Chapter Thirty-Four
Typical You
"You take the breath right out of me. You left a hole where my heart should be. You got to fight just to make it through, 'cause I will be the death of you..." ~ Breaking Benjamin
"My heart's crippled by the vein that I keep on closing. You cut me open and I keep bleeding, keep bleeding love..." ~ Leona Lewis
"Feet don't fail me now. Take me to the finish line. Oh my heart it breaks every step that I take. But I'm hoping at the gates, they'll tell me that you're mine..." ~ Lana Del Rey
"I am wasted away, I made a million mistakes. Am I too late? There is a storm in my head; it rains on my bed when you are not here. I'm not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of losing you..." ~ Enrique Iglesias
After I left the Salvatore Boarding House I drove around for hours. I finally had to stop to fill the car with gas. I paid for the gas and set off again. I had hours before I had to catch my scheduled flight, and I simply wasn't in the right headspace to head back to Charming just yet. I had too much to think about. I finally made it to the airport after spending much of the night driving around. I returned the rental car and headed into the airport, where I checked in and waited. I only had hand luggage, which made the checking in process easier but meant I had to carry it around with me.
I sat down in one of the many Cafes in the airport, ordering myself a coffee and a muffin. I picked at the muffin and sipped my coffee, not really hungry.
In my rush to get out of Mystic Falls I never got to ask Stefan about the werewolves. Not that it was my business anymore. I was done with the supernatural world. Whatever it was Stefan and Damon could handle it.
"Can I get you anything?" a young girl asked. I looked up at the girl and smiled.
"You can take this away please," I said pushing away the muffin. She nodded and took away the barely touched muffin and coffee. A few minutes later she came back with the bill. I gave her a fifty and told her to keep the change.
She took the money and paused. "Miss, your arm," she said staring at my left arm.
I followed her eyes and saw what she saw. On the inside of my left arm was an ugly purple festering bruise. My veins around the bruise were swollen and black.
"It's nothing," I said quickly dropping my arm. I pulled on my cardigan, got up and grabbed my handbag and luggage, rushing from the Cafe and out of the airport hailing a cab. I had the cab take me back to Mystic Falls and back to the Salvatore Boarding House. The cab pulled into the driveway and drove up to the front door.
I paid the driver and got out. I didn't bother knocking just marched into the house, dropped my handbag and bag by the door, and headed to the living room.
"Where is he?" I demanded. Stefan and Elena both turned around looking surprised by my sudden reappearance. They were obviously in the middle of a serious conversation. But I didn't give a damn. Stefan looked confused, worry clouding his eyes. "Where is he?" I asked again. "I don't know," Stefan finally said. "Why?"
"He's been bitten," I said taking off my cardigan, showing Stefan and Elena the rotting wound. Stefan was in front of me in a flash, taking my arm in his hand and studying the wound. "Is this a werewolf bite?" he asked. "Yes!" I said prying my arm free from Stefan's grip. "And by the looks of it it's already spreading."
"What does this mean?" Stefan said nervously.
"Werewolf bites are fatal to vampires,," I answered with urgency.
"I don't understand," Elena said. "What do you mean it's fatal?"
I saw the panic in her eyes and worry in Stefan's. My fury was replaced by anguish.
"Damon will die." I turned around wiping away a single tear that slipped down my cheek. I was furious at Damon at getting bitten and inadvertently signing his own death warrant. It also frightened me to think that I could lose him. I wanted him out of my life, but not like this. I don't think I can live in a world without Damon.
"I mean, there is no easy cure for this, and as we're speaking Damon's getting infected with poison from the bite." I turned around to face them with plenty of questions of my own. A few hours ago they didn't even know werewolves existed, and know we're facing the possibility of losing Damon because of a werewolf bite. I wanted to know why, when and where this happened. "So, there's a cure?" Elena asked pulling me from my thoughts. "What?" I said focusing on Elena.
"You said that there is no easy way to cure a werewolf bite, which means there is a way," she replied worried. I shook my head needing to think.
I needed to talk to Damon. I needed to fix this. I had to safe Damon, because I just couldn't stand by and watch him die. "Ava!" Stefan said touching my shoulder.
"There's a way but you won't like it," I finally said my mind made up.
I felt physically sick. I wasn't sure if it was in anticipation of what I was about to do or if I was starting to get some of Damon's symptoms. I got the bruise it was only reasonable to think that I'd get the symptoms too. A sudden wave of dizziness hit me and I swayed on my feet. Before I could sit down unconsciousness gripped me and I saw Stefan move to catch me before I blacked out. I came to a couple of minutes later, feeling queasy and weak. And the wound was itchy as hell.
"You look like hell," Damon spoke from somewhere behind me.
I looked up and saw Damon. He looked a little under the weather himself.
Stefan helped me to my feet and steadied me before he let go.
"What the hell did you do?" I asked angrily.
"It's not that bad, it healed."
"No it didn't," I said showing him my arm. Damon looked taken aback and rolled up his sleeve inspecting his own arm. Sure enough the same wound was branded on his arm. "You are such an ass!" I said furious now. "You did this deliberately didn't you! You went and picked a fight with a werewolf."
"You don't get to lecture me, not anymore," Damon snapped.
"You are so frustrating," I said marching back to the room I stayed in.
I rushed to the toilet, emptying the contents of my stomach. I felt dreadful. The werewolf poison was spreading fast. Faster in me because I don't have vampire immunity, but it won't be long till Damon start showing more symptoms.
Stefan followed me in to the room, and joined me in the bathroom as I rinsed out my mouth. "If Damon was bitten then why do you have the same wound and symptoms?"
I splashed water over my face, trying to regain my composure and not burst in to tears.
"It's this stupid bond. When I opened my mind to him I allowed him into my body and soul," I said leaning against the sink. "So what does that mean?" Typical Stefan. His brother could die and he was still worried about me. I smiled attempting to lighten the mood. It wasn't the end of the road yet. I won't stop till I could safe Damon.
"I'll be fine, I'm just having Damon's symptoms."
"So what do we do now?" Damon asked joining us in the bathroom.
Elena was close on his heels and we were all squished together in the bathroom. I sat down on the toilet giving Elena a spot to stand. Damon leaned against the door, Stefan leaned against the sink and Elena sat down on the floor, resting against the bathtub.
"We cure you," I said matter-of-factly.
"How do we do that?" Elena asked looking up at me.
I looked down not ready to tell them just yet on how I was planning to cure Damon.
I wanted to exhaust all other options. "I need a couple of days to look at all our options," I concluded, meeting Damon's gaze. They all nodded seeming to agree. But there was still a lot of anxiousness in the room.
It's been a week and I still hadn't find what I was looking for. There was two options that could possibly cure Damon, but I wasn't sure about either of them. All I had was journal entries from my father of what he was told. I had no idea if either option would even work. And both would cost lives. "You sound sick," Jax noted from the other side of the line. I leaned back against the bed's headboard, closing my eyes.
It was nice to hear Jax's voice and it almost brought me to tears. I was feeling really ill and it didn't get any better. My blood in Damon's system was causing Damon to die a slow death. My blood mixed with his own slowed down the spread of the poison.
"I'm fine, it's just a stomach bug," I promised.
"Okay then," he said, still concerned.
"I have to go honey. I love you." I did my best to keep the tears at bay.
"I love you too, babe." I put down the phone and burst into tears. I felt horrible and I just wanted to be in my own bed with Jax looking after me. But I had this loyalty towards Damon that kept me here. I laid down pulling the duvet over my head, letting my tears fall freely. I heard the shuffling of feet and wiped my eyes, poking my head out from under the duvet. Damon stumbled into the room looking like he was on the brink of death. And by the way his face was contorted with pain told me that that was exactly how he felt. The sight of him, so weak, took me by surprise.
He was normally so strong and agile. He sat down on the bed beside me, putting his feet up, getting comfortable. I sat up slowly, flinching with pain and heartache coursing through me. "I'm sorry for what I've put you through," Damon apologized, turning his head to look at me. I shook my head meeting his tired gaze.
His words amazed me. If he thought, for even a second, he could apologize and all would be forgotten he was sorely mistaken.
"You have taken enough from me," I said, turning around, facing Damon. We locked eyes and I let him look into the soulless shell that he had discarded a long time ago. "Whether we like it or not you are a part of me. And if you die a part of me will die with you. The part of me that keeps me sane. That keeps me human," I breathed, the pain and heartache Damon's put me through unmistakable in each word. Damon opened his mouth to speak, but I interrupted not yet done in telling him exactly how I felt.
Something I should have done years ago. For too long I have let myself be caught up in this game we played. But it was time for it to end. I was done being a pawn in Damon's games and antics. "Don't mistake my presence here with that of love and grief, Damon. I have given you all I have to give.
" I needed to know how to be me without Damon always close enough to use and abuse me.
"I never meant to hurt you the way I did," Damon said taking my hand in his. I glared at him, pulling my hand back.
"Bullshit! You knew exactly how I felt and you used that to manipulate me!" I took a deep, calming, breathe. "You knew exactly what you did." Damon looked at me without fear, just regret. The anger I felt had gone leaving in its presence sorrow. I looked away shaking my head, tired and sad.
It was hard to even begin to explain the sadness I felt. It was the type that took away your breath, and left you with nothing but darkness.
"You came back," Damon said breaking the silence. I ran my hand over my face, putting my fingers against my mouth, turning back to face Damon. My eyes were swimming in tears, my will broken. I nodded, closing my eyes.
"I came back," I whispered. Damon cupped my face, leaning closer.
"I don't want you to die and leave me here all alone," I confessed resting my head against his.
"I know," he said kissing my forehead. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him. We laid down, Damon's arms wrapped around me, my head resting on his chest. And I knew at that moment that the only way to safe Damon was to sacrifice myself. There was one cure that we had all the components for, and that was the one we were going to use to cure Damon.