A/N: Are there only three episodes left of VD? I can't remember, but I think it's three. So sad… this was the first season I watched on TV as it was airing, and I think it's going to be one of my favorite seasons.

Oh, and for everyone who thought maternal Katherine in the last chapter was creepy and unnatural; you're right, it is. You'll see why very soon.

Elena's POV

"Please…" I gasped. What was he saying? He wanted to kill Jenna? Why? Why her? Anyone but her, please!

"Besides her, my only options are Caroline, Stefan, Damon, and Lexi. It's true that you have a special connection to both Salvatores and Caroline, but I think that having your last parent die with you would be much more poetic."

"Poetic?" I snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"And seeing your brother so devastated will kill the Salvatores, and that will kill Katherine. It's a win-win, as the teenagers say."

"Katherine doesn't care about anyone but herself." I said. I hoped I could stall, make him forget what he had just said he would make me do.

"She cares about her daughter." Klaus said.

"You know about her?"

"Of course I do. I make it my business to know everything about my enemies." Klaus said. He walked over to a table and picked up a cellphone. "In fact, I've been to the young Lisabeth Petrova's grave many times."

"Her… her what?" I asked. "Her name is Tabitha, and she's not dead. Well, she's undead, but you know what I mean." I paused. "Is the grave a fake, to make people think she really died?" Even as I said it I knew it wasn't true.

"I think you know the answer to that." Klaus was dialing a number, frowning at the phone's small buttons.

"You tricked her." I breathed. "But how—? Katherine is mistrusting and manipulative as you. How did you make her think Tibby was her daughter?" A horrible though occurred to me. "Where did you get Tibby?"

"I know a lot of witches." Klaus said. "They can do devotion spells, ones that can fool even Katherine. As for Tibby, I found her in some town in Washington. She was easily turned and easily compelled. Tibby believes that she is truly Katherine's daughter."

"What's her real name?" I snarled. Hatred was boiling in the pit of my stomach like acid.

He shrugged. "No one will ever know. Not even I do, and as long as she keeps Katherine distracted then I personally don't care."

He made his slow, casual way over to me. "Now, Elena… do I have to do something unpleasant to your brother, or will you convince Jenna to come here?"

"Where is here?"

He rattled off the address. I glared.

"Here you go." He handed me the phone. "Please, don't do anything that you'll regret, because I will end your brother, and anyone else that you love."

I took the phone, my hands shaking. I had no idea what I could say that would tip off Jenna to the fact that I was in trouble and needed her to stay far away. I knew if I outright told her Klaus could probably have all my loved ones killed in minutes. I heard the sound of Jenna's voice, snapping me out of my trance.

"Hello?"

"Jenna?" I asked. My voice cracked.

"Elena? What's wrong? Where are you? Damon called and asked if you were home, saying you left the boardinghouse three hours ago."

I gulped. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. Look, Jenna, I need you to pick me up somewhere."

"Where?"

I glanced at Klaus, who whispered the address to me again, watching me carefully to be sure that I didn't make a mistake. It had occurred to me to send Jenna to the wrong house but I knew it was too risky. "Can you come pick me up when you have time?" Klaus shook his head. "Or now?"

"Of course, Elena. Are you sure you're alright?" Jenna sounded so genuinely worried that it broke my heart.

I nodded though she couldn't see me. "Yes, Jenna. Oh, before you go, would you mind checking to see if the mail's here yet?"

"Umm… why?"

My whole body was shaking, but Klaus didn't seem to be catching on to my plan. "I bought season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Damon. I figured it would be funny to give it to him and tell him it was based off a real person. Would you mind giving it to him?"

"I'll do it after I get you. Stay where you are, I'll be there soon."

I could feel my stomach sinking further and further down. Damn it! Even if she did look in the mailbox she would probably just think I was losing it and head straight to the house I was in. With my luck she wouldn't even call Damon before she left.

"That's an odd request to ask someone when you're in a hurry to get home." Klaus commenting, taking the phone.

I shrugged, curling up on the floor with my back to a corner. If I couldn't control my shaking I knew he would catch on. "If I'm gong to die, I'd like him to have something to remember me by."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it." Klaus said sarcastically. "I have to go and gather all the witches, but you should know that I have Greta here. If you try to leave she'll make you regret it."

"Greta?"

"She did the devotion spell on Tibby."

I pulled my knees to my chest and watched him leave. If only I knew where Greta was, maybe I could try to leave anyway. The only problem was that if he came back and couldn't find me then I was fairly certain he would carry through with the killing of loved ones. There were no windows in the room I was in, and the only door was probably guarded. I pressed my ear against the wall, hoping for some sort of sign as to where I was.

There was nothing aside from a barking dog. I let my head fall back helplessly as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

Damon's POV

It was getting late, much too late for drinking, but it seemed like the only way I could stay sane these days. Katherine and Tibby were being so cutesy that it was making me considering moving out.

Faye had arrived about ten minutes after Diana had texted her, and they'd been locked up in Diana's room ever since. Cassie was sleeping in mine so she wouldn't disturb the two girls. Stefan was writing in his diary—as per usual—and Lexi was sleeping.

My phone rang, starling me. I didn't know the number. "Hello?"

"Damon?"

"Yes?" her voice was familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Damon, it's Jenna. Elena just called me."

My heart started to race. "Is she okay?"

There was a long pause, in which I could hear Jenna taking deep breaths. "I-I don't know. She said she was at some place—" Jenna read an address off a slip of paper "—and that she needed me to pick her up. She sounded terrified, like she was crying."

"What?"

"Yeah, I don't know why she would be there, or if we know anyone in that part of Mystic Falls. She also said that she wanted me to check the mailbox because she had ordered a copy of season one of Buffy, so she could give it to you."

I was confused. "What?"

"I didn't get it either. There's nothing in the mailbox, but she said I should give it to you."

I was starting to realize what was happening. "What else did she say?"

There was a loud crash upstairs, and I heard Diana and Faye screaming. "What was that?" Jenna asked.

"Stay where you are!" I commanded as I dropped the phone and sped up the stairs. I could hear Jenna's faint reply.

When I reached their room it was already empty. There was a broken window, probably from the vampire that had kidnapped the two witches. I knew it had to be one of Klaus's minions, because no sane vampire would try to capture a witch. I shot out of the room and dashed to mine, praying that maybe Cassie would be there.

When I arrived all that met me was a disturbingly large pool of blood, one that would make it hard to fight back if you'd lost that much.

Stefan was at my side in an instant. "What happened?"

"Klaus kidnapped all three witches, and he's got Elena too." I snarled. I cursed myself for letting her out of my sight.

"What?" Stefan made me look at him. "Do you know where she is?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

I knew it would be a bad idea to tell Stefan. He would rush there immediately and save her, but if he did he would probably become part of the sacrifice instead of Jenna. I wasn't about to let that happen. Elena would need Stefan once I was gone.

"I can't tell you." I said. "But that's only because if you go alone you'll get killed. We can't go get her. Klaus will kill everyone she loves if we try."

Stefan looked like he wanted to rip me apart, but he nodded. "What do I do?"

"Go find Bonnie, Jenna, Matt, Caroline, Jeremy—all of Elena's friends. Get them to the boardinghouse and have it signed over to Jenna."

"Give her the house?"

"Yes." I said. "That way Klaus can't get in, and neither can any of his vampire helpers. Don't let any of them leave."

"But…" Stefan began. "Matt doesn't know about vampires."

"Fill him in on them." I snapped. "I don't care, just keep everyone out of harm's way."

"What are you going to do?"

I honestly had no clue, other than a poorly-constructed plan. "I'm going to make sure Klaus can't have his sacrifice."

Once Stefan was gone I went through the list in my head. There were plenty of vampires around, that much was obvious. However, there was only one werewolf; Tyler. Jules was still far, far away, well out of danger. If I could get to Tyler in time I could stop the sacrifice.

The only thing I didn't understand was how Klaus would do it without a full moon.

As I headed to the door I heard Elena scream. What the hell? Was Klaus trying to mess with me? There was another scream, a sob being ripped from her throat. In my head I saw a thousand images; Klaus forcing her to watch as he killed Stefan, or turned Jenna, or tortured Jeremy.

When I raced outside to where the noise was coming from, I saw Katherine. She was curled into a tiny ball, wailing and sobbing like she was dying.

"Katherine, what happened?" I demanded, shaking her shoulders roughly. "Katherine!"

"He took her." Katherine said, the three words to harsh and broken that I found the tiniest bit of sympathy in my heart for Katherine. "Klaus took my baby girl away."

"He was here?"

She didn't respond.

"Katherine." I said, willing myself to be patient. "Did he say anything?"

"He said to meet me at the house he kept me during the ball. If I don't go there by ten tonight he'll kill Tibby."

It didn't make any sense. Why did Klaus care about Katherine? If he wanted revenge he could get it after he was freed from his curse. He could torture Katherine by giving her a werewolf bite, or just doing what he usually would.

I remembered something alternate universe Klaus had said to me once; "One thing I've learned over the years is to always have a backup. Backup vampire, backup werewolf."

Of course. He wanted Katherine as his backup vampire. He had probably listened in on Elena's conversation with Jenna, and had caught on to Elena trying to warn Jenna and alert me. As for the werewolf… I was clueless as to who the backup could be.

Elena's POV

All I could think about was Jenna, and every moment we'd spent together since she'd gotten custody of Jeremy and me. All the memories were blurs of crying in her arms, trading stories about mom and dad, and feeling safe for the first time in days. Jenna had managed to make sense of the chaos surrounding the time after their deaths.

Footsteps alerted me to someone's presence, and I looked up to see the door open. Greta walked in, followed by some vampire I didn't know. He shoved Tyler Lockwood to the ground. "You leave, you pay with your life." Greta said. She and the vampire left, slamming the door behind them.

Tyler waited until they left, then crawled over to me. His arm seemed to be injured. "Elena?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" I countered.

Tyler shrugged. "That woman that dragged me in said that someone named Klaus needed a werewolf for some sacrifice." He glanced at me. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true."

"I know." I said quickly. "You turned after you killed Mason."

Tyler flinched. "How did you know that?"

"I know people." I said. I didn't want to involve Damon or Stefan, not that it mattered if we both died. "I'm part of the sacrifice too."

"Are you a wolf too?" Tyler asked, his face lighting up. I couldn't remember seeing him this nice, normal, or hopeful in a long time. I mentally scolded myself for not talking to him as much after my parent's deaths.

I shook my head miserably. "No, sorry. Just the Petrova doppelganger."

Tyler didn't question it. "Fair enough. Are you hurt?"

"I don't know, I haven't moved since I got here." I said. "What about you?"

"Wrenched my arm fighting off that guy, but I'll be fine." Tyler said. The pain in his eyes said otherwise.

"They made me call Jenna." I blurted out suddenly. Tyler looked confused. "Klaus made me call Jenna. He's going to use her in the sacrifice too, as the vampire."

"Jenna's a vampire?"

I almost laughed at his expression. "No, but she will be. Klaus is one, and I think he's going to turn her."

"What are we going to do?" Tyler asked. I felt awful for him. He had only been a werewolf for a few days or weeks—I couldn't keep track of the time—and already he was going to die.

I shrugged. "We're going to sit here and hope that someone realizes we're gone before we're dead."

He looked terrified, but nodded. I gestured for him to come over, and when he did I wrapped my arms around him. "We'll be okay." I promised, wishing it was true.

With that he leaned against the wall and pulled me into his arms, a friendly and comforting gesture from someone who was sure they would die.

Damon's POV

Two hours had gone by and still I hadn't found Tyler anywhere.

It occurred to me that he had already been captured, and that he might even be where Elena was. The only problem with that was I knew going there would mean death.

My cellphone started to ring for the hundredth time that day. Stefan had run into trouble tracking down Caroline, finally finding her at some mall in a nearby town. "Hello?"

"Damon, have you found Tyler yet?"

I frowned. "No."

"Do you think Klaus has him already?"

"Yes." I said, sighing heavily. "Did you find everyone?"

"Yes, and I managed to get them all to come. The house is Jenna's now." Stefan said. "You should probably come back."

"Why?"

I could hear soft whispers in the background. "Lexi's worse."

I felt bad even though I'd seen it coming. "What do you mean?"

"She's burning up, and she keeps having hallucinations about when we used to hang out together."

I swore. "Are there any bad memories associated with you?"

"No, not that I can remember. She was always happy around me."

"Good. The vampire I watched die started to hallucinate about some of the bad things that had happened to her, and she almost killed one of my friends."

"Why is she getting worse now?"

I wish I knew. "Maybe because Klaus is trying to have the sacrifice now. He needs a full moon, so he must be simulating it somehow."

"So?"

"I don't know!" I said impatiently. "Maybe it's because Mason didn't turn until last second, maybe it's because she was just stronger than my friend. All I know is that the best you can do for her now is driving a stake through her heart."

I hung up on him as he protested. There was nothing to do about Lexi now. It made me want to smash a window, having to put Stefan through the torturous process of watching Lexi die, but I couldn't kill her again.

When I reached the boardinghouse Jenna invited me in, and Bonnie was the second person to greet me at the door. "Nothing?" she asked. I nodded. "I need to talk to you."

Bonnie dragged me after her into one of the smaller rooms. "Is Elena going to die?"

I was almost afraid to answer. "Klaus has his werewolf, his vampire, and his doppelganger. Chances are that he's going to start with the sacrifice as soon as he can."

Bonnie nodded. "I thought so. I found a spell that can bring her back."

"What?" I suddenly remembered the spell. "Oh. I remember that from last time."

"Last time?"

I quickly explained what had happened when there was a sacrifice the last time. She sat silently the whole time, until I told her how John died to save Elena.

"I want to do the spell to myself." Bonnie said unexpectedly. "There's no one else here that I can have do it."

"I will." I volunteered. She shook her head. "Why not?"

"You're dead." She reminded me like I was a child. "It wouldn't do anything, and Elena would stay dead."

"Oh." I said. "The thing is, I need you to kill Klaus. You almost did last time, and it didn't work only because Elijah stopped you."

"But Elena will die." Bonnie was trying to be strong, but I could see how scared she was.

A blond head stuck in the doorway. "Hello?"

"Yeah, Matt?"

I wondered if he'd heard us. Bonnie didn't seem worried.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

Bonnie gave me an apologetic smile. "Do you mind?"

"No, it's fine. I have to figure out something to get Elena away from Klaus."

I left the two of them, joining Jenna, Caroline, and Jeremy in the livingroom. From what I could hear Stefan was with Lexi in his bedroom. I wondered where Rose was at the moment, heartened by the fact that she was somewhere other than here, safe and undead. Maybe after this is over I'll go find her. The thought gave me strength.

Jenna's legs were nervously jittering, banging against the leg of the couch. When she saw me she leapt to her feet. "Can you save Elena?"

"I don't know." I said. It was the truth. I could attempt to rescue her, but it wouldn't do much since I'd get killed. Klaus obviously had his werewolf, and even if he didn't have Jenna he still had his pick of vampires.

Katherine sauntered in, eyes bloodshot. "You're back?"

"Yes, I am. You stayed?"

Katherine glared at me, pouring herself a drink. "I was trying to think of a way to rescue Tibby without actually confronting Klaus. Maybe giving him the moonstone would work."

In an instant I had her pinned against the wall. "The what?"

"The moonstone." She choked out, shoving me away. "I still have it."

"Where?" the single word was more than just a question: it was a threat.

She shrugged. "Hidden safely, of course. I was thinking that maybe if I gave it to him he'd let me go."

I snorted. "Yes, because Klaus is so forgiving."

"Why are you arguing about this?" Caroline said, jumping up from the couch. "Elena's life is on the line right now and no one seems to have any idea of how to save her. You're seriously going to argue about some rock right now?"

"If Klaus doesn't have it there will be no sacrifice." I hissed at Caroline. She sat back down quickly, deflated. "So it's kind of important." I admired for trying to stand up to both Katherine and I, but I knew she was wrong. "If we have that moonstone then Elena won't die."

"Tibby will." Katherine said. Her eyes glinted with fire. "As long as I'm here that isn't going to happen."

I saw what would happen when it was too late to stop her. Katherine rushed past me, throwing me aside and into a wall. Caroline tried to grab Katherine's arm but was knocked back, tipping the entire couch over. I heard Jenna moan.

"Where did she go?" Caroline asked. She got to her feet dizzily. Bonnie and Matt both walked in, Matt helping Jenna up when he saw what had happened.

"Did Katherine leave?" Bonnie asked. I nodded. "And she has what Klaus needs to complete the sacrifice?" Another nod.

Bonnie sank onto the couch, cradling her head in her hands. After a minute she looked up at Matt. "Fine."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. The last thing I need was people with ulterior motives.

"It doesn't matter." Bonnie said. "Get ready to leave soon, I have to do something and then we're going to go kill Klaus."

"You can only kill him when he's transitioning." I said.

"I know." She replied. My heart felt like it was dropping a thousand miles into the ground. "Just be ready."

Elena's POV

It was dark outside when Greta made us leave. Tyler had wanted to fight her, but I warned him not to. I told him that doing anything rash would get his family killed in an instant.

She dragged us outside, throwing us both in circles of fire. "You will wait here until Klaus arrives with the vampire." She commanded. I almost wanted to laugh, considering we had no choice in whether would wait or not.

Tyler face was contorting, barely containing the pain he felt. "I think I'm changing."

"No moon." I said, pointing to the empty sky. "Not even a fake one."

"What?"

"Klaus has a bunch of witches that he's going to use to simulate a full moon or something." I said. I couldn't see Cassie or any of the other witches anywhere. "The only problem is that they're not here."

As soon as the word left my mouth Greta and Klaus's vampire henchmen were dragging the members of the Circle into the clearing. Most of them were so battered that they weren't resisting, but both Cassie and Faye were putting up a fight.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you!" Faye shrieked, the threat directed at the vampire who held Diana. I was too far away to tell, but it looked like she was trying to bite her captor.

Cassie wasn't saying anything, just flailing wildly. She disappeared from view for a moment, surrounded by at least three vampires. When they backed away Cassie's head was lolling to the side, her eyes barely open.

"Is that them?" Tyler asked. His fear was completely unconcealed now.

I nodded. "Unfortunately."

When I thought it couldn't get any worse Klaus strode in, holding some woman I'd never seen by the hair. She had pale skin and jet black hair.

"Jenna never showed up." He said to me. "Odd, isn't it?"

The woman he was holding struggled as he threw her into the final flaming circle. "You promised that I would go unharmed." She snarled.

He shrugged. "I make a lot of promises, love. Anyway, Elena, I found her, so we can proceed."

"I don't know her." I said.

He laughed, the kind of echo-y evil laughter that would make grown men run and hide under their beds. "She's your mother, Elena. Don't you remember her?" he smiled. "Of course not. I mean, she did give you up."

"Isobel?" I gasped.

"Hello, Elena."

Damon's POV

Bonnie came back in a matter of minutes, ordering the others to stay behind. She forced me into the car and we drove to the house where Elena was, but when we got there it was empty.

"Where do you think they went?" she asked as we got back in the car.

"Probably the woods." I said. I still remember the exact place from last time. "I know where."

When we got there I could already see the Circle, tied up around three rings of fire, which held Elena, Tyler, and Isobel.

"Is that Tyler?" Bonnie gasped. "We can't let him die!"

"We don't have choice." I knew it was harsh, but we couldn't risk it. "Did you do something to protect Elena?"

"Yes."

I watched as Klaus paced, explaining to Elena how Isobel was her mother. Elena seemed more shocked than upset. After all, Isobel had been absent from her life. It wasn't like they had some close maternal bond.

"You think Katherine came here already?" Bonnie whispered. I shook my head. "Then why is he acting like the sacrifice is going to start?"

I heard rustling, and suddenly Katherine was standing in the clearing. "There's your answer." I whispered.

"I want my daughter back, Klaus." Katherine said loudly, her words carrying all the way to where we hid.

Klaus smirked. "You do? What do you have to give me?"

"Katherine held the moonstone above her head. "This. You don't get it until my daughter is standing next to me."

Klaus motioned to one of his minions—I was started to fear how many of them there were—and the vampire disappeared. In a minute he was back, dragging a screaming and kicking Tibby. She little girl was thrashing in his arms, but when she saw Katherine she stopped moving. A hopeful expression crossed her face.

"Don't give him the stone, she's not your daughter!" Elena shrieked.

"What did she just say?" Bonnie asked.

"You heard her." What did she mean? I guessed that she was just trying to buy more time.

Katherine shook her head. "She is. I felt it the moment I saw her."

"No, she's not." Elena said, slowly and calmly. "He told me. Your daughter is dead, Katherine. Her name was Lisbeth Petrova. She's buried in Bulgaria."

"No, her name is Tabitha and she's right there." Katherine said, but for a second I could hear confusion in her voice. She held out the moonstone. "Take it."

Klaus took the stone from her in a flash, shoving Tibby into Katherine's arms. "Oh, Katherine. I'm afraid Elena is right."

"What?" Katherine looked at the little girl, who was as confused as her. "I don't understand."

"You were a liability, Katerina." Klaus said. "You would have messed up so many things, so I had to keep you occupied. I found that little girl in Washington and compelled her to think she was your daughter, then made Greta put a devotion spell on her so you would believe she was your daughter."

A look of horror was dawning in Katherine's eyes. "But… but I know she's mine."

"Your daughter died when she was sixteen." Klaus scoffed. "I made sure of that."

"But I still love Tibby." Katherine protested, as though it would make what Klaus was saying a lie.

Klaus laughed. "You do. Unfortunately, my use for both you and her has come to an end."

In a flash there was a stake through Tibby's heart. Bonnie gasped. Katherine took one look at the dead girl and crumpled to the ground, wailing uncontrollably. Apparently that devotion spell hadn't worn off.

"Now," Klaus said, wiping the blood from his hands, "We should start."

Elena's POV

I felt pity for the nameless girl that had lost her life over such a pointless cause, but I didn't have much time to cry. Klaus had the Circle start creating the fake full moon, threatening them by hurting Diana when they refused. When he did, Faye started chanting at once, quickly followed by the rest.

Soon a silvery-blue orb hung in the air, so far up that it looked like a real moon. Tyler's convulsions grew worse and worse; his cries of pain cut through my heart like a knife. What had he ever done to deserve this?

"It's okay, Tyler, it's okay." I said over and over. I knew it wouldn't change anything, but my voice seemed to sooth him.

Suddenly the fire around him went out, and Klaus ran over with vampire speed, pulling Tyler up by his shirt. "You first."

Tyler struggled as he was dragged away, snapping at Klaus with werewolf teeth. I had a feeling werewolf bites wouldn't affect Originals, but I could always hope.

Greta nodded approvingly as Tyler was lifted up next to the bowl that had been carved from some sort of rock. In a flash Tyler's heart had been ripped out. A strangled cry escaped my lips.

When Isobel was allowed out of her circle she tried to run, but Klaus caught her easily. I didn't watch her die.

Finally the flames around my subsided. "Come along, darling." Klaus said, talking to me like I was his lover. "It's your turn."

I looked at the woods surrounding me, trying to drink in my last moments of life. All I could think of was my family, my friends, and every single person that mattered to me. I hoped that Klaus would leave them alone.

Then I focused on the people that were around me. All the Circle witches were struggling with the moonlight spell. I saw that the three girls were crying. Cassie looked at me, pausing from her chanting to mouth, "I'm sorry" at me.

Klaus offered his hand to me. "Coming?"

I stormed past, hitting his hand with my shoulder. Slowly I stepped onto the rock next to the bowl full of Tyler's blood and the moonstones.

Klaus came to stand behind me, hands at my waist in case I decided to run. "Thank you." he whispered.

I rolled my eyes. "Go to hell."

Fangs sank into my neck and I couldn't make a sound. As I slipped into the dark, hazy peace of death I could have sworn that I saw Damon's eyes.

Damon's POV

As soon as Elena fell to the ground I signaled for Bonnie to go. As she ran down the hill towards Klaus I ran to Greta and snapped her neck.

It was like the same scene was unfolding as last time; Bonnie's hair whipped around her face as she chanted. Fires sprang up everywhere, and Klaus contorted in pain.

The Circle almost instantly caught on to whatever Bonnie was saying, and suddenly it was like his pain multiplied a thousand times. I wished we had known the Circle in the other universe.

When I was sure that Klaus was on the brink of the death he became to transform, his spine twisting until it was shaped like a canine's. Bonnie had blood dripping from her nose, but she pressed on and kept chanting.

I edged closer, warily circling Klaus, trying to keep him away from the witches. His face was mutating, a long furry snout growing in its place. "Hurry!" I shouted to Bonnie.

Vampire eyes suddenly turned gold, and fur replaced clothing. I shouted a warning to Bonnie and the others just in time to look up and see a mass of fur headed my way.

The next few minutes were complete chaos. There was a blur of fur, blood, fire, and screaming. Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. There was nothing but a limp wolf lying at my feet. Most of the Circle members were collapsing into the dirt, panting. Bonnie merely brushed the blood from her face.

"Quick." I said. "The body is going to light up any minute, it always happens when Originals die. If you can get some blood from Klaus you can save Lexi."

Nodding, she did as I said. She barely had enough for Lexi when the body went up in flames.

"There's not enough for you and Lexi." She said, eyeing my warily.

I shrugged. "It's okay. Maybe I'll get lucky, since it was his first transformation." I knew it was a lie. I just didn't want Bonnie to feel guilty.

"Get Elena." Bonnie said. "Bring her to the boardinghouse. I'll make sure the Circle gets out of here safely."

"What about Elijah?"

"You said he came here to help his brother." I nodded. "There's nothing left that he can do, so why would he stay?"

I walked over to Elena, grimacing as I felt the poison coursing through my veins. It wouldn't be long before I died, but at least I might be able to see Elena wake up.

"We're going home." I whispered as I picked her up and carried her away.

Elena's POV

At first it felt like there was nothing around me, just some sort of velvety padding. It made me wonder if I wasn't dead. Had Klaus not taken enough blood, or was this just what being dead was like?

I wished that the darkness would go away. My mind kept racing, full of images of Tyler dying and Katherine as she collapsed, overwrought with grief. It had been cruel, the way Klaus killed that little girl. I prayed that he would pay for it with his life.

I gasped, feeling like my lungs were full of water. The darkness began to fade, giving way to dull lights hovering above my head. I could hear Stefan's voice. "Elena?"

"Stefan?" I opened my eyes. He was directly above me, Jenna and Jeremy off to the side. "Are you dead?"

I realized how dumb the question was when I asked it. He laughed. "Yes, but you're not."

"W-What?"

"Bonnie did a spell to save you." Jenna said softly. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her voice held a note of sadness. "Matt volunteered to help. He… he gave his life for yours."

"What?" I shot up, knocking Stefan out of the way. "What do you mean?"

"He's dead." Caroline said. "Bonnie says that he heard her talking about the spell, and even though he knew he would die he wanted to do it."

"Why?" I asked brokenly, tears flooding my vision and blurring everything. Matt and I hadn't been close for months.

"Because his mom came a few days ago and took Vicki with her." Jenna said. "We never knew, but only a few days later Vicki died of a drug overdose. Ms. Donovan's new boyfriend had a stash in his room, and Vicki took too much."

I thought for sure that I was dying, or dead already. I had to be. How could something that have happened without me knowing?

"She died yesterday." Bonnie said, coming into the room. Her face was streaked with blood. "He didn't tell anyone, not until he heard about the spell."

"So he decided he had a death wish?" I asked.

Bonnie sighed, coming to sit next to me. "He's had a hard life, even with all the good times he had with you. His mom is taken care of—in some facility where doctors are helping her deal with the grief—so it's not like he had anything to leave behind. He wanted to save you, probably because he's always loved you."

I knew it was such a sweet, selfless thing for him to do, but the guilt was suffocating me. "What about e-everyone else?"

"The Circle is fine. They're all in the hospital, but they're fine." Bonnie said. "Damon went 'home', wherever that is."

"Lexi?" I asked.

"We got her the cure, which turned out to be Klaus's blood."

"So everyone's okay?"

Glances were exchanged, ones that made my heart start to beat faster. "What?" I asked.

Jenna finally took pity on me. "Damon was bitten by Klaus, after Klaus turned into a werewolf."

"You cured Lexi, do the same to him." I said.

"There was only enough for one person…" Bonnie said. She had to look away from me. "I'm sorry. Damon told me to save Lexi, so I did."

I bit my lip to keep from crying. "I want to see him."

Stefan finally spoke up, taking Bonnie's place at my side. "We don't know where he went. Besides, you need to get home and rest. You died, Elena."

I jumped away from him, furious. "Well, I'm dead anymore. Damon, on the other hand, could die for good. Why can't you figure out a spell to save him?"

Bonnie shrugged, but it was obvious the answer was no. The pity on everyone's faces was too much to bear. Jenna was crying, along with Bonnie and Caroline. Jeremy mouthed, "I'm so sorry." Stefan avoided any eye contact. I felt trapped.

"Fine." I said at last. "I'll go home, but I'm going to keep calling Damon until he answers."

The car ride home with Stefan, Jeremy, and Jenna was silent, aside from my frantic calls. It became clear that Damon wasn't picking up his phone. I kept imagining him all alone, dying in the woods. Even worse, I imagined him committing suicide when the sun rose. He had said that werewolf bites caused slow and painful deaths. I couldn't see why he would want to suffer any more than necessary. He said he had only wanted to save me, and that was done. There wouldn't be anything left for him.

When we reached my house I gave up, letting silent tears slip down my face. "I'll see you tomorrow?" Stefan asked. I didn't answer, storming out of the car and into the house with Jeremy and Jenna behind me.

When I walked in I heard something, like someone groaning. "Hello?" my heart began to pound.

I walked into the living room, grabbing an umbrella by the door for a weapon. "Whoever you are, I'm armed!" I had a feeling if it was a vampire I would get laughed at.

When I rounded the corner I saw the last person I expected to be in my house.

"Damon?"

He was laying on the couch, skin pale and sweaty. "Hey there. Back from the dead?"

"Damon!" I yelped. I couldn't contain myself, practically jumping onto him. He grunted in pain. "You don't look as bad as everyone said you were. Maybe you'll be okay."

He shook his head. "No, Elena—"

"I mean it." I said. "When I was leaving Bonnie mentioned that it might be different, because Klaus was a hybrid. You're probably just sick."

"No, Elena." He said, taking his time to form each word. "I'm dying. There's nothing anyone can do."

Cover my eyes

Cover my ears

Tell me these words are a lie

"You're lying." I gulping, tears rushing down my cheeks. "You can't be dying. You can't be dying. Maybe there's a spell. Yeah, Bonnie could do a spell to make you better." Please don't die. I crawled closer to him on the couch, taking both of his hands. "Look at me, Damon. Please don't die."

He raised his eyes slowly to meet mine, tears glistening in them. "I'm sorry."

It can't be true

That I'm losing you

The sun cannot fall from the sky

Can you hear heaven cry?

The tears of an angel

"No!" I cried, vision blurring. I clumsily tried to hit him but he restrained my flailing hands.

He said, "At least you're safe, like I promised Bonnie when I left." It sounded like every word cost him a tremendous amount of effort.

"It's not fair." I whispered brokenly. I felt like a child, naïve and unprotected from the pain that was crashing down on me. Of course it wasn't fair; it never was when I lost someone I loved. "We didn't get enough time, Damon."

Stop every clock

The stars are in shock

The river won't run to the sea

I won't let you fly

I won't say goodbye

I won't let you slip away from me

Can you hear heaven cry?

"We didn't get enough time?" he asked. His eyes were slowly fluttered closed, but he was still breathing.

I nodded, pulling the two hands I held close to my face and brushing them with two soft kisses. He didn't open his eyes, but he smiled. "We didn't get enough time."

"But you love Stefan." There was so much regret in that one statement, but he said it anyway.

"I love you."

His eyes sprang open. They were glazed over with fever. "What?"

"I love you, Damon." I sniffed. "I love you."

So hold on

Be strong

Everyday hope will grow

I'm here

Don't you fear

Don't let go

Don't let go

"I love you." he said. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard.

He lifted his hands to my face, cradling it. Tears dripped down his arms, stained with dirt and blood from the sacrifice that seemed like ancient history. I leaned forward, waiting with bated breath. His eyes glowed with love and devotion.

I was inches away from his face when his hands went limp, and they slowly slid until they rested at his sides. "Damon?"

No response.

"Damon?" I repeated. "Damon? Damon, no, please wake up, please wake up! No! DAMON!"

It was like I was living a nightmare. Everything was slow. It felt like I was moving through water as I pleaded for Damon to come back, clutching his hands to my chest. Jenna and Jeremy, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, ran to my side and tried to get me away. I couldn't understand. Why did they want to take him away? Didn't they know I loved him?

Out of nowhere Stefan and Alaric—who I hadn't seen much in the last few days—came running in. I begged, pleaded, and cried, but they finally detached me from Damon's lifeless body. They took him away and left Jenna and Jeremy to comfort me.

Hours later, I lay on my bed, curled into a fetal position. Stefan had come back after burying Damon and was watching from a corner of the room. He seemed to understand that there was nothing left to comfort me. I wondered if he was sad. He seemed to be struggling with a hurricane of emotion, but he was keeping calm for my sake.

Memories flashed behind my heavy, tear-laden eyelids. Damon, smiling at me from a distance at the parade. Damon, fighting to keep me in the backseat while I threatened to throw something at his head. Damon holding me while I cried. Damon comforting me, saving me, laughing with me, crying with me, being with me. How could I have been so stupid? Why didn't I see it until it was too late?

"Were we ever together?" I asked him, one time while we were at my house. "You know, in that other reality you talk about. I know it's a weird question… it's just that you seem to care about me a lot, and that has to stem from something romantic, or at least friendly."

He smiled. "No, not really. I mean… we were on and off friends. I was kind of a jerk to you."

I cuddled up to him, not knowing then why I felt so safe in his presence. "Not even once?"

"Well…" he began. "There was one time when you kissed me, not because I wanted you to, but because you wanted to kiss me. I was dying."

"You died?"

"Obviously not." I laughed at him. "We never had anything. I remember when I talked to you later you said it was only a goodbye kiss, because you still loved Stefan."

"Well, I apologize for alternate universe me being such a jerk to you and leading you on like that." I teased.

Oh God, was that what he had thought when I was sitting with him? I said I loved him, but… I didn't know what the other Elena had said. It might have been the same thing.

I pulled my legs closer. It didn't matter anymore. Nothing did.

Cover my eyes

Cover my ears

Tell me these words are a lie.

A/N: I know what you're thinking, but I'm not done writing yet. I beg of you, don't abandon this fic just because Damon died. Please?

By the way, I don't own the song "Tears Of An Angel" by RyanDan.