Kaleidoscope Heart

Chapter 25: Founder's Day

Beta: un-beta'd

Disclaimer: I own nothing of TVD's, only Grace and my story.

"Ouch! This dress hurts!" Elena bellyached.

Grace yanked at the brunette's corset strings once more. "Suck it in, girly. Although, you have nothing to suck in. Skinny Minnie." She pulled again before trying it in a nice, neat knot. "Perfect!"

"I don't know how girls wore these dresses back then." She whined and wiggled around in her giant 1800's gown.

"I think it's romantic." Grace spoke dreamily. She really admired the gown Elena was wearing, she kind of wished that Elena would go missing and would have to take her place on the Miss Mystic Falls float.

"I'm glad you think so," Elena stated sarcastically.

"Are you okay after everything last night?" Grace asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Elena rushed around the room to grab her shoes. "What about you?"

"I'm just sorry that I had to push her out of my life like that." The young Guardian shrugged. "I mean, she is my mom's sister."

"No, not about Isobel. I meant about Damon." She clarified and Grace felt that tell-tale knot in her stomach again.

"Isobel is bluffing. Damon's not in love with me." She shook her head.

"Well, there's something going on between you two." Elena slipped on her shoes, trying not to fall down in the process.

"He just likes to flirt, Elena. It's nothing." Grace shook it off but was fighting a blush that was currently rising in her cheeks.

"And you flirt back. Look, why don't you just go talk to him about it?" She inquired.

"Me? Talk to Damon? Ha! That's a laugh Elena!" Grace muttered sarcastically. "I'm not just going to be like: "Oh hey, Damon! By the way, do you really love me?" I won't allow myself to get hurt by him. I was already hurt by Adam and that's enough."

Elena grimaced at the mention of the older Guardian. "I know. I'm sorry Grace."

"It's okay. It's his loss, right?" Grace smirked from ear to ear.

"No, no, no, no, no! It's all wrong! The marching band should be in front of the historic society." Mrs. Lockwood reprimanded her helpers. "Matt, get up on the float. Boys, I asked you to put chairs on the Founder's float. Ladies! Time to get on the float." Everyone scattered and Grace joined some girls who were finishing up to paint the side of a float.

"Jeez, Lockwood is really in a bad mood." Taylor muttered.

"Shh, I don't think we're allowed to talk while we work." Grace joked and began to paint. As her paintbrush stroked the canvas, she felt his presence near her.

"Hey Grace." He greeted her.

"Leave me alone, Adam." She grumbled and turned to busy herself with some other things.

"I'm sorry about the other day in the dance studio." Adam spoke but Grace wasn't interested. "If you would've given me a chance to speak-"

"I didn't want you to speak. I didn't want to hear anything that you had say yesterday and I don't want to hear anything you have to say today." She hissed. "Now, do you mind? I have to get this stuff finished before the parade." With that, she picked up a paint brush from the bucket but the wooden stick flew backwards from her hand and landed into Adam's. Grace scowled at him and finally realized that there was a woman by his side. She was taller than Grace, standing at about 5 feet 6 inches with strawberry blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail. She had fair skin and little freckles dusted her cheeks. Her brown eyes narrowed at Grace as if to take in everything about her. "I'm listening." The young Guardian finally spoke.

"Do you remember when you first discovered your powers?" He asked her and she nodded. "Do you remember how hard it was to control them? Well, I was helping Guardians like you, Grace, grow into their new powers."

Grace crossed her arms over her chest and scoffed. "Do you really expect me to believe that? What about that other girl?"

"That was me." The blonde by his side finally spoke up.

"Grace, this is Violet. She's a friend of mine." Adam introduced the two but neither of them moved to shake each other's hands.

"So, you're the Guardian that runs with the vampires. It's nice to finally meet the other girl." Violet quipped and Grace's eyes darkened.

"Well, at least I was the first girl." The young Guardian spat. "And leave my friends out of this!"

"You think those leeches are your friends? You are turning your back on your own kind, Grace." Violet told her.

Grace looked to Adam who was standing stoically behind Violet. "So, you found another girl just because I'm friends with vampires?"

"Grace-"

"Yes, he did." The girl spoke up over Adam. "Guardians don't take lightly to the fact when other Guardians socialize with vampires."

"What is this then? A cult?" Grace hissed. "She brainwashed you."

"No, I didn't!" Violet growled. "He finally sees that vampires are scum. And you are still friends with them even though they killed his mother in cold blood." That made Grace freeze up. "You're just as bad as the vampires."

"Vi, that's enough." Adam growled huskily.

Violet smirked and laced her fingers with Adam's. "Fine. Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Grace. Enjoy the fireworks." Grace didn't reply, but the look on Violet's face when she mentioned the fireworks was something that made her uneasy. It was like Violet knew something, a little secret, a dangerous secret.

Following the parade, Grace helped Elena to change out of her huge dress and they hurried on over to the Grill to grab a bite to eat. On the way, Elena filled Grace in that Jeremy read her diary and he was sore at Elena for lying to him. While Elena was ordering, Jeremy happened to shove past Grace, almost knocking her over.

"Sorry," He muttered.

"Look, Jeremy..." Grace gently took his upper arm but he yanked it away.

"Don't talk to me." The teen spat.

"I know you're angry, but-"

"I don't know who is worse. You or Elena." Jeremy told her and Grace actually flinched.

The young Guardian shoved Jeremy's shoulders roughly, "Listen, you little brat! Elena hid these things from you because they could hurt you!"

Jeremy rubbed his shoulder and scowled. "You can go to hell, Grace." He stalked off, leaving Grace to curse at herself.

"You should have lit him on fire." Damon chuckled as he waltzed up to her.

"He has every right to be angry." Grace told him.

"But not at you." He shook his head and took a sip of his bourbon, he needed some liquid courage. "Uh, listen...about what Isobel said last night."

Grace laughed nervously, "It's fine, Damon. You don't have to explain it." She saw him grimace a little and saw the pain behind his eyes, but chose to ignore it.

"Oh, alright. I'll go...talk to Jeremy." The vampire moved past her and she immediately wanted to turn herself around and call Damon to come back.

Jonathan Gilbert tossed around the pocket watch in his hands while the other part of the device rested on the table. On the outside, he looked calm, cool, and collected. His fingers twisted the compass, the pads running over the intricate design as two people joined him.

"You ready for this, John?" One of them, a female asked.

The older man nodded, "Are you?"

"Born ready. Just tell us what we have to do." She said.

"Once the device is turned on, it will emit I high pitched frequency that humans cannot hear. Any vampire within reasonable distance of his noise will be incapacitated. The Sheriff's deputies will inject them with vervain and they will be brought here." He told the pair.

"Then what?" The male spoke up.

"You two will meet me here and finish the job." Jonathan said and the male seemed to be uncomfortable with that. "You better be sure that you can handle this."

The female immediately spoke up for him, "We can handle this, John. I wouldn't worry about us. If I were you, I'd worry about how your daughter will feel once you incapacitate her boyfriend."

Jonathan's jaw tensed at that and narrowed his eyes. "And you two should make certain that Grace does not try to interfere."

"Done. I can take care of her." The woman smirked.

"Grace, I need to talk to you." Adam ran up to her with Violet in tow.

"Here to annoy me some more?" The girl grumbled.

"We don't have a lot of time to explain, but the tomb vampires are planning an attack tonight." He told her and she stopped in her tracks.

"What? Why?" She looked between the two of them.

"They want revenge on the town for what happened in 1864." Adam explained and Violet nodded.

"It's true. We heard some of them talking." She said.

"So, what do we do?" Grace asked them.

"We don't do anything." Adam spoke. "We have to get out of here, Grace. They're planning on killing everyone."

"But we have to help the town." Grace fought. "We can't just run."

"We have to. The three of us aren't strong enough to hold them off." Violet said with a frown.

"So, what can we do?" The young Guardian sighed.

"We told the Sheriff and she's handling it. The Mayor knows too. This town is in good hands, Grace." He consoled. "Just please listen to me when I tell you that you have to go home now."

Grace opened and closed her mouth a dozen times as she tried to find some kind of response that would fit the situation but she came up empty handed. The town was in danger and there wasn't a thing anyone could do about it. She couldn't possibly imagine that the Sheriff and her deputies could hold off all those tomb vampires. "Adam, I-"

"Please, Grace. Just get home. We'll be fine. I'll let you know as soon as I'm home, but you have to get out of here." With a gentle nudge, he pointed her in the direction of her car and Grace took off running.

The crowds of people were on the move to get a great viewing spot for the fireworks and Grace found herself being pushed and shoved around in the massive heard. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out where she parked her car. Unexpectedly, she tripped over her feet and went plummeting to the ground when a strong arm held her waist.

"I don't know how you're a dancer. You can barely walk on your own two feet." Damon set her down as they continued to move through the crowd. Grace tried to keep a few paces ahead of him to try and avoid any means of awkward conversation when he gripped her hand tightly.

"What are you doing?" He stared back at her.

"Saving your life. Fifteen words or less - tomb vamps are here, founding families are their target." He explained quickly. "That means you're at risk."

"How did you know about the tomb vampires?" She asked him.

"That's more than fifteen words." The vampire chided. "Wait, how did you know about them?"

"Adam told me. He said that he told the Sheriff and she's handling it." Grace told him.

"And now I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Elena: get out of here now." He squeezed her hand firmly before letting it go and breaking away from her.

"Damon, wait!" She called and tried to follow him, but she was swept up in the throngs of people.

The Mayor was now speaking at the podium, addressing the entire town and Grace's vision slightly blurred at the vision of popping fireworks and a burning inferno. Her head throbbed and she groaned out, trying to block the sights out but they kept reoccurring. In the distance, she saw Elena, Stefan, and Alaric hurriedly leaving the grounds when the Mayor spoke into the microphone.

"Enjoy the show!" Everyone then applauded as fireworks screamed and shot up, exploding in an array of stunning colors across the night sky. Grace happened to catch the eyes of some people in the crowd who looked very suspicious. She held her breath. The tomb vampires were among them.

"Did you two do what I asked?" Jonathan asked Violet and Adam as they reentered the office of his late brother.

They both nodded. "Easy as pie." Violet smiled while Adam just seemed in different to the whole idea. "The Mayor started the fireworks. Let's get moving."

"Patience, Violet." Jonathan tisked as he set up the device on the counter space. The door was suddenly pushed open as Damon snuck in. "Damon, it's so nice of you to join us."

"Do you have any idea what you've done?" The raven haired vampire growled menacingly.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do." John gave a small smile. "I assume you know Adam and this is his friend Violet. They are here to help me with this"

Damon's blue eyes were burning a hole into Adam. "You son of a-" He couldn't even finish as John flicked the device on and Damon started to scream. He fisted his hair and called out as his ears rung with the high pitched frequency. The trio watched him writhe in agony until he crumpled to the floor, completely unconscious.

A rough hand suddenly threw Grace to the ground and she stared up at one of the tomb vampires. He was snarling and snapping his teeth just like his fellow mates who were terrorizing some other members in the town square. Grace was just ready to use her powers when that high pitched noise entered her ears. It wasn't as loud as it was in her vision, if anything it sounded more like a dog whistle to her, but to the vampire it was loud and incessant. The creature shook his head and fell to his knees, grunting as the noise was practically making his ears bleed. In a matter of seconds, one of the Sheriff's deputies injected him with vervain in the side of his neck. Very discretely, the deputy took the unconscious vampire and dragged him away. The noise still continued when Grace saw a vision of Elena's uncle John flicking the device on and the high pitched sound was what was aggravating the vampires. The Guardian's bottom lip quivered when she finally put two and two together. Bonnie lied about un-spelling the device because she wanted these vampires to be put down, including Stefan and Damon. She jumped up off the ground, ignoring a deputy who had asked her if she was alright and ran off to find either Stefan or Damon.

"The device is done; the only thing keeping them down is vervain. We don't have much time. Let's finish this." John told the deputies as they dragged in unconscious vampires and brought them downstairs. Adam and Violet grabbed some vampires too, hauling them over their shoulders and dropping them unceremoniously on the cement floor.

"That's all of them." Violet told John and he nodded.

"Excellent work, you two. You've done a great thing for this town." He spoke.

"Congratulate us when the job is done." She said and he looked around to the other deputies who were pouring gasoline on the vampires. As he moved to walk upstairs, a weak hand gripped the hem of his pants.

"Anna." He murmured to the weak vampire. "You can head up. I'll take it from here." He told the deputies and they promptly left.

"What do we do with this one?" Violet questioned, keeping her eyes locked on Anna who was pleading with John for her life.

"Please...no..." Her begging was cut short when John staked her in the heart and Anna fell limp against the floor.

"Finish the job." John ordered as he jogged up the steps. The two Guardians let flames emerge from the palms of their hands and they jumped down to mix with the gasoline. Soon, the entire basement was engulfed in a hot inferno and the Guardians took their leave. Vampires let out groans and shrieks of pain as they literally burned alive.

Damon Salvatore lay on his back, eyes wide open as he just took a moment to digest what he just saw. Adam and Violet were working with John in a plan to get rid of the vampires in town and Bonnie lied about the device. With much effort, he rolled himself over, away from the flames and sat himself up against a pole. His body was too weak to move and he knew that he would soon be a goner as the sounds of moans grew louder as the fire grew stronger.

Grace ran as fast as her feet would carry her when she heard the invention shut off. She came to a halt and doubled over, her lungs burned and she panted, trying to get some much needed air into her lungs. She heard chattering just below her and Grace peered over to see Stefan, Elena and Alaric hiding in a sunken stairwell.

"Grace!" Elena leapt up and threw her arms around her friend. "What's going on?"

"They...are rounding up...the...the vampires." She breathed and Elena's eyes widened. "One attacked me and they took him...to your family's old building."

"It's the Gilbert's device. It has to be." Stefan told them and Grace agreed.

"I had a vision with...John working it." She added.

Elena shook her head, her eyebrows creasing. "But how did he get it to work? Bonnie un-spelled it."

"Maybe she didn't." Alaric noted.

"She did. We saw her do it." Elena defended her witchy friend.

Stefan slowly stood on wobbly feet. "No, no, no he's right. Think about it. We asked Bonnie to deactivate a device that could protect people against vampires."

"So we could protect you." Elena hushed and the realization dawned over her that Bonnie just put on a lot of hocus pocus.

"And Damon. Vampires. Where is Damon?" Stefan asked and the knot in Grace's stomach tightened.

Alaric shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since this started."

"I told him that he could trust me." Grace murmured and ran her hands through her mused hair.

"This isn't your fault, Grace." Stefan told her.

Elena looked to Alaric. "Can you get my brother, take him home?"

"Of course." The history teacher nodded.

"Let's go." Elena, Stefan and Grace jumped out of their hiding place and hightailed it over to Grayson Gilbert's old building to see that it was in flames. Grace's subconscious was suddenly assaulted with scenes of Damon being trapped inside along with the other vampires.

"Oh my god, he's in there!" She told them worriedly as John approached them.

"I thought Adam told you to go home, Grace." He spoke sternly.

"Don't talk to me like you're my father!" She hissed.

"Maybe if your father was still around, you wouldn't be friends with vampires." John's voice was low and dark and Grace reared her arm back but Stefan caught it.

Grace fought against Stefan but he was too strong for her. "Don't you dare talk about my father that way! You asshole! I hate you!"

"Better keep quiet, or else the deputies will think that they missed another vampire." John threatened and Grace calmed down a little.

"You're crazy." Elena scowled.

John raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because I'm doing what should have been done a hundred and forty five years ago? This is the right thing." He happened to watch Stefan take a glance at the burning building. "Go ahead, you won't make it out. It'll save me the trouble of killing you myself." He taunted.

"Uncle John...dad, please." Elena whimpered and his face grew stone cold.

"You know..." He said.

"I wasn't sure, now I am." She stared him straight in the face. Father and daughter were now standing at a crossroads, Elena knew the truth about her real father and John had to own up to that. The man's eyes happened to trail off of Elena to see Stefan still standing there, but someone was missing.

"Where's Grace?" He asked and the couple whipped around, eyes wide to see that Grace was gone. Elena's heart stopped seeing the flames on the building rise a little more.

"Damon!" Grace called through the chaos in the flaming basement. She was able to sneak away and get into the building through a utility door on the side. Getting down the fiery stairs was no problems since she could hold off the flames as she climbed down them, however she knew that her powers couldn't put out the entire fire. She had to be quick or else the entire building would cave in with her in it. Her wings shielded her from the strong fire as she looked around for the raven haired vampire. Something, or someone, gripped her ankle and yanked at her. Looking down, Grace could make out that it was a charred up vampire. Her wing curled forward and swung at him, effectively knocking him off her and she continued her search. The smoke was impossible to see through and it was clouding Grace's lungs but she swore that she wouldn't stop looking for Damon. Some wooden beams rumbled above her but she hardly took notice when she found Damon amongst the flames. He was untouched by the fire, but surround by flames, making it difficult for anyone to get to him. Grace used her powers to extinguish the flames around the vampire and ran to him, trying to pull him up.

"Feathers?" He coughed.

"Damon, I'm sorry about the device! I didn't know! I swear!" She told him as she helped him to his feet.

"Let's get out of here first!" He said and hobbled around towards the stairs with her. A creaking board fell from the ceiling and struck Grace's right wing on the bone. She fell to the ground as the board was heavy enough to pin her wing down.

"Damon!" Stefan joined them after pleading with Bonnie to let him in. Both vampires worked to get the board of Grace's wing when she suddenly heard the moaning and groaning of the ceiling above.

Before she could even vocalize what she wanted to say, she shoved both brothers out of the way just as the ceiling caved in. Wooden boards and heavy bricks separated the brothers from the Guardian and the later was squished under a pile of rubble.

"No! No, no, no! Please! Someone help me! Damon! Stefan!" She screamed and tried to move herself but she was immobilized. "Bonnie! Elena! Get me out of here!" Her shouts were swallowed up by the fire and she could feel her body shutting down from being asphyxiated by the thick smoke. Grace gave a final few screams of defeat before passing out and smacking her head against the cement floor.

"Bonnie! Please, you have to let Stefan get in there!" Elena begged.

"I can't do it, Elena. Vampires have ruined this town." Bonnie shook her head. "I'm sorry that I lied, but I couldn't let you defend them."

"This is my brother we're talking about, Bonnie!" Stefan growled.

"And Grace is in there too!" The girl added and the witch frowned.

"What?"

"She must have gotten in there, but Bonnie, if you don't let me in she'll die and so will my brother." The green eyed vampire was pleading with her, he had to save Grace for Elena and Damon for himself.

Bonnie closed her eyes and begun to chant, the old Latin words making the door of the building swing open and the flames on the stairs were extinguished. Stefan took his chance and darted down the stairs, into the basement as Bonnie continued to chant.

Elena paced for what felt like hours outside the building, waiting for Stefan to emerge with Damon and Grace. She chewed her fingers and prayed that they would all get out alright. Part of her wished that she could go down into the basement, but she knew that she wouldn't make it out alive. Her prayers were answered when Stefan came outside with Damon limping by him but Grace's limp body in Stefan's arms made her heart drop into her stomach. "Oh my god! Grace!"

"The building started to collapse and she was trapped under it." Stefan explained as he gently laid her down on the ground.

"Feed her your blood, Stefan!" Elena pleaded with him but Damon shook his head.

"She won't take it. She won't take mine, so what makes you think she'd want yours." He told them.

Hesitating, Stefan split his wrist and placed it to Grace's lips. She stirred slightly and turned her head away, pressing her lips together. "No..." She whined.

"Grace, please drink." Elena begged.

"I...I don't want it! Get it away from me!" The Guardian fussed and made an effort to get up but terror crossed her face. "My...my legs. I can't feel my legs." She whimpered as tears streaked down her pale cheeks.

"Call an ambulance!" Elena ordered and stayed by Grace's side.

"I can't feel my legs!" Grace repeated and wiggled around.

"Grace, listen to me. You need to stay still." Stefan told her but she was in hysterics now, screaming the same thing over and over again.

"I need to report an accident. I have a young girl who is in a lot of pain." Alaric spoke into the receiver. "I don't know. I didn't see what happened."

"My legs! Tell them I can't feel them!" Grace screamed in agony and Stefan and Elena tried to keep her still.

"A beam fell on them." Damon finally spoke up. "They're probably broken."

"Yes, a beam fell on her legs and we need an ambulance now." Alaric told the dispatcher before hanging up and kneeling beside a still writhing Grace.

"Please, help me!" She begged them and clawed at Elena's arm.

"It's okay, Grace. Alaric called 911. They're on their way." Her cousin tried to console her.

Damon's pained eyes ran over the Guardian. She was bleeding from a few places, probably some deep scratches and her clothes were sooty from the fire. Her legs were still even though she tried to wiggle them experimentally. The vampire figured her legs were broken but she'd be in agonizing pain, not numbness. That worried him immensely and he never worried about anything. He draped his large hand over her tightly clenched fist and her watery eyes snapped up to meet his. "You'll be okay, feathers." His voice was soft and her fingers uncurled lacing with his. She was still sobbing of course, tears falling and lip quivering but she just squeezed Damon's hand for comfort.

Hours later, the blue eyed vampire found himself at Grace's hospital bedside. Visiting hours were beyond over, so Damon had to sneak around, but it wasn't a problem for him. Damon ghosted his knuckles over Grace's cheek and she slightly stirred under his touch. A bandage sealed a cut on her forehead and her face, shoulders, and arms were covered with little scratches, bruises and burns. He was positive that if she had a few mouthfuls of his blood, she'd be okay, but he had to respect her choice. A wary hand gripped her blanket and lifted it carefully, both of her legs were bandaged tightly and he could feel that the skin was swelled immensely from the surgery she had to endure. Her legs were completely crushed by the pile that rested on top of her. From reading her chart, Damon learned that Grace now had metal plates, bolts and screws in her legs and the doctors expected her road to recovery to be long and rigorous. The young Guardian shifted slightly and Damon placed the blanket down, knowing Grace, she'd try to accuse him of sneaking a peek. Tired and worn brown eyes peered up at him from under heavy dark lashes and a little smile tugged at her lips.

"Hi." She whispered. Her throat was so dry and scratchy.

"Hey you." He sat on the edge of her bed.

"How do I look?" She asked him.

Damon's lips twitched in a little smirk. "You look beautiful, Grace." Most people would disagree with him, the cuts and bruises weren't too deep that they would scare, but she'd have to live with them for a while. Damon thought that even though she was battered, she was a beautiful girl.

"I wish I felt like it." Grace groaned and slightly shifted in her bed. "I must be on the best meds in the world because I'm so doped up right now." Grace giggled. "I don't even know what they did to me. All I remember was being asleep."

"Why'd you come after me?" He leaned closer to her.

Grace shrugged but even that hurt. "I'm a Guardian, it's my job."

His hand reached out to push some hair out of her eyes. "Grace, you could have died."

"So could you." She replied simply. "I guess I just wanted you to trust me even after Bonnie lied about the device."

"I'll take care of witchy later." Damon grumbled.

The Guardian's eyes found her bed sheets and her fingers wrapped around the cloth, pulling at it a little. "What did the doctors say?" Damon's throat tightened, he didn't want to answer.

"It doesn't matter what they said. You'll be okay, Grace. That's all that matters." He told her softly and wiped a little tear that fell down her cheek. "I know that you didn't want to talk earlier about what Isobel said, but I do." Her brown eyes stared back at him in shock but he let him speak. "Grace...I-"

"Grace!" Elena peeked in the doorway and Damon growled to himself, unable to get a moment alone with someone cramping his style. "Oh my..."

"It's okay, Elena. I'll be okay." Grace smiled to Damon who grinned a little too.

Elena and Damon had left Grace's room after a while as per her eyes drooping slightly and decided that Grace needed all the rest she could get. She had no concept of time but her eyes looked at all of the equipment that she was hooked up to. An IV was in her arm and an oxygen tube was up her nose. Nestled in her hand was a call button for more medication that would be dispensed through her IV. Internally, she didn't feel anything, she guessed it was probably the pain medication. Her skin, however, was itchy and the soft blankets rubbed her limbs the wrong way, making her whimper out.

She caught a movement out in the hallway and looked to see Damon standing with Elena. They were still here? Elena's hair was still curled from the festivities today and she lightly touched Damon's arm, seeing that he was upset with everything that happened. Or, that's what Grace assumed. She couldn't hear much, all she could see where mouths moving but no sounds followed.

Elena leaned in closer to Damon and cupped his cheeks lovingly, much like how a lover would console a lover. Grace's vision was blurring but she willed herself to just stay awake for a little while longer. Something wasn't right. Ever so slowly, Elena pulled Damon's lips onto hers, claiming them in a sweet kiss and Grace felt her heart breaking as she lay in the hospital bed. She...she thought that Damon...no. And Elena was supposed to be her friend! Friends don't go around kissing their friends crushes! Damon's lips moved against Elena's and Grace fought the urge to sob. Instead, she let the smallest tears run down her cheeks and with a shaky hand, she gripped the call button for her medication. She slammed her thumb down on the button multiple times and Grace could feel the wonderfully numbing effects of her meds enter her bloodstream. She blinked a few more watery tears from her eyes before letting herself fall into a medically induced sleep.

Elena pulled away and smiled coyly up at Damon. She gave him one last sweet kiss on the lips.

"Remember Damon, I'm here for you." She told him and he nodded numbly, still in shock that she had kissed him. He recalled coming to the hospital to see Grace and see if she'd take his blood when he ran into Elena. The vampire expressed his guilt to her and she listened intently, much like how Elena always devoted her attention to friends in need. Some words of comfort were exchanged here and there and before Damon knew it, Elena was full on kissing him.

Damon touched a finger to his lips before peering into Grace's hospital room. She was asleep and he noticed that her hand was clutching that pain pump.She must be in a lot of pain, he thought and kissed her forehead gently. He had tried to tell Grace how he really felt, but that plan was foiled wonderfully by Elena coming in here and kissing him. Damon sincerely hoped that Grace hadn't seen that.

If only he knew.

Finally reached the end of Season 1! So, Adam and Violet were in on the plans to put down the vampires, Grace is injured, Damon never got to explain his real feelings and Elena kissed Damon! Or did she? Hehe ;)

Please review!