Karma. Is. A. Bitch. Damon thought as he pushed himself in a seating position on the cold floor. I deserve this after all the terrible things I've done. He mumbled to himself. Every single muscle in his body was throbbing with pain. As if he had been soaking in a vervain bath and the poison got into his entire body. Into every pore, every muscle and every freaking organ. His whole body convulsed, and he rushed towards the trash can Stefan had left for him in the corner of the room. After he was sure he emptied the content of his stomach Damon dragged himself to the tiny sink. He rinsed his mouth and washed his face. Uh, he hasn't showered properly in over a week. It all started two weeks ago or so. First, he was getting dizzy for no reason. Then came the pains in his joints and muscles along with the Godzilla of headaches. After that came the shivers and the burning up deal. If he didn't know any better, Damon would've thought he had a cold. But he knew better. Vampires didn't get sick. Something else must be happening to him. Three days ago, he started vomiting almost every time he fed. Which made him even weaker. That was the moment Damon knew he was in trouble. If he couldn't feed, he will eventually desiccate. Sickness or no sickness, without blood he was as good as dead.

Unable to hold himself up any longer, Damon let his trembling body slide to the ground against the cold, damp wall. He closed his eyes briefly, remembering the latest conversation he had with his brother. As soon as Damon had told Stefan what was going on, Stefan started researching. Going through every one of his journals, every book in the library and every grimoire they had accumulated over the years. Nothing turned up. When Damon told his little brother that it might be better if he simply took off his ring and let the sun do its thing, Stefan lost his marbles. After giving Damon yet another speech on the perks of life, Mr. Goody locked Damon in the cellar to make sure the elder Salvatore won't be able to simply take off his ring and let nature take its course.

At the sound of footsteps, Damon's eyes opened wide. It had to be Captain Broods-a-lot. Who else was there? Alaric was in the mountains on a fishing expedition for a month. Damon winced at the thought. Blondie and he weren't enemies, but not exactly bosom friends either. Oh, and there was Elena. There were so many things Damon wanted to tell her. God, he just wanted to be close to hear. Take in her unique and mouth-watering scent. Jasmine and honey. He wanted to hear her soothing voice. He wanted her to lie to him. To tell him he will be okay. Tell him that she will fight for him. Admit that she felt something for him. Alas, these were all fantasies. Damon had basically begged his brother not to inform Elena of his state. He didn't want or need her pity. What he did need from her, he was pretty sure she couldn't give. He and Stefan had argued about this last time they spoke.

"She has the right to know Damon. It's not fair to her. She cares about you, you know she does," Stefan said from behind the bars, making Damon roll his eyes. The gesture was enough to make his headache worse. Damon made a note for himself to minimize the eye-rolling for the time being. This meant less time spent with his baby bro.

"I promise, if this is really it and I really am dying, I will let your girlfriend know," Damon growled.

"She is not…I mean we are on a break." Stefan mumbled making Damon roll his eyes. What else was new? These two were always on a break.

That had been just two days ago.

"Come to harass me again brother?" Damon said attempting to smirk. Hiding his feelings behind his usual cocky grin, was not easy when his body was in enough pain to make him want to weep.

"No, no harassing. I came to let you out. But you have to promise me you will not take off your ring, no matter what. I know this is tough, I know you are in pain, but I still think we will find a cure. Just give me some time" Stefan said before showing Damon his daylight ring. Damon had missed his ring. The ring that allowed him to enjoy the sun. Being stuck in this godforsaken cellar was beginning to make him feel antsy.

"Okay. I promise." Damon replied. He just wanted to lay down in his own bed for a change. Damon didn't know if there was indeed a cure for…whatever it was that was wrong with him. What he knew for sure was that it was getting worse. The pain in his body was getting more intense. The shivers more frequent. Not to mention the most recent development. Nausea. Which meant no blood. Which meant no regeneration. Damon had to be realistic. If things continued the way they have, he knew he didn't have long. And if he were to die, he preferred to do it in his own goddamned bed. Way more comfortable than a cold, dark, damp cellar.

Stefan unlocked the cellar door and opened it before walking over to his older brother. He was sporting a serious face that Damon had only seen back in 1864. It was a wonder that his face didn't get stuck that way.

"Thank you for not letting me rot in here Stefan. Very kind of you." Damon said, pulling himself up to stand and walking out the door, happy to be out and about again, even if it was painful as hell. His legs felt like they were made of wet sand. It took Damon a few minutes just to get control of them. Once he felt confident enough to move, he walked out of the dungeon room. The dark room was so depressing, he was happy to be out.

"You are not going to die Damon. I'm going to find you a cure," Damon heard his brother and turned around just in time to see Stefan close the heavy door behind him. "I'm headed to Bonnie's house to see what she found out," Stefan said looking Damon in the eye. Ever the hero. Damon thought. Stefan had always been prone to taking on lost causes. However, Damon appreciated it nonetheless. To know that after all this time and after all the animosity between them his brother still had his back. It felt good.

"Whatever you say, brother. Thanks again for letting me out, I won't go all kamikaze on you this time," Damon said with a nod before dragging himself to his room, cursing each and every step up the stairs. Once he reached his bedroom, he got inside closing the door with a loud clank. Climbing the stairs had drained him. He felt each and every one of his one hundred and forty-nine years of life.

Damon knew Stefan meant well, but he doubted his brother would find a cure. Maybe it was time he accepted his faith. Either the illness with kill him slowly and painfully. Or he will desiccate because he couldn't keep blood down. Damon climbed into his oh-so comfortable bed and slowly drifted to sleep, his mind on one person: Elena Gilbert.

A wave of pain woke Damon up merely forty minutes after he fell asleep. Grimacing in pain, he turned on his back. As the pain subsided enough to clear his mind, Damon's thoughts drifted back to a certain doe-eyed brunette. Somehow his feelings for the former Mystic Falls High cheerleader have changed. At the beginning she had simply been a tool. Someone he could use to piss off his brother. However, once Damon got to know Elena, she became much more. She was smart and kind and loyal to a fault. She genuinely cared for people. And she was brave. Yes, Damon valued bravery. She had risked her life to save his after all. Damon started to admire her. He started to like spending time with her. And finally, he ended up falling in love with her. As soon as Damon admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with Elena Gilbert, he also came to two other conclusions. One, he had never truly loved Katherine. And two, there was absolutely nothing he wouldn't do for Elena.

He had planned on making it up to her for all the horrible things he's done. Also, he wanted to gain her trust, her admiration and finally her care, her…love. He knew she felt something for him. His sensitive vampire senses picked up on the little things. Like how her heart would stop for a few seconds each time she looked at him. How her pulse accelerated when they were in close proximity to each other. He heard the sharp breath she would take in every time he touched her.

Damon would give anything, anything, to be able to touch her, kiss her, be with her, make love to her…just once.

***Damon&Elena***

Stefan waited until the Boarding House fell completely quite before moving. Using his vampire speed, he was standing by Damon's bedroom door in mare seconds. He pushed the door open as slowly as he could, careful to not make any noise. His brother was in bed, curled to one side, fast asleep. Satisfied that Damon was alright for the time being, he made his way out. Bonnie had called him a few hours before to let him know she's found something. Stefan prayed it was good news. No matter how much he complained about Damon, Stefan loved his brother more than anything in the world. He was the only family he had.