Chapter 28

' Loving you keeps me alive. Think again before you leave me. His love cannot be as true as the love I offer you. You're wasting your time pretending, you belong to him. Come to your senses. Loving you keeps me alive, I'll be in your heart forever. And you'll be a part of me, from now till eternity. You've talked yourself into believing he's the one, such wild pretenses. The first time I set eyes on you I knew I'd never be the same. I never knew I'd get such pleasure whispering your name. If loving you keeps me alive, then how can leaving me be right? Stay with me and let us dance into the night. You are the one, the only one, to make me see, the empty life I lead. You are the love, the only love I'll ever need." – Loving You Keeps Me Alive (Dracula Musical)

"It's over," he finally spoke. He needed to say it aloud as if to ensure himself that it was actually true.

Summer turned away from the sight of the ash that was beginning to wash away with the still pouring rain. She looked up into Damon's blue eyes, still able to make out their ice blue color even in the rain and the dark sky. They were beautiful as always looking at her with softness as they so often did, even if he didn't know it.

"Yes," she answered simply stepping closer so that she was flush against his chest pushing herself up on her toes to touch her lips to his.

The kiss was gentle and sweet. It was a meeting of two people who loved but were finally free from the obstacle keeping them apart—from tearing them apart. This kiss was everything.

"Guys before you get too excited we have some last minute details to wrap up," Stefan spoke clearing his throat.

Damon and Summer broke their kiss but they remained standing against each other still needing that closeness as insurance. However, for Summer part of it was Damon's body heat. Unlike the two vampires she didn't have their supernatural endurance and the cold from the rain was beginning to seep in. As if knowing exactly what was wrong Damon's arm circled across her shoulders pulling her even closer under his arm.

"You're right," Damon answered his brother his blue eyes taking in the group of unconscious men and woman of the council. "I hate loose ends," he grumbled annoyed.

Summer took in the group of council members that Stefan was working on restraining. In his hands she noticed that he was using the old chains and manacles from the old slave quarters she'd recently had such a pleasant stay in. Damon and Stefan were right about something having to be done with them. Killing them wasn't an option. Even if it was there were too many that people were bound to be suspicious if they were to all just suddenly disappear. Compulsion seemed the only option but even that had its flaws. They would never be able to erase the knowledge of vampires from them. There was every risk of that night happening all over again. It was too dangerous for them to risk it.

There was one last trick Summer had up her sleeve. Looking around she found where the leather bound book continued to lay open in the rain its pages drenched.

"I can do it," Summer announced stepping forward from Damon her eyes looking over the Council members.

"What?" both brothers asked in unison earning an annoyed glare from each other.

"Compulsion is too much of a risk. They'll still know what they've always known and come after us again in other ways," she explained moving to pick up the book closing it to provide the ink some protection from the rain. "Maybe next time—we won't be so lucky." She said it voicing her fears that she could lose Damon and even Stefan. This was what she could do to protect them all.

"What do you suggest?" Damon asked stepping back to stand beside her once again his height protecting her somewhat from the rain.

"A spell," she replied her smoky eyes meeting his. "I have one that will erase all knowledge of vampires from their minds. Any journals from those times will fade as well," she explained.

"Why am I getting the feeling that what you're telling us isn't going to be as easy as that?" Damon asked tensely his eyes watching her carefully with mixed concern and doubt.

Summer tensed up herself hearing the suspicion in Damon's voice. He knew there was more to what she was suggesting than she first let on. However, she wasn't surprised.

"The spell takes a great deal of power to work correctly—even more so at the scale we need," Summer explained. "It would take so much magic that potentially I may not be able to regain it. There is a chance I may never use magic again," she signed in her own acceptance.

"That's not an option," Damon cut in angrily. "It's part of you. The spell is too much of a risk," he growled facing her with a condemning look.

"The risk is greater if we don't do it!" she hissed back. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Compulsion," he answered belligerently.

"What about next time they attack us?" she asked again refusing to back down from Damon's hard headedness. "We'll all only be put in danger again and the next time we may not be as lucky as we have been. This is what I am willing to do Damon," she told him looking him straight in the eye. "I am not asking for permission—but it would be nice if you believed in me."

That was all it took. Damon wasn't fool to think Summer would change her mind on her decision. Even with how much he didn't want her to take the risk he knew it was the only way for things to go. It was the only way to truly ensure that they could all live peacefully after that night. Just because he knew—it didn't mean he had to like it.

Sighing in defeat he went to her locking his arms around her in a powerful fierce embrace. The action caught Summer so off guard that when being lifted off her feet by Damon she gasped in surprise but her gasp was quickly cut short by Damon's lips meeting her own in an equally passionate and fierce kiss. It only took a moment for the surprise to wear away before she too was meeting him in passion. Her free arm came up to circle his neck, her fingers finding their way through his dark damp hair to hold him closer. His arms released her but they came up to cup her face his warm and rough hands heating her skin through the rain. As always the emotions stirred within her—the friendship—the passion—the love and the clarity of it all. She didn't have to ask to know it was exactly what he was experiencing at that same exact moment.

It was desperation and perhaps a little bit of fear that drove them on. This was what they'd both needed—more than a mere touch. It was the passion—the love they felt that they needed to wallow in for just a moment. That was all they needed before they made their next move. In that moment of time the knowledge that so much unknown still laid before that they didn't know the outcome was a frightening thought.

Little by little it was that thought that also drew them out of their moment. It was time to make that next move.

Summer drew away from Damon breathing heavily in the attempt to regain her stolen breath after the kiss. She looked up at him meeting his gaze with her own and this time there was no doubt in his eyes but instead she saw confidence—his confidence in her.

"I am not going to let anything happen to you," he spoke quietly, fiercely. It was a promise.

Biting her lip nervously she touched her lips to his for one last gentle kiss before turning away. The book lay forgotten in her hands. For this spell she didn't need the book. It was already there in her mind, the words clear and memorized knowing long ago that this is what it might come down to.

And so she began the spell her voice ringing clearly through the rain and thunder and lightning flashing across the sky.

"Bit by bit they shall fade. It shall all disappear replaced by constant fear. Day by day this is as I say. All memories of what is and has been shall disappear into the fog of a forgotten bay. Like fire burning its brightest memories will be consumed and burn into nothingness-."

A loud crash of thunder roared across the rainy sky. An echo of another roar altogether brought everything to an instant halt. There was a long pause, everything seeming to slow as the three stood silently. Summer didn't continue her spell her words halting along with everything else. The feeling of something bad hung heavily in the air.

Summer had felt the pain lance through her as the roar of thunder passed. She knew what the echo that had followed it had been. Pain numbed her body making it difficult to move let alone call out. Her mind still attempted to catch up to what had just happened—to fully comprehend—to get her to call out. With a hazy stunned mind her hand reached up to touch her chest where the pain originated

From where they stood Stefan and Damon took instant notice of Summer's strange behavior. Suddenly the caught the scent on the air their minds instantly alarmed.

They watched as Summer's fingers came away from where she'd put her hand to her chest coming away smeared in blood. It was then that they noticed the growing stain of red that began to seep across Summer's chest soaking her rain drenched clothes. It was also at that moment that the still stunned Summer's legs gave way.

Damon was there to catch her in his arms gently lowering her to the ground. His mind was chaotic at the sight and smell of the blood. This time it wasn't no slash that could be healed but a deep wound that had hit her squarely in the chest ripping through her to create an even more deadly wound than before. What had happened?

His eyes frantically took in the area as he held Summer's trembling body close his hand doing his best to stop the flow of blood that continued to drain from the wound. Their eyes zeroed in on the mayor who still lay on the ground where they'd earlier left him unconscious. Only now he was now very much awake the gun he'd held still held in the air aimed at them after making his shot—a shot that had been made with deadly accuracy. It was Stefan who moved to disarm Lockwood sending the gun flying into the darkness of the forest leaving him defenseless.

With as much control as he could muster Damon allowed Stefan to handle the rest knowing he would allow the man to live despite everything—despite the monster roaring within himself to destroy Lockwood for what he had done. But he didn't leave her, he couldn't. Summer was trembling in pain in his arms. Intense worry ran rampant through his mind. Looking down into her pain glazed eyes his mind suddenly snapped back into action. He wasn't going to lose her now. Without a second thought he released his hold on her wound bringing his blood soaked hand to his lips tearing a small gash in his wrist to feed her his blood. However, when he pushed his wrist to her mouth she found the strength to turn away refusing the offer.

"I need-," she choked, her face drained of color and blood. "to finish."

"Don't worry about it now," Damon demanded with mixed frustration and desperation putting his wrist back to her lips only to have her weakly push him away once again.

"I have to do it now before the magic fades," she whispered meekly. "I erase it all with one spell. These words I say shall make it be. To them our secrets shall never be known—as I will it, it shall be done."

As the last words left her lips a strange gust of wind suddenly picked up bringing the rain to swirl around them in a sudden but brief hurricane. Damon felt as if he could smell the magic the wind carried with it in the way it permeated through the air. Than just as suddenly as it was, it was no more. Everything was silent even the shroud of rain began to disperse and slow into a soft and steady drip. Whether she was finished with the spell or not, Damon didn't plan on giving her any more time. Even now he could her growing colder in his arms with each passing second. The wave of magic that she had used in order to cast the spell had been so great that even now the magic continued to linger heavily in the air without fading leaving her with little. Without her magic flowing strongly within her she was fading even faster.

Not another moment could be wasted. She needed the blood now if she was going to heal from the gunshot.

"Drink," Damon commanded gruffly trying to keep his voice even despite the desperation he felt.

He lifted his wrist to her lips once more, however, yet again she refused to drink her lips remaining closed.

"Drink!" he demanded once again this time unable to hide his emotions as well.

"No," she answered simply the merest of smiles curling weakly across her lips.

"What?" he asked feeling the tears growing hot in the corner of his eyes.

"This is what-," she spoke wincing from the pain. "was always—going to happen."

"No!" Damon cried desperately.

"Shh," Summer comforted somehow finding the strength to lift her hand and whip away the stray tear that had worked its way across his stubbled cheek. "It won't be for long," she whispered softly.

"It hasn't been a full twenty four hours since you gave her blood," Stefan's voice suddenly spoke from nearby. "If she dies with it still in her system…," his words dropped off.

Understanding suddenly dawned over Damon. That was what she intended. It was why she refused to be healed by his blood now. Summer intended to die.

"This isn't the life you want," Damon told her, growling in frustration. His statement only earned a half hearted chuckle that turned to a pained moan from Summer.

"Stop telling me what I should do," she choked breathily. "It's okay. This is what I choose," she spoke with as much finality as a woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest could manage. "Give me the choice that you didn't have. There's so much—to live for-," every word was growing more difficult. "I love you," Summer whispered softly that only Damon would have heard.

With those words Damon heard her stuttering heartbeat come to a stop her eyes closing and a small smile curling her lips as if she were merely in a serene sleep. With his thumb he wiped away a streak of blood that had dripped from the corner of her lips before bending over her to brush his lips across hers.

"I love you too," he replied quietly into her ear.

That was all. The rest was a time of waiting.