Stefan arrived at Elena's house in twenty minutes. He was nervous about telling Elena about Damon. Would she be mad at them for keeping it from her for as long as they did?

He knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. She opened the door to let him in with a smile on her face. It had been a while since they had seen each other. Stefan had to admit that he had missed her. And a selfish part of him was looking forward to sharing this burden with her.

"Hi Stefan, come on in." She said stepping aside

"Thanks, how are you?" He asked walking into the house.

"I'm good. Are you ok? Your message seemed urgent." She asked as she led Stefan into the living room.

"It is urgent Elena, it's about Damon. I should have told you sooner, but I didn't know how to tell you. It's bad Elena…. He's dying. The witches on The Other Side put a curse on him and it's killing him slowly. They said his chances at survival are slim to none." Stefan said sadly. It was hard to get the words out. It was as if he was put, once again, face to face with a horrible truth. His brother was dying. Stefan gave himself a mental slap, cleared his throat and went on. "He is experiencing extreme pain all through his body and fever. At first, we thought it was some weird virus that could affect vampires, but it got worse. He started throwing up every time he fed. The first time it happened I called Bonnie to ask for help." He let out a deep sigh. "After she found out what was going on, Bonnie contacted them through a spell. They gave her a recipe for a potion that will subside his symptoms for a day or so." He ended, looking at Elena trying to gauge her reaction.

Looking at his ex-girlfriend, Stefan thought Elena was going through a multitude of emotions, not just one. He knew the feeling. Stefan himself went through them only days ago.

"Damon is dying?" she asked. Shock and disbelief displayed on her face. "Who...How, why?" She stuttered.

"Bonnie said that they are doing it in order to punish Damon for everything he has done since becoming a vampire, but there is hope." Stefan said with a sad smile.

"What is it Stefan?" She asked, eagerly.

"One of the witches on the Other Side gave Bonnie ingredients to make a potion that will heal Damon until the full moon which is in three days. In addition to that, Bonnie found out that the antidote is the blood of Damon's soul mate. One of the witches told Bonnie that Damon has already met his soul mate. This is an issue because I know Damon has met and been with hundreds, if not thousands of women in his lifetime." Stefan said looking at Elena with a little sliver of hope shining in his eyes.

Elena tried to process everything Stefan was telling her. It was a lot of information to take in. She had so many questions. "Where is Damon now? Does he know about this curse? Is he comfortable at least? Can I see him? How is he holding up?" she asked in a rush. She had so many questions about Damon now. "Is Damon able to keep blood down at all? How sure is Bonnie that this potion will work Stefan? When is she making it?" Elena asked worriedly, fear in her voice at the thought of losing Damon.

"She's working on the potion now actually. She said it would take some time. Damon has until the full moon to live so she has a limited amount of time. She mentioned that the potion should be done by tomorrow though." Stefan answered. "You can see him tomorrow after I have a talk with him and after he has taken the potion." Stefan said walking towards the door.

"Why can't I see him right now? I can go with you to the Boarding House." Elena asked.

"I need to tell him about the curse first and see where his head is at. He is at home in bed, most likely sleeping. He sleeps a lot, I can't blame him. Honestly Elena, he is not feeling well. I don't think it's a good time." Stefan said sadly. "I'll let you know when you can come over and see him. I just wanted you to know what's going on. I'm sorry for keeping it from you."

"I understand Damon not wanting me to see him sick, but I don't care about that. Please keep me updated. Take care Stefan and thank you for telling me." Elena said with a smile. She appreciated Stefan telling her the truth.

"I promise you will be the first to know Elena and you're welcome. I know you care about him. I'll see you soon." Stefan said before leaving.

When Stefan left, and Elena was on her own, her thoughts wandered to the blue-eyed elder Salvatore. She still couldn't believe he was dying. Her heart ached at the thought of living a life without Damon. Elena had to admit that she had come to count on Damon. To trust him.

She remembered the many other times when Damon had been knocking on death's door; Two of those instances stood out to her. When she'd been in Georgia with him and Damon had been captured by Lexi's boyfriend. They had barely any time to get to know each other and yet… Elena had feared losing him. She had felt the overwhelming need to fight for him. And then there had been the werewolf bite. Elena remembered being with Damon on his bed, hugging him close while tears flowed down her cheeks. He had been so close to death and would be gone now if it weren't for Katherine bringing him Klaus' blood. She remembered the fear that filled her when she thought that Damon wouldn't make it. The ratio of survival being so slim, she hoped that Bonnie would get the potion quickly so that she could see him. She had to see him. To tell him that everything was going to be alright. Even though they all knew it might not be.

She wasn't mad at Stefan for keeping the truth from her, she couldn't imagine what he was feeling about this. Elena had Jeremey. She had a brother. A brother she would do anything for. So yes, she completely understood Stefan's choice to honor his brother's request. But she was also glad he finally decided to tell her the truth.

She thought about Damon's soul mate and she couldn't help but feel more than a little jealous of this so-called soul mate that Damon had met already. What did that mean to her? She wasn't sure yet, or that's what she liked to keep telling herself. She was so scared of losing Damon that it made her nauseous. Her stomach twisting like wringing out a washcloth or having a knife twisted in her gut. It hurt Elena to even think about Damon not being apart of her life anymore.

Damon had come to mean more to Elena than she cared to admit to anyone. He always told her the truth, even if it hurt her feelings. He liked to play the bad boy, to pretend nothing hurt him, but Elena knew better. As their friendship grew, Damon let Elena see little bits of his heart. There was no doubt in her mind that Damon had a tender heart. A heart he had to barricade inside a think wall in order to protect himself.

She grabbed her diary to write down her thoughts on Stefan's visit and what she learned about Damon. Her diary had always been a source of comfort for Elena. A way to vent and unload her turmoil. After writing, she put her diary back in its' hiding place and got into her bed. For the first time in memory, writing down in her diary didn't help Elena. Emotionally and mentally drained from Stefan's visit and the very real possibility of Damon being gone for good, she fell into an uneasy and restless sleep.