**Chapter twenty six**

It's not okay

*Damon*

Damon walked down the long road to his house. He knew that it would be much faster to run, but he was so lost in his thoughts, he didn't care. He knew that he screwed up royally with Hailey, that she hated- no loathed- him now, and she had every right to. She wouldn't be the first person to. But the difference with her and everyone else was that he cared what she thought of him.

He wished he didn't care. It would make it so much easier to forget about her, to move on. Though he shouldn't have had to move on at all, really. He shouldn't have cared about Hailey at all, and that was his big mistake, that's what screwed everything up. He cared. She made him care. Not just about her, but about other things, as ironic as it was. The girl who acted like she didn't give a damn about anything or anyone made him start to care again.

He wished that she hadn't found out about Katherine like that. He should've told her. He should've told her that he chose her over Katherine, but he couldn't. He didn't know who he wanted. He could've lied, but Hailey didn't deserve anymore lies. If Damon really did care about Hailey, he'd leave Mystic Falls as fast as he could.

He wanted to leave- at least, most of him did. It would fix everything. The group of vampires seeking revenge on the founding families wouldn't be able to kill him, and after a few months filled with blood, sex, and girls, he'd forget about Hailey, and how'd she made him feel almost human again. But then there was the picture that was burned into his mind. Hailey flirting shamelessly with that Lockwood kid. It killed him, the idea of her with another man. It killed him, the idea of leaving her behind.

Damon shook his head. He needed to leave, for the sake of everyone- for Hailey- he needed to. He needed to let Hailey Ellis grow old, get married, have kids, and die. He needed to let her have a normal life; he needed to let her go.

Suddenly, a delicious, alluring smell hit the air, a smell that'd he had smelled only a few times before, but would recognize for the rest of his existence. Hailey's blood. Without thinking, Damon ran towards the smell, forgetting all about leaving Mystic Falls, forgetting that Hailey hated him, only caring that she was in possible danger, and that he felt sick to his stomach whenever she was in a life or death situation.

Within seconds, Damon was standing in front of Hailey's totaled car, where feet from it, two vampires were standing. They were reaching for Hailey, who was unconscious and very bloody. He could hear a faint heartbeat, but it was fading fast.

As soon as they saw Damon looking anxiously at Hailey's dying figure, they ran. Damon didn't even glance at them. He ran to Hailey, and carefully pulled her out of the car that she loved more than anything.

He was painfully aware of her blood smeared all over her. Part of him- the monster, the vampire- wanted to drain her dry, but all that anxiousness and fear he felt for her pushed those feelings away.

Damon brushed a long piece of jet black hair out of her face, listening to her slowing heartbeat. There was only one thing to do. Without thought of what he was doing, Damon bit his wrist, and fed her his blood.

He pulled his wrist away, just as Hailey's eyes fluttered open. He smiled slightly in relief. She would make it. His Hailey would be okay.

"Damon?" she said, her voice barely audible for vampire ears.

"It's okay Hailey, everything's okay." he said soothingly, as he laid her gently down against the road next to her car, before taking out his cell phone and calling 911.

He couldn't stay. Now that he knew Hailey would be okay, his thirst was getting the better of him. He could barely control the urge to drink her blood, and there was a lot of it.

He looked down at Hailey, who looked so weak and defenseless that it calmed down his thirst a little bit. He was able to think with a clear head. He couldn't leave Hailey alone. The vampires could come back, and she had no way of defending herself.

So instead of leaving, Damon pulled her into his arms. Her head fell against his chest, and he realized how much he had missed her that week, how much he would always miss her.

"W-wha happened Damon?" Hailey whispered against the fabric of his shirt.

"You were attacked Hailey." he said calmly, though he was suddenly boiling with rage at the thought of someone hurting his Hailey.

She's not yours; a voice in his head reminded him.

"Oh, dat's not good." she murmured, before her eyes fluttered closed.

A few minutes later, he heard the sirens of the ambulance, and gently pulled away from Hailey. He disappeared before the medics saw him, but watched from the forest as they loaded Hailey into the back of the truck, just in case the vampires came back.

But they didn't, and it wasn't until the sound of sirens disappeared into the night that he finally left his hiding spot. Every fiber of his being wanted to go to the hospital, to make sure Hailey was okay, but he knew that he couldn't. For one, Elena and Stefan would be there. He also knew that once Hailey woke up and came to her senses, she wouldn't want to see him, whether he saved her life or not.

So instead of running to the hospital, Damon ran back home. He knew that he should've packed up his things, but Hailey's attack changed things for him. He couldn't leave, no matter how much he should've.

The whole point of leaving was so that he could move on from her. But Damon was just starting to realize that he could never move on from Hailey Ellis.

*Elena*

Elena watched as her best friend drove away from the school parking lot. She couldn't stop thinking about Hailey and Tyler getting together. It would be a mistake especially since Tyler would be just a rebound to her. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist.

"If you keep thinking that hard, you'll get frown lines." Stefan murmured as he kissed her.

"I'm just thinking about this whole Hailey-Damon mess." she answered, leaning into his arms.

"You can't do anything about that, Elena. Hailey's just going to have to heal on her own. And if I know Damon, he'll be gone by the time I get home."

Elena smiled at the thought of having Damon gone. She had never liked Damon, but after what he had done to her best friend, she hated every fiber of his being.

"Come on, I promised Hailey we'd help set up for the party." she told her boyfriend, kissing him softly on the lips.

Hand in hand, they walked to Stefan's car, and drove to Hailey's house. Elena expected Hailey to be waiting for them when she got out of the car, But the house was pitch black inside.

Elena walked up to the front door, and knocked, Stefan on her heels. When no one answered, Elena got the spare key from under a tacky pot, and unlocked the door.

"Hailey?" Elena shouted into the empty house, walking in to the house, while Stefan turned on lights.

"Where is she?" Elena said out loud to no one in particular.

"Probably buying the strongest liquor she can find on short notice." Stefan answered.

Elena nodded. But for some reason, she didn't totally believe that. Suddenly, her phone rang.

Thinking that it had to be Hailey, she answered right away. "Hello?" she said anxiously.

"Are you Elena Gilbert?" said a soothing female voice that wasn't Hailey's.

"Yes I am." she said suspiciously.

"We have you down as the emergency contact for Hailey Ellis. I'm very sorry to tell you, but she has been in a car crash."

Elena's heart stopped beating. The lady continued talking but she didn't hear what she was saying.

"Is she still alive?" Elena cut in.

"Yes, she's actually in a very stable condition, considering the situation-"

"I'll be there in ten minutes." she said bluntly before hanging up.

She looked up at Stefan with sad eyes, and Stefan took her into his arms.

"She said that Hailey was in a stable condition. She'll be fine." he reassured her. Then they both got back in his car and drove to the hospital.

When they reached the hospital, Elena sprinted to the reception desk, and tried to keep her voice calm as she asked, "What room is Hailey Ellis in?"

The receptionist looked cranky as she asked, "Are you related to the patient?"

"I'm her sister." she said without a thought.

"What about him?" she gestured to Stefan, though she did give him the up-down.

"Ugh-"

"He's going to have to wait in the waiting room, but you can go up. Room 502 on the fifth floor." the lady said, not looking to upset that Stefan would have to wait there with her.

"Its fine, Elena." Stefan said soothingly when Elena opened her mouth to argue.

Elena hugged him tightly for a few moments, before heading to the elevator. She practically ran to room 502, only to come face to face with a doctor, who was blocking her view of Hailey.

"I'm sorry miss, only family can come into this patient's room." he said briskly, pushing Elena away.

"I'm her sister!" Elena growled, glaring at the doctor.

"Oh, I'm sorry." he said, stepping away.

Elena ignored him, and ran to Hailey's side. Her stomach dropping as she looked at her best friend.

Hailey looked too pale, and had tubes and wires connected all over her. Her long black hair was pulled up into a messy bun, so that it wasn't in her face. She had scratches and cuts all over her body, and her left leg and right arm both had casts on them.

But despite all that, Hailey Ellis was grinning up at her.

"Hey, Lena." she said, her voice weak and hoarse.

"Hailey!" Elena said, her eyes widening with shock.

"I know, I'm lucky aren't I?" Hailey said in a voice that Elena suddenly recognized as her patronizing, falsely cheerful voice.

"The doctors here worked a miracle on me." she continued, smiling widely at the doctor who had stopped Elena and was now standing in the doorway.

"Dr. Harris, would you mind giving me and my sister some alone time?" Hailey said in the same tone she'd been using the whole time.

"Of course not, Hailey." he said, before leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Hailey's grin fell off her face, and she looked more serious then Elena had ever seen in her in her entire life.

"Where's Stefan?"

"In the waiting room. They wouldn't let him come up." Elena said, becoming more anxious at Hailey's behavior.

Hailey reached for a remote, and pressed a button. A few seconds later, a cranky old woman came in.

"What do you need this time, Ms. Ellis?" she asked irritably.

"Downstairs in the waiting room, there's a guy named Stefan Salvatore. Bring him up. Please." Hailey added the last part when Elena glared at her.

"You know that non-family members aren't allowed up-" she started to say, but Hailey cut her off.

"Yes, I know the rules, but I need him up here. It's super important." Hailey said.

The nurse just eyed Hailey, and Hailey added, "If it makes any difference, he's my cousin.."

"Your cousin." the nurse repeated skeptically.

"Yep, he's part of my family, and I need him up here." Hailey said, not one trace in her voice that she was lying.

The nurse finally nodded, then left. "What happened, Hailey?" Elena said anxiously, once they were alone.

"I'll tell you when Stefan gets up here." Hailey said, leaning against her pillow before giving Elena a real smile.

"I love how much I'm rubbing off on you. With the lying, and the yelling at innocent bystanders… next thing you know, you'll be getting wasted in sleazy bars, wasted and singing with drunk bikers." Hailey said.

Elena laughed, just as Stefan came into the room, shutting the door behind him. "If anyone asks, you're my cousin." Hailey told him, and Stefan nodded.

"What happened?" Elena and Stefan asked at the same time.

"Oh, that's easy. Those damn tomb vamps tried to kill me. again." Hailey said nonchalantly.

"We kind of figured that's what happened. How'd you survive?" Stefan asked, and Hailey looked down at her hands before looking back up at them.

"Damon."

She barely whispered the words, but both Elena and Stefan caught the name.

"How?" Elena asked skeptically, not believing for a second that Damon would help anyone but himself.

"I don't know." Hailey admitted. "All I know is that after a vamp threw my car across the road, I got knocked out. Then when I finally came to, the first thing I saw was Damon, and he told me that everything was okay. The rest was a blur. I think I fell asleep, because the next thing I know, I woke up here."

Elena snorted, but Stefan remained silent. He turned to the door, and Elena asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back." was all Stefan said, before he disappeared out the door.

*Damon*

Damon sat on the couch, drinking whiskey. suddenly, Stefan appeared in front of him.

"Hello, little brother." Damon greeted, taking a long sip. He knew what was coming.

"Did you know that Hailey's in the hospital?" Stefan asked bluntly, not taking his eyes off his big brother.

Damon raised his eyebrow. "No, I didn't. why should I care?" Damon said, forcing indifference in his tone.

Stefan ignored the last part. "it was really bad. She's alive though. She's actually in a very stable condition. She can talk and everything. The funny thing, though Damon, is that Hailey should be dead. The crash was way too bad, and the tomb vampires were the ones who caused it. So even if the impact didn't kill her, they would've. Do you know how she survived Damon?"

"Must be a Christmas miracle." Damon said sarcastically, standing up and walking to the kitchen.

"I know you saved her, Damon." Stefan said quietly, and Damon stopped in his tracks.

"Why would I do such a thing, Stefan? What, do you think I care if Hailey lives or dies?" Damon asked, dangerous anger in his voice.

"That's exactly what I think. You do care about Hailey, and it scares the hell out of you."

Damon loathed his brother at that moment for being completely right. "I didn't, Stefan. I don't care about Hailey, and I didn't save her." Damon insisted, turning to face his brother.

"There's no other explanation, Damon. Hailey said the first thing she saw when she woke up after the car crash was you. And there's no way she could've healed so quickly and fully- if at all- without vampire blood, Especially with the tomb vampires."

Damon had no answer for that, so he turned around, and continued to walk to the kitchen.

"It's okay, you know. That you're in love with Hailey."

Stefan's words triggered something inside Damon, and suddenly, he dropped his glass and slammed Stefan into the wall by his neck before it even shattered.

"Let's get one thing straight, little brother. I'm not in love with Hailey. I don't care about her. And I sure as hell didn't save her. Sure, she was fun to play with for a little while, but everything gets old sooner or later. I don't care if she lives or dies, and the next time you say anything different, I'll rip your heart out."

Letting go of his brother, Damon walked into the kitchen and down into the basement for blood. The whole time, his unspoken answer to Stefan's statement played over and over in his head. no, Stefan, it's not okay.

~LMF~

A/N: I'm sorry for the pretty mean cliff hanger last chapter. I know that a lot of you just barely tolerate them, and that I only get away with them because I update really fast.

Thank you to: Samantha meyers, SomebodyWhoCares, Angelfang, smile654, HawthorneTree, vdemily, DayDreamBabyBee and jacquline for reviewing!

Reviews inspire updates ;)

~Abby!