Brave (Damon Salvatore x OC)

Not Alone

At the Salvatore Boarding house, Ember is in Damon's bedroom trying to put some concealer on the dark circles under her eyes. She had only had about two hours sleep. She and Damon had been up all night trying to find information on werewolf bites and a cure and taking care of Rose. Damon had packed her to bed just before dawn. She can feel his presence behind her before he speaks.

"It's creepy when you stand right behind me staring you know." She tells him. Damon slips a hand over her hip and around to rest below her navel.

"No, it's romantic." He brushes her hair off her shoulder and kisses the spot just below her ear. "And I wasn't staring, I was leering." He teases.

She turns around and kisses him. "Good morning." She whispers. "How is Rose doing?"

"Scared, in pain, weak." He shrugs. "How are you?"

"Tired and worried," She admits.

"About Rose? Or the pressing little issue of you and Elena being Klaus' human sacrifice?" He asks playing with a curl of her hair.

She arches an eyebrow at him. "Both, but Elijah promised to keep me and Elena and everyone else safe as long as we play by his rules."

Damon grimaces. "I don't trust him."

"Neither do I." Ember assures him. "But it buys us time and right now we need that. Especially as  Stefan is determined to go through with contacting Isobel to try to get more info on Klaus."

"Ummm." Damon shrugs and leans in to kiss her again but Ember stops him.

"That's it? That's your reaction?" She asks. "Oh My goddess. You agree with him?"

Damon shrugs. "Katherine told him that Isobel could have some answers and its the best idea any of us have had." He points out.

"Damon! Elena and I made a deal with Elijah." She insists.

"Right, you two made a deal with him. You two should keep your deal. But Stefan and I, we didn't agree to anything." She glares at him. "We need answers. Like how can Elijah compel another vampire? Or why didn't staking him kill him? Maybe Isobel has those answers. Maybe we should ask her." He kisses her on the forehead and leaves the room.

Downstairs, Rose is in the library wrapped in a blanket. She is pale and sweaty and looks like she is in pain. Damon enters the room carrying a blood bag with Ember behind him. She immediately rushes to Rose and tucks the blanket around her better.

"I was born in 1450, that makes me 573 years old." Rose tells them.

"Well, if you were a bottle of wine..." Damon starts but tapers off at Ember's glare.

"So, I can die. I've lived long enough." She whispers and Ember takes her hand and squeezes.

Damon frowns and hands Ember the bag. "You know, if you're gonna be maudlin, I'm just gonna kill you myself just to put me out of your misery." Damon mock threatens as Ember pours blood from the bag into a glass. "Come on, it's just a little werewolf bite."

"Just a little, fatal to a vampire werewolf bite." Rose reminds him.

"Well, according to a legend which is a notoriously unreliable source." Ember offers. "Here, Drink up." She offers the glass. "Blood heals."

Rose takes the glass and drinks. She nods to herself. "Yeah, it does feel like it's working."

"Let's have a look, come on. Let me see." Ember moves around behind her and slides down the back of her shirt.

It has gotten much worse and has spread further down her back with big sections looking infected and discolored.

"How is it?" Rose asks with a trembling in her voice.