And here it is, the finale of Season 1. I hope you like it. Also, since it's a finale, I added a nice little sad moment, but it doesn't affect our beloved couple, I promise!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs


February 25th

Rayna POV

I woke up in Damon's bed, our nightly activities making my body ache in the sweetest way. He refused to spend even one night away from me, so we divided our time between my place and his. The last few days had been a blur, with Caroline pushing everyone to the brink to have the best result for the big day. I had to admit though, the hard work we all had done had really paid off. The parade was going to be one of the best this town had ever seen.

On another note, Matt and Caroline were getting closer each day, bonding more and more every day ever since Matt's mom had left again, the only dark cloud around being Tyler, who had tried to apologize for kissing Matt's mom numerous times, but each time Matt refused to even talk to him. Caroline had tried to bring the two friends together, hoping to ease the situation somehow, but Matt seemed more stubborn than ever to even think about it, so she backed off eventually.

Bonnie had all but disappeared lately, most likely spending the time with her grandma, learning how to use her powers. That was good, she needed a mentor to coach her through all that and I knew Sheila Bennett was the best choice for that spot. I had practiced a little as well, as much time as I could steal between my duties at school and my nights with Damon. He had watched me a couple of times practicing my powers, and seemed amazed at what I could do. That was another thing that bound us together, the fact that we both had a secret to hide from everyone else, but we didn't have to hide it from each other. I stretched, feeling like I had spent the night shoveling, my arms heavy like they were made out of iron.

"It's too early for you to get out of bed," Damon muttered as he pulled me in his arms, not even bothering to open his eyes.

"Actually, I kinda have to. Remember, today is the big day, Founder's Day. Stefan and Elena are a part of the parade, I have to go home, get changed then help Elena get dressed. You can be a good brother and help Stefan get ready."

"Or I can be a bad brother and a good boyfriend, spending all day with you."

"Damon, I'm serious," I sighed.

"So am I. I just found you Rayna, I'm not about to let you go for so many hours."

"Okay, here's my offer. We both go help our family for the parade and stuff, and tonight, after the party and the fireworks, I promise to take you to my secret place in the forest."

"What secret place?" he asked, finally interested in something other than trying to keep me in bed.

"It's a secret hiding spot I've had since I was a kid, a place I went whenever I wanted to be alone, to relax and empty my mind. Nobody knows about it, not Elena, not my father, nobody. I think though that you, as my boyfriend, deserve to see it."

"You do realize that is blackmail, right?" he asked, his eyes glinting playfully.

"It depends on how you see it. So, deal or no deal?" He pretended to think about it, casting a few glances at me before he spoke again.

"Okay, you've got yourself a deal. But you should know, I plan on making that place special for you in a completely different way," he finished huskily, biting my shoulder playfully.

"That was the point," I giggled, so amused by his surprised expression.

"I think I'm having quite the influence on you. You're starting to think like me."

"I wonder if I should be worried about that or not. Nah, I'll think about it later," I giggled as he pulled me back to the bed for one last kiss.


As I entered my house I was welcomed by the scent of pancakes, something that made me moan in appreciation.

"Come on Rayna, they'll get cold," Anna's voice came from the kitchen. I rounded the corner and was greeted by the happy sight of my family in the huge kitchen, preparing breakfast. Pearl was even wearing an apron as she flipped the pancakes while my dad was setting the table.

"How was your night?" Anna teased, making me blush.

"Wonderful, yours?" I teased back, knowing she had most likely spent it with Jeremy.

"Girls, can we please not talk about such matters?" my dad pleaded, tilting his head to the side, and my eyes widened at the sight. My beloved dad was sporting a really nice hickey on his neck.

"Okay, as long as you don't say a thing about that hickey dad," I smiled teasingly, making him gasp and Pearl turn sharply from the stove to look at me, completely dumbfounded. Anna seemed surprised as well, but she just glanced at me then we both glanced at our parents.

"It was about time by the way," I looked at them as I went to the fridge to get the milk.

"Well, I guess we can explain," my dad tried to say, but his blush showed his discomfort.

"I'd rather if you didn't. I do believe all of us in here are familiar how a man can get a hickey, so let's just leave it at that, okay? I can only say I am happy for you guys," I smiled encouragingly at him.

"Rayna, Annabelle, I, we-" Pearl tried to explain, but she was at a loss of words.

"Mom, I think Rayna is right. Don't try to explain, it will be both uncomfortable and unnecessary. We were kinda expecting it," Anna interrupted her mother.

"You did?" Pearl looked at both of us, as did my father.

"Pearl, no offense, but for a 500-year old vampire, you are not that smart when it comes to these things. The way you two behaved ever since you came to live here, it was a dead giveaway that you harbored feelings for each other. It was only a matter of time before you acted on those feelings," I explained.

"So you girls already knew that…" my dad trailed off.

"You'd be surprised how observant Rayna and I are," Anna smiled as she finished setting up the table.

"Can we eat like a normal family now? My stomach is all but empty, and we have a long day ahead of us. I think we all need energy today," I pointed out, making them all laugh.


The school grounds were filled with people hurrying around, trying to set up the final details for the parade. Damon and I made our way around, holding hands. It felt so strange to hold hands with him, but it was still nice. We caught sight of Stefan standing by the Miss Mystic Falls float, dressed in his 1860's costume. No doubt he felt right at home in it.

"Look at you brother, all retro," Damon quipped as we approached, teasing his younger brother.

"Well, Caroline chose the theme, so I had no choice. I'm not alone in this one though, Matt will be dressed in a similar fashion. What are you guys doing here?"

"It's Founder's Day, we came to have some cotton candy and have fun, spend some quality time as a couple," Damon replied easily. I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous answer.

"I would say that it's weird to hear you say these things, but I think it's nice to see you two like this and-" Stefan stopped, staring at something over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Elena, dressed in her 1860's dress, her hair curled in the old fashioned way. She noticed us staring and curtsied, before making her way to Mrs. Lockwood. I turned around to look at both of them, and they were both speechless, as if they had seen a ghost. It took me only a second to realize the reason behind their current state.

"I take it that Elena looks quite like Katherine dressed like that, right?" I asked, breaking through their trances.

"Yeah, but then again, only in the outside," Stefan said quietly, his voice barely a whisper.

"I'd better get to the float, we are about to begin," he added before he left us to go to the float. Damon remained silent, his eyes lost in the past.

"I'm gonna go say hi to Bonnie," I merely muttered, slipping my hand away from his and making my way to my witchy friend.

He didn't try to stop me, still lost in the past, and that was like a knife in my heart. He was still thinking of Katherine, despite what he said, and I had no idea how to react to that. Bonnie was holding her camera in front of her face, taking pictures of everyone around. She seemed so happy and at ease, and her models, Matt and Caroline, looked so fine in their costumes, it looked almost surreal. It was like they had just jumped out of a time machine.

"Say cheese!" Bonnie prompted them, and they complied as the flash of the camera lit up.

"You should go professional Bon," I commented, getting their attention. I could swear I saw a glint of fear in Bonnie's eyes, but it quickly faded as she turned to look at me.

"Hey," she chirped cheerfully, almost too cheerfully, but I paid no attention to that.

"What do you think Rayna?" Caroline curtsied, her smile so wide it was a wonder she wasn't in pain.

"I think you two look fabulous, you'll be the stars of the parade!" Caroline blushed, lowering her head.

"Well, Caroline is the queen of Mystic Falls, so she has to look like she owns the place," Matt chuckled.

"Matt, cut it out, it's nothing like that, I'm not the queen of Mystic Falls," Caroline hit on his chest lightly, but I could tell she was not even believing her own words. She liked that title, even if she wouldn't admit it to us.

"I want one with Bonnie and Rayna," Caroline asked as she turned to her boyfriend, but Matt seemed focused on something else. I saw from the corner of my eye Tyler, in his Union uniform, approaching us, an apologetic look on his face. As soon as Matt noticed him, his smile was lost and was replaced by a cold, emotionless expression.

"I can take one with all of you in," he offered, but Matt didn't even look at him.

"I'll be on the float," he said to us before walking away, not even bothering to speak to his apparently former best friend.

"I said I was sorry," Tyler growled as he looked at us.

"You made out with his mother and then beat him to a pulp. You're gonna have to do a little better than sorry," Caroline retorted before following Matt.

"Seriously?" he turned to face us. Bonnie just shrugged, staying silent.

"After what you did Tyler, don't expect him to be all fine and dandy with you. You abused his sister, you made out with his mother and you beat him up after he confronted you about it. You have made a rather big mess, one that won't be easy to fix," I shook my head before walking away. I didn't go far before I felt a pair of strong arms stopping me.

"Sorry I spaced out," Damon whispered as he hugged me front behind.

"It's fine," I muttered, trying to keep my voice even.

"Hey, look at me," he turned me around to face him, holding my chin to look me in the eye.

"I'm really sorry, you know that, right?" he said softly.

"It's nothing Damon, I'm okay," I shook his hand off, but he wouldn't budge.

"Hey, let me explain. You saw Elena back there, right?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"For a moment, I thought I saw Katherine, and that frightened me, but not for the reason you think. I thought she had come to destroy my life again, take you away from me. I know that eventually she will probably show up in our lives, and when she finds out that both me and Stefan have moved on, she won't be happy. As far as I know, she doesn't like to share her boy toys, especially with someone who looks exactly like her, in Stefan's case." I felt anger surging through me like hot lava.

"Well, too bad for her, because she is in the past, and you are mine now. If she even thinks about hurting you or trying to steal you away, she's going to face my wrath. No offense Damon, but don't expect me to spare her. She has hurt you so much, I can think of a thousand ways to torture her to insanity and then try all over again until she is literally begging me for death," I growled, his soothing rub on my arms doing nothing to calm me down.

"That won't be necessary. I doubt if she's going to show up around here. Our only chance of seeing her is if we go on a trip and come across her," he simply replied.

"Go on a trip?" I asked, my dark thoughts forgotten in favor of my curiosity.

"Yeah. After school is done for the summer, I plan on taking you around the country, show you that places I've been, if you want to that is," he smiled warmly, destroying whatever anger I had in me with that one smile. I smiled back at him, kissing him softly.

"How is it that you manage to make me forget all the bad things with just a few words?" I asked, earning a smirk from him.

"It's a gift my princess. Come on now, let's go enjoy the parade."


It was a wonderful parade, and definitely worth the hard work we all did. Carol Lockwood was playing the role of commentator, informing us about each of the passing floats.

"Let's give a big hand to the Mystic Falls High School Marching Band!" Everyone clapped as the band played a song I didn't even recognize.

"How long before we have to go?" Damon asked, whispering in my ear.

"Patience, I think you told me that a few days ago," I replied, so satisfied when I felt his chest rumbling with a deep chuckle. Mrs. Lockwood's voice filled the air again, drawing my attention.

"And for a little local history, Mr. Saltzman's students have recreated Virginia's Battle of Willow Creek." I noticed Tyler and Jeremy on the float, waving at the crowds and pretending to shoot at each other.

"Was that how you were dressed for war back then?" I asked my boyfriend.

"Give or take, yeah," Damon nodded.

"I bet you looked good in that uniform," I purred, and he leaned down to kiss my neck.

"I can steal one of them if you want me to," he whispered, and I giggled in response.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our stunning Miss Mystic Falls Court and their handsome escorts." Elena, Matt, Stefan and Caroline all waved at the crowd, the girls being a little more enthusiastic about it. Matt looked slightly nervous, while Stefan looked a bit out of it.

"I think Stefan is a bit shy," Damon commented as he waved at his brother.

"Play nice," I scolded him playfully.

"When have I ever done that?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes at him. Caroline moved forward to stand out of the others as Mrs. Lockwood announced.

"This is Caroline Forbes, Miss Mystic Falls. Isn't she beautiful?" The crowd cheered and Caroline waved at them, a proper queen waving at her people. I noticed Bonnie not that far from us, taking pics with her camera, smiling at our friends.

"Hey, let's go talk to her, I want to thank her for what she did," Damon whispered as he noticed who I was looking at. I didn't see anything wrong with that. We moved slowly through the crowd, and as soon as Bonnie noticed us, she tried to leave, but Damon moved faster and stopped her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, glaring openly at him.

"Watching the parade," he shrugged, and Bonnie tried to leave, but he held her back."Where are you going?"

"Away from you," Bonnie hissed at him.

"Bonnie, why are you behaving like this?" I asked her, as Damon's arm slipped around me.

"I don't like talking to him, even if he is your boyfriend," she shook her head.

"He and I don't have a good history, as you well know. Besides, why would you want to talk to me?" Bonnie asked, her posture all defensive.

"I just wanted to thank you. The device you disarmed could have killed me, I just want to express my appreciation, that's all," Damon simply stated, staring at my witchy friend, taking her by surprise.

"I did it for Elena and Rayna, not you," Bonnie retorted.

"I know that, but I'm still very grateful. And…I owe you," Damon admitted.

"Come on Damon, let's go get some cotton candy. See you later Bonnie," I smiled at her.

"Enjoy the parade," he winked at her as we walked away. The football team float along with the cheerleaders passed by, with everyone clapping as the parade ended.

"Here," Damon came up next to me with a stick of cotton candy, offering it to me.

"Damon, you are impossible," I chuckled as I took it from his hand.

"Just taking care of my girl," he shrugged, hugging my waist. I noticed Ethan watching us like a hawk, his eyes almost burning holes in my skin, but I ignored him.

"If he continues to stare at us like that, I'm going to get really angry," Damon warned me.

"I got a better idea. Let's show him how much I want you," I smiled wickedly, rubbing his arms slowly, seductively. Damon purred as he kissed my neck, but stopped when he noticed my father making his way towards us, Anna and Pearl close behind him.

"Come on you two, let's go get something to eat," he scolded, playfully.

"Coming Dad," I snorted at Damon's displeasure.

"You know, you were practically groping each other in a public place," Anna whispered at us.

"So?" Damon shrugged, smiling slyly, making me blush.

"Damon, behave, at least in front of my father," I pleaded, and he sighed before slipping his arm around my waist.


Mystic Grill was busting with people, so many wanted to grab a bite before the big show started in a few hours. We grabbed a big table close to the bar, since Jeremy and Stefan joined us. Elena still had to go change her clothes, but she would join us some time later.

"You were really good as a Union soldier," Damon commented as he, my dad and Jeremy engaged in a talk about how things were for the soldiers back then.

"Thanks, I had a really good informant," he winked at Anna, who blushed at the comment. Pearl giggled quietly, and I looked at her, almost dumbfounded by her reaction. In all the time I had known her, she had never reacted like that. My dad hugged her and kissed her on her cheek, something that made her blush. It was really cute to watch them act like that. Elena came in, dressed in her normal clothes, smiling when she noticed all of us sitting together, chatting and eating.

"Hey, there you are!" Jeremy exclaimed as she came closer to us, and she smiled at him.

"You look better like this," Damon commented. "The period look…it didn't suit you."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Elena retorted as she sat beside Stefan.

"Actually Elena, it is a compliment of the highest honor, trust me on that one," he winked at her as he hugged me.

"Okay, thanks, I guess," she shrugged as the waitress came to take her order.


We all sat there for quite some time, talking and eating, enjoying the festive day. Stefan and Elena left first, Anna and Jeremy followed, something about helping with the fireworks, and Damon decided to take me for a walk around until it was time for the fireworks show to begin.

"So, your dad and Pearl finally did it huh?" he asked as we walked around the square.

"Yeah, but can we please not talk about it? It's creepy," I shivered, trying to get rid of the mental images. Suddenly, I noticed Harper at the edge of the square, staring at us.

"Hey, isn't that the vampire that you saved when we got Stefan out?" Damon asked, pointing out to him.

"Yeah. He's been gone for a few days, I thought he had taken off," I nodded as I made my way to where Harper was trying to hide.

"Harper, what are you doing here, I thought you had left Mystic Falls."

"No miss. I have been spying on the tomb vampires for some time now. There's something you need to know. They are planning an attack on the town, tonight." I gasped at the sound of that, trying to comprehend what he had just said.

"How do you know this?" Damon demanded, his face hardening.

"I went to them. They think I'm with them, but I'm not. I could never betray Miss Pearl or you. You saved my life. They want the founding families dead."

"When is this supposed to happen?" I asked, already trying to think of a plan to stop them.

"When the fireworks start," Harper replied.

"Harper?" Anna's voice came from our left. Her and Pearl were making their way towards us.

"What is going on?" Pearl asked him.

"The tomb vampires have planned at attack on the town tonight, to kill the founding families. I'm guessing John Gilbert wants to use the invention on them," Damon informed them.

"We should all leave, this will not end well," Harper suggested. "The invention could kill us all."

"It doesn't work, it's been deactivated," I shook my head.

"And a lot of people are going to die if we don't so something. Where are they now Harper?" Pearl asked him.

"They are already here miss," he said in a gravely voice, and a nasty chill shook my spine. This was definitely not good.


Damon and I split up, him going to warn Alaric and me trying to find Stefan, while Anna and Pearl went to find my dad so he could warn the Sheriff. I found Stefan and Elena on the square, both enjoying the festivities. Stefan's smile went away like a charm when he noticed me approaching.

"Rayna, what's wrong?"

"In short terms, the tomb vamps are here, mixed with the crowd and are after the founding family members. We have to get Elena out of here."

"Okay," Stefan nodded as he and Elena started walking away, but suddenly Elena stopped, looking around.

"Wait, Jenna and Jeremy are somewhere around here!"

"Anna will get Jeremy, I'll go find Jenna and figure out a way to get her out of here. Have you seen Bonnie?"

"No, but she's got to be around here somewhere," Elena replied.

"I'll find her. Go, now!"

The Mayor started his speech, the entire population of the town listening to him. I was close to hyperventilating from anxiety, but tried to remain calm. There were at least 15 tomb vampires mixed with the innocent people of Mystic Falls, ready to cause mayhem in order to exact their revenge, but I wouldn't let them even if that meant me revealing my powers to the people of Mystic Falls. I caught sight of Sheila Bennett close by and made my way to her as fast as I could without being noticed. She saw me and confusion filled her face.

"Rayna, what is the matter?"

"The tomb vampires are among the crowd, ready to attack on any founding family member they can. John Gilbert has the device and thinks he can activate it to kill them, but since we deactivated it, nothing can stop the vampires from attacking the people. We have to do something."

"There is no need to do anything Rayna," she said calmly, too calmly for my taste.

"How can you say that? Hundreds will be slaughtered, we have to do something!" I hissed, not believing she could be so relaxed and serene at this hour.

"We don't have to do anything at all because the device will work just fine," she replied, and I felt the ground shaking under my feet.

"What?"

"I asked Bonnie to not remove the spell from the device. As soon as John Gilbert turns it on, all those vampires will collapse, the sheriff's deputies will collect them and all this will become a distant nightmare."

"But what about the others? Damon, Stefan, Anna, Pearl?"

"They are vampires Rayna, they have to die. They are not normal, they do not belong in this world. They should have died a long time ago, and finally their time has come." I couldn't believe my ears. Bonnie and Sheila had betrayed us.

"I'll deal with you later," I growled as I walked away. I had to find Damon, now.


I looked all around the square, but neither him nor Elena were around, and none of the others could be seen either. As I was about to walk around the square to look for him again, I caught sight of Damon heading in a building. I ran after him, desperate to get to him as fast as I could. Time was running out. I barely realized that the building was where Grayson Gilbert's office was as I ran, trying to get to Damon. I heard the sound of fireworks from outside, signaling that I had ran out of time and pushed myself harder. Just as I reached the door of the office I heard Damon screaming from inside, a sound that made me freeze for a second before my instincts kicked in. I barged in the office, watching in horror as Damon was on the floor, holding his head and screaming while John Gilbert was on the other side of the room, smirking.

"Turn that thing off right now!" I growled as I made my way towards him.

"No Rayna. I swore to protect this town, and I will do so, even if that means killing you," he shook his head.

Before I had time to react, he kicked my leg, forcing me on the floor and hit me on the back of my head hard with something, making me collapse next to Damon. The room swam around me as I fought unconsciousness, but I vaguely made out the shape of John Gilbert hovering over Damon's form. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision and realized that John was holding a syringe with a clear blue liquid. He injected it to Damon's neck and Damon groaned before collapsing on the floor, moaning in pain.

"No," I croaked, trying to gather any powers I had, but to no avail.

"If you want to stay with your boyfriend so badly, you can join him in the pyre," he taunted as he leaned over me, roaming through my pockets. He found his ring and put it back on his finger, smiling.

"I think that belongs to me." Two deputies arrived at the door, and John got up.

"The device is done. Get them down to the basement," he motioned towards us.

"Even the girl?" one of them asked.

"Yes, she's one of them now," John nodded and the deputies picked both me and Damon up.

I felt the one carrying me descending some stairs and dropping me on the cement floor, next to Damon's body. More deputies came in, carrying the bodies of the vampires, Anna and Harper among them. Pearl and Stefan were nowhere to be seen, and I was grateful for that. I was slowly regaining my strength, but I tried not to let it show. I had to get us out of here before they lit us all in flames. One of the deputies was pouring gasoline all over the place, and I fought to cough as the heavy scent tickled the back of my neck. The deputy finished and went up the stairs, leaving us and John in the room. He walked to the staircase but Anna stopped him, grabbing his leg.

"Your mother almost killed my ancestor, and you seduced my nephew. Now you die," John declared as he pulled a stake, kneeling over Anna. I focused my powers on the stake, and the next moment the stake exploded into splinters. My vision blurred from the physical attempt, but at least I had achieved my goal. He looked angrily at me and came to lean over me.

"Nice attempt, but futile none the less. I was going to give her a merciful death, but now you have condemned her to burn alive, or rather, undead."

"Go to hell," I spat, trying to get up and confront him, but my body was betraying me.

"That's where you and your boyfriend are going sweetie," John simply replied before grabbing the other gasoline can. He poured a trail all the way up the stairs and then lit a match, tossing it on the flammable liquid. The fire spread immediately, some of the vampires lighting up right away. I heard Damon groaning, and turned to face him.

"Damon?" I called out over the roars of the fire, and he looked up at the sound.

"Rayna, why did they bring you here?" he asked as he tried to get closer to me.

"John Gilbert said I had to burn with you since I chose to protect you."

"That bastard," Damon groaned as he tried to get p and come closer to me.

"Anna, are you okay?" I asked as I looked towards my friend.

"Yeah," she croaked, trying to get up.

"Damon, Rayna?" I heard a voice asking, and turned to see Mayor Lockwood on the floor not far from us.

"Mayor, is that you?" Damon asked as he helped me sit up. I groaned at the dizziness, but tried to push it out of my mind. "What are you two doing here?" the Mayor asked as he eyed us both.

"I'm a vampire, what's your excuse?" Damon replied, making the Mayor gasp in surprise.

"You're joking," he shook his head.

"No, really. The vervain didn't affect you so you're not a vampire. What the hell are you?" The Mayor backed off as fast as he could, terrified at our very sight.

"Mayor wait, I can explain," I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't even listen.

"Mayor Lockwood!" one of the vampires yelled, grabbing the Mayor from behind and twisted his neck, breaking it with ease.

"That's one founding family member dead. How about you darling?" he smiled viciously at me, but I used whatever powers I had left to bring the fire to him. He lit up right away, collapsing in a heap on the floor, screaming.

"Go to hell you son of a bitch," I muttered as I collapsed on Damon.

"We'll get out of here, I promise you," he whispered as he caressed my head.

"Only by some miracle," I sighed, looking around. One of the beams fell right in front of us, and Damon held me closer to him.

"Just my luck," he muttered as he held me close to him.

"Just as I found my true love, I die in a fire and the worst, she dies and I have no way to save her."

"Damon," I turned around to face him, "there is no place in the entire world I would rather be right now. If you are going to die, I have no reason to live." I kissed him, knowing that this was probably our last kiss.

I could feel the fire getting closer to us and prepared myself for the worst when a whoosh of wind came from upstairs. We broke off to see Stefan and Pearl coming down the half burned stairs. The flames were surprisingly tamed, meaning someone was using magic to keep them burning at the lowest possible levels.

"Come on, time to go," Stefan said as he picked me up. Pearl grabbed her daughter and hurried out, barely looking at the other bodies.

"No, I'm not leaving without Damon," I tried to stop Stefan from lifting me up, but his vampire strength was no match for me at the moment.

"Take her out brother, hurry," Damon said as he tired o move away form the flames.

"Damon, no!" I called out, but Stefan was already making his way up the stairs. We made it out of the building and he placed me gently on the ground before disappearing in the building again to get Damon.

"Rayna, oh my God are you alright?" my father asked worriedly as he knelt to look at me.

"Damon, where is Damon?" I asked, looking around for him.

"Stefan went in the building to get him, sit down and take a few deep breaths," my dad almost forced me to sit down. I looked around and saw Elena and Bonnie standing not far from us, with Bonnie chanting a spell the diminished the flames. So she was the one that performed the spell. I was beyond furious with her and her grandma, but I was more worried about Damon's well-being to think about her betrayal right now.

"Oh my God," Elena exclaimed as Stefan and Damon came out of the building, Stefan supporting his brother as they walked towards us.

"Damon," I reached out for him, just as he reached for me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, looking at his handsome face. Even with the soot, he still looked amazing.

"Yeah, just fine. You?" he asked, his voice raspy. "A little dizzy, but otherwise fine," I replied.

"We should get out of here before the fire department gets here and starts asking questions," my father suggested as he helped me get up.


Anna, Jeremy, Damon and I headed to my place to recover from the events of tonight while Elena and Stefan were going to confront uncle John. Bonnie and Sheila were nowhere in sight, but I couldn't care less. After all that happened, I had no strength to face them tonight. Damon placed me on my bed, having almost recovered from the vervain shot.

"Try to get some sleep, will you? You need to rest, you took quite a blow."

"Where are you gonna go?"

"I'm gonna have a little chat with uncle John, then I'm gonna kill him in the most vicious ways," he growled, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Damon please, he might hurt you, I have learned to expect everything from this guy."

"No Rayna. He hit you, he tried to kill me, he has to die, even if he is Elena's father."

"I don't think she will mind much over that fact, but we still have to keep him around, for now. Think about it. If he dies now, the whole council will go on high alert, and that is the last thing we need right now. The Mayor is dead, the council has lost a valuable member and a supporter of yours. If we choose to act too fast, it might turn ugly."

"Rayna," he sighed, trying to argue, but I held his hand in mine.

"If you don't care about all of that, at least stay here with me, please. I almost lost you tonight, I am not prepared to feel that feeling anytime soon." That final thing got to him and he sighed, slipping into bed with me, holding me close. I fell asleep in his arms, feeling okay for the first time tonight. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring, but with him by my side, I would be able to face anything.


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