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1864 Roman had woken up to see Damon staring off into space and Stefan still unconscious. Roman wrapped his arms around his legs as he felt himself shake recalling all of the things Katherine made him do. "Katherine asked me to make your ring special." Emily told Roman approaching him like a hurt animal. "She said it will help you." Roman didn't look at Emily, he just stared at the grass in front of him. Even when Stefan woke with a gasp. "Katherine had me make that for you weeks ago." Emily told Stefan as he looked around. "Where am I?" Stefan asked wearily. "The quarry just north of town. My brother and I brought you here last night. We found you dead in the woods." "Where's Roman? Where's Damon? Am I...am I a-" "Not yet. You're in transition." Emily reassured Stefan. "But how?" "You had Katherine's blood in your system when you died." Emily told him as Roman groaned out his head aching as he recalled Katherine making him drink her blood. "No. I never-" "She's been compelling you to drink it for weeks, Stefan. She did the same to Roman." Emily told him. Roman felt her hand on his back and he felt a wave of calm go through his brain making the memories less painful. "And Damon?" Stefan asked. "No compulsion was necessary. He drank from her willingly." Stefan shakily stood walking to sit beside Damon a few feet away from Roman who was still frozen where he was. "I woke up last night. I didn't know where I was. I went to the church. And I watched them drag her inside. Then they set fire to it. And the whole church went up into flames. They killed her, Stefan. She's gone." "Good." Roman spoke for the first time making his brothers look at him. Roman had tears streaming down his face as he sniffled. "She made me kill people." His voice cracked as the aching came back to his head. Emily kneeled in front of him placing her hands on his head as the aching once again subsided. "You're safe now little brother." Stefan walked over to him holding a hand out. Roman glanced at it wiping his tears. "Promise?" "Promise." Roman let Stefan pull him up and dust off his shoulders he led him over to sit by Damon while he gathered water and brought it back to the two. The brothers began cleaning the blood from their shirts from where they had been shot. "I bet Johnathan Gilbert has told father by now. Wonder how he took the news that we're dead." Roman looked at Damon wondering if he'd tell Stefan what really happened. "As if he cares. He betrayed us." Damon said glancing at Roman to see if he knew. Roman nodded softly looking back to Stefan. "He thought he was protecting us, Damon. He thought he was protecting this town." "God. This sun hurts my eyes." Damon said changing the subject. "It's part of it. The muscle aches, the sick feeling. Emily says it's our bodies pushing us to feed, to complete the transition." Roman listened to his brothers speak his mind still racing. "That's not gonna happen." Damon told him quietly. "Is that your choice, then? To die instead?" Stefan asked seemingly angry. "Isn't it yours? This was all to be with Katherine. But she's gone. I want it over." Roman winced hearing his brother say that. "Roman?" Stefan questioned. Roman though for a moment before looking up at his twin. "I am not ready to die just yet." Roman sadly looked at Damon wishing his brother wanted to complete transition.
