Crumbling Hearts and Shattered Minds

Chapter 19: It's Over, But All That Matters Remains

Damon POV

Everyone was bustling around, preparing for this spell that Bonnie is now able to do.

I sat on the floor in the middle while all the persistent people moved the parlor around.

Elena had gone with Bonnie to get the last few ingredients for their plan. The same plan that everyone has refused to let me in on.

I sighed.

Tyler and Matt were pushing the couches to the sides of the parlor while Stefan and Caroline rolled up carpets and moved any other furniture.

I didn't like it.

Mainly because I would have to be the one to put the parlor back to the way I like it when all this is over.

The realization suddenly struck me.

This was going to be over.

I'm going to be sane again.

But a something else occurred to me too. After this was done, no one would any longer want anything to do with me. I'd be left alone yet again.

I used to like being alone, I used to like not having to be responsible for anyone but myself.

But this last week had shown me what I was truly missing out on.

But I knew that Stefan and his replacement family would move on without me, drop me like a used rag.

Who could blame them? I'm useless to them and I am simply a liability. I felt my chest constrict and my eyes moisten.

A hand placed on my shoulder pulled me out if my thoughts. It took everything I had not to jump or flinch.

"We need to move the carpet you're on. Hey, are you okay?" I looked up to see Stefan looking at me with concern written on his face.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Couldn't be better. I mean, I'm getting my sanity back and then everything can go back to normal, right?" I lied smoothly.

Stefan's eyebrows knitted together and he opened his mouth to say something when we heard the front door open.

"We got all the stuff! It'll just take me five minutes to finish getting everything set up." Bonnie called from the front door before heading towards the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go get some blood. Want any?" I said before getting up and leaving the parlor before my brother could say anything.

I walked down to the basement and leaned forward with my hands placed on the cooler. I let out a long suffocating breath.

I didn't know if I was ready to be alone again.

Hell, who the fuck was I kidding? I knew I wasn't ready to be all alone again.

I took deep breaths to try to keep the looming panic attack at bay.

I opened the freezer and took out a much needed blood bag.

I downed it quickly and just stared at the empty plastic bag in my hand.

"We're ready! Damon? We're are you?" I heard Bonnie call.

I took one last deep breath. I knew I shouldn't have gotten used to being cared for.

I closed my eyes for a moment then made my way to the parlor.

When I walked in I saw a chalk circle with a diameter of about seven feet. There were some designs in the middle and a star reaching to each side of the circle monstrosity.

I was not cleaning this up. On my right of the circle, Bonnie kneeled with a bowl sitting in front of her and a few more ingredients that I'm guessing needed to be put in during the spell.

"Are you ready?" She asked looking up to me. Everyone else was sitting evenly spaced around the circle except for Stefan. He sat in the middle of the circle with a stoic expression masking his face.

I nodded.

"But first, can you tell me how the hell this all is going to work?" I asked while crossing my arms and wiping all emotion from my face.

"Okay, I'm going to put you into a trance like sleep while I send someone you have a powerful connection with into your head. They will pull you through and heal everything that is broken. Including your sanity. But this could be dangerous for both of you. Stefan has offered to be the one to go into your mind, but both of you must be careful. You'll be going into a memory based place, but since it is inside of your head, the memory can change and you could get hurt or killed." She said the last part without meeting my gaze.

I nodded, but I knew if danger was even suggested, I would keep Stefan safe, even if it made this all for nothing.

"What do we do?" I asked while uncrossing my arms.

"Take off your shirt and lay in the middle." She said while finally meeting my gaze.

I raised an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes.

"I need to paint some symbols on Stefan's and yours chest." She said while holding up a second bowl.

"Sure." I said mockingly while pulling my shirt over my head. Stefan did the same then I moved to lay down in the circle. Stefan laid on his back to my left and Bonnie move from her kneeling position on my left to paint the symbols that she mentioned.

I closed my eyes when she started painting on my chest once she was done with Stefan's.

"okay, now both of you just relax." I heard her say. She started speaking in Latin and a soft breeze made its way through the parlor.

I felt myself slowly drifting.

I opened my eyes to see myself back in 1864

no no no. It had to be this memory?

I shouted in my head. I was standing on a dirt road that was alight only by the moon in the sky. I was wearing the clothes that were common when I was human and a house drawn wagon was heading my way.

Or our way. Stefan was standing beside me looking as shocked as I felt.

That's when the wagon stopped and everything else seemed to stop along with it.

"Well, well, well. Isn't it just my luck that this is the memory that you were sent to?" A cold voice slithered out from the dark silence.

Stefan and I whipped around to see Giuseppe holding a gun. The same one that he used I kill us.

"Who to shoot first? Well, Damon was always the disappointment, but I can't have his stupidly loyal brother ruining things now can I?" Giuseppe said as he aimed the gun to Stefan's heart.

I saw his finger tense and a surge of panic shot down my spine. On instinct, I pushed Stefan out of my mind and into the real word.

My brother vanished from the memory just as Giuseppe pulled the trigger. The bullet went through the spot Stefan had been standing a moment ago and dug itself harmlessly into a tree behind me.

I was alone with Giuseppe now.

"You fool! Now you shall pay the price for your insolence!" Giuseppe shouted as he pointed the barrel of the gun at me.

"I don't care. All that matters is that Stefan is out of your reach and done with you for good." I said with a triumphant smirk even though I was about to die.

But I was ready for it to end and Stefan was safe.

That's all that mattered to me.

Giuseppe glared predatorily at me then snarled his finger tightened on the trigger and a single shot rang out.

I felt the bullet pierce my heart and heard my brother shout my name from far off.

Then everything went black and I felt numb.

It was over.