AN: I hate the fact that we have a cliffhanger and I now have to wait for months before we finally get to know what happened. So to get me through this time, I decided to write a multi-chapter fic that follows Bonnie and Damon on the other side of the other side. I got some of my inspiration for this story from the books. That being said, the guardians in my story aren't a lot like the ones in the books. They are similar but as you go on, it will all be explained to you. So, go ahead and read it. I hope you like it. Also, don't forget to leave a review. I'd really like to know what you guys think.

One minute they were standing in the midst of the disintegrating other side and then the next, they were in a large room filled with people. Damon let go of Bonnie's hand as he took a good look around him. They were in some kind of a corridor. It was so long that he could only see the walls on the left and on the right. It was plain and the walls were bare. There were no windows, no source of natural light. Crystal chandeliers, evenly spaced along the ceiling, provided the lighting for the room. It wasn't the room that they were in that was remarkable but the number of people who were in there. The large room was almost fully packed. Judging by what some of the people were wearing, they didn't even belong to this century. He couldn't help but wonder if this is where supernatural beings passed on to now that the other side had been destroyed. That would certainly explain the number of people in the room. Just like him, most people looked lost. He turned to his right to see Bonnie standing rooted to the spot taking it all in.

"So this is what's on the other side of the other side?" he asked Bonnie.

"I guess so. Anyone who didn't find peace is probably here."

"Do you think there are rules against exploring in here?"

"I don't know but let's not find out."

"Come on, Bonnie, where's your sense of adventure?" He grabbed her hand once more and walked to the left wall. Bonnie reluctantly followed him. She was convinced that this was a bad idea. The pair walked on and Bonnie noticed that a people seemed to be crowded a little further up ahead. "What do you think is happening there?" she asked.

"There's only one way to find out" and with that Damon made his way towards the crowd. When they got closer, they noticed large double doors that were clearly locked. People were pushing against it trying to get it to open. "What do you think is behind those doors?" he asked Bonnie.

"I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it's the way back home or peace or simply a way out." Bonnie noticed that the crowd was starting to get rather out of hand there. "It's clearly not going to open so let's just keep moving."

Damon nodded and the two continued to walk down the seemingly endless corridor. There were a number of large double doors like the first and at every one of them people were trying to break it open. "You know, we've been walking for what's probably been hours now and I don't feel even the slightest bit tired", commented Damon. "I may be a vampire but this much walking, I should be feeling something."

"Not necessarily", said Bonnie. "It felt the same way when I was on the other side. You don't feel fatigue or anything else that's ordinary. It's as if there is no time or space." She then stopped dead in her tracks. "This is quite a change", she said standing in front of yet another set of double doors. "How come there's no one trying to break this door down?" she asked.

"I don't know", said Damon as he moved closer to the door. On closer inspection, he could tell that the door was made of some kind of heavy wood. The door knobs were made of bronze and when he twisted them, the door swung open easily.

"What are you doing? You could wreak havoc on this place if you're going to be opening doors that could lead to just about anywhere or anything!" Bonnie admonished.

"What are you so afraid of? We're dead. What's the worst that could happen? Although what you should be asking is why no one's trying to open the one door in the entire room that actually opens."

"Maybe it's because they already did and then thought it would be better to leave the door shut."

"Let's be realistic. If they really thought that, they wouldn't be trying so hard to open the other doors. Let's just take a look; we really have nothing to lose." Bonnie looked uncertain. "If you're not coming, I'm not waiting around for you. I'm going and whether you come or not is up to you."

"Fine, fine, I'm coming."

Without a backward glance, Damon stepped through the room. The door closed after Bonnie. The first thing that they noticed was how dark it was. The corridors had some kind of light but this room had none. "Where are we?" asked Bonnie.

"I don't know. But if this is what's behind every door, I'm not impressed." Just then, they heard a click and the lights came on. They realized that they were standing in a large ballroom. Just like the corridor, the walls of the room were bare and there were no windows. The only difference was the size.

"This is place looks really creepy. I think we should just wait outside with the others." Bonnie was unnerved by the complete silence in the room. They couldn't even hear the noise from the corridor.

"Maybe we should", said Damon and just as he laid his hands on the door knob to open the door, they heard a voice say, "Damon, Bonnie! I was starting to worry the two of you wouldn't be able to find your way to this room."

The two of them turned around to find an old man dressed in a suit that made him look like an undertaker. Despite his age, the man stood tall and even towered over Damon. Damon immediately turned around and step in front of Bonnie and asked, "Do I know you?"

"I believe you don't. Let me introduce myself. I'm Andrew and I am a guardian, just like you, Damon", said the old man.

"I'm not a guardian. I don't even know who a guardian is or what he does. I think you have the wrong person. Now if you'll excuse us, I think we'll go back and wait with the others in the corridor." Damon then turned back and was about to leave when Andrew stopped him with a question. "Aren't you wondering why everyone out there is trying so hard to open the doors but they can't while all you had to do was turn the door knob for it to open for you?"

This caught Damon's attention. He turned around to face Andrew. "What are you talking about?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. All those poor people are trying to open one of those doors hoping that they might somehow be able to get to earth. But the truth is none of these doors can take someone back to earth. It's not that easy. They aren't being separated from earth by a thin veil anymore; they're in a different realm altogether but they don't realize it."

Bonnie's head was spinning with questions. "And what realm are we in?"

"This realm is what we like to call the Passage. Now that the other side has been destroyed, the supernatural beings that die on earth will no longer be forced to live in solitary confinement. They can now pass on to one of the other realms. The Passage is exactly that – a passage from life to afterlife."

"So we're stuck in between. Does that mean we can go back to earth somehow?" For the first time since she found out about the disintegration of the other side, she felt hope.

"It's not impossible but not everyone can do it. It's certainly not as simple as casting a spell. The only people who can really go back are the guardians. We guardians aren't confined to one realm; in a manner of speaking, we can exist in all the realms of the world."

"So who exactly are guardians?" asked Damon.

"Now you're asking the right question. Guardians themselves aren't elected or chosen, they are destined. They always belong to either a witch or traveller bloodline. You have a lot to learn Damon, but I won't be teaching you all this. It was your mother's duty to teach you about the guardians but unfortunately, she died before you turned 18 and as a result couldn't tell you about it. However, she did write it all down for you in great detail in a book that she left to be gifted to you on your eighteenth birthday and correct me if I'm wrong but you failed to read it and it's still in a shelf with your books in your bedroom at the boarding house."

"How do you know all that?" Damon asked in awe.

"I know this because it's my duty to monitor all the future guardians. You were to join us much sooner in preparation but of course, things didn't go as they should have. You didn't die in the war; instead you got turned into a vampire. We were lucky that the other side wasn't destroyed before you came here. This place is already in chaos and if it had to wait years for you to come to us, things would have gone horribly wrong. Had you been here sooner, you would have had more time to prepare to take on your duties as a guardian. You have much to learn especially the use of magic and this place can't go for too long without a guardian to make sure that people reach the afterlife as they should."

For the first time in his long life, Damon was lost for words. But Bonnie still had a number of questions that she wanted to ask. "So, Damon's a guardian that's why he's here. Why am I here? Shouldn't I be out waiting to reach my afterlife?"

"Yes and no. Yes, you are a supernatural entity who died on earth and so you should be waiting for Damon to obtain full knowledge of his duties as a guardian so you can be transported to your afterlife and no, because your grandmother made a deal with us. Since Damon's mother was unable to teach him how to use magic, he is need of a tutor. That's where you come in."

"You want me to teach him how to use magic?" asked Damon incredulously.

"That's right", said Andrew. "Let me give you a brief idea of what you're task is." He then took out a book from his jacket and held it out to Damon. Damon stepped forward and took it from him and opened it. "This is the book your mother left for you. From this, you will learn everything you have to about guardians. Bonnie will teach you how to perform magic spells. Traveller magic and witch magic are essentially the same but it's the source of magic that varies so you shouldn't have any trouble at all. You will be drawing your power from the universe directly. Once you learn how to do some of the simpler spells, I'll come back to find you and instruct you on the specifics of your duties. Once you learn the full extent of your powers and your duties, you will be able to transport all those people to their afterlife. Also, you will be able to return Bonnie back to earth. However, I must tell you this, it is very important that you learn everything as quickly as possible. The Passage cannot survive very long without its guardian. Good luck, Damon." With that Andrew vanished leaving Damon and Bonnie alone in the room once again.