The Vampire Diaries: Blood and Fire

13. Sparks of Humanity

Elena was gazing out the window of the passenger seat as trees flashed by her in a countless stream. Beside her, Stefan drove, clinging onto the steering wheel with sweaty hands.

They had just received a desperate call from Damon, admitting his fears that Lillian would come after Elena for ignoring her warning, and the two were on their way to the Gilberts' house, where Lillian wouldn't be able to get in.

"Do you think she'll really come?" Elena asked, her voice tinged with fear.

Stefan glanced at her for a moment, wearing his own worried expression. His lips were pursed in a fine line, his forest green eyes narrowed in a frown. With her newfound preternatural senses, Elena could smell the apprehension flowing off of him. "I don't know," he replied. "But..." he trailed off.

Elena looked at him, urging him to continue. "What?"

"You didn't see the look Lillian had in her eyes when Katherine mentioned the name 'Sammy'. It was as if she had just watched someone she loved die all over again." When Elena didn't say anything, he continued. "It was as if there was still a spark of humanity left inside her."

Elena took in a breath, exhaling slowly. "You think she can still be saved," she realized.

Mistaking her tone for disbelief, Stefan said, "Damon was still able to be saved. His love for you brought him back. Maybe Lillian's love for this Sammy can return her humanity as well."

The car fell silent once more as Stefan continued to drive. Elena sat there, uneasiness piling up inside her as she watched out the window. Can she still be saved? the new vampire wondered.

Elena glanced out the front. A flash of movement had caught her eye. She turned her head, staring out ahead as a human figure began to take form.

"Stefan, watch out!" she screamed. Her arms darted to the steering wheel, but Stefan was already spinning it around. Before they could swerve, the car ran into the person standing in the middle of the road.

The force of the impact sent the car spiraling. It flipped over, rolling off the road into a nearby ditch, where it landed with a crash.

Stefan groaned, opening his eyes. Beside him, Elena hung upside down from where she sat in the passenger seat. The seat belt was the only thing keeping her strapped in place, digging into her neck as if to decapitate her. At the sight of his girlfriend, bloodied and unconscious, Stefan began to panic.

His hands fumbled at his own nearly torn seat belt. With enhanced strength, he ripped it apart easily, sending himself sprawling onto the ceiling that now served as the bottom of the car. His hand went to Elena's shoulder, where he began to shake her gently. "Elena, wake up. Wake up!"

Elena blinked slowly. The jagged cuts along her face and arms were beginning to heal, and Stefan could see the strength returning to her. He undid her seat belt, and they both stepped out of the crashed car.

Stefan knew who'd be waiting for them outside the car before he even saw her face.

Lillian was shaking off bits of pieces of dirt and rubble from her jacket as she slowly made her way closer to the crash site. She wore an expression of pure and evident rage.

"I warned you, Stefan," she growled. "I explicitly told you what would happen if you continued to dig into my past. The doppelgänger's death is on your hands."

Stefan's eyes widened in fear. Not fear for himself, but for the girl he loved. "Elena!" he shouted. "Run!"

But Lillian was older by a millennium, and Elena was no match for the vampire. She had the doppelgänger pinned against the beaten car in seconds.