School has officially ended, but now my month of ongoing revision for my final exams in late April have begun! In fact, I wrote this chapter late at night after a long day of revision as a break, but I cannot promise that I will be updating regularly. However, my exams finish in May, so then I am free!

I hope you like this chapter, thank you for your reviews and for those of you who celebrate it, Happy Easter!

Many thanks to my beta ThroughMySoul44!

Kimberly resisted for a full second before she kissed him back. His hands were holding her face, gently but firmly, as their tongues fought for dominance. Suddenly, the girl pulled back.

"I can't," She stammered as soon as she caught her breath.

"Why not?" He asked her, picking up her hand and holding it in his.

Her bright blue eyes glittered with unshed tears. She pushed a piece of her hair, black as the night sky, behind her ear. "It's not right. You love Elena. You don't want this, either."

"I…" He didn't know what to say.

It was true that his feelings for Elena were strong, but his realistic side of him was telling him that Elena was never coming back. Emily had told him that she was happy, and if he were being true to himself he wasn't even sure if he wanted her back. When had he truly offered her love, and showed her that he loved her? The months they had spent together before he betrayed her were full of anguish. He could still remember how badly he had treated her, how everything had been planned so that he could 'break' the guardian inside of her before delivering her to Wes on a silver platter. What he didn't know, however, was that he would pity her, and that he would let her go. What was even more surprising was that the girl whom he had kidnapped with the intention of breaking would refuse to leave, even after he had granted her her freedom. And then he ended up doing the unimaginable, leaving the girl alone in a forest so that he could get his daughter back, a daughter who had been dead for decades.

A piece of him knew that he had fallen in love with Elena, just under the wrong circumstances. He had realised that he loved her when she was taken from him. Therefore, a part of him wanted to get her back and start fresh. However, he knew that it was not fair to mix guilt and love together. The more realistic side of him was also telling him to be selfless and let her go.

Why should he even wish for her to come back when all he had offered her was pain? In the early days of their strange relationship, he had verbally abused her. He had even hit her. Sure, he had done some good things too, because when the time came and when he had to do what was to be done with every pre-Guardian and fuck her, he didn't. He had given her time. He had even taken Emily back from Mason, and gave her a home. Still, none of those good things could ever make up for the fact that he had sent her to a brothel, that because of him, her Guardian nature was exposed, and that she could be the Guardian who would kill every last vampire on Earth because Wes was sure that she was their ultimate destruction, following the steps of the other vampires who had committed the worst type of massacres all those years before, Guardians which were worse than Guardians, as Wes had called them. No, Damon thought. Wanting her back would be selfish. Maybe it was better if she stayed, wherever she was.

His end was coming soon, anyway.

"You don't want this," Kimberly repeated, pulling him out of his trance. "I have been hurt enough, Damon. Please don't make me fall in love, only to have you stomp all over my heart when Elena gets back."

Damon was speechless. He sucked in a breath, his hands becoming sweaty. He did not want Kimberly to feel like she was a replacement for Elena, but at the same time he couldn't assure her that she was not, because if Elena ever got back and forgave him, he wasn't sure if he was selfless enough to tell her that he was not right for her. He couldn't hurt Kim like that, after all, she had been nothing but kind to him during those last few months.

"You're shaking," Kim suddenly exclaimed, looking at his hands in horror. Damon looked up at her briefly, his face suddenly pale, his hair sticking to his forehead with perspiration.

"I'm…" He started, but before he could say anything else, darkness took over him.

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the the Holy Spirit," Elena repeated with a small smile. The young girl sighed in frustration, her golden hair messy.

"In the name of the Son…"

"No, of the Father," Elena said again, gently.

"I can't remember, Elle," She groaned.

"Angela, you're only four. We have more than enough time to practice," Elena said, picking the girl up. They were sitting on the child's bed in the very colourful bedroom, which Angela shared with two more girls. Dolls and soft toys decorated the entire room, and a carousel was placed on the nightstand along with a children's version of the Bible which Elena often read to them.

During those three months, Elena did everything in her power to make sure that she repaid the nuns for their act of kindness. One of her responsibilities involved taking care of the young children, children who lacked love. Sister Madeleine had explained to Elena that the majority of the children were left on the convent's doorstep, and they were just a few hours old when they were welcomed there. Angela was one of those children, and she loved Elena deeply, to the point that she always came to her for help, whether it was with homework, praying, or even in her free time.

"I will learn if you keep teaching me," She said, giving Elena a sloppy kiss on the cheek. Her bright green eyes lit up when Elena hugged her tightly against her, a pink colour appearing on her pale skin.

"I love you, Elle," She said, "I'm so happy you're here."

"I love you too, sweetie."

"I love you more than Sister Maria or Sister Madeleine."

Elena tried not to smile. "You shouldn't say that. They love you very much, all the nuns do."

"All they do is pray!" She complained. "But you…you also help me paint."

Elena laughed at that. "Come on. Let's continue painting the dollhouse, then."

"Thank God you're awake!" Kimberly exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she ran towards Damon. He groaned, his hands shooting up to hold his head, and he struggled to fully open his eyes.

"W-what happened?"

"You fainted," Kimberly said in horror, "I…I didn't know what to do. I tried carrying you to the couch but I couldn't get you up…" A tear escaped her cheek. "What is going on, Damon? Vampires don't just faint."

Damon used the small strength he had to pull himself up, and Kimberly grabbed him by his arm, directing him to the couch.

"How long have I been out?"

"More than ten minutes," She answered without hesitation. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy. My vision is blurred," Damon admitted, "Are there any bloodbags left?"

"No. You drank them all…" She said, her voice filled with worry.

"Do you mind checking my bedroom? I left one there…in case of emergencies. It's in my mini freezer."

Kimberly nodded her head, disappearing from his sight in an instant. Damon did not move. He just kept sitting there, his hands holding his head tightly as he tried to focus. Fear was slowly taking over him. He knew that this was bound to happen, but he didn't know it was going to happen so fast.

"I found one!" He heard Kim yell from upstairs, but he did not have the strength to answer her. He heard her running down the stairs, and soon enough she was holding the bloodbag to his mouth.

"You're worrying me," Kimberly admitted as he drank and yet remained as white as a sheet.

He pulled away. "That's enough."

"Tell me what's going on, Damon. You've been feeding more, you've been feeding on humans, and you haven't been around Emily. You rarely talk to her anymore. Something is up with you."

He looked at her with warm eyes and then reached out to stroke her cheek.

"Damon…"

"I don't deserve your kindness. I've done terrible things to girls even younger than you."

"Damon, please," She begged him, taking his hand and holding it in her own. "Please, tell me."

"I'm dying," He finally said it out loud, as simply and plainly as possible. He didn't know what else to say except the cold truth.

He watched Kimberly's face turn from confusion to panic. The words left his mouth, and her fingers stopped stroking his hand. It was only after a few minutes that she finally managed to sob, "W-What?"

"I'm dying," He told her quietly. "I haven't been feeling well. Then, I realised that it was because I hadn't fed."

"What are you talking about, Damon?" Kimberly asked in confusion. "Your freezer is always full."

"Only that is human blood, Kimberly. When I started working for Wes, we were given Guardian blood as payment. It was purer, but then I realised that it was all a part of the trick Wes played on us, to make sure that we never abandon our duty. The only way we can get it is if Wes gives it to us, or from the young Pre-Guardians I used to kidnap. When I stopped doing what Wes told me to do, a friend of mine…Klaus…brought me a huge supply of it secretly."

"Can't you tell Klaus to bring you the supply again?" Kimberly panicked, "There has to be a way."

"I would, but then I would have to tell Klaus the truth," Damon said bitterly. "Klaus was the one who found Elena in the brothel. He helped me get in there, but he told me that if Elena ever became a guardian, I'd have to kill her. I had told him that Elena and I broke up but I never told him that she actually transformed into one. In their eyes, I failed. I was supposed to stop Elena from becoming what they hate, and I didn't. I fear that if he comes here, he'll try to make sure that I'm not lying to him."

"What do you mean?"

"Klaus has worked with Wes for many years. One of the benefits is that you earn some extra abilities that only Wes creates. He uses guardians in ways that you cannot ever imagine, Kim. He tortures them…and the young pre-Guardians who are stopped from fully transforming are used in experiments. Many of them are already so broken, having been so physically and verbally abused, if not sexually too. He destroys them completely. By using them, he creates many abilities that he uses as promises to his workers. He gave Klaus the gift of compulsion, compelling even other vampires. With me…It was more psychological. I did not want any of those abilities. I just wanted him to help me get my revenge on those who killed my wife and my daughter. Only when I met Elena, something in me changed. I met her when she was just a baby. She was different. Wes had been expecting her for years. He claims that she will become the most dangerous guardian, so at an early age I was assigned to keep an eye on her. I couldn't do it…I left. When I returned years later she was a teenager, dancing in a strip club. I recognised her the moment I saw her. It was like she was pulling me towards her. I knew that I was going to hurt her."

Damon stopped, suddenly realising that once again, he ended up talking about Elena. "Anyway. Klaus has the gift of compulsion. When I visited him, I told him that I'd be going to Europe. I don't want to see him and risk him compelling the truth out of me. I made a promise to him that if Elena transforms, I'll kill her, and I obviously did not keep that promise. I trusted Elena and I still do. I somehow knew that she will not let herself become the monster Wes said she'll become."

Kim did not say anything, though she did nod her head to show Damon that she was paying attention. "What if I get you the blood you need?" She asked him all of a sudden.

His eyes widened in horror. "The only person in possession of the blood is Wes. The others…others like Klaus, they are given their share. You cannot go directly to him. He'll find you and put you back in another brothel."

"I will think of something," Kim assured him, biting on her lower lip. "You saved my life. I owe it to you to find a solution."

"I don't want you to risk your life to save mine. I've lived long enough. I knew that this was bound to happen because I knew that the supply Klaus gave me would not last forever. Klaus thinks that I am back hunting Pre-Guardians as a form of coping after I broke up with Elena, and I want it to stay that way. I don't want him to ever find out that she transitioned."

"I won't let you die," Kimberly said stubbornly.

"If you really want to do something for me, then stay away from me. The thirst will keep worsening, and I will start to drink more from bloodbags. It will help for a while but then I will lose control. I don't want you or Emily around to see that happen."

"Damon…please," Damon heard her voice break, tears streaming fast against her cheek as she rested her forehead on his torso. "Please…Just ask Klaus for more."

"I don't want him to learn about her. I owe Elena that much."

"You don't know if he is going to compel you or not. If he's your friend, he'll trust you."

"But I don't trust him. Wes is probably losing his mind out there, knowing that his brothel was destroyed and that Elena is on the loose. He's probably going to do everything in his power to get to her. I've tried everything in my power to make sure that this house is protected from him, I won't bring Klaus here, and I don't want to meet with him. I'm trying to distance myself as much as possible. Emily has often told me that Elena is safe and happy. Even though I cannot be certain, I think that she is staying in a convent. They won't look for her in such a place."

Kimberly opened her mouth to speak, but Damon cut her off. "I've been through so much, Kim. The Guardians…they took everything from me. I welcomed a girl into my home, and the next thing I knew I was in a trance. I never thought that a woman could actually rape a man, but that is exactly what happened. Before long, I was with Wes, receiving the news that my daughter and my wife were killed by this very same Guardian."

"What was your daughter's name?" Kimberly asked him, wiping a tear away with the back of her hand.

"Kimberly," Damon smiled sadly. "Just like you. My wife and I went through a lot…Vampires are not made to have children. The pregnancy was tough."

"Do you remember her? The girl?"

"I cannot ever forget her. She would crawl up to me, put her little hand in mine, and I would pick her up and hold her so tightly that Katherine would shout at me for being too rough." He laughed bitterly. "I loved Katherine but for some reason, I always made peace with her death. It's like I accepted it. But with Kimberly…I didn't. Maybe that was why I fell for Wes's trick, when he told me that he had her."

"I'm so sorry, Damon," Kimberly told him while the man shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "I don't know my parents. All I have is this necklace that-"

"Kimberly!" A small voice called from upstairs, "I'm having a bad dream!"

"I have to go check on Emily," Kimberly said quickly, "I'll be back, okay? Drink that blood, and leave the rest to me. I will make sure to solve this problem, Damon. You will be getting that blood."

"Elle?" Sister Madeleine walked hurriedly in the long, dark corridor. On each side of the wide corridor, large doors led to the nuns' bedrooms, and she knocked politely on Elena's door, twice.

"Come in," Elena called softly, and the nun walked in to find Elena on her knees, praying. She waited politely for her to finish before speaking. "A man has asked to see you, Elle. He is in the waiting room."

"A man?" She asked in confusion, "Who?"

"He didn't tell me who he is, but he said that it is urgent. If you don't want to talk to him, I will tell him to go away."

"No, it's fine," Elena said, raising. "I'll talk to him. Thank you, Sister."

"Elle?" Sister Madeleine said after a while, "I know that you are not a nun, but I have seen you with the children. If you truly want to spend the rest of your life serving God and living a sacred life, don't run away from your past. If there is an unfinished chapter with that man in the waiting room, you have to end it…Forever."

Elena's heart started to beat fast against her chest. Could it be Damon? Did he find her?

Her legs trembling, Elena walked towards the waiting area. She didn't want to meet him. In the convent, she had found peace. She was changing her life. She was eating properly, she hadn't touched a drug in quite a while, and she had started to pray again. She loved the children, and she knew that one day, when she was fully healed from her past sins, she would go back for Emily. She would thank Damon for giving her space, space to heal and to rid herself of sin, and then she would move on with her life. She knew that it was not going to be easy, because despite what he had done to her, a part of her would always love him. But she was also wise enough to know that she could never fully love him or honestly forgive him. She trusted him enough to take care of Emily when she couldn't, but she could not give him her heart.

Finally, she walked in, holding her breath.

"Hello, Elena."

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