A/N: Welcome back! In this chapter, Rose is deteriorating quickly from her werewolf bite; and both Elena and Grace are in serious danger. It's up to Grace to defend Elena.

Sorry for the delay in uploading; I had no internet access for an entire day, and had to wait until today to do so. Shit happens.

Reviews are welcomed, flaming is not appreciated.

I don't own The Vampire Diaries. All characters (except for Grace) are owned by author L.J. Smith.

Enjoy xx

DELIRIUM

"Love is not altogether a delirium, yet it has many points in common therewith." ~Thomas Carlyle.

Minutes ticked by the longer Rose was missing from Damon's bed. He had instructed us not to let her out of our sights, and it would suck majorly – no pun intended, of course – if she had managed to get loose.

"I'm gonna check downstairs." I told Elena, who nodded and continued searching for Rose. But I had only taken a few steps out of the room when I suddenly heard Elena scream out in both fear and surprise. I raced back in to find Rose pinning Elena to the wall by her neck and in full vampire face.

"It's all your fault, Katerina." Rose declared; sounding hurt and betrayed. It was obvious that she was stuck in a memory induced by the werewolf venom. "You Katerina, you did this." I barreled forward and attempted to free Elena from Rose's powerful hands.

"It's Elena. Rose, Rose! I'm Elena!" The aforementioned girl exclaimed, also clawing desperately and fearfully at Rose's hands.

"You betrayed us!" Rose snarled.

"Rose! Snap out of it! It's not Katherine, you've got Elena!" I told her, firmly. Suddenly, Rose snaps out of her hallucination and releases Elena in horror.

"Elena?" Rose takes a step back from Elena, and I shoved Elena behind me for protection. I may be fragile as Elena was, but at least I had some basic self-defense skills and sword-fighting techniques to fall back on if I needed to. Elena didn't.

"Yes, Rose. It's me, it's Elena." Elena insisted. Rose's vampire face disappears as she returns to her senses.

"Oh my god, Elena. I'm so sorry. I don't know what's happening to me. I'm sorry." Rose apologized. Elena looked shaken, but offered Rose a reassuring smile.

"You're gonna be alright." I told Rose, who focused on my face. Frightened tears welled up in her eyes.

"My mind, I'm…"

"It was just for a second." Elena reassures her, and I nodded firmly in agreement. Rose looked at Elena with worry.

"I'm sorry, don't be scared of me." She pleaded.

"I'm not. I'm not, but you need to rest." Elena insisted as she and I helped Rose back over to lay on Damon's bed. This time, tears did start falling down Rose's cheeks.

"I'm scared." She whimpered.

"I'd consider you a fool if you weren't." I told her, offering a comforting smile which Rose weakly returned. Elena and I perched on the side or on top of Damon's bed, facing Rose.

"You're not alone. We're right here." Elena reassured Rose. She didn't look convinced, or comforted by that fact.

"Here, where's here?" Rose demanded, feverishly. Elena and I exchanged grave looks with each other. It seemed like Rose was developing memory loss as a result of the werewolf venom.

"Damon's bedroom. You're in Damon's bedroom." Elena told her.

"I want to go home." Rose whimpered. I paused, suddenly inspired again and retrieved my sketch book. I had an idea of how I could make both Rose happy, and give some sort of comfort to Damon after Rose finally passed. Elena mouthed 'what-are-you-doing?' at me and I waved at her dismissively, before Rose's crying distracted Elena.

"Tell me about your home." Elena suggested, trying to distract Rose from the pain she was obviously feeling, and to attempt to calm her down. Rose smiled nostalgically, and both Elena and I couldn't help but smile as well as how peaceful – if it was only for a second – Rose looked remembering her life 500 years ago.

"St. Austell." My sketching pencil began flying across the page in a series of strokes and scribbles. "Thirty kilometers south of London." I paused, realizing how familiar the place Rose described. "With fields and trees and horses." Rose murmured.

"Sounds beautiful." Elena commented.

"I've been there before." I realised. Rose looked at me with astonishment.

"You have?"

"When I was little. My parents used to take us there for a vacation." I explained. "It's probably changed a hell of a lot from when you last saw it. But I can picture what it probably looked like 500 years ago in my head." I grinned and resumed sketching. I just hoped that the picture I had in mind would be finished before Rose died.

"You're from England?" Rose was surprised.

"Up until I was ten, yes." I responded. "But this isn't about me, Rose. This is about you." I reminded her. "Tell us more about what you remember of your beautiful home." I encouraged her. Elena looked over my shoulder at what I was doing and a small smile spread across her face. At least, that's what I hoped I was seeing from out the corner of my eye. Rose sighed sadly and a little discouraged.

"When you live long enough, everything disappears. So much time wasted, I just wish I wouldn't have been so afraid." Rose told the both of us.

Rose discussed her life from when she was human with Elena and me with great enthusiasm, up until she passed out on Damon's bed; trailing off mid-sentence. That was when Elena and I decided to let Rose be and disappeared to do our own things. A couple of hours later, Elena remembered that Rose had violently vomited blood on Damon's bedsheets; and being stuck inside the Boarding House to baby sit her with nothing productive to do, Elena felt it was only fair to make sure that Rose would be as comfortable as possible for her final hours.

"I brought some clean sheets." Elena announced, expecting to see Rose sleeping on the bed, and myself either reading or sketching on Damon's window bench or reclining beside Rose on Damon's massive bed doing the same things. But I had chosen this opportunity to head downstairs to grab a drink. To my knowledge, Rose was still fast asleep in the bed. By the time I gotten back to Damon's room, I almost walked right into a panicked Elena.

"Elena? What's wrong?" I frowned, concerned.

"Rose isn't in there." Elena told me.

"What?" I looked passed her, and confirmed that Rose wasn't in there; just the bloodied and rumpled sheets that Rose had passed out in. "We gotta find her." I told her. Elena nodded and I seized her wrist and we searched the entire house; finishing in the Library. But Rose has seemingly vanished into thin air. Elena and I both knew that Rose hadn't left the house because the front door wasn't open and banging in the wind. Elena immediately pulled free her phone and accessed her contacts.

"I'm gonna call Damon." She announced and I nodded. It was likely that Rose was probably unstable and getting worse. We needed a vampire back up. "It's Elena. Grace and I are worried about Rose, we both think you should come home." I heard Elena telling Damon down the line. However, while she was talking to him; I hear a noise coming from another room. As Elena hung up I caught her attention.

"Did you hear that?" I asked her, frowning. Elena walked over to the door and paused. There was definite movement going on down in the basement.

"Rose?" Elena called out. I walked down into the basement with Elena hot on my heels. At the bottom, we find a discarded blood bag, which I picked up and showed to Elena. We go farther into the basement, and both of us react with horror when we find her drinking from a blood bag which she had taken from the fridge. There are a lot of emptied blood bags that had been thrown haphazardly on the floor around her. "Oh my god." Elena blurted out, drawing Rose's attention. She locked eyes with me first; and my heart launched itself into my throat when I realized how incredibly feral she looked: Rose's irises were still hazel, but her sclera had turned a vivid crimson. There were thick, pulsating dark blue veins underneath both eyes and her fangs were long and looked razor sharp. Blood was smeared gruesomely around her mouth and coated her fangs in a thin red film. Rose growled threateningly at us like a dog warning us to stay away.

"Oh, Rose…" I whispered, helplessly. Elena stupidly made a noise, drawing Rose's attention and I swore underneath my breath when she threw down the half-drunk blood bag, readying herself to launch at Elena.

"Katerina." Rose growled. Both of us froze.

"No." Elena replied. I grabbed Elena's wrist and knocked over the nearest heavy object to block Rose's path.

"Run!" I screamed at Elena and the both of us tore up the staircase. Rose was quick to pursue us.

"Rose, stop, stop, it's Elena. I'm not Katherine." Elena tried to snap Rose out of her hallucination. It seemed to work, as Rose stopped and eyed us uncertainly.

"You're hallucinating, Rose." I told her, using calm and soothing tones. "This is Elena, not Katherine." Rose shoved me aside and I landed hard on the wooden floor, while she grabbed a frightened Elena and tackles her to the floor. I instantly got to my feet and rugby tackled Rose off Elena, which gave the teen the opportunity to open a curtain. The unfiltered sunlight floods the part of the room that Rose is in and she is hurt by the sunshine; giving Elena and I the opportunity to run for our lives.

We almost make it out of the house, when Rose stops Elena and attempts to bite her. However, Elena fends Rose off by digging her fingers into her werewolf bite. I winced, knowing how much that hurts; since the bite on my shoulder still stung, even though it was partially healed. Rose screams in pain, allowing Elena to grab my wrist and we both haul ass to Stefan's bedroom. Elena quickly locks the door, and both of us push furniture in front of it to barricade ourselves in. Elena opens the curtains in front of Stefan's window and I seize a wooden chair and smash it to make two stakes from its legs.

"Elena? I know that's you and not Katherine." Rose attempts to open the door, jiggling the door handle insistently before she stops to cough and groan uncontrollably. "Elena? Grace? Please, I need your help." Rose begs us. Neither one of us wanted to kill Rose, but at the same time, neither of us wanted to die. I would like to survive long enough to see my beloved Niklaus; not become a feral vampire's chew toy. Elena and I huddle together in Stefan's room, not budging for anything; and thankful that Stefan had his own ensuite bathroom like Damon's (only not as luxurious).

It is nighttime before I finally decided to see if the coast was clear. I glanced over at Elena who had passed out on her boyfriend's bed, deep in slumber. I attempted to shove aside the furniture blocking the door as quietly as possible so I didn't wake her, and made my way downstairs to investigate Rose's whereabouts. I clutched both my crudely made stake and one of my daggers in my hands, and cautiously wondered downstairs; checking my corners as I went. The main door is open, but it doesn't fill me with comfort and I obsessively glance about for signs of danger, before turning and coming face to face with a worried Damon.

"Are you okay?" He demanded, and I studied him momentarily; trying to determine if what Rose said earlier was true and Damon had indeed started developing feelings for me. "Where's Elena? Where's Rose?" Damon questioned me, suddenly looking afraid; even more so when he sees the stake in my hand.

"I don't know where Rose is. But Elena is upstairs in Stefan's room." I told him. Damon immediately heads for the staircase and goes up it to the second floor, making a beeline for his brother's room.

"Is she hurt?"

"Shaken. But not hurt, no." I reported, as we re-entered Stefan's room. Damon goes over to where Elena is sleeping and shakes her awake. Elena's eyes open slowly and registers Damon's blank faced expression.

"Damon? What's happened? Where's Rose and Grace?" Elena immediately sits up, and begins to panic before she sees me and relaxes a little. Damon straightens up.

"That's what I'm gonna find out. You coming with, Grace?" He asks, not really waiting for an answer. I nodded immediately and followed close behind. Elena hesitated for only a few seconds before reluctantly following, since Damon hadn't really told her that she wasn't allowed to come with us.

I follow Damon as he tracks down Rose's last whereabouts. None of us say a word; as we all know that this was a very serious situation, and it is likely that there would be casualties to be found along the way. Eventually we come upon Liz and her deputies cordoning off a nearby area in the High School parking lot. We immediately approached; realizing that we had struck metaphorical gold.

"Hey." Damon hastily greets Liz who looks relieved to see him, and slightly disapproving when she glances in my direction. I was a little taken aback.

"Thanks for coming so quickly." Liz thanks him, and Damon shrugs nonchalantly.

"I was close by Liz, what happened?" Damon asked, getting straight to the point and I sidled up to him so I could hear. Liz looked like she was struggling not to say something, and was losing the battle.

"Did you have to bring them?" Liz indicated in my direction. Damon raised an eyebrow at the question and turned to look at me, only to sigh in annoyance. I frowned and turned to see that Elena had tagged along.

"Grace can take care of herself, trust me. But I have no idea why the minor is here." He responded casually. But I could tell from the tone of his voice that he was very worried. Elena opened her mouth to protest, but Damon returned to the point. "So really, what happened?" He asked brusquely. Liz reluctantly divulged the information.

"A vampire. Luckily one of my deputies discovered the body before anyone else saw him." I winced.

"Oh, shit…" I muttered underneath my breath. I felt Damon squeezing my hand in reassurance, before letting go.

"We have to secure the area then." Damon stated automatically. Liz nodded and turned towards her deputies, talking sternly and urgently to them.

"Don't cause a panic, but let's take this party into the cafeteria." I noticed Elena walking off to the side and pulling out her phone. Presumably attempting to call Stefan. I glanced over at Damon who focused entirely upon Liz, and sighed. An all-business Damon was never something you wanted to see. It usually led to trouble. "I take the east side of the school, you go west?" Liz suggested.

Damon nodded.

"Sure, okay. Come on, Grace." He grabs my wrist and drags me off in the direction indicated by Liz, with Elena trotting along behind us when she noticed. Both of us overheard her voice message to Stefan.

"Hey, Stefan, it's me. I don't know where you are but please call me. It's important." Elena urged him before hanging up and looking over at Damon and me; but mostly Damon. "Hey. Have you heard from him? Do you know what he's up to?" Elena requested. Damon looked at her sharply.

"My baby brother isn't my top priority right now." He replied dismissively. "Take this." He handed a stake to both of us. "Come on, let's go." Elena and I start casing the west side of the school like Liz instructed us with Damon taking up the rear to protect us from behind. We soon come across Rose biting into a student. "Rose, stop!" Damon shouts at Rose who immediately releases the poor girl and rushes towards Damon. He grabs Rose and pins her to the ground. I crouch cautiously beside her while Elena stands further back from us.

"Rose, Rose! It's us, it's Damon and Grace. Rose!" I shout at a violently bucking Rose. Almost immediately, Rose's vampire face recedes and turns back to normal. She turns her head and spots the girl she had attacked and bursts into tears.

"Did I do this? I never meant to hurt anyone." Rose insists to both Damon and I. "I never meant to hurt anyone." She repeats. Damon nodded, deeply concerned.

"I know." He reassures her. Rose turns her attention towards both Elena and me.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She sobs. I feel tears threatening in my own eyes.

"It's not your fault, Rose. We don't blame you, honey." I reassure her further. Damon gets to his feet and helps Rose to hers.

"Come on, let's get you home." Damon suggests to Rose, who shakes her head.

"No, I don't have a home. I haven't had a home in so long." Rose cries harder, and I turn away feeling as helpless as Damon looked. Elena had an emotionless mask on her face, as she watched Damon and me attempting to calm down the obviously frightened and delusional Rose. Suddenly Rose curls in on herself and whimpers from the pain. "Oh make it stop! Please make it stop! I hate it, make it stop!" Rose pleaded with us. Damon, without a word, scoops Rose up into his arms and starts to walk away. I glanced over at Elena, who stoops down to pick up the stake that Damon had discarded in his attempt to help poor Rose, before hurrying after my distraught best friend; who was carrying his lover back to the boarding house.

The second we arrive there, Damon immediately makes a beeline for the staircase; obviously intending on heading straight for his bedroom. I don't follow them, but Elena does. I step into her path.

"Leave them be." I advised, firmly. Elena scowls at me before ignoring what I said and continuing up the stairs. I sighed in resignation and made my way into the parlour. I walked over to one of the red velvet couches in front of the large roaring fireplace and curled up onto it after removing my shoes. It didn't look like Rose had very long to live, and I doubted that Damon would appreciate an audience witnessing the demise of somebody he cared about. My theory was proven correct when I heard Rose screaming in pain from somewhere on the second floor, and Damon sharply ordering Elena to leave. A minute later, I saw Elena wondering down the corridor on the second floor above me. A foul expression was on her face, and I saw her heading in the direction of Stefan's room. A door slamming confirmed the destination. "You still have a lot to learn, Elena." I spoke out loud, as though Elena were standing right in front of me. "When someone is grieving, or attending to somebody's deathbed, the very last thing they require is somebody being underfoot." I leaned my head against my knees and closed my eyes, allowing the warmth of the fireplace to cover me like a warm blanket. "Particularly, if they are saying goodbye…"

(A/N: This is optional, but please listen to Echo by Jason Walker while reading this next part of the story. I believe it sets the mood.)

I must've dozed off, because movement right in front of me disturbed my slumber and I looked up groggily to see Damon standing at the fireplace with his back to me, staring into the flames. His fist was clenched tightly by his side, and I knew that he struggling to hold back his emotions.

Rose was dead.

Part of me wondered if Damon realised that I was here, and I wasn't sure I wanted to test that theory or not. So I swung my feet off the couch and calmly put on my shoes and made an attempt to leave without Damon noticing.

"Leaving so soon, Grace?"

Fuck… I didn't dare turn around to face him. I knew that if I saw the tears and grief on Damon's face that it would set me off, and I couldn't bear facing that reality that Rose was gone; albeit free from her pain and suffering. I steeled myself before replying.

"I think I probably should. Give you the space you need to grieve properly." I responded and continued walking. What I didn't expect was Damon to vamp-speed in front of me, and I thudded into his chest. I made the mistake of looking up into his eyes … and that was all she wrote.

"Don't leave me." Damon sobbed and I immediately dissolved into tears as Damon's head landed heavily onto my shoulder and he buried his face into my neck. I could feel his tears soaking into the delicate skin of my throat. Damon clutched me tightly to him as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and we both fell to our knees on the Persian rug, as I supported him in his grief.

When all the tears were shed, I helped Damon bundle up Rose's desiccated body in the bloodied sheets Elena had attempted to change before Rose chased us all around the house in a blood-fueled rage brought on by the werewolf venom. Gently, and respectfully; Damon scooped up Rose and carried her downstairs to his car where he instructed me to open his trunk. He deposited Rose's body inside and closed it firmly, before he nods at me and gets into his car. It was decided earlier, after I had calmed Damon down, that it would safer and easier to just present Rose to Liz; since technically she was the vampire responsible for the deaths of all those innocent people. It killed two birds with one stone, and kept Damon, Stefan and Caroline out of the shit. I offered to help him, but Damon firmly declined; stating that it was his responsibility. So I went home, eager to put this entire day behind me.

Except that I couldn't sleep. The way that Rose had been during her final hours was haunting me, and I wasn't in the mood for a series of nightmares on top of the almost daily ones involving Mikael. So I turned to my refuge from the realities of my troubled life: painting. It had been what I had planned on doing before Damon whisked me away this afternoon. I paused, blinking at my front door before finally taking out my keys and unlocking it.

"Hello, Stranger. Where were you today?" Henrik greeted me, sounding a little put out. But he immediately sobered the second he saw the forlorn expression on my face. I know I had one; I could see it in the mirror across from where I was standing. "What's wrong?" He asked, worried about me. I avoided direct eye contact.

"Rose is gone." I mumbled.

"Gone? What do you mean? Gone where?" Henrik asked me. All I had to do was look at him, and he immediately understood. "May she find the peace she craved all these years." He prayed, solemnly. I nodded before peeling off my jacket and carelessly flinging it on the couch before snatching up my old shirt; the one I used when I did a session of painting. "What are you doing?" Henrik asked, curiously.

"Painting something for Damon." I replied. "And if I have time, painting another vision I had this afternoon." I added.

"What vision?" I raised an eyebrow at the question. Henrik was unusually curious tonight. I smiled at him.

"A vision that if it turns out to be factual, will make you an uncle one day." I told him. Henrik looked shocked before a happy little smile spreads across his face. I headed for my painting supplies and pulled out a fresh canvas, my paintbrushes and my good paints. Once I started, I did not stop until I was finished. I just hoped that Damon liked the finished product.

"You really are talented, Grace. I'm impressed." Both Henrik and I jumped in fright and turned to face the intruder, who was perched casually on one of the stools surrounding my island bench. My eyes widened in shock. "What? You weren't expecting this?"

"Rose…" I breathed. The ginger-haired vampire gave an unimpressed little snort before she smiled warmly at me.

"Some medium you are." She teased. I frowned.

"What on earth are you doing here?" I demanded. Rose hopped up from the stool and came over to me where I was standing in front of the easel.

"My original intention was to say goodbye. But judging by this painting, I think I might stick around to see Damon's reaction." She looked at me for confirmation. I nodded, a little confused that I would be earning a visit from Rose. "How did you know?" Rose was looking wide-eyed at the painting, and I blinked in confusion.

"How did I know what?" I asked her. Rose turned and frowned at me.

"What I looked like 500-years ago." Rose asked, looking a little spooked. I turned and studied the painting I had improvised in the heat of the moment. It was a head-and-shoulders portrait of Rose that I had envisioned when I was in the zone painting. In my mind, Rose had been wearing a periwinkle blue Renaissance dress, and her ginger hair was long and wavy, with a soft braid holding back her fringe from her face.

"I studied the renaissance as part of my course. Plus, I saw the movie Ever After which was set approximately the same time as you lived about 500-years ago. Then I improvised what you potentially looked like. And clearly by your reaction, I was spot on." I shrugged, modestly.

"It's exactly what she looked like that day she and that Trevor guy hid Katerina from Elijah, that night when she escaped Niklaus' ritual." Henrik piped up from where he had perched himself on the couch. I had wondered why Rose had failed to take notice of him before now. Rose turned in the direction of my little brother, shocked now that she could see him.

"You're Henrik, aren't you?" Rose guessed.

"I must be." Henrik confirmed, with a little bit of cheek. "I've been observing your every move since that night Katerina managed to escape Niklaus." Henrik stated, matter-of-factly. Rose nodded taking that in, as she did a casual eye sweep over him.

"You're so young." Rose sounded sad, and Henrik frowned. He hated being pitied.

"I'm really not you know. This body is young, but my mind is ancient; like it would have been if I had lived long enough to be turned into a vampire like my brothers and sister." Henrik insisted, defensively. It was my turn to frown this time.

"How do you know Mikael and Esther would still have turned you and your siblings into vampires if you had survived that werewolf attack?" I challenged him, not unkindly. Henrik made a face.

"It was Father's pride that made our family what they are. I'm pretty sure that anything would've set things in motion. My death was just a convenient co-incidence, so to speak." Henrik pointed out. I nodded; it made sense. Mikael, as I recall, was a man who always needed to be in control over everything. Nobody was allowed to oppose him; and if they tried, they were threatened with the business end of his sharp sword or offered a knuckle sandwich.

"Have you seen Damon?" I asked Rose gravely. The redhead looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

"He has not taken my death well." She responded. "But of course, you would already know this." Rose looked at me pointedly and I scowled defensively.

"Of course I know this. I held him in my arms while he sobbed his poor heart out." I told her before sighing heavily. "Despite what you say about his feelings for me, Rose, he cared a great deal for you also. I don't think he will be ever be entirely the same." I predicted. Rose laughed.

"Now let's not be depressing. I was a passing fancy for him. In time, he will forget all about me. But I still want to be there to see his reaction to your gift. He deserves this." Rose stated. I nodded, pulling a protective sheet over the top of the painting so it wouldn't get smeared or ruined overnight.

"Do what you wish Rose, it's not like anybody apart from me can see you." I reminded her. "But I hope that Elena isn't going to be causing her usual brand of strife tomorrow. Neither Damon nor I are in the mood to bail her out of more trouble." I mused before yawning into my hand. "I'll see you both tomorrow. Hopefully nothing bad happens between now and then." I hoped.

Of course, it turned out that those words I said before bed, turned out to be my famous last words. Only I didn't learn about them until I clicked on the TV while going through my morning routine. Both Rose and Henrik were seated upon the couch and bar stool, morosely watching the TV set as I walked in with a piece of toast dangling from my mouth as I fussed around with my hair, pulling it into a high ponytail. I frowned at them, curiously.

"What's the matter with the both of you?" I demanded. Rose merely raised a finger and pointed towards the TV. I turned and groaned audibly. A tall thin blonde news reporter, whom I vaguely remembered was called Andie Star was on screen grimly giving a breaking news report.

"The authorities believe last night's assailant may also be related to the missing campers and park ranger who have yet to be found, as well as 25-year-old Jessica Cohen, reported missing this morning." She reported. I closed my eyes and gathered every bit of patience I owned.

"Goddamnit, Damon!" I growled, as I turned and walked from the room. Rose looked after me shrewdly.

"How do you know that Damon is the culprit behind these murders?" She questioned me. Henrik filled her in.

"Because this is how he reacts whenever he is angry or grieving." He explains to a shocked Rose. "This is his mechanism of coping with something he doesn't want to deal with without flicking off the switch." Henrik sinks back further into the couch cushions and crosses his arm over his chest as I walked back into the room, carefully placing down the neatly wrapped up painting from last night on the coffee table. I shrugged on my leather jacket.

Andie Star continued talking.

"The sheriff's department says investigations are pending and no further comment will be made. In related news Mayor Lockwood spoke earlier today…" I reached for the remote and switched off the TV set. Rose still looked stunned that Damon would have that sort of reaction to her passing.

"I never knew he cared that much. I just thought I was something to keep him warm at night." Rose commented. I rolled my eyes.

"You thought wrong then." I replied, before picking up my keys, purse and the painting. "Shall we?" I asked her. Rose frowned.

"Where are you going?" Rose got to her feet and followed me to front door. Henrik trailing behind.

"Paying Damon a visit." I replied simply.

"But weren't you there yesterday?" Rose asked. I nodded. "So why didn't you just stay there overnight." I frowned in annoyance.

"A) Because I wanted to let him grieve in peace, B) I was tired and over the entire day and C) My painting supplies were here." I responded. "Also, I'm kicking myself for not staying over there with him, because what occurred last night might not have happened otherwise, and I should've remembered that. In addition to giving him my painting, I'm also gonna kick his well-toned ass." I reported with a determination, before blinking at Henrik when he made to walk out the door with Rose and me. "You're coming too, Henrik?" I queried. He nodded.

"Something tells me that this is something I can't miss. Don't worry, if you don't hear from me as much. I'm still here, just observing today that's all." He reassured. Rose and I nodded before walking out of the apartment. We piled into my car and drove towards the Boarding House.

"I'm beginning to think I should get the brothers to reserve me a parking spot in their garage, I'm such a frequent visitor." I muttered underneath my breath. My ghostly companions sniggered as I parked my car, grabbed the painting I had made for Damon and headed for the front door of the mansion. Rose and Henrik simply materialized to my side. I jumped in surprise. "I'll never get used to how you do that." I hissed at them, resentfully. I let myself into the house and strode confidently down the main corridor. I paused, listening for somebody's voice. Hearing nothing, I climbed the staircase, followed closely by both Rose and Henrik, and almost immediately heard raised voices coming from Stefan's bedroom.

"Trouble in paradise?" Henrik questioned, believing the raised voices to belong to both Stefan and Elena – whom I thought would've been at school right now, before I remembered that it was a Saturday – in the midst of an argument.

"You brought back John Gilbert? That was your big 'save Elena' move?" Came Damon's incredulous raised voice. I held back an amused snort, as Henrik flushed red and Rose smirked.

"Well, dear brother. That would be the case if they were in a romantic relationship." I chided playfully. "But that would be called 'incest', and is typically frowned upon in most respectable societies." I told him, glad that Henrik was incorporeal, as his hand merely fazed right through me when he took an annoyed and embarrassed swipe at me. "And probably in the supernatural world as well." I added, turning to Rose for back up. Rose looked disgusted by the mere thought. We both focused upon Stefan's slightly ajar bedroom door, once again eavesdropping on the conversation.

"I went to go look for Isobel, and I get John instead. He said that he can help us, and we're desperate." Stefan insisted. Both Damon and I scoffed.

"We're not that desperate, Stefan. The guy tried to barbecue me!" Damon protested, and I froze at what he said.

This John guy tried to do what?

I strode closer to the door; ignoring the alarmed looks on both Rose and Henrik's faces. Stefan sighed impatiently.

"Damon, Bonnie's new witch friend is working with Elijah." My eyes widened at this little piece of information. Did this witch have anything to do with what Elijah had been doing with Elena recently? "So we have to assume that the moonstone was never destroyed. Elena is putting a lot of faith into some deal that she made with Elijah to keep everyone safe. I mean, do you trust Elijah? I don't trust him." Stefan ranted on and on, apparently not realizing that Damon had gone quiet the moment Stefan had asked him if he trusted my brother or not. "He's an Original, he can't be trusted." Says who? "It's not like we can just go up and kill him, because apparently he can't die!" Stefan stated. I peered through the ajar door and noticed that Damon had his back to the doorway, and Stefan was – thankfully – not within notice. Finally, Damon sighed.

"The difference between you and me, Stef, is that I do trust Elijah." Damon retorted bluntly.

"You do?" Stefan sounded incredulous. "Since when?" He demanded. Damon made an irritated noise underneath his breath.

"Since Grace allowed me to gain access to one of her memories. That's when I saw how Elijah used to be, before he changed and became who we know now." Damon explained succinctly. Stefan frowned.

"What Elijah used to be?" Stefan echoed, probably believing that Damon would dish out the information. I bristled, hoping that Damon wouldn't be so stupid as to reveal something as personal as what I showed him to Stefan. Damon immediately shut down.

"Not important, and also none of your business." I relaxed visibly, and looked back at Rose and Henrik with shock.

"Well, I'll be damned." Rose blurted out, impressed.

"I'm still waiting for the part where John Gilbert is the answer." Damon attempted to steer the conversation back on point.

"He knew about the sacrifice, Isobel told him. He said he knew of a way to keep Elena safe." Stefan eventually revealed.

"And how do we do that?" Damon asked.

"He's not talking. At least not to me, anyway." Stefan explained. Damon growled underneath his breath. This was obviously not something he needed right now; considering Rose had just died only yesterday and he was obviously still touchy about the subject. Pretty sure, none of us needed this at this moment.

"Great work, Stefan." Damon told him, sarcastically. "Top notch. As if I didn't have enough problems." Heavy footsteps approached the bedroom door and I quickly hurried away from it.

"Hey…" Damon's footsteps stopped. "I'm sorry about Rose." Stefan said, regretfully. Rose stiffened beside me; her eyes widening at being mentioned. I groaned; Stefan had the worst timing ever.

"Whatever. I knew the woman for five minutes." Damon replied dismissively, and Rose looked hurt.

"Don't worry about it. He's still grieving, he doesn't mean what he says." I reassured her. Stefan didn't look like he believed him.

"And you cared about her after five minutes. I wonder what that means?" He asked, pretending to really think about the proper answer to this question. Damon snarled at him.

"It means I care, Stefan. It means that I'm changing, evolving into a man capable of greatness." Damon stated, but I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic about that, since he already confessed that he trusted Elijah in spite of the fact that he was planning on taking Elena away to Niklaus eventually. But part of me believed that it was because Elijah was associated with me; and I was known to see the good in people, and my instincts were never usually wrong.

But hey, I'm due to be wrong sometime, right?

Damon glared sharply at Stefan. "Better watch your back, because I may have to go get a hero-hairdo of my own and steal your thunder." Damon sniped at Stefan, and I frowned. Now he was being sarcastic. That was a relief, for a second I thought that Damon had had a lobotomy. His heavy footfalls sounded again and I sprang to attention when Stefan's bedroom door opened revealing Damon, who blinked at me in astonishment.

"Hey, Damon." I greeted him. He nodded, but didn't smile in reply. "Where are you off to? Or is it private?" I asked tentatively. Damon sighed and turned me around to walk along with him.

"I'm going to talk with John Gilbert; the thorn in my fucking side." He explained, rather bluntly. I nodded. So no love lost between them apparently.

"You need some company?" I offered. Damon glanced down at the package in my hand and stopped mid-step, raising an eyebrow at it and ignoring my question momentarily.

"What's that?" He asked, as we both dodged Stefan who came walking down the corridor with a slightly worried expression on his face. He greeted me absently as he went by. Wordlessly, I held up the painting to Damon who looked surprised. "For me?" He asked. I nodded and Damon immediately tore off the wrapping paper. His eyes widened at the portrait, and Rose, Henrik and I waited with baited breath for his reaction.

"I figured you'd what something to remember her by. She obviously meant a great deal to you, regardless of how strongly you deny it." I told him. Damon didn't say anything; he was still looking at the portrait of Rose's face. The real Rose came up beside Damon and smiled at him warmly.

"I just wish I could hug him one last time." Rose admitted to me, with frustration. I smiled sadly. Eventually, Damon looked over at me and I held my breath, waiting for his response.

"This is beautiful. Thank you, Grace. I don't know what I'd do without you." Damon confessed, before pulling me into a very tight embrace. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and tried not to pass out from the lack of oxygen circling around my lungs.

"Oh, be in all kinds of strife I expect." I teased, sticking my tongue out at him playfully. Damon rolled his eyes before pulling away from me and planting a kiss on my cheek. He seized my hand and tugged me along to the opposite end of the mansion and into his bedroom.

"With all my love." I heard Rose call out before she disappeared. I glanced over at Henrik questioningly.

"She's gone." My eyes widened in dismay. "Not permanently, Grace." Henrik rolled his eyes. "She'll be back whenever you need her. She made me tell you that." My little brother rolled his eyes, with feigned annoyance. I glanced over at Damon who seemed to be lost in thought.

"What are we doing in here?" I asked, warily. Damon snorted.

"Finding a spot to hang this." Damon replied, like it should've been obvious. I felt rather foolish.

"Oh, well. Why not here?" I suggested walking over and placing my hand on a vacant strip of wall that lead towards the bathroom. Damon scrutinized my choice before he smiled in approval.

"Good choice." He complimented me before leaving the room momentarily to retrieve something to hang the portrait on the wall. I sighed, and dug around in my bag for some quick and easy wall hangers that I had brought along with me; anticipating that Damon would've liked what I gave him and would've wanted to hang the picture immediately. I quickly and easily mounted the canvas on the wall, moments before Damon walked back, carrying a hammer and some nails.

"All done. Shall we go and interrogate this John guy now?" I asked a slightly bewildered Damon, much to Henrik's mirth.

A/N: Nice knowing you Rose. See you in a few chapters :)

Please review. TTFN ;)