Present.

Candles flickered softly in Elena's room. The eerie glow that was cast about the room made everyone shiver.

Damon watched as Elena/Katherine struggled against her bondage. The bed had been moved to the center of the room. The Priest stood strong on the left hand side of Elena while Damon stood on the right side of the bed, his legs pressed against the mattress.

Father McLaughlin raised his hand and made a sign of the cross over himself. He then extended his hand, and made the sign over Damon.

Damon winced slightly, feeling his body smolder. He watched as the priest's arm hovered over Elena. And as he began to make the sign of the cross, he spoke.

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti."

Elena cried out and Damon shut his eyes to keep from seeing her body beginning to burn, a light smoke rising off her skin. Her scream of pain and anger were muffled against the silk cutting into her mouth. And the smell…!

The priest raised his silver aspergillum and flicked his wrist towards Damon, holy water sprinkled forth and singed on contact. He knew it was coming. Father McLaughlin had told him the entire steps of the exorcism. He refused to be a spectator. If Elena was going to hurt, so would he. So he bit down on his tongue, grunting, as the holy water settled onto his skin, sizzling. He opened his eyes and watched as the wand was aimed towards Elena. It was like slow motion—he watched the droplets of holy water take flight and land across Elena's face and chest. She reacted instantly. The muscles on her arms became prominent and her legs became taut. Her back arched and her chest pressed upward. He watched the beads of water evaporate on her skin, hissing like a snake, burning her beautiful skin. She began to cry.

Father McLaughlin fell to his knees and began to recite "The Litany of the Saints."

"Lord have mercy," he said, pausing for Damon's response.

Damon hesitated before moving onto his knees, clasping his hands.

"…Lord….have mercy," Damon repeated.

"Christ have mercy," the priest said.

"Christ have mercy," Damon echoed.

Damon repeated the appropriate words as he had been dictated. He shut his eyes…if only she wouldn't scream…! It was torture. She was calling out to him. Her words were muffled, but he knew she was calling out to him. He pressed his forehead into the comforter.

Farther McLaughlin then began to deliver the words of Psalm 53.

"God, by your name, save me…"

He stood and clasped his hands in prayer. Damon stood as well, staring down at Elena. Her blindfold had slipped some, and her right eye was partially visible. It was fixated on him. It was the most hard, angry, and intense gaze he had ever received from her. And he knew, at that moment, she was Katherine. Her eye was red. The veins on her neck and face were obvious now. She stared at him with the energy from a thousand burning suns. Her eye shut tightly and she groaned loud—like a feral animal.

"God, whose nature is ever merciful and forgiving, accept our prayer that this servant of yours, bound by the fetters of sin, may be pardoned by your loving kindness…"

He signed the cross over Elena again. Her dress began to singe. Her skin was burning—from her face to her chest and across her shoulders. The silk that covered her eyes and covered her mouth was beginning to light on fire from the heat. Damon reached out quickly, grabbing it, uncovering her eyes and freeing her mouth. It came to pieces in his hands and he threw it away from Elena. She turned her face towards him, Elena-her skin bubbling, and reassured him with the slightest of nods. She trembled.

'Its okay,' she mouthed.

"Holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who once and for all consigned that fallen and apostate tyrant to the flames of hell, who sent your only-begotten Son into the world to crush that roaring lion; hasten to our call for help and snatch from ruination and from the clutches of the noonday devil this being made in your image and likeness. Strike terror, Lord, into the beast now laying waste your vineyard. Fill your servants with courage to fight manfully against that reprobate dragon, lest he despise those who put their trust in you, and say with Pharaoh of old: "I know not God, nor will I set Israel free." Let your mighty hand cast him out of your servant, Elena, so he may no longer hold captive this person whom it pleased you to make in your image, and to redeem through your Son; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever"

Her face became tense; all of the capillaries in her eyeballs began to rupture. Her eyes swiftly filled with blood and she blinked, bloody tears slithering down her face. Her laugh was deep, loud—unafraid. Even at her most desperate hour, Katherine was a warrior. The restraints on her feet snapped off as she bent her knees roughly to her chest.

"She isn't your servant, Priest! You have no power here!"

Father McLaughlin continued to pray. Katherine swung her face towards Damon.

"You treacherous bastard. I hope you're happy. SHE is in pain. Not me."

She yanked at her arm restraints and turned back towards the priest.

"Stop praying," she said calmly. "Put your bible down and leave."

Damon watched as Katherine's eyes dilated when she spoke.

"Katherine!"

The priest paused in his prayer, his eyes connected with hers. His smile was wry.

"It is you who have no power here, vampire" he said calmly. And then he continued to pray.

Katherine screamed with frustration. She yanked at her restraints and Damon heard the ever so slight sound of splintering wood. His eyes slid over to the bedpost that secured her left arm. God, if only this priest could hurry. He wondered how much more abuse these damn bedposts could endure. She fell limp again and he knew that again, he was in the presence of Elena. She was staring heavenward, reciting a prayer to herself.

"Just leave," she whispered.

"Over your dead body."

Elena's entire body was heated. It felt like lava was swishing through her veins. Her heart felt engorged in her chest and there was a strange rhythmic fluttering throughout her body. She felt very…lightheaded. She could feel the storm inside of her that was Katherine. She was volatile, irate and in pain despite what she claimed. Every cell in Elena's body was reacting. Her eyes were starting to go dark and she struggled to keep them open. Katherine yanked at her restraints. Elena heard the distant sound of cracking timber. She knew that Katherine heard it too. And her arm jerked again.

Father McLaughlin was sweating. He felt beads of perspiration slide down his face and down his neck. It was nearly unbearably hot. But he could not leave. Not when he was so close. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he forged ahead. This was a test to his faith. He began to recite the gospel according to Luke.

'Hurry,' Damon thought. His eyes on Elena as her arms pulled away from the bedposts.

"Hurry," he found himself saying aloud.

"You can't have her! I forbid it! This body is mine! It's always been mine!"

Elena's face was shaking from side to side. Her fingers extended unnaturally and then curled suddenly into a fist. Her face was covered in blood now and her eyes were rolling into the back of her head.

Damon felt himself go cold. This was too much…Elena couldn't handle this. It was killing her.

The priest made the sign of the cross over himself and then over Elena. She didn't scream. Not this time. Instead she was making a sickening repetitive sound as her face jutted forward. Her chest was rising and falling and she began to twist her torso unnaturally. Damon moved and laid his hand over Elena's heart. He looked up at Father McLaughlin.

"We have to stop," he said urgently, defeated.

The Priest lifted his hand and shook his head. He continued. He placed his stole across Elena's neck and continued to pray. Damon watched the smoke lifting off Elena's skin.

"I cast you out, unclean spirit, along with every Satanic power of the enemy, every spectre from hell…"

Damon was pulled at two very different sides. The first wanted Katherine gone at all costs. The other didn't want harm to come to Elena. And he knew this was doing her so much harm. Her body began to reflex less. And the sound she had been making was no longer as fast—it was becoming sluggish…like a dying animal.

"Stop."

"Begone, then, in the name of the Father, + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Spirit. Give place to the Holy Spirit by this sign of the holy + cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever."

Damon couldn't do this anymore. There had to be another way!

"STOP," His fangs became unsheathed and he moved to grab the Priest.

But before he even had a chance to move, Katherine yanked, growling, with all of her might on the restraint on her right hand. The leather snapped loudly. Her hand reached over and she clasped the left one, pulling. The bed post snapped in an awesome sight. She swung quickly and with the propulsion of her restraint—still attached—she struck Father McLaughlin throwing him back into the wall. Her body was also thrown off the bed. Her legs were still elevated, the tips of her feet pressed into the mattress. Her face was pressed down into the floor. She did not move. Damon jumped over the bed and grabbed Elena. His fangs stabbed into the leather restraint, freeing the last piece of bondage from Elena.

He turned her over into his lap.

"No," he heard himself say. It sounded confused, almost casual.

He could hear Father McLaughlin, barely conscious, listlessly whispering the end of his prayer.

She shuddered violently, as if she were seizing. Her eyes were like opaque glass. The blood on her face created dry riverbeds across her cheeks. He felt her entire body relax. And her mouth lay agape, still, from her final scream. Damon's eyes surveyed her quickly. A pain so severe flooded his senses. And he was sure that she was dead.

He brusquely brushed her hair out of her face with his hands, kissing her pale lips.

"No," he said in between kisses. "No."

He squeezed her unbearably tight against his chest. And he scooted both of them back against the wall.

"Elena!"

He gripped her shoulders, shaking her aggressively. Her head lolled like a ragdoll.

"Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. No!"

He pressed her cheek against his cheek as he rocked back and forth. He shut his eyes tightly. This was his hell, his nightmare. It was a horrible mistake! He had never should have sought this priest! She was dead and it was because of him.

"It's gonna be okay, Love. It's gonna be okay…"

Love.

Damon opened his eyes suddenly, turning his face into Elena's cheek. He took in her scent.

"Did you hear what I called you," he whispered.

He cradled her head in his hand, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"Elena, I love you," He screwed his eyes shut again. "You can't go without hearing me say it. You can't. Don't let her win. Not like this."

His lips captured hers tenderly, trying desperately to cling to the memory of what it felt like when it was reciprocated. So when her face moved, just barely, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

Damon moved his face back.

"Elena?"

She said nothing; her eyes open just a fraction. A tear slipped down her face, moisturizing her dried blood.

"She's gone. Katherine is gone."