Please read Part I, before reading Part II. I am please to present you the first chapter of the second part of the trilogy. Please Read and Review! CLM 1

Chapter 1

The sun was rising as Damon, Elena and Shelia finally got to Mystic Falls hospital. Shelia parked the car and turned off the key. Aunt Jenna and Jeremy were waiting for them in the parking lot as they got there. Halfway to the hospital Elena had texted her aunt.

"Elena! What happened? I got your text!" Jenna said as her and Jeremy came rushing to the car as it parked. Jenna and Jeremy were shocked to see Damon in the state he was.

"They were attacked up in the woods by a cougar Jenna. Elena got nipped and Damon jumped in to save her, he got badly injured. Elena is okay." Grams lied.

"Oh my god, why were you out there?" Jenna was stunned.

"We, sort of had a party, Bonnie, Care, Stefan and Tyler were there too." Elena lied, on the trip to the hospital her and Shelia had come up with a story to tell Jenna, one that didn't include vampires or spells.

"That was very irresponsible Elena, what has gotten into you." Jenna was shocked.

"My goodness Jenna! You must be joking we were kids once, things happen." Shelia tried to smooth things over, as hospital staff came rushing to their aid. Elena had also called the hospital on their way there because there was no way she or Shelia could lift Damon.

Elena watched as Damon was put on a stretcher and rushed inside, she worried. She didn't know if he had any ID or anything, after all what would a driver's licence look like for a 160 odd year old vampire? She sighed. "Aunt Jenna? Do you have Zach's phone number?" Elena asked as she walked into the hospital with her Aunt, Jeremy and Shelia following.

"I think so, I'll get it for you. Where is Damon's brother?" Jenna was confused where Stefan was, shouldn't he be there with his brother so badly injured.

"He and Damon got into a fight tonight, he left town." Elena lied, her eyes sad.

"Oh no, was it because Stefan likes you?" Jenna worried about her niece.

"I don't know… they never said, everything happened so fast." Elena cringed, she hated lying to her aunt, to Jeremy but it was the only way to keep them safe.

The day went slowly as Elena and Aunt Jenna waited in the waiting room of Mystic falls hospital. Jeremy and Shelia had gone home.

Elena phoned Zach and told him the whole story, the real story. She knew that he knew all about vampires, he was shocked to hear of his uncles injures. But he did however assure Elena that Damon had ID, every so often Zach said that both Stefan and Damon got fake ID's made. He told her that if anyone asked that Damon's birthday was June 18, 1985 and that he was born in Chicago. Zach gave his contact info and told Elena to give the hospital his name and number, he told her that he would be home from Richmond that night and would stop at the hospital on his way.

Elena sighed, "El, its going to be okay. He's going to be okay." Aunt Jenna said pulling her niece into a hug.

"I am scared Aunt Jenna, I mean we only started dating, he lost so much blood. I can't lose him. Not like mom and dad." Elena felt tears rolling down her face. Yesterday she was happily sleeping beside the man she loved, now today she was praying to god that he would stay alive.

"Miss Gilbert?" A nurse stood outside the door of the OR. Elena shot up from her chair.

"Yes?!" she asked nervously.

"Mr. Salvatore is out of surgery, he is stable and asking for you." the nurse said.

"Do you need me to come with you 'Lena?" Aunt Jenna asked her hand squeezing gently on Elena's shoulder. Elena cringed as her aunt's hand grazed the bite mark.

"No, its okay Aunt Jenna I think that Damon would rather just have me go in this time." Elena thanked her Aunt for being there and followed the nurse down the hall.

Elena was startled as she walked into the white room, she saw him on the hospital bed looking extremely vulnerable. She wasn't used to him looking like this, he was always strong and fierce; but right now, he looked almost childlike, his face was paler than usual. His arm was in a cast, and it looked like his ribs were also wrapped. She remembered hearing his arm break, Stefan was holding him so tightly, she saw him struggling to get free. She had seen the look of terror in his eyes when Klaus bit into her neck, and the look of relief when Klaus let her go.

She smiled at him as he opened his eyes. "Hey, how are you feeling?" She said as she sat in the chair beside his bed.

"Well, I have felt better." He said gruffly, his voice was dry and harsh.

"Here, you should drink some water. You've been out for hours." Elena said taking the water jug from the bedside table and helping him take a drink.

"Thanks, I was so scared kitten, I thought I was going to lose you. I can't lose you." Damon purred.

"You won't." Elena squeezed his good hand.

"I love you." Damon said pulling her hand to his mouth and kissing it.

"I love you too, you should get some rest. We will talk about everything tomorrow when you are feeling better." Elena said placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Will you stay, until I fall asleep." He begged.

"Of course." She said as she sat on the side of his bed, gently stroking his hair. He smiled and drifted off into a deep sleep. She got up from the bed and slipped out, she texted Zach and let him know the room number and that Damon needed clothes.

Damon's mind was filled with nightmares. He dreamt that Stefan was killing them, all of them, but when he looked at Stefan's face he saw his own staring back at him.

He cried out and shot up in the bed.

He looked around the room, remembering where he was.

"Uncle Damon, you look terrible." A man said from the door way.

"Uh, Zach. Hi." Damon said rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Elena phoned me and told me about everything, I brought you some stuff from home." Zach said placing a bag on the floor beside the bed.

"Thanks. I um I wanted to tell you I am sorry for everything I have done to you in the past. I wasn't myself. The monster that was inside me had more control than I ever thought." Damon said reflecting on the dream, his new-found humanity was weighing heavily on his soul. Every bad thing he did, every person he killed was ripping him apart.

"Mmm, I think that it will take some time to forgive you." Zach said twiddling his thumbs. "But I don't think that you are unredeemable." He smiled at his Uncle.

"Thanks." Damon said sheepishly.

"You get some rest Uncle. We will talk more tomorrow. I've got to get the Vervain stock to Liz." Zach said as he slipped out of the room.

"Goodbye Zach." Damon whispered as he felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness.

On the other side of town Bonnie and her Gram's were helping Caroline adjust to vampirism.

"Oh, Bonnie this is so hard!" Caroline cried as she tried hard to ignore her friends pulsating blood.

"You have to fight the urges Care, if you want to go back to school." Bonnie replied handing her friend a drink of vodka, Bonnie had been reading and read that alcohol helped the urges. Caroline took the drink and drank it the liquid burned as it slipped down her throat.

"I know! Oh, Bonnie this is so hard. I wish Stefan was here." Caroline felt tears welling in her eyes. 'Poor Stefan' she thought to her self. Just hours ago, he was professing is affection to her and now he's being held captive by a crazy mad man.

"We will get him back Care. But right now, you need to worry about controlling yourself. You will be no use to anyone if you can't get a hold of your thirst." Bonnie explained, she sifted through a large book. It was Emily Bennett's journal, she had spent years being Kathrine's second in the command. In the book there were many spells, but also there was a lot of information about newly sired vampires.

"As soon as Damon gets out of the hospital we will talk to him. He will be able to help you Care, I know it." Bonnie said confidently she squeezed her friends hand.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll be right back Care." Bonnie said putting the book down on the table and heading to the door.

"Elena?" Bonnie said looking at her friend.

"Hey Bon, can I come in?" Elena asked.

"Of course, are you okay?" Bonnie asked, she knew that Elena had been through so much today. Elena walked in, her hair was slightly knotted, dried blood was still on her neck from Klaus. Her clothes were tattered.

"I am sorry for coming here tonight, but I just couldn't go home yet. I needed to talk to you and Grams about something, something Kathrine said." Elena said as she sat on the couch. Caroline was looking at her intently.

"Of course, El you can ask us anything." Bonnie said, Grams walking in the room.

"Elena? Why do you have two heartbeats?" Caroline asked before Elena could say anything