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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAkPXDpz0SWg
"I can't believe this happened. What am I going to say to him?" she says to me.536Please respect copyright.PENANA4dIGr4LEwt
"Thanks for not ditching my family after I drove Ric crazy?" I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANAfWqwBfBMj0
Elena glares at me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAsy03XtRIn8
"You should have called Stefan," I add to her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAzk6BMBmwTg
"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."536Please respect copyright.PENANATmYLZN97Oj
"In all fairness, I mean, I think you killing him kinda trumps that. And you should have called Stefan."536Please respect copyright.PENANAe6DNWRUwzt
"I don't trust him right now, Damon."536Please respect copyright.PENANAoH9dNhNQHQ
Just then, Stefan walks in and we both look at him.536Please respect copyright.PENANAHPCHhxmeI5
Speaking of, I think to myself.536Please respect copyright.PENANAAuTIQJEDRO
"Hey," Stefan greets.536Please respect copyright.PENANA1jANMIx2ZV
"P.S. I called Stefan," I inform her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAXLx2MWQ9z8
Stefan walks over to Elena.536Please respect copyright.PENANA2IVH0DbE6T
"What happened? Why did you call me?" he asks.536Please respect copyright.PENANAuprfTejMzB
"I just-I need to go upstairs and shower. Clean all the blood off my hands," she says, before walking out of the room.536Please respect copyright.PENANAgBEkiQmY8S
A moment later, Jeremy wakes up.536Please respect copyright.PENANAfNiaMhDe2n
"Welcome back. How are you feeling?" Stefan asks him.536Please respect copyright.PENANASxrR8yf5mD
"What happened?" Jeremy asks.536Please respect copyright.PENANAzENawxjO5G
"Long story, buy the e-book," I answer him.
I'm in the kitchen cleaning up the blood, when Stefan walks in.536Please respect copyright.PENANAcQ4LMaQHkU
"Where did Jeremy go?" I ask my brother.536Please respect copyright.PENANAo1hdpd70A3
"School. Bonnie has him volunteering for some occult exhibit," he answers me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAP85QIXQGvp
"Or maybe he didn't want to linger in a house where his sister just jabbed a knife in his neck," I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANAFBirGGJYiy
Stefan's phone rings and he tells me, "It's Klaus."536Please respect copyright.PENANALE8PgOAoEG
"Ooh, time to face the music. Pay the piper, dance with the devil," I comment.536Please respect copyright.PENANAlxnlLqYD30
"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."536Please respect copyright.PENANAXbCMJ6k4dj
"Quit avoiding him, that means shady. Shady people get outed."536Please respect copyright.PENANAgNpclONc24
Stefan takes my advice and answers it.536Please respect copyright.PENANAGnSR4sFm3C
"I don't want to talk about it," he says.536Please respect copyright.PENANALPe01NdrA8
I ignore Klaus' part of the phone conversation, but listen to what Stefan says.536Please respect copyright.PENANAc7wGMxIEWE
"Well, it wouldn't have happened, if you hadn't sworn me to secrecy," he tells Klaus.536Please respect copyright.PENANA4mc5wbGCNp
He looks at me and I nod.536Please respect copyright.PENANAiganHwwp3R
"You're using your calm voice today. Who's getting killed?" Stefan says.536Please respect copyright.PENANAIXyYOwysiD
"What do you know about that?" he asks Klaus.536Please respect copyright.PENANAP4MKiHOPnl
"I'm at her house," he answers Klaus.536Please respect copyright.PENANAQSxIkFcxoA
Stefan hangs up when Klaus knocks on the door. Stefan then leaves the house with Klaus.536Please respect copyright.PENANAZbpQlCTcZU
I ignore their conversation outside and start finishing up with cleaning up the blood.536Please respect copyright.PENANAuPwwPx6mvq
A few minutes later, Elena walks into the kitchen.536Please respect copyright.PENANAjMsVesgLWV
"Damon..." she starts to say to me. She trails off and instead, yells, "No!" and backs away.536Please respect copyright.PENANAwliAOpjHF3
"What's wrong?" I ask her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAnzV7YXdEfY
Elena runs to the front door and I follow her.536Please respect copyright.PENANANZyLwFJ6rO
"Elena!" I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANAJL2wnju7UO
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANABNhyWdzAq3
I look at Stefan, whom looks around with a worried face.
Bonnie, Stefan, and I are in the kitchen. Stefan called her over.536Please respect copyright.PENANA1wrW64PYHW
"You lost her?" she asks us.536Please respect copyright.PENANALoJPHo1Q9v
"Well, lost is a very strong word, we just technically don't know where she is," I answer the witch.536Please respect copyright.PENANAp6xhRCiT5b
"I'm more worried about what Klaus said about this hunter's curse," Stefan informs her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAMfHVmHsOKv
"How does Klaus even know about this?"536Please respect copyright.PENANAP4OqZPiUGU
"How does Klaus know about anything? Guy's like a billion years old," I reply.536Please respect copyright.PENANAWlxJ57aABo
"He said it was a witch's curse," Stefan informs us.536Please respect copyright.PENANAvoAuyn5II7
Stefan looks at Bonnie.536Please respect copyright.PENANAnkYwJmTDdB
"You know if I could do anything to help, I would. But I..," she starts.536Please respect copyright.PENANAnRT1xn0OBJ
"But nothing, wave your magic wand, hocus pocus, begone hunter ghostus, whatever," I tell her, worried about Elena.536Please respect copyright.PENANA8XiOxRFC0H
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAkwW9UjztR6
"Great, you two do your thing," Stefan says to us both.536Please respect copyright.PENANAUbUAD7jYLq
"Where are you going?" I ask him.536Please respect copyright.PENANAZWa9SnzwUc
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANA0RWnZsXDbC
"You got this?" I ask Bonnie.536Please respect copyright.PENANAQGgYYIaN9O
"Yeah, I'll bring him to you," she assures me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAMoO8oXK4f9
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAsxEDVp8bdm
The students laugh and then Shane lets them go off on their own.536Please respect copyright.PENANAUzB0y1fQYz
I watch, as Shane walks up to Bonnie.536Please respect copyright.PENANA07Rny0RITD
"Hey, you made it," he greets her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAPkZIppeEr8
"Nice cautionary tale. Qetsiyah sounds like a bad ass," she greets him.536Please respect copyright.PENANApil57dTDHF
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAl8XtHjtt9b
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAq6PEwJVDa9
I hold up the bottle for Alaric and then take a swig, before Shane and Bonnie enter the room.536Please respect copyright.PENANAWWeKiAOBMn
"Shane, this is my friend, Damon. He's kind of an expert on this stuff too," Bonnie says, introducing him to me.536Please respect copyright.PENANA34EKAwqfFc
"I audited your class. Very enlightening," I tell him.536Please respect copyright.PENANAYBB5ODobEg
"That's right, I remember you. What's your specialty?" he says to me.536Please respect copyright.PENANA7rHqK5vdsr
"The origin of a species," I reply.536Please respect copyright.PENANAQrSRFWANSX
"Ah, I think Darwin would arm wrestle you for that distinction," Professor Shane says.536Please respect copyright.PENANADW2A1IsZCb
"Not that species," I inform him.536Please respect copyright.PENANAPTVLvySBzm
"You're into the monster stuff. Alright, awesome," he replies.536Please respect copyright.PENANAG7GIe58R8a
"I was kind of hoping you might have stumbled upon this at some point, maybe."536Please respect copyright.PENANAieFl4raF89
I pull out a piece of paper and hand it to Shane.536Please respect copyright.PENANATEcm40GU6f
Shane takes it and looks at it.536Please respect copyright.PENANASWXrILiMY5
"This is a Hunter's mark. Where did you get this?"536Please respect copyright.PENANAkEfJMm9YLb
"Came to me in a dream. Do you know anything about the Hunter's curse?"536Please respect copyright.PENANAGIesuSyskg
"Why? You got a dead hunter in the trunk of your car or something?"
"Metaphorically, speaking."536Please respect copyright.PENANAtpnH0Ta7Gr
"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…."536Please respect copyright.PENANA5M1eGzEjEU
"Until?" Bonnie presses.536Please respect copyright.PENANAlz1DXNZ6PA
"Until the new Hunter is awakened and their legacy is passed on. They're called potentials," he informs us.536Please respect copyright.PENANA5QIETAG9wT
I take out my phone, as Shane continues to speak.536Please respect copyright.PENANAsKTHK4WCFD
"Listen, I have a bunch of research on it. Why don't I go grab it for you?" he says.536Please respect copyright.PENANAkyghIVqXyt
"That'd be great," I reply, before Shane gives me the paper that has the Hunter's mark and thanks me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAb11h3I1O22
He leaves the classroom and Bonnie looks at me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAqB7XxaOEv3
"How are we supposed to find a potential Hunter?" she asks.536Please respect copyright.PENANAa7Nv7b9yN8
"Yeah, about that," I comment.536Please respect copyright.PENANAF5HtRVzfVP
I call Jeremy and he answers it.536Please respect copyright.PENANA9kzaGBzAZ5
"Damon."536Please respect copyright.PENANAOui5ywGMDs
"Little Gilbert, your services are needed," I inform him.536Please respect copyright.PENANAKZW4qnUiiG
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAR4kyx2thjG
"How did I not know any of this stuff about Jeremy?" she asks after I tell her everything.536Please respect copyright.PENANAnZGC4MKLBN
"The witch who loses her powers gets left out of the important conversations."536Please respect copyright.PENANAJ8tLFRq4u8
Jeremy runs into the room.536Please respect copyright.PENANAI5eyXP8Zfc
"Is everything okay? Is it Elena?"536Please respect copyright.PENANARHwCyLuv8V
"We figured out how to help Elena. You need to kill a vampire," Bonnie tells him.536Please respect copyright.PENANASd96ujaWqN
"Great, give me a stake, I'll kill Damon right now."536Please respect copyright.PENANAAEtBBbt37t
"Easy, Van Helsing. We'll get you one. Don't worry," I tell him, not wanting to be killed.536Please respect copyright.PENANADPO8LOwqVF
My phone rings.536Please respect copyright.PENANAQJ1ShN1Ivo
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAF1GRlGMKCh
"You can rest easy, brother. We figured out how to solve our little Elena problem."536Please respect copyright.PENANAgkN0AMrKZD
"Yeah, well, now we have a bigger one. I lost her," he informs me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAvrFICu9Mey
"What? Again?"536Please respect copyright.PENANAD9o3IKKWiA
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAlUSyQVJGrv
"Elena," I greet.536Please respect copyright.PENANA4FowoOVeUw
Elena turns to look at me.536Please respect copyright.PENANA3bWOTheoTS
"Damon?" she says.536Please respect copyright.PENANAYy2MPOzrbm
She turns back to look at something I can't see. She's clearly upset, but looks back at me again.536Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3FGWUakDS
"How did you find me?" she asks me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAZp2C21Rv1r
"Didn't take a genius to figure it out. Third time's the charm," I reply.536Please respect copyright.PENANAL65j62FcbY
"You were right, Damon. Vampires kill people. Stefan was right too. I can't live with myself."536Please respect copyright.PENANAnZU9EriBIy
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANA08pJcVfJan
Elena turns her head again to look at something I can't see.536Please respect copyright.PENANAdeQv3n9evi
She nods and looks back out at the water.536Please respect copyright.PENANAHFU1zmNBH9
The sun starts to slowly rise and she looks down. I then look down at her hand.536Please respect copyright.PENANAv1TRe3VXeU
"Where's your ring, Elena?" I ask, scared of what she is probably attempting to do.536Please respect copyright.PENANAdp82yGbDee
She doesn't answer me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAl1jmLVeLgu
"We need to get you inside," I say to her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAKi8WeyKw7A
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAwUEWoIPEWc
I look at the mountains to see that the sun has risen higher in the sky. I then look at her.536Please respect copyright.PENANA5VfPN2NU2I
"Damn it, Elena," I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANA9gqiIhhVxW
I rush at her at vampire speed and try to grab her, but she rushes around me and stays a good distance away.536Please respect copyright.PENANAyJEfFh0uSv
She closes her eyes.536Please respect copyright.PENANAWq6cMz3sYd
A moment later, she breathes heavily and opens her eyes again.536Please respect copyright.PENANAVcFtBjQCxy
"He's gone," she informs me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAYlbIFoH5wq
"It's okay," I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANAplDRuCbVU0
We both start to hear a sizzling noise and Elena looks down.536Please respect copyright.PENANAFWhe0NcyPa
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANA7n5TRyLRLi
"Damon?" she says with fear.536Please respect copyright.PENANAchOj72ErRQ
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAppV9QkYpm1
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAGXusP4Ksdc
She slowly sits up in bed.536Please respect copyright.PENANAG0AjRkVkJF
"Fished it out of the river for you," I let her know.536Please respect copyright.PENANAOm6qgstHCL
She looks at me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAdnXZuma9Sl
"A little tip, vampires hate to swim. How are you feeling?," I say.536Please respect copyright.PENANArniWCcXkTG
"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."536Please respect copyright.PENANA8bRgj1Pk9B
"Well, you know what they say about teenage suicide," I say. I sit on her bedside. "Don't do it," I add.536Please respect copyright.PENANAZvZyAGOtrC
Elena smiles at me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAT7dxbY5RVQ
"I just can't believe I almost..." She starts, but trails off.536Please respect copyright.PENANAxTlEB5KN9q
"You weren't yourself," I tell her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAupfjHffESZ
Elena takes my hand in hers.536Please respect copyright.PENANAjcQlaLYwLB
"Yeah, but if it wasn't for you..."536Please respect copyright.PENANAh7JqGj2qci
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAgtxIZmi01Q
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANA1bH6MzUXNW
Elena laughs at the killing and ashes part.536Please respect copyright.PENANAMYjqHbCgAu
"There may be a way out of this for you, Elena."536Please respect copyright.PENANAg9I1hnOym0
Elena gives me a confused look.536Please respect copyright.PENANAZFLWxRMdDf
"There may be a cure," I inform her.536Please respect copyright.PENANAXQ5sFM8q0t
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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAH07wEvUzKF
"Bourbon," I tell the bartender.536Please respect copyright.PENANA2HlP0MVKhQ
I look at the seat next to me.536Please respect copyright.PENANArYnoO4k40L
"Make that two."536Please respect copyright.PENANARhKB8TUHCX
Matt walks up and stands on the other side of me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAR4VY92a4Z1
"Still saving a seat for Mr. Saltzman, huh?"536Please respect copyright.PENANAR7gBoawfX4
"I'd say I'm in the market for a new drinking buddy. You're not qualified," I answer.536Please respect copyright.PENANAmlsElH455B
"I know that you don't like me," he replies.536Please respect copyright.PENANAEeASMMUKEe
I move one of the Bourbons in front of the empty seat next to me.536Please respect copyright.PENANAUhYgEPQ4fP
"But I dug up some stuff about the explosion at the Young farm, I kind of need to tell someone about," he continues.536Please respect copyright.PENANAABocsFGdJt
I non-verbally encourage him to tell me about it.536Please respect copyright.PENANA1bw7pQqYOZ
"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.536Please respect copyright.PENANAwEfvBGBJxo
"You're on the verge of impressing me. Drive it home," I comment.536Please respect copyright.PENANAhIgBZu0ETt
"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.