AN: I love the song "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant (and the version from Glee by Darren Criss!) I could totally picture it fitting Damon, so I decided to use it. Takes place during "The Last Day" in Damon's POV. Pretty much the plot of the episode, with my own spin on it. I'm thinking this will be a one-shot, but I might make it a multi-chaptered story if I get positive feedback! Please Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Vampire Diaries, or the song "Cough Syrup"

3 Bex

Life's too short to even care at all oh
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control

He downed another glass of bourbon. Visions of her face clouded his mind. The shock and betrayal on her face. Couldn't she understand that he had fed her his blood to protect her? That neither he nor Stefan could live in a world without her if the elixir failed? She seemed perfectly selfless yet selfish at the same time. Guilt still rested within him though.

These fishes in the sea they're staring at me oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
A wet world aches for a beat of a drum
Oh

Stefan had looked at him with such disbelief at the measures that Damon had gone to. As if he hadn't considered the same thing. Damon knew that Stefan loved Elena just as much as he did. The difference was that Stefan allowed her to take her life in her own hands. Damon refused to take such a chance. It might make her hate him, but at the end of the day, that was what kept her alive. Her human body just seemed so fragile to him.

He knew it had been wrong to take away such an important choice though. He was forcing her into a life she had never wanted. She would hate him forever as a vampire. As remorse began to penetrate his shield he cursed the humanity she had woken up within him. He didn't know how to make it right.

If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I should have found by now
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down, come down

Klaus had warned that interference would result in death, but a life with Elena hating him would be worse than death. He would have make Klaus postpone the ritual at least until the human blood was gone from her system. From what he had overheard from Elijah and Stefan, Caroline and Tyler had been kidnapped for the sacrifice. Not exactly his two favorite people…but he'd do anything for Elena. Knowing his luck, it wouldn't end well, but he had to try. Klaus would be holding them at the tomb.

He was cautious when he arrived at the tomb. Klaus wouldn't be foolish enough to leave his precious sacrifices unguarded. As he expected, the warlock Maddox attempted to sneak up on him. The only surprising part was when Matt Donovan, of all people, showed up. The kid really needed to mind his own business.

Life's too short to even care at all oh
I'm coming up now coming up now out of the blue
These zombies in the park they're looking for my heart
Oh oh oh oh
A dark world aches for a splash of the sun oh oh

Caroline had somehow managed to convince him to take Tyler with them, even though Damon knew that it was be dangerous to have him with them on a full moon. As he had predicted, Tyler started to transform before they had gotten away. The kid was definitely getting stronger; it had taken almost all of Damon's strength to keep him from attacking Caroline. He ignored the slight twinge of pain on his arm, dismissing it as a minor scratch. He didn't have to dwell on such trivial things, not when Klaus could be coming for Elena in any minute.

If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I should have found by now

He knew it was never a good idea to go straight to the villain's hideout, but he really could care less. Was he the hero now? The white knight had always been Stefan. Black was more his color anyways.

He announced his arrival by simply stating, "You're going to have to postpone the ritual." None of his trademark witty comments or sarcastic one-liners included. He was all business.

"And why is that?" Klaus smirked, seeming to know something that Damon did not.

"I killed your witch, and freed your other sacrifices," Damon shot back, angered by Klaus's obvious arrogance.

"Damon, Damon, Damon," Klaus chided, "When you've been preparing a ritual for over a thousand years, you make sure you have back-ups. Back-up witch, back-up werewolf…you get the point."

And so I run now to the things they said could restore me
Restore life the way it should be
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down

He had failed Elena. That was all Damon could think of, even when Klaus hissed in his ear, "However, you will pay from your interference. I warned you."

Believing that Klaus would just stake him, then continue to prepare for the ritual, Damon was confused when Klaus glanced at his arm and growled, "You're as good as dead already."

He was hit first by confusion, then a slight pain as Klaus snapped his neck. The world around him began to fade into darkness.

Life's too short to even care at all oh
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control

He groaned as he began to regain consciousness. Sitting up, he was surprised to find himself still in Alaric's (well, now Klaus's) apartment. Klaus had left, but Katherine remained sulking in the corner. Noticing that he was awake, she directed her attention to him.

"Why do you do that?" she vaguely asked.

"Do what?" he responded, unsure of what she was asking.

"Risk your life for a girl that loves your brother, not you," she asked quietly, out of character for her.

"Elena is not you Katherine," he responded coldly, ignoring the truth in her words.

"What you did was foolish," she sighed, ignoring his last comment. "What's on your arm?" she suddenly changed the subject. That reminded Damon, the pain from earlier, and Klaus's decision not to kill him, they had to be related.

Rolling up his sleeve, Damon's eyes widened at the ugly mark that laid there.

"As good as dead…Damon what is that?" she questioned, shocked. That's when it hit him, earlier in the woods, stopping Tyler.

"Exactly what it looks like, a werewolf bite" he snapped back. He ignored her attempts at sympathy, and his own surfacing emotions of fear, and left to try to save Elena. Again.

Life's too short to even care at all oh
I'm losing my mind losing my mind losing control

It hurt to see her so lifeless, to know that Klaus had succeeded in removing the curse and was still out there, but mainly just seeing her unresponsive body. Bonnie's confidence that her spell would work still didn't remove the anxiety building up within him. He had to say, he was very relieved when John dropped dead, even though it wasn't exactly the appropriate emotion.

Facing Elena's anger at him would be difficult. She wouldn't be as angry since she had been able to remain human though. Damon just wanted some closure with her before leaving town. He wasn't planning on letting her know about his unavoidable upcoming death. He would just leave town, and get himself killed. He wasn't going to suffer like Rose did.

If I could find a way to see this straight
I'd run away
To some fortune that I should have found by now

Jenna's death has slipped his mind. He had been more concerned with Elena. He did feel guilty now, since Jenna's death was pretty much his fault. Elena was obviously devastated. At least he had saved Caroline and Tyler. He was planning on this being goodbye. She had lost enough people.

Saint Stefan however had different plans. When discovering Damon's bite, he vowed to find a cure. Damon refused to be foolish enough to hope for such a thing. He was planning on killing himself soon, maybe even today. Why suffer? The bite had already spread, and was becoming painful. He wanted to talk to Elena first, but she wasn't at her house. She was probably with Alaric, mourning over Jenna. It was better this way, he convinced himself. He had to let her go.

So I run now to the things they said could restore me
Restore life the way it should be
I'm waiting for this cough syrup to come down

He placed his ring on the table, and moved the curtains away from the window. Searing agony filled him as the sunlight reached him. It would be over soon. The pain spread through him, and Damon began to let go.

All of a sudden, the door opened, and Damon heard a cry that was unmistakably Elena's. He was close to death when she ran over to him, and tackled him out of the sunlight.

After he stopped burning, she yelled, "What were you doing Damon?"

He weakly muttered back, "Exactly what it looked like"

Disbelief clouded her eyes. "Why?" she whispered, her eyes shining with forming tears.

He sighed and showing her the bite on his arm. "I'm going to die anyways" he whispered.

Pain filled her eyes at the sight at the abomination on his arm. She began to sob at the sight of what would clearly be the death of him.

One more spoon of cough syrup now

"Shhh," he murmured, attempting to comfort her. He held her as her tears soaked his shirt, savoring this moment. He hadn't meant to cause her pain, but he realized that disappearing would hurt her more.

For that one moment, nothing else in the world mattered, just them, Elena and Damon. They just sounded so right together. Elena suddenly silenced, and looked at him with an expression that suggested that she had just discovered something.

"I love you," she whispered, realization shining in her eyes.

A sea of emotions washed over him. All he could manage to say in return was "I love you too." It fit though. Elena leaned in for a kiss, and for a moment, Damon forgot that he was going to die, and kissed back passionately. Just for a moment.

One more spoon of cough syrup now