That’s right, keep dreaming. The best dream in the world. Being held by the one she loved. She couldn’t see his face though. The feeling of pure euphoria was there though, the feeling that she could fly and do anything she wanted to as long as she was with him. His face held in shadow and the smoke surrounding them was blinding but then something started happening. The smoke began to clear and the hard chiseled features of her wonderful dream man were starting to appear.
    The color of his hair at first came out of the darkness. A deep honey brown color. Fading from black and white, the colors started to emerge one by one after that. The paleness of his skin and the deep green on his eyes. The full beautiful lips that she knew somehow she loved to kiss. The strong shoulders that she somehow knew would have the strength to guide her if ever she became lost...
    And then it all because clear. Everything attained it’s edge and she could see from the burly colors, a clear outline of a face coming into focus. It was Stephan. Good and wonderful Stephan. He was the first man she had ever fallen in love with. He was her first in everything and the one that she thought would be the last as well.
    His features were soft and caring. Stephan had the look on his face as though he would never wish to be anywhere else. Why would he? He had often told her that nothing else in the world held any interest for him at all. She was all he ever needed or wanted. Nothing could break their love. Nothing could hold them from one another and together they would stand against whatever was thrown at them, that is, unless one of them gave up on the other and a link in their chain was weakened.
    The look or worry took over his brow. The concern showed on his face which quickly turned to hurt and pain. He was moving slightly away from her. He was drawing into himself as if he was ashamed to even touch her. He was giving up on something. In a strange way, she could feel him weakening their chain. His mistrust was rusting away their strong tie to one another and he was taking away his love bit by bit. And bit by bit she was withholding hers in response. She didn’t mean to but it was happening anyway.
    Then another presence made it’s self known to her. Elena turned to see Damon walking up from behind her, out of the smoky depths. He was looking at her with such gentleness. Still as distance away he reached out a little as if cautious and hung his head as if he thought it was pointless to ask her to care.
    Elena then looked up to Stephan again only to see that he had searing hate in his eyes, a loathsome dangerous look that displayed nothing but malice and disgust. She thought it was directed as his brother at first but then when she looked more carefully at his steely eyes she realized that his killer stare was right at her.
    In fear she reached out a hand behind her to grasp anything that could help her against this new barricade between her and her lover. And her hand met with another, the one that was held out to her. Damon looked up in surprise, that she had actually accepted his hand. He smiled that devilish smile but he couldn’t hold the evil twist to it. He couldn’t maintain the ‘I win’ look. His smile turned loving and adoring. There was nothing else that seemed to matter to him.
    The elder vampire then looked up and Elena knew that he was looking at Stephan but she couldn’t turn around to face him again. She looked deep into Damon’s eyes and reflected there as if in a mirror was Stephan off to the side of her own reflection but as she moved slightly to the right she saw another’s standing next to him. It was her only not her. It was Elena but older yet just as young looking. Elena but mutated into something grotesque even though it didn’t show from the outside.
    Katherine.
    It was her. Stephan no longer had hate in his eyes but a horrifying appearance she could only describe as heartless.
    Elena stepped back to her left so that only her reflection shown in Damon’s eyes and he refocused on her. His eyes locked to hers and there was a chain there now in the place of a previously severed one. Their chain was not only strong but made of a kind of steel that even superman couldn’t break. It was a surprising link, something so unexpected and pure. She wanted nothing but him.
    This man was everything and...
    Elena was being strangled. Something was so wrong. Her brain faded from the odd dream and slowly atoned to the present where Stephan, the real Stephan was there above her trying to kill her.
    His hands on her throat were like a cage tightening until there was nothing left. She couldn’t get oxygen and it was the most painful thing she had ever felt physically.
    “I loved you and then everything had to be ruined. I did everything I could and then the one time that I falter, the one time I let it slip and you instantly run to HIM! You never even cared for me did you?! You never even-” Stephan and his grasp on her jugular were cut off and he made a choking sound.
    As he was collapsing to the floor Elena understood why. Damon was standing behind him with a bloody stake. He hadn’t put it through his brother’s heart but the attack was enough to weaken him.
    Damon grabbed Stephan and made the wooden spike re-enter his body as a form of hand cuffs.
    “I’ll be back for you. Stay here, keep you mouth shut, eyes open and don’t do anything.”
    Elena nodded and Damon with his captive vanished out her window.
    About five minutes later he phone vibrated. It was a text: ‘On my way, he’s tied up in the cellar and this time he won’t get out. You’re staying at the manor from here on out. No arguments’.
    Well okay then, Elena thought. ‘What does he have planned now? And where’s Katherine?’