Disclaimer: see chapter one

Chapter 3: The last day/A glimpse at Dimples

Gwen hummed contently as she woke from a good night's sleep, she just lay there, eyelids fluttering open, enjoying the moment of waking feeling really good. She knew she should get up but moving may ruin this feeling. After a moment she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up smiling. She saw the sun come through the window and grinned, she threw the bed clothes off of her and ran to her closet. It was a day for her favourite dress. Pulling the floor length red, orange and purple tiered style dress which matched her mother's necklace perfectly, grabbed her cropped denim jacket and light brown low wedge sandals. Once the dress was on she left her hair down and in an un-brushed messy style, she carried her shoes and jacket as she skipped downstairs humming and through the library stopping Stefan talking mid-sentence, dumping her things on the couch, ignoring the others, and left to the kitchen. Damon, Stefan and Elijah froze seeing Gwen in her favourite dress. Elena just starred after her, she looked beautiful, full of light, shining and childlike, it was hard to believe she was 22. Elijah thought she epitomised the spring that was coming in. Damon broke the silence saying what all three men were thinking "She goes back today" and looked at Stefan.
"We can't tell her, Damon" Stefan warned knowing what his brother was thinking, "She told us it was unexpected and she had no warning".
"How do you know?" asked Elena. They all looked at her.
"That's the dress she arrived in every time we saw her" explained Damon, "right down to the bare feet".
"She stuck out a mile away in that dress" added Elijah smiling.
Damon and Stefan looked at each other; they didn't know Gwen met Elijah. "When did you meet her?" Stefan asked.
"1890's, the looks she got with that dress" Elijah answered laughing, "she followed me into a tailors shop and proceeded to tell me how to dress properly and not like a 'raggedy man'. Insistent little thing".
"She called you that yesterday, Raggedy Man." Elena connected.
"Yes, one of my many nicknames" Elijah ended, "Now, let's get back on subject, there's nothing to stop Gwen's necklace taking her back in time. Now the ritual itself…"

In the kitchen Gwen hummed as she danced around making a fruit salad and yogurt mix for breakfast with orange juice to go with it. Damon came in as she pulled out a bowl, "Want some Dame?" she asked.
"Na, I'll steal from yours" he replied.
She nodded and continued as he watched. He decided to enjoy the last moments of a fully sane, human and almost completely normal Gwen before the time travel slightly changed her. She picked up her breakfast, two spoons and skipped out the door to the back garden with him following seconds later with a glass of bourbon in hand.
As she sat on the steps leaning on the wall with him standing close and within reach of her bowl she asked "Trouble in the war rooms?"
"No, just Elena being a martyr and Stefan letting her go without a fight. That elixir won't work dammit. She's going to just die" Damon let out his opinion.
"Damon, I feel I have to tell you this. You need better taste in girls. You can do way better than Twiggy and Princess Bore. They don't deserve all this worrying. And also don't worry, I have a feeling she'll be around to bore another day" Gwen replied offering her bowl and other spoon.
Damon snorted taking some in the second spoon "When you find this girl call me, until then shut it".
She laughed and they continued to pass the bowl between them in silence, enjoying the coming spring. It was nice as Stefan came out to join them.
"Breakfast for champions, huh?" Stefan teased to Damon, the bowl currently being with Gwen.
"Hello Hero Hair, don't forget the bowl he's been stealing from. Want some?" greeted Gwen, holding up said bowl.
Damon rolled his eyes at the two "I'm surrounded by idiots, excusing Gwen, need all the help I can get".
Stefan leaning on the wall replied "You know you're not helping".
Damon turned to him "Elijah an original vampire Stefan, one we tried to kill, you're not gonna believe this guy?" he taunted.
"What do you want me to do Damon? Elena made her decision, she's choosing to believe Elijah, I'm going to put my faith in her" said Stefan.
Damon was confused "Why? She's gonna end up dead".
"Cause she put her faith in me. She chose to trust me in spite of what I am. If I'm going to bet on anyone's instincts it's going to be hers" Stefan explained.
"Well that makes you the biggest idiot of them all" Damon countered.
"She chose to trust you too" Stefan pointed out.
An "Ohh burn" came from Gwen who had finished her breakfast and was watching the brother's quarrel. They once again ignored her comment.
"Well maybe you shouldn't be so sure about her instincts" said Damon glaring at Stefan. He took a gulp of his bourbon and walked off tossing the rest of his drink.
"Hey Blue Eyes, don't waste the good stuff!" Gwen yelled after him.
"You don't drink it Gwen and don't ruin my dramatic exits!" Damon yelled back not turning.
"You can't stop yourself, can you?" noted Stefan as he looked at her stand up then pick up her empty bowl and glass.
"Not really, but it's true. I looked at that stuff, it's really expensive" Gwen replied, walking after Damon shaking her head with Stefan following, "Such a waste, oh and speaking of waste; get a new girlfriend or better yet dump her and put that much heart into your brother, him too. Bore isn't worth either of you" and she went inside.
Stefan paused at her words, he'd heard those before.
After putting her dishes in the sink she joined Damon in the foyer with actual Alaric saying "The sacrifice happens tonight". Everyone exchanged looks.

While everyone went to the library Gwen followed Damon up the stairs and into his room. She sat quietly on his bed waiting for him to say something as he looked out his window. After a few minutes she couldn't hold it in anymore "You want to tell me what you're planning in that head of midnight there?"
He turned his head over his shoulder but didn't turn around "How to stop the ritual happening or stopping Elena from dying" he replied with a stressed sigh.
She tilted her head and fiddled with her dress "Well I don't know about the first but the second has many options. There is Elli's elixir, or you could hook her up to a drip full of blood straight to her system and use a machine to get her heart pumping again but she'd be hooked up in a hospital for a few months, or some kind of different witchy stuff than the elixir and last but not least, the option Princess Bore will never take".
He half turned to her with a look of amazement, that brain of hers was always genius but after only a couple days of supernatural she comes up with this. They both heard footsteps and quickly went back to their previous places, facing the window and sitting on the bed.
Elena walked in the room saying "You disappeared" to Damon, noticing Gwen and realised how much time she had been with Damon in the last few days.
"I don't want to hear anymore" replied Damon, not turning.
"I need you to understand why I'm doing this" Elena said with confidence. Gwen and Damon both turned to fully face her with looks screaming 'You're kidding right?'
"Why?" Damon walking closer demanded, "Clearly doesn't matter what I think". 'You tell her Damon' thought Gwen.
"I'll be fine Damon. I'll drink the elixir, Bonnie will kill Klaus and then all of this will finally be over" Elena said walking closer and leaning on a bed post. 'This won't go well' Gwen thought keeping silent and just observing.
"If it works" Damon pointed out.
"It will work" Elena stated with determination.
"You think it will work. You want it to work. Why am I the only one convinced it won't?" Damon asked Elena, "There has to be another way".
"There isn't" Elena shrugged and shook her head.
"You're gonna die Elena" he said walking closer to her.
"And then I'll come back to life" Elena said standing straighter the closer he came. Gwen's eyes went from one to the other warily.
"That's not a risk I'm willing to take" Damon said pointing his finger at her only for Elena to take his hand in her hands.
"But I am" she said with conviction, "It's my life Damon, my choice".
Damon tilted his head not pulling back his hand, "I can't lose you" he said. 'Oh boy' Gwen rolled her eyes.
"You won't" Elena replied then with a sigh let go of his hands and walked to the doorway.
Gwen took one look at Damon's face and thought 'uh-oh not good'. After a few seconds Damon vamp sped in front of Elena.
"There is another way" said Damon with a manic look in his eyes.
"What are you-"Elena started to say then Damon's vamp face growing slowly.
Gwen's eyes widened, she'd seen it the day before but now it came with a loud "Damon No!" as he bit his wrist.
"Damon No!" also coming from Elena trying to stop him before putting it in her mouth, holding her head still.
"Damon stop!" Gwen yelled from where she was, "She doesn't want that! Damon! Stop!" Finally Stefan pulled him off of Elena and threw him across the room. Gwen slumped back for a second in relief before standing. Elena fell to the ground as Stefan looked at Damon in disbelief.
"What did you do?" demanded Stefan, "Huh, What did you do?" he continues and went to Elena's side.
"Saved her life" Damon answered, "You're so bent on dying, at least this way I know you'll come back".
"As a vampire, she'll come back as a vampire" said Stefan.
"It's better than nothing else" said Damon not understanding the consequences of his actions.
Stefan walked towards Damon saying "How can you of all people take that choice away from her?" Elena was hysterical on the floor; Gwen quickly grabbed one of Damon's leather jackets ready to make a quick exit.
Damon slowly understood and said to Elena "Go ahead wish me an eternity of misery, believe me you'll get over it".
Stefan stared at him in anger and vamp sped tossing him across the room once more.
"Stefan!" Elena called out, getting his attention. This gave Damon time to pick up a long table leg and push Stefan against the bed.
"You just wish you had the balls to do it yourself" Damon said scathingly. Stefan hit him with the leg and the two started fighting, stopping when Damon picked up the leg and stabbed it into Stefan's stomach.
"No!" yelled Elena and pushed Damon away from Stefan, "Get out of here!" she demanded of Damon. By now everyone downstairs had heard and came up except Elijah.
"What's going on?" asked Alaric.
"Just get him out of here!" demanded Elena once more.
"Oh my god" said Jenna as Alaric tried to grab Damon who ripped his arm away standing. Alaric backed off as Stefan groaned at the pain, Damon looking at them all. He then left the room followed by Gwen as Alaric organised blood bags for Stefan by Jenna.
Gwen caught up to Damon and calmly said "Want a drink away from the Scooby's? In town maybe?" thinking it best to let them mellow out. Damon looked at her and nodded as they went down the stairs. She skipped ahead to get her shoes, and jacket in the library.
"Hello Gwendoline, going out?" asked Elijah politely.
"Hey Elli, yeah we are. Let the princess and the hair calm down" she replied. Damon joined them.
"Elli?" he asked.
"He called me Gwendoline, I call him Elli" Gwen explained shrugging, "I'll just grab my bag" and danced off placing Damon's jacket over a banister of the lower stairs.
Damon looked at Elijah with his eyebrows raised. Elijah shrugged in response "It grew on me with constant use but only by her" then turned back to what he was doing "Well it sounds like you won't be needing this anymore" putting the elixir away, "feeding her vampire blood made it useless".
Damon poured himself a small drink ignoring him.
"Tell Elena I will be back at nightfall, we will proceed as planned" Elijah continued and walked away.
"We both know that elixir wouldn't have worked anyway" said Damon taking a sip. Gwen came back down the stairs and stopped at the bottom to watch.
"Your problem Damon" Elijah started coming back, "you talk a good game but you don't actually know anything" stopping behind him, "She'll never forgive you" Damon looked at him over his shoulder "And never for a vampire is very long time" Elijah finished the left wasting no time.
Gwen took that as her cue, as Damon realised what he had just done, "Come on Blue Eyes, there's a lime shake out there with my name on it" Gwen said tossing his jacket at him, "Now, or I'll drive your baby kiwi-style, meaning on the left side of the road" that got him moving, no one touched his car.
The ride was quiet especially with Damon brooding, messing up her good mood. Finally they parked, once out she laughed "The Mystic Grill, how original. Lots of thought went into that one. It's nearly as bad as my hometown's name." He laughed with her as they entered.
"And what's that called?" Damon asked, for once not knowing.
"Well my last name is Masters, what do you think we named the town we founded?" she answered thinking it obvious. They sat at the bar waiting for service and ordered.
"You're kidding" He replied working it out.
"Nope, Masterton. I hate being known in that town but not the rest of the family. Their proud of it" she said snidely, he chuckled. Finally they got their order as they compared town founders and descendants of them. Finally Alaric joined them getting the same as Damon. By now Gwen's jacket was off and also her shoes as she preferred bare feet with this dress anyway.
With Alaric's presence it got serious. Damon stared straight ahead saying "I screwed up". Gwen turned to people watch while they got that all out.
"Yeah" Alaric replied, "Yeah you did".
"Yeah" Damon replied then turned his head to Gwen hearing her move.
Gwen looked around and saw a guy come in and see the two men at the bar, he smirked revealing his dimples and walked towards them. Then he turned his eyes to her, she tilted her head then felt a heat from her chest. Shocked she looked down and saw her necklace glow. Grabbing it she jumped to her feet looking up to the guy then to Damon who was looking at her with hope, worry and fear. She forced herself to smile, looked back at the guy and started to say something but only got out "Hello D-" before she felt a pull and suddenly everything went black. The last thought going through her mind was of how they were right, Stefan and Damon were right; at least she'll have familiar faces along with Katerina there. Their faces in her mind's eye.

Damon just stared at the spot where Gwen was. He had seen her go a few times but this was the first for her, it was different. Now he had to tell everyone.
Alaric also starred at the space, like everyone else he heard her story but to see it start was another thing entirely. This one girl who was a part of so many stories he'd got out of a drunken Damon. At least she'll be back soon he thought.
Klaus paused on his way over to the Salvatore and the Alaric bloke whose body he used. Gwen never told him that the last thing of the 21st Century she saw was him but now he knew where his nickname started. He quickly pulled himself together he wanted to be completely whole for when Gwen got back. He smirked, time for business.
"Gentlemen, why so glum?"
Damon groaned, "Klaus I presume?"
They both stood up and faced Klaus as he talked to them.
"In the flesh, thanks for the loaner mate." Klaus said.
"Any reason you stopped by to say hi?" Damon asked getting up close.
"I'm told you and your brother fancy my doppelganger. Just thought I'd remind you not to do anything you'll regret." Klaus said in warning, "I also just had to see Gwen in that dress, it's a favourite of mine" smiling conspiringly.
Damon sarcastically laughed, "Let me guess you're the last person she had to see before going into the past."
Klaus grinned, "That would be me, yes" he said smugly.
Damon grimaced, "Let's pick up that topic another less busy day. Thanks for the advice but I don't suppose I couldn't talk you into a postponement could I?" he said this completely serious, especially the first part.
Klaus laughed and said "You're kidding" his smile dropped and dimples faded, looking at Alaric he continued "he is kidding right?"
Alaric leaned on the bar thinking Damon was pushing his luck and said "No, not really", 'nope because he screwed up the life of the girl he loves' he thought.
"I mean come on what's one month in the grand scheme of things?" Damon tried convincingly but failed.
"Let me be clear", Klaus started, getting really close to Damon with his hand on the bar, "I have my vampire, I have my werewolf. I have everything I need. The ritual will happen tonight so if you want to live to see tomorrow, don't screw it up." With one last glare Klaus left.
This left Alaric and Damon at the bar planning two things; to screw up the ritual and to tell everyone Gwen's gone back in time.
Leaving the bar Damon got out his phone and called his brother, once he picked up Damon started taking as he was in a hurry, "Stefan two things; one Klaus says hi and to not screw up the ritual and two," he took a pause on this one.
"What?" asked Stefan on the phone at the bottom of the falls with Elena.
"Gwen's gone, she's in the past," answered Damon.
"What?" Stefan repeated, "When?"
"Oh about ten minutes ago. It was Klaus, he's the fifth person Stefan. You, me, Katherine, Elijah and Klaus. She knows him Stef." Damon stressed.
"Damon calm down, we'll worry about that later, she'll be back soon and we'll know then. For now concentrate on the ritual. Be careful brother." Stefan hung up and sighed.
"What's happened?" asked Elena.
Stefan looked at her then answered, "Klaus visited Damon and told him not to screw things up which was basically an invite for Damon to do exactly that. And," Stefan paused, "Gwen just left to the past. Though it means she's away from the danger of tonight, her travel into the past isn't a picnic either. Also we just found out Gwen knows Klaus." He then turned to the hill holding his hand out for her "Come on let's keep going".

Getting into his car after the call to Stefan, Damon grimaced and pressed call on his phone as he got in with Alaric in the passenger seat. The phone rang a few times then was picked up.
"Hello", came the calm voice of Elijah, "Is there a problem?"
"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" Damon asked.
"Both," Elijah answered.
"Well your brother says hi, that's one and the other, Gwen is now in the past." Damon said nonchalantly, or tried to.
"Ah, well that is expected of Klaus and I presume he was the fifth person needed?" Elijah asked, putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Yup, she started saying "hello D-" as she left. Know what it means?" replied Damon.
"An idea. Well let's concentrate on tonight shall we?" Elijah said unhelpfully and hung up.
Damon put his phone away while saying "Rude," and started the car and headed towards Alaric's place, "Two down, one to go."
"I meant to ask earlier, what's this five people thing?" Alaric asked.
Damon sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "Gwen always told us she had to see or meet five people before she left to the past. These were the people she would visit on her time jumps. There's me and my brother, Katherine, Elijah and now Klaus. Katherine is her best friend or bestie as Gwen calls her and she told us about one of the other two people she visits is her boyfriend, the love of her life." He glanced at Alaric meaningfully then pulled up at their destination and sat quietly for a moment, "But which one is it? She's my little sister Alaric." After a mutual sigh they quickly and quietly headed up to the apartment.
Alaric opened the door and leaned on the frame looking at Katherine.
"Look who's dumb enough to come back," she said.
"Well someone had to invite him in," replied Alaric earning a look from Katherine. "Damon would you like to come in?" he finished as Damon walked up.
Katherine vamp sped over to him, "Are you trying to get me killed?" she demanded. Damon vamp sped her against the wall holding her throat.
"I gave you vervain and now I'm here to collect" said Damon, "I got it from here Ric."
"You sure?" Alaric asked.
"Yeah only one of us needs to be blamed for this. Get back to the house and keep Elena from handing herself over." Damon replied then let go of Katherine as Alaric left.
"Get blamed for what?" she asked.
Damon smirked, "I need to know where Klaus is keeping his werewolf" he stated.
"Why?" she asked curious, "what are you going to do?"
"Dead werewolf equals no ritual" he smiled.
"No, you can't interfere Damon. Klaus will kill you and everyone you've ever met." She warned him.
"I just need to delay this thing," he tried.
"No, no way" she said and walked off.
"You should like this, it buys you another month of your pathetic life," he said trying another route.
"Right, except that I'm not the vampire he's planning on sacrificing." She countered turning back, tucking a hand in her back pocket.
"What?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's got Caroline Forbes and Tyler Lockwood. Therefore I'm in the clear." She smiled with a hand gesture and clap to match.
"And where did he get that idea from?" he asked rhetorically, walking towards her threateningly.
"Hey! Hey, hey, hey," she said backing off hands raised some, "I'm just trying to stay alive long enough to get myself out of here."
He cleared his throat and half crossed his arms, "What if I told you Elena had vampire blood in her system?" he said taunting her.
"What!" she demanded.
"Imagine just how fun that will be competing with Elena for Stefan's love for, I don't know, forever." He teased with matching facial expressions, 'It's always Stefan' he thought. The two had a stare down until she relented.
"The tomb," she said, "He's got them in the tomb."
"Thank you," he said and turned to leave then turned back, "Oh yeah, Gwen's gone back in time. Funny thing actually, person four and five were Elijah and Klaus. Contemplate that Katty the bestie." With that he left a shocked and slightly traumatised Katherine Pierce as she contemplated the possible outcomes that went with that piece of a big puzzle.
Damon left Alaric's building and thought of the coming days, Gwen better get back soon with an explanation and a really good bottle of bourbon. They'll need something at the end of this. He sighed and headed towards the tomb, 'Let's get this done' he thought.

AN: So there's chapter two and three, with an updated version of chapter one with some minor changes. Also there's now a cover picture up; that's Gwen's necklace and dress if you hadn't figured. Gwen's now in the past so chapters will be interesting to say the least. I'm going to be referencing a lot of historically pop culturally type things in my writing which I hope people will understand! Enjoy and Reviews welcome!