Diclaimer: I don't own anything. All right to The Vampire Diaries belong to Alloy Entertainment, Harper Teen and The CW.

Note: I know I'm uploading this earlier than usual, but health issues are forcing me to get to bed earlier than usual.

Chapter 21: Light in the Dark

Part 1

Once again Elena pulled Damon's arm over her shoulder.

"I can walk myself now" Damon said, but Elena ignored him.

"You're not strong enough yet" Elena said.

"Geez, Elena, just admit you can't resist touching me" Damon joked. Elena's cheeks turned red, but she recovered quickly.

"Good to know you can make jokes again" she said. They walked further.

"Can I ask you something?" Damon said. "How did you find me?"

"I had a dream" Elena began to explain. "In which your voice guided me to you…In my dream you died"

She paused to breath. Then she carried on. "Anyways, when I woke up I remembered everything that happened the last few weeks and I knew you needed me…And Jeremy knew where you were…Anna helped him"

Damon shook his head, a little confused. "Okaaayyy" he said.

"Don't make fun of me, Damon" Elena said. "It's the truth"

"I believe you" Damon said. He smirked. "Sooo…you dreamed about me, huh?...Told you you couldn't resist me"

"Okay, that's it" Elena said and she let go of him, making him lose his balance. "You can walk yourself" She walked further, leaving Damon behind, her lips forming a teasing smile

Damon staggered after her. "Alright, I'm sorry" he said. "I promise I won't make any jokes anymore"

Elena stopped. "Don't make promises you know you can't keep"

"I promise I will try to make no more jokes" Damon said. "Better now?"

"Much better" Elena said. She hooked her arm in his and helped him walk further.

"Elena?"

They heard Tyler's voice. Apparently he had come back for them.

"We're here, Tyler!" Elena yelled, helping Tyler find them.

Tyler appeared from behind a turn and came their way. He helped Elena carry Damon.

"Where is…?" Elena started, but Tyler already knew what she wanted to ask.

"Caroline took her and Jeremy to the hospital" he answered.

"Jeremy's hurt?" Elena asked worried.

"The house collapsed" Tyler explained. "He didn't look injured, but Caroline insisted he should have a check-up. Just to make sure"

Elena nodded in understanding. "Why did she take…her too?" she asked a little bitter. "I thought Jeremy killed her"

"Caroline checked her pulse. She wasn't dead yet, but I'm not sure she's going to live" Tyler said.

"Wait" Damon came in between. "She said the spell could only be broken if she got killed. If she's not dead, how can the spell be lifted?"

"Maybe she lied" Tyler shrugged. "Maybe she just had to be at the brink of death to undo the spell"

"Makes sense" Elena said.

"We're there" Tyler said and they looked up at the big whole they had created.

"You first" Damon said to Elena and Tyler climbed up with her.

Then a hand appeared and expecting it was Tyler's Damon grabbed it and he was pulled up. He looked in a familiar face, but not Tyler's.

"Stefan" Damon said startled.

Part 2

Damon almost let go and fell back, but Stefan tightened his grip on him and pulled him up. They were outside, standing in the wreckage that used to be Bonnies house. Damon jerked his hand and walked away from his brother.

"Damon, wait…" but Damon walked to Katherine, who came his way. She lay her hands on his upper arms.

"Are you alright? How do you feel?" she asked worried.

"Like someone who's been tortured" he said with a faint smile.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you" Katherine said. "I had to keep an eye on Stefan"

"It's okay" Damon reassured her. "Elena was there"

"You have no idea how scared I was" Katherine said and she pulled him in her arms. Damon, surprised by this unexpected and uncharacteristic move by Katherine, helplessly tapped her on her back.

He felt how someone stared at him and he freed himself from Katherine. He turned around and saw Stefan trying to talk to Elena. She looked at Damon and walked to him.

"You ready to go home?"

Damon nodded. He went with Elena, leaving Katherine behind.

Part 3

The hospital

"I'm fine" Jeremy said for the seventh time. Caroline had brought him to the hospital, along with Bonnie.

"I think I should make that decision, don't you think?" the doctor said. It was the same that had taken care of his hand. "Now, will you please lay down so I can check if you have any broken ribs?"

Jeremy reluctantly lay down on the hospital bed and pulled up his shirt, like the doctor had asked him.

"Does this hurt?" she asked, pressing the right side of his stomach. Jeremy shook his head. "And this?"

"No"

"This?"

"Oww!" Jeremy exclaimed.

"Okay" the doctor said. "We're going to have to take some pictures"

A nurse walked to the phone and asked for the x-ray machine. Five minutes later someone walked in, riding the machine into the room.

"Jeremy, if you're okay with it, I'd like to get some air" Caroline said. Jeremy waved his hand to say it's okay and while the doctor took the photo's she walked out of the room. She looked for the intensive care room and found Bonnie lying in it, connected to all kinds of threads connected to all kinds of machines.

"Why, Bonnie?" she asked sad. "Why did you have to mess with Elena and Damon?"

Thirty minutes later the doctor showed the pictures. "You must have a guardian angel who's really fond of you" she said to Jeremy. "No broken ribs, only a few bruisers, so take it easy for a while"

Jeremy nodded. "Won't be a problem"

"Hey"

Jeremy looked up. Alaric was standing in the doorway.

"Hi" Jeremy said.

"Is he going to be okay?" Alaric asked the doctor concerned.

"I'm sitting right here, you know" Jeremy said.

"He'll be fine" the doctor said. "It's almost a miracle"

Jeremy carefully got off the bed and walked outside, Alaric following him. Once they were outside Alaric took Jeremy's shoulder.

"Don't ever do that again" he said. "Don't ever put yourself in danger without telling me what's going on"

"We didn't have time" Jeremy defended himself.

"You should've let me come with you" Alaric said.

"We didn't want to put you in danger" Jeremy said. "We were worried for you"

"That's not your job" Alaric said. "It is my job to be worried for you and Elena"

"Okay, I'm sorry" Jeremy said a little annoyed. "Can we go home now?"

Part 4

"We're home, Damon" Elena said. She and Stefan were helping Damon reach the porch, something he'd rather do alone, thinking he'd recovered enough.

"I'm going to open the door" Stefan said. He let go of Damon and ran to the door and opened it. Then he walked back at Damon and Elena. When he wanted to help Damon enter Damon pushed his arm away.

"I don't need your help" he said pissed, avoiding to look at him.

Stefan looked helplessly at his ex, but she gave him a 'what did you expect' kind of look back. She helped Damon enter the house and Stefan walked behind them like a lost puppy.

"You want to sleep in your bed?" Stefan asked careful. "Or in the couch? I can get some pillows and sheets"

Damon shook his head. "I'm fine" he said short. "I don't need anything" Especially not from you, he thought, but he was polite enough not to say that aloud.

"You should get some rest" Elena said.

"I'll lay on my bed, if that makes you happy" Damon gave in. "But I'm not going to sleep"

"Okay" Elena said, knowing it was the best deal she would get. She led Damon to his bedroom where he sat down and she sat next to him.

"So" Elena said. "Here we are"

"Here we are" Damon confirmed.

Elena felt her heart beating painfully in her chest while her eyes could only stare at Damon's lips. There was no reason to hold back now.

She leaned forward, knowing there would be no way back.

"Uhum"

Right before their lips connected each other Stefan decided to show up. Elena could hear Damon groan and she herself let out a deep sigh.

"Can I talk to you?"

"I'll be right back" Elena promised Damon. She followed Stefan outside. "What's the matter?" Stefan led her to the study room, then turned around. "I need you to promise me you won't freak out, because what I'm about to say might sound very sick and it won't add to my good deeds list"

"What is it?" Elena asked, wanting Stefan to come to the point.

"I think we should tie him up" Stefan said. When Elena's eyes bulged in upsetting, he hastily added: "Just for now, until he's fully recovered and he can live with what Bonnie has done to him"

Elena shook her head disgusted.

"I don't believe you" she said trembling. "He's been in a physical and mental prison for weeks and now that he's finally free you want to push him back in that prison?"

"No! No, that's not what I want!" Stefan said desperate. "But you know just as well that when Damon is hurt he snaps. And after everything that happened in his life I don't blame him, but we can't risk him going on a killing spree, because he's messed up. Not everyone has a Gilbert ring"

"Who knows how long it will take for him to get over it? You didn't see him down there. You were too much of a coward to come with me. You'd rather have him killed, so you'd have me for yourself. But trust me Stefan, if he would've died, I would've banished you from my life. Fact is, I still might" she said upset.

Stefan looked over Elena's shoulder. "Please don't talk so loud, I don't want Damon to hear us"

"Yeah, God forbid!" Elena exclaimed.

She grabbed the tape out of his hands. "I'll do it" she said angry and she walked back to Damon's room. She entered it and walked to the bed. Despite his pretending to be not weak, Damon had fallen asleep after all.

Elena sank down on the bed. "Forgive me, Damon"

Part 5

Bonnie woke up and a bright light hurt her eyes, so she covered them. She looked around and learned she was in the hospital. She climbed of the bed and stared upon her own unconscious body.

"What's going on?" she asked, not expecting a reply.

However, she did get one.

"You're in a coma"

Bonnie's breathing went faster when she recognized the voice. "Grams?" she called.

Sheila appeared. Bonnie wanted to go to her, but she raised her hand and stopped her. "I'm not here for a family reunion" she said cold. "I'm here in name of the Bennett witches. You've seriously screwed up"

Bonnie nodded ashamed.

"You've abused the magic in ways I could never imagine. And believe me, in a town full of vampires, werewolves and witches you can't have a limited imagination" Sheila said.

Bonnie looked down, not daring to look her grandmother in the eye.

"What's going to happen now? Am I going to die?"

"No" Sheila said.

"But…the balance" Bonnie said frowning. "It will still be shifted"

"We'll find a way to fix it" Sheila said. "Only this time we won't count on you"

"Please, don't let me go back" Bonnie cried. "I can't go back. I can't face them after all the awful things I've done. I don't want to live"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart" Sheila said cold. "But I can't let you get away with it that easy. Abuse of magic is something we don't easily forget. We have to make an example…However, you will be cut off from our magic and you will be stripped from your own powers"

"What?" Bonnie said.

"You will get to live like a normal person. And maybe in time, when you can look at and treat other species like you wish to be treated, you might earn your powers back"

Bonnie nodded.

"Now I have to go" Sheila said. "Goodbye, sweetheart. Make something good of this second chance you get. Make it count"

Part 6

"Before I kill you there are a few things you have to know" Bonnie rolled him on his back with her feet. "You're evil. You're a worthless, useless waste of space. You're not even worth spitting on. You're a monster. You're a sinner and for your sins you have to make amends"

She walked around him pouring water over him and Damon knew what was to come. But this time he did not have the strength nor the courage to try and prevent it.

Bonnie looked down upon Damon and set him on fire. The flames started at his feet and searched their way to his chest. Damon rolled over the floor, but instead of putting it out he only made it worse.

Damon tossed and turned and sweat beaded on his forehead. His eyes flashed open and when he saw the tape around his hands he panicked.

"No" he mumbled anxious. "Not again" He jerked his wrists, causing them to bleed, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be free.

"Damon, stop it" Elena said quickly. She had been waking by his bed while he'd been asleep, but in his panic he hadn't seen her.

"Elena" Damon said breathless. "We have to get out of here…She's coming. She's coming for me"

"No, she's gone" Elena said, knowing what Damon was talking about. "She can't hurt you anymore, Damon"

Damon shook his head. "No, I just…I just saw her. She was here, she was really here" he looked at Elena, now crying of fear, which broke Elena's heart. "She's going to torture me…She wants to torture me to death"

Elena couldn't bear it anymore and ripped the tape off Damon's wrists. Go to hell, Stefan, she thought furious. She brought his left wrist to her mouth and licked the blood carefully with her tongue and the wound healed, though that was because Damon had gained back his ability of healing. But his blood did heal Elena's neck.

"She's not going to harm you anymore" Elena said soft as she pulled Damon in her arms, trying to console him. "I won't let her"

Part 7

A couple of hours later

Elena was lying in Damon's arms, when the door opened and Stefan and Katherine appeared in the doorway.

"Damon? Can I talk to you" Katherine asked careful. Damon nodded, but prevented Elena from leaving. "In private?"

"It's okay, Damon" Elena sighed and she freed herself from his hold. "I'll be back" she said with a faint smile. She walked away from the bed and followed Stefan outside.

"Elena, I'm sorry" Stefan said.

"Not now, Stefan" Elena said.

"Yes, now" Stefan said. "I know you hate me and you have every right to. You should hate me"

"Where are you getting at?" Elena asked.

"I know you like Damon" Stefan said and Elena could see it took him a lot of effort to admit it. "But I don't want you to go to him because I'm a piece of worthless crap. I'm not feeling sorry for myself, but if you're going to be with my brother, it has to be because you love him and not because you hate me"

Stefan left Elena in the living room to think about that.

In the meantime Katherine was trying to involve Damon into her vengeful plans.

"I don't get you, Damon" she said frustrated. "She tried to kill you when you couldn't defend yourself. She tried to separate you from Elena"

"It's over now" Damon said. "She's no treat anymore"

"You think so?" Katherine raised her eyebrows. "Who says that as soon as she wakes up she won't try it again?...She will come back and finish the job"

Damon shook his head, trying not to let Katherine get to him.

"She's weak now" Katherine said. "If you're ever going to get back at her, now's the time"

"I can't do it" Damon said, sounding not very convincing.

"Do it for Elena" Katherine said. "Bonnie played her only because she has a deep bond with you"

Elena walked through the hallway and headed back to Damon's room. She opened the door and looked shocked in the empty room. She noticed the window being open.

"Stefan?!" she yelled as she ran through the hallway.

Part 8

Damon was standing in front of the hospital. He didn't want to do this, but he had to. Katherine was right, Bonnie would try it again when she woke up. And so he opened the door and entered the hospital.

His eyes went through the building. A young, male intern walked passed him with a clipboard, taking notes.

Damon grabbed his arm. The boy didn't see him and Damon whispered in his ear: "I need you to take me to Bonnie Bennett"

"I can't do that" the boy said scared. "I'm just an intern, I don't have that authority"

"Then bring me to someone who does have that authority" Damon said and he forced the intern to walk.

People, staff and patients, watched them go and the receptionist picked up the phone, her eyes fixated on Damon and the intern.

"Just keep walking" Damon said.

"You're hurting me" the intern groaned.

"Yeah, I do have a firm grip" Damon admitted. "Why are we stopping?"

The intern nodded ahead of them and Damon looked up.

"That's the doctor who operated Bonnie Bennett" the boy said.

"Perfect" Damon said and he forced the boy to walk further.

The doctor looked up as they came his way. He took off his glasses and looked suspicious at the intern he was mentor of.

"Can I help you?" he asked Damon.

"As a matter of fact, yes, you can" Damon said. "I'm looking for Bonnie Bennett…I want to honor her with a friendly visit"

"Are you family of her?" the doctor asked neutral.

"No, thank God I'm not" Damon said.

"I'm sorry, but miss Bennett is recovering from her surgery" the doctor said. "I can only let family with her. And it's not even visiting hour yet"

Damon's face changed. "I don't think you understand the importance here. I need to see miss Bennett"

He sank his fangs in the boys neck. The doctor stared at the boy with big eyes, while the boy screamed. Damon let go of him and he dropped on the floor.

"So…is it visiting hour yet?"

The doctor staggered away from Damon, but Damon gripped his wrist and pierced his glance in his eyes. "Where is Bonnie Bennett?" he asked soft.

"She's in the ICU" the doctor said monotone.

"See, that wasn't so hard" Damon said and he let go of the doctor. As the doctor leaned against the wall, trying to find his balance back, Damon walked away, heading for the ICU.

He looked through the door and saw her lying, connected to all kinds of machines. He opened the door and walked to the bed.

He put his hands against her throat and began to strangle her.

Part 9

"What do you mean, he's gone?"

Elena told Stefan Damon was gone and so was Katherine.

"I mean he's not here anymore" Elena said nervous. "He's left…with Katherine" she added a little bitter.

"Maybe he's with Ric" Stefan tried to reassure her. "They haven't been able to talk since…the events"

Elena took her phone and dialed Alaric's number. When he didn't pick up immediately she got angry. "Goddamn it, Ric, pick up your damn-"

"Elena?"

"Ric!" Elena said.

"Is something wrong?" Alaric asked. Dumb question, if nothing was wrong Elena wouldn't be cursing.

"Depends…please tell me Damon is with you" she said trying to keep her voice in control.

"No, he's not" Alaric said. "Elena, what's going on?"

But Elena had already hung up. She turned to Stefan who could tell from her expression Alaric didn't know anything.

"He can only be at one place. Come on" he said, grabbing Elena's hand and running her outside to his car.

Part 10

Police cars were parked in front of the hospital in such way they wouldn't block the ambulances driving in.

"I'm going in" sheriff Forbes said. She had been informed about who the target was and knowing Damon's a vampire she decided it best to have a chat with him herself.

"What the hell?" Elena said from inside the car. "What are all these people doing here?"

"They don't know about Damon" Stefan said. "They must think he's just some lunatic who's lost it"

Elena saw how Liz put something in her inside pocket. "She has a stake" she said scared. "She'll try to kill him" She opened the door, got out of the car and ran in the direction of the hospital.

But a couple of yards away from it she was being stopped by one of the sheriff's deputies. "You can't go in there"

Elena looked inside and back at the deputy. "You can't let her do that" she said, at the brink of tears. "You can't let her kill him…Please, I know him. I can talk to him"

"I can't let you walk in there. It's too dangerous" the deputy said.

"He's not going to hurt me" Elena said. "And even if he would, I know how to defend myself"

"I'm going to get fired over this" the deputy said and he let her pass. Stefan wanted to follow, but this time the deputy wasn't willing to give in. "Not you, only her"

Elena ran through the hospital. A boy lie on a hospital bed with a bandage around his neck. She ran further until she reached the ICU. She opened the door.

"Damon?" she said careful to Damon's back. He didn't answer and so Elena walked to him. She saw Liz lying in a corner. Apparently Damon had knocked her down.

"Damon, let go of her" Elena said trembling. Damon ignored her. "She should've been dead by now" he mumbled. "Why won't she die?"

"You don't want to do this" Elena carried on. "You will never forgive yourself"

"She's getting help from her dead witchy family" Damon said tensed. "It's the only logical explanation"

"Damon, listen to me!" Elena raised her voice. "I don't want you to kill her. I understand your pain, but don't make things any worse. I couldn't live with that and neither could you"

"She has to die. She's not immortal" Damon said agitated. He looked at Bonnies face. "Just fucking die already, bitch!" he slapped her. He pulled out all the threads connected to the machines, but her heart still beat. He turned at Elena and looked at her like he only saw her now. "I can't kill her"

He sank down on the ground and tears rolled over his eyes. Elena sank down next to him and lay his head on her shoulders.

"It's okay" she said, caressing his hair. "Everything's going to be okay"

Soundtrack

Pixie Lott: Band aid (21x01, Elena and Damon trying to find their way out)

Titiyo: Come along with me (21x02, Damon going with Elena)

Melee: Stand up (21x03, Jeremy shutting Ric up)

Dia Frampton: The broken ones (21x04, almost kiss between Damon and Elena)

Mae: This is the last time (21x05, Bonnie facing her family)

Imogen Heap: Speeding Cars (21x06, Elena comforting Damon)

Stanfour: World of silence (21x07, Katherine convincing Damon to get back at Bonnie)

My Chemical Romance: Dead (21x08, Damon creating havoc in the hospital)

Marianas Trench: Alibis (21x09, Stefan and Elena looking for Damon)

The Fray: Syndicate (21x10, Elena holding Damon)

Next week's finale!