By deathbecomesher, for an LJSanta deadbeat.
There was rushing water everywhere and oh, how it hurt! The water rushing into Elena's lungs was cold like icy daggers. It froze her skin and nerves and made her struggle. Then, as she struggled to get out of the car, she found it more difficult to try and breathe. But the water never stopped. The water just kept rushing around her and Elena's world stilled and went to black. Her eyes shut.
Elena opened her eyes in a grassy meadow. It was beautiful and sunny. And she'd never, in her entire life, seen it before. "Where am I?" Elena asked the age old question.
"I've never heard /that/ one before," replied a musical, sarcastic voice.
"What?" Elena yelped, startled. She turned quickly and saw the boy who'd spoken. He was leaning against a tree. The sunlight fell onto his white hair at an angle that made it almost sparkle. He wouldn't look at her, so she didn't see his eyes. Breathlessly she asked, "Who are you?"
"Just call me Julian, Elena," he said as he came over to her and sat down.
"If that's your name," Elena said. When Julian didn't say anything, Elena asked, "So...what am I doing here?"
"You don't know?"
"What don't I know?" she snapped at his surprised tone.
"You're dead, Elena," he said lightly. "You drowned."
"But-but-that's not possible! I'm here now, aren't I?!"
"Yes. But do you even know where here /is/?" Julian looked up into her eyes and Elena went speechless. /Oh. How beautiful, / she thought looking into his strangely blue eyes. She shook her head 'no'. "You're in between the worlds. Between moving on and dying. And going back and living."
"So, what do I do?"
"Well, that choice is entirely up to you. While you're thinking it over, would you come with me somewhere? There's something you should see."
Elena nodded and Julian brought her to her feet. Everything shifted and Elena found that they were in the old cemetery.
"Why are we /here/?" Elena asked, confused.
"You made an important choice that day. In other words, the choice to pursue Stefan Salvatore."
"How did you-?" Elena stopped. She got the feeling that Julian knew almost anything he wanted to. Rolling her eyes, Elena looked down at the scene.
"The blood oath." She whispered, watching herself, Bonnie, and Meredith pressing their fingers together.
"Yes," Julian confirmed. And things started shifting again.
"What was the point in that?"
"The point, Elena," Julian said, apparently getting irritated, "is that if you'd never made that choice, you'd never have been in this position. But you would've never been in love with him. Everything that's happened since is because of */that/ choice*. Do you understand?"
"I think so," Elena wasn't so sure she did, but it made sense. Sort of.
Julian laughed slightly as the scene reformed itself. They were now in Robert E. Lee's darkened gym.
"I know when this is," Elena blurted out as she watched herself pick up folders in the dark.
"Oh, and when is this?" Julian smiled.
"When I first met Damon." Damn him, he made her confused too much.
But Julian just nodded and continued to smile as they watched Damon seduce Elena's past self and she ran. Julian turned to Elena, "You were frightened of him?"
"No. Not really. More of frightened of what he did to me."
"He made you forget Stefan?"
"Yes."
"That means something, Elena."
"I know and I don't care."
"Stubborn."
Elena nodded and hissed, "Then tell me, Oh Great One, what that one was about?"
"You'll see," he winked. "Don't want to ruin it for you."
Elena sighed as things re-shifted, taking a lot longer this time. Elena looked up at Julian, who nodded to the four figures leaning around a hole in the ground.
"The well," was all he said.
"Why'd we skip so much?"
"It was all important. But I'm trying to get it through to you that your choice isn't simply between life and death, but between Stefan and Damon as well. This just helps."
"I don't see how."
He sighed, "Maybe not, but do you remember how you felt when you found Stefan?"
"Yeah. I was relieved, thrilled, happy." Elena shrugged.
"And when you saw what Damon did to him?"
"I was furious. I wanted to kill him."
"Exactly."
Things changed again and they were on the rooftop of the Forbes's house.
"Oh God," Elena blushed looking away from Julian and the memory.
"What?"
"I don't want /you/ to see /this/."
"Why not?"
Elena just shook her head.
"I would have been thrilled to be alone with you on a rooftop," Julian smirked suggestively, and Elena covered her face with her hands. Julian sighed angrily and said, "Oh, come on, Elena. You're not a child. You should be used to hearing things like that."
"I am used to hearing things like that but not from people who look at me the way you just did!"
"And what way would that be?"
"Like you're a wolf about to /eat/ me."
Julian just laughed.
"I thought you were supposed to be helping me make choices, not flirting with me."
"Oh, I am helping you. I'm not flirting either."
"Sure seemed like it."
Again, Julian laughed as the scene changed itself. They were back in the meadow.
"Wait isn't there anything else we need to see?"
"Actually, there is," Julian said. "But you already remember those things. Just think about it."
"I need to figure out who I love?"
"Exactly." He stood up gracefully. "It's all up to you. Will you live? Will you die? Stefan or Damon? Your choices. I think I need to go now."
"But-"
"Now, Elena, you're perfectly capable of figuring out the rest."
She nodded. "Where are you going, then?"
"To see someone I've been looking after for a long time."
"Are you-well-are you...like...an angel?"
"No, Elena. I'm a Shadow Man. Good luck." And in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
/What's a Shadow Man?/ Elena pushed the thought out of her mind and thought over her memories. Should she go back? Yes. But for whom? For Aunt Judith. For Bonnie. For Meredith. For Matt. And for...Damon. Elena closed her eyes. Thinking about her family and friends. And wishing the Shadow Man luck. Here goes nothing.
When she opened her eyes, she was under a tree. And hungry. She remembered nothing of Julian or their talk about choices. And, worse, Elena Gilbert didn't remember herself.
Fin.
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