The mood in the boarding house was cold and harsh. Damon was looking at the fire trying to grasp the loss he suffered tonight. After all his plotting and scheming, how could his plan have failed this gravely. His promise to protect had turned out to be an empty one.

Caroline was sitting next to Damon, her sobs were loud and annoying.

"Shut up Caroline"Damon scolded.

"How can you be so heartless! Somebody we all cared about DIED tonight...and quite frankly it's your fault to start with" Caroline screamed.

Damon rushed up from his seat grabbing Caroline's neck,choking her and slamming her against the wall " DONT YOU THINK I KNOW THAT! I DO NOT NEED YOU THROWING IT IN MY FACE" His face was cold yet painful, if you looked into his green eyes closely, you could almost see tears welling up.

Bonnie came down the stairs. '' Will you two keep it down? She's finally asleep" She whispered more calm the anyone in the house was.

Damon let go of Caroline instantly. "How is she?"

"Are you seriously asking me that Damon?"Bonnie asked him.

"You're right...Sorry" Damon said.

"I"m gonna call Jenna" Bonnie whispered.

"Why" Caroline wondered.

"Because I'm going to tell her Elena is sleeping at my place" She whispered.

"Tell Jenna that Stefan broke up with her and left town" Damon muttered.

"How can you disgrace your brother like that! After he died for you!" Caroline screamed again.

" What else is Bonnie gonna say Caroline? That stefan was killed by two werewolves working on the behalf of his vampire ex? But it's ok cause Elena is staying the night at his vampire brothers house." Damon said sarcastically.

Caroline went silent showing that she saw his point.

"I'll try and give a swing to it" Bonnie whispered. She didn't like the idea of portraying Stefan as the bad guy, hours after his death . But what other choice did she have. His disappearance would be noticed. And people would start asking questions. Questions that would need awnsers. Awnsers that could only be given if they told people right now he left town. She had no choice. She had to take comfort in the fact that where ever Stefan was now, he would understand that this was for the best. She just hoped Elena now struck with grief would see it that way too. Always the calm one she dialed the numbers to Elena's home reaching Jenna on the other end of the phone.

"Hello?"

Damon went upstairs to check on Elena. He could see the pillow she was lying on was wet. She had cried herself to sleep. Softly he stroked the hair out of her face trying not to disturb her peaceful sleep.

Even when she was obviously a mess, she still looked beautiful, even after a night she had there was still a streak of grace and elegance upon her.

Flashback -

"Kill the girl" Katherine said.

"WAIT!" Damon shouted. " Release Stefan first..."

"Fine" Katherine Whispered. Letting Stefan get out of her grip.

Stefan tried to rush to Elena but Damon stopped him...he gave him a look.

'No!" Damon said in a stern voice.

"Well, Kill her!" Katherine said again when Damon Stefan had reached Damon.

Damon gave Stefan a look "NOW!" he shouted.

Both boys ran for the big men, they had just a few seconds before the full moon had risen. Damon charged the one on the left and Stefan the one on the right. "RUN!" Damon shouted to Elena.

Katherine was next to move in Elena's direction. She had almost reached her when Stefan grabbed her from the back. Throwing her into a tree. Her hand was pierced with wood and she screamed a painful cry. Stefan quickly staked her other hand. Making her unable to free herself from the tree she was now convided too.

Damon was on the other side of the clearing. He was rolling around with the guy over leaves dirt and small branches poking him in the back. Damon made a haul for the mans neck but he was fast. It was time to play dirty If they were going to come out of this, he would need to fight dirty.

First he delivered a kick in the guy's groin. Making him squirm.

"Guess big guys have big nuts" Damon smirked. And with one quick move he wrapped his hands around the guys neck and twisted it. Broken neck and instant death followed. He hurried back to the other wolfman who was making his way for a screaming Elena. Throwing him off her.

"Stefan let's go!" Damon Shouted.

Then the light of the moon hit them. A howl sounded from the woods. The big guy started to scream in pain, his flesh tearing from his body and giving room for a thick furry coat. The transformation had begun, all they could do now was pulled Elena towards Caroline and shook the blond girl. "Come on!"

Caroline woke up confused "Whats going on?"

"Werewolf attack! we need to go...NOW! Take Elena" Damon ordered.

"Stefan!" Elena shouted

"Don't worry I'll go get him"Damon said trying to comfort her."But you two need to go to the car"

"I"m not leaving without him!" Elena screamed.

"Elena's for fucks sake don't be the human hero ok, if you stay you'll be killed' Damon said annoyed.

The wolf was now fully transformed and headed to Stefan who was slowly killing a screaming Katherine, so intense he didn't even see the animal comming.

The wolf made a jump for Stefan showing his teeth.

"STEFAN!"Elena screamed again.

Stefan glanced behind him seeing only the wolf and it's teeth ready to sink into him.

Damon tried to get in between them but it was to late, the wolf was already carrying Stefan in it's big sharp mouth.

"Caroline! Take Elena out of here!' Damon Shouted.

He charged for the wolf trying to let him let go of Stefan, but his body was already lifeless on the ground.

With a quick elegant move Damon tried to go for the wolves heart but the wolf was faster, and stronger. It's paw scratchd Damon over his shoulder, arm and chest. He realised he couldn't win this. Stefan was dead and if he stayed much longer so would he be.

He could hear Katherine's sobs over stefan's dead body. There was no way to bring the body with him. All he could do was run and get the girls to safety. And so he made a run for it.

"We have to go! NOW" He said pulling Caroline and Elena with him into the woods.

"No! no STEFAN!" Elena screamed.

"He's dead we have to leave him! there's no use in us getting killed to!" Damon shouted making his way too the car. Throwing both girls in and raced back to the boarding house.

-End Flashback-

It was early morning when Damon awoke from the first say of sunshines in his face. He was sitting in a chair next to the bed Elena had slept in. Was still sleeping in. The memory of what happened must have finally wore him down. He looked at Elena again, she was stirring quite alot in her sleep. Breathing some panicky words and names. Nightmares...he wasn't suprised. After what she saw the last year since he had met her, it kept on suprising him she wasn't driven to a mental hospital. She started to squirm around more in her sleep violently hitting the pillows. It was cruel to let this go on. He thought about the different ways to wake her up. But when she was finally near screaming blood and murder in her sleep he simply put his hands around her shoulders and shook her lightly.

"Elena...Elena wake up ok, it's just a dream" He whispered.

Elena softly opened her eyes. The light was to bright, her eyes were burning. ''It's just a dream" Damon's voice has whispered. In a moment of shear hope that it all was a dream, she looked at the other side of the bed. The side where Stefan was supposed to be lying looking all worried. But the sheets were smooth and untouched, nobody had spent last night on that side of the this realisation the tears came again, along with soft breakable sobs.

The only thing Damon could do was close her in his arms. Hug her tightly so that for a moment she would feel like she was in the safest place in the world. Truly he vowed to himself, she would never be safer then she was there. He would protect her with his very life, and this time he'd die for sure before seeing her hurt again. This was just to painful, every sob cut right through one of his icy exteriors and into his heart.

"We...Lost him...Damon" Elena cried interupted with sobs.

"I know Elena,"Damon tried to sooth her and softly kissing her hair on the top of her head. "I"m sorry."

Elena looked up at him with watery eyes. "It"s not your fault" she said.

"Except that it is..."Damon confessed.

Elena took a step away, freeing herself from his arms. She dried her tears for an instant with the sleeve. "What do you mean" she asked cautiously.

"Does it matter?" Damon asked. He really didn't want to hurt her again by explaining himself.

"." Elena said more infuriated, she found it was easier to be mad then sad right now.

"I just thought that, if I gave everyone the idea I was working with Katherine in stead of against her, I would have had a better shot at catching her off guard."Damon explained silently.

"So in his last moments, he felt all alone in the world, like his own brother had betrayed him once again" Elena said taking another step backwards.

"No! It wasn't like that!" Damon tried to reason.

"You're right Damon Salvatore! this IS your fault! If he knew you were on his side he just might haven't pulled a move like that too charge and he would still be alive!" Elena said suddenly feeling emotionless.

Caroline and Bonnie stormed into the room. The yelling had attracted attention, but all they could do was sit and watch in silence.

"Elena please, It wasn't like that" Damon raised his voice.

"BUT IT WAS!" Elena yelled. "You might not have delivered the killer blow Damon but you sure as hell killed him! You tortured him , made him miserable for years, trying to destroy every form of happiness in his life! You have blood on your hands Damon Salvatore, your brothers blood!" Elena screamed through her near hysteric tears.

Damon closed in on her. He couldn't bare to see her like this...his hand reached out for her.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Elena backed away further, beeing on the doorstep. "Leave me alone, If I never see you again, it will be too soon..." Elena whispered

"Elena please don't do this...you are all I have left, all I still care for, I cant lose you" Damon said in a moment of vonurable honesty.

"You"re wrong damon, I lost everything I cared for...you never had me for a second...I can honestly say now that not a bone in my body cares for you or ever will...you're a miserable dispicable bastard who is and will always be alone in this world, and I hate you"

and with those words, she left the room, leaving Damon almost emotionally it didn't show from his face, his heart was broken. Finally...he let her go...It seemed, that this would be the end for them. After all, she had no reason to stay, when Stefan was gone.

Hey my sweets,

Thanks again for staying with me during my absence and I hope this chapter makes up for it a bit :) I am fully writing again but personal life has been a bit busy lately with things I will not bother you all xD.

For this chapter i was not inspired by ANY song, it just came in my head, so no lyric title right now...but if you have songs i should listen too...let me know in the comments or pm's

A couple of shout outs...

First and always to my wonderfull beta-reader twilightobsessed-YESTWILIGHT for her wonderfull guidance and accurate job. Without you I would not be on here 3

Second to my muse Aurore, for being very patient with me these days...it's greatly appreciated.

and third...to you guys for sticking with me...thank you for that!