Who Are We?

Chapter Twenty-Four

They all stopped as Damon held Bonnie's unconscious body in his arms. They were all still, but all knew they heard a gasp and it didn't come from any of them.

"D-Damon?" A sweet voice sung through the silence, breaking it like glass. Damon picked up Bonnie and handed her to Stefan.

"Get her to the hospital and make sure she's okay." He whispered to his brother and Elena. "I'm going to stay here with her." They nodded and headed out of the house. He quickly walked over to Arielle who was still trying to comprehend that she was back and everything was real. "Hey, how are you feeling?" He asked her sitting on the bed in front of her.

"This-this is real? You're not just in my mind?" She asked staring into his eyes.

"It's real Ari, I promise." He smiled grasping her hand. She looked down at the sudden warmness she felt from the hold and grinned widely. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever until neither of them realized what they were doing.

As they were lost in their eyes, they had both began to lean towards each other. Arielle still had a huge smile plastered on her face, as for Damon had a slight smirk.

"Uh-hm." A voice echoed in the doorway and the two turned towards the intruder. "I don't mean to barge in." Blair said nervously.

"Blair?" Arielle asked backing away from her sister, scooting closer to the headboard of the bed.

"Hey, hey it's okay. It's okay." Damon whispered as placed a hand on Arielle's cheek, but having to ignore the tingle that he felt when his skin met hers. Arielle nodded as Damon was the one person she could trust in the room.

"Arielle I- I don't know what to say to make you forgive me." Blair said looking down at her feet. "All I can say is that I'm so sorry about what I did and if there is anything I can do to make it up-" Arielle cut her sister off before she could finish.

"Make it up? Blair you freaking had me killed! How do you expect me to forgive you?!" Arielle yelled trying to climb out of the bed.

"Ari, hey. Sit back down." Damon calmly said, placing his hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her back down on the bed.

"I-I understand." Blair silently said glancing between her sister and Damon. He gave her an apologetic look and nodded his head towards the door in a suggesting manner. Blair nodded and left his room with a single tear rolling down her face.

She walked down the first flight of stairs, but on the corner step, that was larger than the others, she fell to her knees and silently cried. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she rocked back and forth hoping that there was a higher power that would help her through all of this.

Little did she know that there was a person watching her. Elise watched as her older daughter cried her heart out on those stairs. She wished more than anything to reach out and hold her in her comforting arms, but knowing that she was a ghost and stuck on the other side, there wasn't a possibility of her helping her daughters. This torture she felt inside of her killed her soul. She wished for anything else besides watching her daughters from a distance and not being able feel them. She would rather have been stabbed over and over or burned by fire than endure this.

Sitting in front of Blair, she just wanted to try to help. As Blair rocked, Elise reached her hand out, willing herself to feel her daughters warmth and beating heart, all she wanted was what every mother wanted; to help her daughter get through life unharmed. Her hand found it's way to Blair's hair and by some miracle, she felt the silk-like texture of the brunette strands that she had known so many years before.

Blair could feel something touching her hair, so she glanced up to see who or what it was, but fell back in surprise.

"M-mom?" She cried. Elise stared back in astonishment. "How can I see you?" Blair asked with her tear soaked eyes glancing over her mother's face.