The end
Hi there, it's been a very, very, very long time since I last updated this story and so I've decided that the time has come to present to you…the final chapter. I'm really sorry that it took me so long…but I was really busy (and I had a lack of motivation as well). I know it sounds like a bad reason…but thanks for bearing with me anyway.
Good…the chapter…it's…longer than usual (because you guys deserve it, see it as a return for your patience).
Thank you, cdaye8184 for correcting the chapter. I'm really thankful for your help. It really helped me to grow as a writer.
And of course…thanks to all of you! Without you and your patience I wouldn't be here. Thanks for the reviews, the favorites and follows. Thanks for the chance you have given me.
I really hope that you'll enjoy the last chapter.
Moonwolflove
Previous
He glanced around for a moment and then decided to go home. He had some things to do before Ally left tomorrow morning. Ugh, he dreaded the moment already. He didn't even want to go to sleep because sleep meant time would speed up which would lead to him having to leave that sweet, little girl even earlier than he would be ready for. And besides, he needed a good distraction to get it off his mind and calm him down.
The moment Damon walked into the boarding house; he was almost run over by Stefan, who seemed strangely enthusiast. It wasn't a lie that Damon had never seen him that…excited…or happy…or in state of anything that required a smile. It was just so not brooding-Stefan. Little brother didn't even know what a smile was. But to see such a big smile on his lips…that was a genuine shock for Damon. And it became an even bigger shock when he realized that his brother was smiling because of him.
"You're back," he said in an unnatural, cheerful tone, as if those words lifted some kind of burden from his shoulders.
Damon raised an eyebrow and said: "Apparently."
Stefan rolled his eyes, another thing that didn't fit him well. He seemed to make his mind up about something and before Damon realized it, he was caught in the arms of his little brother.
"I'm glad you're back," he said. "I thought…well…I'd let you know."
He let go of him and disappeared from sight, leaving a bewildered Damon behind, who needed a moment to put everything in place.
Stefan had just hugged him. He…Damon Salvatore, the one person that had done almost everything to turn his life into a living hell. Had he forgotten all those things?
He decided that he would never truly understand how Stefan's mind worked…and perhaps that was for the best.
He slowly shook his head and ran with vamp-speed to his room. Despite the fact that he had ample time to take a nap while being trapped, he was more tired than he was willingly to admit. He walked over to his bed, dropped down on it with blissful delight and fell asleep like a log.
Damon opened his eyes…his head felt unusually heavy, in a most painful way. He forced himself to his feet, slowly becoming aware of the dark emptiness of the tomb around him. A cool breeze brushed against his face and it was well and truly one second before he realized what had happened. He was trapped again…stuck in that old, damned place…wait…had he ever been out of it? Or had he just dreamt everything? How the hell had he ended up here?
How was it possible?
His eyes searched the darkness for the slim figure of Katherine, but she was nowhere to be found…and that was one of the things that didn't make sense.
Damon tried to think logically. Had she ever been here? Had she been here, in the tomb? Or had that been a dream as well? What the hell was happening here? He couldn't tell what was real or what was imaginary anymore.
He turned his head when he heard a noise, coming from the direction of the invisible wall.
With his ears pricked up, he walked towards it and when he bumped into the wall, it only confirmed his grave suspicion that he was indeed stuck.
But that wasn't what caught his attention. It dangerously pounded through his mind, almost sounding like a loud drumming…
Oh no, the thing that had him totally messed up, was the dark figure on the other side of the wall. Her long, curly hair whirled around her, cold eyes looking at him with a menacing fire. Katherine was here…but she was free…and he was trapped.
He had such a hard time in coping with the whole situation that he didn't even notice the other presence. How could he not have noticed it?
It was only when Katherine conjured her, trembling with fear, which he realized that he had ended up in yet another nightmare.
Ally looked at him with big, watery eyes, while desperately trying to soften Katherine's grip on her hair. Damon was completely helpless…and he hated it. The fact that he couldn't help her tore at his undead heart, as if someone tried to rip it out of his chest with bare hands.
It hurt him more than anything else in this cursed world.
"See that, sweetheart? This time Damy won't be able to help you. Do you know what that means? It means I can do to you whatever I desire."
Ally's eyes widened in terror and begged Damon to help her…silver tears slid down her cheeks.
Damon felt even more powerless…if that was even possible. The devil himself seemed to be in control of the situation…and he was sitting by the side, watching the scene with a delightful smile on his face.
"Damy, please, help me," the little girl whispered almost inaudibly.
"Yes, Damy. Help her," Katherine sneered.
Damon felt the anger boiling in his chest…anger and pure hatred for the creature before him.
"If you hurt her, I swear I'll…"
"You'll what? You're stuck, Damon. Like a rat in a trap. Nobody knows you're here. You know what'll happen to you? No? I'll be happy to tell you." She moved towards the barrier, just a step away from being trapped as well. A step away from him being able to kill her.
"You will rot away, consumed by guilt…knowing that you were too late to save your little friend here. Say goodbye."
Katherine lifted Ally with death ease and put her dagger-like teeth in her little neck.
With a horrible, agonizing sound she tore the little girl's throat to pieces.
"Noooooo!" Damons screams echoed through the tomb and moment later he found that he was no longer in that awful place. He sat up in his bed…in the boarding house.
There was a knock on the door, but Damon's head wasn't used yet to the fact that he was wide awake.
"Damon? Are you okay?" Stefan's voice sounded on the other side of the wooden door.
Damon glanced at the door in a way a fool would do and then ran a hand through his hair; sighing tiredly.
'No,' he'd wanted to answer, but his throat was shut tightly. The nightmare had unleashed a terrible fear in him. For what seemed to be the first time in his life, he was afraid in place of someone else.
Ally…little innocent Ally…it had been so real. That very moment…he'd thought he'd lost her. He would have had to watch Katherine sucking the last bit of life out of her.
Stefan no longer waited for an answer, stormed into the room and stared at him, with a look in his eyes as if the world was about to explode.
"Don't you knock?" he asked while he dropped back down on the bed and put his hands on his face.
Stefan ignored the comment and said: "You're acting weird, Damon. Weirder than usual."
"And you are playing the sticky, overprotective brother and you know what? It's annoying. Much more annoying than usual," he countered.
Stefan was getting really good at ignoring his snarky comments. Just as if you were talking to a stone.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm feeling lovely, Stefan. Absolutely lovely!" he snapped. This had lasted long enough. His little brother was getting on his nerves. "And I would feel even better if you turned around and walked out of the door. Right now."
Stefan frowned. He didn't trust the whole situation. He wanted to know what was going on, because when something bothered Damon, it mostly resulted in the death of innocent persons. And he wanted to avoid those at all costs.
Damon didn't feel like explaining his nightmare to his little brother. "Please, Stefan. It's nothing. Really."
Stefan looked him straight in the eye, as if he tried to see if he was lying or not.
"Okay then," he said, before turning around and closing the door behind him, leaving Damon alone.
Damon stared at the ceiling, trying to banish the horrible thoughts from his mind. The scene, the gruesome scene from the nightmare repeated itself in his head, filling his heart with pain and sorrow. Feelings he hadn't felt in a very long time.
He rubbed his eyes. The nightmare had ensured a deprivation of sleep and he longed to give himself some proper rest. But he was afraid that the nightmare would come back when he dared to close his eyes. Eventually fatigue got the best of him and his fear and he fell in a deep, dreamless sleep.
When Damon woke up for a second time that day, he felt much better…more alive (as far as that was possible of course). He ran to the living room, glanced at the clock and felt how a slightly puzzled look slid on his face. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. He had slept much longer than he had thought. But perhaps it was for the better. Short naps had been proven worthless after all.
He thought for a minute, with slight reluctance, how much time he had left before Ally went back home. Her mother would come for her tomorrow, at ten o'clock, so he still had the whole afternoon to arrange the surprise. Okay…he could handle that, couldn't he?
"Ah, finally awake?" a voice suddenly said.
Damon turned around and noticed Stefan sitting on the couch with a book in his hands.
"Yeah, I needed a good rest…well…sort of." Stefan simply nodded and obviously planned to continue reading when Damon's voice stopped him from doing so.
"Stefan?" Oh, God, he couldn't believe he was really going to do this. "Can you help me with something?"
The question hit his brother like a ton of bricks. His eyes grew unusual big and for a moment he didn't seem to know what to answer.
"Um…depends on it…what is it I should help you with?"
"Don't worry. It's nothing evil," Damon smirked. It was obvious that Stefan had thought along those lines. He could tell by the look in his eyes.
"Right…in that case…why not?"
"Great," Damon said. "I'll go do some phone calls and stuff. I'll explain you later what to do."
And with that Damon walked out of the room, leaving Stefan without the opportunity to ask any more questions.
By the end of the day, Damon had fully informed Stefan on what he was supposed to do. He'd protested a bit at first, but eventually agreed. The surprise thing had been a surprise to him as well. And he had to admit that he'd never hand it to Damon to do cute things like that. He hadn't deemed him capable of doing so.
Damon himself was more than satisfied with the arrangement. He had succeeded in arranging everything in time, with nine more hours to go. Not bad, not bad at all. He put his feet on the table, folded one arm behind his head and took a sip from the glass filled with blood.
He had thought to spend the evening in a relatively calm way, but it seemed as if fate had planned exactly the opposite. His blackberry suddenly lit up, flashing Elena's name on the screen.
"Elena," he said, not able to hide the slight surprise in his voice. He didn't expect to hear of her so soon again…not after their little disagreement. Speaking of a disagreement…he still doubted whether or not to inform Stefan of Elena's heroic plans. Would she really hate him if he did? It was for her own good…
He didn't get the chance to further reflect on the question, because Elena's voice anxiously said: "Damon, it's Ally…"
He felt his stomach drop.
"What's wrong with her?" He asked, his voice shaking a bit.
"She had a nightmare and I've tried to reassure her, but she insists upon seeing you."
"Could you pass her the phone?" He asked, as he sat upright. He could almost imagine Elena nodding on the other side of the line.
He heard some thumping and then a soft "Damy?"
"Yes. It's me, angel," He said softly. "Nightmare, huh?"
"Yes." The answer was followed by a short silence and then a heartbreaking: "I'm scared, Damy."
Damon sighed. He'd thought so. If nightmares were able to scare vampires, then they were certainly able to scare preschoolers.
"Can you…can you come over? Please?"
"Sure, sweetheart." The words came so easily to him, almost instinctively. He just couldn't bear to hear her that way…torn, broken.
Whatever nightmare it was, it was one that had scared the hell out of her. Poor child.
A very compassionate thought. She really brought out the good in him.
"All right, angel. One minute, okay?"
"Okay," she sounded a bit more confident than before. He ended the call and ran. One minute later he arrived at the front door of the Gilbert house.
Somehow Elena must have heard him coming, because she was already opening the door.
"Oww, good one, psychic," he grinned. But Elena didn't smile back. She really was concerned about Ally.
"How is she?" He'd already been there before when she had had a nightmare, but he had the feeling that this one was different.
"She scared me, Damon. Not just a little…but really, really hard."
"Why, what is it that scared you so much?"
"You should have heard her scream," she said as she closed the door behind him. "That wasn't just fear…it was agony. Everyone's out for the night and I really had no idea what to do. I woke her, held her in my arms…God, the poor child."
"Agony," he repeated absently as he followed her upstairs into her room, where Ally was staring at the ceiling. The room was relatively dark, but he could see the dried tears under her eyes.
When she got sight of him, she jumped from the bed, right into his arms. She tightly put her arms around her neck; her head nestled safely in his sweater.
"Are you feeling better?" Elena asked, who made quite the imitation of concern itself.
"You look tired, Elena." He had only noticed it now, but she had dark circles under her eyes, which betrayed her lack of sleep.
"Go to sleep. I'll keep an eye on her," he said, before she could negate the comment.
She gave him a grateful smile, turned to Ally and asked: "You'll be fine?"
"Yes, Damy is here to scare the monsters away." Those words made him chuckle. Damy, the monster hunter. Yeah, why not?
"Don't worry, Elena. Everything is going to be okay. Go to sleep. Or do you want me to join you?"
She rolled her eyes excessively, said goodnight to both of them and then left in silence.
Damon put Ally down on the ground, so she could crawl back under her sheets. He took the other side of the bed, gently put an arm around her tiny shoulders and then asked: "So…what was the nightmare about?"
Ally looked as if she would rather not answer that question…which seemed logical…a few minutes earlier she had almost woken the whole street with her screams.
She fumbled with her teddy bear and then said, almost inaudibly: "Vampires."
Okay…he could have seen that one coming…from a far end.
"Katherine?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.
She nodded silently and looked at him with questioning eyes. "Are you mad at me now?"
"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?" Where did she pick up ridiculous ideas like that? He had realized long ago that he couldn't be mad at her.
"Your voice sounded angry." She said with a shrug.
"I'm mad at Katherine, angel. And myself, not at you."
Her big brown eyes looked at him uncomprehendingly.
"Why would you be mad at yourself?"
He sighed and looked at the wall, trying to find a way to explain things.
"Because I got you in trouble. If it wasn't for me then…"
"Don't say that," She put a small hand on his cheek and stared into his ice blue eyes. "It's not your fault, Damy. It's Katherine's. She's bad."
She added a smile to her words and he shook his head, laughing.
"You're really something, Ally."
"I know."
He chuckled. The noise vanished into thin air and everything went really still. The only audible thing in the room was Ally's breathing. So silent that he thought she was asleep.
But he'd thought wrong, because suddenly, out of nowhere she said: "I'm going to miss you, Damy."
He was taken aback by her words and for a moment he didn't know what to say. It was one of the first times in his exceptionally long life. Damon Salvatore was at loss of words. No one had ever really missed him. On the contrary...most of them had been happy when he'd left. Not that he had given them much of a reason to miss him. But still…
Oh wait…not entirely true…Stefan…he might have missed him once…a long time ago…but Damon couldn't remember the event as vividly as he would want to.
Anyway, he wasn't used to people saying that to him. So he didn't know how to react.
Ally lifted her head, waiting for a response.
He gave her a kiss on her forehead and said: "I'm going to miss you too, Ally." There were no other words that could possibly be truer than those he'd just spoken.
Satisfied with the answer, she laid her head back on his chest and they fell into a comfortable silence.
Damon thought about the words…about how true they had been. He would miss her…and not just a bit…but with all his heart. The little girl had managed to steal it…and something like that didn't happen every day. It happened a few times in a lifetime…even less than a few. But when they did happen, you felt like those people meant the world to you. You felt as if you would do everything for them. You would go through hell if it was by means of protecting them. And that was exactly what he felt. Damon had always known that he'd a complex personality. He knew he was a difficult person to live with. But admitting it…admitting that people didn't like him because of who he was…that hurt. And so…he mostly blamed them instead. He could be quite creative when it came to that.
Luckily there were a few people on Earth who could stand him. And if he could stand them as well…if he cared about them…then there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect them.
It was a personality trait that came pretty close to Stefan's character. At one time, the thought had made him sick. But now he understood more than ever what it meant to care for someone…and she had been the one who'd showed him how he was supposed to do that.
She cared about him and the only thing she wanted was him to care for her as well. Life and everything that came with it seemed so much easier through the eyes of a child. Everything was so much nicer…simpler…normal.
He sighed. He loathed the idea of her leaving tomorrow. But unfortunately he didn't have a say in the matter. And moreover…he would not allow himself to be selfish with her. The child deserved a normal, child friendly environment, especially after what had happened in recent days. Home would do her good.
She could just go on with her life…a vampire free and harmless life.
He turned his head a bit and saw that Ally had fallen asleep. He himself wasn't sleepy at all and so he decided to keep watch in case she had another nightmare.
Morning came and so did the end. Damon liked to call it that…the end…because it described the moment better than any other word he could possibly find. He hadn't the faintest idea whether he would see the little girl ever again. He certainly hoped so, but throughout the years he had learned that hope could easily be crushed.
Ally had woken up quite early and had already picked her stuff together.
She was quieter than usual and sat at the kitchen table staring into nothing. Damon sat on the opposite side of her, shoving a glass of milk and a sandwich in her direction.
"You have to eat something, Ally," he said with some concern in his voice.
"I'm not hungry."
"Then try anyway…please…for me? I make the best sandwiches in the whole wide world." He sent her a smile.
She sent one back and took a small bite of the sandwich. When she finished her meal, she looked up at him.
"I don't want to go home."
"I know," Damon replied. He knew it all too well. That's why she was so quiet. Because she liked the end as much as he did. Which was…not at all.
Elena walked into the kitchen and she immediately noticed the gloomy atmosphere that hung there. You couldn't possibly ignore it.
"I just got a text from your mother, Ally. She'll be here in ten minutes," she said softly, the regret clearly audible in her voice.
Ally only nodded. She jumped from her chair and Elena helped her into her coat.
Jeremy came in and it was obvious that he'd only woken up a few minutes ago. Which was already a lot considering he had been out till past midnight.
His hair looked as if he had been outside during a tornado. And he didn't seem that affected by the gloomy atmosphere as Elena had been.
"Hey, Ally," he said.
"Hi, Jery," she replied in a soft voice.
"Wow, you don't sound very happy, huh." He looked at Elena and Damon quizzically. Their faces betrayed that they weren't in a great mood either. Especially Damon…he'd never been really good at hiding displeasure.
"I don't want to go home," Ally explained a second time.
"Oh, I see," Jeremy said in comprehension. He nodded a bit, but didn't really know what else to say.
Suddenly the bell rang and Ally jerked her head into the direction of the noise.
"I'll go," Elena said. She left the kitchen and from the place where he was seated, Damon could hear the cheerful greeting of Ally's mother. She had a friendly voice…warm…totally different from what he'd imagined.
Her figure appeared around the corner. She wasn't big person, at least half a head shorter than Elena. Her long brown hair curled at the tips and reminded him of Ally's curls. She resembled her mother. But Ally's eyes were different…darker than hers.
"Hi, honey," she said while trapping Ally in her arms and twirling her around. "What's the matter, dear? You don't look very happy."
"I think she doesn't want to go home, aunt Aggie," Elena carefully explained.
Ally nodded and said: "I like it here, mom. Elena and Damy are great babysitters."
"Damy?" Aggie frowned and her eyes where scanning the room, ending at Damon. "Then you must be Damy. Oh, I can tell that my daughter has a great taste when it comes to men."
Damon grinned and shook her hand. "The name is Damon Salvatore, ma'am. Damy is…my nickname."
"Ah yes, Ally loves to give people nicknames."
Yeah, he was aware of that. She'd even dared to give Elijah one, which was quite an example of bravery. Most kids would have kept their mouth shut upon seeing him.
"Well, Elena, Damon…thank you very much for keeping an eye on her."
"It was my pleasure, aunt Aggie," Elena said and Damon gave her a sideways glance. Who had done most of the babysitting again?
"So…I guess it's time for us to go home. Ally?"
Those words set off the alarm in his head. Where was Stefan with the surprise? If he didn't hurry up she would be gone without it.
That thought had only just appeared in his mind when there was a brief knock on the door.
Ah, still…Good old Stefan.
"Ally…before you go…I have a little surprise for you," he said. "And I hope you'll like it, because this is the first and last time I've ever done something like that."
"Really?" Ally asked enthusiastically. The thundercloud that had hung over her head disappeared like snow in the sun.
Elena, who knew nothing of the surprise, took his arm and said in a low voice, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Always, dear." She ignored those words and pulled him into the living room.
"What kind of surprise? What are you talking about?" She asked in a hysterical way.
"Just something that I've arranged…a little thing before she disappears from my life…forever. Are you really that surprised, Elena? I mean…surely you know that she does mean something to me. Did you really think that it would leave me indifferent?"
Elena simply stared at him for a moment, without saying anything, but then a sympathetic look appeared in her brown eyes.
"No…I don't think so, no." Her voice was exceptionally soft. But her attention was short-lived as it shot back to the door…and the fact that the one who had knocked on it, was still waiting outside.
"I'll go," Damon said, already on his way. Stefan stood in the doorway with a beige box in his arms.
"Ah, there you are. For a moment I thought you wouldn't come," Damon smirked.
"You could have told me that the man lives two hours away."
"Sorry…totally escaped me."
Stefan rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes, I thought so." He shoved the box into Damon's arms, who was amazed at how light the thing weighed.
"Careful with that," Stefan warned.
"Yeah, I know. Don't bother telling me, little brother."
Together they walked back to the kitchen, where Ally was patiently waiting for the unveiling of the surprise. Damon grinned when he put the box in front of her. She eyed it with an incredulous look.
"That's a box," she said dryly.
"Yes, of course it is," Damon said with a chuckle. "But don't you want to know what's inside of it?"
"There's something in it?" Ally asked cheerfully. The group around her laughed at that comment.
"Of course, why don't you take a look?"
Ally pulled the cover from the box. There was a series of short squeals, a soft whine and then a cry of joy (which belonged to Ally herself).
"Aww, Damy. Thank you!" She called out while fishing the little black puppy out of the box. She held the little creature to her chest and looked at it with loving eyes.
"Aww, that's just too sweet, Damon," Elena said. All of her previous suspicion had gone away.
"Yes, who would have thought you were capable of such a thing," Jeremy said in a sarcastic tone.
Damon ignored him and turned around to face Aggie. "I hope you don't mind to have a dog in your house."
"Nah, I love dogs," she said with a laugh. "Thank you very much. I think you really made her day."
Wasn't that what it was all about? See her happy?
"Ally, dear…we should really go now," Aggie said, her eyes drifting from her watch to her daughter.
Ally nodded and said goodbye to everyone. Damon felt how a lump was forming in his throat. It hurt…more than he wanted to admit.
Aggie decided to go outside in order to put Ally's stuff in the car…and to find the new puppy a place to sit during the long way home.
The others were well aware of the situation. They bid Ally farewell and left. Each of them going their own way.
Damon remained exactly where he was. Ally jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. For a moment it seemed as if the end would never come…that she would stay with them. He hid his face in her curls so that she couldn't see that he was on the edge of crying.
"Thank you for the dog," she whispered. "It was the best surprise ever."
He chuckled and said, "I'm glad about that. What do you want to call him anyway?"
She lifted her head and seemed to think for a moment, while biting her lip.
"Damy, I'm going to call him, Damy. So when you're not with me, I can't talk to him instead."
Damon felt a hard stab in his chest…as if someone had pierced his heart with a sword…it proofed that he had one…
"Yeah, sounds like a great idea."
"Well," he cleared his throat. "It's about time we bring you to your mother, don't you think?"
"Yes, I think so," she said. He held her tightly in her arms and walked out. The sky was gray and it looked as if it could start to rain at any moment. The weather perfectly matched Damon's feelings.
He put her down next to the car. She jumped into it and put her seat belt on. He remained there for a moment, not ready to leave yet and said: "Goodbye, angel." His voice sounded pained and hoarse…and the words…those two words…screamed the end. It was almost too much for him to bear…for him…he was Damon Salvatore for God's sake.
"Goodbye, Damy," she sent him a small smile. It was the last time he would see her smile and he saved the picture to his memory…never to be forgotten again.
He closed the door and hesitantly waved at Ally as Aggie brought the car to life. With every turn of the wheels, it brought the girl further away from him…until she finally disappeared from sight.
Damon remained where he was. As if he was frozen by his grief. His hands were clenched into fists and a small, silver tear slid down his cheek. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried…and normally he would have hated himself for showing such weakness. But now…well…he couldn't care less.
"Are you crying?"
He turned around and saw Elena staring at him with a sympathetic look.
"Of course not, Elena. Why would I?" He asked . He couldn't stand the idea that someone might see his tears. He wanted to wipe the wetness from his face, but she caught his arm before he could do that.
"There's no shame in doing so, Damon. It's what makes you human…It shows that you care about her."
He let the words sink in, and then nodded in silence.
"You know…you think you'll never see her again, but that's not true. She'll be back here in the future. Maybe not in the next few months…but…someday. And that day may come sooner than you think. So…it's not definitive."
"It isn't?"
"No," she said with a reassuring smile. He looked in the direction in which the little girl had left his life. Not definitely…not forever…but for now. The idea of a reunion was enough to make him smile.