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"I’m not, love, and Bonnie isn’t either But why?"

"I can’t keep it in anymore! I have to stand like this - "

"Elena, no! That spel - "

Elena could no longer think The hateful de her of the pinpoint of green in Daht of the Tree

She understood exactly about the Tree’s sadism to her friendsand in the corner of her eye she could see a bit of blacklike a rag dolExcept that it was no dol ; it was Damon Damon with al of his wild and witty spirit broken

Daone from this and al worlds by now

His face was covered with her blood There was nothing peaceful or dignified about hi the Tree had not taken from him

Elena lost herfrorabbed a branch of the Tree that had kil ed Damon, that had murdered her beloved, and that would murder her and these two others she loved as well

She had no thoughts She wasn’t capable of thinking But instinctively she held a high bough of the Tree’s cage and let the fury explode out of her, the fury of s arch behind her, like ebony lace and black pearls, and for athat this planet would never harbor any life ever again

When the attack flared out, it turned the twilight al around her tocolor Daht in confusion, and then she reain, the Power to destroy the Tree al over this smal world It shattered her fro No physical pain could co what she had lost No physical pain could express how she felt

The huge roots in the ground underneath the as if there was an earthquake, and then -

There was a deafening sound as the trunk of the Great Tree exploded straight upward like a rocket, disintegrating to fine ash as it went The spider’s-leg bars around the in Elena’son, racing to turn branches and leaves into infinitesi in the air like haze

"The star bal !"Bonnie cried in the eerie silence, anguished

"Vaporized!"Stefan caught Elena as she sank to her knees, her ethereal black wings fading "But we’d never have gotten it anyway That Tree had been protecting it for thousands of years! Al we’d have gotten would have been a slow death"

Elena had turned back to Dah him - in seconds it would be the only remnant of the Tree on this world She could hardly dare hope that there was a spark of life left in him now, but the child had wanted to speak with her and she wouldShe scarcely felt Stefan’s ared into the very depths of Dao

And there, by a h obviously in hideous pain Tears were rol ing down his cheeks and he was trying not to sob His lips were bitten raw Her Wings had not been able to destroy the wood inside hie - and there was no way to reverse that

"Oh, no, oh God!"Elena caught the child in her arms A teardrop fel on her hand She rocked hi "What can I do to help?"

"You’re here again,"he said, and in his voice, she heard the answer This was al that he wanted He was a very simple child

"I’l be here - always Always I’o"

This didn’t have the effect that she wanted The boy gasped, trying to smile, but was torn with a horrible spasm that almost arched his body out of her ar the inevitable into slow, excruciating torture

"I’l hold you,"she o All right?"

He nodded His very voice was breathless with pain "Could you - could you let me shut my eyes? Justjust for a moment?"

Elena knew, as perhaps this child did not, ould happen if she stopped badgering him and let hi any longer, and nothing was real again, and there was no one else in the world for her, and she didn’t even care if doing it this wayher voice, she said, "Maybewe can both shut our eyes Not for a long ti the smal body in her arms She could Stillfeel a faint pulse of lifenot a heartbeat, but Still, a pulsing

She knew that he hadn’t shut his eyes yet; that he was Stillfighting the torture

For her Not for anything else For her sake only

Putting her lips close to his ear, she whispered, "Let’s close our eyes together, All right? Let’s close theht?"

There was such relief in his voice and such love "Yes

Together I’herself steady "Two And"

"Elena?"

She was startled Had the child ever said her name before?

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"ElenaIlove you Not just because of him I love you too"

Elena had to hide her face in his hair "I love you, too, little one You’ve always known that, haven’t you?"

"Yes - always"

"Yes You’ve always known that And noe’l close our eyes - for a moment Three "

She waited until the last faint movement stopped, and his head fel back, and his eyes were shut and the shadow of suffering was gone He looked, not peaceful, but sientle - and kind, and Elena could see in his face what an adult with Damon’s features and that expression would look like

But now even the sht out of Elena’s arotten to close her eyes with hih Stefan had stopped the bleeding fro her eyes

lad that he’d gone gently at the end

Maybe the darkness would be kind to her, too

Everything was quiet now Tiet in bed One last e left to do, nothing left to fight She’d done her best

And, at least, the child had not been frightened

Tiht now Time to shut her own eyes

The darkness was very kind to her, and she went into it gently