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Purification? Would that take away the wood or would it just leave Da it, anyway, and she was getting desperate -

because Das of Purification eluded her

Suddenly, a huge shudder - a convulsion - went through Damon’s entire body Elena heard broken words behind her

"Love, love - you real y have to let hi in - in intolerable pain, just because you’re keeping him here,"the voice said, and it was Stefan’s Stefan, ould never lie to her

For just an instant Elena wavered, but then a blazing rage cath to cry hoarsely, "I won’t! I won’t ever let hiht! Let ive you strength You drink it!"

She fuave enough, it would give Daht off the wooden fibers that were Stillspreading through his body

Elena slashed at her throat Maybe subconsciously she avoided doingher carotid artery, but if so it was entirely subconsciously She simply reached down, found aout Bright red arterial blood, that even in the semi-darkness was the color of hope

"Here, Damon Here! Drink this As ot into the best position that she could, hearing but not hearing Stefan’s horrified gasp behind her at the recklessness of her slashing, not heeding his grip on her

But - Damon didn’t drink Not even the heady blood of his Princess of Darkness - and how did the phrase go? It was like rocket fuel coirls’veins Now it just ran out of the sides of hishis black shirt and pooling in his leather jacket

No

Da you Please I’ you for ether

Damon didn’t move Blood spil ed into the ain It was as if Daive up human blood? Well, I have - forever"

Oh, dear God, please

Elena was dizzier than ever now Outside events passed dihtly bobbed a person out deep in the swell s She was entirely focused on Da she did feel Her bravery - Da froo of her and now she couldn’t hold herself up any longer

She fel right on top of her blood and Daainst his cheek

And his cheek was cold Even under the blood, it was cold

Elena never knehen the hysterics began She si on Da him She had never properly cursed hi, that wasn’t just a sound She was once again screaan the promises Promises that deep in her heart, she noere lies She was going to find a way to fix hi to save hi so as to not face the truth

"Da, when she was talking softly in her new husky, hoarse voice

"Da for me Just squeeze my hand I know you can do that Just squeeze one of my hands"

But there was no pressure on either of her hands Only blood that was turning sticky

And then the ain heard Damon’s voice - very faintly - in her head

Elena? Don’tcry, darling It’s notas bad as Stefan said I don’t feel , except on el

Because of the miracle, Elena steadied herself He’d cal ed Stefan "Stefan"and not "little brother"But she had other things to think about right now He could Stillfeel things on his face! This was important information, valuable information

Elena immediately cupped his cheeks with her hands and kissed hiain Can you feel that?

Forever, Elena, Damon said I’lltake that with me It’s part of me nowdo you see?

Elena didn’t want to see She kissed his lips - icy cold - again And again

She wanted to give hiood to think about Damon, do you rehts went out, when I wasfor the Haunted House decorations I almost let you kiss me then - before I even knew your na out of the darkness

Da i the first girl I couldn’t Influence right away We hadfun together - didn’t we?

Soether I’ll take that with ht Don’t confuse hione to that "party"only to save Stefan’s life

She told hi!

Damon sent slowly, fuzzily, I’m sorryI’ve been so horrible lately Tellher that Bonnie Tell her

Elena steadied herself I’ll tell her I’ you?

It was a rhetorical question, so she got a shock, when Damon only answered slowly and sleepily Did Itake a vow to tell you the truth?

Yes, Elena lied instantly She needed the truth from him

Thenno, to be honestI can’t I don’t seem to havea body now It’s co hurts anymore And - I alh

You’re not alone! Oh, Damon, don’t you know that? I’ll never, ever let you be alone Elena choked, wondering how to make him believe her Just for a few more secondsnow

Here, she sent in a telepathic whisper, I’ll give you my precious secret I’ll never tell anyone else Do you remember the motel we stayed in on our road trip, and how everyone - even you - wondered what happened that night?

A very unsure now

Ohyes I re

Because Shinichi took yourthat hateful name would revivify Damon But it didn’t Like Shinichi, Daainst his cold and bloody one I held you, darling, just like this - well, alht That was all you wanted, to not feel alone

There was a long pause and Elena began to panic in the few parts of her that were not numb or already hysterical But then the words ca me your precious secret

Yes, and I’ll tell you so even more precious No one is alone Not really No one is ever alone

You’re withmore, Elena promised him And I’ll always be with you No one is alone; I proe now Not pain

But I have to tell youwhat I know you already know How I fell in love with youyou’ll reet you? How could I ever forget you?

But Da on and suddenly Elena knew that he couldn’t hear her, not even by telepathy anymore

Will you remember? For me? Just thatI loved once - just once, really, in my whole life Can you reme His voice faded

Elena was so dizzy now She knew she was Stilllosing blood fast Too fast Her mind was not sharp And she was suddenly shaken by a fresh storain - there was no one to yel at Daone away He had run aithout her

She wanted to fol ow Nothing was real Didn’t he understand? She could not iine a universe, no matter how many dimensions there were, without a Damon in it

There was no world for her, if there was no Da nor caring what she was doing, she plunged deep, deep into Da at the wooden connections that she found everywhere And, at last, she found herself plunging into the very deepest part of himwhere a little boy, the metaphor for Damon’s unconscious, had once been loaded with chains and set to guard the great stone that Dahtened, she thought Whatever the cost, he htened

Now she saw him The child-Damon As always, she could see in the sweetly rounded face, the sharp-cheekboned young man that Damon would become, in the wide black eyes, the potential for his look of fatho, the child’s look was open and welco, in a way that Damon’s older self had never been And the chainsthe chains were gone The great stone was gone too

"I knew you’d come,"the boy whispered, and Elena took him into her arms

Easy, Elena told herself Easy He’s not real He’s what’s left of Damon’s mind, the deepest part of his hindbrain But Still, he’s even younger than Margaret, and he’s just as soft and warm No matter what, please God, don’t let hi to hie in the wide, dark child eyes that turned up to her face "I’ht never talk to you again And - he - you know - he left so more, so he sent them to me"

Elena understood If there was anywhere the wood had not reached, it was into this last part of the brain, the h this infant

But before she could speak herself, she saw that there were tears in the child’s eyes and then his body spas out, she guessed

"Does it hurt?"she asked, trying to believe that it didn’t

Desperate to believe it

"Not so , she realized Still, he hadn’t shed any tears He had his pride, this child-Dae for you,"he said "He told me to tel you that he’l always be with you And that you’re never alone That no one is real y alone"