Back in Time

30

Katherine crouched down next to me, trying to quiet me. I hit her arms away, sobbing. I could feel my heart cracking. My babies were gone, and it was all my fault.

"Damon. Katherine said. "You need to get home. Now. It's Elena." She was talking on the phone, but I ignored her. "Okay. Bye."

"They're gone!" I screamed into the black night. "They're gone and it's all my fault."

"No, Elena, it's not." Katherine tried again.

I couldn't stop crying. My screams pierced through the air. I could barely breathe. My body was shattering into a million pieces. I wished I was dead.

"Elena?"

Damon.

He sank to his knees on the wet grass next to me. I looked up into his eyes as he took in the sight of me. Bursting into tears again, I clung to him, sobbing. His arms circled around me.

"Elena, baby, what's going on?" Damon asked. "What happened?"
"Lexi and Zach." I sobbed. "She took them. She took them Damon. They're gone."

"Who?" Damon was panicked. "Who took them?"
"Esther. Esther took them." I cried. "And it's all my fault."

-

I opened my eyes to the faint light of early morning. My body felt wrecked, and my heart was shattered. I blinked and sat up. I was in Damon's room, but I was alone.

Memories of last night came back to me. Esther, Katherine, my babies. Screaming into the night and then being injected with something. My friends must have knocked me out. I couldn't blame them.

I could hear voices from downstairs. It sounded like everyone was here. Jumping out of bed, I grabbed a jersey and slipped it on before running downstairs.

Everyone - Damon, Bonnie, Caroline, Enzo, Klaus, Jeremy, Anna, Ric, Stefan, and Katherine - was standing in the lounge. They looked up when I came in, and Damon flashed to my side immediately.

"What..." I was halfway through a sentence when Damon pulled me close and crushed me to his chest. I hugged him tightly, resting my head on his chest. I felt his tears dripping down onto my shoulder and I began crying too.

"We're going to get them back Elena." Katherine touched my shoulder. "You know I'd die to get them back."

"Me too." Bonnie and Caroline said at the same time.

"No." I glared at them. "The only person allowed to die for those kids is me. Which might happen." I glanced at Katherine.

"No, Elena, don't even think about doing what Esther wants." She said. No one looked confused, so I assumed that she had filled them in.

Damon reflexively pulled me even closer, like he was trying to keep me from going anywhere. I took his hand and wound my fingers through him, trying to convince him that I wasn't going anywhere.

"We have to find where they are." I said. "I'm going to kill Esther."

"Done." Bonnie said. "I did a locator spell using Damon's blood. Both Lexi and Zach are at the Lockwood manor. I guess Esther is using it as her hideout since none of the Lockwoods are...around to live there." We all ignored the fact that she almost said they were all dead.

"Well let's go." I looked around. "Why aren't we doing anything?"
No one answered me. I folded my arms and waited. Damon sighed next to me, and I looked over at him with a questioning look on his face. He just shook his head.

"Fine, I'll go." I turned to the door.

Damon grabbed my wrist and held me with such strength that there was nothing I could do. I struggled against him for a minute and then I caught the expression on his face. It was utterly heartbroken, and I fell still.

"We got a message from Esther after we sedated you." Caroline stepped forward and handed me a piece of paper.

I looked down. It was thick and stiff, words written on it in black cursive; If anyone but Elena comes to find me, both of the Gilbert-Salvatore babies will die. You have two days, or I will kill them anyway.

"I have to go." I looked up. "She'll kill them."
"Yeah, and if you go, she'll kill you." Damon said. "If she sees anyone but you, our babies will die. We can't go anywhere near the manor. Only you could, but that's not happening."
"I can." Katherine piped up. "Esther got Elena and I mixed up last time. I'll distract her enough for you guys to grab the kids."

I had to admit, it wasn't a bad idea. I would agree to anything that gave us a chance to get my babies back. If I had to die for them, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

"So Katherine turns up as Elena and stalls. My guess is that Esther's witch and whoever else she has will be with her, and maybe one or two watching the kids." Klaus said. "My mother won't guard your babies too much, she will only focus on Katherine."

"You don't have to do this." I told Katherine. She shrugged.

"Those kids are everything to us. I'll do it."

"We need to move, now." I said. "I'll help get Katherine to look like me, and we'll all spread out around the manor when she goes in. As soon as we hear her with Esther, we go in the back and get them out." Everyone nodded.

"We'll sort out who's where, just get Katherine ready." Enzo said.

I turned to Damon and reached for him. He pulled me close and kissed me deeply for a moment before he pulled away. We were both terrified for the life of our children, and I knew we would do anything to get them back.

I let him go, nodded and Katherine and I ran upstairs. She straightened her curly hair as I dug in my cupboard. As I grabbed clothes for her, she put gentle curls in her hair to match mine.

I changed into the clothes I found in my cupboard; black leggings and a dark blue shirt, a black jacket.

"Good." I compared our hair in the mirror when Katherine finished before handing her the clothes I had just been wearing; plain jeans, converse shoes, a black long sleeved shirt.

I stepped out as she changed, an idea forming in my head. The only reason I had agreed to this plan was because it would get everyone away from me as I got Katherine ready. There was no way she was going in.

"Perfect." I said as she emerged wearing my clothes. "Okay Katherine, here's the deal." I lowered my voice so there was no chance of being overheard. "You still need to pretend to be me in front of the others, but I'm going into the manor."
"What?" Katherine whispered. "No."
"If they were your kids, you would go in too." I pointed out. She considered this for a second. "Please Katherine." I pleaded. "They're my babies. I need to know they're safe."
"Fine." Katerine relented. "So you're pretending to be me until we go to the manor, and then you're Elena?"
"And you're Elena until I distract Esther. As soon as I've got her away from the kids, get everyone in to get them. I'll do what I can." I nodded. Katherine gave me a quick hug.

We headed downstairs. Katherine acted as much like me as she could, and I had to admit, she was doing great. I acted like Katherine, and to my surprise, we pulled it off. When we went back into the lounge, everyone was ready to go.

"Elena." Damon reached out to Katherine, who went to him. I flicked my hair off my shoulder and went to stand near Stefan.

"We've got it all sorted, let's go." Caroline said. "Jeremy, Anna and Ric, you're on the west side. Bonnie, me, Elena, we're on the east side. Damon, Enzo, Klaus, south side. Katherine." She looked at me. "You'll go from here on your own. Just go in the front door." I nodded.

Everyone started for the door, leaving in their groups to go to where they were meant to be. I bit my lip as I saw Damon hugging Katherine tightly before he left. She gave me a tiny sympathetic smile as she left with Caroline and Bonnie. I was left alone.

I felt slightly bad for lying to Katherine. I would do exactly what Esther wanted, and the others would come and get my babies when I was a hybrid. If I didn't do what she wanted, it might make her angry. I would go through with it.