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Chapter 10

Pain. Pain racks every inch of my body. I must have died and gone to hell as I have never experienced pain like this. The smell of blood hits my senses and then I feel the taste of blood on my tongue and I start to drink greedily hoping the blood will be my lifeline to ending the pain.

"Finally. That's it, Damon. Drink. Keep Drinking." Caroline encourages. Why is Caroline talking to me in hell? Am I still stuck in Elena's fear? The bones in my back start to pop back into place and heal. I manage to get my eyes open and see Caroline straddling me squeezing the last of the blood from a blood bag into my mouth. Momentarily panicked at Caroline's position I try to knock her to the side, but my limbs aren't fully cooperating and I only manage to knock the blood bag out of her hand.

"Settle down Damon. Stop struggling. You need to keep drinking. DAMON." Caroline yells shoving another blood bag in my mouth.

Swiveling my head around I see I am sitting shirtless on the tiled floor of my glassed in shower in a pool of what looks my own blood around me.

"Elena. Is Elena okay?" I ask trying to clear the fog from my mind.

"The real question is are you okay? You've been out for a couple of hours. I managed to force feed you four blood bags already. I have a few more here. Can you manage on your own now?" Caroline asks. I nod and catch the blood bag she tosses at me raising it to my mouth and gulping down the blood as I feel my wounds heal.

"I'll be fine. You didn't answer me. How's Elena?"

"Ummm, she'll be fine." Caroline says quickly.

"Barbie. IS. SHE. OKAY?" I yell trying to get to my feet but doing a lousy job of it and falling back against the tiled wall of the shower.

Caroline is wringing her hands and looking at the floor. "She's going to be fine." Caroline says quickly.

Human or vampire, this girl is a terrible liar. "Caroline" I growl.

"They had to sedate her. Just after we left the doctor and nurses came in to check her out and run some tests. When one of the nurses went to draw blood she went a little Zena Warrior Princess. The drugs they gave her will make Elena be out for a while." Now I feel guilty. I unlocked her memories and it caused her to freak out. I wish there could have been another way to wake her up.

"Why exactly did you try and throw me across the shower?" Caroline asks hands on her hips.

It wasn't my place to describe all of the fears I saw in Elena's mind especially since part of my wounds were caused by a fear induced version of Caroline. "I was worried you were trying to steal my virtue by my state of undress." I wiggle my eyebrows at her.

"I was trying to assess you wounds. You were a mess. Bite marks, stake marks. There was a freakin' hole in your chest. I would have taken your pants off to look at those wounds as well, but SOMEONE still doesn't wear underwear and I didn't need to see you in all your bad boy glory. Been there, done that. Literally." She wiggles her eyebrows back at me.

"Oh, Barbie, you know I was the best you ever had and I ruined you for all other men." Caroline just shakes her head at me. "Speaking of other men, go in the basement and pack some wolfsbane grenades and weapons. We have a hybrid to kill." I order as I continue to drain the pile of blood bags next to me.

Caroline is still fidgeting and not looking me in the eye. "About that. You might want to rethink the whole killing Tyler plan."

"Look, Caroline. I know you have a history with him, but he has to die. He almost killed you and he hurt Elena. E-LE-NA, your best friend. It was his stupid bite that almost killed me even. So give me one good reason why he doesn't die a slow horrible death?"

"He's my ex. After almost killing me and with what he did to my dad, no one has more reason to want him dead than me. But…..I guess the only coherent thing Elena managed to say before the drugs knocked her out was 'Don't let Damon kill Tyler.'"

Damn that girl. She knows I would do anything she asks, but she needs to get over ruled on this one. "TYLER. HURT. ELENA. She's been in a coma for over a month and doesn't know what she is saying."

"He's gone anyway Damon. Stefan tried to go talk to him when we found out hybrids had been messing with Elena. His mom said he is away on council business. Before you ask, Stefan searched all over town and he is nowhere to be found." Caroline steps back to lean against the counter.

"Tyler must be the one leaving the trail of bodies across the country. Bodies that look exactly like Elena, by the way. I'm going after him." I finally stagger to my feet. "Just do what I asked and go pack up some weapons for me while I clean up and change."

"What are you going to do Damon? Chase Tyler all over the country? Who is going to protect Elena while you're running half cocked following a trail that might not even be Tyler?" Caroline yells at me.

"Elena has Stefan, she has you, she doesn't need me." I yell back at her.

"Do you really think Stefan and I can protect her better than you? Are you that dense to think she won't need you now? You want to leave her?" Caroline asks incredulously.

Damnit. I promised Elena I would never leave her again. "You know I don't want to leave her and would give my life to protect her, but I can't just stay here and do nothing, Caroline. You didn't see what he did to her." I can't keep the anger from my voice but I am at least trying to not yell at Caroline.

"You're not doing nothing, Damon. You're going to support Elena while she recovers. She's been in a coma for a month; she's not exactly going to be in fighting shape. Plus she is yet again part of an evil scheme that will most likely lead to her being in mortal danger. Now is not the time to pull a Damon and run off without a plan. Even if you found him, Elena said not to kill him. There must be a reason that she said that. Are you willing to risk Elena hating you for killing Tyler?"

Why does Barbie actually make sense?

"Now get your ass moving and get cleaned up. Stefan is close to reaching his limit at the hospital and I need to go relieve him. I assume you will want to be there when she wakes up again." She says pushing herself away from the counter.

"Fine" I mutter.

"By the way, you know you're dead to me now for throwing me out that window" I say sarcastically.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm already dead." She smirks at me.

I start to unbutton my jeans.

"Eww, Damon. Wait until I am out of the bathroom to strip." Caroline covers her eyes and blurs out of the bathroom.

I make quick work of the shower and getting on new clothes. I go downstairs and find Caroline waiting in the parlor for me also having changed her clothes. I guess she didn't like walking around covered in my blood. "Ready?" I nod at her.

We arrive at Elena's room and see Alaric and Stefan sitting by her bed. "I need to go hunt. Elena is still sedated." Stefan says getting up. "You okay?" Stefan asks looking at me.

"Fine."

"We'll talk later." Stefan says and walks of the room. Stefan has that look, the 'remember Elena is not yours' look. So looking forward to that conversation.

Alaric is sitting in his chair eyes closed, softly snoring. "Time to wake up Ricky." I slap him on the shoulder and he bolts into a sitting position.

Alaric looks around rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. "I sent everyone home. Jeremy was pretty freaked out when they had to sedate Elena. Bonnie and Matt offered to stay with him."

"Get out of here and check on the kid. I'll stay with her."

"So, Tyler" Alaric motions his toward Elena.

"Yeah, Tyler…soon to be dead hybrid…Lockwood." I smirk picturing all of the ways to torture and kill the Tyler.

Alaric just shakes his head. "Elena may disagree with you on that point." Alaric stands up and stretches.

"But, do you?" I cross my arms as I look at him.

"I've been hanging out with you too long." Alaric walks to the door shaking his head and I just smirk at him. I knew he would be on my side. Alaric stops his hand on the door frame and looks back over his shoulder at me. "Thanks Damon, for whatever you did to bring her back. Thanks."

"You're welcome….Dad." I give him a half smile.

Alaric just chuckles and walks out.

Caroline and I pull up chairs next to Elena's bed. Caroline slouches in her chair closing her eyes. I just stare at Elena for a while. Hearing that she reacted violently earlier needing to be sedated scares me. I have to keep reminding myself that she is only eighteen, but has seen as much death and carnage as many vampires that have lived for hundreds of years. These events might be what finally break her. I'm supposed to be her friend so I need to stay and do whatever is needed to make sure she stays Elena, my Elena. Well, Stefan's Elena, but the Elena that is strong and confident to the world even if there is a lot more bubbling underneath.

My instinct is to run after Tyler and rip him apart, but Elena's voice keeps echoing in my head to be the better man. Maybe Caroline's right. Me chasing after Tyler might be what he wants and would leave Elena vulnerable. Ah, being impulsive is so much more fun than this sitting around waiting bullshit.

My phone starts vibrating in my pocket and I step out in the hall to answer it. Looking at the caller ID I see its Liz.

"Do you have any news, Liz?" I ask skipping with the formalities like, 'hello.'

"The trail's run cold Damon. The last body to be found was near the Mexican border two days ago." Liz explained.

"So either he has suddenly had a change of heart valuing human life or he is moving and killing through Mexico." I sigh. Liz won't be able to track him outside the US. We are now blind until he crosses back into the States.

"With the number of bodies already piled up, I put my money on his killing spree to continue in Mexico." Liz says with a tinge of sadness in her voice.

"Keep this to yourself, but it was Tyler Lockwood that hurt Elena and is the probably the psycho racking up the body count." I growl.

"Tyler, as in my daughter's ex-boyfriend and the mayor's son?" She asks in surprise.

"I prefer to refer to him as the dead hybrid formerly known as Tyler Lockwood." The thought of killing him brings a smile to my face.

"Damon, you can't kill him. The council would take you out."

"It seems to be a common sentiment to let him live. I tend to not agree with popular opinion."

I can hear Liz sigh on the other end of the line. "We'll discuss this another time. I assume Caroline is there with you. Can you send her home? I just…I just need to see her."

"I'll send her home."

"Thanks Damon. I just need some mother –daughter bonding time." Liz chuckles slightly. Knowing her daughter was often in harms way and an ex boyfriend had done something so violent to one of her daughter's friends must be hard to take, even for a sheriff.

I hang up and head back into the room. "Time to go home Blondie." I kick her chair slightly.

"Huh?"

"That was your mom. You know, the woman that gave birth to you. For some unknown reason she wants you home to spend some time together. Better her than me" I smirk at her.

"Asshole." She mutters grabbing her bag.

"Aren't you happy some things never change?" I wink at her.

I blur in front of her before she can leave the room. "Thanks for getting me patched up." I say quietly.

"Well, Elena would have killed me if anything happened to you. So you should really thank her." She smiles and blurs out of the room.

I resume my seat suddenly feeling exhausted. Vampires don't need much sleep, but spending every night of the last month in this room has afforded little sleep or rest. The frequent wounds from my excursions into Elena's mind haven't helped. I prop my feet up on the bed with my hand resting next to Elena's and close my eyes.

I sit and listen to her heart beat and even breathing for a long time enjoying the comfort the sounds bring me. I hear her breathing speed up slightly as a warmth encircles my hand on the bed. I lean my head towards Elena's bed and open my eyes seeing her hand over mine.

"Are you okay? There was so much blood." Elena whispers. My heart swells at hearing her voice and seeing her big beautiful brown eyes open for the first time in over a month.

"I'm like the energizer bunny, I take a lickin' and keep on tickin'" I smile at her sitting and brushing her hair from her face.

Her eyes flutter slightly and her breathing slows a bit. She is fighting to stay awake. Elena's eyes pop back open. "Don't kill Tyler. Promise me." She whispers as her eyes drift down slightly.

"Elena…" Her big heart and forgiving nature are going to get her killed.

"Promise me. Something….was wrong with him. Not himself. Didn't want to hurt me. Please promise" Her eyes fall closed and sleep over takes her again.

"I promise" I whisper leaning forward to kiss her forehead. This girl is going to be the death of me.

A/N: Now that Elena is awake I may do some future chapters from her point of view. Please review!