Okay people, I will try to make this A/N short, probably won't manage it though (smiles shyly*).

So here are the acknowledgments for the people who keep me writing, even when I my mind feels like it can go no further. I hope I will always be able to keep you entertained and content:
theoriginalCaLaMa (you are amazing, your confidence in my writing is too much and I thank you dearly.)
Twilight Diaries (your reviews are touching and always make me laugh, I truly appreciate your enthusiasm.)
Suna Babe (thanks for the heads up, I corrected the mistake;I love when my readers catch that, then I know they're paying attention.)

To all my other readers, please do not be offended. I am merely naming a few reviewers that caught my eye and really encouraged me to abandon other stories for a few moments and continue on with this piece of creativity. I honestly do appreciate every single one of my readers, I just don't have the time or room to name everybody :).

The first few chapters of this are obviously going to be for the most part in the hospital but I promise to change that soon. I can promise some good/bad drama is to come depending on your point of view. Also, for those of you who love Jeremy, well he is going to have his moment to shine or fail miserably(you decide!) in later chapters.

DISCLAIMER: Still don't own Vampire Diaries but it would be a great christmas gift :)
I do not own the following line either, that credit goes to the author of Prozac Nation;
"I need love. I need the thing that happens when your brain shuts off and your heart turns on."

Also this is basically a few things that happened between chapters 1 and 2 and Damon's account of chapter 2. i think.


I feel it everyday it's all the same
It brings me down but I'm the one to blame
I've tried everything to get away
So here I go again
Chasing you down again
Why do I do this?

Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to

It feels like everyday stays the same
It's dragging me down and I can't pull away
So here I go again
Chasing you down again
Why do I do this?

Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to
Over and over, over and over
You make me fall for you
Over and over, over and over
You don't even try

So many thoughts that I can't get out of my head
I try to live without you, every time I do I feel dead
I know what's best for me
But I want you instead
I'll keep on wasting all my time

Over and over, over and over
I fall for you
Over and over, over and over
I try not to
Over and over, over and over
You make me fall for you
Over and over, over and over
You don't even try to

(Over and Over by Three Days Grace)


Damon had returned home to clean up and quench his thirst. At least that's what he told himself. In all honesty, he had only come home to get away from the hospital.

After downing several bags of blood, he raced up to his room to change.

He could not believe Elena was still in a coma. It had been a month for god's sake. Stupid doctors; they said she would be fine, not that I would ever trust some idiota umano.

In a fit of rage and aggravation, Damon began throwing things around his room, breaking a quantity of priceless objects in the process.

At that very moment, someone lounged alongside his doorframe; and in his condition, well it was the worst guest possible.

"What do you want, Stefan? Don't you have some bunnies to go eat?"

"I was on my way to the hospital; not that it is any business of yours. I was merely coming to ponder why you suddenly decided to tear apart your room like a child having a tantrum."

"Do not try to take me on, little brother." Damon turned to Stefan, his veins apparent, fangs sprouted, and eyes as black as night. "You may be a vampire, but you are weak. You always have been."

Stefan sighed.

"Damon…I'm just trying to understand you. You make it seem as though you don't care, but...there's something there, in your eyes, I can see it."

"If you think there is any humanity left in me, then you are altrettanto ingenuo come quando eri bambino. I have no guilt and I have no humanity, hai fatto sicuro che...The closest I get too humanity is when I rip it apart and feed from it."

Damon walked out of his bedroom and down the stairs, knocking into his brother along the way.

"She's still my girlfriend, Damon. I am going to see her, I have to. I can't sit by and contemplate the idea that I might lose her again."

"Oh, stop the brooding, it is truly getting irritating," Damon smirked. "Maybe if you're a good boy, I'll tell the nurse to let you in the door this time. After all, thirteenth time's the charm, right."


Two Weeks Later...

Damon was back at the hospital again.

Stefan had been to visit Elena almost everyday for the past two weeks.

Damon continued to tell himself that he was only sitting there, next to Elena, because of guilt.

It was his and his brother's fault she had suffered; it wasn't as if she went out willingly looking for the supernatural.

She wasn't Isobel.

And she definitely wasn't Katherine, although when he had first met the human girl in front of him, he only saw a replica, a placeholder for his beloved Katherine.

He had even considered turning her; to make her into Katherine so he could have his fun until he could open the tomb and get the original.

But...somewhere along the way, his plans got confused and rearranged.

Somewhere along the way, and as much as he hates to admit it, he fell in love. After a century and a half of searching for someone who never wanted him, he fell for a fragile and naive human.

How incomprehensible.

No matter how hard he tries, Damon just can't seem to keep his emotions in check...at least not when he's with Elena. He knows how to hide but she sees to much; even with his mask, she is immune to it. Elena sees what is covered up behind, and he can't seem to lie to her.

Damon has never had to worry before but now, now he feels like he can't manage his facade any longer. He is trapped inside his body as he never has been before. He feels as if his control is sleeping and soon his feelings will begin to show, and he just wishes he knew what was wrong.

A wise author once said, "I need love. I need the thing that happens when your brain shuts off and your heart turns on."

Well, for someone whose heart has been turned off for over a hundred years, Damon is amazed he can still feel. Secretly, he wants love.

He needs it.

Not that he'd ever tell anyone...


Damon's POV:

Elena begins to stir.

My eyes, having been skimming over a newspaper, shot up to her face, judging the accuracy of my peripheral vision.

Again, she moves slightly, as if annoyed at something or other.

"Elena?" I questioned carefully, as to not scare her.

I waited a few seconds before her eyelids fluttered.

Finding myself overly relieved, I attempted to make a joke of it.

"Finally, you were snoring like the living dead," I sighed.

She opens her eyes a little to give me her best glare.

Elena looks around her bewildered.

Did she think she could just walk away from an attack like that? So naive, I shook my head imperceptibly at the thought.

"Oh really, you snore?" She threw back.

I couldn't help but smile. This was the Elena I remembered.

That weak girl I saw giving up in the kitchen of her home was not Elena; this was.

Making light of the conversation, I continued with our witty banter.

"Ha ha, Miss Coma Patient thinks she's so funny. Maybe I should have brought you a mic and an audience," I suggested to the woman lying in the hospital bed.

She paused for a moment to think of what I had just said.

She was about to continue when something finally clicked.

"What do you mean coma? Damon, answer me."

She sounded frantic, but I guess anyone else in her situation would too.

"Elena, you had lost too much blood; had too many injuries. My blood couldn't heal you completely, but it fixed a lot more than I would have expected. You're a fighter. After the third week, when your vital signs hadn't increased from practically the lowest point in history, they were about to call it quits. It was as if your body knew what was about to happen and decided against it, because at that moment, every monitor showed a raise where a raise was needed. They called you their medical miracle," I explained slowly, laughing as I stated the medical miracle part

Her voice scratched as she asked, "How- How long have I been under?"

I wasn't too keen of giving an exact measurement so I simply replied with a, "Not long," and hoped Elena would not be persistent.

"Damon."

Okay well he knew that was a long-shot. This was Elena after all.

I looked into her eyes and easily said, "About a month and a half."

"What!"

She sat up in her bed quickly and gasped.

Using vampire speed, I hurried to her bed and pinned her down by the only thing that was not bandaged- her arms.

"The healing process works better if you don't move. It's called bed rest. Besides, you do not want to irritate any of your wounds."

"The only thing irritating my wounds here is you," she uttered, seemingly forgetting that he could still hear.

"Oh kitten, you don't have to hide your love, just admit I'm your loveable sex god," I smirked, as usual.

Elena smirked as well, "I must not tell lies."

"You'll come around," I tossed.

Was I really doing this? Am I still playing this game?

Elena was Stefan's... Okay not that I really cared, but it didn't make any sense.

Then again, he was a vampire from the late 1800s so did anything really make sense anymore?

I thought not.

Sitting down back in my chair, Elena decided it had been quiet for long enough.

"I never knew bed rest required a psychotic vampire to annoy me all day."

"Only in the modern era, kitten."

There didn't seem to be any long-term damage that I could see; so far, all was good.

He had forgotten how easy it was to be with her when they were both relaxed and kidding around.

Elena decided to share her snarky comment, "Do I 'meow'? I certainly don't think so, therefore do not call me 'kitten'."

Like that would happen, I grinned.

"Straight from a coma and I'm already getting lectured. I think I liked you better asleep," I joked sincerely.

"Is this how you get all the girls, Damon? You show them how much of a cocky ass you can be? I wonder how that works."

"Elena you make me laugh. You should know very well how I get my ladies," I replied, leaning in close to her face.

I heard her breathing become rough and thanks to her monitors, everyone could hear her heart speed up.

"Anyways, I thought I was the sick one. Aren't you supposed to be comforting me or something, rather than pestering me and causing me stress?" She asked nervously.

I loved seeing how much a simple move on my behalf could affect her so deeply.

Her cheeks were still had a little rosy color to them.

"I could...but where would the fun be in that?"

I laughed heartily. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually laughed an honest laugh. Stefan certainly never caused on of these, and I didn't make it a regular activity to hang out with the humans, so it was only Elena.

"Must things always be fun and games with you, Damon? Do you even know how to be serious?" She was clearly frustrated with his ability to take everything lightly and make fun.

I went on a whim and chose to give her what she wanted.

The truth.

"Of course I can be serious, Elena. I can be honest too. And if you want the truth, you better listen closely because you will never get this from me again. Granted you just awoke from a coma, I'll take pity. Elena...you are the reason I am still here. You have saved my life again. I know it was Bonnie who calmed the fire, but she did it for you, which amazes me. Not only because she seemed to have grown less fond of you but because that meant that somewhere along, the way you decided I was worth saving. I want to thank you for that."

I made my decision to recreate the moment with Katherine on the porch of Elena's home. I chose this moment because I had originally thought it was Elena and thus proceeded; well this time I wanted it to be real.

"Damon, you have never been the bad guy. You were just the one who strayed off the path for love."

I was amazed she could take everything she's heard and seen of me so lightly.

This meant I had a true friend; someone to trust after years of nothing.

Slowly, I began to lean in.

It was hard to keep the smirk off my face as I heard her breath hitch and heart speed up once again.

I kissed her cheek softly before looking into her soft dark brown eyes with caution.

Once I saw she wasn't about to push me away I leaned forward again, aiming for a different location.

I touched my lips to hers gently and as she became passionate in the action, so did I.

When the moment ended, I sat back in my chair and paid close attention to her reactions; waiting for her to scream or yell.

What she did next astounded me.

She smiled.

I sat quietly, while Elena seemed deep in thought.

After a few minutes Elena interrupted the comfortable silence.

"So Damon, do anything worthwhile lately? I mean, you are a vampire. You must have done something this past month and a half."

She tried to smirk but something was off. It seemed forced.

Her smiled faded with the light mood.

Her breathing became rapid and I didn't know what to do.

This wasn't supposed to be happening.

"Elena, what's wrong?" I asked hurriedly.

I needed to know if she needed medical attention immediately or if there was something I was merely missing.

Damnit, I can't stand feeling so clueless. I'm a vampire, I should know what the hell is going on!

Elena remained silent. Only her back lifting off the bed in effort to comprehend.

I yelled out the door for the nurse and the two who had brought Jeremy, Jenna, and Alaric to see Elena, came running in, the rest behind them.

One nurse surveyed the patient and yelled a diagnosis to the other, "She's going into psychological shock!"

The second nurse began CPR, and I automatically felt gratified knowing I had been slipping my blood into Elena's IV.

Elena's eyes were wide open but she didn't seem to have control of them, much less of her entire being.

A few minutes passed and her eyes closed, the effort of survival taking all of her energy, as she once again fell unconscious.

But that wasn't what had fear creeping upward.

It was the fact that the stress had taken over.

More so, it was the fact that he could no longer hear her heartbeat.


Suddenly I can't stay in this room.
You'll never sway, and I have nothing left that I can think of to say.
What do you want me to think of my thought?
Bear it in mind, if I cannot believe in me who will I then be?

And so I'll run but not too far, incase you chase me, oh...
But this is how it goes, baby.
I'll get angry at your words and I'll go home
And you won't call after me 'cos I'll be back before you know, you know...

So give me a tooth full of that smile,
And know-it-all eyes you show me
Just to prove that you don't need to lose it.
You tell me I'm your fortress of desire
But is it a crime for me to say my own view
And want then not to fear you?

And so I'll run but not too far, incase you chase me...
But this is how it goes, baby,
I'll get angry at your words and I'll go home
Then you won't call after me 'cos I'll be back before you know,
You know, yeah I'll be back before you know...

La di da di da...
And so I'll run but not too far...

'Cos this is how it goes, baby,
I'll get angry at your words and
I'll go home, then you won't call after me,
'cos I'll be back before you know, you know...

Yeah, I'll be back before you know...
And so I'll run but not too far...

(This Is How It Goes by Missy Higgins)


Okay readers, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry if it is a little confusing, I was a little confused while writing this. I ensure the next chapter will include all of Elena's friends and mainly Elena and Stefan's deteriorating relationship; they will decide to make it or break it.

Continue to read and review because the drama and trouble is only starting. I can guarantee this isn't even the half of it! (cough* Katherine coughcough*)

Namaste,
Nina