"Hey, guys!" Caroline said. She came over and sat with the others at the Grill. "You won't believe what happened last night."

"Don't tell me you had that dream, too, Caroline." Bonnie said.

"How did you know?"

"It happened to all of us." Elena said. "We were all there."

"How is that even possible?" Tyler asked. Caroline had asked him to meet her at the Grill with the others. They were surprisingly okay with it.

"Dude, by now you should know almost anything's possible." Jeremy pointed out. "Then again, I was the only one who wasn't there." Bonnie put an arm around him. The two of them had started dating.

"We know who's responsible for it though." Stefan said. "I only know one person who can use that ability on more than one person at a time."

"It's her, isn't it?" Elena asked. Bonnie smiled.

"I was getting that feeling, too." She told her.

"Okay, I'm still a little lost." Tyler said.

"I'll explain everything later." Caroline told him.

"Hang on." Bonnie said. "Now that I think about it, Jeremy wasn't the only one missing."

"I noticed it, too." Stefan told her.

"Maybe she can only do it with a certain number of people at a time." Jeremy said. "Am I right?"

"Well, it's true that even normal witches have trouble holding a spell on more than one person, depending on whatever spell they're using." Bonnie told them.

"That means he doesn't know." Elena realized. The group looked to each other.

"Hang on, if we tell him directly, he won't believe us." Jeremy pointed out.

"I know that. But I still think someone should go talk to him." Elena said.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Thanks, but I can handle it, Stefan." Elena told him.

"Just go already." Caroline said. Elena left the group.

It didn't take long for Elena to get to the Boarding House. She headed inside. In the week that Maria had been gone, everyone noticed a change in Damon. He didn't really head out much unless it was to work on a new case or to try and find out where Katherine was hiding. Ever since the ritual, they hadn't seen or heard from her, but didn't want to take the chance, either.

Elena went upstairs and found him in his room. "Hey."

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"We've all been worried about you lately." Elena said. "Even Caroline, and that's not normal."

"I'll admit that blondie's grown on me."

"Look, she's going to come back." Elena told him. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing her again soon enough."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Some things you just know, Damon. Don't give up on her. I know she wouldn't give up on you and neither would the rest of us." Elena told him. She turned and started to leave.

"Hang on." She stopped and turned around. "Are we okay? I mean, after what happened before the sacrifice and everything, I wouldn't blame you if you still…" He was surprised when she walked over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Yeah. I think we're okay." Elena told him. She left the room.

Damon watched as she left. As soon as she was gone, he started to feel tired. He laid back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Damon?" He heard a voice ask. He looked around and noticed he was in some kind of field. Then he looked down and noticed his clothes. He was dressed as though he was still in 1864. At first he didn't see anyone else because it was slightly foggy.

Then he saw her. Standing exactly across from him, was a girl with long, brown hair, blue eyes, and she was wearing a green dress appropriate for that time. She looked a lot like Maria. "I remember now. You're that girl I saved, right?" Damon asked.

"That's right." She told him. "Sorry I couldn't get back to you earlier. My abilities can be limited sometimes."

"Don't worry about it."

"I knew you'd find me again, Damon." Maria said. "Or was it the other way around?" She sighed. "I guess it really doesn't matter how you phrase it." Then she glanced around.

"What is it?" Damon asked.

"This won't hold up much longer." She told him. "This might last a few more minutes, but I don't think I can keep it up."

"I never did thank you for saving me that time."

"You saved me first, remember?" She pointed out. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be here now."

"Will I see you again?"

"Of course you will." She said. "I've always been there, Damon. I always will be."

Damon woke up and found himself back in his room. "That was you, wasn't it?" He asked. He looked and saw Maria standing in the doorway. "When did you get back?"

"Last night. Sorry I didn't let you know earlier, but Bonnie asked me to spend the night with her the first night I got back."

"You were that girl from the ball, weren't you?" He asked. "And I remember saving you from that fire."

"I knew you'd figure it out." Maria told him, smiling.

"No wonder I didn't remember at first."

"What can I say? Somehow, I thought this look would be more modern." Maria touched her long hair, though it was still shorter than it had been in the past.

"So, Mary Bennett, huh?"

"For some reason, I could never stand my name back then." She told him.

"So you changed it."

"Emily knew my parents." Maria said. "It turned out my mother was part Italian on one side. At first I used her maiden name, but after a while, changed it to Protezione since I thought it'd fit better."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing."

"Sorry I left on such short notice."

"Hey, it's okay. I understand that you take your promises seriously. Trust me, my brother's the same way."

"Why do you think I'm friends with him?" Maria pointed out.

"Anyway, what are you doing back here? I thought you'd spend at least another week with your other friends."

"What else can I say? I got home sick." Maria told him, walking into the room. "My friends are great and all, but Mystic Falls is where I belong."

"Thanks for healing me the other day."

"It was nothing, really." She sat down next to him on the bed.

"I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't."

"Apparently not much." Maria said. "Elena called and told me you were avoiding the rest of the group."

"In my defense, I was helping Liz with a case." Damon said. "Though she's been acting weird, as though she might know something."

"Oh, that's right." Maria remembered. "Don't worry. We'll work it out with her, I know it."

"Why did you decide to save me, anyway?" Damon asked her. "I mean, I know we're friends and all, but it left you a little weaker."

"Hey, I can handle going a full day without my witch powers." Maria told him. "Not that I needed them at the time, anyway."

"Still, why would you risk it to save me? I know you'd do it for any of the others, but why…"

"Because I love you, Damon." Maria said. "I think I always did." He looked at her. For once, he had no idea what to say.

"So it really was you all along. How could I not see that…"

"Hey, at least you figured it out." Maria said, cutting him off again. "That's all that matters." Then she leaned over and kissed him passionately. He was surprised at first, then, slowly and gently, he kissed her back. She ran her hand through his hair as they kissed. They both finally knew that they belonged here.

A/N: Okay, don't get mad at me for that scene between Damon and Elena. In this story/series, they are just friends. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it. I should be posting the first chapter of the sequel up soon. It's called Katherine's Revenge. Anyway, review and let me know what you think.