Title: Sundown
Rating: T
Type: One-shot
Pairing: None – hints of Damon/Elena, Damon/Katherine comfort/friendship

Hello, all! Wow, so The Vampire Diaries is getting pretty intense, is it not? I don't think I can handle it – haha! Anyway, the end scene of "The Last Day" really struck a chord with me. I thought the moment between Damon and Katherine was kind of sweet and I wanted it to keep going – so here's my take on the scene. You'll notice dialogue from the show (I decided to write from where the scene started) but all other writing belongs to me.

If you haven't seen "The Last Day" yet – stay away! There are spoilers in here!

With that said, please read and enjoy! Oh, and do me a favour by letting me know what you think. Reviews are the best. : )

Sundown

I'm mapping out my ending
It's never gonna happen now
These things are condescending
With everybody backing down

-The Neverending White Lights, "The Grace"

Damon felt something cold sliding down his throat; he didn't quite know what it was, but it returned to him the strength which had vanished so quickly. He felt the sustenance hit the pit of his belly and he suddenly knew what it was as warmth spread through his limbs. Blood, he thought hazily, feeling his senses slowly come to life.

"Hey!" someone said firmly, hitting his cheek lightly. He felt the proximity of another person, but he was so tired. He didn't want to open his eyes; he wanted to stay in the dreamless state which had overcome him. It would be so easy to stay like this forever.

"Damon!" the person hissed, slapping his cheek again, this time harder. When he didn't respond, he or she growled, "Hey," and gave him a few quick slaps in succession. He didn't want to give in to their demands. He was afraid of what he might find if he opened his eyes. But the slapping was starting to get really irritating. "Damon," the voice demanded, this time louder. There was a slight note of panic in the voice which finally prompted him to take action.

He exhaled softly, still feeling the remnants of the blood in his throat – felt it clinging to his lips. A warm hand lingered on his shoulder before he stirred and the hand moved away. He slowly blinked his eyes open and saw that the person who had been viciously attempting to wake him up was Katherine. "What the hell happened?" he rasped out, his voice rough and unused, and very unlike his own.

"He's gone," Katherine said, looking him directly in the eyes as she slowly moved a blood bag away from him. She actually looked worried and that caused his stomach to twist into knots, but not as much as her next statement: "He went to do the ritual."

Before he could open his mouth to say anything else, Katherine was already talking again. "I'm sorry. I had to. He would have known that I was on vervain if I didn't do it." She was looking at him fiercely, a slight hint of anger in her eyes, most likely directed at the actions that she had to take.

He exhaled harshly again before bracing his hand on the cold, hard floor and propping himself up. "Do what?" he asked raggedly.

"Klaus – he made me call her to lure her out. He needed another vampire," Katherine replied, speaking fast, tension and panic building in her voice.

Damon flicked his eyes to the side for a moment in confusion before meeting hers again. "Who did you call?" he asked, his own voice tight. He could feel the tension mounting in his body, hear the alarm going off.

Katherine didn't reply; only held his gaze as her own breaths began coming quicker.

He studied her, his brow furrowing, before his eyes widened slightly. He stared at her for a few more seconds before narrowing his eyes, latching onto her arm tightly, and growling out, "Who did you call, Katherine?"

When the name fell from her lips, complete and utter chaos descended upon Damon's already fragile state as he struggled to get to his feet. "He should have used me," he said angrily, bracing himself on his arm. He managed to get to his feet, his expression wild. "Why didn't he use me?"

"He couldn't," Katherine blurted, also getting to her feet. "Damon," she said, stepping in front of him, "he said you were as good as dead."

Damon shook his head, confused. "What does that even mean?"

"What does that mean?" Katherine repeated, incredulously, her eyes flicking over him with slight concern. She reached out and grabbed his arm roughly. "What is this, Damon?"

He slowly lowered his eyes to where her fingers were gripping his arm. In the crook, he saw it. It was small, but it was already writhing on his skin, like it was alive and had a mind of its own. Looking at it made his whole body burn. "A werewolf bite," he said quietly, bile rising in his throat. He swallowed hard and met Katherine's eyes. Usually they were void of any emotion, but now he could see the fear there.

She looked at him in shock, still gripping his arm tightly. "How did this happen?" she managed after a few very long seconds of silence.

Damon shuddered, trying to push the immediate visions of Rose's painful death from his mind. "Tyler Lockwood started transitioning in the middle of my little rescue operation. He tried to attack Caroline, but I jumped in front of her and he must have bitten me. I didn't even feel it..." he trailed off. His head was spinning. He felt like he was going to be sick.

Katherine swallowed the sudden lump that had formed in her throat. "There's no reason to panic." She was holding onto his blue gaze like it was some kind of lifeline, trying to avoid what it meant if Damon Salvatore of all people was frightened.

"I'm not panicking," Damon replied softly, even though every fibre of his being was screaming at him to do just that. Dread filled him as he tried to control his face.

Katherine squeezed his arm suddenly. "There has to be a cure." She didn't quite know why she said that, but she felt like she knew that there was one and that Damon would find it and be all right.

"There isn't," he replied. He could feel the toll of the day working its way through his system, but he had to fight. There were more important things to consider, and right now, Elena was his number one priority. The sacrifice ritual would be happening in short order, and he had to find some way to get there and stop it.

"Damon," Katherine said softly, trying to meet his eyes again.

He felt hot all over – like the air in the room was too thick and it was going to suffocate him. "I need air," he said, strolling to the door. He needed to clear his head and then find Stefan and devise a plan of action.

"You can't leave, Damon," the brunette said softly, standing there with her arms limp at her sides.

"Why not?" he snapped, suddenly whirling around to face her. "I'm on vervain – even if he compelled me, it wouldn't have worked." There it was – that helpless feeling taking over him, pushing him closer to the edge. He had never been so out of control in his entire life.

"The witch – Greta – put a sealing spell on this house," she replied softly.

"No," Damon said quietly in disbelief. "No, Katherine. I need to get out of here. That ritual is happening right now!" He felt his knees go weak, and worst of all, he felt the burning in the back of his eyes which signified that tears were coming.

Katherine walked up to him and grabbed his arms and held onto him tightly. "I need you to calm down," she urged. "Panicking isn't going to help anyone. Trust me."

Damon laughed bitterly as he tried to shake her grip. "Why would I ever trust you, Katherine? You've done nothing but fuck me over – both literally and metaphorically – since the day you met me."

"Now is not a good time to dissuade your only potential ally," Katherine replied, glaring at him. "Now calm down."

The way she said it reminded him of the way he had talked to Elena, only days earlier. He forced his body to relax. She was right – being irrational, sarcastic, and uncooperative would get them nowhere. "Okay," he finally complied quietly, feeling absolutely defeated.

She squeezed his wrist and guided him to the middle of the small room. "I want you to stand here with me and relax until every single irrational thought has left your head."

Damon raised his eyes slowly at her, suspicion written all over his features. "Why are you being so kind? Is it because you just figured out I'm going to die a horrible, painful death? I find that to be slightly humorous, since you really didn't seem to give two fucks when you were sacrificing my life for the safety of Stefan's. Really, Katherine? If you would have told me that dagger was going to kill me, I would have found another way. I always find another way!" He hadn't even realized how upset he still was about that incident until this moment.

Katherine placed her hand on his cheek and turned his face towards hers. "Stop," she said softly. "You don't get to judge me on the decisions I make to keep myself alive. I've been running for centuries – it's a natural instinct."

Damon tried not to feel as she caressed his cheek gently, but it was impossible. Every single sense was heightened to such an extreme that he thought he would burst.

"I want you to rest – just a few minutes, Damon. And then we can figure out a plan to get out of here." She didn't know what had come over her – maybe it was the fact that his life really was in danger now and she wanted to make amends. She didn't know. But she could feel the anxiety rolling off him in waves and she knew Damon well enough to know that he did not do well under pressure. He would act on impulse and make snap-decisions – like he had done with Elena today. "Calm down," she urged again quietly, when she felt him begin to tremble. She stroked the fingers of her other hand down his wrist.

Damon sighed softly and stood still. He would have been content to stand there alone and contemplate what a horrible fucking day it had been, but she was just right there, touching him so gently that he could almost believe that she cared. "What are you doing, Katherine?" he asked wearily. He flinched when he felt her fingers lightly grazing the skin of his injured arm in soothing, comforting circles.

"When you were still human, I used to do this all the time. Right before you fell asleep, I would caress your skin and whisper sweet things into your ear." She smiled softly, suddenly recalling those memories from long ago. "I was never in love with you, Damon. But I did love you." She reached her hand up to gently brush a piece of his hair away from his forehead.

And that's when he caved in, suddenly pulling her close to him and burying his head into her neck. He could feel the throbbing of the bite, feel the painful beating of his heart against his ribcage as he thought of all the danger Elena was in, and how scared she must be. It crashed all around him and he didn't have time to try and push it away.

Katherine held him tightly and ran her hand gently up and down his back. "Shh," she murmured, pressing her lips chastely against his cheek. His skin was so soft and warm – it always had been.

"I'm afraid," he whispered into her hair, and he realized that it was the first time he had ever said those words out loud to anyone. He was so afraid that he was seeking comfort in the arms of the woman who had burned him more times than he could even count.

"I know, skŭpi," she said softly. She brought her hand down and intertwined her fingers with his and squeezed gently. "We can make it through this."

As Damon rested his head against her shoulder, willing himself to calm down, he could only hope that for once in her life, Katherine was telling the truth.

Fin

* skŭpi - Bulgarian for "sweetheart" - thanks to NightlyEvilTM for letting me know that I had been using the feminine form! :)