Barely A Memory

Chapter 18

The four of them were instantly greeted by a warm forty-something woman with an elderly face, the edges of her lips and forehead wrinkled from smiling too often. "Damon!" she said excitedly, stepping out of the threshold, wrapping her frail arms around the older Salvatore brother.

"Looking just as good as ever, Elysia."

"Such a charmer, you are," she laughed, slapping him across the shoulder. "Damon and I go way back."

Elena shook her head. "Damon, do you have a thing with every single witch you meet?"

"Almost."

She rolled her eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you!" Elysia said kindly, extending her hand first to Katherine, who hesitantly took it. Immediately, the ancient witch pulled her hand away, making Katherine glare. "Sorry, didn't expect a second vampire."

Elysia then turned her attention to Stefan, opening her arms wide. "This must be the special one," she welcomed, pulling him in for a hug. Elena could tell from the nervous expression on his face that Stefan clearly did not feel as close to this woman as she already did with him, but he hugged her back nevertheless. As soon as she pulled away, Elysia grinned, placing both hands on his face. "And what a special one you are. What a complex aura you have, Stefan."

Stefan glanced over at Elena in confusion, but she simply smiled back at him encouragingly. Lastly, the older witch turned to Elena with that welcoming look on her face, extending out her hand. "Nice to meet you, dear," she grinned.

"You too," Elena replied politely, placing her hand in Elysia's tight grip. Immediately, the witch closed her eyes and gasped, furrowing her brows before slowly pulling her hand back and glancing over at Stefan again. "Hmm. Ok, well, let's get started, shall we? Have a seat over here, Stefan."

She gestured to a wicker table resting on the porch, and Damon tensed.

"We can't do this inside?"

Elysia merely chuckled. "I'm not letting two vampires inside of my house, especially not this one." She gestured to Katherine with a friendly grin on her face. "This girl is a force to be reckoned with."

She smirked in response.

"You got all of this from a handshake?" Stefan asked, amazed. Elysia nodded.

"Alright, boy. Have a seat. I want you to place your hand in mine so that I can channel your aura." Puzzled, Stefan followed her instructions. The silence was tense and strangely deafening as the witch did her work, mumbling to herself with every new bit of information she received. Stefan closed his eyes, tried to concentrate his thoughts on everything that had happened to him, the things he knew, the things he remembered. Elena watched this exchange anxiously, biting her fingernails.

After a long moment, Elysia extended her other hand. "You, too, baby," she said, eyes still closed. Confused, Elena looked around. "Yes, you." Nervously, she followed her orders and took a seat next to Stefan. She reached for his hand, and when she found it, she gave him a gentle squeeze, which he quickly returned. For some wonderful, unfathomable reason, it sent goose bumps rushing to her skin.

Within a second, Elysia released both of her hands. "I got it."

"What is it?" Elena asked.

"Well," the witch began, looking between the couple sitting beside her. "You both are aware why you," she pointed to Elena, "became human in the first place?"

"Yes," Elena responded, wary. "He sacrificed his life."

Elysia agreed. "The spell itself, to sacrifice your life for the sake of one's humanity, is quite simple. The spell, though, can only be completed when performed between two people, two halves of a whole, if you will. It's rare, of course, to even find this in the first place. True love. For lack of a better word, it's the secret ingredient that is usually missing in order to complete this spell. Stronger than any herb or potion."

Katherine rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that day. "How sweet."

Damon, on the other hand, was acting oddly stoic. It did not suit him well. "We knew that. It was in the mythology. How does this explain why Stefan didn't turn?"

Looking among the group, the witch continued, "When Stefan died, he ultimately gave his ability to live to Elena. The spell you used to bring him back managed to harness this in a way, although I'm sure your witch didn't know that."

Katherine crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm lost."

"As soon as Stefan returned, he became linked to Elena," she explained. "The only thing keeping him alive is this one." She pointed to Elena. "If she dies, he dies. Vice versa; if he dies, so does she. They're linked now. This should not have happened. He should have stayed dead in the first place. Now you two are stuck. Dying together."

Elena had an iron grip on Stefan's hand. Living with Stefan and dying with Stefan didn't sound like such a bad idea; she never had to worry about being without him again. "Wait, why didn't I die when he almost turned?"

"He was going to become a vampire. As long as one is human, so is the other. If you wanted to live forever, you'd have to turn together."

The information was foggy in Stefan's brain, but he understood most of it, or at least the idea of it. If I die, she dies. That was all he registered, all he needed to register. He pulled Elena against him and let out a deep breath. He was being hunted by other vampires now. How was he supposed to keep her safe? If he ever got captured, if they ever killed him, then Elena... his body nearly convulsed with the thought. "Is there a way to break the link?" he finally asked.

Elysia shrugged. "Possibly, honey, but it would really mess with nature." She sat back in the chair. "I can't promise that if you don't break the link, you won't shatter the love. Everything is so fragile now. If you kids mess with this, there's a chance it won't be worth it. True love is rare. Do you want to risk losing it?"

"No!" Stefan and Elena both said at the same time. A world without loving Elena felt pointless to him. If he didn't love... if he didn't love Elena, he'd rather be dead anyways. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she felt the same.

Living together and dying together. That was the only real option, after all.

XXXX