Bonnie was digging through her grandmother's boxes, not sure why she was going to so much trouble for Damon Salvatore, Caroline was stuck in a corner going through another box, turning her nose up every so often when she found something that she found gross or just completely strange and Bonnie couldn't blame her. Her grandmother hadn't just been a witch but the woman had been strangely fascinated by all sorts of ancient religions and cultures, and so she had a huge collection of strange things like chicken bone amulets and even some voodoo dolls. It was weird to be going through this stuff again, and Bonnie didn't think she would find anything that could possibly help Damon, or rather, help Elena keep Damon. Bonnie had stayed away from the boarding house for now, mainly because she was too exhausted to be surrounded by vampires, their energy was frustrating to be around it made her increasingly aware of the danger she was in whenever she was around them. Even Stefan, Tyler wasn't so bad, and it seemed with him she only felt the true extent of his power when it was getting close to the full moon, but something about him still set her teeth on edge.

As if he'd read their minds Tyler came walking into the room with Jeremy, and Bonnie could tell that they didn't have good news, Jeremy was frowning something he didn't do easily. Even when Jeremy was angry he usually kept himself calm and composed, or tried to at least. He was the type of person who would joke about an awkward situation just to keep himself from snapping at someone. Now though, he looked worried and frustrated and Bonnie knew that this wasn't going to be easy, nothing ever was. But Bonnie got the distinct feeling that no matter what they tried Damon wasn't going to come out of this alive.

She didn't know how it happened, or why but every time Damon had another fit of delusions she somehow found herself pulling him out of it. Guiding him back to the bed gently the way she was doing now, it seemed most of his hallucinations were focused on Stefan and Katherine but really Elena couldn't blame him for that. It wasn't like it was deliberate and they had both been his entire life for so long, he'd obsessed about the two of them, their betrayal and their love. Elena tried not to think about it too much, it was too tiring to do so anyway so instead she did her best to pull him out of it, to calm him and it didn't take much. Every time he realized who she was he complied very easily and would quietly fall asleep in her arms again. She had never been so devastated to see anyone so hurt. Damon no matter what a jerk he'd been in the past had always been there, had always been strong and constant and now he was curled up in the bed next to her pressing his head against her stomach and holding onto her for dear life. Elena did what she always did, she ran her hands through his hair, grateful for the hallucinations because he wasn't screaming in pain the way Rose had at the end. She was fearful for that, right now it seemed that Damon was so delirious he was unaware of any pain, but she didn't want him to hurt. She didn't want him to suffer through anything, she would endure it for him if she could but there was nothing she could do but sit here. And she felt helpless.

She sat like that with Damon sleeping in her lap for what felt like hours, his sleep was restless and painful, when he started flinching and holding on for dear life Elena had to force herself not to cry. Her name on his lips had never been so heartwrenching all she could do was let him sit up so that he could lean his head against her chest.

"Elena?" She wiped away a tear before Damon could spot it, and she stopped herself from crying so Damon wouldn't hear the sadness in her voice. She didn't want him to be upset. But it didn't stop Stefan from seeing the tears she was holding back. He gave her an apologetic look and Elena thought it was so unfair that he thought she was only here because Damon was his brother, and her friend when the real reason would break his heart.

"Yes Damon." She answered as softly as she could, making her voice sound level and warm. He tried to sit up but he cringed and actually cried out in pain. Elena placed her hand over his and let him nearly crush her fingers through the pain, though she didn't care about that.

"I don't want you to be here." He moved anyway so that he was leaning against the pillows next to her and he could look her in the eye.

"Damon-" She answered sternly but he gazed back at her with sober eyes for the first time in what felt like hours.

"Elena listen to me very carefully. I don't want you to be here for this." Elena noticed that Stefan had stood up and was standing at the side of the bed listening to their conversation carefully.

"Damon I can't just let you-" She turned in the bed so that she was sitting on her knees and facing him.

"Elena, watching me die will kill you. I don't want that."

"But Damon I can't-" Tears came anyway now and she wanted so much to kiss him but he cringed again and she felt so guilty for putting him in this position.

"Elena, consider it my dying wish." He flashed her a grin and it was so typically Damon that Elena couldn't stop the sobs from coming, she buried her face in her hands and felt him put his arms around her, making her cry harder. This couldn't be the last time he held her, it just couldn't. It wasn't fair for her to have loved someone this much only for him to be taken away from her. It wasn't right.

"I can't leave you Damon." She cried into the crook of his neck and felt him shake.

"And I can't let you stay." He whispered into her ear and kissed her just below her earlobe. "I love you Elena." He said finally and then she felt him shift around her when she turned her head he was looking at Stefan meaningfully and Stefan looked distraught before he finally turned towards Elena. "Stefan get her out of here."

"What? No!" Elena looked from the one Salvatore brother to the other and Damon actually snickered. He couldn't be serious, but he knew just as well as she did that if it was left up to her she wouldn't leave this room. Damon knew and so he was forcing Stefan to 'remove' her from the situation. She suddenly was very angry at both of them. She looked into Damon's impossibly blue eyes then and didn't care for a moment that Stefan was there. She leaned forward and placed the softest of kisses on his lips, lingering there for a moment before pulling away. "I hate you for this." Tears were still in her eyes, but he smiled at her, if it weren't for the sweat on his brow and his gaunt face it would have been so perfectly normal as he placed his hands on her cheeks and rubbed away the tears with his thumbs. He placed a kiss on her forehead and Elena felt the tears come back to her anyway.

"You're allowed to." He said and then she was being pulled away from him, faster than she could register she was out of the room, and Elena realized that he must have nodded to Stefan to get her out of there, she was sobbing, heaving so hard that her chest hurt, she didn't know that vampires could cry so hard they felt breathless, that couldn't be right. Vampires didn't breathe, but she felt completely and utterly broken. She wanted to have Damon's arms around her, to have the smell of him on her skin and to feel his kisses all across her body. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. More than anything she wanted to tell him that.

She completely hated him for what he'd just done, he'd said goodbye to her. And then she sobbed harder, feeling the true meaning of his words and what had just happened and feeling heavy she curled up on the couch that Stefan had deposited her in and cried. It was all she could do, she couldn't even speak she was so heartbroken.

Stefan's hands were on her suddenly, as he pulled her to sit up and handed her a glass that was filled with blood. He looked at her carefully, she only stopped crying long enough to drink the glass and then afterwards she felt her body humming. She felt better even if she was still destroyed, the blood made her feel more awake, and in control even though she wasn't. It was no wonder to her now why vampires drank blood, the same reason alcoholics drank she supposed, it allowed them to forget, and it was a definite high that couldn't be compared to anything else. Stefan had his usual broody look on as he looked her over from head to toe.

"You should be with him. He shouldn't be alone."

"He's sleeping." Was all Stefan said and Elena nearly cried again, the memory of Damon's agonizing sleep haunting her already. He didn't truly sleep, she knew it was restless and full of anguish since he tossed his head constantly and clung to her and the sheets as if he were battling something. "How long?" Stefan asked her sternly and she looked up at him, she was confused now but Stefan still had that brooding look on her face, the one he wore for so many reasons that it was hard to figure which one was bothering him this time.

"What?"

"How long have you been in love with Damon?"

"Stefan-" Forever, she wanted to say forever. Because that would have been an honest answer, she had loved him for a long time now, she hadn't always liked him. But love- she wrapped her arms around herself, as if she could hold herself together physically. "I don't know." she answered him then. It was more fair to him than saying forever, that would have crushed him, and she didn't want to hurt Stefan. She had never meant to hurt Stefan, she still loved him, he was kind and good to her, and he had always been true to her. But she didn't love him the same way. Stefan looked- well she wasn't sure, it was an array of emotions that were hard to read on Stefan, hurt, was one of them. And then anger flashed past his eyes before he finally stood up and walked past her.

"You slept with him didn't you." She stood up so she could turn around and look him in the eye, although when she captured his eyes that seemed like the worst idea in the world. Stefan was beyond hurt, he was crushed and Elena hadn't wanted to do this to him. When they'd broken up before it had hurt them both, and she remembered why. As much as she loved someone else, she would always love Stefan too, not in the same way and not as powerfully but she loved him, she'd promised she would never hurt him and now here she was, the bully. Breaking his heart.

"Stefan I-" I what? She thought; I'm sorry? Yes I slept with Damon and I'm sorry? But she wasn't sorry, she would never take it back, even if she had the chance.

"What Elena? What could you possibly say that could make this right? You slept with him. You lied to me, you cheated on me with my brother. And now he's dying!" He was being cruel, she knew it was true and he didn't have to say it but he emphasised the fact that Damon was close to death and he did it to hurt her. "and where does that leave us?"

"Stefan I never meant-"

"-to hurt us? Save it Elena. I've heard the speech before, I've heard it many times, I just never thought I would have to hear it from you." That was beyond painful, and she deserved all of it, all of his disdain and his anger, she deserved it but it didn't take away from the fact that she felt beyond lost. What she'd done had been so out of character, she wasn't the cheating type, she'd spent all this time preventing this and now she was stuck here, when she looked back up Stefan had left, to drive the point home that now she was alone. She had done exactly what she'd spent all this time trying to prevent, she'd played with both brothers. Loved both of them and now they were lost to her. The one she truly loved, the one that was her heart and soul was dying and the one that had been loyal to her, the one that she would always care for, the one that had been her first love hated her. She'd lost everything in the course of one night and just like Katherine she had brought it all on herself.

Author's note: Oh I know, I know... another sad and depressing chapter, and I do apologize to all you Die Hard Delena fans... If you are upset just bear with me, this story just kind of comes to me while I'm writing so I'm not sure where it's going yet. And I know this chapter is short, but I just loved where I ended up, so I decided to leave you all hanging there for now... yes you may hate me for it :) that's okay, I love you all anyway, and I shall be back with a next chapter soon hopefully, I work on Sunday but then I have three gloriously free days, so hopefully I'll get another chapter pumped out soon...

Song is Sing Me To Sleep by Waking Ashland... it's very sad... that's probably why this chapter ended up being so depressing...