right?"

"Not entirely, no."

"It's a phrase from Romeo and Juliet. It's a pair of lovers whose relationship is often thwarted by outside forces. Such pairings as these are said to be doomed from the start."

"Hm. Quote something from Romeo and Juliet."

"Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay out scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star crossed lovers take their life."

"I meant something romantic." She thinks for a moment. "When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars. And he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun." I scoot closer to her.

"Would you like to know my favorite?" I whisper in her ear. "What's that?" She asks. "Did my heart love until now? Forswear it sight!" I roll on my stomach and I stare down at her. "For I never saw true beauty until this night." She smiles and kisses me. "I love you so much, Damon."

"I love you too, Elena. So, so much."

~End of Flashback~

I can't live without her anymore; not without feeling like death is breathing down my neck every second of every day.