DAMON'S POV
I walk down the stairs into my living room where I can hear loud music. When I come around the corner, I see Stefan sitting on the couch with some bourbon while a girl dances around the room...Lexi. Must be temporarily back from the dead like Ric and Jeremy.
"Damon! Help me celebrate my seventeenth high school graduation." Stefan says from the couch as I walk over and turn the music down. "Hey, you remember my friend, Lexi, of course?" Stefan asks harshly.
"Lexi, back from the dead. Goody." I smirk.
She rushes over to me and pins me to the wall, grabbing my throat. "What's up, buzzkill?" She asks with a smile.
"Stefan, you're just gonna sit there and let her enact her ghostly revenge?" I ask, coughing.
"You reap what you sow, buddy." Stefan smirks.
"Let's be very clear. Whatever time I have left here, I sure as hell don't plan on wasting it on you. You got me?" Lexi asks me and I nod.
"Yeah. Got it." I groan as she releases me. "So if you and Ric and little Gilbert are all flesh like and real seeming, that means something went horribly wrong when Bonnie tried to put that veil up. And here you two are, having dance party USA." I say.
"You're right." Stefan nods. "How selfish of me to be indulging in these precious moments with my formerly dead best friend. I should be sacrificing my own happiness for the good of others, right? I should be upstairs grooming my hero-hair."
"Are you drunk?" I ask him with a frown.
"I don't know, mom, am I?" He teases and Lexi laughs.
I walk over and snatch the bourbon bottle from his hand and he rolls his eyes. "Well, I guess that's one way to celebrate our supernatural apocalypse." I say, taking a swig. "Now, care to hazard any guesses on what the hell went wrong?"
CAROLINE'S POV
"I hit kind of a snag." Bonnie tells me over the phone as I man the yearbook table in the hallway at school.
"A snag? A snag is a bad yearbook picture. You hit a tsunami. Where are you?" I ask, beginning to panic.
"I'm trying to fix it, but I'm running into some trouble. I need to wait until the full moon tonight to have enough power to put the veil back up." She explains.
"Are you telling me that we might graduate right smack in the middle of a ghost-filled expression triangle?" I ask quietly.
"Maybe we should just cancel." Bonnie says softly and I frown.
"No, we are not going to cancel. Graduation is the most important event of our lives, the last ceremony of our youth. It is our rite of freaking passage. Hell will freeze over before I let anyone cancel graduation." I argue passionately.
"Can you not make jokes about hell freezing over? We're not that far from that already." She says sadly and I take a deep breath.
"Just promise me that today is a friend day." I plead gently.
"Okay, I promise." She sighs. "I love you."
"I love you too." I say with a smile before hanging up and getting back to work.
ASHLEY'S POV
I take a bite into my sandwich as Elena and I sit across from Ric and Jeremy in the middle of the cemetery.
"Oh, my god." Ric moans in pleasure, his mouth full of food.
"No grease on the other side?" I ask and they both nod eagerly.
"You have no idea how much I've missed this." Ric says with a nod before holding up a bottle of bourbon. "And this." He smiles.
Elena reaches over and takes the bottle from Ric's hands. "No, hey. Hey!" Ric tries to stop her, but she takes a drink.
"She just got her humanity back. Let her live a little." Jeremy says and we all laugh.
Jeremy holds his hand out for the bottle, but Elena doesn't give it to him. "You wish." She says with a smirk.
"I'm dead. What are they gonna do, thrown me in juvie?" Jeremy asks, smiling.
"Well, at least you'd have a place to live." Ric teases and Elena throws a fry at him.
"You all suck." She says as we all laugh at her.
"Now there it is...that smile." Ric says, looking at Elena. "I wasn't sure we were gonna see that again."
Elena sighs and leans back against a tombstone. "I did some pretty terrible things." She admits.
"We all have." I remind her as tears fill her eyes.
"Hey, no. No tears. If Caroline was right, we only have until tonight. We need a no crying rule." Jeremy tells her.
"But the crying's good. It means that I'm finally feeling something, and right now...I feel happy." She says with a smile.
We all smile back at her. This feels so good and so normal. I'm really glad that we have this time right now, even if it is going to be short.
Elena's phone starts ringing and she sits up. "It's the Grill. It must be Matt." She says before answering it. "Hey, you went AWOL this morning. What happened?"
She pauses for a minute and her face changes as she listens to the voice on the other end. I can hear it too.
"Hello, Elena. It's your dead friend, Connor. You remember me?" I hear Connor ask.
This is bad.
DAMON'S POV
I hear the doorbell ring and I walk over to pull it open. I frown when I see the one person I hoped I would never see again.
"Vaughn?" I ask.
He smiles, lifting a gun and shooting me in the shoulder. The force causes me to step back, groaning in pain.
"Got a little message for you, laddie." He smirks. "Straight from the mouth of the witch Qetsiyah."
ASHLEY'S POV
"We want Silas, and we want the cure." Connor says to Elena on the other end of the phone as I continue to listen in.
"I don't know where they are, so I guess I can't help you." Elena responds confidently.
"Alright. Well, you know who's gonna need some help. Grandma and Grandpa Jones, in town for the big high school graduation, along with Auntie Sue and Uncle Mark..." Connor trails off and Ric stands up.
He gives Elena a look before leaving. I can tell by the determination on his face that he's going to find Connor at the Grill.
"Matter of fact, everybody here at the Mystic Grill for graduation brunch. You either give me what I want, or they die." Connor threatens before hanging up the phone on us.
DAMON'S POV
I groan as I pull the bullet from my shoulder.
"Borrowed this from my jarhead friend, Connor." Vaughn tells me as he examines his gun. "Shoots wood like lead."
"Come on, man. I didn't kill you." I tell him.
"No, but you left me in that well on that island, where I starved to death. There I was, all alone on the other side, until Qetsiyah found me and reminded me of my supernatural destiny. Cure Silas, and then kill Silas. End of story." He explains.
He looks like he's going to continue, but he suddenly sucks in a sharp breath before falling to the ground. I look behind him to see Stefan holding his heart.
I smirk up at my brother and Stefan just raises an eyebrow at me.
ASHLEY'S POV
Ric took care of Connor for us and I just finished getting ready for graduation. Nothing is going to ruin this day. I have my white dress on and my hair all ready to go.
I drive to Damon's house because we need to talk. I know that we still love each other, but lately, neither of us have been as straight forward as we need to be.
It also doesn't help that everyone else seems to keep bringing up Stefan's feelings for me. That only makes things worse because then I find myself wondering if I have feelings for him. It's all really frustrating and confusing and I just want it to be over.
I take a deep breath before walking into his room. "Hey." I say softly and he turns to face me.
"Hey." He smiles.
"So, I think there's some stuff you and I need to talk about." I start.
"Yes, we do. But first..." He trails off as he opens the drawer by his bed and pulls out a small box. He walks over to me opens the box. "Consider it a graduation present."
I look into the box to see the cure.
"Damon, I can't take that." I say, shaking my head right away.
"Fine, then don't. But here." He pushes it into my hands and then backs away. "I want you to have it. You can take it. You can give it to Elena. But whatever you do, I want it to be your choice and I want you to know that I support whatever choice you make."
I look down at the cure in my hands and then back up at Damon with a smile. I could take it and everything could go back to normal. That would be ideal, but Elena needs it. I said from the beginning that I was getting it for her.
Just the fact that Damon is letting me make the choice warms my heart.
"I'll be right back." I whisper and he smiles at me as I walk out of the room.
I walk into a spare room where Elena is getting ready for graduation.
"I got you something." I say and she turns to face me. I hold out the box for her and she walks over to me.
"I can't take this, Ashley." She says, laughing a little bit. "I mean, obviously I want it, but that's the only one. There's only one cure and the hunters have made it pretty clear that they're willing to kill everyone in Mystic Falls until they get it."
"Well, it's up to you." I sigh. "Whatever you choose, I'm sure it'll be fine." I say, giving her a small smile before walking out of the room.
I can't be the one to make that decision. I can stay a vampire. Damon will help me through it. It'll all turn out okay. I was meant to die, not get a second chance at my human life.
STEFAN'S POV
I pour some blood into two glasses for me and Lexi while she looks down at Vaughn's body on the floor.
"So, the veil's down until tonight, he dies and goes to the other side, and what? Comes back all over again? How long does that take?" She asks.
"What, they don't give you a rulebook over there?" I ask, handing her a glass.
"Glad to see that the Stefan that likes to make jokes is still around." She smiles. "I guess that's all thanks to the amazing Ashley Scott."
"She is pretty amazing." I say quietly with a small smile.
"She is amazing, Stefan. I guess I've been replaced." Lexi teases and I roll my eyes. "No, but seriously, she was there for you when I couldn't be. She makes you happy."
"She does more than make me happy." I admit, looking down at my hands.
"You love her?" Lexi asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe." I say quietly.
"What about Elena? Where does she fit into this?"
"She doesn't." I say with a sigh. "Everything changed when Elena became a vampire. Her feelings got screwed up and we drifted apart. At first I thought we would drift back together, but I think this is for the best. Elena made it clear that she doesn't want me anymore. She pushed me away, but Ashley never did."
"So go for Ashley." Lexi pushes me.
"I can't. She's with Damon." I argue.
"So?" Lexi asks, standing in front of me. "At least tell her how you feel. Maybe she feels the same way. What would you do then?"
"I would make her mine in a heartbeat." I answer honestly. "But, if she doesn't feel the same way, then maybe that's exactly what I need to hear to get my ass out the door. Maybe I'll go to Australia. I can live in a yurt." I joke slightly.
"Cheers to that." Lexi says with a smile as she holds her class up.
I don't know how Lexi does it, but she always gets me to say exactly how I feel. I've been trying to figure out why I'm still in this damned town. Elena broke my heart. We're friends now, but I should've left the moment that our relationship ended.
But I stayed. I stayed because...I love Ashley. I've been holding onto the small hope that she might feel the same way.
I know she's happy with Damon, but when I told her my feelings were real, she didn't deny her feelings for me. There's still a chance.
I could still get the girl. If I don't, I'll leave town. But I have to stick around and find out.
ASHLEY'S POV
I walk back into Damon's room after leaving Elena to decide what she wants to do with the cure. When I walk in, Damon quickly pulls his shirt down, groaning in pain.
"What's wrong?" I ask him.
"Nothing." He answers quickly as I march over to him.
"Take your shirt off." I demand.
"Ashley, buy me a drink first." He tries to joke, but I shake my head.
"Fine." I state, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling it down to see his chest.
I gasp when I see a wound on the front of his shoulder. He cringes in pain as my fingers trace over the marks.
"Damon, why isn't this healed?" I ask nervously.
"Because the bullet was laced with werewolf venom, okay?" He sighs. "The hunters are dicks."
His words send me into a panic. I pull my hands away and start pacing back and forth as he stays way too calm.
"We need Klaus. We need his blood." I say quickly, my mind moving fast. Klaus is in New Orleans, but maybe he'll come up here.
"Klaus would rather see me die. Plus, Klaus is a thousand miles away sipping Hurricanes on Bourbon Street." Damon scoffs.
"That wound will kill you!" I yell, getting upset. "Unless...the cure. If you're human, the werewolf venom won't hurt you."
"That doesn't really fit into the plan right now, Ashley." Damon argues as I hear a noise downstairs. He does too and he stands up. "Sounds like Vaughn's awake."
"Damon, wait." I call as he walks down the steps, but he doesn't turn around.
DAMON'S POV
I walk quickly down the steps, but Elena intercepts me.
"Damon, I heard you and Ashley talking. You need this." She says holding out the cure for me.
"If you heard me and Ashley talking then you'll know that I don't want it." I tell her, but she doesn't move from my path.
"Take it." She argues and I sigh before taking it from her hands.
I step around her and walk down into the living room. Vaughn turns to face me. "Here." I say, tossing him the cure.
"What the hell are you doing?" Stefan asks as he and Lexi watch.
"Digging up Silas." I say as I walk towards the door. "You coming, Vaughn, or not?" I ask before walking out the door.
***
"Here we are." I tell Vaughn as we pull up by the edge of the quarry.
"What is it?" Vaughn frowns.
"It's where I dumped Silas. Closed off to hikers, no food for animals, endlessly deep water." I explain as we get out of the car and walk to the edge.
"I'm not following you, Damon. Where exactly did you put the body?" He asks.
I laugh a little before pointing off into the distance. "Well...let me see. So I dragged his stone ass through here. I flung him in that general direction. Then he tumbled down into those weeds...I kind of lost him in the rocks. The thing about physics...wait, what is it? It's um, distance equals velocity times time? Guess I should've told you to bring some scuba gear?"
I shrug with a smile as Vaughn stares at me angrily. Why do I care if he's angry? I'm gonna die anyway.
ASHLEY'S POV
"We have to do something." I say nervously to Stefan as I pace back and forth in the living room. Elena gave Damon the cure, but he still didn't take it which pisses me off. He gave it to Vaughn instead. "If those hunters give the cure to Silas-"
"They're not giving it to Silas." Stefan cuts me off. "Wherever Damon is taking Vaughn right now, it's to stall, because Damon hasn't had time to bury Silas' body yet."
His words make me stop pacing as I look at him.
"And that's all you need to know right now." He says calmly.
"Okay, fine. We're stalling the hunters, but Damon is still dying." I remind him.
"It was one bullet, and it was only laced. We still have a little bit of time. I will go to New Orleans myself and I will beg Klaus if I have to." Stefan says, walking over to stand in front of me.
"Then it's settled. You're all going to graduation." Jeremy says from the doorway and I turn to see him and Elena.
Elena smiles and walks over to me and hands me my gap and gown. "Let's go graduate." She says happily and I nod.
That's exactly what I need to do right now to get my mind off of all this.
***
"Klaus, now is not the time to decide that you are over me. I'm gonna call you every 10 minutes until you get your ass here to save Damon's life." Caroline says into her cell phone before hanging up and I smile.
Bonnie walks over to join us as we stand outside of the stadium where the graduation is being held.
"Where's Matt?" She asks.
"I'm here." He says, walking over to us.
"Where have you been?" She asks him.
"Oh, you know, making plans for the summer, dodging death by vampire hunter." He says and we all laugh a little bit as Stefan and Elena walk over to us.
"I can't believe it. We're actually all here. We are all here together!" Caroline exclaims. "Bonnie Bennett, are you crying?"
"It's our last hurrah before you guys go off to college." Bonnie says.
"Before we go off to college." Caroline corrects her.
"I...kinda sorta missed the deadline." Elena says sadly. "You know, being an emotionless bitch."
"Well, the perks of being a vampire...we can go wherever we wanna go." Caroline says happily.
I'm glad she's right because I haven't had time to think about college either. Things have been too crazy for that.
"I'm happy we're all here." I say with a smile.
"Group hug!" Caroline cheers, pulling everyone in as we all laugh.
***
"Welcome parents, family, and friends. What a beautiful day for graduation. Thank you for joining us today on this special day as we celebrate our graduates. So, let's get started." Bonnie's dad begins calling names as I stand in line.
I look around at all of the smiling parents, clapping for their children. I really wish that my family could be here. I feel a tear in my eye, but I quickly push it away.
I should be thankful that I'm even here. It's been a hell of a year, but I made it.
"Ashley Scott." The mayor calls and I smile, walking up onto the stage.
He hands me my diploma and I accept it with a smile. The smile stays on my face as I walk off.
I can't believe I actually did it.
DAMON'S POV
Vaughn looks nervously down at water below him, while he keeps his gun aimed at me.
"What's wrong, can't swim?" I ask with an amused smile.
Vaughn looks back at me and sees the wound that has spread across my neck. "What the hell happened to you?" He asks.
"Oh, would you look at that." I smirk, looking down at my chest.
"Connor must've laced these bullets with werewolf venom." He says with a laugh.
"Not as dumb as you sound." I snap at him and he quickly shoots me in the leg. I scream in pain as I clutch my thigh.
"This was all a lit, wasn't it?" He asks angrily. "You knew you were a dead man."
He reaches up to his neck and pulls the cure out from under his shirt.
"Well, you don't get this back. Where'd you put Silas?" He asks and I just laugh.
He shoots me again, this time in the chest. I fall to my knees as pain shoots through me.
"One more jolt of werewolf toxin, and you'll be dead within minutes. Where's Silas?" He asks, raising his voice at me.
Vaughn aims his gun at my chest and when I don't answer, I see his finger about to press the trigger. Suddenly, Ric comes out of nowhere and snaps Vaughn's neck before shoving him down into the quarry.
"Oops." Ric smirks, looking down at me.
"One slight problem." I groan, standing up.
"You mean this?" Ric asks, holding up the cure. Smart bastard snatched it that quickly.
"Yes. Yes, that." I say with a smile.
ASHLEY'S POV
I listen into Stefan's phone conversation with Alaric as we stand behind the stadium. Ric and Damon are still at the quarry. The ceremony here is over and everyone's just hanging out.
Caroline is trying to call Klaus again and Elena is waiting with me.
"I would love nothing more than to get out of here before Vaughn comes back to life, but Damon won't take the cure. He...doesn't want to be human if Ashley's going to be stuck a vampire." I hear Ric say and I shake my head.
I do not want that to be the reason that Damon dies.
"Okay, just hang on a little longer. Caroline's calling Klaus again." Stefan tells Ric.
"Stefan, we are past the point of Hail Mary phone calls. What do you want me to do, stand here and watch him die, or force feed him the cure?" Ric asks and my head falls in sadness.
Suddenly, a high pitched noise echoes around us and the four of us fall to our knees, clutching our heads in pain.
A bunch of witches approach us with their hands out. "Remember us, Caroline." The one in the front asks. These must be the witches that Caroline accidentally killed to complete the third massacre.
Out of nowhere, a graduation cap comes flying past us. It hits the witch that spoke and slices her head clean off. The pain in my head disappears and I look up to see Klaus holding graduation caps.
"There are plenty more of these to go around. Who's next? I can do this all day." He says with a smirk as Caroline smiles.
Thank god.
***
I hurry into Damon's room to find him pulling his shirt over his head. Klaus just left after giving Damon his blood.
"Hi." Damon says, turning to face me.
"Are you feeling better?" I ask, walking over to him.
"Yeah."
"So it's all healed up?" I ask as I stop in front of him.
"Fresh as a daisy." He smiles.
"Good." I state before slapping him across the face.
STEFAN'S POV
"Ouch." Lexi says as she listens to Ashley slap Damon. I laugh a little bit, pouring drinks for me, Lexi, and Ric.
"Yeah, I taught her that swing." Ric says proudly.
"It's not polite to eavesdrop." I scold them, handing them drinks.
"Hey, I'm short on time here. Don't rob me of what little joy I have." She says with a smile.
"Anyone seen Jeremy?" Elena asks, walking into the room.
"Oh, he went to see Bonnie. He'll be back later. You know, before...well, you know." Ric says carefully, referring to the limited time that they have left on this side.
"Yeah." Elena says, sitting down on the couch.
"Stefan." I hear a voice and I see Ashley standing in the doorway. "Can I talk to you for a second?" She asks quietly.
I nod and follow her into the other room. "What's up?" I ask her.
"Honestly, Stefan, I just wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have just...used you the way I did. It wasn't fair to anyone. And I wanted to thank you for always being there for me. No matter how badly I treated you." She says carefully.
I appreciate her words, but I know what they mean. She's ending this chapter of her life. The chapter with me.
"You mean so much to me, but...I love Damon. I'm so sorry, Stefan." She says, continuing to break my heart without knowing it.
I knew this entire time that she loved Damon, but now that she's actually saying those words, I know that any chance that I had with her is gone. She's saying these things because she's done trying to choose between us.
"I gave the cure to Elena to hold onto, but she wants you to have it." She speaks again, when I don't say anything. I don't know what to say.
"Why?" I ask with a frown.
"Stefan. The only person worse at being a vampire than Elena is you. Human blood is your downfall. You got the raw end of the vampire deal." She says with a small laugh and I crack a smile. "The rest of us will be fine. We'll survive. You deserve whatever you want out of life."
Why is she so perfect? She's making this so hard and she doesn't even know it.
"Thank you, Stefan, for everything." She says before leaning closer and pressing a small kiss to my cheek and walking away.
That's it. I lost. It's over.
ASHLEY'S POV
Too many people have made a big deal about me and Stefan. Too many people have made comments about me having both of the Salvatore brothers. That was never the case. I was just confused.
The problem is that my confusion confused them too. Now, I'm fixing that.
I walk into the living room to find Damon alone, staring into the fire.
"I wanted to apologize." He says, facing away from me.
"Good." I say angrily, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Let me finish. I said I wanted to." He says, turning to look at me. "And then I realized, I'm not sorry."
"You would rather die than be human, and you expect me to be okay with that?" I ask, raising my eyebrows in frustration.
"I didn't say you were supposed to be okay with it, I just said I'm not sorry." He says, taking a step closer to me.
I don't think he realizes how much he's pissing me off right now. I'm trying to fix things, but he's being difficult.
"You know what I really am?" He asks. "Selfish, because I make bad choices that hurt you. Yes, I would rather have died than be human. I'd rather die right now than spend a handful of years with you, only to lose you when I'm too old and sick and miserable and you're still you. I'd rather die right now than spend my last final years remembering how good I had it and how happy I was because that's who I am, Ashley, and I'm not gonna change. And there's no apology in the world that encompasses all the reasons that I'm wrong for you."
He takes a deep breath as he finishes talking and we look at each other for a moment. We are still standing a few feet away from each other.
"Fine, then I'm not sorry either." I snap. "I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that knowing you has made me question everything. That in death, you're the one that made me feel the most alive. You've been a terrible person, you've made all the wrong choices, and of all the choices that I've made, this will prove to be the worst one. But I am not sorry that I'm in love with you."
I pause and he looks at me for another long moment.
"I love you, Damon." I repeat.
Before I can say anything else, he quickly closes the gap between us and grabs my face, pressing his lips to mine. I quickly kiss him back, bringing my hands up to his hair.
I kiss him back with everything I have because in this moment, everything is finally the way that I want it to be.
DAMON'S POV
For once in my life, the night took a turn for the better. Ashley is mine again. There is no questionable tension in the air. She's mine. Only mine.
I walk outside to find Stefan loading Silas' body into the trunk of his car.
"Stefan?" I ask, but he doesn't turn to me.
"Think the quarry will be deep enough to bury Silas?" He ask, keeping his head down.
"Yeah, I don't think anyone's gonna stumble on him there." I say with a nod.
"Yeah."
He continues to load the car as I walk closer. "You want some help?" I ask carefully.
"No. It's alright. I got Lexi coming with me." He says.
"Okay." I say quietly as I'm about to walk back inside.
Stefan finally stands up and closes the trunk. "Damon." He calls and I look at him. "I'm not happy about Ashley...but I'm not, not happy for you, either. I just want you to know that." He says awkwardly.
"Thanks, brother." I say, giving him a small smile.
***
I walk over to the counter and pour myself some liquor as Ric stands by the window, looking outside.
"Moon's full." He says and I nod, turning to face him.
"Where's Elena?" I ask him.
"She's trying to find Bonnie and Jeremy. She's worried about the time." He says and I nod. A smile grows on his face. "Where's Ashley?" He asks, knowingly.
"She went to go get some of her stuff from her place. She's staying here tonight." I say, trying to fight my smile.
He doesn't say anything as his smile grows.
"What?" I ask, rolling my eyes.
"You got the girl, man." He says and I nod.
"I got the girl." I say, allowing my smile to finally come through. I can't believe it, but I did it.
"Now don't screw it up." He warns and I nod, looking back down at the counter.
I start to pour him a drink as I speak. "Well, with you looking over my shoulder, how can I?" I ask with a smile as I turn back to face him.
When I do, he's gone.
THE END
***Author's Note***
Well, it's been an emotional rollercoaster, but this book is finally finished. There will be a fifth book titled, HUMANITY 5 "The Beginning" so please read it once I post the first chapter. I'll try to post that as soon as possible.
Also, thank you everyone for reading, voting, and commenting. I love writing for you and I love seeing what you guys think of each chapter. You're all amazing human beings and I'll see you in the next book!
Love you!
~Haley