Nursing a Sick Vampire:
"Hey!" Matt called to Beth. She turned to see him smiling at her. He walked up to her. She was on her way out to go to the boarding house from the barbeque. Damon just called and told her that a werewolf bit Rose. She was going to go rummage through her grimoires to find a cure. "Leaving so soon?"
"Yeah, I forgot I said I was going to go help a friend study for that History essay that's due Monday." She told him as an excuse. She hated to lie to him but it was necessary. She just wanted to find something as quick as she could about trying to fight off this werewolf bite. Damon and Rose got close, even though he wouldn't admit it so she needed to find something to help.
"Oh okay." He nodded, slightly disappointed but understood. He wasn't doing so well in History either. "Yeah, I'm trying to work on that too. How are you feeling?" She seemed to have her color back and looked more like herself.
"Yeah, just a virus but I'm better. Thanks." She smiled at him. She was surprised he of all people noticed she was sick. She then saw Tyler talking to Caroline. She was glad that he made it through the full moon okay but wasn't inclined to talk to him. Matt saw who she was looking at.
"You two still fighting?" He asked. He knew that Tyler had been looking all around for her. Whatever he did, it made her really upset if she was avoiding him. She nodded. "You want to talk about it?" He offered. She just shrugged. He knew Tyler could be a jerk sometimes but he wasn't around her. Beth had a way of bringing out the best in everyone, without trying. "He probably just lost his head for a minute. He feels really bad." He defended his friend. He could tell she missed him.
"Yeah, well he seems fine now." She said as she saw him smile wide at Caroline, happily. He obviously wasn't thinking about her. "About that history essay did you want help?" She asked turning to him. She could definitely use a bit of normal with everything that was going on.
"Yeah that'd be great. Thanks." He smiled.
"Okay, awesome. I'll call you later and we can study." She smiled back at him. She saw Tyler coming over. Beth didn't want to talk to him. "Okay, great I'll see you later then." She walked away before; Tyler could reach them and faintly heard him calling her name.
Tyler ran up to where Beth was but she was already walking away. He sighed seeing her walk away. He deserved it but he wanted to apologize. He hurt her and he just wanted to protect her. "How pissed is she?" He asked Matt sadly.
"More upset than pissed. You seriously messed up, man." He told him truthfully. Though she tried to hide it by being indifferent, he knew that she was upset. Tyler ran a hand through his hair frustrated. It made it worst that he upset her. Caroline had already chewed him out about it but she wouldn't talk to him. "She misses you too, though." He patted his shoulder as they saw her get in her car and drive away.
xxxxx
"Damon?" Beth called out as she entered the boarding house. She walked into the empty living room. She put her bag on the couch. "Rose?" She called out again. She didn't see anyone so she walked up the stairs to Damon's room. She saw Rose, in vampire mode holding Elena against the wall of his bedroom. "Rose! Let her go Rose!"
"You betrayed us!" She hissed at a scared Elena. Beth didn't understand what she was talking about.
"I'm not Katherine!" Elena yelled at her and Rose's expression seemed to soften. Beth understood. She was getting worst. She thought Elena was Katherine and her mind was blurring with the time.
"Rose, let her go. It's Elena, not Katherine." Beth said calmly placing a hand on her arm. She looked at her and Beth nodded, trying to get her to calm down. Rose removed her hand.
"Oh my God, Elena, I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me. I'm sorry." Rose said disappointed with herself. Elena and Beth exchanged a look.
"You're going to be all right." Elena assured her as the girls walked over to Damon's bed.
"My mind, I'm…"
"It was just for a second." Beth told her comfortingly as she had Rose climb in the bed. Beth climbed up too and sat close to her.
"I'm sorry, don't be scared of me." Rose asked the girls. She looked pale and was warm. She was really sick. It was attacking her body like a virus plus it was messing with her mind.
"We're not." Elena said and looked to Beth for some help.
"We're not." Beth agreed with a small smile. "But you need to rest." She told her and Rose laid down on the pillows. Elena sat near the edge of the bed too. Both girls knew that she needed them right now.
"I'm so scared." Rose admitted. She sounded almost childlike and Beth wished there was something she could do to help. She needed company and someone to talk to. Damon would be out looking for a cure so she didn't want to disturb him.
"You're not alone." Beth promised her. "We're here."
"Here? Where's here?" Rose asked confused sitting up a bit but Elena made her lay back down.
"Damon's bedroom. You're in Damon's bedroom." Elena assured her she was safe.
"I want to go home." She said sadly.
"I know you do." Beth told her and she gently took her hand. Rose threw her an appreciative look. She knew that if she were in her position she would want someone to talk and stay with her. "Tell us about it."
"St. Austell, 30 kilometers south of London. With fields and trees and horses." Rose remembered it exactly. She felt fantastic there. She was so happy. Everything was calm and she didn't have to be afraid or run. She could just live.
"Sounds beautiful." Elena smiled.
"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted, I wish I hadn't been so afraid." Rose told them. That was truly her greatest regret. She wishes it had been different. Beth squeezed her hand.
"Shh, sleep." She told her. "We'll be back." She and Elena stood up. They left the room. They didn't say anything about her health for fear of her hearing them. "I'm going to go look throw my grimoire to see if I can find anything. Will you get clean sheets?" She asked.
"Of course." She gave her a small nod and they split up. She grabbed her bag from the living room and grabbed the grimoires and sat in the library. She was there for what seemed like hours looking for a cure but found nothing. She was sitting there going through it again when she heard a noise. The sun was slowly going down. She walked into the living room but saw nothing, only the door open. She went upstairs and went into Damon's room.
"Elena? Rose?" She asked when she saw it was empty. She walked out having a bad feeling and went into the living room. She walked through the house and then tried Stefan's room. "Elena!" She yelled when she couldn't get in. Elena finally opened the door, looking shaken up with a stake in her hand.
"Rose flipped out. She attacked me. Where is she?" She asked.
"I don't know. I didn't see her in the house. I was in the library and the door was close. I didn't hear anything." She told her and she ran down the stairs with Elena on her heels. She shrieked a little when she bumped into Damon. He grabbed her hands.
"Hey, it's just me. What happened? Are you okay?" He asked and he looked around. "Where's Rose?"
"We don't know." Elena said. Damon looked worried as he looked to the open doors of the house. They quickly filled him in on what happened with Rose.
"Stay here. Elena and I are going to try and find her." He said as he pushed Elena in front of him. He stopped at the door to look at Beth once more. "Keep looking." He had pleading eyes as he closed the door.
She went back to looking through the grimoires, staying in Damon's room. It was hard to stay concentrated when she was worried about them but she tried. She hated that when Damon came back she was going to have to tell him that she didn't find anything. She wished that there were something she could do. She was caught up in her thoughts when she saw Rose coming in and she helped her to the bed. "I'm sorry. I don't like hurting people." She apologized quietly.
"I know. Shh, it's ok." She comforted her as she sat next to her. In the short time she's known her, she knew she was only trying to keep herself and Trevor alive. They were silent for a few minutes until they heard Damon come in.
"Hi there." He said with a half-hearted smirk. Beth knew it was there to hide the pain. He looked at Beth and she shook her head. They both knew what that meant. There wasn't a cure.
"I'm sorry." Rose apologized again.
"You went on a murderous rampage, it happens." He shrugged. Elena entered the room, looking slightly nervous and Rose turned to her.
"I'm sorry, Elena. I don't like taking human life. I never had."
"You shouldn't be here." Damon told Elena coldly.
"It's the worst part about it: the hunt, the need to kill, the thirst, the pleasure it brings you after. I wasn't meant to be evil. It hurts." She told them sadly. Damon knew what she was talking about but it wasn't making anything better.
"Then, stop talking about it!"
"Damon's a lot like me. He wants to care but when he does he runs away from it." She said thoughtfully to Elena and Beth. "I'm sorry for what I've done today."
"I know." Elena told her.
"And you need to fight. I know that you're scared but you need to do it anyways." She started coughing and Elena came forward and sat next to her, and put a hand under her neck. "Why are you so nice to me?" She addressed both girls.
"Us, humans." Elena rolled her eyes, playfully. Rose gave her a small smile.
"You can never forget it, what it's like to be human. It haunts me. It's the only thing that's kept me going. It doesn't hurt as much any more." They had a moment of silence before she cried out in pain. She started to wither from the pain and she screamed again. Elena stood up and backed off as Damon came towards her and replaced Beth's seat and held her.
"What do we do?" Elena asked scared.
"Go!" He yelled at her. She tried to argue but he was persistent. "Just go! I got this." He told her and she reluctantly left him to a screaming Rose. Beth didn't move though. "Beth…" He said in a warning voice.
"I'm not leaving."
"Oh God! Make it stop! Make it stop! I can't take it anymore, make it stop!" Rose screamed out. Damon tightened his hold on her. Beth kneeled besides the bed. She finally grabbed Rose's hands in her own and muttered under her breath. Suddenly, Rose started to calm down as Beth continued to talk under her breath. "What did you do?" She asked softly as she stopped.
"I made the pain go away for a bit." She told her. Damon was surprised at how well it worked. It was only temporary but it helped her a bit. Damon looked at her and nodded thankfully. She smiled, slightly. She was just glad she wasn't in pain anymore.
"Even after everything?" She asked and Beth nodded. "Thank you." Rose said to her. No one had done that for her. She was usually alone and no one cared enough to help her. Rose gave her a tired smile. She reminded her of what humans could really be like. "Never change, Elizabeth. You're a kind and powerful soul." She leaned in closer and whispered in her ear. "He needs you. He loves her but he needs you. " Damon met Beth's eyes before averting them. Rose smiled at her. "You're going to be okay."
"You will too." Beth said quietly. Rose squeezed her hand. Damon looked at Beth and nodded to the door. He didn't want her to see this. Beth knew what was going to happen. "Sleep." Beth told her before standing up and leaving them alone.
Beth waited in the living room with Elena. Neither of them said a word, they knew what had to happen. It would be less painful then the alternative, which would hurt for days. They didn't have to wait long when Damon gave down with her body. "Leave. I'll handle this." He told them, coldly as he walked out the door.
"He's hurting." Elena told her and they both knew that. She stood up and grabbed her bag. She went to the door. "You coming?" She asked.
"No, I'm going to stay here." She said and Elena looked like she didn't want to leave her. "I'll be fine. I'll call you later." She promised. Elena nodded and left. She knew that she wanted to talk to Damon alone. She knew that maybe she might be able to comfort him.
Beth was sitting on the couch, slowly falling asleep when she heard the front door open and shut. She rubbed her eyes and sat up to see Damon walking in, looking indifferent to hide his distraught. "You were supposed to leave." He told her as she got up.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay." She said as she walked over to the bar and poured him a drink. He looked like he needed and she knew that's what he was going to do anyways. He gladly took it and downed the whole thing.
"I appreciate the gesture. I'm just glad it's over."
"I don't believe that and you know it." She replied and even though he tried to hide it, he was upset. "Damon…"
"Go home, El. Get some rest it's a whole new day tomorrow." He told her as thought he didn't care.
"I know that you're hurting, Damon." She said to him.
"What do you want to hear?" He asked putting his hands up. Beth could see how he was in pain though. "That I cared about Rose. That I'm upset? Well, I didn't and I'm not!"
"Don't try and turn it off, Damon! Don't pretend not to feel." She told him.
"I feel, El, okay? And it sucks!" He told her. For a moment the shield was let down. He took a step towards her. "What sucks even more was it was supposed to be me! Jules was coming after me."
"And you feel guilty, it's not your fault." Beth assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder and he didn't stop her. The simple touch, made him not completely hate himself. He wouldn't admit it but he was in so much pain, he didn't think it was possible. He made a mistake and he cared and it bit him in the ass.
"That would be human of me wouldn't it? Well, I'm not human!" He yelled.
"You feel and I know it hurts. I know what it's like and it hurts like hell but that's how it is. It'll pass, Damon. Don't shut it off though." She asked softly. He just stared at her, his face unreadable. She knew that her words might not help with the state he was in. She always heard those words when her mother died and it didn't sink in till later. It didn't seem to have any affect on him. She wrapped her arms around him and he didn't move at first. After a moment she felt him slowly hug her back.
"You should get home. It's been enough doom, gloom and personal growth for one night." He told her pulling back and she nodded. She knew that he needed some time to himself. He needed to grieve. She walked to the door and with one final look to Damon who poured himself another drink, she left.
