⋆·☆·⋆

chapter one - "He does that, a lot."

⋆·☆·⋆

Clementine's eyes fluttered open, but quickly shut after the florescent lights blinding her. She slowly brought her IV free hand and tried to push herself up. She went for the bed railing for support only for a hand to catch her's. And another swiftly bracing her back and slowly sitting her help.

"I can do it myself," She said lowly and very breathy.

"Like I've told you the first time, I don't care. Until you can sit up with out getting winded than I'll let you sit up on your own." Damon exclaimed smirking lightly keeping his hold on her till she nodded for him to let her go.

He kept her hand with his, intertwining their fingers only for Michael to clear his throat standing across the room.

Clem looked at her mom with a pleading type look. Prue nodded turning towards her husband, "Michael let's get some coffee." And before he could answer he was already pushed out the door.

Clem smiled looking down pulling Damon's hand up to her's playing with it before tilting her head. "Is that my ring?"

"Huh?" He asked before seeing her still had on the small silver band right below his daylight ring. "Yeah, I uh, you forgot it and I was gunna give it to you. But you know, we sorta got trapped in a burning building."

Her scoff quickly turned into a cough which was followed up with another cough.

"Clem, are you okay?"

She nodded her head clearing her throat, "Yeah just uh, still can't fully laugh just yet."

Clementine had woken up at around two in the morning. The whole night she had stayed up trying to get use to the nasal oxygen cannula. She also couldn't sleep because every hour her IV would blare as loud as it could signaling it was done and need to be refilled. And yet Damon had stayed the whole night.

Melissa took Mack and Millie home at around midnight. Leaving Michael watching the two making sure the Salvatore wouldn't try anything.

"Are you taking any visitors?" Bonnie asked knocking slightly on the open door.

She looked up smiling at the two, seeing Matt behind her. "Yeah, sure." She said before turning to Damon. "Hey can you please get me a coffee?"

"For the fifth time honey, you can't have caffeine with your meds." He said said up before leaning close to her, "But I get what hinting at," He said before kissing her cheek and walking towards the door.

As both Bonnie and Matt watching every single one of his moves. Matt confused about what was going while it was settling in for Bonnie that it was actually happening.

"So you and Damon are actually a thing?" She whispered walking up to her and sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Yes B, and he makes me very, very, very happy so please try a be civil." She said as she let out a sigh looking down. "I mean it Bonnie Bennett."

She than put on a smile looking up at Matt, "How's Care?"

"How did you?" He asked as his brows frowned in confusion.

"Melissa ran into her mom on her way out. So what happened?" She asked fixing her blanket that laid over her legs.

"We were driving and Tyler heard this noise. He got ─"

"A-a noise?"

"He got like this migraine or something. And he lost control of the car. And I thought that Caroline was fine, and then ─ and then she wasn't, so..." He trailed off.

Clem gave him a small empathic smile, before glancing at Bonnie. Who's face matched her's.

Clementine hadn't been completely honest. During the fireworks she heard this high pitch piercing noise or sound. She thought it was her migraine that made it happen. The fireworks she thought was just adding to it. But now she didn't understand what happened exactly. She wasn't a vampire, she wasn't werewolf or a witch; that she knew of. But it still didn't make any type of sense, she should have died in the building, but didn't.

"Clementine?" Bonnie asked snapping her from her thoughts.

"Mmm?"

"You are okay?" She asked, "Yeah sorry, I spaced out for a moment." She said as her smile returned trying to act as normal as possible. "I asked how you were?"

"Well, I have three IV's, heart monitors that need to be unplugged and replugged when I use the bathroom or leave my bed. But they changed my oxygen mask to these nose one's so that's a good thing. I mean that mask was to big for my small face." She rambled off as Bonnie smiled lightly knowing that she was okay.

"Hey, Matt you should get back to Caroline. I got it covered from here." She said knowing he was itching to get back. He nodded, "Feel better soon Clem," He said before leaving.

"Bonnie what's really wrong?" Clem asked after seeing her watch him leave.

She sighed, "She's weak. They don't know if she's going to make it."

Her heart sanked not knowing what to feel. "What? No, no, no I should be the one fighting for my life not Caroline."

"I know, I know. I'm gunna go find Elena and catch her up to speed and we while figure it. I promise,"

🍊

It was now or never. No one was in her room to stop her from trying. She saw Damon, Bonnie and Elena in the hallway, wanting to get some answers but hating the feeling of being weak. And if she fell half way to them they were close enough to get her.

She was already unhooked from her heart monitor's and all her IV bags changed to a pole.

So now it was all up to her. Rolling the pole to her left side, holding onto it. Using it and her footboard as railings and support she slowly pushed herself up. Quickly going back down after realizing her feet barely touched the ground.

So she pushed herself down and bit before trying once more. And it worked she found her balance and started to take a few breathes. Taking step while holding onto the pole for dear life.

Slowly making her way to door frame. White knuckling the pole as her hand held onto the wall.

"No, you don't. Because it took Emily years to learn a spell like that."

"Oh, well, I can take down a vampire. That spell was easy to learn."

"So can I, even like this." She remarked getting everyone's attention. "Clementine, why are you out of bed?" All three of them asked. She quickly held up her hand in surrenders before having to grab onto the door frame losing her balance. Damon going grab her but saw she found her balance.

"I thought maybe I could stretch my legs and take a walk."

"You're knuckles are white," Damon pointed out as her small smile fell. "I was serious about still being able to kick your ass."

He rolled his eyes turning back to Elena, but happy to see her slowly getting back to her old self. "I can give Caroline some blood."

"No. No way."

"No, no, no, just enough to heal her. She'll be safe in the hospital, and it'll be out of her system in a day. She'll be better, Elena."

"It's too risky. I can't agree to that."

"How? Her mother's the sheriff, who might I add knows how to kill a vampire. I'll be here and frankly not afraid to stab someone with this pole. And with one phone call I can get two vampires, a witch, my dad, the founding family's, and some hunter's here in five minutes top."

Bonnie nodded, "Do it. This is Caroline. Ok? We can't let her die. Do it."

"If I do this, you and me, call a truce." Damon asked pointing between the two.

"No. But you'll do it anyway. For Clementine." She said looking between the girls before leaving.

Damon glanced at Clementine before looking around, clearly antsy over someone. "Uh ─ all right, I know this is probably the last thing you want to do right now, but we should talk about what happened tonight."

"Yeah, one of the tomb vampires got into the house and almost killed John!" She whispered to the two.

"What? What ─ when?"

"Is everyone in the goddamn hospital?"

"What are you talking about, after I left?" Damon asked making everyone confused but Clem even more wondering if it was her meds or if this was actually happening. "You were there?" The two asked.

"Come on, Elena, you know I was." He said in almost a whisper.

"When were you at the house?" She asked clearly not understanding what he was getting at.

"Really? Earlier. I was on my way to see Clem. On the porch. We were talking, all cathartic, feeling exposed. Come on, we kissed, Elena."

"Ok...I don't have time for this, Damon." She going to walk away but he stopped her.

"Hey. If you want to forget it happened, fine. But you need to know that can't happen again." He said just as Aunt Jenna came up to them as Damon turned at walked over to Clem who was still confused.

"Elena! I came as soon as I got your message. How is John?" She asked glancing at Damon.

"Hey," Clem whispered pulling at his hand. "Can I ask you a few things?"

"Shoot,"

"Did you feed me any of your blood?" She asked as he slowly shook his head. "I figured they stabbed you with vervain when you went down. And I was but Melissa arrived before I could even try. Why, do you need some?" He asked placing an arm around her waist.

"No, no. I just ─ you were being for real when you told Elena about the kissing stuff, right? Like you weren't just being a flirt?"

"You remember me telling you I tried to help Jeremy but he said no to taking his memories away?" He asked as she nodded leaning her back against the frame. "I was on my way out Elena was walking up and we we're talking and next thing I know she pulled me into a kiss. I pushed her back telling her it wasn't a good idea. Than Jenna opened the door and told her to get inside."

"I told you earlier."

"No, you didn't." Elena said getting both their attentions. "Yes, I did."

"No, Jenna, you didn't."

"Yes, I did." She insisted as it finally clicked as Damon and Clementine looked at each other knowing exactly what each other where thinking. "Oh, no." She sighed out holding to his hand.

"You gotta be kidding me." He said before realizing that he said that out loud.

He quickly kissed Clem on the temple before running off. She smiled meekly, "He does that, a lot."

🍊

"Clementine I swear to god I will tackle you and tie you down to this bed if you try to leave again." Melissa threatened getting a considered side-eye from the nurse hooking her heart monitor back up to machine.

"You don't understand, I'm fine. I just wanna go home and sleep in my own bed."

When in reality she needed to get back home so everyone would be home. A place where Katherine would have to be invited in to get to them. The same place that had a basement full of weapons and stakes. Anything and everything to kill a vampire.

"Mom and Dad are mad as it is that you've been walking around without someone with you, so you are not leaving."

"Why can't I just go home early? I mean I can do a lot more in my own room than in a hospital."

Melissa shook her head before pulling out Clementine's phone. Pressing something before placing the phone up to her ear. "Hey, Damon can you convince your girlfriend to stop trying to check herself out early." She said looking at her with a mischievous smile.

"Melissa don't--"

"No, yeah, she pulled off her heart monitor's off and tried to pull her IV's out but I got her to leave them alone." She said before her face lit up. "You'll be over as soon as possible? Great, see you soon."

"You are the most mischievous person I have ever met." She told her sister narrowing her eyes.

"You should really thank me because without me you would be dead right now."

"For the last time I am fine!"

"Oh, I'm not talking about all this," Melissa said gesturing to her body with all the tubes. "No, Uncle Ash heard what happened is on his way down here."

Clem's eyes widen, "What?"

🍊

"No Spike you don't understand my Uncle is worse than my Dad." Clem told Damon who was sitting across from her on her hospital bed. She sniffled looking up at him, they had tooken out the breathing tube and it made her nose runny none stop. "He is like the vampire hunter from The Little Vampire."

"Your dad doesn't suspect anything," He said while holding her hand and tracing his finger over her's.

"Yeah he won't, but my Uncle will. The moment he even get's any type of a whiff he'll give you stake to the heart."

"I'll be fine, besides he'll see how you and me act together and won't suspect anything. Although that means you can't threatened that you'll stake me." He joked making her smile looking down at their hands. She pulled it up and placed the ring from her pointer finger and placed it back on top of his daylight ring. "There, so now if Katherine does something you have a reason to came and tell me." She said as he smiled but didn't really get what she meant.

"Hey, Clem you forgot your ring," She said in a deeper voice trying to mimic his but not getting close at all.

He laughed looking up at her, "You think that's what I sound like?"

"A little bit more nasally but yes."

He slowly crawled over to her, "I'll show you-" he said before latching onto to her neck and attacking it with wet sloppy kisses that tickled her. She laughed squirming under him smiling widely. Feeling like things were back to normal for once.

🍊

After having a long talk with her parents they had diced to let her leave early. Considering that Mayor Lockwood wake was later that day and after Clementine had shown them on all the progress she had made.

Bonnie had came up and told her that Damon had gaven her his blood and she was awake and already doing better.

"Hey," She said softly lightly knocking on the door getting Caroline's attention.

"Hey,"

"How are you doing?" She had leaning on the door frame making sure she didn't get the IV tubes tangled.

"Sore, they say I'm healing really quick and doing better than I was." She said smiling making Clem smile. "Your doing better than I am since your up and around."

"Well, I have to finish this bag of fluids but after that I can go home. I can official hold my breath for a whole minute without grasping for my inhaler." She said jokingly while walking over and sitting down at the foot at her bed.

"Please, please, please promise me you'll visit me during the day. I don't wanna just sit here and watch day time television."

"I'll have to talk them into it but I can't wait to make fun of those sappy soap-operas." She said as a strange quietness filled the air between them. "Caroline? Go a head and ask whatever you've been holding in."

"Is there something going on between you and Damon? Bonnie and I saw you two before we got on the float." She said quietly glancing up at her.

She sighed, "Yeah there is. I've never felt this way before Care, I mean it's like the honeymoon phase just last forever. It's nice and weird and exacting and I've never felt like this way before. I mean I don't know how to describe it." She gushed smiling lightly to herself.

"Out of all people you chose Damon."

"I tried to fight and suppress these feelings Care. But he makes me so happy, and that's all I've wanted." She gushed as Caroline thought about it for a moment. Before a small smile appeared on her face.

"I'm not saying I'm completely okay with it, but I'll be okay with it since your obvious happy." She said before poking her cheek. "And that's all I wanted for my brownie."

🍊

Clem's eyes fluttered open as she started to look around. Not realizing she had fallen asleep. After talking to Caroline he had gone back to her room and was waiting for her IV to finish and had fallen asleep. "Good morning Plum Pudding, or should I say good afternoon."

Her head looked up to the doorway where her Uncle Ashton stood holding two coffees in hand. She smiled after hearing her nickname. "You remember our nicknames."

"I haven't been gone that long." He said sitting down in the chair setting the two coffees to the side. "Besides you girl's have that Strawberry Shortcake theme song burned into my head."

She laughed lightly nodding her head, "I know your patents said no coffee but I saw decaf and figured it would help a little bit. I hope you still drink your coffee the same way." He said handing her the ice coffee. Her eyes light up and a giant smile made it's way. "Thank you if been trying forever to get someone to give me a coffee. No one thought of decaf."

"Would that someone be a tall dark hair, pale-ish guy that was in here when I got here?"

She swallowed harshly, knowing she was going to have to play her cards a certain way. "You met Damon,"

"Does Damon have a last name?" He asked glancing down.

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore? As in-"

"Yup," She answered nodding her head slightly. "Does Damon have a brother?" He asked going over the Salvatore story. "Yes, Stefan."

"Oh," He said as his brows went up lightly, she narrowed her eyes knowing exactly where this was going. "What?" He shook his head lightly, "Nothing it's just there's a Stefan and Damon Salvatore on the original guest registry."

"Yeah, they're named after them." She asked as he nodded but she knew he wasn't going to let it go. "I don't want you to scar him away, I mean Dad has already threanted him enough. So please don't bug him about the Salvatore stories and the vampire stuff."

"Fine if he doesn't want to know about vampires I won't tell him."

"He knows about vampires he's on the council." She said bitting the straw trying to read his facial expression.

"So that means he knows about the incident that your Dad had told me about on Founder's Day?" He asked as she nodded. "You're going with us to the Lockwood wake right?" She against bringing the cup down. He nodded a bit confused on where she was going with the conversation. "I'm 99% sure he'll be there so you can ask him all the questions you."

"Can't wait,"