A/N: Hey everyone! I apologize for the long wait, but school has been a pain. Anyway! The long awaited chapter 28 is here! It's a little shorter than some of the other chapters, but I'm already in the process of writing chapter 29. I've got a nice little bit of fluff waiting in the next chapter, so don't forget to REVIEW guys! I need to know that I'm still doing good. Anyway, ENJOY!

Vampire diaries

Chapter 28

Deceit

It seemed as though hours had passed by, but really it hadn't been. Grayson's office had gone up in flames, firefighters trying to put it out as they taped the area off. Bystanders merely walked by, staring in curiosity as the flames were put out, smoke rising into the night sky.

They all knew that they had been lucky, Damon, Kali, Elena, Stefan, and Bonnie. Kali had gotten out of the building with Damon, the flames swallowing up what was left of the tomb vampires. It had left them sitting there, gasping for air as they attempted to hold each other, Kali clinging to Damon's soot covered body. Even he had been shocked, finding himself wrapping his arms around the young woman and holding her close, the feeling of his little brother's hand resting on his shoulder. The whole thing had seemed so surreal, yet here they were, seated around each other on the cold hard ground.

"Bonnie?" Kali croaked, but when she looked, the young witch was gone.

T

Just when I had thought that things were over for the evening, I got a call from Matt. Caroline had been hospitalized. I had no clue what had happened, other than the fact that apparently Tyler had lost control of the car and crashed. The moment I heard though, I left for the hospital, kissing Damon before leaving on unsteady feet. Even though I didn't want to leave him, I knew I had to. Stefan had to talk with him, so I knew that it would take precedence, but I had to leave.

"Matt?" I called out, quickly walking through an open set of double doors.

I found him seating against the wall of the hallway.

"Kal?"

He was sitting on a bench by one of the walls, his lip nearly quivering as he stared at me. Within moments, I was in front of him, wrapping him in a hug.

"It's bad Kal," he managed to choke out.

"It's gonna be okay Matt," I told him, gently rubbing his back as I sat there with him. "It's gonna be okay."

"T-they k-keep talking like she's n-not gonna make it," he choked out, eyes watering.

"Hey now," I cooed, gently brushing the wetness from his eyes. "Look at me," I told him, coaxing his eyes toward me.

Once he had gained the courage to look me in the eye, I gave him a small smile.

"If anyone can make it, it's Caroline," I told him. "She too stubborn to give up and besides."

I paused for a moment, staring at him as I cupped his cheeks in my hands.

"She's got the one and only Matt Donovan waiting for her," I smiled. "Do you know how important that is to her?" I asked, earning a faint smile in return. "She'll come back to you Matt," I assured him. "I just know it."

"Thanks Kali," Matt whispered, before resting his head against my shoulder with a sigh.

Even now, just looking at him, I could tell that it was taking everything that he had. For me though, I still saw the same little boy who's mother ran out on him and his sister. He didn't know where to turn and it was tearing him apart even further.

"She'll be fine. She's got to be . . ." I whispered.

T

Stepping out of the Gilbert house, Damon was surprised to find Elena there, his brows furrowing slightly as they made eye contact. He wasn't sure what to say, but in the end, she beat him to it.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked slowly.

For a moment, Damon turned away, making sure that the door had been closed fully. He wasn't sure if he could bring it upon himself to truly talk to her, not after his conversation with Jeremy. It was almost too obvious what the kid was about to do, but he knew that it wasn't his place to change things. He'd already taken the choice away from him once, he wasn't about to do it again, no matter what the repercussions were. He only hoped that Kali could forgive him if the kid went through with it, but again, it wasn't his choice.

"Failed and feeble attempt at doing the right thing for once," Damon admitted, looking down at his feet.

"Which was . . .?" Elena asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

"It's not important," he said, shaking his head as he stepped toward her. "Let me take this for you."

With that, Damon took the dress in her hands and set it down on the bench in front of the house along with her bag. He felt the corner of his lip twitch for a moment at the memory of her in it from earlier. It was sad, but she truly did look just like Katherine. She was so much more than that though, so different. In a way, he was actually happy for his brother.

"Thank you," Elena whispered, watching as Damon played with his hands for a moment.

"I didn't expect things to happen the way that they did," Damon admitted, running a hand through his hair. "Kali . . . she risked her life for me."

For a moment, Elena's brows furrowed, listening to Damon's words.

"Running into that building, everything on fire . . ." Damon paused for a moment as he thought about it.

In all honesty, he was still shaken up about it, just the mere thought of something happening to Kali making him wince. She could have been killed trying to save him. Trying to save someone that in anyone else's mind just wasn't worth saving.

"When I was down there, I was so sure that I was going to die," Damon breathed out. "But she found it in herself to come after me, even after me being such a dick to her."

T

Sitting there on the bench next to Matt, Kali closed her eyes, her breath coming out slowly. She was so tired after everything that had happened, even with Stefan's blood in her system. In fact, she had a headache, the result of having his blood in her system. The ache of it pounding away in her skull as she blinked back the fatigue.

"Hey, Kali?" Matt asked, his voice quiet as he spoke.

"Yeah, Matt?"

Kali's voice came out soft, fatigue lining it and practically dripping despite her attempts to hide it.

"You okay?" Matt asked slowly, brows furrowed in concern.

Nodding her head, Kali turned her head to face him, taking in his features. His short blond hair was a mess from him pulling at it so much, his bright blue eyes puffy from fighting away tears. He was still fighting against the thoughts that plagued him of Caroline. The fear was still evident on his face.

"Just tired," she assured him, rubbing her eyes for a moment.

With a small smile on her lips, Kali let her eyes flutter shut.

T

"You know," Damon started, biting his lower lip. "I came into this town wanting to destroy it," he told her. "Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it . . . and the people in it."

There was a moment of silence before Damon spoke again, twirling the ring on his finger.

"How does that happen?" he asked, looking toward Elena. "I'm not the hero type, Elena. I don't do good. It's not in me."

"Maybe it is Damon," Elena offered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Nah," Damon shook his head at her comment. "That's reserved for my brother, and you . . . and Bonnie . . ."

Again, Damon paused, thinking about how things had unfolded. Even though Bonnie hated him, the little witch was still the reason why he was alive and breathing. She had used to powers to subdue the flames enough for them to get out. She'd saved both him and Kali.

"She helped save me," Damon said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Elena asked, looking at him in curiosity.

"Because she did it for you and Kali," Damon told, turning around to face her fully. "Which means that somewhere along the way, you and her decided that I was worth saving," he breathe out. "Why? I don't know, but I wanted to thank you."

"You're welcome," Elena said, nodding her head.

Slowly, Damon leaned forward, pressing his lips to her cheek in a chaste kiss. She caught him off guard though when she placed a hand on his cheek, her eyes closing for a moment as she leaned forward. Her lips met his a moment later in a kiss, his mouth falling open slightly as she pulled away.

"Elena, what are you . . .?" he started, but was unable to finish as she pulled him in for another kiss, taking him by surprise.

To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He had no clue why she was kissing him. He was with Kali and Elena was with Stefan. It made no sense in his mind, but his thoughts were soon cut short when the front door was through open, Jenna standing there with a look of shook on her face. Just by the look on the woman's face, Damon knew that he had trouble coming his way.

"Hi . . ." Elena greeted as she pulled away from Damon, leaving him standing there in a cloud of confusion.

"It's late, you should probably come inside," Jenna said curtly, glaring at Damon from where she stood.

After all he had said to her before, she couldn't help, but to glare at him. He had promised her that he wouldn't cheat on Kali with anyone. It only made matters worse that she had found him with her niece.

"Goodnight, Damon," Jenna said firmly, slamming the door shut behind her.

T

Sitting there next to Kali, Matt let out a sigh. It had been so obvious that she was exhausted, her head coming to lean on Matt's shoulder. He didn't really mind, merely watching her as she slept, a faint frown marring her lips.

"Matt?"

Matt turned his head at the sound of his name being called, finding Bonnie making her way toward him.

"How is Caroline?" Bonnie asked, her voice slightly louder than she realized.

Carefully, Matt brought a finger to his lips, gesturing her to be quiet. He didn't want to take the chance of waking Kali up since she'd finally fallen asleep.

"She's not good, Bon," he replied, running a hand through his hair.

"What happened?" she asked.

Her question made him pause for a moment, allowing him to draw in a breath.

"We were driving and Tyler heard this noise and he got," Matt paused for a moment, giving Bonnie enough time to question the 'noise'. "He got this migraine or something and he lost control of the car and…"

Matt stopped, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand as he tried to fight back the tears. At the same time, Bonnie's lips began to quiver, listening to Matt's speech.

"I thought that Caroline was fine and then," he paused again, sucking in a quick breath of air. "She wasn't."

T

Standing there, Sheriff Forbes paced back and forth by the hospital desk. She wrung her hands, looking back and forth. Everything around her was like white noise, her hands shaking as she waited for any information at all on her daughter.

"Liz," Damon called out, walking toward the desk.

She'd messaged him after she'd found out about the accident, her nerves on end. His weren't much better as he glanced around the waiting area, his eyes catching site of Kali over in the corner with the young Matt Donovan.

"I came as soon as I got the message. Is she okay?" he asked.

Damon could tell just by looking at her that the sheriff was currently at her wits end. Caroline was all that she had, unable to bare the idea of living without her. He couldn't blame her though, carefully gripping her shoulders in hopes of calming her down.

"She's in surgery, its," she paused, her eyes welling up with tears. "They're doing everything they can," she breathed out, attempting to swallow the lump in her throat. "I need your help Damon."

"Sure, anything Liz," he nodded, letting one of his hands fall to the small of her back as they walked off to the side for a bit more privacy.

"Mayor Lockwood is dead," she confessed. "They thought he was a vampire. They put him in the basement."

"Mayor Lockwood was a vampire?" he asked, playing it off as though he had no clue.

Granted, he already knew that the man was human. He hadn't been a vampire by any means. Still, he didn't understand why the man had been dragged down with the rest of them though. It didn't make any sense.

"No, no. A mistake was made, they said he dropped like the others when John's device went off, but he…" Liz shook her head, pausing as a nurse walked by. "He couldn't have been a vampire, I've known the man my whole life and now Carol Lockwood is gonna want answers and all I can think of right now is Caroline and."

That was her breaking point, tears finally slipping from her eyes as she broke down in front of him. She was always so strong, but even she had her limits. She could deal with losing her husband to another man, but what she couldn't deal with was the possibility of losing her daughter. It was tearing her up inside, leaving her unable to think clearly.

"It's alright," Damon said, wrapping his arms around the woman as she cried. "Everything is going to be alright. She'll get through."

T

Stepping through the doors of the hospital, Elena made a beeline down the hall for Bonnie, said witch having already moved away from Matt and Kali. The latter of the three was fast asleep, the second not far behind as he dozed off beside her. They were all tired given everything that had happened, emotions running on high.

"Bonnie. How's Caroline?" Elena asked, wrapping her friend in a hug.

For a moment, Bonnie didn't response, biting down on her lip as she tried to gather her words.

"She's weak, Elena," Bonnie frowned. "They don't know if she's going to make it."

"What?"

For a moment, Elena felt like she couldn't breathe, her lips twitching. She felt tears slowly running down the sides of her face as she tried to process Bonnie words, Bonnie's arms wrapping around her in a tight embrace.

"No," she whimpered, shaking her head. "There has to be something we can do? Like a spell or something?" she tried. "You can do that, right?"

Seeing the scene unfold in front of him as he stepped around the corner, Damon made his way over, hands stuffed in his pockets. Liz had been called elsewhere, the nurses wanting her to fill out some papers for Caroline. He hated seeing her cry.

"She doesn't know how, do you?" Damon asked, giving Bonnie a hard look.

The little witch stood there for a moment, attempting to work things out in her head. She knew that there was nothing that she could do though.

"No, I don't," she finally sighed, her shoulders sagging.

"No, you don't because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that," he pointed out, dragging the young witch down another peg or two. "Perhaps that's why she couldn't undo that spell like she said she could."

Glaring, Bonnie stepped forward, shoulders squared as she stared Damon in the face.

"Well, I can take down a vampire, that spell was easy to learn," she snapped, wishing she could set him a flame.

"I can give Caroline some blood," Damon offered, completely ignoring Bonnie as he spoke.

"No, no way," Elena said firmly, shaking her head.

She didn't want any part of something like that. In her mind, it was too dangerous, and she didn't want to risk it. There had to be another way to help Caroline without the use of vampire blood.

"No, no, no. Just enough to heal her," Damon assured her. "She'll be safe in the hospital and it will be out of her system in a day, she'll be better Elena."

"It's too risky, I can't agree to that."

"Do it," Bonnie suddenly said, watching the look on Elena's face as they stood there. "This is Caroline," Bonnie said, trying to make her understand.

Caroline was one of their best friends despite how shallow she seemed at times. The blonde could be down right annoying and insensitive, even with her yapping, but she was still one of their best friends. They couldn't lose her.

"Okay? We can't let her die," Bonnie told her, slowly turning toward Damon as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do it."

Her tone was one of finality, leaving no room for discussion as she spoke those two words.

"If I do this," Damon started, crossing his arms over his chest as he gestured between the two of them. "You and me, call a truce?" he grinned, trying to be as pleasant as possible.

"No," Bonnie said simply, watching as the smile on Damon's face fell, turning into one of annoyance. "But you'll do it anyway," she pointed out, before her voice turned smug. "For Elena."

With that, Bonnie turned around, walking off down the hall and leaving them alone, a look of slight confusion still resting on Elena's face. She knew that the two didn't get along, but she didn't expect her friend to hold a grudge for that long. It was like she was using things to her advantage.

"I know that this is probably the last thing you want to do right now, but we should talk about what happened tonight," Damon said, finally getting up the courage to confront her as he glanced around.

They didn't exactly have much in the way of privacy to talk, but he knew that he had to get it off his chest.

"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John," Elena pointed out.

The moment those words slid passed her lips, Damon was tossed into a loop of confusion, brows furrowing. He didn't understand when this could have happened. Even how it had managed to happen much less.

"What? What—when?" he paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "What are you talking about? After I left?" he asked.

This time, it was Elena's turn to be confused, her brow furrowing.

"Wait, you were there?" she asked, tilting her head to the side slightly.

He could have rolled his eyes at that moment, instead deciding to bite down on his lip, eyes glancing around the hall.

"Come on, Elena, you know I was."

"When were you at the house?" she asked pointedly, obviously ignoring things.

Was she trying to piss him off or something? Or perhaps she was trying to make fun of him? Regardless, he didn't find it funny in the slightest bit.

"Really?" he asked skeptically, folding his arms across his chest as he rose a brow in question. "Earlier, on the porch, we were talking, all cathartic and shit, feelings exposed?" he said as he continued to elaborate.

There was still nothing, the tip of his tongue running over the edge of his lip in frustration.

"Come on, you kissed me, Elena," he finally said, his tone blunt.

He didn't expect what happened next, the girl in front of him rolling her eyes as if he was playing some sort of game with her.

"Okay, I don't have time for this Damon," she said simply, making to leave.

Damon stopped her though as she tried to walk passed, grabbing her wrist in his hand.

"Look, if you want to forget about what happened, fine, but I can't," he said firmly.

Something like that was a little hard to forget about. It didn't help because now Jenna was pissed at him for something that he didn't even do. With that in mind, they pulled apart a moment later, said redhead walking up as she glared at Damon.

"Elena, I came as soon as I got your message. How's John?"

Blinking, Elena furrowed her brows, glancing momentarily over at Damon.

"Where have you been?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"At the fire department. I had to fill out a report," Jenna said, as though reminding her of that fact. "I told you earlier," she pushed.

Blinking, Elena stood there for a moment.

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did," Jenna said, irritated that something so important could have been forgotten.

"No, Jenna, you didn't," Elena said, shaking her head.

"Yes, I did," Jenna said firmly.

Seeing the look of confusion between the two, Damon finally came to a realization, his mouth falling open as he stood there. It hadn't been Elena. He'd been so sure that it had been, but it wasn't.

"Mmm, you've got to be kidding me," he ground out, realizing a moment later that he'd said it out loud. "I'm just gonna, yeah."

With that, he quickly walked away, leaving the two behind to discuss things. He had things to do now that Katherine was back and he wasn't about ready to let his guard down. It wasn't something that he could afford to do, not now that he had someone in his life that was worth protecting.

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