Ok guys! Here is the second chapter I promised! I hope you enjoy! Elijah will come into the picture soon! And a lot of you are asking what Alex has to do with the sacrifice. All of the answers to your questions will be answered soon enough! I promise it's worth the wait. Don't forget to tell me what you think!

Season 2 Episode 12 The Descent

The next morning I woke up without Damon by my side. The bed was empty and cold, as if he hadn't slept here at all. I squinted again the light that shone through the blinds and blinked so as to adjust them. I sat up, slowly padding down the hall. I found him downstairs on the couch, already drinking. I held back a sigh of disapproval.

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked. He didn't even turn around to look at me. He just took another sip of his drink and shrugged. I took a seat next to him. "You ok?"

"I'm fine." Damon replied, but I wasn't convinced. I scooted closer to him, staring him down. He finally got tired of my staring because he sighed and met my gaze. "What Alex?"

"Tell me what's wrong." I said. He scoffed, looking back to the wall. "Is it Rose?"

"What about Rose?" He asked. I made a face. He rolled his eyes and knocked his drink back.

"You're worried about her." I concluded. Damon looked at me like I was crazy. "Don't give me that look."

"Vampires die." Damon said. "Nothing new."

"But she is your friend." I commented. Damon grunted and stood. I watched him walk over to pour another drink. I sighed. Damon would never admit that he cared about Rose, and I should have seen it coming. Damon didn't like to show emotions other than anger and jealousy. Only a few times had I seen him weak and although I knew he cared, he didn't broadcast it.

"Does she have any chance?" I asked. Damon swallowed hard before he shook his head. I slumped in my seat. I hadn't known Rose long, barely at all really. But she had helped my friends find out as much as they could about the Originals and she vowed to help protect Elena. On top of that, she saved Damon's life. I couldn't repay her enough for that. But I knew that she wouldn't survive this, not unless there was a cure, and we had no idea what that was.

"I've got to go." Damon said, putting his glass down. I furrowed my brow but he didn't explain where he was going. "Elena is coming over, bringing you some clothes. Watch her."

"Elena or Rose?" I asked. Damon stopped and turned back to me.

"Both." He replied and then he was gone. I sighed and stood. Rose was in the library, staring at the wall. I walked in slowly and carefully, so as to not startle her. In this fragile state, I didn't know what she would do or could do. She didn't look up at me as I entered.

"Hey." I said. She still didn't look up. She said nothing as I made my way into the room. I approached slowly.

"You don't have to be afraid." Rose said, eyes shifting to me. "I won't hurt you."

"I know." I replied sitting in the seat across from her. "I just… didn't want to startle you."

"A human startle a vampire?" She scoffed. We fell silent once more. Rose looked pale and the way she winced made me remember that she was in pain. She had the wound covered up, which I was very thankful for. It was bad last night, but I assumed that it would be worse today. If it were, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to hold back a gag if I saw it.

"How are you doing?" I asked her. Rose made a face before she shifted a bit. She pulled her cardigan up over her shoulder more, covering the wound.

"I just got bitten by a werewolf." She said. "I'm just fine."

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked. She nodded immediately.

"Can you get me some blood?" She asked. I looked next to her to the empty glass. I then nodded and took the glass. I walked down to the cellar where Damon kept his fridge full of blood. I grabbed a bag and swallowed hard. I sucked it up, popping the top off and squeezed some of the red liquid into the glass. Once the glass was full I took it upstairs. When I reached the top of the stairs, Elena was walking into the door.

"Morning." She said cheerfully. "I stopped by your house."

She handed me a bag, some clean clothes stuffed inside. I was beginning to think that I should start leaving some clothes here. That way if I ever got the urge to sleep over I wouldn't have to bother anyone with getting me clothes or anything.

"Thanks." I replied. "Hey, I have a therapy session this morning. Will you watch Rose?"

"Yeah." She said, taking the glass of blood from me. She seemed much more comfortable holding it than I did. "How's she doing?"

"Not much better than yesterday." I replied, making a face. Elena sighed.

"I can hear you two!" Rose called. Both Elena and I winced. I then went up to Damon's room and changed. Afterward I left the house, making Elena promise not to do anything stupid. She had a deal with this Elijah guy. Apparently he wanted to kill Klaus and he needed Elena alive and in Mystic Falls to do so. I hadn't met him so I didn't know if he was trustworthy. I hoped that what he said was true and we weren't just falling for some ruse he set up with Klaus.

I arrived at the office relatively quick, Elena letting me borrow her car. I waited out in the sitting area for a while, listening to Dr. Aaron's receptionist type away on her computer. I tried to call Damon, but he didn't answer. I was starting to get worried. He had been fine yesterday, until he saw that the legend was true. He hadn't been the same since. I was convinced it was because Rose wasn't getting any better. In the short time he knew her, he had formed a bond. I believed it to be just friendly so I didn't worry about it too much. I was more focused on what this would do to Damon's psyche if we didn't figure out how to cure Rose's condition.

"Alex?"

I looked up to see Dr. Aaron standing at the door. She had a wide smile on her face and she was gesturing me to come in. I stood up, adjusting my bag on my shoulder and shuffling into her office. I took my normal seat and she took hers, her notebook in her lap. She had thick rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Those were new, usually she didn't wear them.

"When did you get those?" I asked politely. Dr. Aaron looked up confused so I pointed to the glasses. She grimaced.

"I'm out of contacts." She muttered. "Had to resort to these ugly things."

I nodded once. They were big glasses, something you would probably see in the 80's. They didn't suit her small face and I honestly preferred her without them. She wrote a few things down in her notebook before she looked up. I tried not to stare at the new accessory.

"So, how are you feeling today?" She asked. I shrugged. "I thought we were past the shrugging."

"Sorry." I mumbled. "I just… I don't feel good or bad I guess."

"Neutral?" She concluded. I nodded. "Well, there is nothing wrong with that."

I shrugged again. I didn't have anything to talk about and I had an hour session. I couldn't talk about my real problems, not without blowing the secret. I was beginning to consider dropping these sessions, they were more of a waste of time now considering I had a lot on my plate recently.

"I heard you went to see your father recently." She said looking at some file in her hand. My eyes widened. "Your mother calls me periodically."

I grumbled to myself. She was paranoid all the time, especially when it came to me.

"What brought on this sudden visit?" She asked.

"I had some questions." I replied. "He had a lot he could… teach me."

"About your family?" Dr. Aaron continued.

"Something like that." I replied. She nodded and jotted some stuff down in her notebook. "He's not as bad as I thought he would be."

"Oh?" She questioned. I nodded slowly. I realized that I had never really talked about John much. I hadn't talked about how we had gotten along or how he had connected with me. I hadn't told anyone, because I knew no one would understand. Maybe Dr. Aaron would.

"I'm actually a lot like him." I admitted. "At least… the good qualities."

"It's natural to be curious about that side of you." Dr. Aaron said. "I'm glad that you are trying with him."

"I've been doing a lot of that actually." I mumbled. Her gray eyes looked at me curiously. "This year… I've done a lot of things that I thought I'd never do."

"Like what?" She asked, pen at the ready.

"Well, I let Elena in, and her friends… I never in my life thought I would be friends with any of them." I told her. She wrote some stuff down.

"And now you can't imagine life without them?" She asked, not looking up from her notebook. I had never thought of it that way.

"Yeah." I replied. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She smiled at me before scribbling in her notebook some more. I never imagined my life to take this drastic turn. At the beginning of this year, mom said she wanted this year to be different. And now, I was friends with Elena and I had a vampire boyfriend.

"I have a boyfriend." I said suddenly. This seemed to take her by surprise. She looked up, pushing the glasses up on her nose. She then smiled widely.

"Really?" She asked, looking like an excited older sister instead of a therapist. I nodded. "Well, what is he like?"

I opened my mouth and then closed it. Damon was still a big mystery to me, even now that we were a couple. I knew he was handsome, I knew he was possessive, I knew that he would protect everyone he loves with all he had. I knew that he could hurt and I knew that he could cry. I knew that he had these emotions, I just never saw them.

"He keeps things bottled up." I told her. "At least… sadness and disappointment…"

"How so?" She asked. I realized then that she had just been asking me questions, never once had she said a statement.

"Like if he's angry… you know it… and when he's jealous." I told her. "But… he doesn't like to show weakness."

"You want him to open up to you?" She concluded. I nodded. I guess I wanted him to talk to me about how he was feeling. I wanted to be that one person he turned to when he needed someone. Not just to forget, but to talk, to remember.

"I guess so." I told her. "His friend… she's dying."

Dr. Aaron made a face of sympathy.

"I am so sorry." She said. "How is he dealing with all of this?"

"He's trying to brush it off." I replied. "Act like it doesn't matter."

"That's natural." She admitted. "Especially for someone not in touch with their emotions."

I nodded. The rest of our session included me telling her small pieces of my messed up life. I didn't give her enough to figure anything out, just enough to let me get it off my chest. It felt good to talk about it with an unbiased person.

"Your father is right you know." She said. I looked away from the clock. We had ten minutes left.

"About what?" I asked. She closed her notebook.

"About facing your fear." She said. I swallowed, not feeling up to doing that. I knew that I should do it. I didn't even have to say anything to her, but I still didn't want to do it. We sat in silence for the rest of the session and she finally let me leave. I said nothing more than a goodbye until I walked out into the nippy air.

I was making my way over to Elena's car when I saw her. My heart sank and I debated on running back into the office. She couldn't cause a scene if I was in front of people right. She walked toward me, making dangerous steps my way. I took a few back until I sprinted into a run. I was reaching for the door when she grabbed me. I fought and kicked, but she was stronger than me. She pushed me up against the wall, grip on my upper arms.

"Hey Alex." Jules said, politely but with a dangerous undertone. My heartbeat pounded in my ears and I felt my teeth chatter in fear.

"Hi." I replied. She smirked dangerously. I really wished I had my stake at that moment. I just needed a distraction to get away.

"I'm all healed up by the way." She said. "Just in case you were wondering."

I remembered stabbing the wooden stake through her shoulder, the blood that stained my hands and the way she whimpered after I plunged my weapon through her shoulder. I should have known she would be upset.

"What did you expect me to do?" I asked her honestly. "You came after me."

"I was going after Damon." She said. "You were just in my way."

I glared at her and she did the same. She suddenly let me go and I realized then that someone was walking toward us. It was a woman with her two children and she was eying us suspiciously. I opened my mouth to ask for her help.

"Play nice or I will snap her neck." Jules said. I felt my stomach drop and nodded. The two of us then smiled and started laughing as if we were best friends. The woman smiled, convinced from our little performance. She got to the end of the street and turned. I took my chance and made a sprint for Elena's car. I was almost there too when Jules grabbed me again.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Jules said as I struggled against her. My back was on the car and I tried to get my hand free. She grabbed my hand and shoved it down to my side. I glared at her.

"Why should I trust you?" I barked at her.

"Because if I wanted you dead you would be." Jules said. "Now stop moving."

I slowly relaxed a bit, but I was still on edge. I didn't know what she wanted or what she would do. If someone stabbed me I didn't think I would be too happy about it. But Jules was right, she could kill me, and I wasn't dead yet.

"What do you want?" I asked her. She eased her hold on me a fraction, making me less tense.

"You need to tell your boyfriend to leave us alone." She warned. I was about to say something, but then I processed her words.

"Us?" I asked. Jules made a face, as if she had messed up and then she released me.

"Just… get him to stay away." Jules said. "Or I will tear through this whole town."

I gulped, watching her walk away. Once she was out of sight I jumped into the car and locked the doors. I had to take several deep breaths to calm down. Once I was calmer I grabbed my phone. I dialed for Damon after a few rings he picked up.

"Yeah?" He said. I noticed the annoyance behind his voice. I just hoped that it wasn't me that was annoying him.

"Hey." I said, my voice a little shaky.

"What's wrong?" He asked, no longer annoyed but more worried. I swallowed, trying to calm myself down. I didn't want to make him worry, but I had to tell him about Jules.

"It's Jules." I said. "She… she came by the therapist's office today."

Damon was silent for a short while before I heard him shuffling around.

"What happened? Where are you?" He asked me. I shook my head. I knew telling him would cause him to become crazy. He was always ready for a fight.

"I'm fine." I assured him. "She didn't hurt me."

"Where is she?" He asked.

"I don't know." I said. "Damon she told me to tell you to stay away."

He scoffed. I could hear him start up his car and I felt my heart stop.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm going to go find the bitch." He told me simply. I sat up straight then.

"And do what?" I asked. I could hear him huff on the other end of the phone.

"You won't like it." He admitted. I bit my bottom lip. I didn't like when Damon killed people, even when they were the enemy. But I also didn't want Jules roaming the streets, especially when she had just threatened the town.

"Be careful." I said. I heard him chuckle lightly.

"I will be fine." He said. "You get back to the house."

"Ok." I said. "Damon?"

"Yeah?" He asked. I was silent for a few seconds debating on saying anything.

"I'll see you later." I said. He said goodbye and then the line went dead. I sat there for a long while before I picked my phone back up. My hands were much less shaky now that I had talked to Damon. I dialed Elena's number. My call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey it's Elena. Leave a message."

"Hey I was just checking in." I said. "I'll be there soon."

Damon gripped the steering wheel so tight he thought he would snap the wheel in half. How dare this she-wolf come into his town, threaten him, bite Rose, and now she was threatening Alex. This was not going to fly. Damon was going to make sure that she knew that too. Jules could do whatever she wanted to him, but he would not allow her to go after the ones he cared about. He couldn't wait to tear this girls throat out.

He arrived at the Grill, walking inside. His eyes searched the room and he found her, sitting alone at a table eating. He narrowed his eyes and started quickly walking toward her. However, he was stopped when his brother stepped out in front of him. Damon set his glare on Stefan.

"What are you doing here?" Damon spat.

"I'm waiting for you." Stefan said and then looked around. "Listen, there's a lot of people here."

"Oh, damn." Damon said sarcastically. "There goes my plan to rip her spleen through her back."

"Listen, I know you're upset about Rose-"

"Why does everyone think I'm upset about Rose?" Damon asked. Sure they had an understanding and she was an ally, but she was going to die and he understood that. Unless he could get a cure out of this wolf here.

"She threatened Alex." Damon told his brother. "That bitch is dead."

Damon pushed past Stefan and made his way over to her. She looked up, looking amused as she swallowed. He sat down in front of her.

"Well, if it isn't the one I meant to kill." Jules mused. "I'll have to get that right next time."

"You won't live to see another full moon unless…" Damon sighed. "Unless you tell me how to cure a wolf bite and then I won't kill you."

"Promise?" Jules asked. Damon rolled his eyes and nodded. "Bite me."

She stood up, tossing some cash on the table. Damon was up in a second, catching her arm and turning her to look at him.

"I'm not afraid of you." Jules said. Damon almost scoffed.

"Then you are very, very stupid." Damon said.

"How's your friend? Rose, is that her name?" Jules asked. "Have the chills started? The unbearable pain?"

Damon set a glare on her.

"If there is a cure tell me." Damon said. "Or start watching your back."

"You want a cure?" Jules asked. "I'll tell you the only cure that exists: take a stake and drive it through her heart."

Damon made a face and Jules moved to leave. Damon pulled her back.

"Don't you ever go near Alex again." Damon spat. "Otherwise your heart will be on the floor."

"If she was smart she would stay away from you." Jules said. "I'm not the bad guy here."

Jules wrenched her arm out of his grip and then she left the Grill. Damon debated going after her, ripping her head off. But he didn't. He forced himself to stay put, think of a game plan. Rose was going to die. There had to be some other way, some other cure. There just had to.

"So he kissed you?" I asked Caroline as she directed me where to put things. On my way to the house she called me in desperate need of guidance. I figured that Elena would be fine. She could play nurse while I was gone.

"Yes he kissed me." Caroline replied. She looked more than confused at that moment. She was angrily picking up pieces of trash and throwing them into large trash bags. I was beginning to think she might break something.

"And you told him you loved him?" I continued. She huffed, throwing a cup into the bag.

"Yes." She replied. I stopped and stared at her.

"Then what's the problem?" I asked. She stopped too, dropping her bag and sighing.

"I don't know." She said. I could see her anger dissolve into pure confusion and sadness. I wouldn't lie and say that I wasn't a Caroline and Matt shipper. I wanted Caroline to be happy, Matt made her happy.

"Caroline… Matt loves you." I said. She bit her bottom lip.

"I know!" She said. "But I'm afraid I'm going to hurt him."

"You won't." I told her.

"I might." She said. "I couldn't live with myself if I hurt him."

I sighed, bringing her into a hug. She hugged me back, seeming to be holding on for fear she might topple over. I squeezed her for a long while before I pulled back.

"You are a beautiful person Caroline Forbes." I said. She smiled at me.

"You're not so bad yourself." She replied. "So, how are things with Damon?"

I stared at her, furrowing my brow and looking away. I could feel her watching me.

"What?" She asked.

"Isn't it… weird to talk about it?" I asked her. "I mean… he wasn't a great boyfriend to you…"

"What Damon and I had wasn't real." Caroline said. "But what he has with you is."

I felt my face heat up and I continued to pick up trash. It was already dark and it was getting hard to see the debris on the ground.

"He just doesn't talk to me." I said. "Not about his feelings or anything."

"He doesn't seem like an emotional guy." Caroline admitted. "But give it time. You two have something real."

I bit my bottom lip, stifling a smile. Caroline and I continued to work until it was too dark to see. She told me that she was headed home, needing the think things through. I gave her a hug, telling her that everything was going to be ok. She would be fine either way she decided. If she was with Matt, great. If she decided to stay away, that would be fine too. Caroline would be fine.

Suddenly, I heard a wild, ill stricken cough to my left. I turned and in the very little light I could see a person. I stepped a bit closer, their hacking not easing up a bit. When I was close enough I recognized the hair.

"Rose?" I said. She didn't look up at me, nor did she stop her coughing. She leaned against a trash can, heaving. Upon closer inspection, I could see that there was a red substance on her mouth. Wide eyed, I moved my eyes over just an inch and saw the body.

"Rose…" I said, looking at the limp body lying on the ground. "What did you do?"

She said nothing, but pushed against the trashcan to pull herself up straight. She looked weak, tired. When she slowly turned her head toward me, I could see the sweat glistening off her face in the moonlight. I could also vaguely see the veins underneath her eyes and the sharp fangs protruding from her mouth. I slowly started to back away, taking small steps so as not to put her on alert. She turned fully to me then, hissing. I took off then, legs moving as fast as possible.

To my dismay and horror she caught me, grabbing my leg and pulling me down. I tried to kick at her, to get her to let go. I had a better chance considering she was weak. I kicked her face and she grunted, loosening her grip just enough to let me pull away. I scrambled to my feet and started running again. This time though, she was there before I could blink.

"Rose." I said holding up my hands. "Rose don't do this. You're better than this."

She said nothing when she grabbed me. I fought against her, reaching for my stake. She hissed, her fangs exposed fully. I felt my stake stuck on my belt loops and pulled it out. I then stabbed it into her side. She gasped, grunting in pain as she released me and fell to the ground. I didn't waste time trying to get the stake back, I took off.

"Alex" Rose croaked. I stopped in my tracks, turning to look at her. She was wincing with every movement, the wound I had given her not healing like it should. I swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry." She said, flinching. "Please…. Help me."

I debated on running, if I would have any chance I should have run then. However, against my better judgement I went back to Rose's aid. I yanked the stake from her side, to which she seemed grateful. I continued to fuss over her until I realized my mistake. I was close now, close enough for her to grab hold of me.

She gripped my wrist, biting into it, causing me to scream. I tried to pull away, but she was gaining strength from my blood. I felt myself becoming dizzy fast and soon I was seeing black spots. I stopped fighting then, closing my eyes and falling backward onto the hard ground.

Damon had gotten the call from the sheriff about a body. Apparently, a vampire was at the school's fundraiser and he had a sinking suspicion he knew who that was. He took Elena with him, considering she wouldn't stay home even if he begged.

"Hey, Stefan, it's me. I don't know where you are but please call me. It's important." He heard Elena's end of the phone call. She hung up and then turned around. "Hey. Have you heard from him? Do you know what he's up to?"

"My baby brother is not my priority right now." Damon said and then handed her a stake. "Take this."

Elena looked awkward with the stake in her hand. She didn't look confident enough to use it, not like Alex did.

"Where is your sister?" Damon asked. Elena looked up at him with furrowed brows before her frown faded into an expression of realization.

"I don't know." Elena replied. "She said she was going to come by the house, but she never showed."

"Your car is in the parking lot." Damon said. "She's here."

"But where?" Elena asked. Her curiosity soon faded in to full blown panic. "Oh God… what if-"

"Let's go." Damon said, suddenly on a mission. Elena stood close behind him, trying desperately to keep up. Damon's eyes searched the area and his ears listened for any sign of Rose or Alex. He found neither. That is until he heard the shrill cry of a young girl.

He moved toward the parking lot, moving much too fast for Elena to keep up. He found Rose biting into a blonde girl's neck.

"Rose stop!" Damon yelled. Rose dropped the girl and lunged for Rose. He tackled her effortlessly, holding her down. "Rose, Rose! It's me, it's Damon. It's Damon."

Her face returned to normal and she stopped struggling against him. Her eyes searched his face, her mouth covered in blood. Her eyes then fell onto the dead girl next to the car. A small sob escaped her mouth.

"Did I do this? I never meant to hurt anyone." Rose wailed. "I never wanted to hurt anyone."

"I know." Damon mused. She cried, tears rolling down her cheeks. Damon was realizing then that there was nothing they could do for Rose. She was in pain and she was delusional. She was killing, and he couldn't have that.

"Alex." Rose suddenly said, getting Damon's attention. "Oh God, Alex!"

"Where?" Damon asked. "Where is she?"

Rose said nothing but her eyes shifted to the left. Damon followed her gaze to where he saw two bodies. One was Elena, who was currently crouching down over the second body. The other one was on the ground, not moving at all. Damon could barely see her breathing.

He didn't stop to see if Rose would be ok. He stood up and took off at vampire speed. Elena was on her knees in front of Alex's limp body. She was crying and rocking back and forth. Damon ignored her and pushed her out of the way.

"Alex?" Damon called. "Alex… baby wake up."

"Don't let her die." Elena said through her tears. "Damon please don't let her die!"

"Go check on Rose." Damon ordered. Elena didn't move. "Go!"

Begrudgingly she ran over to where Rose lay on the asphalt. Damon picked up Alex's wrist, the bleeding wound in her wrist clotting. He saw a small pool of blood on the ground and when he leaned down to listen to her heart it was very faint. She was alive, but just barely.

Damon then bit his own wrist, shoving it into her mouth. He had done this to her many times, more times than he was proud of. However, all the times he had done this before, he never once was this scared. If this didn't work, she would die and she wouldn't come back. This had to work.

He saw the blood drip from his wrist into her mouth. She didn't move to suck more from him, she didn't move at all. Damon was becoming increasingly angry, more from worry than actual anger.

"Dammit Alex!" He said through his teeth. "Wake up!"

He shoved his wrist into her mouth harder, making more of his blood pool into her cheeks. At some point he pulled his hand back, the wound healing. He could see the blood dripping from her lips. He then cradled her head pulling her close to him.

"Please." He whispered. "Pretty girl, open your eyes."

He could hear Rose wailing in pain behind them, Elena trying to restrain her. At that moment, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that Alex was dying right then and he had to help her. He held her close to him, willing her eyes to open.

"Damon!" Elena called, but he ignored her. He just listened to Alex's heartbeat, still so slow and faint. He gritted his teeth, Rose's cries overpowering him. He didn't move to help, he just held Alex close.

"Make it stop!" Rose shrieked. Damon winced. He knew that she was in a lot of pain and he could do no more for Alex. He swallowed hard before scooping her up. He then sped over to Elena's car, placing her gently in the backseat.

"I've got her." Damon said when he returned, throwing Elena's keys to her. "Take Alex to the house."

"Is she going to be ok?" Elena asked, eyes wide and wet with worry. Damon nodded and Elena took off. Damon then scooped Rose up and put her in his own vehicle, hurrying to the house.

My eyes opened slowly, very groggily and painfully, but they open regardless. I was lying in a bed, Damon's bed to be exact. I recognized the walls and the bathroom that had no door. I rolled over slowly, groaning as I did.

"Hey." A soft coo said. I blinked a few times, seeing Elena sitting right next to the bed. She seemed relieved that I had opened my eyes, and I was too.

"Rose." I murmured. "Is she ok?"

"She's in bad shape." Elena admitted. "She wants to talk to you."

I tensed, remembering that she had fed from me, nearly killing me. I lifted my wrist, but the bite mark was gone. Damon must have fed me his blood. I would be back to normal in no time. Elena helped me sit up, hands hovering over me the whole time.

I walked down the hall to where Rose was lying in bed. Damon was sitting on the edge, watching her carefully. He looked up at me face emotionless. I said nothing as I passed him and sat next to Rose.

"Alex." She croaked. "I am so sorry."

"I know." I replied. Rose hadn't meant to hurt me, I knew that. She wasn't a bad vampire. She didn't take human life.

"I wasn't myself." Rose said. "I'm so glad you are ok."

I forced a smile to her before I looked up at Damon. He was staring at me, eyes focused on my face. I let my gaze fall back to Rose. She suddenly started convulsing. I jumped back and Damon held her down.

"Go." Damon said. "I got this."

Elena forced me to leave, and I felt tears prick my eyes. We went back to Damon's room and I started to pace. Elena watched my every movement.

"She's going to die." I said. "She's going to die."

"I know." Elena said.

"It's not fair." I added. "Rose isn't a bad person!"

"I know." Elena repeated. I stopped and stared at her.

"He's going to kill her isn't he?" I concluded. Elena nodded and I felt my eyes water. Elena pulled me into a hug. I cried into her shoulder. We stayed like that for a long time, a very long time. I had stopped crying, just sitting there in her embrace. Damon eventually walked in. Elena gave me a squeeze before she stood up and walked out the door.

Damon said nothing as he made his way into the room. His face was again blank, and I wanted nothing more than for him to hold me and tell me about how he felt. Instead he just stood there, glaring at the wall. I took the first initiative, standing and going up to him. I wrapped my arms around his torso, hiding my face into his back. He didn't tense, he didn't relax. He did nothing.

"Is she gone?" I asked quietly. The nod he gave me was all the answer I needed. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" He asked. He then turned in my arms, not moving to hold me.

"I know that you cared about her." I said. "It must have been hard."

He moved out of my grasp and walked a few steps away from me. I felt my heart crack and my stomach tighten. I knew Damon wasn't good with emotions, but I wanted him to talk to me.

"Damon… talk to me." I said. He turned to me with furrowed eyebrows.

"What do you want me to say?" He asked. "That I cared about Rose? That I'm upset? Well I didn't and I'm not."

"Yes you did." I said, taking a step forward. "I know you Damon."

"You know nothing." Damon spat. I set my jaw and narrowed my eyes.

"Why can't you just admit that you can feel?" I asked. "Don't pretend that you don't have feelings."

"I feel ok?" He said. "And it sucks."

I stood there, gritting my teeth and fighting the tears. I wanted him to talk to me. I wanted him to tell me that everything was ok. I wanted him to use me for emotional support like I had so many times.

"What sucks even more is that it was supposed to be me." He spat. "Jules was coming after me."

"You can't feel guilty about this." I told him. "Rose saved your life."

"And if it weren't for me she would still be alive." Damon said. I chewed on the inside of my teeth. It all made sense. He cared about Rose and he felt guilty that she was gone. I walked forward, wrapping my arms around him again.

"You have to forgive yourself." I whispered. Damon said nothing, slowly putting his arms around me. He held me close and I snuggled into his chest, enjoying the feel of him holding me.

"I almost lost you today." Damon said. He then put his hands on my face and made me look at him. "I can't lose you."

"You won't." I told him. He took a deep breath and then leaned forward to kiss me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the small, sweet kiss.

"I have to take care of this mess." He said. "Will you stay here?"

I nodded and he forced a smile. After another small kiss to my forehead he was gone. I laid in his bed, not able to sleep until he returned and held me close.