A/N: While the finale was great, I still can't wrap my head around the idea of Elena being a vampire. The entire idea just seems so out-of-league right now.

Anyways, thank you to:

Bluestriker666, iloverandyortonwwefan23, DelenaBerryox, kaybaby1127, beverlie4055, and Black4Ink for reviewing last chapter.

*Please read this before reading the chapter: Abby Bennett is a vampire, but she has channeled her witch powers. And Elena is still human!

Chapter 19: Battle Scars

The silence had grown, Elena's eyes the size of saucers, Damon waiting for her to speak, to show some sign of life besides her shallow breaths. After the active line was dropped, she had grown speechless, stuck in her own place, leaving Damon to ponder as to who called.

Not being able to take the silence anymore, he caught her attention by clearing his throat. Her eyes darted to his face, wondering what he could possibly want; with his eyebrows risen, he asked, "Is everything alright?"

The humble question seemed to slap her across the face, back into reality. Jumping to her feet, she rushed towards the front door, grabbed the keys from the small bowl set on the table, and darted outside to her car. Panicking, as well as confused, Damon followed after her, reaching her car before she did. Standing directly in her way, she began to pound her fists against his chest.

"Move aside, Damon!" She nearly screamed, eyes beginning to burn. He shook his head, grabbing her wrists, feeling the sudden urge to drink from her rising to the surface as he caught a glimpse of her pulse point once again.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a necessary bitterness.

She bit her lip, stopping all the thrashing, "I need to go help Bonnie. She needs me; she's hurt." The words spouted from her lips were rushed, for she felt a strong connection to Bonnie that she was not ready to break. She was willing to help her friend through anything, for Bonnie was there through everything; Matt and Elena's break-up, Stefan's ripper stage, Damon being a complete douche, the Vegas trip, the pregnancy test, everything.

He immediately stepped aside, hearing the message hidden within. She wanted to be there for her friend by herself, but he knew that if anything wrong were to happen, he would be there in a flash, aiding her.

Their eyes locked as he caressed his fingers into the top of her hands, reassuringly before he released her. Elena hesitated as she opened the car door, losing her mind as she stared into his ice blue eyes. The man had a way of getting inside of her head, and knowing every bit of her. He knew when she needed to cool off, or when she needed time alone. Elena Gilbert finally realized that the man standing before her was her soul mate.

The ice blue eyes were locked onto the bumper of the car as the love of his life drove away, leaving him to stand in the middle of the driveway, without anyone to hug and say that everything was going to be alright. The sudden anger rose as he thought of someone hurting his precious angel, the angel that was afraid of him, of who he truly is. The angel that is petrified of him helping her friend, her dying friend. For once in his life, Damon was angered by the idea of her leaving him for good, turning her shoulder on him, leaving him behind for another man to raise their son with.

He felt the invisible string of self-control snap, turning his eyes raven black, his fangs began to protrude from his gums as he licked his lips wanting to taste the sweet nectar that he had not consumed in nearly a week, the longest he had gone without fresh blood, the blood that would pour into his mouth as he tore into the artery of his victim.

Deep down, the fright of harming his angel rose before he took off into the night, never looking back over his shoulder.

The tires screeched to a halt before Elena jumped out of the car, and ran to the front door, frantically turning the doorknob, only to find it locked. Immediate panic set in as she rushed to the back door where she tried that doorknob, discovering it locked as well. The tears stung her cheeks, her fists colliding with the wooden door.

"Please! Bonnie!" She called out, leaning her forehead against the door.

(Elena's Point of View)

Without Bonnie, my life would seize to exist. She was my rock, my home, my advisor, my savior, my greatest friend. She was there for me when I had hit rock bottom, crawling up into a ball in my heart, only to be pulled to my feet by her as she smiled, "Everything is going to be alright, Elena."

The world seemed to stop spinning, my heart stopped beating, falling to the ground where it was cruelly stepped upon, my eyes fluttered shut, hoping that when I opened them once more she would be standing before me with open arms, ready to hug away all my problems and worries.

But when I opened my eyes, I was brutally met with the sight of the same door, still locked from the inside, keeping me from my savior. Just as my knees were about to give out, a voice in the near distance called out to me.

"Elena, is everything alright?" It must have been a savior sent from the Man upstairs, for when I turned my head towards the direction of the voice, Abby was standing before me, her eyes filled to the brim with worry. She had quite obviously had a motherly-feeling about her daughter, or something to do with her witch powers which I had believed were shut off when she completed the transition.

Wiping beneath my eyes, I rushed towards her, careful not to fall on the stray rocks on the ground. Once I was close enough for her to clearly hear me, I explained, "Bonnie, she tried calling me, but when I picked up, sh-she," I could barely continue before Abby sped to the front door.

Drawing her right shoulder back, she sped towards the closest tree and ran, full-speed, towards the door, determination in every step. Her shoulder collided with the door, bringing it forcefully to the ground. Looking over her shoulder, she signaled for me to wait a minute as she checked the house for any dangers.

Minutes had passed as I waited for her to come back out, but when she hadn't come back for me, I grew impatient and worried. Stepping inside the house, I took cautious steps towards the living room, where I could clearly hear the sobs from the kitchen.

"Bonnie! Wake up!" Abby bellowed, cradling her daughter's head. I stepped into the kitchen, finding a pool of blood near the wall where she was holding a pale Bonnie. Feeling as if I were to drop to my knees, I quickly went to Abby's side, frantically searching for the reason she was slowly dying.

My search stopped when I saw her hand lying limply on the floor, the cellphone used to call me loosely clasped in her hand. My heart skipped multiple beats at the sight of the phone, darting my eyes back to her pale face as Abby clutched her daughter close to her chest.

"Everything is going to be alright." She whispered as she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of Bonnie's face. The few words spoken brought back the haunting memory of Bonnie saying the same words to me in my deepest, darkest times when I believed that I had no purpose to live.

Abby looked towards me, locking our watery gazes, "I can hear a heartbeat, it's faint, but it's there."

(Damon's Point of View)

I didn't feel like myself, wandering the streets, preying on innocent humans as they walked peacefully in the moonlight. All sense of time was completely lost as I locked my gaze on a young teenager; dark blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. A maniacal grin overcame my face, speeding to behind the young girl. She must have been barely a day over fifteen.

Licking my lips involuntarily, I clapped my hand over her mouth, feeling the screams being stopped as she thrashed in my arms. With her putting up quite a fight, I managed to drag her into the near forest, out of sight from any witnesses.

I pushed her neck to the side, revealing the throbbing artery that was begging for me to be bitten. With a crooked smirk and dark eyes, I plunged my fangs into her artery, immediately silencing her. She went quiet, and then completely limp as I finished draining her. Oh how I missed the sweet taste of blood running over my tongue and coursing through my system.

After disposing of her body, the sudden urge for something even sweeter overcame me. The first instinctual thought was how sweet the blood of a doppelgänger is.

Abby was lost in thought, thinking of how she could possibly save her daughter from leaving this world. Her head snapped up to Elena when she found the missing link, "Elena, I'll need you to leave. You'll have to get to some place safe; this may or may not work."

Elena hesitated, searching Abby's face for reassurance before nodding and standing to her feet. As she came upon the threshold of the room, she glanced over her shoulder to see Bonnie being tightly held as Abby shut her eyes, beginning her plan.

Once she heard the car pull away, she carefully laid Bonnie on a blanket she had set out in the middle of the kitchen floor. Abby then laid twelve candles around her body, created a circle of salt and vervain, then rubbed crushed vervain onto the punctures on her neck before stepping back and closing her eyes. She waited a few moments before hovering her hands over her daughter's body, waiting for the connection from the witches.

After minutes had passed, Abby quickly grew frustrated and saddened. The tears began to flow once more, "Please, she can't leave this Earth like this! She doesn't deserve to die so young!" She begged, seconds away from collapsing to her knees. Once again, the room was filled with silence as the flickering of the lit candles were reflected onto her face, the tears shimmering in the light as they cascaded down her cheeks.

Before she realized it, the curtains of the open kitchen window above the faucet blew along with the stray wind that entered the room, gusting Abby's hair in every direction. The whispers filled the room, barely audible to human ears, but enough for Abby to hear. She snapped her head up towards the ceiling when she felt the sudden rush of power overcome her. The channeling of her powers had begun.

Raising her hands to the skies, she began to chant the words that were being placed into her mind by the almighty witches, her hair blowing in every direction.

She looked down to her daughter, her tears still flowing down her cheeks, "Give the child before me life, for she deserves to live, even so more than myself." The wind dialed down to a soft breeze as Abby collapsed to her knees before her daughter, the tears falling onto the floor beneath her.

One tear, one of many that she had shed for her daughter, slowly slid down her dark skin, onto her chin, then free-fell down, down, down until the liquid settled on Bonnie's cheek.

The world of darkness that was enveloping Bonnie whole finally faded away as the warmth of the surroundings overcame her. Gasping for breath, she snapped her eyes open, revealing a world before her where her mother was sobbing, clutching her daughter as she thanked the witches, Bonnie shaking in her arms.

Elena quickly drove to the boarding house, seeking shelter and safety, as Abby had instructed her to do so. As she came upon the driveway, she could immediately see a dark figure standing there in the middle of the driveway. Her heart began to race, her breathing shaky.

The tires halted directly in front of the person, which Elena soon realized was Damon. She stepped out of her car, completely oblivious to the fact that his eyes were black in the moonlight. Walking up to him, she tried to look into his ice blue eyes, but found the night winning over her sight. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close.

Damon nestled his face into the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent that was radiating off of her. With a contented sigh, his fangs began to protrude from his gums, wanting to taste the source behind the scent. She shivered beneath his touch as he brushed her hair aside, revealing her neck. Grinning maniacally, he bit into her artery, resulting in her screaming into the night. She began to pound her fists into his chest, but he was not fighting her back, for the more she fought, the more blood was poured into his mouth.

Minutes passed, and he still continued, weakening her beyond comprehension. The inner-self of Damon was fighting his hardest to gain control, fearing for the life of his love and child. With a final sob, Elena grew unconscious and limp in his arms.

Damon pulled away roughly, afraid that he would drink all of the blood, and would not be able to drink more later on. Letting her fall to the ground, he sped away.

(Elena's Point of View)

I couldn't tell where I was at first when I cracked my eyes open. It was dark, plus the throbbing pain in my neck was keeping me from fully concentrating on my surroundings. Pulling myself into sitting position, I rubbed my neck, wincing at the jabbing pain. There were two punctures which immediately resulted in me fearing for the life of my child. What if the person drank too much? What if they killed my child?

The sudden question of who tried to kill me came into play, but the puzzle piece was soon put into place as the memories of what happened flooded in.

I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, mumbling out, "Damon?"

After trying to piece everything together in my head, I got to my feet and rushed to my car. If Damon was not himself, then the whole town was in danger. When he is on a binge, it takes him more than just a few kills to bring himself back to his old self.

My head began to spin as I came upon a traffic light which was blinking yellow and about to turn red. The anger overcame me, pushing the pedal to the floor, for I had a destination in mind.

Elena stumbled out of the car, leaving the driver's door open. The blood was still freshly pouring from the punctures as she weakly pushed the front door agape. At the smell of pasta, she knew that Alaric would be in the kitchen, Jeremy somewhere in there as well. Mustering all of her hidden strength, she stumbled into the kitchen, using the walls for support.

"Alaric." She choked out, coming into eye contact with the back of his head.

He kept stirring the pasta, "Hey! What are you do-" Alaric flipped his head towards her, finding her a complete mess. Dropping the spoon he was holding, he rushed to her side, picking her up to lay her on the couch.

Once he settled her in with a blanket, he frantically called out to Jeremy who was in his room, "Jeremy! Come here quick!"

Jeremy snapped his head towards the door, dropping his pencil onto the notepad and rushing down the stairs. And when he saw his sister, pale and nearly lifeless, the anger rose, "What happened?"

She bit her lip when Alaric saw the punctures, "I'm fine, really."

Alaric's eyes darkened, "Who did this?"

Jeremy's hands balled into fists, "Damon." Elena sadly nodded, looking towards her hands in her lap.

The room was utterly silent, everyone trying to wrap the idea of Damon hurting her around their heads. It was a tough situation, which needed to be immediately resolved.

Standing to his feet, Alaric wordlessly grabbed a black bag from the closet and stormed to his car where he pushed the pedal to the floor, knowing exactly where Damon was.

The forest was deadly silent, but Alaric knew that Damon was somewhere, a bottle of whiskey and another victim in his hands. Reaching into the bag, he pulled out something that would come in handy later on when he came face-to-face with the raven-haired monster who had harmed his 'child'.

The leaves crunched beneath his feet when he reached the middle of the darkened forest. Looking around, he narrowed his eyes, "I know you're out here!"

The moments of silence were deadly until it was sliced in half by the breeze, "What do you want?"

Alaric's eyes settled on Damon who was standing nearly forty feet in front of him. Raising the crossbow, he adjusted it to a comfortable position, "You hurt my girl." His finger quickly pushed on the trigger, sending the bow soaring towards him.

A/N: So how was the chapter? Great, good, bad?

Tell me how you liked the finale because I am dying to know.

Click the button below that says, "Review this Chapter" and I'll write the next chapter to reveal what happens to Damon. Will he live or die?