Don't make me sad, don't make me cry. Sometimes love is not enough and the road gets tough. I don't know why.

- "Born to Die" by Lana Del Rey

He collapsed about a mile away from the main scrimmage, blood pooling out of him like water rushing from a leaking dam. Spasms from the organ damage racked his body, and disjointed dots blurred his vision. He felt like he was teetering forward, on the edge of falling into a pit of black nothing from which he knew there was no return.

This is it, he thought, lying listlessly next to a fallen tree trunk. His supernatural healing would surely not be able to work quickly enough. This is the end of my illustrious career, he thought cynically, always managing to add some self-loathing, even at death's door. He appreciated that he was at least alone, where those damn hybrids could not find him and dismember his body while he was still alive. At least he got to die with some dignity.

Yeah, he almost laughed mentally. With dignity. Damon Salvatore, I was nothing if not dignified.

Nothing was right. There was still a fight going on, and he was already dead. There was still so much left to be done, to be resolved.

Stefan. How would his little brother get on without him? There was no way. They would all be dead.

Thoughts floated through his mind like fog now, and he could feel himself leaning forward for the precipice, peering down into the eternal darkness, he was just a shove away…

And with a jolt, something pulled him back by the heart. At least, that was what it felt like. Like someone reached in, grabbed the center of his chest, and yanked him back to the realm of the living.

Whoever it was, they flipped him onto his back. And there was a noise, a humming, rhythmic sound that came from them. And as the sound progressed, his mind did not seem quite so cloudy. He began to feel things again, like how his head was being cradled in someone's hand, and how the grass itched his skin through the rips in his shirt. The ground was cool but becoming warm from his spreading blood. The vague dots that took up his line of sight began gaining shape and definition. He blinked, long and slow, and tried to hold tight on whatever rope was pulling him back to life.

He must have grunted, for someone began soothing him.

"Shh," they said, and he turned his head towards them, determined to figure out the identity of his savior. Stefan? No, the voice had a feminine lilt to it. Caroline? Elena? "You'll be ok, Damon. Just give the spell a moment to sink in."

Bonnie.

Of course. How could it have been anyone else?

"Aren't spells supposed to happen instantly?" he grumbled, his throat feeling like spikes were lining its insides.

"Usually. But when they have a lot of work to do, they take their time," Bonnie said, sounding grounded and in control, but he could hear her heart beat like a rabbit's. "You got pretty beat up out there."

"You should see the other guy," Damon said, moving to his side so he could spit out a mouthful of blood. With his vision all but cleared, the first definite thing he saw was Bonnie's faint smile. It was tentative, like it was afraid to be present in a place like this, but there it was all the same.

"That's my strongest healing spell," Bonnie informed him. "And it's saved your life, but I don't think it'll do much more than that."

"Yeah, so forgive me for not leaping with joy at your rescue," he said, laying his head back on the ground and closing his eyes. He was useless like this. He could hardly lift a finger.

I may as well be dead.

He heard Bonnie take a breath.

"So that's why I thought of a backup plan," she said, and resituated herself so her knees were tucked underneath her. With a swift movement, she flipped her hair to her other shoulder and leaned toward him, holding her exposed neck about a foot above him.

Damon took only a moment for hesitation. Then he painstakingly propped himself up on an elbow, his entire body straining just to keep his upper body upright. Sliding his other hand to the opposite side of her neck, he pulled her closer, exhaling onto her skin.

"You sure about this?" he managed to ask, his tone indicating this was the only chance she would have to question this decision.

"I am," she retorted, irritated that he had bothered to stall this long. "Now do it."

"You got it, witch," he said, before sinking his teeth into an artery of Bonnie Bennett. He was certain that her ancestors were rolling in their graves.

He felt her tense, a common response. She also squirmed, so he had to reaffirm his grip to make her still. After swallowing a mouthful of her blood, he shifted back, somehow compelled to reassure her. He ignored the part of his brain that told him he never, in his entire existence, thought to comfort one of his victims.

"Relax," he whispered, his mouth brushing untouched skin in such a delicate way that any observer would have assumed he was kissing her. "I have self-control now."

"Yeah," she laughed skeptically, but he could feel her muscles loosening. "Pretty sure that's the biggest lie you have ever told."

He drank again, his tongue licking at the open wound he created as if to ease the pain. Her blood tasted like the juicy insides of a green apple- hearty and pure but with a bitter tang. Again, he pulled back.

"I can think of some bigger ones," he mentioned, for a couple had come to mind. A few involving Bonnie.

Those were bigger lies. Lies that had been lies for a while now, but he had never thought about it. Thanks to Bonnie, he still had forever to think about them.

Strength was rushing to his limbs like a stampede of soldiers. He felt invigorated, and his senses were returning to their heightened states. He heard the far-off cacophony of battle, the shred of clothes and skin and bone, the yells of fear and command and challenge. The smells of the battle-worn forest and its various creatures filled his nostrils. His sense of touch was enlivened, and he could not help but spread his fingers along Bonnie's neck, for her skin was much softer than he imagined. She shivered, and he released her, quickly wiping away the remnants of her blood from his mouth before she could turn around to face him.

He needed to get back. They needed to get back.

Swiftly, Damon stood and held out his hand. She took him in, perhaps regretting her decision to revive a vampire so he was fit to kill, but she slid her hand into his and allowed him to help her stand.

"I owe you my life," Damon said, not wanting to dwell on it at a time like this but wanting to make his sentiment clear. Bonnie met his gaze.

"We have a fight to win," she said, ruffling her hair so it covered the wound he had created. "You can thank me later."

He nodded.

"I'm going in. Do you have my back?" he asked.

"Always," she said without thinking, and they both tried to ignore the poignancy of her reply and how naturally the word fit between them, how it nestled between their bodies like a newborn baby between two parents, ready to thrive and simply exist.

Damon pointed to the direction he thought Bonnie should go, and then turned to go his own way, knowing Bonnie would be close at his side.

Ready to give his life back to him, if need be.

END

Authors Note: Meh, I dunno if I like author's notes at the end of fics, but I wanted Lana's quote by itself up there. Speaking of which- her song has little to do with the fic, but I loooove it and I listened to it the whole time I wrote this. This is part one of a two-part fic that I wrote for Beepo123 on LJ, she prompted Bonnie and Damon going on random adventures (like killing hybrids and what-not). I named this one "Trial" and the other one "Error" so together they're "Trial and Error." Haha, I just get excited when I find appropriate titles for my fics. Makes my soul happy. Anway, hope you guys like this one and the other one! You've honestly all be AMAZING in regards to reviews and praise, just saying. Like, I've never met nicer people in this fandom. You guys are all wonderful and literally make my day. Whenever I get a review, I get all giddy, like a kid on Christmas, and I tell my friends about it (even though they mostly don't know what I'm talking about). So, thank you all. You're all beautiful people and are wonderful.