A/N: Another short chapter but I figure two short chapters in a quick row = 1 long chapter, right? Anyway, couldn't end it anywhere else, this had to be the ending of the chapter. Hope it's not too cheesy, enjoy!

Chapter 14

"You don't have any ice cream?" Emma emphasized her shock. "How can we have a 'girls' night' without any ice cream?"

Jenna let her head fall into her hands. "I know, I'm a terrible 'girl party' host."

"Why don't we just go get some? Frank's should be open still." Elena suggested. Leave it Elena to be sensible about the whole thing.

"I wouldn't mind a road trip." Emma agreed.

They got in Jenna's car and pulled away. None of them noticed Stefan arriving on the front porch just as they were turning the corner up the street.

Elena switched on the radio. "Oh my, goodness." She giggled when the song started. "I haven't heard this song since I was a kid." Emma nodded, rolling her window down to feel the night breeze on her face.

"You only know it because I played it all the time when I was over." Jenna grinned. All three girls started singing the song loudly, having a great time.

There was a man in the road. It was so sudden all Jenna could do was gasp and take her foot of the gas before they hit him. The car spun around twice before the back end went into the ditch, flipping it over into the field next to the road.

Emma wasn't in the car. She remembered her seat belt snapping but she didn't remember being flung from the automobile. She was grateful for the field being there, not trees or forest. Her last thought before passing out was wondering who had been in the middle of the road and where he had come from.

She was only out a few minutes, of that she was sure. Emma was sore so she didn't move, unsure if she broke anything. She could hear Elena calling Jenna's name. She should get up to check if they were alright.

Emma slowly sat up, bracing her right arm with her left. Looking down at it, it was pockmarked with red, bleeding spots. Her window had shattered and cut up her arm pretty bad. She touched the side of her face. It felt wet and sticky too.

There were suddenly two legs in front of her. She looked up to find Damon staring down at her intensely. She momentarily forgot he was a vampire and was flooded with relief at seeing her boyfriend in a time of crisis. She smiled at him. He didn't return her smile.

That was the moment she remembered what he was and how he'd been weird lately. Was Damon what Jenna had just hit on the road? Why would he do something like that? The smell of blood, her blood, was strong she suddenly realized. That had to be tough for him.

He reached down for her and instinctively she crawled backward away from his hand. He wasn't trying to help, she could tell from his expression. "Stop." She managed to whisper. The look in his eyes made him a different person. This wasn't the Damon she knew and loved, this was someone else completely.

"Don't fight me." He tried to compel her. She recognized it for what it was. Had he forgotten her locket?

"You can't compel me." She reminded him. "Just stop, Damon."

Angry, he grabbed her faster than she thought possible and backed her up to a nearby tree across the road. She gasped for air, off balance from having been pushed so far so quickly. Damon pinned her there, his grip gentle but iron. He wasn't hurting her but she wasn't going anywhere.

"I don't need to compel you." He seethed through grit teeth. He was filled with anger and hunger. His eyes gave away all.

"You never have." Emma agreed with him.

"Stop talking."

"No, Damon. You have to fight this. Whatever's going on, you have to fight it." She insisted. "This isn't you."

"I'm a vampire." He reminded her, shoving her a little harder with the word 'vampire.' "This is nature."

Emma shook her head. "Vampire or not, this isn't you. You love me, you wouldn't do this to me. You have to fight it." A tear fell as he squeezed her arm painfully. "For me, Damon." She added in a whisper.

Damon stood there, staring at her for what seemed like an eternity. His eyes showed an internal battle as he struggled to figure out what he wanted to do, which side was really him.

Emma noticed that the edges of her vision were getting blurry then dark. All her pain from the car accident and Damon grabbing her was finally seeping through her shock. She was going to pass out, it was only a matter of minutes, maybe seconds. If she passed out, Damon could do with her as he liked which wasn't going to be as pleasant as it sounded. There was something wrong with him and she could very likely end up his next dinner.

"Damon," she could only whisper but she knew he could hear her. "Please, I love you. Please just..." And the world went black.