It's a beautiful day, as I stand in the living room with Elena. Elena is pacing the floor, worried sick about her brother, whom is lying on the couch on his back. He's dead. She accidentally stabbed him in the neck. She told me that it was an accident and I believe her, because it's Elena. She wouldn't hurt her brother on purpose. She also told me that she saw Connor, the guy she killed, before she saw Jeremy. That tells me that she's starting to hallucinate. Hallucinations aren't good, because it can make vampires do and say crazy things that they normally wouldn't do.534Please respect copyright.PENANAHF5ZL6FkxN
"I can't believe this happened. What am I going to say to him?" she says to me.534Please respect copyright.PENANA9AyNzYOYni
"Thanks for not ditching my family after I drove Ric crazy?" I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAtQczO3EMZX
Elena glares at me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAu5vGml8D9I
"You should have called Stefan," I add to her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAarQ1koiDZN
"I don't want to talk to him. He has been lying to me and hiding things from me. He compelled Jeremy to forget God knows what."534Please respect copyright.PENANAG7BddtXVlY
"In all fairness, I mean, I think you killing him kinda trumps that. And you should have called Stefan."534Please respect copyright.PENANAjZm35JgT5F
"I don't trust him right now, Damon."534Please respect copyright.PENANAkOQM4t1bPA
Just then, Stefan walks in and we both look at him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAjhYnOGeNOn
Speaking of, I think to myself.534Please respect copyright.PENANAtBKFpQC8Hp
"Hey," Stefan greets.534Please respect copyright.PENANAA80jrJYjNi
"P.S. I called Stefan," I inform her.534Please respect copyright.PENANASA8BGaXY2Z
Stefan walks over to Elena.534Please respect copyright.PENANAdfCN50e7aq
"What happened? Why did you call me?" he asks.534Please respect copyright.PENANACWWnDt25Ad
"I just-I need to go upstairs and shower. Clean all the blood off my hands," she says, before walking out of the room.534Please respect copyright.PENANAznxkVoHOKU
A moment later, Jeremy wakes up.534Please respect copyright.PENANAFyzpYTgFCc
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?" Stefan asks him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAXouSaKCzko
"What happened?" Jeremy asks.534Please respect copyright.PENANATw2P0e4DZE
"Long story, buy the e-book," I answer him.
I'm in the kitchen cleaning up the blood, when Stefan walks in.534Please respect copyright.PENANAhTlxEWlcK8
"Where did Jeremy go?" I ask my brother.534Please respect copyright.PENANA7DnxGaXFm6
"School. Bonnie has him volunteering for some occult exhibit," he answers me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAhuQoOxDV1I
"Or maybe he didn't want to linger in a house where his sister just jabbed a knife in his neck," I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAvtsf9DYT7Y
Stefan's phone rings and he tells me, "It's Klaus."534Please respect copyright.PENANA7Jd6L6NCkR
"Ooh, time to face the music. Pay the piper, dance with the devil," I comment.534Please respect copyright.PENANAKpsZKsydoi
"You know, I'm glad you find this amusing. If he finds out I told you about the cure, he'll kill both of us."534Please respect copyright.PENANAkNrgsGIDAL
"Quit avoiding him, that means shady. Shady people get outed."534Please respect copyright.PENANAg9klLLqoZf
Stefan takes my advice and answers it.534Please respect copyright.PENANAyNjl3x0C1R
"I don't want to talk about it," he says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxnjXmg0zKz
I ignore Klaus' part of the phone conversation, but listen to what Stefan says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAWy2sOhtl30
"Well, it wouldn't have happened, if you hadn't sworn me to secrecy," he tells Klaus.534Please respect copyright.PENANA8014cHTR8n
He looks at me and I nod.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxhL4IReRqw
"You're using your calm voice today. Who's getting killed?" Stefan says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAqgyKBrFYah
"What do you know about that?" he asks Klaus.534Please respect copyright.PENANALoHDnfuqW6
"I'm at her house," he answers Klaus.534Please respect copyright.PENANAywXbqZl9IK
Stefan hangs up when Klaus knocks on the door. Stefan then leaves the house with Klaus.534Please respect copyright.PENANAMCraxZKQZS
I ignore their conversation outside and start finishing up with cleaning up the blood.534Please respect copyright.PENANAdNcNpe0suc
A few minutes later, Elena walks into the kitchen.534Please respect copyright.PENANAAW1Ghp2llr
"Damon..." she starts to say to me. She trails off and instead, yells, "No!" and backs away.534Please respect copyright.PENANAK6QoQMMBfI
"What's wrong?" I ask her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAvXVr1UkGNH
Elena runs to the front door and I follow her.534Please respect copyright.PENANA6JbZjBTJyU
"Elena!" I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAeckNy8zUHL
Stefan and Klaus are still outside talking, when Elena runs out of the house and onto the porch. She stops in her tracks, though, seeing both of them there. Then Klaus disappears with Elena at vampire speed.534Please respect copyright.PENANAuwjnfLFvu5
I look at Stefan, whom looks around with a worried face.
Bonnie, Stefan, and I are in the kitchen. Stefan called her over.534Please respect copyright.PENANA1fRonYCkyN
"You lost her?" she asks us.534Please respect copyright.PENANAR8tp5LDvJ1
"Well, lost is a very strong word, we just technically don't know where she is," I answer the witch.534Please respect copyright.PENANApq1G3fBruS
"I'm more worried about what Klaus said about this hunter's curse," Stefan informs her.534Please respect copyright.PENANA6eecpEmzvf
"How does Klaus even know about this?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAjFHVuuenvY
"How does Klaus know about anything? Guy's like a billion years old," I reply.534Please respect copyright.PENANAYS2bzRjzBi
"He said it was a witch's curse," Stefan informs us.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxQf8zZUIWN
Stefan looks at Bonnie.534Please respect copyright.PENANA3VqsKnPm1v
"You know if I could do anything to help, I would. But I..," she starts.534Please respect copyright.PENANAXRWa4IMexD
"But nothing, wave your magic wand, hocus pocus, begone hunter ghostus, whatever," I tell her, worried about Elena.534Please respect copyright.PENANAv9H2UkiSff
"The spirits won't let me do the magic I'd need to break the curse. But I can ask Shane for help, he knows everything about everything," Bonnie tells us.534Please respect copyright.PENANA61EeyDTfTn
"Great, you two do your thing," Stefan says to us both.534Please respect copyright.PENANA8JQq4VEMTc
"Where are you going?" I ask him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAnsXPyoT8O4
"I'm gonna get her back," he answers me, before leaving.
Bonnie and I walk to where Shane is and stop not far away in the exhibit, after listening to his speech to some students.534Please respect copyright.PENANACsk5qJK1xP
"You got this?" I ask Bonnie.534Please respect copyright.PENANAB0oduusNGe
"Yeah, I'll bring him to you," she assures me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAYFTPz0EfyR
I walk away, trusting that she will do what she says. But then I stop in my tracks, hearing Shane tell them that they say that Silas will rise again, due to a certain rock that Shane has in his hand.534Please respect copyright.PENANA6aqr8upFUU
The students laugh and then Shane lets them go off on their own.534Please respect copyright.PENANASnztNDqSNU
I watch, as Shane walks up to Bonnie.534Please respect copyright.PENANAYztvAhrsa2
"Hey, you made it," he greets her.534Please respect copyright.PENANADmMMvrcKuw
"Nice cautionary tale. Qetsiyah sounds like a bad ass," she greets him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAU2fPxwOmeQ
"Nothing compared to Silas," he tells her.
I go to Mystic High and walk into the history room where Ric used to teach History at. I sit at his desk and open a drawer where I find a bottle of Bourbon. I then smile and prop my feet up on the desk.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxcu4P6czr9
"You're missing all the adventure, pal," I say, as if Ric is still here. He's not, though. Thanks to Esther, Klaus' mom, Ric became a vampire. Thanks to Rebekah killing Elena, Ric died a vampire.534Please respect copyright.PENANAU2Ygyo46Ji
I hold up the bottle for Alaric and then take a swig, before Shane and Bonnie enter the room.534Please respect copyright.PENANAQtcrUMUY7O
"Shane, this is my friend, Damon. He's kind of an expert on this stuff too," Bonnie says, introducing him to me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAiuhJoXmR3z
"I audited your class. Very enlightening," I tell him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxDM0SxKWq0
"That's right, I remember you. What's your specialty?" he says to me.534Please respect copyright.PENANA5uPiNSWc8H
"The origin of a species," I reply.534Please respect copyright.PENANAbGESwnm0Nh
"Ah, I think Darwin would arm wrestle you for that distinction," Professor Shane says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAMoEDWIuhk4
"Not that species," I inform him.534Please respect copyright.PENANA1kwaa9yZFu
"You're into the monster stuff. Alright, awesome," he replies.534Please respect copyright.PENANA1BqANGJCl0
"I was kind of hoping you might have stumbled upon this at some point, maybe."534Please respect copyright.PENANAe7Vr7GS1iM
I pull out a piece of paper and hand it to Shane.534Please respect copyright.PENANAI9u8qWXNb2
Shane takes it and looks at it.534Please respect copyright.PENANAqICwV56X8N
"This is a Hunter's mark. Where did you get this?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAFsYOrg7iH9
"Came to me in a dream. Do you know anything about the Hunter's curse?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAtJtQipOSEz
"Why? You got a dead hunter in the trunk of your car or something?"
"Metaphorically, speaking."534Please respect copyright.PENANAjarpkyh9Xx
"Legend says that if a hunter is killed by that which it hunts, then that person will be cursed to walk the Earth in torment until…."534Please respect copyright.PENANAGwjQDMUEHU
"Until?" Bonnie presses.534Please respect copyright.PENANAgEyD9F0qAT
"Until the new Hunter is awakened and their legacy is passed on. They're called potentials," he informs us.534Please respect copyright.PENANAPh1mc7knYt
I take out my phone, as Shane continues to speak.534Please respect copyright.PENANAOiem3iSW5a
"Listen, I have a bunch of research on it. Why don't I go grab it for you?" he says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAQ1PJ9uy4cx
"That'd be great," I reply, before Shane gives me the paper that has the Hunter's mark and thanks me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAjncFFkwiY6
He leaves the classroom and Bonnie looks at me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAvrOlm8aYSV
"How are we supposed to find a potential Hunter?" she asks.534Please respect copyright.PENANAGMauCYsc0j
"Yeah, about that," I comment.534Please respect copyright.PENANAlLKBskcXme
I call Jeremy and he answers it.534Please respect copyright.PENANAbj0KRXFYmr
"Damon."534Please respect copyright.PENANAgE0MMjWzMR
"Little Gilbert, your services are needed," I inform him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAsIy9QdcrMv
I give Bonnie a sly look.
Bonnie brandishes papers about The Five at me, as Bonnie and I stand in the hallway by the artifacts.534Please respect copyright.PENANAVptvJVnEOT
"How did I not know any of this stuff about Jeremy?" she asks after I tell her everything.534Please respect copyright.PENANAJH4fqzZxQS
"The witch who loses her powers gets left out of the important conversations."534Please respect copyright.PENANA7ahn8mJ46r
Jeremy runs into the room.534Please respect copyright.PENANAg8AKnBN9pk
"Is everything okay? Is it Elena?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAXUHwXAvnmr
"We figured out how to help Elena. You need to kill a vampire," Bonnie tells him.534Please respect copyright.PENANAZ5Jcu9e7Mf
"Great, give me a stake, I'll kill Damon right now."534Please respect copyright.PENANAuGKjakMYUN
"Easy, Van Helsing. We'll get you one. Don't worry," I tell him, not wanting to be killed.534Please respect copyright.PENANAQPJAIO7Cf0
My phone rings.534Please respect copyright.PENANAcRbsjgrTjx
"Before you do this, you need to know what you're getting yourself into," Bonnie tells him.
Bonnie gives Jeremy the papers and I answer the phone and speak to Stefan.534Please respect copyright.PENANApAyWjEa1UA
"You can rest easy, brother. We figured out how to solve our little Elena problem."534Please respect copyright.PENANAwaIsTPPKfm
"Yeah, well, now we have a bigger one. I lost her," he informs me.534Please respect copyright.PENANANlPPPb91Yp
"What? Again?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAg0LEeHdp7X
"She's in bad shape. I tried to help her, but she attacked me. Listen, you go find her, alright? Talk her down, she'll listen to you. Just tell me what I need to do to end this."
That night, I find Elena on the Whickery bridge and approach from behind her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAVhGxbcTX8a
"Elena," I greet.534Please respect copyright.PENANAaNz7zew1oS
Elena turns to look at me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAt6fVyclOo3
"Damon?" she says.534Please respect copyright.PENANAYCFCN0kuB9
She turns back to look at something I can't see. She's clearly upset, but looks back at me again.534Please respect copyright.PENANAlyj0nGBhYU
"How did you find me?" she asks me.534Please respect copyright.PENANA9jSl1iGkJy
"Didn't take a genius to figure it out. Third time's the charm," I reply.534Please respect copyright.PENANAty9EJDWNfj
"You were right, Damon. Vampires kill people. Stefan was right too. I can't live with myself."534Please respect copyright.PENANA2je8yVdBj8
"Look at you, being all glass is half empty. Let's just go talk about this before you do something stupid, okay?" I say, standing next to her now.534Please respect copyright.PENANAqtuIjCoSAI
Elena turns her head again to look at something I can't see.534Please respect copyright.PENANAyf2d75WCdc
She nods and looks back out at the water.534Please respect copyright.PENANAI9rM2pNO8H
The sun starts to slowly rise and she looks down. I then look down at her hand.534Please respect copyright.PENANAuACrWiaRcR
"Where's your ring, Elena?" I ask, scared of what she is probably attempting to do.534Please respect copyright.PENANAiTcGmKzZbV
She doesn't answer me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAciU1jA7ROH
"We need to get you inside," I say to her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAxUTCG30jLN
She looks at me.
"What you're going through is a curse. We know how to break it, but we just have to get you inside," I inform her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAyQDzhUdqPI
I look at the mountains to see that the sun has risen higher in the sky. I then look at her.534Please respect copyright.PENANAAkUpGJFjzS
"Damn it, Elena," I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAjzHNZLkv7q
I rush at her at vampire speed and try to grab her, but she rushes around me and stays a good distance away.534Please respect copyright.PENANApsfY9XsTRD
She closes her eyes.534Please respect copyright.PENANA0f74vIpDDp
A moment later, she breathes heavily and opens her eyes again.534Please respect copyright.PENANANrbGpMDhwb
"He's gone," she informs me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAItD4wRXCxK
"It's okay," I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAiLhFBf53yO
We both start to hear a sizzling noise and Elena looks down.534Please respect copyright.PENANA8ncwyc0ElR
I look over at the mountains to see that the sun has risen. I then look at her face and see that she's starting to burn.534Please respect copyright.PENANAIBjd1HpCD3
"Damon?" she says with fear.534Please respect copyright.PENANAi6JVocqGb9
I rush at Elena, grab her, and throw both of us off the bridge to save her life, and the water splashes as we land in the water. Being under water keeps her from burning in the sun. Then she blacks out and I gently hold her against me, as I swim deeper in search of her ring. I'd give her mine, but I don't feel like burning myself and dying or almost dying.534Please respect copyright.PENANA9cmoJWx6kI
Once I find her ring, I put it back on her finger and surface with her. Then I get us out of the water and gently pick her up in my arms, before carrying her, heading for her place.
A few hours later, Elena wakes up in her bed and looks at her hand at her ring. I'm leaning against her window. When she wakes up though, I go to stand by her.534Please respect copyright.PENANABeyxFXAwvd
She slowly sits up in bed.534Please respect copyright.PENANAzN1AmuVJy1
"Fished it out of the river for you," I let her know.534Please respect copyright.PENANAuT58iBqCgX
She looks at me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAOKWdGMgFzi
"A little tip, vampires hate to swim. How are you feeling?," I say.534Please respect copyright.PENANAuM7ui6AadQ
"My head's clear. I can remember everything, but not like I lived it, like it was a really bad dream." She pauses for a few moments, before saying, "You saved me. Thank you."534Please respect copyright.PENANAkjYidx5LwD
"Well, you know what they say about teenage suicide," I say. I sit on her bedside. "Don't do it," I add.534Please respect copyright.PENANAzr7h3mW3km
Elena smiles at me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAdctRdW9McM
"I just can't believe I almost..." She starts, but trails off.534Please respect copyright.PENANAfZA99UrZDU
"You weren't yourself," I tell her.534Please respect copyright.PENANA36tBzv5jp6
Elena takes my hand in hers.534Please respect copyright.PENANArBFfr3vSIa
"Yeah, but if it wasn't for you..."534Please respect copyright.PENANAnrKxpnAQRH
I look down at her hand that's holding mine and she does likewise. I then hold her hand up and start rubbing my thumb in circles over the back of her hand.534Please respect copyright.PENANAox3UDaX2Uz
I sigh, before saying, "I'm about to take a very high, annoying road and tell you something." I take my hand from hers and put my hand on top of hers. "Because I know that you think Stefan's been lying to you. Which, yeah, he has, but this rough patch that you two have been going through is not what you think. Everything that he's been doing, he's been doing for you. To help you. And after he kills me for telling you this, I want you to throw my ashes off of Whickery Bridge, okay?" I continue.534Please respect copyright.PENANArQi59UUxfA
Elena laughs at the killing and ashes part.534Please respect copyright.PENANAQUQroWjMAC
"There may be a way out of this for you, Elena."534Please respect copyright.PENANAQiWI2jas28
Elena gives me a confused look.534Please respect copyright.PENANAh5mUn4AizF
"There may be a cure," I inform her.534Please respect copyright.PENANApuTQorD26J
Elena gives me a surprised look.
That night, I go to the Mystic Grille for a drink. I take my jacket off and sit down.534Please respect copyright.PENANALIXDt5LRjv
"Bourbon," I tell the bartender.534Please respect copyright.PENANAVVhvPBp0Ar
I look at the seat next to me.534Please respect copyright.PENANApqRLwdBmSI
"Make that two."534Please respect copyright.PENANAsVllaoCguQ
Matt walks up and stands on the other side of me.534Please respect copyright.PENANAwSVBqJhAgg
"Still saving a seat for Mr. Saltzman, huh?"534Please respect copyright.PENANAlZwJRTZkM3
"I'd say I'm in the market for a new drinking buddy. You're not qualified," I answer.534Please respect copyright.PENANA6fO0AbEoWW
"I know that you don't like me," he replies.534Please respect copyright.PENANAUzFsEcAPML
I move one of the Bourbons in front of the empty seat next to me.534Please respect copyright.PENANA4hBPgSRZfB
"But I dug up some stuff about the explosion at the Young farm, I kind of need to tell someone about," he continues.534Please respect copyright.PENANAfFwdtdlug0
I non-verbally encourage him to tell me about it.534Please respect copyright.PENANAccu3R5WZls
"So, April mentioned that her dad knew that Professor Shane guy. Which wouldn't be creepy, except, he had all that info about the Hunter's curse, and we live in a town where, you know, anybody who knows stuff is creepy until proven otherwise," he continues on.534Please respect copyright.PENANAwVqu8mw6Dn
"You're on the verge of impressing me. Drive it home," I comment.534Please respect copyright.PENANAy5eq7PkvrT
"I got the sheriff to dig up the pastor's phone records. Turns out, he made like a call a day to the same number the last month he was alive. And on the day that the Council got blown up at the farm, he called it ten times. The office of Professor Atticus Shane," he finishes.