The last things he heard was the broken scream of the girl he loved frantically calling his name. His fingers stiffened and he knew it was over. He did it to protect her...now he would never know the outcome. Flashes of her beautiful sleeping face inter-winded with his body flooded his mind before darkness pulled him under.
- - - - - - - -

Elena paced outside of the of the tomb that much resembled the one Katherine had once been locked in, back in Mystic Falls, only twice the size. Caroline stood in front of the steps leading into it and Rebekah sat on a weathered stone wall with her back turned to them.
She should be in there, she could be helping. She never should've let Damon and Stefan go into that tomb alone into the unknown. It was silent.
Moments passed before she had it.
"We have to go in there, Caroline. It's been to long." Elena stated trying to side step the blonde vamp.
"No, Elena they're coming you can hear them."
"Great then we can wait down here." She snapped pushing past her and skipping down the steps but before she could make it off the last one her heart stopped. Something was wrong. She glanced up to find Stefan approaching them, his face was stained with tears and his eyes were red with more threatening to escape.
He wrapped his arm around Elena's waist as he went to bound up the steps but she didn't budge.
"We need to go." He said sternly, pulling on her.
She grabbed his arm and spoke quickly, "No! We can't leave Damon in there. He'll never make it out."
Stefan's emotionless expression dropped to pain. He moved both his hands to cup her face and stared into her chocolate brown panic stricken eyes,"There's nothing we can do. We have to go, Elena."
Caroline stepped forward and grabbed her arm tightly as realization crossed her face.
"No..."She mouthed, "No no no no." She flung her body around in Stefan's arms jerking free of Caroline's grip. She fought against Stefan, shoving him, pulling on his arms, trying to break free. All she could do was call his name, and the more she called the more it sunk in.
For a brief second the world stopped. There was no way this was real. Damon was there, he was always there. He wouldn't abandon her now. A sob finally made it's way past her lips as she broke free of Stefan's hold. She did the only thing she knew to do, the thing she had done for a year...run to him.

Stefan jumped up and quickly followed her. He had to get there before her,She couldn't see what he witnessed. The walls of the tomb blurred around him as he pushed himself faster. Caroline was right behind him.
He was to late, he skidded to a stop behind Elena who was standing in the door way to one of the many rooms of the tomb. Her mouth was hanging open but no sound was coming out of it. Caroline approached Elena's side but stopped in her tracks and her hand flew to her mouth when she realized the scene in front of them.
Elena took a few steps before stumbling onto her knees by Damon's side. The silence was deafening. Her hands hovered over him unsure of what to do before she wrapped them around the piece of jagged wood jutting out of his chest and jerked it out. She held it in the air a few moments looking at it before glancing back down at Damon, her fingers mechanically released the stake and as it clattered to the cement floor the most heart wrenching cry broke through her lips.
"You are not gone, you aren't." She repeated. She slid her hands across his shoulders up to cup his cold face."You are not dead."
Caroline kept looking at the scene in front of her, then over at Stefan unsure of what to do. They both shared a worried look before a scream caught their attention.
"You can't leave me!" She sat up off of her calves,onto her knees and with drawled her hands only to grab Damon's hand to look at it before letting it go limp on the floor.
"What am I supposed to do without you! You told me this wouldn't happen. You lied to me!" Elena sobbed loudly. She hit his chest and Caroline flinched, she had never seen her friend this defenseless.
"You lied to me...you said- Damon no. You can't do this to me." She cried, falling backwards she brought her knees up to her chest as the pain shook her whole body. She wrapped her arms around her legs as if it would hold her together.
She stared down at the body of the man who had made such an impact on her life. Her eyes searched his face for anything, she couldn't even see his eyes one last time...his smirk... his smile. "I'm happy." She couldn't feel his lips. His strong hands gently cupping her face.
"I loved you. I love you." She whispered, her voice broken, her entire being broken.
She sat quietly for a second before sitting back up. With a rough shove to his body she screamed,
"You promised me! You promised me, Damon! You said you wouldn't leave me!" Her screams quickly turned back into sobs as she backed away, "You promised."
Caroline gave Stefan a nudge before they moved forward. Caroline wrapped her arms under Elena's and lifted her limp body off the ground. She turned into her arms as Caroline wrapped a arm around her shoulders and placed her other hand on the back of her head as she cried against her chest.
"Get her out of here. I have to take care of his body." Stefan said quietly but it was enough to send Elena into a frenzy again. She tried to turn back as Caroline tried to tug her away.
"Nononono. I'm not leaving him! We can't leave him. No!"
Stefan sighed, "Elena we can't..."
"It's DAMON!" She shouted in disbelief.
Her face was crumpled in pain, her whole body was unstable. He just nodded.
"C'mon. Let's go." Caroline said gently pulling her against her side.
Elena looked back at Damon one last time, letting another set of sobs rip through her body.
Her world was shattered. There was no world for her without Damon Salvatore in it.