A/N: thank you for all the wonderful reviews! and now, without further ado, I give you the final trial chapter- enjoy! p.s. see if you can catch the Buffy reference!

WRATH: PART 2

Elena was sitting on the sofa, her fingers curved tightly around a half empty glass of scotch as she stared into the fireplace. It had been two hours since Damon had stormed out, and Stefan had immediately gone out after him, leaving her alone in the house to mull over her thoughts.

There hadn't been any word from either of them since.

When the front door opened a short while later, she found herself turning towards the sound hopefully. Her face fell, however, when Stefan walked in alone. "I couldn't find him," he informed her tiredly, his eyes widening slightly when he noticed what she was holding. He gave her a small smile, "Have I really driven you to drink?"

"What? Oh," Elena hastily put the glass down on the coffee table, "It's, ah, not for me."

Stefan leaned against the wall, raising an eyebrow in mild amusement. "You know that excuse only works if there's someone else in the room, right?" He spread his arms out as he mocked jokingly, "But it wasn't my cigarette, I was just holding it for a friend…"

Elena found herself relaxing and she studied him curiously. "You're different," she mused, "You seem less…"

"Don't be fooled," he slid into the space beside her on the sofa, a weary expression on his face. "It's just an act. I wanted to see you smile, even if it was just for a second."

"Thanks," she said, and she meant it. "In all seriousness, though," she nodded towards the glass, "I wasn't drinking. I just thought that if Damon came back, then I would hand over the alcohol and get him talking…" She chewed at her lip anxiously, "I've never seen him so angry before. Except maybe that time when he found out Katherine wasn't in the cave—"

"This is worse," Stefan interrupted her, all trace of humor gone from his voice. "I thought he had hit rock bottom then, but now it's like…I don't know how to describe it, Elena. When he found out that witch had killed you..." He shook his head, "Something snapped in Damon. I don't think he cared if he lived or died, as long as he got his vengeance."

She swallowed, "So, he killed her?"

Stefan didn't answer for a minute, appearing to choose his words carefully. "He did. And he went about it in the worst way possible...I honestly think that he was trying to end his own existence in the process. It was only when Caroline started screaming you had died with vampire blood in your system...that's when he started fighting back."

Elena closed her eyes, running her fingers through her hair. It's worse than I thought. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked instead, not meeting his gaze. "What do you want from me?"

"I want you to know the truth," he spoke softly, reaching out to place his hand over hers, "Before you...make a decision."

She held back the tears that were threatening to fall. It's not for real, she reminded herself, it's just part of a trial. But still, the mere thought of having to make this choice again was simply too much to handle. "What do you think I should do?"

"I won't make your decision for you, Elena," Stefan said in a pained voice, "I made the choice for Damon all those years ago, and I will never forgive myself for that. I was selfish and ignorant and I just...I didn't think about the consequences." He looked at her seriously, "I won't do that to you. I respect you too much for that."

She looked up at him, the tears glistening in her eyes reflected in his own.

"I know we're not together anymore," Stefan went on quietly, "But I will always love you, Elena." He began to leave the room, but then he paused. "Damon...he loves you, too. Probably more than you realize."

Elena turned around, startled. At that moment, however, the front door slammed shut. She rose to her feet as Damon came to a halt in the hallway, looking in between her and Stefan. "Thank god you're alright," she moved towards him gratefully, but stopped when he refused to look at her. "Where have you been? Stefan's been searching all over town for you..."

"Out," Damon responded shortly. He then strode purposefully towards the staircase, hissing in warning when Stefan grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Stay," Stefan ordered his brother in an undertone, "Talk. She doesn't have much time left." Then he turned towards Elena and gave her a sad smile before grabbing his jacket and walking out the door, leaving her alone with Damon.

"Here," Elena held the glass out to him, "I thought you might need this."

Damon hesitated but took the glass from her anyway, his fingers brushing against hers. Their eyes met briefly as they both felt the spark, but neither commented on it. He downed the contents of the glass before taking a seat in the armchair across from her.

She waited for him to say something, but he didn't.

When the silence became deafening, Elena twisted her hands in her lap nervously. "I feel like my senses are heightened. It's dark in here but I can still see, I hear things that I normally wouldn't, my skin feels like it tingles when the air hits it, and I have this...feeling in the pit of my stomach, like..."

"It's your body pushing you to drink human blood," Damon ground out, "It means your time is running out to make a decision." He gripped the glass in his hand so tightly that it suddenly burst into a million fragments, causing Elena to jump in shock. "I'm fine," he growled before she had a chance to ask, "Perfectly fine."

Elena slumped backwards, at a complete loss of how to deal with his attitude. "You scared me earlier today," she decided to say, "The way you treated Caroline and Tyler...they've done nothing but help, you know that."

Damon let the shards of glass fall from hand as he abruptly stood up, his eyes flashing with anger. "Don't start with me, Elena. I'm not in the mood."

"You can't sit around and blame other people for what's happening!" She wasn't aware of getting to her feet, but suddenly they were face to face and he was screaming at her.

"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? YOU THINK I DON'T REALIZE THAT THIS IS ALL MY FAULT?"

Elena's eyes widened in shock, "Wh-what? No, Damon, I don't—"

"My blood," he hissed at her, his fingers digging painfully into her shoulders as he shook her once, "It was my blood, Elena!" He let go of her and turned away, but not before she saw the torment in his expression. "If I hadn't left you alone, if I had kept a closer eye on you, if I had..." he broke off, slamming his fist into the wall in anguish. "So many things," he whispered, sinking to the ground, "I could've done so many things differently."

"Hey, hey," Elena hurriedly sank down in front of him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his hair. "Don't do this to yourself," she said to him fiercely, "It's not your fault; it's no one's fault! Maybe it was just...fate."

He looked up at that, pushing her away. "Your death," he snarled "Is not fate! You can't be fated to die at 18, Elena! Or fated to become a vampire..." He tilted his head back against the wall, "No. It's my fault. I should've done a better job of protecting you." He laughed bitterly, "It figures, right? The one person who I love most in this world...and I took away the one thing that you cherish most." At her confused look, he muttered, "Your life."

The ticking clock seem to grow louder in her ears, at the same time that the gnawing feeling in her stomach intensified.

Elena gasped out, and Damon immediately latched on to her wrist, his eyes narrowing. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

She wasn't able to speak so she only nodded.

He immediately swept her into his arms and carried her back to the sofa, looking helpless as he knelt down in front of her. "We..." he began hoarsely, before clearing his throat and starting again. "We have blood bags in the basement, Elena."

She let the tears fall freely down her face, knowing what he was asking of her. She reached out for his hand, pulling it to her heart even though it was no longer beating. "I never wanted to die, Damon," she cried, "And I never wanted to become a vampire."

"I know," he whispered, and she felt her heart ache at the agony in his voice. "But I can't lose you, Elena..." his voice broke, "I just can't."

Elena let go of his hand and wrapped her arm loosely around his neck to bring him closer. "You won't," she told him, her voice wavering in and out of control, "You'll always have me." Then she kissed him lightly on the lips, feeling him pull away from her almost immediately.

"Don't," he said harshly, "Don't do this." She stared at him, watching as the facade broke before her very eyes. "Elena, I'm begging you," he pleaded, "You can't do this...not after everything that's happened! You can't just—"

Another spasm rocked through her, the need for blood getting stronger. She clutched a hand to her stomach, feeling herself grow weak. No, he hasn't passed the trial yet! "Damon," she tried, "Please, you can't blame yourself for this! J-just promise me you won't do anything rash...after...after I...you know."

He gripped his hair in his hands tightly, not looking at her. "Anything rash like what?" he sounded belligerent, "What do you think I'm going to do, Elena?"

"Don't get yourself killed," she responded sharply, "I know you, Damon...I know how you think." Elena reached out to touch his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. "Do you promise me?"

He didn't answer her.

"The hardest thing in this world is to live in it," Elena quoted, her voice taking on a desperate edge. "Please, Damon...you have to let me go. It's..." she swallowed, her shoulders wracking with sobs, "This is what I want."

Damon met her gaze then, and she knew the expression on his face in that instant would be forever branded in her memory. The pain, betrayal, loss, and pure sorrow sent a pang straight through her heart. After everything he's dealt with, it's come down to this...

"Okay," he breathed out, holding her gaze steadily even as a single tear rolled down his face, "I promise."

"Thank you," Elena said weakly, leaning back against the sofa and pulling Damon towards her. He sat on the edge and looked down at her, gently brushing the hair out of her face. "I love you," she found herself saying, and she felt him tense in her arms as he sucked in an unnecessary breath.

Then he slowly leaned forward and pressed a kiss onto her forehead. "I love you, too," he murmured, "So much, Elena."

Distantly, she heard a door open and then Stefan's voice, "Is she...?"

"She didn't want the blood," Damon responded quietly, "She's dying."

Elena opened her eyes to see Stefan and Damon standing side by side above her, looking more grief stricken than she could've ever imagined. "This is my choice," she managed to say, "Thank you for allowing me to make it."

"Even if it kills us," Damon whispered, kneeling down and brushing his lips against hers, "Goodbye, Elena."

The last thing she remembered seeing was the depths of the ocean in those shimmering blue eyes.

She didn't see the portal, or remember the force of the vortex...but suddenly she was flying into a sitting position, gasping for air.

Bonnie and Katherine looked at her, their eyes wide with relief and something else that she couldn't quite place.

Next to her, Damon stirred back to life.

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~To Be Continued ~

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