(1) The Phoenix (D. Salvatore)

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight

Sometime later, Alaric has beaten Damon bloody. His face is a mess and he can't heal fast enough to counteract the damage that the enhanced Original is doing to him. Blood runs down his face and neck, staining the top of his top and jacket. Alaric throws Damon to the ground and Damon groans with the impact.

"You're not gonna fight back?" Alaric asks. Damon takes a few breaths as he heals slightly, then turns to look at his former friend.

"You're kind of invincible, Ric."

"Don't call me that" Alaric kicks Damon in the face. "We're not friends"

"We were" Damon argues.

"Well, our friendship was part of the problem. It's what kept me weak. It's also why it took so long for the real me to break through and now I'm gonna break you" Alaric hits Damon in the face and knocks him backwards to the ground. Damon groans, laying where he fell. His head throbbing away from the hit from Alaric.

"You gonna lay there all day, slugger?" He turns his head, seeking out the voice. Daphne crouches at his side, eyes on his face as she smirks at him.

"Red" He whispers.

"You've got to get up" She scolds him. "Get up," She tells him firmer as Alaric moves towards him. Damon makes no move to do so though. He reaches for her as his head spins. That blow from Alaric rattles through him. His fingers reach for her, wanting to touch her, but his hand just passes through her. A figment of his own mind from the blow. He lets out a breath and closes his eyes. If this is how he goes, hearing her voice and seeing her one last time, even in this form. He will take it. "Don't you dare give up" She warns him. "You made me a promise....you better keep it or I am going to be so pissed" He lets out a small laugh and he nods. More to himself. This figment is clearly the part of him and his mind that is pushing for him to keep his word to her, to live, to fight. "Get up" She whispers to him as she disappears. Damon turns his head to look at Alaric as he comes to stand over him.

"Is that all you got?" Damon asks him.

"Not quite" Alaric gets down and tries to stake Damon, but instead Damon grabs the stake and throws Alaric off of him before he gets up and hits Alaric in the face. Damon grabs Alaric's wrist and the stake falls out of his hand. Alaric starts to feel weak, he slumps and stumbles. "What's happening?" He asks. Damon seems to take a moment before he realises. Something has happened to Elena. Something is happening to Elena and it is ricocheting back to Alaric.

"Oh no" Damon whispers, moving towards Alaric with less hostility now.

"What's happening?!" Alaric demands, more panicked now. Alaric falls to his knees and Damon goes down with him, cradling him in his arms.

"No" Damon whispers, his own panic rising. This isn't what he wanted. He wanted him to be stopped not dead. He's already lost Daphne, he was just hoping to get one friend back from all of this, but he's lost three in one day. Daphne, Alaric, and Elena. "Ric! You are not dead. You are not dead" Alaric starts to desiccate and then dies. Damon shakes his body and tears start to glisten in his eyes. On top of already losing Daphne. This is a kick in the balls, teeth, and chest all at once.

.....

At the Mystic Falls Hospital, Damon bursts into the hospital, heading straight towards where he can see Meredith standing with a clipboard, talking to a colleague. She sees him and then leaves her conversation to move closer to him. Damon lets out a shaky breath. Part of him wants her to tell him that they made a mistake. That she's fine and just hurt. Not dead. Not gone. He wants someone to tell him that they were wrong about her so badly.

"Damon" She greets, her voice soft and trying to be comforting, but it does nothing to comfort him.

"Where is she?" He asks her, wanting to move on, he knows she is going to be in the morgue. Stefan has already texted him to tell him that Meredith had taken Daphne's body. He wants to see her. He needs to see her. Meredith lets out a breath and nods. She wasn't planning on keeping him from her. She was warned that he'd want to say goodbye, that they had their own plans as to what they would be doing with Daphne.

.......

Damon leans in the doorway to the morgue, trying to push himself to go in. He can see where she lays on a table. Her red hair sits stark against the cold metal. Elena lies close by on another table, but as cold as it sounds, he doesn't care about her. Not in the same way. He swallows a little and lets out a slow breath before he leans up, heads into the room. He wants to say goodbye. Even if he can only do that to her body now. He pulls a chair closer to the table as tears gather in his eyes. Seeing her like this. Laying there like this. It's horrible.

"Hey, Red" He whispers in greeting. "Sorry.." His voice breaks. "I took so long" He touches her arm and then draws his fingers down to her hand. She feels cold under his hand and it huts. He clenches his jaw, swallowing his pain, but tears are threatening to spill over. Part of him considers what she is. Part of him thinks about doing the unthinkable. Doing what he knows she never wanted. Part of him wants to do it just so he knows she'll come back. He takes her hand and lifts it up, pressing his forehead to the back of it, with his eyes closed. He thought there would be more time. He thought he would get more time with her. He reaches out and brushes his fingers through her hair, drawing it around her face. He can't do it to her. He can't burn her and wake the Phoenix. They've had so much trouble with Alaric, that having another friend turn on them would be hard and unfair to her. She didn't want it. And if that's all he can give her now, some peace, then he'll do it. Elena suddenly gasps with an intake of breath, causing Damon to snap his head around, surprise crossing his features.