Jeremy Gilbert arrived home shortly after his shift ended. It had been a long day of work and with Matt cutting down his hours to attend classes at Whitmore, Jeremy had to pick up the slack. He was thinking about Bonnie while he pulled off his socks and shoes as he reached the upstairs bathroom. Throughout the entire summer, he would talk to her asking each time if there was any possible way to cross back over to this side. Bonnie had been trying to no avail.

After unzipping and sliding off his jeans, Jeremy removed the rest of his clothing. He finally reached for a towel from the closet when Bonnie appeared in front of him.

"Ah! Jeez, Bonnie." He quickly wrapped the towel around his toned physique. It was evident in his facial expression that he was slightly embarrassed.

"Sorry, bad time?" Bonnie's mouth curved upwards a little as she gazed at Jeremy from head-to-toe. "I need you to tell the others something about Stefan."

"Can't it wait until after I shower?" Not that Jeremy didn't welcome her presence.

Bonnie continued to stare at Jeremy's cut abs and defined obliques before finally adding, "Sorry, it'll just be a moment. I can't stay long."

A wrinkle in between his eyebrows formed as Jeremy frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I've been conversing with the witches over on the other side. My magic was left unbalanced after I died and the spell I caused Silas to turn to stone broke. He's been killing innocent people all over Virginia wearing Stefan's face. He's angry that the cure has been used."

"Then, we give Katherine over to him. Problem solved."

"It's not gonna be that easy, Jer. Especially since Qetsiyah mentioned that nature needed a balance when he created the immortality spell. Someone that could be killed. A doppelganger. We need to find his descendents. They might be the key to his demise."

Jeremy took a few minutes to process everything. "What about Stefan?"

"All I know is Silas did something to him." Bonnie paused. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Before Jeremy could get in another word, Bonnie vanished out of thin air.

-v-v-

Damon and Elena both sat on top of her bed. Her clothes for the evening were pushed to the side near her pillows. Elena was speechless, deep in thought. She began biting her lip. Shaking her head, she replied, "how is it even possible?"

Damon stood up and began pacing around the room recalling back to early summer. "I should have seen the signs. Stefan mentioned Portland and then he goes to Vegas. He hates Vegas." He took a deep breath. "Katherine was keeping tabs through some of her connections. He was apparently seen recently in a few towns over from Mystic Falls, but I believe otherwise."

All Elena heard was the name, Katherine. She hated her so much and in 80 or so years after leading a normal human life, she'd be gone from Elena's eternal one for good. "Katherine? Why is she…"

"She's been staying in Mystic Falls." He quickly changed the subject. "The witches she kept in contact all say the same thing. Silas isn't in the bottom of the ocean if he ever was in the first place. I think he's been posing as Stefan killing people to gain attention."

Elena was on the verge of hyperventilating. "We have to find Bonnie!"

"There's something you need to know about Bonnie, Elena."

Before Damon could explain, Caroline entered the room. She stared at Elena's outfit. Elena wore dark jeans and a plain blue shirt. "You're going to the party in that?!" Caroline had a look of disapproval plastered on her delicate face.

"I can't go. Damon thinks Stefan's in trouble." She glanced back at Damon. "What about Bonnie?"

"Jeremy will tell you all about it. I wish I had better news." He sighed. "Nothing like the start of the new year without the potential of a life or death situation."

Caroline clearly perplexed, added, "Wait, what did I miss?"

After the two filled Caroline in, Elena and Caroline made sure they packed overnight bags. No one would be attending a party tonight.

-v-v-

Outside, the sky was dark as the sun had yet to rise up again. Trees of all different shapes and sizes were almost bare since their leaves had begun to fall on the ground or been brushed up by a gentle zephyr. Birds began to chirp signaling morning had come. His room was in a disarray filled with belongings scattered all over the place. The sound of a car driving down the road a mile away woke Stefan up. He was in his bed next to Elena who was wearing a white silk camisole and plaid shorts.

She laid by his side resting her head on his shoulder. "I've missed this." She breathed without opening her eyes.

"Me too, but if we don't get up we're gonna be late for school."

Elena grumbled. "We can be a few minutes late. High school geometry is not that important."

"High school?" Stefan, sliding the sheets right off the bed, shot straight up. "This is another hallucination. You're not really here."

"What are you talking about Stefan?" Elena gave him a worried look, stood up next to him, and cupped his face in her hands. "Are you feeling okay?"

Stefan backed away, suddenly feeling sick. He coughed up water while his whole room started to magically flood.

He was then at the bottom of the lake, watching Elena as she drowned inside Matt's truck, unable to reach her in time, his biggest regret.

His vampire nature healed his lungs each time they filled up with water but the constant process of suffocation along with his body desiccating was extremely agonizing.

It was in that moment, he knew he was still trapped in the box without a hope of getting rescued. He drifted back into darkness.

-v-v-

On the drive back, Elena received a text from her brother explaining the urgency of meeting at the boarding house. "Jer spoke to Bonnie, Silas is definitely free. Katherine was right." Damon accelerated, swerving in and out of lanes to get home as fast as possible.

Once Damon parked his baby in the driveway, the three of them met up with Jeremy in the spacious lounge room. Caroline and Elena dropped their bags at the entrance arch. Elena hugged her brother before settling down in one of the leather couches. "Where's Bonnie?"

Damon turned to Jeremy indicating through body language not to drop the bombshell that she's dead, but just to relay the message she sent.

While Jeremy talked, Damon went over to the bar and poured two glasses of bourbon. He sauntered over to Elena and handed her a glass before sitting down. The liquid swirled around his glass before Damon took a sip.

"She had to leave, but, uh, she's been speaking to the witches on the other side. Apparently, she upset the balance and her spell broke letting Silas capable of attacking Stefan. She doesn't know where Stefan is at the moment." Jeremy paused. "Bonnie, um, mentioned that because Silas is immortal that nature had to create someone in his image that could die: a doppelganger."

"So you're saying he looks like me?" Elena wondered after taking a swig of bourbon.

"Bonnie didn't go into details. She doesn't know his true face but that whoever his decedents are may be the only ones able to defeat him."

Caroline crossed her arms. "Where does that leave Stefan in all this?"

Jeremy shrugged, having no more information to share. He took a seat across from his sister.

"It's obvious." Damon stated, slamming his empty glass down on the coffee table. "He's in the damn lake. Silas is a dick."

-v-v-

It was almost ten at night when Damon, Elena, Jeremy, and Caroline reached the cliff where Stefan had said he was going to drop Silas into the water. A storm was approaching and the group heard the first roar of thunder. Even the ground vibrated ever so often when branches broke off from monstrous trees. Clouds covered the pitch-black sky. The moonlight reflected off the water, like a thousands diamonds glistening, illuminating the night.

Damon was the first to speak. Internally, he was beating himself up inside for not realizing all of this sooner. "Here's the plan. We're going to have to go down to the shore. I'll swim out with Jeremy. I'll retrieve the box. That's when Blondie will get out the blood bags and Stefan will drink until he regains enough strength."

"What if you can't find him?" Elena questioned, apprehensively.

"I'm not leaving until I bring my brother back."

Elena nodded, holding a flashlight pointing towards Damon and Jeremy. "Be careful. Both of you."

Damon took off his jacket and handed it to Elena. The boys started taking off their socks and shoes tossing them aside. Jeremy stripped down to just his suit. Damon and Jeremy then trudged into the water before it was deep enough to swim.

A half hour passed with no such luck. Elena and Caroline were getting anxious. Elena paced around in circles, watching in hopes one of the boys would announce he found the box.

Jeremy swam back closer to the shore where the water wasn't as deep to catch his breath. He was exhausted.

"Are you okay, Jer?" Elena shouted out to him.

He inhaled and exhaled. "Yeah." He then went back under the water. Finally, as Jeremy swam straight down, his hand touch something smooth. His traced the outline of a large rectangular box. He lifted his head out from under the water. "Over here! I found it!" A wave of relief washed over all of them. Damon raced over to the youngest Gilbert.

Moments later, Damon pulled the massive box up onto rocks. He ripped the the locks off and punch a hole in the top before taking it off completely. The two girls ambled over getting a closer look. Damon lifted his brother out of the box and placed him gently down on the ground.

Jeremy, soaking wet, took a few deep breaths before standing next to Damon.

Elena glanced over Damon's shoulder shining her flashlight over Stefan's body. "Oh my God, Stefan!" She knelt down noticing his sunken features. There was no color left in his face at all. His damp shirt and pants stuck to his emaciated figure. His skin looked paper-thin. Stefan appeared lifeless, the image of death.

"He needs human blood...lots of it. Caroline, give me a blood bag." Elena pleaded. Caroline listened and quickly pulled two blood bags out of her backpack. She handed both to Elena.

Damon opened Stefan's mouth as Elena poured the liquid down his throat. It barely brought back any of his natural complexion. Stefan was still comatose. Elena started to shake her head. "We need more, much more." She rubbed her temples. Animal blood wasn't going to do the trick. Elena instantly heard rustling in the woods a few miles away where a camper was collecting branches to maintain his fire.

"Elena…don't." Elena disregarded Caroline's remark and vamp sprinted towards the direction.

A tent was already set up and a man in his thirties was sitting on a stump by the fire he created.

"Hi, I seem to be lost."

The man looked up at Elena, startled. "It's dangerous out here these times at night. Where were you heading, dear?"

Elena took a few steps closer and looked straight into the man's eyes. "Don't say a word. You won't remember any of this. Come with me now!"

A few minutes later, Elena was back with the man following right behind her.

Damon, letting Elena take control, took a few steps away from Stefan.

Caroline had a judgmental expression on her face. "Elena, what are you doing?"

"We don't have enough blood bags. Stefan still hasn't opened his eyes. He needs human blood. Could you imagine what his thirst must be like?"

"I could carry him back." Damon suggested. "There's a fridge full of blood bags back at the house."

Elena took that into consideration before shaking her head again. For all she knew, Silas could appear at any moment and kill them. She wanted Stefan back to normal as quickly as possible. "No, this is the best way." She felt Stefan was in this predicament because of her. Elena pulled the unfortunate man closer by his arm. She then swiftly bent the camper's head to the side and bit into his neck. She placed him over Stefan and the blood from the neck wound trickled into his mouth. Stefan's eyes then opened wide and he began feeding.

Stefan finally appeared rejuvenated after draining all the blood from the camper. A few drops of blood dripped down his chin. His cheeks were flushed. He stared up at his rescuers. Stefan spoke a barely audible whisper, "Silas…"

"Shush, save you're energy until we get back home." Elena said. Damon, after putting on his shoes, helped Stefan to his feet and took Stefan's arm placing it over his shoulder. The five of them hurried back to the parked car. Damon carefully let go of Stefan and backed up. "I'll take care of the body." He gazed into Elena's eyes. His piercing blue eyed stare still affected her. Her breathing quickened. "I won't be long." Elena nodded. Damon kissed the top of her forehead before heading back down to the shoreline.

Stefan felt lethargic and still out of it, but for the first time in three months, he finally took a breath of fresh air.

The title of this part was Dead in the Water, by Ellie Goulding. I recommend listening to it while Stefan is hallucinating/getting saved if you happen to reread. I'm being careful in my music selections so there will be key scenes that songs listed as the title should be played alongside. If you like TVD music, check out the ones I post!

So, what did you guys think? Personally, I brought Stefan back early since I truly believe the show isn't going to keep him under water long after the premiere. I'm sure some might think so, but if Elena acted OOC, it's called desperation. She's a little bad-ass now so one casualty is sacrifice to save someone she deeply cares about. As always, please review. I love, love feedback!

Stay tuned for the next episode. "Promo-" Elena, Matt, and Caroline attend the Occult meeting and find out upsetting news. Damon visits Whitmore and steals all of Shane's research on Silas...