Tainted desires: TVD [1] ✔️

one hundred and twelve + announcement

Meredith pulls the blanket over Jeremy's face and leaves the room to join Stefan at the staircase.
She finds him adjusting pictures on a shelf on the wall and she turns and adjusts the thermostat.
"I'm bumping the A/C but we're not gonna be able to leave him in there for much longer," the doctor tells him and he sighs.
"Yeah, I know"

The vampire walks over to the top step and sits down.
"I've been alive for almost two centuries now.
You'd think with the amount of people that I've seen die, it would hurt less each time...never does," he says quietly and she looks at him in pity before she sits next to him.
"No. No, it never does. I see this every day.
Sometimes I think that denial is the worst part for people like us because we know the truth.
We can see they're on a collision course with it and all we can do is brace ourselves for impact," she replies and he nods and then excuses himself when his phone starts to ring.

Stefan accepts the call once he sees his brother's name on the screen and Meredith leaves to give him some privacy.
"Did you find them?" he asks hopefully.
"I'm still looking," Damon says and his younger brother runs a hand through his hair.
He's worried about Amelia.
She's been missing for quite some time now and he's scared that Silas or Shane got to her.
"How is Elena?" Damon asks and Stefan looks at the door of Jeremy's room.
"She's losing it, Damon.
We can do what we can to delay things here but we've got to get Jeremy to the morgue before it gets ugly," Stefan answers and he hears his brother cursing and probably kicking something.

"Damn it. I can't- I can't just leave Amelia behind, Stefan.
She trusts me and she came to save me because she cared.
I can't-
And how would I even explain not showing up with Bonnie? I can't show up without them," Damon rants in frustration and Stefan sighs.
"I think you have to"
He knows his brother probably raised an eyebrow or looked at his phone in disbelief.
"Are you crazy? This is Amelia we're talking about!
I thought she meant so much to you or was that all a lie-"
"Damon, listen. At this point, the sire bond is probably the only thing that's gonna keep Elena together.
Let's swap, okay? You come here and I'll go back to find Amelia and Bonnie.
I'm not giving up on any of them," Stefan explains and his brother agrees reluctantly.

"I'm on my way"

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Damon hangs up on his brother and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know if I can just leave her," he tells himself quietly but the sound of approaching footsteps makes him turn around.
Bonnie emerges from behind a tree and he quickly walks over to her.
"I could actually hug you right now," he says with a small smile and they embrace.
"Where have you been? How'd you find me?
And where is Amelia?" he asks in worry and looks at the trees she just passed.
"Shane led the way and Amelia is right behind me," Bonnie says as they pull away and Amelia walks out of the forest.

"Thank god, you're fine," Damon says relieved and she runs into his arms and buries her face into his chest.
Her action makes his brows furrow in confusion and he's about to ask her what is wrong when he feels something wetting his shirt.
"Amelia-"
"Please just hold me," she interrupts him quietly and he stares down at her in worry before he wraps his arms around her and kisses the top of her head.
"It's okay. I got you," he tells her quietly as her crying intensifies.

He then looks up at Bonnie for answers and the crazed look in her eyes almost startles him.
"He told us what to do, Damon.
We know how to bring Jeremy back," Bonnie says and he looks at her in surprise.

⋇⋆✦⋆⋇

Matt coaxed Elena out of her house to get her away from the body and to give her time to calm down.
His truck now pulls up to the school they get out at a spot Jeremy used to enjoy in the past.
"You brought me to the stoner pit?" Elena asks in confusion and he takes her hand.
"I want you to see something," he tells her before he leads her over to the wall of the building, the lower half of which is concrete and covered in graffiti.
Moving a desk out of the way, Matt reveals one graffiti.
"Vicki," Elena reads out loud and Matt nods.