Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! Glad so many liked it!

To the guest reviews, asking questions, sorry I can't answer back.

And if ya'll would please PLEASE read this bolded AN, before asking.

Yes, this story is inspired by Bitten, which is amazing, and in no way mine.

Thanks for all the feedback! :)

Oh, and to the reviewer who wanted Damon to find someone else, I agree that a jealous Elena would be fun, but it's not Damon's character here.

He doesn't want anyone else, not even to make her jealous.

He doesn't really like humans, and Elena is everything to him, so it would be OOC if I had him flirt/hook up, ect with another girl. Sorry.

Hope ya'll enjoy!

I faded in and out of sleep for hours, before exhaustion finally gave way and I crashed.

By the time I'd awoken again, the sun had just begun to rise, filling the infirmary with the dull light of early morning.

I stretched out on the bed, my body feeling stiff.

It took me a moment to realize that the space next to me was empty.

I sat up, looking around the room, but again, found nothing.

I was alone.

Before I could panic, though, the door opened, and Damon stepped inside.

My chest relaxed as I took him in.

"Hey."

He smiled as he walked over, "Hey."

I moved to put my feet over the edge of the bed, allowing him to sit next to me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better now," he said, sitting, and I reached for his hand.

"Better is good, especially considering the mess you were last night."

I expected him to smirk, but his expression grew sullen, "We need to talk."

His tone was serious.

I shivered, "What's wrong?"

"Last night...I heard some things when they took me to the warehouse," he admitted.

"What kind of things?"

"Plans," he sighed, "There's a fight coming, a big one, today."

I straightened, "What? Are you sure."

He nodded.

"Kai literally said, "Tomorrow, we storm the castle". His words, not mine, so forgive the cheesiness. But yeah, I'm sure. They know we're weaker. With Enzo gone, and me injured..."

He looked at his bandaged wrists.

"Does Alaric know?"

Damon nodded again, "I've just told him."

I paused, "You left the room...Why didn't you wake me up?"

Now, he smirked, "With your evening, I figured you needed the sleep more than I did. Especially if we're going to war today."

I sighed, "What did Ric say?"

"To let them come," Damon looked down at our hands, "We fight here, on Pack land. It ends here, or we die here. We're going to start setting traps and getting everything ready within the hour."

I nodded, "Well, I suppose that's enough time to clean your injuries."

"I'll be fine," he insisted, meeting my gaze.

"I know," I told him, "But it can't hurt for you to wash off, and keep those clean. So why don't we go visit that giant bathtub of yours."

He smirked, "Whatever you say."

Once we made it to his room, I helped Damon strip his clothes, and ran some hot water.

As the tub filled, I checked over his wounds.

They had healed a lot, I noticed as I undressed them, but were still rather raw.

At least they were no longer life threatening.

He sank into the water, and sighed when the warmth touched his skin.

I kneeled down on the soft mat, next to the tub, as I observed him.

His wrists were the worst of his injuries, along with some less deep cuts, but as his skin flushed from the heat, I was able to make out more scuffs and bruises.

"What did they do to you?" I asked, repressing the urge to go skin each and every one of them, alive.

Damon looked up at me through heavy lids, "They were pissed. I've killed a good number of their kind. They took it out on me last night...But I'll be fine."

I forced a nod, "I know. I just hate that you were hurt."

Damon grew quiet then, and a hard look crossed his features.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"Sorry?" I inquired, "For what?"

"Alaric told me what I missed," he swallowed, "I failed you...I couldn't protect Matt for you, and-"

"Hey," I stopped him, grabbing his hand, "Don't. It's not your fault. The only reason Matt was involved was because of me...but it doesn't matter. It's over. It always has been. William Lockwood is erasing any existence of me being there."

Damon looked down at our clasped hands, "It doesn't change the facts."

I squeezed his fingers, "Hey, you didn't fail me, okay."

When he didn't look convinced, I reinforced my argument, "You didn't, Damon...you saved me."

That made his eyes shoot up.

"...Saved you?"

I nodded, "Alaric told me what really happened. I know, Damon."

He set his jaw, his eyes intense, "What exactly do you know?"

I took a breath, "That you bit me to save me, and let me hate you so that I'd trust Alaric, because you knew that I needed him, to survive the Change."

I leaned forward so that we were eye level, "You sacrificed our love for my life."

Damon's gaze fell, and I reached out to cup his cheek, "I'm so sorry...I don't even know how to begin asking for your forgiveness."

His eyes shot up again, "There's nothing to forgive, kitten. I was the one who lied to you, who made Alaric lie."

"I know, and I'm still upset with you for that, but I get why you did it," I assured him, "And you are the most selfless person I've ever met...I just wish you would have told me sooner. I was awful...because it was so hard, trying to hate you."

He laughed gruffly, "It was hard trying to convince you not to."

His voice grew thick as he continued, and he had to clear his throat.

"But, I knew you loved me more than you hated me. I'd hoped that one day, we could just move past it...that you'd forgive me, and things would be better. That way, Alaric would still have your trust."

I sighed, "I was horrible to you. And you sacrificed so much..."

He shrugged, rippling the water, "It was worth it, to keep you safe."

I smiled slightly, then reached for the chain at my neck, where I'd placed his ring, and pulled, sliding the band free.

Slowly, I took his hand, and slid the ring back into place on his finger, "No more sacrifices."

His eyes burned at the action, "I think I can live with that."

I smiled, "Yeah?"

His gaze hardened, "Kiss me."

Again, it was like an Alpha command.

I couldn't refuse it, even if I'd wanted to, which I didn't.

My hands tangled in his hair, and, with a little effort, he pulled me into the tub with him, soaking the shirt I was wearing, but I hardly noticed, thanks to those lips of his trailing over my skin.

His wounds halted any further exploration, but we kissed and held each other until Ric called up for us, and we were forced to return to reality.

I dressed quickly, then helped Damon slide his pants on.

He smirked as I did so, not minding at all that his personal space was being invaded, or that he probably could have done the action himself.

"You know," he started, grabbing my hand, and sliding it up his chest, "you owe me a bottle of bourbon."

I rose a brow, leaning against him, "Me? Why?"

Damon smirked, "You remember our first date?"

"You mean the weekend after the party at the Falls, when I finally gave in to stop you from pestering me?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, that one."

I smiled, "Of course I remember. We went dancing, which you didn't totally suck at, then we played pool and got wasted."

He nodded, "Yeah. Well, after that night, Enzo goaded me for the details. When I told him, he made a bet. A bottle of bourbon was the reward."

I rested my chin on his shoulder, as he held our hands between his pecs, "So what was the bet?"

Damon leaned his head against mine, "That I'd fall in love with you."

A soft smirk crossed my lips, as I pulled back to look at him, "You lost."

Damon shook his head, "We both won."

With a smile, I leaned in, and kissed him again, gently, "I love you."

He sighed against me, "I've missed you, kitten."

"Me too," I promised, and he pulled away.

"But this has to wait," he reminded me, "Now, how about we finish getting dressed, and go get some revenge?"

I was ready before Damon, and left him to finish up, deciding that a quick breakfast probably wouldn't hurt, especially considering the events ahead of us.

It seemed, as I made my way to the kitchen, that the others had already began the preparations for the Mutts arrival.

Bear traps, barricades, trip wires, and other assortments.

The castle, at least, would be well guarded.

Alaric was sitting at the table when I entered the room, a cup of coffee in one hand, blueprints of the Manor in the other.

George sat next to him, and the two were talking the different strategies that would allow us the best advantage.

I realized, as my Alpha lifted his gaze to me, that I was still pissed at him.

And from the look that crossed his face, he knew it.

"How's Damon?" He asked politely.

"Better," I admitted, "He can fight, but he really needs days to recover, not hours."

"Unfortunately, hours are all we have," Alaric sighed.

I gave a stiff nod, and walked over to the fridge, to find some food for Damon and myself.

I heard Alaric clear his throat, "George, will you give us a minute?"

The eldest Lockwood nodded, and pushed his chair back, departing from the room.

Alaric stood as well, but waited until we were alone before speaking.

"Look, Elena, I understand that you're upset, but you-"

"I don't want to talk about it," I told him crisply.

He refused to drop the subject, "What Damon did, he did to protect us, both of us."

I grit my teeth, and whirled around, letting the fridge door slam shut.

"Yeah," I said icily, "From each other. The only one he didn't think to protect was himself."

"I know," Alaric assured me, "And I wish things could have been different, but-"

"Do you?" I cut him off, "Because I understand his reasoning, but you had ten years. Ten years, to come clean. Instead, you let Damon take the heat. He never said anything, and because of it, he suffered. And I'll be damned if I ever let that happen again."

I squared my shoulders in a challenge Alaric seemed to recognize.

"Are you implying something?" he asked.

"Just that I'll stand against anything that comes at him," I promised the Alpha, my gaze unflinching, "Even you."

Stefan and Tyler chose that moment to enter the room.

The tension between Alaric and myself must have been obvious, because they both froze, and stopped chattering.

"Did we interrupt something?" Stefan asked.

I narrowed my eyes, "Why don't you ask him."

Alaric sighed, "I know you're angry. But now is not the time for this."

I swallowed stiffly, "Your right. We'll deal with the Mutts, then your questionable leadership."

The other boys tensed now.

They were used to my zero filter mouth upon occasion, but even they knew that the Alpha was usually held in higher respect.

"That situation has nothing to do with leadership," Alaric stated calmly.

"Fatherhood then," I retorted, "He was your faithful son, after all. Please. You used him, promise or not."

"And you repeatedly broke his heart," Ric shot, "But what's happened can't be changed now."

I glared at him, and Stefan finally spoke up again.

"Okay, what is going on?"

I turned on him, my boiling rage needing another victim, "Did you know too? About why Damon bit me?"

Stefan's expression drew in confusion, his eyes flittering to Alaric, "What are you talking about?"

"Alaric thought I saw him Change, the day Damon brought me home," I snarled, "He was going to kill me. That's why Damon bit me. That's why he banished him. And all these years, he let me believe it was Damon's fault."

"Elena, that's enough," Ric commanded, "You have every right to be mad at me. But the Mutts-"

"Is that true, Ric?" Stefan cut him off, "It really wasn't just Damon being impulsive?"

Alaric paused, then shook his head, "No, it wasn't his fault...he was only trying to save her."

I bared my teeth, a growl ripping from my throat, "From you. He was saving me from you."

"Elena."

I turned at the sound of Damon's voice.

He stood in the entranceway, arms crossed, "That's enough."

I set my jaw, "Damon, he-"

"I know," he assured me, pulling away from the door jam, and walked over.

I noticed that he favored one side as he did so, and that when he reached me, his arms held me as more of a support, than an embrace.

My rage fell to concern.

Damon's gaze touched Alaric briefly, then he looked down into mine, "If you're going to be mad, kitten, be mad at me."

"I am still upset with you," I assured him, soft enough that he smirked, "But you never should have had to-"

"Shh," he brushed some of my hair back, "It doesn't matter. You know the truth, and for now, that has to be enough."

"He's right," Alaric stepped forward, "I'm sorry, Elena, I am. But the Mutts are coming, today. You should turn that anger towards them. Afterwards, we'll return to the issue."

I looked between him and Damon, then sighed.

"Fine," I caved.

After all, he was still my Alpha, pissed or not, and we had bigger issues.

This could wait.

"What do you need me to do?"

I really enjoyed this chapter :)

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo