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Note: As I said before, I would take a moment to thank those dedicated users reading this story (though my thanks go to everyone), but EvaMedina, Leni18, Boomkarakrakarka05 (sorry if I spelled that wrong), aprilf00l, Geminigirl6495, and Voicegrl. You guys are simply amazing and thank you for taking the time to comment on nearly every chapter (and the last story too). Another quick note, sorry this took so long to update, I wanted to really make it strong and powerful and visual. Also, real life has taken up a chuck of my time recently. But keep on me, we're almost done. And keep reading my other stories, you know I live for comments! =) Happy weekend everyone.

PS: Let's hope TVD gets better, yes?

Chapter 36

Three cops, one snapped neck and one close encounter with a deer later Damon was back at the hospital. He jumped out of the car before he had fully put it into park and was running inside but couldn't get the door open. Was it stuck? What happened? He slammed the door again, but it wouldn't budge. What the hell? He asked himself looking around and seeing another entrance. He tried that entrance but only with the same results, he couldn't get to open. Panic slowly started to set in; but he was still thinking straight enough to grab his phone. "Stephan!" he shouted into his phone but was only replied with static. "Stephan, answer me" he shouted again.

"Damon—save her—too late—salt—" and then the line went dead. Damon snapped his phone off and stared at the door. There was salt inside, Stephan was trapped on the other side and he was trapped on the outside. And Bonnie. Too late? What did Stephan mean by that? Bonnie was fine, she had to be okay. There had to be some sort of entrance, right? He thought as he quickly ran around the building and then back to the front. He started to run around again but then noticed an open window. Three stories up. "Ah, what the hell" he said as he pushed over a dumpster. This was Bonnie after all, he would do anything to save her. Even after he hurt her again and again and again.

As he got closer his phone started to ring, "Stephan?" he asked eagerly.

"No, Elena" she replied as Damon drew in a sharp breath.

"I really don't have time for questions right but I promise—"

"If there's anything I can do to help, tell me" she said just as eagerly.

"Yeah, actually," he paused to swing inside "Stay there, don't let anyone in, and for God's sake Elena, make sure Jeremy doesn't die" he said as he clicked off the phone and quietly headed down the hall. What room was Bonnie in again? He wondered as he continued noiselessly down; he hadn't thought about bringing a stake, though maybe he should've. He should've thought about bringing something. But no, he wasn't thinking, he never thought like he should've. All emotions and when he wasn't running on emotions he was just plan angry. If he turned off his humanity, again, he could walk away. But what good would that do, would he turn it back on, would he know how?

"Damon" he heard a voice whisper. At first he thought it was Bonnie, but he knew that voice, he knew it was male.

"Stephan" he said as Damon noticed Stephan clutching his side.

"What the hell happened to you?" Damon hissed as he quickly went over to him and then saw all the blood. "Who?" he asked searching the wound as Stephan shook his head.

"Bonnie, go save her" he said still clutching his side and coughing. Damon nodded as he started down the hallway pulling out his phone.

"Elena, I lied, come get Stephan, there's a dumpster outside, climb up to the third floor, he's down the hall and wounded, hurry" he said in one long breath before hanging up. He paused for a minute, thinking of which way to go and then he heard exactly what he needed, a scream. That was Bonnie's scream. Of course it was never good to hear someone scream but at least he knew where to find her. Though he couldn't help but wonder for a split second where everyone else was. The other patients, the staff. Was there anyone when he came before? Wasn't there a secretary when he came before? Another scream jolted him out of his thoughts and he broke out into a run, down one hallway and then another.

He stopped at the door, coming face to face with exactly who thought he would. "About time you got here, wouldn't want you to miss the show" Katherine said, a knife perfectly angled at Bonnie's neck. "See Bonnie, I told you he'd come back for you" she said humorously.

"Let her go" Damon said slowly, as Katherine let out a bitter laugh. "It was you this whole time?" he asked as he took a step closer as Katherine brought the knife closer to Bonnie's throat. "Why?" he asked trying to rack his brain. "I helped you" he reminded her as Bonnie looked at him with surprise and hurt.

"I know that whole speech, and I thank you for that, but I truly believe there are some things I just can't allow. Like another cure" she said.

"Is this because Elena forced fed you the cure? If so, that's a very easy problem to solve, don't try and kill someone" he said as Katherine made a face.

"Should you really be joking at a time like this?" she asked nodding at Bonnie. "Don't you understand? Supernaturals don't get happy endings" she said. For a minute there was utter silence, you could hear a pin drop, no one was moving; Damon stared at Katherine and Katherine stared back at him, both of them daring the other to make a move.

"Fine, we'll stop" Bonnie shouted, her grimace making Damon hurt.

"Bonnie, stop talking, it will be okay. I promise" Damon said giving her the look, the one he hoped expressed all his love, all his respect and his apologies. And as easy as that Bonnie returned the look, she forgive him, she still cared and she had to believe him. "I love you" he said quietly, slowly, pronouncing every syllable. She smiled back but before she could fully open her mouth Katherine bite into Bonnie's neck.

"NO!" Damon shouted.

"Oh calm down big boy; that was just for effect" Katherine replied before shoving the knife in Bonnie's side. At first Damon didn't know what to do, but in a flash he followed Katherine out into the hallway; he pinned her to the wall, unexpectedly.

"Let go!" she snorted, obviously she thought, wrongly, that Damon was going to save Bonnie instead of chasing her down, and he should've been, but if he let Katherine escape now, that was it. They'd only keep losing, she'd only keep escaping. They stared at each, a cold dark hatred type of stare.

"This the end for you" he whispered to her as she shook her head.

"You wouldn't, for so many reasons you know you won't" she whispered back, her small smirk turning into a snarl. "You think you will, but you won't Damon, you can't pick her over me, all the consequences that cure will bring, again" Katherine explained but then the look of surprise, shock and betrayal covered her face.

"Fuck. You" Damon said carefully as he plunged his hand further into Katherine's chest.

"She's going to be the death of you Damon" Katherine stuttered out hauntingly as Damon felt Katherine's heart in his hand.

"Good to know" Damon whispered back as he tugged, feeling the veins pull away from the heart, feeling the heart stop, pulling out as Katherine watched in horror, only able to gasp and twitch until her eyes emptied, slowly closed and she stopped moving completely and slide down.

"Damon?" he heard his name but it sounded so far away, still he forced himself to look and standing at the end of the hall was Elena, holding up Stephan both of them looking him with mixed expressions as he remained standing there holding Katherine's no longer beating heart.