I Know The End | D. Salvatore

No more secrets

Dark red blood trickled down the sink and into the drain as I scrubbed my hands clean. I couldn't shake the feeling of phantom pain from my abdomen, even though there was no wound left to be causing me pain. Once I was sure the blood had been completely cleaned off of my hands, I turned off the faucet and turned to dry my hands.

The sleeves of the black sweater that Damon had given me were rolled up slightly to keep them from engulfing my hands. I couldn't lie and say that I didn't like wearing his clothes, because I did. There was a comforting smell on the fabric that was so unbelievably him, and I had to fight the urge to bring the fabric up to my face.

I stepped out of the bathroom and back into Damon's bedroom, finding that he was sitting on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He moved to look up at me when he heard the door open, a conflicted look on his face.

I crossed his bedroom floor and stood in front of him, resting my hands on his shoulders as I stood between his legs. Damon raised his hands and placed them on my waist, holding me tightly like he thought I would slip from his grasp.

"How do you feel?" Damon asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he looked up at me.

"I feel fine, like it never even happened." I said, trying to sound reassuring so he wouldn't spiral.

"That was incredibly stupid, I hope you know that. You shouldn't have followed us, and you definitely shouldn't have gotten in the line of fire." Damon stated. The emotion in his eyes was almost overwhelming.

"I know-" I started to speak, but he cut me off.

"You could have died. If you didn't remember that spell, if you hadn't been quick enough to heal yourself, you could have bled out in the forest. And I couldn't do anything about it. It would have been my fault." Damon stated firmly. There was a look of fear on his face, like he was imagining the alternative vividly in his mind. I looked down at him with a soft gaze, bringing my hand up to run gently through his hair.

"Do you know what it would do to me if you died?" His words were soft and so vulnerable that it was like someone stabbed my heart.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. I then reached down and took a hold of his hand, moving it from my waist to the left side of my chest just above my heart. "But I'm still here." I spoke softly, letting him feel the steady beat of my heart even though he could already hear it. "I'm still here."

Damon sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly as he felt my heartbeat under his palm. I allowed him to keep his hand there for a moment, letting him decide when he was ready to let go. After a moment of silence, he slipped his hand up from my chest to the side of my neck so he could pull me closer.

I bent my head down and met him halfway, pressing my lips against his. The kiss was searing and passionate, like he was grounding himself in the present and to the fact that I was alive. I pressed myself closer to him, feeling like no matter how close I got, it was never close enough. I only pulled away once I felt my lungs start to burn painfully, begging me for oxygen no matter how much I wanted to stay close to him.

I pulled back even though he chaste my lips, looking down at him with a fond gaze. "How do you feel?" I returned the question, bringing one hand up to brush some hair out of his face with a gentle touch.

"I'm fine. It's not the first time I've been shot with wooden bullets." Damon shrugged

"No, but the last time you were shot by a guy you hate. This time it was a friend." I pointed out

Damon huffed a soft sigh, knowing that I was right. "Sure, I'm a little hurt. But I'm fine, honestly."

A soft knock behind me dragged my attention away from Damon. I turned my head to see Elena standing in front of the now open door with her arms crossed over her chest. "Thea, can we talk?" She asked. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but she could barely hide the tone of anger.

"Sure." I nodded, moving myself out of Damon's grasp reluctantly so I could follow her out of his room. She led me down the stairs to the living room where no one was, even though the vampire's of the house would still be able to hear us.

Elena sighed, stealing herself before she started to speak. "The night that Caroline killed that man...I thought that I saw something. It almost looked like you moved a stake without touching it. But I didn't see it clearly enough and so I pushed it aside. But you were shot with a wooden bullet, and you healed yourself? What is going on Althea?...Are you a witch?"

I sighed softly, feeling myself grow nervous as I mustered up the words to explain myself. "Yes. But...I'm not like Bonnie. I don't have my own magic, I take it from others instead. I'm a siphoner." I admitted gently, not knowing how she would react to the news.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Elena asked, the hurt was clear as day on her face.

"I don't know. I hardly knew what I was myself, and I'm still figuring it out. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Elena." I said honestly

"Okay...but from now on, no more secrets. We need to trust each other in all of this." Elena stated, seeming to accept the excuse I had given her.

"Okay." I nodded in agreement, feeling relief at the fact that she hadn't been too pissed at me.

"And speaking of no more secrets...Damon." Elena spoke with a raised brow, a knowing look in her brown eyes as she waited for me to explain myself.

"Yeah. That. We're...a thing. A couple, I guess." I admitted almost awkwardly, looking away from her to avoid seeing her reaction.

"I know you know how I feel about Damon. But I'm gonna trust you to make your own decisions. I just hope you know what you're doing, Thea." That was the most support I was going to get from Elena in regards to Damon, and I was going to take it. It's better than outright judgment.

"I know what I'm doing." I said confidently. Even though Damon is...Damon. I know that he cares about me, and wouldn't do anything to hurt me on purpose.

"Okay." Elena nodded, choosing to support my decision even when she didn't agree with it herself. Because that's what sisters do for each other. Support each other in their decisions, and be there for one another if it falls short.

Our conversation was cut short by the knock at the front door. I trailed behind Elena as she walked up to the large front door and opened it for Caroline who had several bags with her.

"Hey. Sorry that took forever. I just didn't know how long my mom was gonna be here." Caroline said as she walked inside the house

"Damon says it'll take three days tops for the vervain to leave her system. Maybe even sooner." Elena said

"Hey." Caroline said when Stefan walked up behind us

"Hey." Stefan greeted softly

"Get some bunny in you?" Caroline asked him, noticing that he looked better.

"Yeah, feeling much better, thank you." Stefan said kindly

The four of us walked down into the basement, managing to accidentally catch the tail end of Liz and Damon's conversation.

"Keep Caroline away from me, please. I don't want to see her." Liz's words made Caroline freeze in the doorway.

"She's your daughter, Liz." Damon chastised her

"Not anymore. My daughter's gone." Liz stated bitterly

"You have no idea how wrong you are about that." Damon said, casting his eyes over to the door where he knew we all stood.

Caroline dropped the suitcase on the ground and turned on her heels, needing to be away from her mother and everyone else. Elena and Stefan were quick to chase after her, wanting to make sure she was okay. I stayed by the door and waited for Damon, watching as he helped Liz get settled into the dingy basement.