Nyra's POV
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I CHECKED IN Aunt Jenna's room, she was soundlessly sleeping, I could barely sleep, I kept dreaming about last night, my time with Klaus.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret putting myself forward like that, it saved Jenna's life, she wouldn't be here if I hadn't promised, but the thought still made me sick to my stomach and that didn't go away knowing that Klaus was still alive and could reveal what we agreed upon at any moment.

I sighed and turned around only to come face to face with Damon, I jumped at his sudden appearance. "Damon." I put my hand to my chest and breathed out. "There is a thing called using the front door, you know."

"Sorry." He chuckled. "How are you?"

"I'm ok." I nodded my head.

"You look like you've barely slept."

I just half smiled, "It wasn't the best night of sleep I've had." I told him.

"And Jenna?"

"She's putting on a brave face." I shrugged slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I actually came to apologize."

"Apologise?" I repeated. "You want to apologize to me?" He nodded. "Well... that's a rare sight," I commented. "What exactly for?"

"For force-feeding you my blood. I was wrong."

I looked down towards the ground, "Yes, you were."

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I need it." It was scaring me how sad he looked. Why was he apologizing now? You would have thought this would be the conversation we would have had before the sacrifice.

"What's brought this on?" I asked him.

"I guess almost losing re-evaluated things." He spoke. "So can you?" He asked. "Forgive me that is."

"I can forgive for a lot of stuff, Damon," I told him. "But there are some things I need more time on."

He nodded at me. "Sure, of course." He then smiled at me.

"It doesn't have to change anything, we can still be like we are, but for me to forgive you completely, I just need time," I said softly. "It doesn't mean I never will."

"Take all the time you need." He stepped forward and cupped my face, kissing my forehead quickly and softly. I pulled away and closed my eyes.

I think I had already forgiven him.

As much as I hated it, I had.

I was no longer angry at him for it and that terrified me that I would just let him off the hook that easily. I should hate him, but I don't. I needed to tell him that. Especially after he was with me when he broke off the news of my mom's death.

I opened my eyes, but he was gone. I quickly grabbed my coat and headed for the car. I couldn't stand that I just told him I hadn't forgiven him yet, I needed to tell him I had. Something in me kept nagging that it had to be now. I was too lazy to get changed so I just put on my boots and coat over my Pjs and headed for my car.

I parked right outside the house and headed in the usual unlocked door. I closed it behind me and headed in. It was pretty quiet, I wonder if Damon was here or whether he had headed to the grill after he had come to see me.

He acted so strangely and I could only put it down to how he believed he was going to lose me in the sacrifice.

I moved further into the house and it was there that I found Damon. He was by the window, and as I looked closer I could see smoke coming out of him. His skin was beginning to turn red and I could hear him grunt in pain.

He was...Burning.

My reflexes took her, I went into panic mode and couldn't control what I was doing. I ran towards him and swung the curtains shut. "What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at him, he opened his eyes and was surprised to see me. "Can't you see how much I care about you? How could you be so stupid?" I cried and shoved him. "I've just lost my birth father and my mom!"

He opened his mouth to speak but was tackled to the ground, it happened so fast that I couldn't see who it was. At first, I thought it could be Klaus, coming to finish it all off, but I caught a glimpse as they sped down into the basement.

Stefan.

What the hell was going on?

I ran down after them both to see Stefan locking Damon in the cell.

I suppose it was only a matter of time before it was his turn in there.

"You're not dying today." I heard Stefan say to Damon.

"What is going on?" I asked Stefan.

"Stefan," Damon said warningly.

"You really don't think she deserves to know?" Stefan asked him.

"Deserve to know what?" I was ignored as the brothers had their stupid stare down, "Would someone please answer me?"

"Don't bring her into this!"

"Last night, when Damon rescued Tyler, something happened," Stefan spoke to me softly.

"Stefan." Damon snarled from inside the cage, trying to get the door open.

"He was bitten."

"What?" Tyler bit Damon? But that means... I actually stumbled back as the news felt like it literally hit me. I looked into the eyes of Damon and could see the pain in his face and this confirmed what Damon had just said.

Even though it would be cruel, I would have loved Stefan to just say he was joking right now. That is why Damon came over to apologize, I knew something was up, and that made me feel even worse about what I said. "What can we do?"

"You can't do anything." Damon snapped.

"There must be something, there's always a cure."

"You saw what happened to Rose."

"I'm going to find a way out of this," Stefan said to me.

"Oh, right. A miracle cure." Damon rolled his eyes. "Good luck with that one."

I was going to argue with him, but if this was going to be my last day with him, that was not what I wanted to spend it doing. It didn't feel real, heck, to be it wasn't real.

"I've got Bonnie looking for something, anything."

We've gotten out of so many situations, we just have to find a way out of this.

I couldn't imagine the future without Damon, I wouldn't imagine it. Bonnie could find a cure, there must be one, and there is always one. It's funny how I haven't even known Damon for a year, but yet he has had this big impact in my life and I wasn't ready to let that go, I don't think I'd be ever ready to let that go.

I couldn't let it go.

"Always the hero, Stefan." I shook my head and turned away. "Just tell me goodbye, get it over with."

"You wouldn't give up on us so why should we give up so easily on you?"

"Because there's no hope." He shot back.

"Don't talk like that," I told him. "There was no hope for us, but look, I'm still standing."

"Lie still. Conserve your strength." Stefan told him and began to walk up the stairs.

"I'm going to stay here," I said.

"Adnyra-"

"No." I quickly said, "Don't bother. I'm not changing my mind."

He nodded, "Call me if something happens."

I nodded and waited for Stefan to be gone. I unlocked the door and slid myself in. Damon looked up at me and shook his head. "You shouldn't bother, I'm a dying man."

"How can you ask me not to bother?" I sat by him.

"Because I don't want you to see this." He replied. "You were there to see Rose, it's not pretty, Nyra."

"You're my best friend, I'm not leaving until Stefan comes back here with a cure."

"You should start to face the facts that I'm not going to be here much longer."

"I still have hope."

"You're starting to sound like Elena." He chuckled.

"Don't say that." I laughed too, but only to stop myself from bursting out into tears in front of him. I cuddled up to Damon and we didn't say anything. We didn't need to. I was just enjoying being in his company. The idea of not having this again, well, it just breaks my heart. I tried to shun the idea from my head, which was beginning to hurt with all the things I was trying to block out.

I stayed against him, I had to keep biting my lip and blowing out slow breaths of air just to stop myself from losing control.

I was losing him.

I was going to lose him.

"Katherine." I heard him mutter.

"Adnyra?" I turned my head to see he was moving about in his sleep.

I remembered this stage with Rose, how she hallucinated in her sleep. He seemed to be skipping from the past to the present.

"Nyra! Nyra!" He then grunted around in pain.

"Hey, hey!" I held tightly onto him, my lip was trembling and my eyes watered as I just held onto him. He began to come and relax into me.

With him back in his deep sleep, I let out a large sob.

I guess this is what they mean when they say you can feel your heart breaking.

I leaned my head back against the cold stone wall of this prison-like cell. I kept my eyes focused on the wall in front. I didn't want to be reminded that Damon was dying. I didn't want to think he could die. I turned my head to look at him as he stirred.

I loved everything about him.

I loved his eyes. It was the first thing I noticed about him. He naturally could hypnotize me with his eyes, just made me forget what I was thinking and I'd have to cover up why with a stupid lie. They were so blue and perfect and just one look would make me go all shy and I'm not a shy person.

To think I wouldn't be looking in those eyes felt like someone had rammed a stake through me themselves.

This pain was overwhelming. I had felt pain, immense pain when I heard about my parents. This was a different pain but still felt like a knockout all the same.

"Nyra?" I lifted my head.

"Oh, hi Ric."

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing fine," Damon spoke as he sat up.

"Well, that looks bad," Alaric commented on the bite mark.

"It feels worse," Damon muttered, his eyes flickered to me. "My subconscious is haunting me, Ric."

"You spoke in your sleep," I told him.

"Great." He stood up and stumbled over to Ric who was looking in from behind the bars.

"You sure you're going to be alright back there, Nyra?" Ric asked me.

"I won't hurt her, Ric." Damon scoffed and took the ring and drink Alaric had placed for him. "Please tell me you have something for my subconscious, huh?"

"Double shot."

"Oh good." He downed the drink and slid it back to Ric. "So my brother sent you for suicidal or Adnyra watch?" Ric didn't reply.

"Maybe you should sit down, Damon," I told him as I stood up and placed my hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, Adnyra-" He tutted sarcastically. "You really shouldn't have gotten involved with me."

My heart chose to ignore that. "It's a little late for that now." I retorted.

"You don't deserve this." And once more those beautiful blue eyes stared down at me and I knew no matter how many times he would hurt me, it would've all been worth it.

Our moment was torn apart by the sound of Alaric's phone. "It's Stefan. He says to conserve your strength."

"My brother." Damon rolled his eyes. "Doing what he always does, trying to right the wrongs of the past." He began to cough, I stayed by his side and rubbed down his back. "You should both want me dead."

"Damon, shut up," I told him as I patted down his back. "Now isn't the time for that talk."

"Face it, Nyra, when are we going to have a chance?" He croaked.

"It's not over yet, Stefan will find something," I said sternly.

"Saint Stefan isn't a miracle worker." He muttered.

"I turned your wife, I turned your mother, you must really hate me for that one."

"I'll snap your neck" I warned. "Very harshly"

"Give me your glass," Alaric ordered. "Neither one of us is drunk enough for this conversation."

"One over here please." I raised my hand.

"No, underage." He handed Damon another one.

"I'm not!"

"Prove it."

"I give you my word."

Suddenly, Damon hand clutched around Alaric's throat. "Kill me." He demanded. "Please."

"Screw you." Alaric slurred and shoved him off.

Damon, not having his usual strength, fell with just that one shove. It was horrible seeing how weak he was. I leaned against the wall and just watched him. I couldn't see myself without him. How would things get back to normal? How would life move on without him here?

"Hey, Jen." I turned my head to see a tipsy Alaric had wrapped his arm and was now leaning on my aunt.

"Wow, your breath...."

"Nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, that's the word I'd use." She answered. "Nyra, can I talk to you?"

I hesitated and looked back at Damon, "I'll look after him." Alaric told me.

I hesitated before attempting to get up. As I did so, Damon's fingers wrapped themselves around my wrist. "Where are you going?" He asked me.

"I'm just going to talk to Jenna, I'll be back," I replied softly.

"Don't be too long, ok?"

I smiled sadly down at him. Just moments like this when he was actually cute. It was rare, but it did happen and it never failed to make me smile. I kissed his cheek and got up. I slid out of the cell and nodded at Alaric.

Jenna led me up the stairs and we stopped at the top. "Are you ok? Alaric told me what happened."

I leaned against the wall and stared up, trying not to cry. "No," I answered. "No, I'm not ok." I felt her put her hand on my arm. "But I have to sit there with him and pretend I am and pretend that I'm confident Stefan is going to find something." I wiped my eye with the back of my hand. "I don't even know what to think

"Stefan could still come up with something."

"And what if he doesn't?" I turned to look at her. "I don't know how to live without him." I cried and buried my head in my hands as I slid down the wall. "I-I can't do this." I sobbed into my knees. "I need him, he can't just die!" I was sobbing so hard I was finding it hard to breathe. "My senses and strength have been on the fritz, I couldn't even catch on to his scent. I don't know what to do, what can I do?"

"You are doing all you can."

"Then why doesn't it feel enough? I feel like I've hit a wall"

"Sometimes walls are there so we can lean on them and rest"

Jenna stayed with me until I had stopped crying. She had left after I told her I was ok, but I stayed where I was. I knew if I saw Damon's face I would fall apart all over again.

I hugged my knees to my chest and tried to think away this pain in my chest. It ached so much and I knew if Stefan couldn't find a cure, I would be living with this pain for a long time.

My head shot up when I heard sirens outside. I hopped up and found a place to hide. I watched as Sheriff Forbes and others came in. I ducked down.

What the hell were they doing here?

Why were there so many of them?

Did they know?

This day could not get any worse. It really couldn't.

Shit, Damon! I watched them go down into the basement, I went to go towards it to warn Damon, but he shot past me, knocking me down in the process. I opened my eyes after my fall and he was gone. I heard the police downstairs so I quickly ran out of the house and into my car.

I had to find him.

I remember when Rose got out and the damage she did when she was like this. I couldn't let Damon do the same.

Sorry Alaric, I needed to go find Damon.

I stopped off at home, but he wasn't there. The only other idea I had was the same place that Rose had gone. I parked my car but saw no sign of him. I kept looking though. I walked past the place where they were screening a movie. If this hadn't gone on, I would be enjoying a nice night there.

I picked up my phone as it vibrated in my pocket. "I got your text, have you found him yet?" I heard Elena's voice.

"No," I told her. "I don't know where he could be, Lena, what if he hurts someone?"

"I don't know." She answered. "He wouldn't have gone too far."

"The only other place there is the grill." I leaned against the tree. "Please tell me you have heard from Stefan?"

"I can't get hold of him."

"Great," I muttered. "Just great."

"Hold it together, Nyra. Just for a little while."

"I'm trying, but I don't know what to do! I don't know where he is." I cried. "I can't handle this!"

"Tell me where you are."

"I'm-" I stopped when I saw a shadow which seemed to be walking unsteadily. "I'll call you back."

"Nyra-"

I hung up and put my phone away. I stepped towards this shadow and could now see that it was Damon. My heart bounced with relief. "Damon!" I called after him.

"Nyra?" He squinted his eyes.

I ran over to him and caught him just before he fell to the ground. "Are you okay?" I croaked out. "Oh god, come on, we have to get you out of here. We have to hide you."

"Where are we going?" He slurred and leaned even more into me.

"We're going to get you out of it. Just hang in there." I told him, waking slowly with him in my arms. He closed his eyes and started to fight out of my grip. "Damon stop it! Just let me help you!"

"Katherine-" He breathed out. "Katherine."

I tried to ignore the hit on my heart and focused on getting him out of there. As I tried to move him, he shot out of my grasp and onto the floor.

I dove down to help him up, but when he lifted his head and his eyes connected with mine, I felt my body going flying back.

When I opened my eyes, Damon had me pinned to a tree and was staring down at me. "Damon, what are you doing?" I struggled against his grasp. "It's me! It's Nyra!"

He panted as he pushed himself more onto me. His mouth curled into a smile as he pecked the corner of my mouth. "I choose you, Katherine."

I knew he was hallucinating but it didn't make me feel any better. "It's Nyra, Damon, snap out of it!" I whined as I tried to push against his grip on me. "Let me go and we can go back, ok?"

"Promise me you will not tell my brother?"

"I don't promise that," I told him. "Let me go and we can talk about this!" I wiggled some more in his grasp, but then I realized where his eyes were focused. He was staring directly at a spot on my neck. He gulped and looked back in my eyes as if asking for permission., "Damon, no," I said sternly. "Don't you dare!"

"I have to." He told me.

"No, you don't!" I growled. "Stop it, Damon!"

"If we are going to be together forever." He leaned into my neck.

I felt so weak. I was not okay in the slightest emotionally or physically. It felt as if I wasn't in tune with my werewolf side.

"No! Don't! I don't want to!" I kicked my legs up, but Damon used his legs to keep mine in place. "Damon, no-" I felt his teeth bite hard into my neck. I gasped at the sudden pain I felt and clung onto his shoulder. My whole body wanted to cave in as he took a large suck at my neck. "Damon, stop! You're hurting me." I cried as I tried to push against his chest.

I felt his teeth pull out of me, I literally felt it. I shakily stared at Damon who looked horrified at what he just did.

"Adnyra?" He brought his finger up to his lips which were stained with my blood and watched the blood drip down my neck. He fell to his knees and licked the last of my blood off his mouth.

"Why isn't it healing?"

I went down on my knees and put my arms around him. "Come with me, please," I begged him, ignoring the pain and the fact that everything was going wrong.

I pulled out and saw he was nodding.

I stood up and offered my hand.

I took Damon to the car, he didn't say a word. Alaric sent me a text and told me that all the police were gone so I decided to take Damon back there.

I couldn't believe this was it. I was going to have to say goodbye to Damon.

We arrived back and Alaric helped me get Damon into his bed. He also helped apply a bandage on my neck. "You sure?" Alaric asked me when I told him I wanted to talk with Damon.

"I'm sure," I told him.

He closed the door leaving me in the room with Damon.

"Nyra?" Damon asked with his eyes still closed.

"I'm here," I told him.

"Adnyra, get out of here, I could hurt you."

"No, you won't." I came closer to the bed. "I trust you not to."

"Well, I don't." He croaked.

"Until the end, I'm not leaving you." I moved even closer.

"Get out of here." He then groaned in agony.

"Nothing you can say will get me to leave you," I said softly. "You're stuck with me whether you like it or not." I sat on the bed and held onto his hands.

"Why weren't you more careful, Damon?" I felt the tears building up again. "We wouldn't be like this right now, I wouldn't have to say goodbye to you, I don't want to say goodbye."

"Your life will be better without me."

"My life will be nothing without you."

"Hey, I'm dying here, you should be nicer to me."

"You're an idiot."

"Not what I was hoping for."

"I can't believe this is happening." I shook my head. "This shouldn't be happening, you shouldn't be here."

"Hey, I've been around 145 years-" He coughed. "It's my time."

"But we haven't even known each other a year!" I cried out. "We were supposed to have a long time."

"Come here." He gestured for me to come closer.

"You didn't want me near you a second ago."

"Come here, you loudmouth."

I laid down next to him and rested my head on his chest. "You're dying, you shouldn't be being mean to me." He chuckled softly and kissed my head.

The sweet moment didn't last long as pain shot through Damon. "It's ok," I said to him as he withered in pain. "I'm here, do you want a drink? Shh, it's ok."

"It's not ok." He moaned. "It's not ok." He repeated. "All those tears, I've blamed Stefan. No one forced me to love her. It was my only choice."

"Let's not talk about this." I rubbed his back.

"I made the wrong choice."

"Shh."

"I needed you, not Katherine." He clung to me. "Tell Stefan, I'm sorry, ok?"

"Of course, I will," I told him as I ran my hand through his hair. "Of course." I went into the bathroom briefly and got a flannel for him to wipe off the sweat.

"This is even more pitiful than I thought." Damon rolled his eyes.

"Stefan could still come through."

"Do you believe that?"

"He would be hear if there was no hope, saying goodbye," I replied. "Everything has a cure."

"I've made a lot of choices that have gotten me here. I deserve this, Nyra. I deserve to die."

"You're a good guy, Damon. As much as you don't want to admit that-"

"I'm not. Everyone, but you can see that."

"No." I shook my head. "I don't agree with that." I laid back down next to him. He put his arm around me and pulled me in closer. I rested my head back down on him. I held onto him tightly. I was so scared that any minute now I would lose him. That, I would look up and he would be there, but he would be gone.

It was getting harder and harder as I knew the moment was coming.

"I do, Adnyra. It's ok because if I'd had chosen differently, I wouldn't have met you."

"You're not helping," I replied as my tears fell onto his shirt creating a dark spot. I sniffed and clung to him tightly.

"I'm so sorry." He reached up and wiped a tear from under my eye. "I've done so many things to hurt you."

I reached up and squeezed his hand. "It's ok. I forgave you a long time ago, I just didn't want to admit that."

"I know what I did before, but-" He looked down at me and straight into my eyes. "I love you." My heart froze as I stared back at him. I'd never heard anyone say that to me before, with Andie still here, I was still too scared to know if he felt that way.

"You should know that." I nodded and even more tears came out. "You should have met me in 1864. You would have liked me."

"I like you now," I told him.

His eyes were barely open, "You do?"

"I love you,"

I cupped his face and pushed my lips to his. I savoured the moment knowing that I would never get to do this again. I felt my tears slowly roll down my face, but I just needed this from him. I was appreciating it. I pecked his lips one last time before pulling away.

"Thank you."

I chuckled sadly, "You're welcome." I ran my hand down his face and watched his eyes closed.

I jumped when I heard the door open and Katherine walked in. "Well, it's me you should be thanking."

"What are you doing here, Katherine?"

"Watch your tone, Addie, I'm about to become your best friend." She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of red liquid. "I brought the cure."

"What?" I stepped forward. "What? Where-"

"You got free?" Damon cut me off.

"Yep, finally." She grabbed my hand and pressed the bottle into it.

"And you still came here?" I asked as I looked down into my hand.

"Figured I owed him and you one," Katherine replied.

"Did Stefan have something to do with this?"

"He did indeed." She answered. "Well, that's my good deed."

"Where is he? Why didn't he bring this?" I asked her.

"He's paying for this. He gave himself over to Klaus."

I walked over to Damon and pulled the lid off the liquid. I pressed it to his lips and slowly tipped it back. "What do you mean?" I said to her as I fed Damon. "Gave himself over?"

"Klaus had the cure, it was in his blood. He told Stefan that he could either come with him or bring you to him. He intercepted your promise with Klau, so good for you that you won't be involved anymore"

"Me?" I questioned. Stefan traded my freedom with his?

"Seems like he has become fascinated with you. Wonder why." Katherine said with a sad smile, I forgot that she was there and knew what Klaus did with me and Stefan.

"She's not going anywhere." Damon coughed up some of the blood, but I made sure he drank it all.

Please work.

Please work.

Please.

"I know because Stefan gave himself over. Saving her." I just hope this was just Katherine trying to stir up trouble and that it wasn't true. "I'm glad... Goodbye Adnyra."

She left.

"Wait!" I ran out the door of Damon's room, but she was gone.

I needed to know more about this cure. How long will it take to take effect? What are the chances it would work?

I walked back into Damon's room, but he was gone from the bed. "Damon!?" My hands explored the space, and I felt something press to my back, I spun around and Damon was leaning over me. "Are you ok? How do you feel?"

"I feel....fine." He said as he studied the bottle. "All the pain...it's just gone." He pulled off his shirt to see the bite was healing itself.

"Oh thank god." I placed my hand on my heart. "Thank god," I repeated as I swung my arms around him. I hugged him as tight as I could. I was never going to take him for granted again...at least for the next couple of days.

I was confused when Damon pulled me off him. "I'm so sorry." He swiped his finger on the bandage before he cupped my face and stared me dead in the eye. "Did you mean what you said?

"I meant it."

As soon as those words came out of my mouth, Damon pressed his lips to mine and kissed me over and over and over again.