Motel.

It had been a long few hours. Damon hadn't gotten to the worst of it yet, but he had definately gotten weaker as he and Rose had rested in his bed. He woke up feeling a little better, and had downed a bag of blood and a glass of bourbon. He got himself together and left to see Elena. Rose got herself up and dressed soon after Damon left. Rose was almost glad he'd left. She immediately went out of the house, got into her car and headed for Dean's motel.

She knocked only twice before he was surprised to see her.

"Hey. What are you..." he started.

"Are they back yet?" she asked.

"Sam is, I think Cas is dealing with some angel crap right now."

Rose sighed, Dean gave her a look.

"Look, I know you're in a hurry to get your humanity back and everything but..."

"No." Rose interrupted him. "It's not me. Damon, he uh...Tyler Lockwood bit him when Damon saved him. He didn't tell me until I got to the house, and he doesn't have much time. I know it's a lot to ask after everything, but we really could use the help."

"Bela, I don't know if..."

"I know, I know it's a long shot and Castiel may not do this. Damon hasn't been that good of a man before but I know him, and he doesn't deserve to die. I'm just asking...even if he says no I have to ask."

Dean nodded. He could see she was hurting.

"I'll try to get him down here, I can't promise anything."

"I know. I wasn't expecting any of this...I keep having to watch people get hurt. I thought you were going to die last night, now Damon...it's been neverending." she told him, and tried to take a deep breath.

"Hey, come in here and calm down a little." he told her. She nodded slowly, and walked into the room and sat down on the bed.

"I can't lose him."

Dean stared at her. He wasn't sure what to make of Rose's confession. She'd seemed concerned about him last night, but how she felt about Damon seemed stronger.

"Maybe you won't."

"I'm not Elena, I don't have that many people that care about me, and I know that's my fault, but I can't lose the first person to think of me as a friend in a long time."

"Well from what I've seen from not only Damon but everyone around here they all like you, especially Elena. I don't do this touchy feely crap...I'm sure you don't either...but is it because he's your friend, or do you l..."

Rose didn't let Dean finish. She knew what he was thinking.

"No Dean, I don't. I knew the moment I stepped into that house that Damon was in love with Elena. I didn't allow myself to love him as anything more than a close friend, a partner. And there's this huge part of me that hates that I've let myself become this close to anyone when it's what I've fought against since I was a girl. Look at me now, this is rediculous"

"I am looking, and I like it. You know if you'd shown a quarter of the emotions you're showing right now I'd have never left you alone to die in that motel. I get it, you aren't the only one who doesn't let people in you know."

"You have Sam, Bobby..."

"Yeah, I do."

"You had a family, I assume you loved her too right? So you've let people in."

"No, same boat as you. I wasn't in love with her, it was what I always thought I wanted. A normal life, a family. But it wasn't real, it wasn't my life."

She nodded.

"Look, until Cas gets here just believe he'll be fine. I'll call out to Cas and see if he'll get his ass down here, you go back to that house and give him what he gave you."

He was right. Why was she here again? What the hell made her run to Dean? She'd somehow always managed to end back up asking Dean for help.

"Yeah, I know."

She got up and walked to the door.

"Hey." he said. She turned back to him. "I said you were going to have to earn my trust. I've wanted to hate you for a long time...it was easier that way. Just so you know, you've earned it. I like this you, it suits you. Don't disappoint me though."

She smiled a little, surprised. But she was still Bela, or Rose, either way. So she couldn't help but tease him.

"I hope this doesn't mean we continue these sweet conversations and forget the banter."

Dean laughed. "I don't think so. In fact, how bout we skip the emotional chats from now on."

"Deal." She answered. "In fact I have this urge to get under your skin again..."

He smirked. "You do that without trying. Just get out of here already."

She laughed and walked out the door. Sam passed her and walked into the room, Dean shut it behind him.

"Was that Bela?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"More crap. She's hoping Cas can heal Damon."

"Dean, I don't think Cas is just going to come down here and heal a vampire."

"I know...but until he says otherwise I'm trying not to let her think that."

Sam shook his head. "This is weird."

"What?"

"That you suddenly care about Bela's feelings?"

"Hard to explain Sam."

"Try me."

"No. I told her I wouldn't say anything about what she told me...and I have to keep it that way. Let's just say I have a new understanding about why she did the things she did. It doesn't make it okay...but I can forgive her for it. I'm not asking you to, you can think what you want."

"Okay."

"That's it?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, that's it. After all the crap over the last several years I'm not going to question it. You say we trust her, fine."

Dean nodded, and then started trying to get Castiel to come back.

llllllllllllllllllllllllll

Rose entered the house to find Stefan hurrying his way out.

"What's going on?"

"Damon decided he wanted to take care of this himself, took off his ring. So I locked him in the basement." Stefan told her.

Rose had called Stefan to warn him on her way to Dean's motel. She knew Damon would be pissed she'd told, but she felt she had to. She hadn't expected Stefan would need to tell Damon, and Stefan probably wouldn't have told him he knew until Damon tried suicide.

"I'll go talk to him." Rose said. "Thought he was over that."

"Apparently not. I'm going to go talk to Bonnie, try to see if I can find something." Stefan told her.

"Okay, I'm waiting for my help to show up...if he does."

Stefan nodded, and left.

Rose made her way to the basement.

"So, I see you told Stefan." Damon said. God he looked awful.

"Yes, I did. He needed to know."

"Fine. Not sure why you two think you can go play hero, it won't work."

"Whatever. You went out to try and help me, what's the difference?"

He didn't answer her.

lllllllllllllllllllllllll

Rose stayed and talked to Damon, who was in and out of conciousness. She could tell he was dreaming at times. She'd heard Elena and Katherine's name quite a few times.

Alaric had arrive later, bringing the alcohol. Rose went upstairs after he arrived, she needed a break. She pulled out her phone to check for calls from Dean, still nothing. Stefan had let her know he was still searching, and that Elena knew and was on her way.

She heard a noise and looked up to see Damon.

"Damon, what are you...how'd you?"

"That was easy...tricked Alaric into thinking I was dead."

"Okay...Um maybe you should just sit down here and..."

"I need to find her."

"Elena? Damon it's okay, she's coming..."

He ignored her, and after listening to him a little more she found he was talking about Katherine.

"Damon. Listen to me, Elena is on her way here, okay? Focus on that, focus on her."

He seemed to snap out of it for a moment. He was shivering, and sweaty. He started to slip down onto the couch, and Rose made a move to keep him steady.

At that moment, Elena rushed into the house.

"Where's..." she stopped as she saw them. "God."

"Yeah, never thought I'd be on this end of a werewolf bite." Rose said.

"Katherine, you've come..."

"No, Damon, it's Elena." she said. Rose stood up, and helped Elena get him to his feet.

"Rose if you can get a washcloth or something I'll stay here with him."

"Yeah." she said, nodding. She went to get it, as well as some blood. She'd only been gone a second when she heard Elena yell, so Rose blurred bak into the room to see Damon pressing Elena up to the wall. She was almost afraid if she tried to get his attention she'd startle him into doing something stupid. Maybe Stefan sending Elena over wasn't the best idea.

"I choose you Katherine."

"Damon it's Elena." Elena tried.

Rose made her way closer. Damon pushed Elena harder into the wall.

"Damon stop, please." Elena begged, and Rose was about to rush in and push him back but he suddenly stopped, let go of Elena, and dropped to the floor.

Elena kneeled down next to him.

"It's okay, you're okay."

"I'm sorry." Damon told her.

"It's fine." Elena said, and motioned for Rose to help her. Rose came over and got him to his feet.

"Upstairs?" Elena asked.

"Yeah." Rose said.

lllllllllllllllllllllll

Rose helped Damon get comfortable, and handed the cold washcloth to Elena. He seemed calmer now, the hallucinations had slowed down. Rose knew where Damon was at in all this, it was getting close.

"I'm going downstairs for few minutes. Yell out if you need anything." Rose told Elena.

Rose knew Damon needed time with her. As she got downstairs, her phone rang.

"Stefan, anything?" she answered.

"No. I had Bonnie try to contact the witches to get help...she only got one word, Klaus."

"He's dead, he can't help us." Rose said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm still looking." Stefan said, then hung up. Rose let out a breath. She didn't want Damon to be right, she'd told herself not to get her hopes up but she'd done it anyways. She decided to go back up after several more minutes to check on Damon and Elena.

She'd purposely been avoiding listening in. Whatever Elena needed to say to him was between them. But once she was upstairs she couldn't help but hear part of it. She wasn't sure what had been said before now, but from outside Damon's room she could tell how emotional things were for him and Elena.

"I know you love Stefan, it'll always be Stefan." Damon whispered, his breathing slow and heavy. "But I love you. You should know that."

Rose's heart ached, but it wasn't because she was jealous. She knew that if Damon was telling Elena that then he was truly close to dying. She hoped Elena really heard him, and understood how much he cared for her.

"I do." she heard Elena whisper back.

"Shoud've met me in 1864, you woulda liked me."

Rose couldn't see Elena's face, but she knew Elena was trying not to cry. Hell, Rose had tears in her eyes herself.

"I like you now, just the way you are."

Rose let out a breath, secretly thanking Elena for being brave enough to admit that and to give Damon what he needed. Rose walked closer, settling in at the door as she saw Elena reach over and give Damon a gentle kiss. Rose smiled. She could comfort Damon, tell him what a great friend he'd been, give him hope...but she couldn't give him what he needed from Elena. Rose sometimes wondered if Elena deserved Damon's loyalty...she'd seen Elena's decisions before, but she still liked the girl. She was still so young.

"Thank you." he whispered, almost too quiet for Elena to hear..but she did.

"Your welcome."

Elena laid her head down, but then noticed Rose.

"I'll be right back." Elena told Damon, and went to Rose. They stepped outside the bedroom.

"Did Stefan find anything yet?" Elena asked. "I've texted him, but he hasn't answered yet."

"No, he just called. I don't know what else to try."

Elena looked defeated.

"I need to get a drink." Elena said, and Rose knew that meant Elena needed air and some time to get a hold of herself.

"Elena...he needed that. I've been around him a while, I've seen how much he loves you."

"I know that." She answered honestly.

"I can't tell you how to feel, we all know how much you love Stefan, but the way you are right now...you love Damon too. If you can't admit it, to Damon or yourself, that's okay...but I do know that."

Elena nodded. Rose was right, she wouldn't admit it to anyone else...not her friends, not Damon, certainly not Stefan.

Rose continued. "He deserves to be loved you know. For his sake I wish you could admit it, wish the person he loves would choose him."

"I wish I could give him that, but right now...I just can't."

Rose nodded. Elena walked away and went downstairs to get herself together.

Rose walked into the room and sat on the bed next to Damon. He opened his eyes for a moment.

"You're back."

"You thought I'd go somewhere?" she said, smiling.

"You were right, this hurts. Dying is terrible." he said, but it was more playful than serious.

She nodded. Even now he could make her laugh.

Rose heard something in the hall.

"I'll be right back. Don't you dare die on me yet."

He grinned as much as he could, but closed his eyes again. Rose made her way back into the hallway to find Dean, and Castiel.

"You're here. It's a lot to ask, but can you save him?"

"Look, I cannot just come and heal whoever needs healed at any time. It isn't the way things work. Especially this situation. You were different."

"Because of what he is?" Rose looked upset.

"I would say the same thing if he was human." Cas countered.

"How can I convince you to do this?"

Cas was silent. For her sake Dean wished Cas would just do it.

"Come on Cas, she helped us out...we got Eve, got you back, killed a pyschotic alpha vamp, and Crowley's dead. Can't you just do her this favor?"

"Dean, I understand that I owe you for lying about my allegiance with Crowley, and I owe Bela here the humanity I promised her, but I do not just heal people because you ask me to."

Dean gave him a look. Rose jumped in.

"I asked what I could do...what if I offered something instead?" Rose asked. Dean gave her a wierd look, what was she up to? "What if I give it up?"

"I'm sorry?" Cas asked her.

"Being human, I can live like this forever if I have to...if you heal Damon, I'll forget it. Continue to be a vampire...I'm giving up a hell of a lot here, and that is something you know I have never done before, so please...just fix him." She begged.

Dean stepped up and stood next to her, taking her hand. He looked hard at Castiel. Cas sighed.

"Alright."

Elena had come back upstairs and noticed them.

"What's going on?"

"It's okay Elena, Damon will be fine." Rose said. "You might want to call Stefan and let him know."

Elena pulled out her phone and texted him instead as Cas stepped into the room. As he had with Rose, walked up and touched Damon's arm.

"It's done. He'll wake up shortly."

Cas turned and walked up to Rose. "I don't do this for just anyone." he told her, and put his hand on her shoulder. "But Dean seems to believe in you, and I agree with him."

Cas then disappeared. Dean turned to leave, but noticed Rose looking at him. She mouthed 'thank you.' He gave her a nod before walking out.

Damon then sat up in bed.

"Hey you." Rose said.

"What the hell? What happened?"

"Castiel was here, you're good as new...well for a vampire anyways."

"How'd you convince him to heal me?" Damon asked.

"Doesn't matter, you're fine. " Rose answered. He and Elena both gave her a questioning glance, but she ignored them.

"I'm going to go downstairs for a while and relax. I'll see you guys in a bit." Rose said. Elena shook her head, not that Damon could see. Elena was silently begging Rose not to leave them alone together, she wasn't ready to talk to Damon about anything that'd been said...but Rose ignored her.

"Hey, thanks." Damon said. Rose smiled and walked out.

End Chapter.