I listened as Katherine left the boarding house. My face still burning, my heart still racing from her seeing me kiss Damon. My mind was spinning from relief that Damon was going to be okay and the news that Stefan had sacrificed hugely for the cure; but what kind of sacrifice?

I looked over by the bed and picked up my car keys.

"I have to go, I have to see what's going on with Stefan." I told Damon.

He looked up, his eyes still a lifeless blue, dark shadows playing under his eyes, the sweat of infection still shining on his face.

"I'm going with you." He said, his voice raspy and tired. He sat up with a true struggle.

"Damon, no. You need to rest."

I sat down on the bed and pressed his chest down fairly easy.

"Elena, I'm only getting better from here obviously. I'll be fine before we make it to the driveway. I'm not taking any chances." He said, resting his hand on top of mine on his chest.

I stood up to make an excuse to move my hand out of the way. I was feeling strange. Something was wrong and there was a turning in my stomach. Damon began to get up again but I just gave up. I made it to the door as he walked slowly towards me.

We made it to Klaus' apartment shortly after. Damon opened the door and we both walked in. It was empty, quiet.

"They're gone." Damon said rubbing the back of his neck in frustration.

I looked down at my phone. "Seriously, where are you?" I texted.

"Elena. What a pleasant surprise. Oh and Damon. You look better. Kind of." Klaus smiled looking Damon up and down. Damon was still weak, feverish and had a slight sway in his stance.

"Where's Stefan." Damon ordered.

"He's here. But you may be better off just leaving. You may want to get the girl out of here." Klaus gestured playfully towards me.

Suddenly Damon was across the room grabbing the front of Klaus' shirt.

"Where is he!" Damon demanded as harshly as he could, but his weak condition left him very non threatening.

Suddenly Klaus had Damon slammed into a wall and he held held him there, his fist pressed tightly against Damon's chest.

"He's working for me now. It was your life, for his assistance. Now, just because you got the cure doesn't mean you are in a good condition to be here trying to start a fight. It's going to take you a while to get better seeing as you were so close to death." Klaus explained.

Damon grew quiet under Klaus' overly confident stare.

"He won't stay with you." Damon finally said, almost with a defeated, childlike quality.

Klaus shook his head. "What is it with you Salvatore's? Pathetic." Klaus smiled as we watched Damon slump under his hold.

"Let him go." I said. I hated watching Damon pinned into Klaus' game of cat and mouse.

He turned and smiled at me, but then suddenly he was looking over my shoulder, past me.

I turned and followed his gaze and found Stefan standing there. His eyes were wild, blood smeared across his face. He had a strange stooped posture that looked primal and frighting. I heard Damon stumble when Klaus let go of him.

"Stefan, what's going on?" I asked walking towards him.

"You shouldn't be here." He said, almost growling.

"What have you done?" I turned and shouted at Klaus.

"I turned him back into what he was meant to be. A killer, a flawless assassin." Klaus walked towards Stefan, looking at him with the shining eyes of a proud creator. "It's what he's made for, and from what I've heard of the past, he's the absolute best at being a vampire." Klaus said.

I looked at Stefan, his chest rising and falling at a wild pace. His eyes were darting and disconnected. Damon walked past me, almost near staggering towards Stefan.

"Why did you do this Stefan, why did you let him do this? I could have just died Stefan, you shouldn't have done this." Damon said. Damon reached up and put his hand on Stefan's shoulder but Stefan jerked away.

"I didn't do this for you. I want this." Stefan hissed.

Damon truly looked hurt as he watched his brother back away.

"No, this isn't going to happen. Just take me." Damon said turning to Klaus. "Don't do this to him, just take me. I'll go with you instead."

"No, neither one of them are going with you." I said to Klaus.

He smiled once more. "Why don't you let Stefan make that decision." Klaus said with a raise of his chin.

I turned back to Stefan as I heard Klaus speak behind me.

"Stefan, destroy her." Klaus ordered.

Stefan's eyes instantly locked down on me and I found myself backing away without even realizing it. He took a few steps towards me.

"Stefan, you wouldn't. You love me Stefan, remember that." I said.

He paused suddenly, his eyes flickering with a small trace of recognition of reality.

"Stefan." Klaus said with a tone of warning.

As soon as he did Stefan dashed suddenly and was standing at my side, pulling the back of my hair bowing my head to the side and I felt the sharp pain of Stefan's teeth digging into my neck. Then I was suddenly jerked away into safety as I heard Klaus laugh. Damon had grabbed me away from Stefan and was suddenly whisking us both out of the apartment before I could even register what was happening. Before Damon and I could make it out to the car I was sobbing. Damon didn't hesitate to shove me into the passenger seat, he took his place behind the wheel and I heard the squeal of the tires as we raced from the parking lot. After a few minutes of silence other than the quiet sobs that escaped me, he pulled over. I looked up as I felt the shift from the smooth asphalt to the roughness of the ground.

"Come here." Damon said, his voice still weak from being sick. I leaned into him like flowers to the sun, reaching out for comfort, for warmth and survival.

"How could he do this Damon?" I cried into his chest.

"He was doing it for me, to save me." Damon said. "Please, don't worry Elena. I just have to get my strength back first and then I'll get him back. You have my word." Damon promised, running his fingers through the back of my hair. I leaned away to look at him, his face, the slender, dark beauty and the shining blue eyes were wild and hopeful as they stared back at me.

"So you really love me?" I asked, changing the subject out of desperation for comfort and wondering what the hell make me bring something like that up.

"In love." He corrected. "The real deal."

Short, but only because I want to know if you like it first. I plan to write out my version of season 3 till it gets here. Reviews, I will write for reviews. :)