He opened his eyes and looked around. It was almost too dark to recognize anything.
It seemed like he was in a forest, but he could see a chapel.
Slowly he walked toward it, keeping an eye on the environment and listening. Each time he expected an ambush. But it was all quiet.
Slowly and carefully he opened the door to the chapel, when he reached it. The large room was empty, cobwebs hung everywhere and on the ground were clear traces that animals had lost their way to this place in the last few years. Just a couple of traces and a coffin with chains in the middle pointed out, that people were here not long ago.
He breathed deeply, though he didn't actually had to, and went over to the coffin. He couldn't open it, but still knew exactly who was in it. 'I'm liying in there!', it flashed through his mind as he sat beside the coffin on the remains of a wooden bench. Memories came up. About the last days and hours of his life. His real life and not the one to which he was doomed before he had really died. He closed his eyes and saw himself in the Salvatore house. With Damon, Jeremy, Bonnie and Elena. He listened to the conversation in which he had taken part. Heard himself say that there is always a solution.
Only now he saw no solution. Nor when he was thinking. There were none. At least none for which he didn't need the help of a witch. Yes, Bonnie would be (by all his friends that he had had at the moment) the only one who could help him. The only question was, how could he tell her that and ... whether she would do it at all. After everything he had done. He had drunk her blood, he had injured her friends ... his own friends. Caroline, Stefan, Elena .. even his actually best friend Damon. All of them he had hurt in one way or another. He deserved to be here. On the other side, even if it meant that Elena had to be dead too. His life had been tied to hers. By a spell, the Esther had spoken.
Sighing softly he opened his eyes and stood up. Briefly he put a hand on the coffin and left the chapel. Outside, he stopped in mid-motion. Something had changed. On the surroundings and within himself also. Now he could see everything clearly and also realized where he was. And he felt different. It felt like something is pulling him. On his deepest level. His soul.
He was not far from the city where he had tortured his friends as a vampire.
He ran and soon he reached Mystic Falls. He stopped at the Salvatore house. Damon stood at the window, looking at him directly ... but didn't see him yet. As he was only a ghost. And none of his friends could see ghosts. Except ... He thought of Jeremy and made his way to the house of the Gilberts. In hope, that Jeremy was at home.
Relieved, he sighed when he saw the boy sitting on the sofa. "Jeremy?" He whispered and smiled apologetically, as their eyes met. "Jeremy, I'm so sorry for everything. That ... That was not me. This was a part of me that I myself did not know ..." He looked at the ground when he heard Jeremy's words then. "It's okay. I know. We miss you. Even Damon, although he wouldn't admit it openly in life."
He nodded knowingly. He had just seen it on Damon's gaze. "What about Elena?" He asked quietly. Preparing for the worst. "She's alive." Jeremy replied curtly, and he looked at him astonished. "But how ...?"
Jeremy told him what had happened. About Elena's and Matt's accident. That Elena had told Stefan to save Matt and not her. And Meredith had given her vampire blood to save her after she collapsed before the accident. After he himself had hurt her. And Elena was a vampire now.
"Shit ... she never wanted to be a vampire!" blurted out him, but Jeremy chuckled.
"She can handle it. Stefan and Damon are helping her."
Both fell silent for a few minutes until Jeremy looked at him again.
"Ric? We'll get you back somehow. Bonnie's looking for days to find a way."
Ric looked gratefull at Jeremy. "Thank you! Tell everybody that I'm sorry. I'm counting on you, guys." Then he disappeared.
Back in the chapel again he Waited beside his coffin. Waited that Bonnie could find a way to get him back. His old self.
