Cosmic Love

“These people don’t deserve this,” Emily said. “They should never have to know such evil.” She turned to look at me even though I haven’t made a noise. “Emma,” she acknowledged.

“What do you mean evil?” asked Stefan.

“Emily, I swear to God, I’ll make you regret this,” Damon said. He was struggling to stand while holding a wound on his side. His threat was weak though with pain.

“I won’t let you unleash them into this world,” she said to Damon.

“Them?” Stefan and I asked at the same time. “What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?” Stefan asked him. He was still on the ground, too weak to stand.

“What does it matter?” he asked still in pain.

“Emily, tell me what you did,” demanded Stefan.

“To save her, I had to save them.”

“You saved everyone in the church?” asked Stefan in astonishment.

“With one comes all.”

“I don’t care about them. I just want Katherine,” said Damon, using Stefan’s arm and support to stand.

“I knew I shouldn’t believe a single word that comes out of your mouth,” Stefan said to Damon while holding him up. Emily went back to drawing in the ground with a stick. “This isn’t about love is it? This is about revenge.”

“The two aren’t mutual I suppose,” mumbled Damon.

“Damon, you can’t do this,” Stefan said trying to reason with him.

“Why not?” yelled Damon throwing Stefan’s hands off of him. “They killed twenty-seven people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get.”

“Twenty-seven vampires, Damon. They were vampires. You can’t just bring them back.” I removed Stefan’s hands from Damon, separating the two.

“You are a vampire, Stefan. You should know that they had feelings, they had family. And they could love just as well as any human.” It was obvious I was on Damon’s side.

“So you want to let them rip this town to shreds?” he asked incredulous.

“No, but I don’t believe they should be stuck down there for the rest of their existence.”

“This town deserves this,” said Damon moving close to Stefan’s face.

“You’re blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago,” said Stefan trying to get through to Damon.

“There is nothing innocent about these people!” yelled Damon. “And don’t think for a second it won’t happen again. They already know too much and they’ll burn your little gran-witch right next to us when they find out,” said Damon pointing towards Emily. “Trust me.”

“Things are different now,” Emily said.

“Don’t do this,” asked Damon almost pleading.

“I can’t free them. I won’t,” she said. “I had brought you back for a reason, Emma,” said Emily.

“What do you mean ‘brought me back?’” I asked. And then it clicked. “It was you. You’re the one who fed me.”

“I knew I would need you. But you have failed,” she said. “It is obvious where your loyalties lie.”

“Things are different now,” I said mimicking her. I took a step forward. I could feel the rage course through me but Emily stopped me.

“Incendia!” she said and flames leapt up all around her. Vampire flesh burns very well. I took a step back not wanting to get too near the flames. All I really wanted was to rip her throat out.

“No!” said Damon who took a step forward. He was stopped by Stefan though. Emily stood in the center of the fire not even blinking. She then ripped the chain off her neck and held it up.

“No, no, please,” begged Damon coming as close to the fire as he could.

“Bonnie!” I heard Elena cry as she came running forward. Her footsteps stopped though. Emily threw the crystal high in the air where it exploded in a shower of fire that came raining down.

“No!” cried Damon. I could hear the heartbreak in his voice. It had been his one way to see Katherine again and it was gone. Then after looking at each of us Emily dropped her head and the fire died away. Picking her head back up, she looked around confused.

Before she could move Damon lunged forward and bit into her neck. I worked my jaw wishing I could have been the one to bite her. Quickly Stefan moved and ripped Damon off of Bonnie. I watched in satisfaction as she dropped the ground unconscious with her neck bleeding.

Stefan knelt and put his head to her chest looking for a heartbeat. “She’s alive but barely,” he said to reassure Elena.

“Next time do better,” I whispered to Damon. I stood next to him with my arms crossed. I was watching the whole thing emotionally removed from it.

“I can save her,” said Stefan and bit his wrist. He then forced it against her mouth for her to drink. It would heal her.

“Her neck, it’s healing,” said Elena stating the obvious. Damon turned and walked away once Bonnie was starting to regain consciousness. His footsteps were slow and his feet seemed to drag. He was like a wounded puppy.

He was just about to get out of sight when I turned to follow him. My feet crunched on the twigs as I made my way towards Damon. He sat on a rock staring out into the forest. I could see the despair on his face, the hurt and betrayal in his eyes. “Damon,” I said softly, sitting down beside him.

“Katherine never compelled me,” he said without turning to look at me. “I knew everything, every step of the way.” His voice was choked up with unshed tears. “It was real for me.” To have loved someone for 145 years and to still have that same passion, it was amazing to me.

“I’ll help you open the tomb,” I found myself saying. “There has to be some other way.” I couldn’t stand to see Damon like this. It wasn’t right seeing him this broken. And it would also help me get revenge against Emily. To do the one thing she didn’t want to ever happen.

“You’d do that?” he said turning to me surprised.

“Who am I to stand in the way of a love so strong that you’d do anything to get her back? I’ll help you. We’ll open the tomb, together.” I placed my hand on his shoulder and looked into his cool blue eyes.

His eyes searched mine, looking for truth and sincerity. I knew he’d see it. “Thank you,” he said. “This means a lot.”

“I know, Damon.” I saw the wetness of unshed tears in his eyes and slowly pulled him into a hug. He didn’t return the hug but he let me hold him. “I know.”

“What was that about with you and Emily? About her bringing you back?”

“You remember how I had chosen to die?” He nodded his head in confirmation. “Well, after you and Stefan had left, I laid there waiting for death to finally come. But it didn’t. Someone’s wrist was shoved against my mouth. Blood flowed in and it tasted so good,” I said recalling the memory. “So I drank. And then there was a note. It said: I couldn’t let you die. Emily had fed me. I never got a choice.”

“I’m sorry,” Damon said and I knew he meant it. He would understand having the choice taken away. “But what about you ‘failing’ her?”

“I had made a deal with Emily 145 years ago that for her to take away my father’s pain of losing me, I would help her.”

“By?” prodded Damon.

“That when the comet passed over again I would come back to Mystic Falls and make sure you didn’t do it. I had to destroy it. At the time I had no idea what she meant.”

“You were going to stop me?” he asked leaning away from me.

“I ‘failed,’ remember?” I said giving him a look.

“Right,” he said as the sadness set back in. “So did I.” He stared off into the forest again with a faraway expression. I sat in silence with him as the night continued on.