If it wasn't obvious by my posting on FanFiction, I own nothing.
Waiting. That's all they could really do at this point. Jeremy Gilbert sat rigidly grasping his sister's limp hand. The flickering light from the scattered candles almost masked the fact that Elena Gilbert was not breathing. And it wasn't like anyone could hear her breaths if she was over Bonnie Bennett's determined chanting.
Jeremy couldn't understand a word his magical girlfriend was saying, but if it saved Elena, it didn't matter. It just had to work.
And the night dragged on. It was hard to believe everything that had happened in the last few hours. The sacrifice. It had happened. Klaus had broken the curse, unleashing his suppressed werewolf side, becoming truly immortal, indestructible.
Mystic Falls was royally fucked.
Bonnie's chanting began to lull Jeremy. He had been racked with sobs knowing his aunt was no more. And here he sat facing his sister waiting to see if Bonnie's spell could bring her back. But Bonnie Bennett was not soothed with her words. She furiously repeated the spell over and over through her tight jaw. She rocked back and forth, trying to draw out as much power as she could from the ancient witches as tears silently flowed down her cheeks.
This had to work.
As if it were an answer to their prayers Elena Gilbert drew in a sharp breath. She sat up sharply, ripping her hand free of Jeremy and felt her body. She was alive. Elena cried tears of joy. Jeremy hugged his last remaining family member. Bonnie searched questionably for the answer to how exactly she had succeeded.
Something went right tonight.
"How do you feel?" Jeremy spoke, his voice caught in his sister's neck.
Elena stared blankly, taking a mental inventory. "Okay, I guess. I have a headache."
Jeremy stood, offering a hand to both Bonnie and Elena, "Well then, let's get you home."
The three emerge from the witch house into the early morning rays. Elena shields her face from the overbearing sunlight, allowing Jeremy to guide her to Bonnie's car. Together they drive across town, getting closer and closer to civilization and the Gilbert family home.
It didn't hit the Gilbert siblings until Bonnie pulled up to the curb how different the house would be without Jenna. Elena wasn't sure if she had dreamed her aunt had become the vampire in the equation to break the curse but as soon as Jeremy gripped her hand, she knew they had truly lost their last shred of family. Unless they counted John Gilbert. But he was a coward and was long gone by now.
The three approached the door slowly, exhausted from the night from hell. Inside the quiet was overbearing. Elena broke away from Jeremy and Bonnie and headed for the stairs.
"I just…need to lie down," she explained as she climbed to the next level.
"Hey," Bonnie called after her. Elena turned on the landing, "If you need anything, we'll be here."
"Thanks," Elena said sincerely, "I just need to rest. Then I can deal with everything."
Jeremy nodded in understanding, "We'll round up some food for when you wake up. You lost a lot of blood."
"You guys get some rest too," Elena instructed, "It was a long night for all of us."
Elena retreated to her room but sleep was not going to come easy. Every time she closed her eyes she was bombarded with images from the sacrifice.
The evil in Klaus' eyes. Jules frantic screams. Aunt Jenna and her bravery. And Stefan. He was willing to sacrifice himself rather than letting she and Jeremy lose Jenna.
And then her mind started racing about what had become of the others. Stefan surely awoke some time after the sacrifice, his neck healed but what about Damon, Caroline, and Tyler. None of them had been there when she woke up. Who else died trying to save her?
More importantly, where was Klaus now that the curse was broken?
How could Elena sleep with all the questions she had? She paced her bedroom, massaging her aching temples. She didn't know where to begin. Just thinking off all those who had banded together to protect her was driving her crazy. She tried to inventory who had been doing what before the sacrifice. Damon was on a mission to find Caroline and Tyler which he must have succeeded at because Klaus went with plan B.
Her mind was swirling with images. Too many images. Images of Caroline at cheer. Or Tyler playing football. Of Damon, confessing his love near the very spot she stood.
Wait. That wasn't a memory. Was it?
He dangled her necklace right in front of her face. She knew, she knew right then what he was going to do and she was afraid. But she never expected Damon Salvatore to confess his feelings for her. Elena didn't even know Damon could feel such things. She reached up and touched her forehead, feeling his kiss lingering there. And she remembered the confusion she felt after he left, after he erased her memory. After he compelled her.
Elena stopped pacing her bedroom because she came to the realization. Bonnie didn't bring her back to life. Damon's blood did.
Elena Gilbert was a vampire. Well, she was almost a vampire. She hadn't yet completed the transition. But the realization that she was in transition ignited the symptoms she had been ignoring.
She was starving. And she felt weak. She had attributed that to having been dead but now she knew the truth. She was dying all over again. And she would die if she didn't feed. Here she was facing the choice she never imagined facing.
Elena was livid. Before she knew what she was doing, she was down the stairs and out the door. She was surprised Jeremy or Bonnie hadn't stopped her but the house was completely still as she slipped out. Once she was in her car, she only had one destination in mind. The boarding house.
Driving across town, Elena didn't know what to do with herself. She was pissed. She was crying. And she had a decision. She was no closer to reaching a decision as she screeched to a halt in front of the boarding house. She pushed forward, walking straight in and up the stairs. She threw open the bedroom door to see Damon lounging in his bed.
"You compelled me," She hissed, crossing the room. But when she caught sight of Damon she froze, "What's wrong with you?"
He shrugged weekly, "What's not wrong with me, Elena? Nice to see you too."
Elena reached up to touch his clammy forehead, "Damon. What happened?"
"Oh," Damon rolled his eyes, "Your buddy Lockwood took a nibble on me last night."
He rolled back his sleeve and exposed the werewolf bite to Elena. She gasped. She had seen how grotesque Rose's had been but she still wasn't prepared to see it again.
"No," Elena whispered, sinking down onto the bed next to him.
"So, get all your anger out now," Damon motioned for her to lay it on him. Because it reality, he needed to hear it.
Elena tighten her jaw, "It isn't fair."
"I know. Just say what you need to say." Damon croaked, "Hit me. Yell. Whatever you need to do because this is it, Elena."
Elena's anger faltered. "I won't."
"This is even more pitiful than I thought." Damon mustered up the energy to snicker, "You storm in here like a bat out of hell, no pun intended, and you take one look at me and it's just gone. I'm starting to think you might actually like me."
"Damon, don't," Elena turned her head to hide the tear that finally streaked down her face. And then the others. She didn't even know who she was crying for anymore.
Damon stared off, not having the strength to look at her, "I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this. I deserve to die."
She sat there silently, trying to fight back the tears. It was exhausting. She was getting tired. She crawled up towards the headboard and stretched her body out next to Damon.
"You don't," She finally said.
Damon closes his eyes, breathing in her scent as she lay next to him, "I do, Elena. It's okay. Because if I'd have chosen differently, I wouldn't have met you." He lifts his chin so he can hold her gaze, so she could hear the sincerity in his voice, "I'm so sorry. I've done so many things to hurt you. I can't have you hating me for all eternity."
Elena shushed him, her heart breaking with every word he spoke, "It's okay. I won't."
Damon cracked a smile, "I know you, Elena. You don't forgive and forget. I took away the one thing that mattered most to you."
Elena shook her head, "You didn't take away my choice to complete the transition. I forgive you."
Damon's piercing blue eyes widened in fear, missing their usual sparkle, "No. No…"
"Yes, Damon." It was Elena's turn to squeeze her eyes shut, unable to bear looking at him.
"But Stefan," He thought out loud, "You love him. You could be with him forever."
Elena clenched her lips together, creating a thin line, the only way she knew to hold back her sobs, "I don't know if I'm equipped to handle this. I don't know if I have the strength to control myself. I won't survive hurting anyone."
"God…" Damon's sobs crushed Elena, "I did it because I love you, Elena. You know that now I did all those months ago. I loved you then and I love you now."
"I know," Elena's voice quivered, "And you didn't even give me the chance. You took that away from me."
She placed her head on his chest and wrapped a weak arm around his torso. He leaned his head down so his cheek was in her hair.
"You should've met me in 1864." His voice was so far away, "You would've liked me."
Elena tilted her head up to try to look into his eyes but it was no use, "I like you now. Just the way you are. Despite it all. Despite all you've done to me, all you've taken from me."
The next thing she did surprised them both although neither had the strength to react. She lifted her head just high enough to reach his lips and placed a desperate kiss on his mouth. It was lifeless, sucking the energy out of both of them, but their distinct tastes lingered on both of their lips.
All Damon could muster out was a mumbled, "Thank you…"
Elena couldn't respond. She couldn't fathom why she was spending her last minutes here with the man she hated almost as much as Klaus but she couldn't help but feel safe in his arms. It was the last thing she was going to feel.
"Well, it's me you should be thanking," With a renewed sense of energy, Elena sat straight up hearing the voice so like hers, "I mean, I'm the one that brought the cure."
Elena stared between Katherine and Damon. A cure. The impossible was happening yet again.
Katherine crossed the room, barely taking a second glance at Elena, "I thought you were dead."
Elena dropped her gaze, "Technically, I am."
Katherine stopped dead in her tracks, "You turned?"
Elena shook her head.
"Isn't this special?" Katherine laughed, "Stefan gave himself over to Klaus to save his brother while Damon gets to spend the last precious moments with his girl."
"Stefan did what?" Damon tried to pool his energy to sit up but it was no use. He eyed the vial of blood in Katherine's hand.
Katherine shrugged, "He sacrificed everything to save his brother. Including you."
Damon coughed, "Saint Stefan."
Katherine placed the vial of blood on the nightstand, "Well I'll leave you with this. Enjoy Damon while you still can."
In a blur, she was gone. Elena lifted a weak arm to grab the vial, uncorking it for Damon, "Here."
"No," Damon rolled away from her.
"Damon," Elena whispered, "What are you doing?"
"I couldn't die knowing you would hate me forever," His voiced cracked, "But I can't live knowing I'm the reason you're dead."
Elena shoved the vial closer to his lips, "Did you not hear what she said? What Stefan did to get this for you? How can you be so selfish?"
Damon turned back towards her, meeting her fiery gaze with an icy glare, "How can you?"
"Don't," She shook her head, "Don't even."
"You have the chance to live, forever, and you're giving it up," Damon spoke barely above a whispered but to him, he was yelling, "You're leaving Jeremy with no one. After everything everyone's done to try to keep you alive, you're just giving up."
"I'm giving up because I don't want to be a monster, Damon." Elena sobbed. There was no way in hell she would leave Jeremy behind unless she knew he would be safer.
"You won't," Damon shut his eyes. "You could never. I wouldn't let you do anything that would make you hate yourself."
"How can you promise that?"
He opened his eyes again and when Elena met his gaze, it was like she was seeing Damon how she imagined he looked in 1864. There was an innocence and an honesty that she had only seen once. His eyes mirrored the eyes from her resurfaced memory from his confession.
"Because I know you. And I know that we could do it, together."
Her face twisted in sadness. Fear took over her whole body because in reality she didn't want to die. She didn't want to leave Jeremy. And Bonnie or Caroline. Or Damon.
She nodded furiously, choking on her tears, "But you have to promise me. Promise me that you'll end me if I can't do it."
He watched her break and fall apart in front of his eyes. Damon knew that if it came down to that, he would end himself as well but she needed to hear him say it. "I promise."
She buried her face in his chest and he could feel her whisper "okay" into the fabric of his shirt. Damon released the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"Elena," He took her head between his hands and pulled her face up from his chest, "You need to go and get a blood bag. Can you do that?"
She bit her bottom lip, nodding. Elena pushed herself only her shaky legs and stumbled out of the room.
Damon stared at the opened door and waited. And he would wait until she came back, with either a blood bag in hand or transitioned before he drank down the cure. He needed the guarantee that she would survive this with him. He fingered the vial, the cool glass slipping between his sweaty fingers.
He hadn't heard her come back in but he felt the pressure beside him on the bed. He turned to face her, both clutching their sources of life in their hands. They didn't speak as Damon uncorked the vial or Elena ripped the plug off the bag. Before Damon knew it, Elena was ravenously sucking down the blood while he raised the vial to his shaking lips. Once they were both satiated, they collapsed on the bed, waiting for the blood to work its way into their systems.