So this is a oneshot I thought of a while ago, and it has haunted me for so long now that I just had to write it.

It is based around the time of the start of the fourth season. Alaric is dead, Elena is a vampire, and the Hunter is moving in on the towns vampires.
There is no cure like the way the show has presented, however Bonnie has recently discovered a spell that works sort of along the same lines as a cure.

The inspiration behind this was the song Fix You by Coldplay, and I have incorporated the lyrics of the song throughout the story.

I really hope you like it as much as I do!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or Fix You by Coldplay.

Please read and review!

When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need

Damon made his way back from the cemetery. His breath floated up in front of him as white smoke. He could smell the bourbon off it as it brushed past his face. He kept moving through the forest, he was almost home. He could take a shower, drink another bottle of whiskey, and maybe sleep the next couple of days away.

As he moved through the thick woods he slowed down. Maybe the alcohol was getting to him; maybe he was just sick and tired of running, running from his feelings, running from the pain.

When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

It had been two weeks since he had lost his best friend. By this point he would have shut his feelings off and moved to Brazil to terrorize the locals and feed off of their women. But instead he had stayed in Mystic Falls, he had stayed for her.

When Alaric had died in his arms, Damon knew at that moment that he had lost his best friend as well as Elena, the girl he loved. If Alaric was dead, than so was his precious Elena.

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace

Once he was able to work up the courage to make it back to Mystic Falls, he stormed the hospital in search of her body. Meredith Fell was the one to tell him that she had cheated death through death itself. Elena died with his blood in her system. Elena had become a vampire.

She struggled with the transition. It had only been a week when he started noticing she was having more than the usual difficulty with the process. Elena couldn't keep any blood down, except human blood. She was so terrified of becoming a killer that she was risking becoming a target herself by allowing herself to become weaker from the lack of human blood.

When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

As if he didn't have enough to worry about with a vampire hunter in town, Damon had to now babysit vampire Elena and make sure she was drinking enough blood to keep her strong in case she caught the eye of this new hunter.

But all of his worrying was put on hold a couple of days ago. Bonnie the witch doctor had discovered something that would change Elena's life, a spell that could reverse death.

The spell only reversed the person's death and so it would be able to take away Elena's vampirism without killing her human side, and it was a one time deal. Once the spell was used on Elena, it could not be used on anyone else. The other catch was that the spell could only work on supernatural beings. It would be rendered useless in bringing back a human from a non-supernaturally caused death.

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go

Today was the day Elena was to become human again. Damon had spent his day in the cemetery visiting the grave of his closest friend. He drank and complained about how he had to step up and take care of everyone now that Alaric was gone. He gave up his deepest secrets about the brunette young woman who had stolen his heart the moment he met her. Now that her sole guardian was dead, he couldn't punch Damon in the face for the inappropriate thoughts about her.

The trees finally broke and he could see his house. What made him stop was the unusual number of cars outside of it. So it was done. She had changed back into a human and now she would be able to live the rest of her natural life with Stefan. Damon didn't want to go back to his house. He didn't want to have to stand there and see all of their smiling faces as Elena and Stefan kissed each other.

But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Up ahead the front door opened and Caroline and Tyler emerged holding hands. Caroline broke apart from Tyler and approached Damon. Once she was right in front of him she held out her hand.

"Damon you need to come inside, Elena wants to see you" she gave him a soft smile. At this point Damon was extremely confused. What if Elena had been hurt? What if the spell hadn't worked and she was in trouble? What if she was dying? He stopped himself quickly from thinking any more thoughts of Elena being hurt or in trouble. He took Caroline's hand and together they walked up the steps and through the front door.

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones

Damon was caught off guard by the mass of people in his front hallway. They were lined up on either sides of the hall and they seemed to be lined up all the way to the base of the staircase.

He looked at Caroline, "the stairs" she whispered to him, low enough so that only they could hear. He nodded slightly and began his journey towards the winding staircase. Everyone was looking at him with sympathetic smiles upon their faces. As he approached the stairs the feeling of dread in his stomach began to grow. Right before the end of the trail of people stood his brother Stefan and Elena's brother Jeremy.

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones

"Where is she?" Damon asked the two, his voice clearly choking up as he spoke. It was evident that he was beyond terrified for her wellbeing.

Stefan smiled at his brother and turned his head to look up the stairs. Damon followed his movements and held his breath.

Slowly a figure began to emerge down the staircase. It was Elena. Damon let out the gust of air from his lungs. He thanked whatever God that was responsible for keeping Elena alive through her transition back into to becoming a human.

Elena smiled and reached out her hand for him. He raced up the remaining stairs and grabbed it in his. That was when he noticed what was off about the whole situation. Her heart was still not beating. Elena was still dead.

And I will try to fix you

"You're still a vampire" it wasn't a question. Damon didn't understand what was happening. Had the spell not worked? Had she refused to do it? That couldn't be the explanation, Elena hated being a vampire.

"Yes I am" she smiled at him. But this wasn't the same sympathetic smile that everyone else had plastered on their faces. This smile was different. This was a genuinely happy smile. This was a rare smile for Elena given everything that she had been through. This smile was usually reserved for all things Stefan.

"Come with me" Elena whispered. Damon just nodded and allowed the girl to pull him slowly up the stairs.

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes

"Elena what is this all about? Did the spell not work?" Damon was exceptionally confused with the days turn of events.

"The spell worked Damon" Elena kept the cryptic smile on her face while the ascended the stairs.

"Then why are you still a vampire?" he couldn't take it any longer, he needed answers or he would snap.

"Why don't you ask whoevers in there?" Elena motioned with her head for Damon to push open the door into his bedroom. He slowly stepped across the hallway and placed his open hand on the center of the wooden door. He listened carefully and picked up a single heartbeat on the other side of the door. There was someone in his room.

Damon pushed open the door and took two steps into his room before stopping dead in his tracks.

There, leaning against the stone fireplace, sipping his finest bourbon, was none other than Alaric Saltzman.

Tears stream down on your face
And I...

"How?" was all Damon could manage to get out of his mouth in that moment.

Alaric threw back the last of the whiskey and laughed, "yeah, I missed you too bud." He closed the distance between them and gave Damon a giant bear hug. Before Damon knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around his best friend and hugged him back. He couldn't believe he was here, that this was all real.

"How are you alive? How did this happen?" Damon asked dumbfounded.

Lights will guide you home

Alaric looked over to where Elena still stood on the other side of the doorway. Damon looked up and met her eyes once again.

And ignite your bones

"You did this? You gave up your chance of becoming Human?"

Elena nodded and smiled. Damon couldn't register the emotions that were running through his body. Elena Gilbert had given up her once last chance at having a normal human life, all so that he could have his best friend back.

"You don't have to admit it Damon, but we all know how hard you took Alaric's death. After all you have sacrificed for me to stay alive in this town, I figured it was finally time I gave back.

Damon felt Alaric pat him hard on the back, and then walk out of the room.

"You didn't have to do this for me. I wanted you to be happy, to live out your human life."

"I am happy Damon. And I have finally realized why. I am happy because I have you."

Damon just stared at Elena. Could she really be saying what he had waited years to hear her say?

"My human life ended the day I died with your blood in my veins. You saved me without even knowing it Damon. I will be happy because I have you in my life. I will be happy because I can finally admit what I have kept buried for so long. I love you Damon Salvatore."

Damon closed the distance between them and kissed Elena passionately on the lips

"I love you too Elena. I always will."

And I will try to fix you

I hope you liked it!

Please send me a review!

:)