Once Damon reached the top of the stairs, Elena assured him it was ok for him to put her down. He set her back down onto her feet, helping her steady herself and she began to slowly walk carefully into the bathroom, careful of stumbling on her way. The corner of Damon's lips curved up as he found his hands resting on her waste as he steadied her, it was unknown to him why he found himself so amused by where his hands were set but it felt new and amusing. Elena reached the bath tub and the water was already half way up the tub. Damon noticed her glance at the rising hot water and he pulled away from her, reaching out to turn the tap off. He dipped his hand to check if it wasn't too hot for her to step into. "There. Perfect temperature." He murmured, his eyes meeting hers. She stood there, looking up at him softly with a delicate smile. He returned the expression and turned to leave. "Thank you." She spoke as he reached out to close the door from behind him. "No problem." He answered, smiling to himself, his back to her as he quietly shut the door. Elena carefully stepped over to the door and quickly locked it as to not be disturbed.
While Elena got on with her bath Damon made his way back down the stairs where Wendi waited, tapping her foot anxiously on the floor. "What's wrong?" Damon asked, his eyebrows knotting together in concern as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Wendi's eyes met his and her expression was filled with extreme terror. Her mouth opened to reply but she was incapable of forming any words. "Wendi?" He pushed, stepping closer to her. Her eyes began to water and a tear slipped down her cheek. Damon's heart began to race like mad and his hands immediately flew to Wendi's shoulder, shaking her anxiously. "Wendi! What's wrong!?" Wendi's blood was burning and she didn't know whether to cry or scream in agony. "Wendi! Tell me! Please!" Damon begged, continuing to shake her by her shoulders. "Caroline." She chocked, holding back her tears. "Caroline!? What's wrong with her!? Tell me!"
"She's...she's..." She begins to sob hysterically. "She's dead."
"What!?" Damon exclaimed, stumbling away from Wendi, his hands falling away from her shoulders. "What are you on about!? When!? Why!?"
"She won't wake up...she...oh god!" Wendi began to sob harder, her hands covering her face. Damon breathed hard and suddenly raced past her, reaching for Caroline's room where she laid. Damon ran through the corridor and pushed Caroline's bed room door open with a huge bang. Stefan sat beside Caroline's still body, his hand holding hers and his head bowed. "Caroline!" Damon exclaimed, his body shaking and his stomach swirling like mad. Stefan slowly looked up at him, his eyes swollen from crying. "I'm sorry." Stefan chokes, looking away from Damon in shame. "But, she can't be! She needs the poison, where is it!?"
"It's no use, Damon!" Stefan sobbed, his hand squeezing Caroline's now cold one. "She's gone!" He cried out. Damon's eyes began to feel up and he immediately raced into the front room. He wasn't going to give up on her not yet. She was meant to be given the poison within 24 hours and it hadn't been that yet and already she was dead! She couldn't been, the poison had to be the solution. It had to work! Damon flew the cabinet cupboard open in the front room and pulled out the luminous pink chemical. He shot back within seconds into Caroline's room, immediately by Stefan's side, his vampire blood boiling in urgency. He reached over Caroline's still body, pushing the rim of the bottle to her lips. "Come on, Caroline...drink. Drink it, please." The pink liquid slowly seeped into his mouth, sliding in through her frozen lips. "Swallow. Come on, Caroline, swallow." Damon cooed, stroking her head in hope. Her throat eventually managed to choking swallows, allowing the liquid to slide into her food pip and into her body. Damon stood over her, his fists clenching in hope. Stefan grabbed the bottle from him, his hands shaking madly, "It won't change anything! It was all your fault from the start, anyway!"
"Don't." Damon squeezed his eyes shut, choking on his own tears. "Don't you dare, make this about me. Don't even think about it. It was Caroline's choice doing what she did, I was only there!"
"Yeah, as fucking always! Always there, always the cause!" Stefan yelled and raced out of the room, thinking he may be about to vomit from his upset. Damon sighed and began crying, unable to hold his tears back any longer. His tears fell gracefully down his pale white cheeks, his dark brown eyes burning in rage. "Please...Please, you've got to wake up, you've got to!" Damon pleaded, his eyes swelling up from hard sobs. "Please! I'll do anything! I'm begging you, Caroline. Don't leave us..." He sobbed over her, his eyes scrunching close. Caroline's body still wasn't reacting to the poison and Damon was losing his hope, his will to life. Wendi walked slowly into her room from behind him, her arms wrapped around her body.
"She is isn't she?" Wendi murmured.
Damon couldn't reply, his tongue incapable of forming words of response. Instead he just gave a slight shake to his head. Wendi groaned hysterically, covering her face with her trembling hands. Damon turned and stepped towards her, about to wrap his arms around her but she dashed away from him and ran down the corridor.
Damon sighed, rubbing the nape of his neck. Caroline remained still on the bed. Her chest was still and he could even feel her heart beat's silence. No beat. No running blood. He could feel her coldness in her veins, her life draining away from her soul. After a long moment just gazing down at her Damon turned and exit her room, shutting her bedroom door behind him. The door closed and he leaned his forehead against the cold brown wood, his brain racing madly. He wanted to fix all of this so badly but there was nothing else to be done, her body had given up, it had to be accepted. Drip...drip...drip...
Damon's ears perked in alarm, the sound of dripping water sounded from behind him. He breathed and pulled his forehead away from the wooden surface of the Caroline's bedroom door and peered over his shoulder to where the dripping was coming from behind him. Elena stood there in the middle of the corridor, just staring at him, her hands holding up a towel wrapped around her wet body. Her hair was wet from her bath, water dripping onto the ground from the ends of her hair. Her face was flushed from the hot water, her eyes a beautiful brown tone, her lips a soft welcoming pink. Damon turned to face her and tried to place a soft smile upon his sad expression but his mind was unable to trigger his action. "Hey." Is all he could manage. Elena just stared up at him, her towel clung to her wet body. "What's wrong?" She asked in a soft, delicate voice. He smiled softly at her, wiping his swollen eyes and stepped towards her. She remained still, her eyes never leaving his. "You should get dressed." He murmured, and looked down at the ground, afraid to look at her in the eyes. She glanced down at her wet body, the fabric of the towel sticking to her skin. "What's wrong?" She whispered, looking back up at him. He shook his head, shutting his eyes tight, trying hard to suppress his tears. "Nothing. I'm fine." He sniffled and suddenly walked around her, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the corridor. Her heart broke then and she didn't know why. Did she feel something for Damon? No. She hardly knew him. She dismissed the feeling and turned to get her clothes that lay on the side table where she had left them when she spotted Damon standing with his forehead against the door. As she reached out to take them a door creaked open and Elena peered over her shoulder. Wendi walked out of the front room, a new set of clothes in her hands. Wendi smiled at her kindly but Elena could tell all too well it was a fake expression, something was going on but no one was going to explain it to her. Wendi held the clothes out to her, "I was going to leave them on the side table but it seems you're already out." Elena smiled and took the new clothes. "Thank you."
"No problem." Wendi widened her smile but it only seemed even more forced.
"Um, can I ask...what's going on?"
"What do you mean?" Wendi asked even though she could guess what Elena meant. "Um...Damon...he was crying. Is everything ok?"
"Oh yeah. Fine, just something...don't worry. Everything is fine."
"Oh...ok then."
"I gotta go and tidy up upstairs. Stefan spilt a drink on his bed. Useless, he is!" She made a force laugh and patted Elena's shoulder as she walked past her, heading for the stairs. Elena smiled happily at her as she laughed fakely. Elena could tell Wendi was lying but her subconscious told her to keep it shut.
Damon sat down on the couch, his head in his hands. Stefan was right, it was his fault. Stefan loved Caroline with all his soul and Damon and shattered all of that. Stefan could never forgive him for this one, after the number of things Stefan and Damon had been through together, Stefan could not forgive him for this one. This was just taking his trouble making too far! Damon had always been known as the most devious type but he never meant for it to lead to anyone's death!
"Damon?" A soft voice asked from behind him. Damon looked up from his shaking hand and peered over his shoulder and there Elena stood in her new clothes Wendi had given her. She now wore a black vest top with a black see through button blouse over it and blue jeans. Her hair was drying now but still a bit damp. Damon admired her long brunette locks, noticing she had brushed it since he last saw her dripping wet in her towel. "Nice bath?" He asked and she nodded. He sighed and looked away, covering his face with his hands. "Damon, what's going on?"
"It's Caroline." He murmured.
"Who?"
"Caroline. My...friend. Wendi's best mate."
Elena walked around him and sat next to him on the couch. "What happened to her?"
"She's died."
"What do you mean, she's died?" Elena was so confused. Damon sighed and pulled his hands away from his face, looking Elena straight in the eyes. "I wish I could tell you..." Damon whispered. Elena smiled warmly, "You can." Damon shook his head, "No, you don't understand. I literally am not allowed to tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because then you'll know." He responded easily.
"Know what?"
"What I am." He muttered. Elena blinked in utter confusion. "I..I don't understand. What are you talking about?" With that Damon shot up from the couch and began ruffling his hands through his hair in frustration. "It's all my fault, Elena. If it wasn't for me, Caroline would still be alive!"
"Damon, calm down. Just tell me, I could help...maybe."
"No, you can't. There's nothing that could think this! Nothing!" He sobbed, covering his face with his hands. "I'm such a fucking idiot!" He growled to himself. Elena shot up from the couch and placed her hand upon his shoulder. "You can trust me, Damon." She spoke softly. He turned towards her, his eyes swollen red from hard sobs. "Look...I know you hardly know me and I barely know you but...if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that you can trust me." Elena added, smiling warmly up at him. Damon chest began to heave, why, he didn't know. But before he could understand what he was doing, his hand slowly reached up and began to caress her cheek. Elena's smile faded, worried of what his action was implying. She exhaled and placed her hand over his upon her cheek. He leaned down, his lips becoming only inches from hers. Elena's lips parted, her breath shaking with nerves.
"Damon?" A voice spoke in worry. Damon stepped away from Elena in alarm, his hand dropping away from her cheek. Wendi stood in the doorway of the front room, startled by what she had just seen nearly happen. She was horrified, how could Damon do this? On the verge of kissing an mortal and especially when Caroline had just died. Was he taking the piss? Wendi's rage flowed madly in her throat, her fists clenching in anger. Damon groaned in stress and dashed out of the front room, barging through Wendi on his way out.
