Chapter 9: Hurt

My eyelids flutter open. My vision is slightly blurry and I try to sit up from where I am. Actually, where am I? Pretty sure I was in the study room. I glance around the room and notice I'm in the lounge, but that's not the only thing I take in. Damon's sitting on the sofa opposite, Stefan is standing by the doorway and the girls are sitting on the floor. As I try to sit up, I wince at the pounding throbbing pain in my head. "OW, Shit. My head," I squeak. I hear Damon chuckle in the background, so I glare at him while Caroline rushes towards me.

"Here take this." She hands me a glass of water and some aspirin.

"Thanks." I give her a small smile in appreciation and take the medicine.

"You know, whisky would help." I turn to Damon and roll my eyes at him in response.

"Erm, how long was I out for?"

"About a couple of hours. Its 4 o'clock now," Stefan responds as he walks over and sits besides Damon.

"2 Hours?! Shit." I lie back down and try to get rid of the pain, but it doesn't work. I slowly sit back up, so I don't wince in pain again and turn around to face everyone. Then I remember why I blacked out. I start to feel overwhelmed again, but I take deep breaths to relax myself and some water.

"You ok Rose?" Bonnie asks gently, walking over to sit beside me. I nod my head and close my eyes. I remember what I read, and I remember my dream. I quickly open my eyes again and narrow them at Damon.

"What? What have I done now?"

"You know what you've done."

"Oh come on. Give me a clue here? Help me out. Anyone?" Everyone stares at me and then to Damon.

"What is it Rose?"

"If you're unconscious are you able to dream?"

"Not really. I mean, it could be possible, it depends. But scientifically no." Stefan answers.

My face drops. So what was it that I dreamt? Or didn't dream? "Why are you asking?"

I turn to Stefan and explain myself. "When I was unconscious I had a dream, or whatever it was. But it was about last night. As in, the conversation between Damon and myself about vampires. I mean I couldn't catch the rest of it because the dream shifted to outside my porch, where your brother decided to make me forget everything he told me about vampires, werewolves and witches. He made me forget everything about our conversation of supernatural things."

This time they all had their jaw dropped. They shared the same facial expression as each other and then turned to one another and then back to me. "Wait, you remember that?" I stare back to Damon and regret it. He looks confused and pissed. Just great.

I walked over to Damon and hit him across the face. "What was that for?!" Everyone else in the room laughed and I scream in his face.

"THAT HAPPENED?! YOU MADE ME FORGET AND I HAD TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU ALL ARE THROUGH STEFAN'S DIARY?! YOU FUCKING IDIOT! HOW COULD YOU ERASE MY MEMORY LIKE THAT?"

"You're pissed at me because I erased your memory? But I didn't erase the memory of the kiss! Come on now Rose." I ignore him and turn to Stefan.

"I am so sorry I read your diary, journal thing. I didn't even realise it was yours until you wrote about Damon and Elena. I am so sorry."

"It's okay Rose. Don't worry about it." He gives a reassuring smile, but I still feel guilty. "I do have a question though, how did you remember the conversation? How did you realise Damon had erased your memory?"

"That's more than one question, but since last night, I knew something was wrong. Like something was nagging at my mind, but I didn't know what. The same thing was on my mind in the morning until now. I didn't know why and I didn't know what. I don't know whether your diary triggered the memory or the hit on the head. I'm not entirely sure."

"No one has ever felt like that though after compulsion. Right Stefan, Damon?" Bonnie says to them.

"Well not until now. But we need to know why she remembers? What exactly made her feel like that? Can't have been vervain." Stefan replies.

"Hm. It's her. There's something about her though that made her remember."

"Yes, but what Caroline?"

"I don't know!"

"Guys, I'm still in the freaking room! What is compulsion and what the hell is vervain?" Again they all turn to look at me and Damon answers me this time.

"Vervain is this herb that allows humans, like you, to resist compulsion. Compulsion is when a vampire makes humans do what we tell them to do, so basically we're in control. Just like how I made you forget, until now."

"Thanks so much for the simplicity. You couldn't have made it anymore clear that I'm an idiot and obviously new to this. Thanks so much Damon." I turn to Caroline and ask her, "Can you take me home please? I don't want to be here anymore."

"Urm, sure. But can we stop by the Grill first?" I nod and make my way outside. He couldn't have made me feel anymore stupider or idiotic than I already feel. Do I even trust them? Do I trust him? Before I make it outside Damon pulls me back by the hand, startling me.

"You're going to have to get used to that," he grins and does his eye thing. I don't respond. I'm already pissed at him and he's making it worse. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you look stupid, it was just easier for me to be rude than to be nice."

"I don't care Damon. Not anymore. Not since you erased my memory. Why would you do that? You took away my free will to decide whether I wanted to forget if you were all vampires, or if Bonnie was a witch."

"I took away your goddamn free will because I didn't want you getting hurt Rose!"

"I wasn't going to get hurt! How could I if I have you all near me?!"

"And what if you didn't?"

"Then it would be my fucking problem Damon!"

"No. It wouldn't. It'd be on my head because I dragged you into this mess. It'd be my problem because I should've stayed away from you the moment you got into town. If you got hurt it'd be my problem!"

"Oh so you tried to save yourself the guilt? Is that it? You couldn't bear to stand seeing me hurt because you would've dragged me into this?"

"Yes and no. Yes because I'm selfish. And no because I don't want to see you hurt."

"Well you've failed at that Damon, because you've hurt me! You erased my memory! You didn't give me the choice! If I hadn't had read Stefan's journal or had that dream I wouldn't be feeling so fucking upset right now!" A tear escapes my eye and rolls down my cheek. I try to wipe it away, but Damon's grasp on my hands is too strong. I couldn't stop the rest of the tears from falling. I cry quietly and he lets go of me. Stop crying, you're making yourself look weak. He cups my face in his hands and wipes away my tears. I move away from him and head towards Caroline's car.

"Rose, wait. Please!" I turn around one last time. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did. But I can't change that now. I don't know what else you want me to say, or what to do. I'm not a mind reader. But I am sorry, really sorry." And with that, he strokes my cheek and kisses me very softly on my lips. The kiss sends a spark through my body and I can't take it. I pull away and notice Caroline standing behind Damon. She smiles apologetically and walks towards the car.

/

"Thanks for dropping me home Caroline."

"Anytime Rose. If you need anything, and I mean anything. Call me ok?" I reply with a nod and smile. I walk into the house and head to the kitchen. "What's for dinner Mum?"

"Pizza. Want to help?" I shake my head and go to my room. I place the angel painting on my desk and take out a new canvas to put on the easel. To make sense of everything that happened today I put in my earphones and listen to Paramore and start to sketch out an outline of the whole group. I start with Stefan, standing lean with his arm around Elena, like on the day I first met them. Then Matt, with his friendly boyish smile, with Bonnie next to Jeremy and then Caroline at the end. It takes me over an hour just to do their bodies' outlines, and then I get into the detail. The eyes, the hair, the hands. Everything. I try to perfect very line, every small detail I can remember of them. Dad shouts for dinner and I leave the sketch as it is.

I just need time to go over this. I'm not scared of them, I'm afraid for them. I don't know why. I need to know more. I'll call Caroline one day this week, maybe tomorrow. I don't know. I just want to go to the falls.

We finish dinner and I help clear the kitchen. I go back upstairs and notice Stefan in my room. "What the hell Stefan?! Why are you in my room? How did you even get in here?!" I hiss at him.

"Through the window. Look, Damon really doesn't want to see you hurt. Please give him a chance."

"Through the window?! What?! Has he sent you here to do his dirty work?"

"No, I came here on my own agenda, to see if you were okay."

"I've been better."

He stares at me with a sorry look and turns back to the sketch."You really do have a gift. You should let everyone see it."

"Thank you", I reply shyly. He nods his head and continues to stare at the sketch of the group. I walk over to my bed and fling myself on top of it and watch Stefan staring at my picture. I grab my sketchpad from my bed and a pencil and start to draw him. His posture relaxed and but his eyes stern. They hold a look of someone searching for answers and I grasp the concept. By the time I've sketched him; I turn back to him and notice him watching me instead. I show him the picture and he grins. He doesn't need to say anything.

"I'll talk to Damon. I will. But not now." He nods his head, understanding I need time, and within seconds he's gone from my view. I get up from my bed and take out my hidden sketchpad, the one with all the pictures of Damon. I go through them all and each time part of me just wants him here, to hold me. I hold the book tightly to my chest and cry myself to sleep. This is not how I imagined things happening.

A/N Sorry it took so long! meh, exams and all! Anyway, this chapter is not my best, but I hope you like it! Share your thoughts!