Chapter 5
Europe
Stefan's P.O.V
"Hello?"
"Elena? Is that you?"
"Ya." She tells me, Elena was awake...and with Damon. That was a good thing wasn't it?
"My god, your awake. Are you..."
"Stop. Did you find a cure?"
"Yes. It's Tyler's blood but we need to get it during his transformation. It's the only possible cure."
"The full moon isn't for two weeks, Stefan." Her voice goes from strong to shaky after hearing what I had to say. I knew that she cared about Damon, I knew that she would most likely forgive Damon but this quick, it was a record.
"I know. We are on our way back. How's Damon?"
"Asleep. We'll see you when you guys get back. I don't want to wake Damon."
"Bye, Elena. I'm glad your okay." Click. I didn't even manage to get the rest of my sentence out but I kept talking anyway. I skrewed up and she knew it.
"Sleeping with Damon already?"
"Shut. up. Katherine."
"She really is more like me than we thought. All but in one department."
"She is nothing like you." I growl out.
"Humor me."
"Why should I?"
"I'm sensing a little bit of Damon in you. Defelecting, but it's not you, leave it to Damon. Is it because you are afraid of what I have to say?"
"No." Yes.
"The one way we differ is that I always loved you. It was always you. I would let him die to save you if it came down to you and him and at one point I recall it did, with the dagger. There was never a choice. Damon was easy. Granted he's more fun now but I never loved him the way I loved you."
"Quit rambling Katherine and make your point."
"My point is, Elena loves Damon. Accept it. I'll pack my bag and then we can head to the airport." So sure, so confident. Damn her. I hated her, mostly. I tried to keep my emotions in check but I knew there was truth in her words. Elena was always saving him, always forgiving him. My fist connected with the closest thing before I could even think to stop it.
"What did the wall do to you, Stefan?"
"Nothing Elijah. Katherine will be ready soon. We need to get there as fast as possible. I'll call for the soonest flight."
"I imagine this isn't easy for you."
"You don't know anything."
"Don't I?" He asks walking over to the window. I say nothing and just look at him, he nods giving me a knowing smile, looks out the window and continues. "I had told Damon when he gave her his blood that she will never forgive him and never for a vampire is a long time. I thought it was true. I didn't think someone would be able to forgive that. Then I saw Damon with her afterwards and for the monster I've heard he was and claimed to be, I saw nothing. The only pure thing about Damon is his love for her. She is his humanity in every sense. It's as if she is the only reason he still wants to exist. She sees that. She sees that she makes him good and that is why she loves him, the real him that she brings out. Katerina is right, you'll need to accept it." His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I have always known she had a soft spot for him but now that it's a real possibility that I may lose her, I dont want to see that it's much more real than I thought. "You have a choice. The former or the latter."
"What do you mean?"
"You save him and you lose her or you let him die and try to win her back. Because lets face it, you didn't come to her rescue and her feelings for Damon are going to have to be pushed away and forgotten somehow." He finishes before Katherine walks back in the room. I have nothing to say. Am I selfish enough to let my brother die just to make it up to Elena and hope she gives me that chance? I love her but he's my brother.
Mystic Falls
"I'm not going to make it two weeks Elena."
"With Bonnie's spell..."
"Elena, how long do you think that spell will work?" He barely manages to whisper. Where was Bonnie? She needed to do the spell again. He was gettting worse.
"It has to work. I'm not going to lose you."
"You need to lock me in the basement. I can't hurt you."
"You won't. Damon your bite wasn't as severe as Rose's, Bonnie says it's because he wasn't fully transformed, so we have more time. "
"You don't know that Elena. I need you to tell Stefan I'm sorry. I know you love Stefan. And it will always be Stefan. But I love you. You should know that." He has never said the words to me while I was awake. His eyes showed they were true. He meant them with everything he had in them. He still thought it was always going to be Stefan. I was in limbo what to do. I didn't want to give him closure, because it couldn't be the end.
"I do."
"You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me."
"I like you now. Just the way you are." The tears in my eyes fall freely. There is no stoping them. I lay down next to him and rest my head on the pillow. His eyes drift open and closed.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome." I lift my head and place a light kiss on his lips and he gives me a weak smile. I didn't kiss him because he was dying, I didn't kiss him because I felt sorry for him, I kissed him because things did not look good and I needed to feel his lips on mine just as much as I knew he needed to feel mine. Because the reality was we were running out of time, he took too long telling us about the bite. I layed my head back down on his shoulder and took his hand in mine. This is not how things were suppose to end.
"Go away Katherine."
"Damon..."
"You used me, you never...I loved you...Why?...I was never enough...Where's Elena?"
"I'm Elena."
"No, your not. Where is she? Don't you dare hurt her Katherine. I'll kill you."
"Damon, listen to me, look at me. I'm Elena. Katherine is with Stefan and Elijah." I plead with him knowing this could turn bad quickly. I stroke his cheek with the back of my hand. Trying to calm him down. I wipe away the sweat off his forehead.
"Elena?"
"Ya, that's right."
"It's really you?"
"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
"You should...I didn't want you to know...I wanted you to wake up and I'd be dead. I never wanted you to see me like this. I wanted to die honerable in your eyes, not pathetic."
"I don't want you to die at all." I can barely breath. The tears are overwhelming and my chest hurts. I'm suffocating with his words.
"I'm a bad person Elena, I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed me to be, what you deserved. I know you know Stefan skrewed up but you should forgive him. He loves you and he'll protect you." No. He was giving up. He was saying his goodbyes. It hit me then. I had to tell him, if he was going to die he had to know.
"Damon, I..."
"Hey guys..." Bonnie and Jeremy walk into Damon's room and I quickly wipe away the tears. "I always seem to interupt." Bonnie smiles lightly.
"It's okay."
"Stefan called. I'm looking for a way to allow Tyler to turn with out the full moon. He's willing to do it."
"You need to hurry." I tell her moving off the bed and walking over to hug Jeremy.
"Elena, why don't you and Jeremy go outside for some fresh air."
"Come on Elena. Bonnie will sit with Damon." Jeremy wraps his arm around my shoulder, I look back at a passed out Damon and we walk out of the room as Bonnie begins the spell.
X*X
"Bonnie?"
"I'm here Damon." He opens his eyes. He looked so weak. Nothing like the Damon I knew. Even I thought nothing could touch him.
"You need to make sure she knows I loved her. I always have. Keep her safe. Jeremy and Jenna too, she can't lose them."
"Damon, you aren't going to die."
"I am. Where's Elena?"
"Getting some air with Jeremy." I tell him cleaning up the towels from around him. He was no longer sweating and more coherent than when I first got here.
"Is Ric here?"
"He's downstairs with Jenna."
"Go keep Elena and Jeremy company. I want to talk to Ric."
"Okay. I'll get him." I give his hand a quick squeeze before I leave. I was a little sad that he might die, now that I knew the real Damon it wasn't easy to picture him not here anymore.
X*X
"I brought you some burbon."
"I need it. I need a favor too Ric."
"What? You need some blood? Sorry I'm not on the menu."
"You've been around me way too much. That's not what I need. I need you to kill me."
"What? You are delerious, aren't you? We know the cure."
"I won't make it and I won't let Caroline or Stefan get bitten trying to get blood from wolf boy."
"We'll figure something out."
"If you can't and I try to hurt Elena, you have to promise me. You are about the only real friend I have becides Elena. I appreciate it, even after I killed your wife and all."
"Your a jackass but your my friend too Damon. And if you need me to do it I will but only if it's the last and only option."
"Thank you. You should marry Jenna, give Elena and Jeremy a real family."
"Relationship advice? Really, Damon?"
"Just some wisdom from a guy who's seen alot of bad. You have it good. Don't skrew it up."
"I won't but you shouldn't either."
"I'm dying Ric, how can I skrew it up?"
"By giving up. I've seen Elena. I know how you feel about her. I think she feels the same and if you die, you'll never get to find out."
"I don't have a choice."
"Fight, just like you did when you fought for her."
"I'm trying. The puppy blood might not work though. I'm just making an insurance plan."
"What kind of insurance plan?" Damon and Ric turn around and look at me like they got caught doing something they shouldn't. I knew it wasn't good just by the looks on their faces. "Damon?"
"It's nothing Elena."
"Your lying."
"She's good." Ric tells Damon looking at him and giving him a soft pat on the back before walking out of the room. He looks at me, his eyebrows furrow and I know he's contemplating lying to me but he won't.
"I asked Ric to kill me if the cure doesn't work."
"Damon, no!" I walk over to him, take his glass and pour a drink. I down it before he even reaches for it and he looks at me and smiles. I can't help but smile back and then I pour him one and to my suprise he sets it down.
"Listen to me for once. I will die one way or another. Let me choose the way this time. Please." My face is in his hands and his eyes are pleading with me. How can I refuse it, what he's saying is true.
"Let me do it. If it comes down to that. I want to be the one to do it. I want to spend every last minute with you. I'll tell you everything you need to hear and I need to say. You won't be alone."
"Okay." He says tucking my hair behind my ears and leading me back on to the bed. We climb in and he holds me, we have spent so much time in this bed in the past few days and yet I'm still exhausted. Damon's breating evens out and I allow myself to sleep too.