A/N: My prediction has been proven wrong. ): I found on a website that Tyler and Matt and not seen in the episode. That kind of spoiled my day. Now I guess I'm left rooting for the rest of my plot to be accurate.

Btw, in the last chapter, in my first author's note, I had this jumbled mess up top. Well, let's just say it was a lot cooler-looking on the original document saved on my computer.

I've read all of the replies (reviews) I've gotten about whether or not you'd read this after tonight's episode, and I have to say I was definitely not disappointed with the response. Thanks everyone!

Here's the real chapter five! Happy Reading! (And hopefully some reviewing….)

XxX

After Stefan had left, Elena had remained relaxing with Damon in his room. She had been forced to come face to face with the facts; Damon wouldn't be here forever anymore. It was these simple and normal moments that she wished to treasure. Not the rocky bumps they'd experienced in their relationships, not the times when they had strived to remain friends. And she certainly did not want to ever remember him by his painful final breaths, when he was hallucinating and sick as could be. She wanted to focus on all the positive parts of their time together.

This was not her main goal, however. Right now she was praying that Bonnie would come up with some sort of miraculous cure, some bizarre spell that would save the day.

"I'm going to get my phone," She announced suddenly, heading into the hallway and then down the stairs, where her bags still lay untouched. It zipped open with ease, and she rooted through it, until after a while, discontentment spilled over her features.

It wasn't there. She puzzled over this for a minute, maybe she had taken it out earlier…? Though, she didn't remember ever doing such a thing. Then it occurred to her that she had left it on her messy dresser, charging.

So of course, at that exact moment she longed to have in right here with her. She proceeded to dash upstairs, telling Damon where she was off to.

XxX

When Stefan arrived at Caroline's the whole "gang" had beaten him there. They were all sitting around in the living room, and from what Stefan could pick out from each separate conversation, was that they weren't really planning anything in particular. They weren't even discussing anything problem related whatsoever.

When the all spotted Stefan, they immediately became curious, and worried over Damon, as they naturally should.

"How is he?" Caroline asked, knowing she didn't even need to give a name.

"He's… okay. The effects of the bite haven't really kicked in yet, I suppose," Stefan responded grimly.

"How long do we have before he…" Alaric could hardly speak the words. Damon was his friend, that he had to admit, even if he didn't want to.

"I'm not sure," answered Stefan.

Everything was silent for a moment as everybody took a chance to let the new and frightening information settle. Nobody really knew what to think. Damon dying? It seemed like an impossibility. Damon was the strongest member of their group. What would they do without them?

It was already beginning to get very awkward. Nobody had ever spoken about Damon in a seemingly positive way. It was always about his last victim, or about how depressed he had gotten over Katherine. They had never openly discussed the complex topic that was Damon in all his glory.

Finally, Bonnie spoke up. "So, what do you think we should deal with first? Damon, or the council's plan?"

"Why don't we each take on a different task?" Jeremy suggested.

"That would be the best idea, considering how much time we have," Bonnie approved, immediately grabbing the grimioire, and flipping it open. "I'll look for some sort of spell that can cure a werewolf bite. If there's one here, it shouldn't take too long to find. But I'm fairly sure there isn't one, at least not what Emily knew of."

"The hardest part of this all will be trying to figure out what the council has planned," Caroline said discouragingly. "We almost need somebody to gain their trust and find out."

"It might work," remarked Alaric. "Though who would be the most convincing? The one that the really could come to trust…?"

"It can't be me or Stefan," Caroline stated. "They know about what we are. And they aren't too fond of letting anyone younger in on their secrets. They don't even think that any of us are aware of what's going on."

"So that leaves me," Alaric concluded.

"I guess so," Caroline said brightly.

XxX

Damon's head was spinning as he reached into the freezer, digging for a bag of blood. His vision was unfocused, his senses flying out of control. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. Though most of all, all he could focus on was the dry burning ache staining his throat. The needed blood, and he needed it now. Not bothering to get himself a glass, he tore open the bag, and squeezed out the exotic sweet texture into his welcoming mouth.

He could feel his sharp canine teeth strongly dominating his mouth. And if he concentrated, he could tell that his face was what he liked to call, "vamping

out".

Before he knew it, the bag was empty and he was cursing silently under his breath.

The grabbed another second blood bag, which led to a third and a fourth…

Soon his was choking dryly, the contents of his previous "meal" spilling out onto the mat.

"Fuck," He panted afterwards, wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his hand.

Then it hit him like lightening; He was actually going to die.

There was no point in denying it now. The effects of the bite were finally kicking in, causing him to face the common knowledge.

He didn't have forever to live for anymore.

When your immortal, everything task at hand can simply be pushed further and further away, in an I'll do it later, fashion. He didn't even give a damn as to when "later" was anymore. He had had literally all the time in the world to get things done, so why get them over with?

Now that was an impossibility.

Now that he had over a century's worth of burdens to fulfill, where would he ever start?

In fact, maybe he had known the answer all along…

XxX

Elena found the hidden key under the mat without difficulty, and soon the door was clicking open and she stood in the porch of her former home.

…Or was it?

It was killing her having no idea and no control over where she would be living. Whatever wacko the police or whatever assigned to take care of Jeremy and Elena simply wouldn't ever be good enough for her. The three - scratch that, four, even John counted - perfect caregivers for herself she had already killed off, because in the end, she was responsible for each of their deaths.

It was her fault that her parents even had to drive out that night in the first place. It was her fault that Jenna had been put into a life-threatening bizarre sacrifice ceremony. It was her fault that John had to give his own life up to protect her from vampirism.

Everything was all her fault.

And now, standing in this empty hollow house, which may or may not ever be her home again, the silence mocked the emptiness surrounding her, and the emptiness she felt inside.

Long faded memories were restored, times when she remained in bliss, and everything was peaceful. Small details about all those family moments they had shared together made her vision cloud with tears.

Together.

It was possible anymore.

However, instead of surrendering the battle, she padded up the stairs, brushing the tears away, and sucking in a heavy breath when she passed Jenna's bedroom. It was exactly how she'd left it. Clothes were strung everywhere, and the closet doors were wide open, revealing the cluttered state she always left it in. Her bed was unmade, pillows lay about it, and an open book lay flat against the silky duvet cover, it's worn and wrinkled spine displayed obviously. Resting on the night table was a half empty glass of milk.

The tears were threatening to begin all over again, and she would just not let that be. No, she scolded herself. You have to think positively. So she pictured the glass as half full instead of half empty and moved along, up the hallway.

In her room, as promised, her cell phone lay awaiting her patiently, charging on her messy dresser. She unhooked it from the cord, and clicked it on. She had three missed alerts that she planned on dealing with later. Shoving it into the pockets of her blue jeans, she started towards the door, when a rush of cool wind flew past her, and Damon stood in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned disapprovingly immediately.

He sighed at her constant distaste of him ever stepping foot into her room.

"I'm dying, Elena," was his only sad response.

"Yeah, I've heard," she breathed, suddenly realizing that he could be hallucinating. "Are you okay?" She worried abruptly.

"I'm fine, besides for one little thing I need…"

"And what is that?" She asked bitterly, crossing her arms.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness," He stated. "But I need it," He explained desperately.

She paused over this for a second. What for? She wondered secretly. However, to Damon she replied, "You already have it."

"It may seem like it, but I need to hear the words," He begged.

She sighed. "I forgive you, Damon," she finally said. "For everything," she added.

Damon breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"You welcome. Now let me take you home, you don't look so good."

XxX

"Hey guys," Jeremy called from Liz's bedroom. He had only invaded someone's privacy like this in attempt to gather any information about what the council was plotting. "Come see what I found."

Caroline as upstairs in a flash. Literally. "What is it?"

Before Jeremy could reply, Caroline had already understood. "Oh, that's just my Mom's spare gun. In case she loses her other one, the one she has right now at work."

"Yeah, but look what it's loaded with," Jeremy protested.

When he popped open the gun, Caroline's blue eyes widened in shock, and she gasped loudly. "Oh my god," She whispered. "Wooden bullets."

"At least now we know that she wasn't lying," Jeremy joked weakly.

"Do you think she would kill me?" Caroline asked, her eyes fixing on him displaying raw desperation.

"I don't know," Jeremy replied sadly. "Maybe it was just in case a vampire broke in, or something like that happened," Jeremy suggested, shrugged.

He tucked the gun back into the position he had discovered it and left the room.

Caroline didn't move for a moment. She just stood there, staring at the hidden gun. When she finally returned downstairs, gun in hand, everyone's voices were muffled by the sound of a key wiggling in the front door's lock. Her Mom, she realized suddenly.

Her head spun around, trying to spot everyone, planning on telling them to hide somewhere, for her Mom couldn't know about their secret "meeting".

Though when she turned, they had already disappeared.

When the door finally opened, and Liz entered, Caroline took a deep breath, preparing for whatever was in store.

"Oh uh, hi Caroline."

"Mom," She began firmly. "We need to talk."

"Not now, I only came home because I left my…" She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the gun gripped in Caroline's hands.

"This?" Caroline asked, tilting her head to the side, smiling mischievously.

"Yeah, that." Liz sounded almost astounded, like she was taken aback.

"Well, you'll make it back 'to work' in plenty of time," Caroline said, position the gun so that the tip rested against her chest, in the exact spot of her beating heart.

"Would you care if I was to… I don't know… die?"

Liz pondered over how to answer the difficult question that had been presented for a moment, before snatching the gun out of her daughter's seemingly 'unbreakable' grip. "You're a murderer now," was all she said before stepping back outside and slamming the door in Caroline's face.

XxX

So what'd you think of this chapter? I think I left a few minor cliff-hangers actually, even if they're only little. I'll update fast I promise! Probably again before tonight's episode, although it will not be the end of this fanfiction. I plan to keep going with this, even after I've written all of next episode. And just because I know how much we will all miss the Vampire Diaries after it's gone for a while, I'll probably keep going with what I think will happen in Season Three. ;)