Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or alerted the first chapter, it means a lot. So as promised here in the second chapter. I hope everyone enjoys! -I Own Nothing -Lioness002
I was in a state of shock and fear as I sped down the streets of Mystic Falls. I must have at least broken two speeding laws and run four stop signs. I couldn't believe it, Damon couldn't be dying, but Stefan's words kept ringing in my head. "Damon is dying. We don't have much time." Time, time was what was pushing me to drive faster. I knew that the longer Damon had been infected the more likely the dementia had begun to set in. Time however was never on my side. Somewhere along the line my phone began to ring nonstop. I ignored the call knowing fully well that it would be Stefan. I knew Stefan was running through the woods at the moment and would be waiting for me when I arrived at the house.
I made it to the Boarding House within ten minutes; my crazy driving had shaved off six minutes from the normally sixteen minute drives. I stopped the car right by the front door, cut the engine, and stepped out of the car. As expected Stefan was waiting for me, he had been leaning against the side of the house but when I got out of the car he stepped away from the house and in front of me.
"Did you really need to drive off like that? The way you were driving gave me a heart attack." Stefan scolded as I walked up the front steps.
"Well in a situation like this time is not on our side." I said as Stefan grabbed my elbow.
"Just be more careful, alright?" Stefan asked softly. I sighed and pulled my elbow away.
"Alright. I'm sorry, I'm just…" I stopped for lack of a better word to finish my thought.
"You're just on edge?" Stefan finished for me. I nodded mutely.
"I can't let this happen." I whispered opening the door to house. The thought of Damon dying was enough of an incentive for me to go right into mother role. It was just who I was, I needed to help people. In Damon's case I would probably drive him crazy trying to help him. "Is he up in his room?" I asked turning to look at Stefan.
"Nooo, not exactly." Stefan said. I stopped and raised an eyebrow at Stefan in question.
"Then where is he?" Stefan coughed slightly and rubbed his arm.
"Just don't get mad." Stefan said holding up his hands in surrender. I stopped and rested my hand on the open door.
"Where is he?" I asked again. Stefan twitched and finally let out a sigh.
"Damon is in the basement, locked in the cellar." My mouth dropped and I felt like I was about to hit Stefan for his stupidity. How could he lock his brother in the basement again? The first time Damon deserved it, but this time there was no excuse. Damon was sick, not some mindless animal that needed to be locked up.
"You locked him in the basement! Again?" I practically screamed the second I stormed into the Boarding House. Stefan was quick on my heels as I raced toward the door leading downstairs.
"He was a danger to himself and everyone else in Mystic Falls." Stefan said stopping me and spinning me around so I was facing him. I made a move to leave his grasp but he held me harder. "If what you told me about Rose is true, then I can't let you anywhere near Damon." I glared at Stefan and tried to pull away again but he kept me rooted to the spot. "Elena, please don't be stupid. I know you don't want anyone else to die, but you trying to help Damon isn't going to change anything." Stefan said staring right into my eyes as if urging me to try and understand reason.
"I have to help him! It's because of me that he is going to die!" I practically screamed. "I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that Damon is in pain and suffering because of me. It is my fault, all of it. Jenna, John, Damon, even Jules. I can't sit by and do nothing!" I said ripping myself from his grip and running down the stairs to the basement.
"Elena, stop!" Stefan called after me. I ignored him and ran to skidding halt in front of the cellar door. I stood up on my tip toes and peered through the bars looking for Damon.
"Damon!" I called seeing him sitting in the corner of the cellar with his head on his knees. The second I said his name his head snapped up and he stared at me in amazement. I could feel Stefan walk up behind me and I could almost feel the tension rolling off of him.
"Stefan." Damon whined standing up. "I told you to not tell her!" Damon said absolutely ignoring me and glaring at Stefan.
"Did you really think I wouldn't find out?" I snapped trying to get Damon to acknowledge me.
"You wouldn't have if Stefan had kept his mouth shut." Damon said crossing his arms in annoyance.
"I had to tell her." Stefan said evenly. Damon frowned and threw his hands up in the air.
"Stefan, you need to stop being so spineless and for once take charge." Damon hissed angrily. I frowned at Damon and turned to Stefan. The way Damon was acting at the moment had me on edge; he seemed more dangerous than he had for the last few months.
"The longer you wait to try and find a cure the less of a chance there is to save him. Go talk with Bonnie; I'll take care of Damon." I said giving Stefan a sad smile. Stefan looked down at me and grabbed my hand giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"I'll keep you posted, alright? I may have to go out of town so if you need anything make sure you call Bonnie, Caroline, or even Alaric." He said kissing the crown of my head. I sighed and wrapped my arms around his waist and sat silently thinking about how my life had completely fallen apart. "Be safe." He said to me before giving Damon one last look. "Keep fighting Damon, I'll be back, I promise." Stefan said before he ran up the stairs and out of the house. I let out a sigh and turned back to Damon who was shaking his head.
"Well?" I asked as I opened up the cellar door. "Come on, let's go upstairs and get you comfortable." I said with an over the top smile. Damon sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Elena, do you really think that this is some common cold or flu? You can't make me better, I'm dying."
For one of the first times in my life I saw Damon absolutely broken, lost. It killed me on the inside to see him this way. I always knew Damon had something bothering him 24/7, but he was always so strong, confident that everything would be alright. The Damon in front of me looked as if he had given up, like he was excepting the fact that he was going to die.
"That's what you think." I said stepping into the cellar and toward him. "You have to keep fighting, believe there is a cure. Believe you will survive." I said ending in a whisper as I came to stand in front of him. Damon looked down at me with his beautiful blue eyes and just looked like he wanted to cry.
"But this time Elena, there is no cure, there is no hope, there is no surviving." I squeezed my eyes shut tight and tried to keep the tears at bay. When I opened my eyes again I gave a small sniffle before I grabbed onto one of Damon's hands.
"You told me that you couldn't lose me, but what about you? Damon, I can't lose you too. Not now, not ever." I whispered interlocking my fingers with his. "Please," I begged, "don't give up." Damon looked down and raised our interlocked fingers before taking a deep breath.
"I can't make promises I can't keep, especially with you." He said. "But if you let me do something, I promise I will try to fight." Damon whispered squeezing my hand. I hesitantly nodded; I was slightly worried about what Damon was thinking about. "I'm…I'm asking for your…forgiveness." He finally said after a few moments of silence.
"What?" I asked. I could feel me my eyes growing wide in shock as my fingers fell from his.
"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it." He whispered. "I can't stand the idea of you hating me for the rest of your life, and that I never made it right. I'm sorry Elena. I am so sorry for taking the choice away from you. I shouldn't have forced you to drink my blood; I know it was wrong, I knew it was wrong from the second I did it. My only plea is that you could…forgive me." Damon ended searching my face for a reaction. I gulped and took in a shaky breath before I gave Damon the smallest of smiles.
"I forgive you." I whispered. In Damon's eyes, which moments ago had been dull and empty, I saw the smallest spark of energy, the smallest spark of the old Damon come back, the smallest spark of life.
"Thank you." He whispered. I felt warmth spread across my heart. Damon had apologized to me, taken the high road and tried to make amends with me for his wrong doing. Damon had come so far in the last few months since I had met him, acquaintance to annoyance, annoyance to enemy, enemy to friend, friend to enemy, and enemy back to friend, but Damon felt like so much more than just a friend now, I didn't know how to classify my feelings for him, I didn't really know what he meant to me anymore. It bothered me though that him apologizing was like him giving up, like he needed to make things right before he died. No Elena, stop, Damon is not going to die, I will not allow it.
I was broken out of my thoughts however when Damon, right in front of my eyes, collapsed onto the ground. I gasped as I watched his body hit the ground and him stop moving.
"Damon! Damon, get up." I screamed as I rushed to the ground and spun him over so his head was lying in my lap. I put my hands on his chest and tried to wake him up but he didn't move. "Damon, please don't be dead." I cried pushing on him some more. "Please Damon, wake up! You promised me you'd fight!" I cried as tears began to stream down my face. "You can't leave me." I whispered.
After what felt like ages of me trying to make Damon wake up, Damon sucked in a huge breath and opened his eyes. I let out a sigh of relief and put my hand on my forehead trying to calm my freakishly beating heart.
"Thank God." I whispered as Damon stared up at me. Damon propped himself up on his elbows and turned around to look at me.
"Elena, what the hell just happened?" He asked rubbing his head and eyes. I sighed and brushed some dirt off of his back before I replied.
"You passed out and nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you were…" I stopped and let the sentence trail off because I knew Damon knew the last word. I sighed and stood up so I could help Damon to his feet. He was a bit shaky but besides that he seemed okay.
"You thought I was dead." Damon said finishing my sentence.
"Yes." I whispered sadly.
"Well I'm not dead yet Katherine. So that's just too bad for you. Maybe next time I will die and you can have my brother all to yourself." He hissed. I jumped back and pressed my back against the stone wall of the cellar. Damon rushed forward and curled his fingers around my neck beginning to choke me.
"Damon, I'm not Katherine, I'm not Katherine! I'm Elena!" I gasped as I scrambled at his fingers trying to pull them away from my airway. Damon's eyes turned blood red and be bared his fangs at me as he pushed me farther up the wall.
"Spare me your lies Katherine; I know you don't love me. Do not try to deceive me into thinking you are someone else." He hissed.
"Damon, no!" I called trying to push his body away. "I'm Elena, Elena Gilbert! I'm your friend." I chocked out as Damon squished my airways even more. I let out a strangled scream and was beginning to see black spots in my vision when the red in Damon's eyes receded and he flung himself back against the opposite wall. I fell to the ground and coughed as I tried to suck in deep breaths. I looked over at Damon on the far side of the room and he looked horrified.
"Oh God." He whispered pushing himself up using the wall. "I'm so sorry Elena." He moaned weakly as he tried to make his way over to me. I grabbed my throat and shook my head at him.
"No Damon, it's not your fault. I'm fine. It's the sickness making you confused, you aren't in control." I whispered standing up and walking over to him still on the floor. I put my hand down for him to grab and he used it to hoist himself up before he almost fell straight back on the floor. I quickly grabbed his waist and kept him standing. "Use me for support, put your arm around my neck and give me some of your weight." I said as he pulled himself up and got his feet firmly beneath him. "Are you okay?" I asked as I noticed for the first time that the cold sweat and fever were setting in.
"Not really, I'm freezing." He whispered. I closed my eyes and helped him walk a few feet. "Oh God why are you doing this to me? Why are you taking everyone I care about away from me?" I thought bitterly.
"It's getting worse isn't it?" I asked after a few seconds. Damon stopped and looked down at me and slowly let out a breath.
"I would say so." He breathed as we started our way up the stairs.
"Well don't worry Damon; I'll take care of you." I reassured him as we reached the top of the stairs and started to make our way to his room.
There was chapter 2 everyone! I hope those of you readers out there enjoyed this chapter, don't worry, Damon will not die yet. So stay tuned until the next chapter to see what will become of our dearly loved Damon. Reviews would also make me super happy! :D
P.S. Thank you to all of the readers who favorited or alerted the story, but I would find it very kind if you would also leave me a review. It doesn't have to be long, just telling me what you thought, liked, or want to see. Thank you! :)
-Lioness002