My Return (Vampire Diaries) (Book Seven)

Age of Innocence

Flash Forward - 2016

Brooklyn, New York

Day 

I was outside of my apartment, getting out of my car, bleeding from my scar on my chest, holding a hand to it in pain. I closed the door, walking toward the trunk, opening it, packing a leather duffle bag with all of the important belongings in my car, including passports, money, stakes and a change of clothes. I removed the bag from the trunk of my car, pulling out a tank of gasoline, beginning to pour it all over the car and the rest of the contents of the trunk that I was leaving behind. I pulled out a lighter, lighting it, throwing the lighter into the trunk, watching as the flames engulfed the car that I had had for the past six years.

I was shot in the back repeatedly with enhanced bullets coated or laced with God knew what, groaning a scream in pain, falling to the ground. I turned toward a plank on the ground nearby, spinning to a standing position, using the plank to hit the shooter with such force she was thrown into the building, making her fall. I stumbled slightly, weakly from whatever she had shot me with.

It felt like vervain.

Or wolfsbane.

The shooter continued to shoot me, walking closer.

The force of the shots made me back away into the flames of the car, making me burn and scream.

Stefan rushed closer, tackling me out of the flames, putting them out before I could burn to death.

I breathed heavily, weakly, looking up at Stefan. "How did you know?"

"Tyler called me," Stefan answered. "If you think I'm gonna let you die, you're crazy. Let's go."

I heard the shooter about to take a shot at Stefan, rushing to sit up in time to take the bullet in my back instead of Stefan taking the bullet in the heart, groaning in pain.

Stefan picked me up in a cradle, rushing away with me before we could die.

  ~~~~~~~    

I was hurt, injured, and bleeding more badly than Stefan, fading in and out of conscious.

Stefan carried me down a storage unit's hallway. "Hang on, Nicola. We're gonna get you help soon, I promise."

I groaned in pain. "Oh, what the hell did she shoot me with?"

We reached the unit we needed.

Stefan put me down.

I could barely stand, leaning against the wall, propping myself up until I could heal enough to stand.

Stefan opened the unit.

Two coffins were inside, side by side.

One held Elena, who was still under Kai's magical coma spell.

Stefan walked toward the other, opening it to reveal a desiccated but still alive Damon. He pulled out a blood bag, hurriedly forcing the blood down Damon's throat. "Damon, wake up."

I stumbled closer, leaning against the coffin for support. "I need you. Wake up. Damon, wake the hell up!"

Damon un-desiccated, opening his eyes, gasping for breath, sitting up, blood still dripping down his chin.

  ~~~~~~~  

Damon had just woken. He realized that we had brought him back, becoming angry. "I told you not to bother me until Elena was awake."