Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries or Twilight. All rights belong to Stephanie Meyer and Julie Plec.

Damon raised his head slightly. That was a big mistake. In an instant, he was clutching the small garbage can by his bed, coughing up blood. No matter how often he felt like he was hacking up a lung, it never seemed to be enough torment.

If I'm gonna die, can't the universe just get it over with? Damon thought, nearly annoyed at how much suffering he seemed destined to endure.

"No, as a matter of fact, it can't," Came a voice from the doorway.

I said that out loud?

"Yes, Wise-guy, you did," It was the same voice, this time closer.

Damon opened his eyes and tried to see a face without turning his head - It seemed to cause more harm then good when he did. When his eyes finally landed on the figure, he almost flashed beside it.

However, reality caught up to him. His senses kicked in and reminded him of his current situation - Bitten by a Werewolf. Rose had gone through the same agony. He had watched it happen, seen her mind slip away from time to time. She had attacked Elena because she believed it to be Katherine. That being said, Damon was now certain that this was his own mind playing whatever tricks it could conjure.

This was just cruel. The physical pain was one thing. Sure, it hurt like hell. But did he really need the emotional pain as well? To be reminded of everything that he had loved and lost? He didn't want this. He didn't want to rehash the stupid mistake that had driven her from his arms. He just wanted to die already.

Why didn't Stefan just let me burn? He wondered, because in all honesty, it would have made everything easier on everyone in this screwed up little town.

"Don't think like that," The hallucination of Isabella scolded him. Further proof that she was a figment of his imagination - Apparently she was hearing his thoughts.

"I'm not hearing your thoughts, you idiot. Your just too weak to realize that your speaking your mind." She traveled to the bed and sat beside him, worry in her doe-like eyes. Damon found himself unable to look away from them. "I'm not a hallucination, you know," She stated.

Why else would she be here? He thought tiredly.

"Because you got bit by a Werewolf, dumbass, that's why," She said, "Did you honestly think I wouldn't care enough to come?"

Damon did his best to speak clearly, "If your not-" That was all he got out before the coughing started. Once he was settled down, he tried talking again, "If your not in my head, then how did you know I was here? Like this?" He asked.

She sighed and straightened her back. "She called and told me what happened. Said she knew you meant a lot to me and knew that I would want to be here."

"Damon?" Elena's knock interrupted whatever reply Damon had thought of. The doppelgänger entered the room without invitation, hoping Damon was sleeping restfully.

Upon entering, she noticed the brunette sitting beside him and was taken aback. What the hell? Who was this girl? And how did she even get in?

"Who are you?" Elena asked, her brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, Elena?" Damon asked. He was the only person in the room.

"She means me, dumbass," The stranger said in an annoyed voice, " This is the first time I'm meeting the newest Petrova doppelgänger."

Elena's heartbeat quickened at this statement. If this girl knew about the doppelgänger, that meant she was involved in the supernatural world. It also meant that she, like so many others, probably saw the price that seemed to hang over Elena's head thanks to Klaus.

The girl seemed not to notice Elena's sudden fear as she continued speaking, "Now where are your manners at, Salvatore? You get a tiny little wolf bite and think it's okay to leave two strangers to introduce themselves to one another? I thought your momma raised you better than that. Just because you're weak doesn't mean you get to be ignorant, you know." She finished with an amusing exasperated sigh.

Elena watched, confused, as the girl stood from the bed and approached her. She extended a hand and began her own introduction - Something that appeared to be of a great inconvenience to her.

"Hi, I'm Isabella Pierce," She said happily. Elena's eyes bugged out of their sockets.

"You're Katherine's sister?" She asked, fear evident in her voice.

"I see you've met her. You can stop shaking and trying to remember where the closest exit is. Out the door, to the left, by the way- It's the only window that opens on this floor. Anyway, yes, Katherine is my sister. She's a real bitch, isn't she?"

Elena couldn't speak. She just stared at the woman before her. Who the hell was this girl? Sure, she was Katherine's sister, but why was she here? What did she want? Her mind was rapidly thinking of question after question but she was still too stunned to form the words nessaccary to ask them.

"Well, while you work on trying to close your mouth, I'm just gonna sit back down. Let me know when you can form a sentence," Bella said, before turning to Elena once more, "You know what, I don't have all day. Better make it a word. Blink once if you understand," She waited for the blink that never came.

Instead, Elena just went, "Wh-uh-wha-hu-bu-"

"Alrighty then," Bella said, feeling slightly sorry for the poor girl.

She walked back over to Damon's bedside. He had been watching the interaction with tired eyes. He was still looking that way as Elena exited the room, probably to tell the rest of the gang about the new girl in town.

Isabella could tell that Damon just wanted to sleep. She knelt down next to the bed and took his hand with one of hers as she stroked his hair with the other.

"It's okay to sleep, you know," She said softly, "I'll still be here when you wake up."

Damon's eyes drifted shut. He was almost out. "You were talking to Elena," He said, as though just realizing it.

"Yeah,"

"And she was talking to you," He said, more himself than to her. She's here... He thought. She's actually here...

"Yes, she is," The petite brunette replied with a soft laugh. He was back to talking without knowing it, "And she's not leaving your side this time." She said with conviction.

Damon opened his eyes weakly. He was really fighting to stay conscious, but now that he knew she was really here, he didn't want to waste any time.

"Damon..." She breathed, "Sleep. I swear to you I will be hear when you wake up."

"I don't have much time," He said, seemingly ignoring her words, "I have to make it up to you, tell you what happened,"

This was the conversation she had been fearing. This was the topic they always left alone, because it was simply easier that way. But now, Damon was on his deathbed and he wanted to dredge up everything that hurt. She couldn't do this right now, she was barely holding herself together as it was. So she did what she thought was best and pushed it off until he was better rested.

"Shh, sleep, Damon. We can talk about it later."

"I may not-" He was cut off by his own coughing, "I may not be here later-"

"Don't talk like that," She stopped him.

"Isa-"

"No. Damon, I promise you, you will get through this. We will find a cure."

"Isa-"

"We just have to keep looking. Broaden the search. I heard there's a Bennett witch in town?"

"Isa." He said it with surprising force. He couldn't watch her do this - Drive herself insane searching for something that didn't exist. "There's nothing that can be done. You know that,"

"But-"

"No. You know there's not a cure. I don't want you getting your hopes up."

"I can't just do nothing, Damon!" She nearly shouted, "I can't just sit back and watch you wither away. Don't ask me to do nothing. Don't ask me to let you go. Please," She whimpered the last word.

"Come here," He whispered, and scooted over in the bed to give her room to lay down.

She crawled onto the bed so that she was facing him and rested her head in the crook of his chin. He wrapped both his arms around her form and held her while she cried into his chest. Damon knew better than to try and reassure her with words like 'it's okay,' and 'everything's gonna be fine,' because in truth, he didn't know if it would be.

"I'll never really leave you." He stated. There was no room for argument in his tone but that didn't seem to stop Isa.

"And I'll never let you go." She tilted her head back to look him in the eyes. "Despite everything that's happened in the past, I just need you to know that you're it for me."

"As you are for me. But I want you to promise me something, Isa,"

"Anything," She quickly replied.

"Be happy. No matter what happens, just be happy," With that said, Damon couldn't fight sleep anymore. His eyes were slowly drifting shut. Isabella stared at him, amazed.

This was the time. He was almost gone and had just told her to be happy without him there. Now she wanted to get something just as important off her chest.

Isa lifted herself so her lips were only a breath away from his, and she whispered one little sentence.

"I love you, Damon." She closed the distance between their lips and softly kissed him, pouring her heart into the simple act and hoping he could feel the amount of love she felt for him.

"Well isn't this cozy," The two on the bed jumped at the interruption. Isa turned to see her older sister.

"Katerina,"

Okay, so, Hi everyone! I'm Tara-57, or just Tara, and this is my very first FanFic that I'm officially publishing. I do a lot of other writing but that's mostly just for an outlet. Let me know what you guys think, Review, PM. Either way, doesn't matter.

My updates will probably be sporadic just to let you know, but if I develop any sort of schedule it will be posted on my profile. I'm also in the market for a Beta reader. Anyone interested let me know.

Enjoy and please review - Honestly, not any of that 'First Fic, Be Nice' crap, I want truth; Nothing but. Love y'all