AN: YAY! I'm writing another chapter! This one is going to be extra long for theonlyisabla because she has really wanted a longer one. This is for you, theonlyisabla! Hope you like it! And thanks for a great review, too. Also, thanks to lesroisdumonde for a great review. I know, Damon is a really good brother when he wants to be :D Glad you're liking this. To everyone: This is more than likely going to be an action-less chapter. It'll be full of the characters catching up with one another, so expect a lot of friendship moments! :D
Alaric's Point of View
Alaric slowly lowered the glass of blood as Damon said this. "Yeah," Alaric whispered. "We thought you would."
"What are you talking about?" Damon asked his voice low and hoarse.
"Bonnie came over and told us you were having an out-of-body experience," Alaric explained. "And that you might have seen where Stefan was."
Damon nodded weakly. "They're not even in Mystic Falls anymore," Damon said sounding frustrated. "They're in a small town in Tennessee that I've never even heard of."
Alaric nodded sympathetically. "We found our loop hole around this, we can figure out the rest," he promised Damon. "But please tell me that you won't go after him until you're fully healed. You won't do Stefan much good going out like this."
Damon nodded again. "I won't, Ric," he promised.
"Good, 'cause if you do, I'm killing you myself."
Damon laughed weakly, but his laugh soon turned to a harsh cough. Alaric put the glass of blood back up to his lips, and Damon drank.
"How long was I out?" Damon asked after he had taken a few drinks.
Alaric sighed. "Quite some time," he told him. "We all thought you were dead."
"Yeah so did I," he said. Alaric gave him a confused look, and Damon explained. "When I was with Stefan, Klaus kept…" he paused and took a breath. "He kept forcing blood into him and stabbing him. I tried to stop him but…" He stopped again and Alaric put a comforting hand on Damon's shoulder. Taking another breath, Damon continued. "My hand just went right threw him. Stefan was getting hurt and I just sat there and watched. I tried telling Klaus to stop but neither him nor Stefan could hear me, and it was obvious they couldn't see me. I thought I was a ghost or something."
"How did you find out where you were?" Alaric asked.
"I left the building that Stefan and Klaus were in and kept walking until I found road. I saw a sign and it said Mitchellville, Tennessee."
"Where the hell is Mitchellville?" Alaric asked.
"That's what I was wondering."
"We'll look it up once you're rested," Alaric said.
Damon nodded. "And you said Wicked Witch helped me?"
"I'm right here, Damon," an angry voice called out. He watched as Bonnie came into view. "
"There she is," Damon said. Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Oh don't look so irritated," Damon said. "I didn't ask you to help me."
"No but Elena did," Bonnie stated.
"So you only helped me for Elena," Alaric heard the disbelief in Damon's voice.
"Well…." Bonnie hesitated. "The only reason why you're hurt is because you saved Caroline, which was a nice thing to do."
Damon scoffed. "It was the tension in the moment. I wasn't thinking clearly."
Alaric shook his head and smiled. He was just glad that Damon's personality was still with him. As Bonnie left, he kept feeding Damon until eventually, Damon fell asleep again.
Bonnie's Point of View
Bonnie walked into Elena's room with Caroline right behind her. As soon as she knocked on the door, Elena's voice called out. "Alaric, I'm fine! I don't need anything."
Elena, it's me!" Bonnie yelled through the door. "Can me and Caroline come in?"
"Oh, Bonnie!" Bonnie could tell in Elena's voice that her spirits where lifted. "Yeah, come on in! You too, Caroline."
Bonnie opened the door and she and Caroline stepped into Elena's room. Elena was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with sad eyes. "Are you okay, Elena?" Bonnie asked, her voice soft with concern and sympathy.
"Yeah, I'm okay. How's Damon?" She asked.
Bonnie smiled. "He woke up. He's going to be fine. Alaric has been feeding him the vampire blood, and he's resting now."
Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much, Bonnie. Damon would be dead right now if it weren't for you."
"Caroline and Alaric were the ones that got the vampire," Bonnie pointed out.
"But we wouldn't have known to if you hadn't told us," Caroline reminded her. Bonnie didn't know why, but she was beginning to feel embarrassed. She didn't everyone to know that she didn't hate Damon anymore. She didn't absolutely love the guy either. She just…understood him more and maybe liked him a little. She pushed away the thoughts.
Elena sighed. "Did Alaric talk to you guys about you two getting Stefan?"
Bonnie shared a look with Caroline before turning to Elena. "What?"
Elena bit her lip. "Look, don't feel pressured into doing this, it's completely up to you, but we need someone to go with Damon to find Stefan once he's better and stronger."
"What about you and Alaric?" Caroline asked. "I mean I can't picture anyone but Alaric going."
"Ric and I made a deal with Katherine," Elena explained. "If Alaric and I go, both Damon and Stefan will be killed."
Bonnie shared another look with Caroline. "Of course I'll help Damon," Caroline spoke up. "He saved my life. I'll help him save Stefan's."
"Thanks Caroline," Elena said, relieved. Both she and Caroline starred at Bonnie. "Remember, Bonnie this is up to you," Elena reminded her. "Don't feel pressured into doing this."
Bonnie nodded. "I'll do it."
Elena smiled and hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Bonnie."
"Of course," she said, hugging her friend back. "After all, Damon's not a bad guy, and Stefan most certainly isn't. But don't tell anyone I said that."
"I won't," Elena promised.
"I will," Caroline said jokingly, and she joined her friends in a group hug.
Alaric's Point of View
Alaric watched as Damon slept, making sure he was okay. About an hour ago, Damon told him he started feeling a bit sick and Alaric had told him to rest to see if he would feel better after some sleep. He really didn't want Damon to get sick and lose more blood. He was relieved when Damon finally stirred. "Thank God," he whispered. "I was starting to get worried that you were dying again."
"How long was I asleep?" Damon slurred, sounding exhausted.
"Only about an hour," Alaric answered. "But you weren't moving at all."
Damon shrugged. "Guess I was more tired than I thought."
"Are you feeling better?" Alaric asked quickly.
"A little," Damon told him, stretching out on the couch.
Alaric nodded. "It seems like you've started to take the habit of scaring the crap out of me."
Damon smiled. "It's a fun habit to have."
Alaric laughed. "I swear one of these days I'm going to get myself severely hurt just so you we can swap places. And then when I'm awake I'll be laughing at you."
Damon laughed. "Good luck with that, Ric," he said closing his eyes tiredly.
Alaric went over and knelt beside the couch.
"What are you doing?" Damon asked him with his eyes still closed.
Alaric put his hand on the vampire's forehead. "I need to check on your fever. It's still pretty high; I need to bring it down. Go ahead and rest, you still look tired. I'll just try to cool you down in the meantime.
Alaric went into the kitchen and wet down a cloth in ice cold water. He hunched over the counter his hands on either side of the counter. He looked back and thought about how many times he has done this in just the past week as he watched the water run. He thought about his friendship with Damon in general.
When he first saw Damon at the Grille he stared at him, knowing he had seen the man before. When Damon glanced at him, he dipped his head in an acknowledgement, clearly not knowing who Alaric was. Alaric of course pieced it together; finding out this was the man who had killed his wife, Isabelle.
Then there was the Bachelor's Raffle where Damon taunted Alaric indicating that his wife was "delicious" and clearly showed no remorse.
Their first actual mission together was when they went to save Stefan from Anna and Pearl. Afterwards, Alaric and Damon both ended up at the bar and Damon tried making nice with him by talking about how much everyone hated him and by talking about how bad-ass they were together. Alaric just got up and left but not before punching him in the face.
But all of their bad times together seemed to vanish when Alaric found out Damon was dying. The moment Alaric grabbed Damon's arm, and the hiss of pain Damon let out.
It is your arm," Alaric said. He quickly pulled up Damon's sleeve and nearly fell to the ground at what he saw. Damon's arm was covered in a purple-green mark that almost resembled a bruise but was too infected looking. It looked like poison was spreading through his veins. "Damon…"
Damon jerked his arm away and quickly rolled down his sleeve. "I know, Ric. I just didn't want to have to deal with this right now."
"Damon, what is it?" Alaric asked.
Damon looked at the ground, avoiding Alaric's gaze. "It's a werewolf bite," he said after several seconds.
Alaric shook his head. "No. So that means-"
"It means I'm going to die," Damon finished.
Alaric smiled at the fact he had proved Damon wrong, and finally cured him. He just wished the problems with Damon's health ended there. Of course, Klaus had to kidnap him. Of course he had to go through those long hours of torture. Of course it had to have been Stefan to do it.
Alaric snapped back to reality, ending the flashbacks. He turned off the water and wringed out the rag. When he entered the living room, he wasn't surprised to see Damon already asleep. Doing as he has done several times in the past few days, he ran the cold cloth down Damon's forehead and cheeks.
"Alaric?"
Alaric looked up and saw Elena coming down the stairs. "Elena," he said, standing up from where he was kneeling. "How are you?"
Elena smiled. "Caroline and Bonnie managed to lift me up a little bit."
Alaric nodded. "That's good." He looked back at Damon.
"How is he?" Elena asked hesitantly, coming down the stairs all the way. "He really isn't looking too good."
"I think he's still a little sick," Alaric admitted, sounding worried to even his own ears.
"Do you know how to make him better?" Elena asked, now standing next to Alaric beside the couch.
"I'm working on it," he told her. "But he can't drink until his stomach is up for it. But for now, I'm bringing his fever down, it is way too high."
Elena looked at Alaric. "And how about you?"
"And how about me, what?" he asked her.
"How are you?" Alaric gave her a confused look, and she continued. "I've lost track how many days you've been staying awake with him. You were by his side every second, and the moments you weren't, you were getting him blood, a cloth to bring down his fever, or even killing someone for him. You must be absolutely exhausted. Get some rest, Ric. I'll keep an eye on him, I promise."
Alaric smiled. "Thanks." He began to get up to head out of the room, but Elena stopped him. He waited to see what she wanted to say, but instead of talking, she put her arms around him. He wasn't surprised by this gesture and put his arms around her.
"No, Alaric," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you." The two broke apart and Alaric headed on upstairs. He went into the room that was across Damon's and thought about the night where Damon was really ill and kept getting sick and Alaric would get out of bed every two hours to help him. He finally gave up, and slept in a chair beside Damon's bed.
Sighing, Alaric plopped down on the bed, and was asleep instantly.
Elena's Point of View
After Alaric headed upstairs Elena did just as she had promised Alaric. She walked over to the couch and knelt beside it. Watching Damon reminded her of when they first met. She knocked on the Salvatore boarding house, excepting Stefan to be the one to answer it, but when Damon did, she remembered how confused she was, and especially after learning that he was Stefan's brother. She laughed at the cocky voice, "Stefan's not one to brag." She missed hearing the strength and sarcasm in Damon's voice. She just hoped it would return soon.
Elena looked back and remembered how much she despised Damon when they first met. He was rude, arrogant, and very dangerous. Slowly, her heart went out to him though. All along, he was looking for his long-lost love Katherine. She remembered trying to comfort him when she wasn't in the tomb.
She knew Damon was in love with her. There just wasn't anything she could do about it. She had met and fell in love with Stefan first. She hated hurting him, she really did.
And then Damon got bitten.
"I wanted to tell you earlier. It's just, you had so much on your mind…" his voice trailed off. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I'm dying, Elena."
Elena uncrossed her arms and widened her eyes. "What? How? When are you gonna…"
"Tyler Lockwood bit me," Damon explained. "As for the 'when' it's impossible to say. Except I know it's not going to be longer than two days."
Elena tried to escape from the horrible memory. Seeing Damon locked up in a cell so he wouldn't hurt anyone. Then when he was finally getting better, Klaus came and kidnapped him. To top it all off, he was tortured by Stefan-his brother. Elena remembered being so mad at Stefan, but now…he's gone.
She shook the thoughts away. Damon needed her by his side, he needed someone to take care of him while Alaric got his very needed rest.
She grabbed the cloth off the table and began to cool off Damon. Alaric was right, his fever was high. She continued to wipe his face down when Damon stirred. She stopped and waited for a second.
"Ric?" Damon asked, his eyes still closed.
"It's me," she spoke softly.
Damon's eyes opened, and he stared at Elena in surprise. "Lena, what are you doing here?" his voice was so hoarse and weak; Elena had to strain to hear him.
"Alaric's getting some sleep," she explained. "I promised him I would watch you until he woke up."
"'Bout time," Damon whispered. "I thought he was going to pass out onto the floor and I wouldn't have had the strength to pull him back up."
Elena laughed. Under the circumstances, Damon was still worried about Alaric's well-being. "Yeah, I could tell he was absolutely exhausted."
Bonnie's Point of View
Bonnie came downstairs and saw Elena with Damon. She thought about leaving, and giving them privacy, but she needed to talk to Damon while he was awake.
Elena looked up at her. "Bonnie?" she asked, her voice sounding curious.
"Hey, Elena," she said. She beckoned her with a wave of her hand, and Elena came over to her.
"What?" Elena whispered.
"I need to talk to Damon while he's awake," she told her. "Is that okay?"
Elena nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll be up with Caroline, okay?"
Bonnie nodded and headed over to Damon. When she stood in front of him, he looked up at her with confused and tired eyes. "Hey, Witchy-Witch."
Bonnie couldn't hold herself back from rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that was meant to sound a lot more sarcastic and rude."
"You know me all too well," he whispered. "So why did you need to talk to me? I'm pretty sure you're not here just to check up on me."
Bonnie sighed. "I just thought I should let you know that Caroline and I decided to help you with Stefan," she explained.
"Are you sure you're willing to go on a long road trip with me?" he asked her.
"You're not the….most awful person in the world."
Damon gave her a weak smile. "Keep telling yourself that.
As Bonnie shared his smile, she felt relieved. He was going to be okay. They'd rescue Stefan, and Stefan would be okay. They all….were going to be just fine.
"Well, I should probably head upstairs," she said standing up; feeling almost embarrassed knowing that Damon knew she didn't hate him. Thanks for talking with me. I know you're probably really tired right now."
Damon shrugged. "I pretty sure I should be the one thanking you for talking with me."
Bonnie began to head out of the room. "Oh, and Caroline is probably going to come down and see you, so enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."
Caroline's Point of View
Caroline headed down the stairs to where Damon was laying on the couch. "Hey," she said.
He looked up at her. "Blondie," he greeted, and she winced at the weakness in his voice.
"Your voice is certainly missing some of its sarcasm," she observed.
"Everyone seems to have noticed that," he mumbled.
"Maybe you could try drinking some blood," she suggested.
"Alaric and I thought it would be best if I waited until I don't feel like I'll throw up," he muttered.
"Gross," she said wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, that's probably for the best," she agreed. "So, do you know why you're still feeling sick?"
"Because I was bitten by a werewolf, kidnapped, got sick from all that, threw up a lot of blood, went into a coma."
"I thought vampires healed really fast," she said.
"Well I haven't exactly been eating," he pointed out.
Caroline smiled. "I really want you to know how much I appreciate what you did and even more now that you are so sick."
"What are you talking 'bout, Barbie?" he asked, his voice growing more and more quiet from exhaustion.
"You stepping in front of Tyler for me and Matt," she reminded him quietly. "He was coming right at me but you got in the way."
Damon shrugged. "It really doesn't need to be made into a big deal, Caroline."
"Yes it does!" she argued. She stood up from where she was kneeling. "I've never done anything for you, and now you're all sick and weak and-"
"Caroline," he said softly. Caroline felt a weak hand on her arm. "You should really calm down. Freaking out won't do you much good. Besides, you're giving me a headache."
"Sorry," she apologized, kneeling back down.
"Besides, Caroline, this can be payback for all the crappy things I've done to Bonnie, Stefan, Ric, Elena…you. I thought I deserved to die, but maybe this is an even better punishment. I have to feel weak and vulnerable just like I have made you all feel and many, many humans feel."
"Damon-" Caroline began, but didn't know how to finish, so she just stayed quiet.
"You should get some rest too, Blondie, I'll be fine," he told her. Caroline nodded and headed upstairs.
"Goodnight, Damon," she called over her shoulder.
AN: There were a lot of As I Lay Dying With a Friend (my other fic) references in this. If you haven't read that, and you like this, you should check it out. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope that extra long chapter wasn't too boring. I just thought they all needed to enjoy each other's company and appreciate the fact that Damon is alive and-….well not healthy but you get the point. :D