Wandering Hearts (Under Editing)

The Stars Are Always Clouded

My eyes flutter open to see sunlight streaming in and the curtains billowing in the wind. I stretch and yawn, sitting up in bed slightly. I move a hand over my growing baby bump, more prominent and outwards now. I love being able to show off that Damon and I are bonded by blood.

I head downstairs, one hand resting on my stomach and the other reaching up to run through my tangled curls. I head into the kitchen and I wrap my arms around the beautiful chef standing at the oven. He chuckles.

"Good morning, my love." I kiss him softly and he smiles at me.

"Good morning baby." He kisses me again when I hear footsteps in the doorway. I turn to look and Klaus stands there with a smirk plastered on his face.

"How sweet. Who knew that a cold blooded killer could get the girl?" Stefan emerges in the doorway as well. "When we heard of Elena's transition, we knew the seal would be down... Just had to wait for a weak moment."

"Elena's not human anymore. What do you want?" He grins.

"I'm feeling particularly vengeful that you arrogant piece of trash decided to turn my little blood bag." His grin sickens. "And of course, Stefan doesn't enjoy that your hands have been all over his woman."

"Damon and I are engaged." I spit at him. "I love Damon, I'm his woman."

"Interesting. Miss Elena please step out from behind your guard dog and I give my word you won't be harmed."

"Over my dead body." Damon hisses.

"That can be arranged," Klaus retorts.

"Damon, stop! He just wants to make sure he's right." Damon steps aside but keeps his hand in mine.

"So... You're pregnant with Damon's child." Stefan's mouth drops open and Damon steps back in front of me.

"Always trying to be the hero, Damon. You stole my girlfriend and somehow you tricked her into becoming your wife."

"I love her, Stefan. I love Elena. I love my baby. I didn't steal anything. She isn't a prize to be won. She's a person, she has feelings. She loves me enough to share my bed, she loved me enough to accept my proposal... She made that choice on her own."

"Shut up." Stefan growls.

"I'm tired of these games. I'm only here to kill Damon, then we're leaving this bloody town. Elena unharmed."

"I don't trust that at all."

"It won't be of concern to you anymore." More people enter the house. Suddenly Klaus' hand flies into Damon's chest. He twists and tears his heart from his sternum.

"No!" I scream in horror. Klaus is gone with Stefan in an instant and Damon falls to the ground, his face pale and his heart on the floor with a pool of blood beginning to form under it. Bonnie comes into the kitchen followed by Caroline. I put a shaking hand over my mouth as I sob.

"He's gone. Oh my god, he's gone. Damon, no..." He is too still. His eyes are open but devoid of any life lurking inside. I shut them with a shaking hand, unable to look at the blue orbs that consumed me entirely since the moment I saw them. I hold his hand, and although he seems to always be cold, this time it lacks the electricity dancing between our fingertips. I brush his hair from his face, but he doesn't kiss me - he is completely motionless. He has been ripped from my arms and taken where I can't access him, where I can't love him unconditionally with no doubt in my heart. The love still burns bright and fuels my grief, but it reminds me of the eternal flame that will always consume me and my heart that I gave to him so long ago.

Bonnie takes my hand. "Please don't stay here Elena." I bury my face in her neck and she leads me away from Damon and the house. We arrive at my house and she helps me inside. Jeremy rushes to my side, seeing the blood all over my shirt. "Jeremy, it's not hers." She helps me upstairs and hugs me tightly. "Do you need anything?" I shake my head.

"I just want to be alone."

Bonnie's POV

I head back downstairs to Jeremy and he looks at me, concern enveloping his face.

"What the hell is going on?" I blink back tears.

"Damon... He's dead." Jeremy sits down in the chair and buries his head in his hands.

"Bonnie, we have to find some way to get him back. Elena's pregnant, I can't let my niece grow up without a father. Elena won't survive this either... They were finally happy. Goddammit!" I wrap my arms around him when I hear a knock at the door. I quickly head towards it and Caroline stands there, crying softly.

"Is Elena okay?" I shake my head.

"No. She won't be okay until we get him back."

"So what do we do?" I sigh.

"I have no idea." She enters the house and we all begin flipping through the boxes of grimoires that could save my best friend from the edge of grief.

Elena's POV

I look around at my surroundings. The blanket twists and rips in my iron grip. I scream and shove everything off my dresser before hurling it at the wall. I tear the pillows in half and the blankets to shreds. I flip the rest of the frame and I take the metal part and I begin swinging it at the picture on the wall. It flutters to the floor and I pick it up with one shaky hand. A picture of Damon and I the day we got engaged and found out about the pregnancy. He looked so happy.

Now he's gone.

And I feel so alone.

I demolish my desk and I shove my mirror to the floor where it shatters. The door flies open and my brother stands there with my two terrified best friends.

"Elena! Please stop!" I collapse to the floor sobbing and I bury my face in my palms.

"Damon is gone!" I curl into a ball on the floor and Jeremy wraps his arms around me.

"I know. But you have your baby to think about. You know he would want you to try and be strong." I look at Bonnie.

"Please, I can't... I can't do this without him. Get my soulmate back, please." I beg softly, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.

"I'll try, Elena. I promise I'm going to try."

"Jeremy, can you... See him?" He looks around the room and his eyes land in the corner where my nightstand was. He nods at me, taking my hand. I look in the corner and I smile.

"He said he loves you. And he wants you to know that you're the strongest woman alive and you can conquer anything." My bottom lip trembles and I take a deep breath.

"I'm going to see you again, Damon. That's a promise."

"He said he'll hold you to that."