Falling for Eternity

I caught my breath, as I stood staring at the blood stained body. There was gasps, screams, and the cries of those who knew him, coming from every direction. I couldn't move, couldn't think ... I couldn't even breathe as my eyes were fixed on the poor girl, who gripped on tightly to her boyfriend.

"We've got to get out of here"Damon said, as he took hold of my hand.

I didn't understand why he was in such a rush to leave, but then again .. why would you want to stay? Still not managing to gain use of my speech, I simply stopped walking.

"Blake, what are you doing?"Damon asked, as he abruptly turned around to face me.

I stared at him blankly, trying to force up my words .. when I noticed his eyes. They were turning bloodshot, his round pupils becoming wider, hiding the normally beautiful blue shade behind a shadow of midnight black.

"Y-your eyes"I managed, causing him to immediately turn away.

"Blake, we need to go"He pushed, frustration present in his voice. "Now."

"Damon .. "I breathed, as we almost ran out of the Lockwood Estate. "That boy needs help"

"I'm sure an ambulance is already on it's way, there was nothing we could have done"He replied.

"He'd lost so much blood .."I whispered, my voice turning into a whimper as his image flashed brightly in my mind.

I pictured him lying on the perfectly cut grass, his suit stained with blood. The flesh on his throat viciously ripped open, leading straight to the vital veins in his neck. I pictured the girl, wrapping him up in her arms, her soft tears dropping onto his pale cheek.

I suddenly collapsed, as my knees gave way to the ground. Tears came pouring down my face, and I sobbed into the gravel, as the tragedy I had just witnessed, hit me like nothing on Earth.

"He's going to die, isn't he?"I cried, as Damon began to slowly pick me up.

"Hey"He said, taking me into his embrace. "Shhhh"He soothed, wiping the tears from my face.

"What if he's already dead ... "I sobbed, "Oh my God .."

"Blake, it's alright. Everything's going to be alright. I promise you"Damon whispered, as he placed a gentle kiss onto my forehead.

I cried into his chest for a while longer, noticing neon blue lights flashing fiercely in the distance, followed by the loud drones of the sirens.

"Jenna?"I called, as Damon and I walked into the lowly lit hallway of the Gilbert Household.

I paced around the kitchen, before entering the living room to find nobody around.

"What time is it?"I asked, as we approached the staircase.

"It's just past midnight"Damon whispered, quietly following behind me.

"Are Elena and Stefan alright?"I asked, when we entered the guest bedroom I was sleeping in.

Damon exhaled, as his eyes set on mine. "That's not important"He mumbled, as his hands cupped my cheeks. "What is .."He continued, "Is if you are"

I forced a smile, before placing a soft kiss onto his lips. "I'll let you know"I said, as I rested my head on his shoulder, his strong arms wrapping themselves around me.

I inhaled in his strong, aftershaved scent as we just held each other, listening to the sound of the silence. I hadn't even noticed as he gently lifted me up and walked towards my bed.

"You know"I said, as he lay me down on the soft matress, taking a seat next to me. "I had a picture in my head, of how this night was going to turn out"I spoke, as my eyes captured his gaze. "And everything was going perfectly ... it was exactly how I imagined it to be. Then, this had to happen"

I let out a sigh, as I felt tears build in my eyes. "and never in my whole life, have I witnessed something so horrible ... I mean, who or what could do that to a person? "I whimpered, as a tear strolled down my cheek.

"Hey, shhh"Damon whispered, as he lifted my head up. His hand wiping away my tears. "Blake .."

I couldn't bring myself to look at him, as my watery eyes continued to flood.

"I'm so sorry"I cried, as he pulled me into him. "This is completely not how I planned -"

I was silenced, as Damon placed his finger on my lip.

"Blake"He whispered, as his hand softly caressed my cheek. "You don't need to be apologising."

I inhaled in a long breath of air, as my eyes looked to his. "And I know this hasn't exactly turned out the way we wanted it to, but maybe there's a reason for that .. "Damon said, as he continued to wipe away my stray tears.

"W-what do you mean?"I asked, searching into his pale blue eyes.

"A few days ago, I made a promise to myself"He replied, "I promised that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you, not tonight .. not ever. And when I kissed you"He said, intertwining our fingers. "It seemed like it was meant to happen, not only because I wanted it to, but because it was supposed to."

I lifted my hand to his face, before gently caressing it as a smile spread across my face. "So what i'm saying is"He continued, "That tonight, fate had something in store for everyone. It was his time Blake, no matter how horrific it was. And I guess in life, that's something you never get used to"Damon said, as he stared straight into my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around him, welcoming him into my warm embrace as he pulled me towards him. I could see the intensity in his eyes when he spoke, almost as though he'd been on this planet for a hundred years. And I could truly sense that he knew what he was talking about. Almost as though he'd had a few experiences himself.

"Damon"I whispered, as I lay my head on his chest. "Will you stay with me?"

I smiled, as I soon felt a warm blanket wrap around us. "I'll be right here"He said, stroking my arm gently.

I sighed lightly, as my eyes closed to the world. Falling asleep in his arms.

I awoke the next morning to the sound of 2 loud knocks coming from outside of my bedroom door. I shifted around uncomfortably, before opening my eyes to find Damon facing me, still fast asleep. I smiled as I moved a piece of his dark hair from his eye, just as Elena barged into my room.

"Blake!"She breathed, as though she'd just come home from a 2 hour jog. I blushed, before removing the blanket from around myself as her eyes took in the scene.

"Nothing happened"I assured her, as she stood staring blankely infront of me.

"I . . . Uhm, I wanted to make sure you were alright"She began, running a hand through her hair.

I smiled awkwardly, as I chewed on my lower lip. "Do you know what happened to the guy last night?"I asked, as her dark brown eyes made their way to mine.

"Yeah .. "She replied, as a saddened look spread across her face. "There was an article about it in this morning's paper. Unfortunately, he passed away. He had severe blood loss and was unconscious for too long. Police think it's another animal attack"Elena spoke, as her eyes then looked to Damon.

"Another?"I questioned, remembering back to last night. "Do these happen often?"

Elena sighed, as she turned towards me. "They happen too often Blake. Way too often"

"LOCAL BOY, 16 - LATEST VICTIM OF YET ANOTHER ANIMAL ATTACK"

I sighed, as my eyes read the latest headline plastered across the front page of the newspaper.

It has been confirmed that Sean Riley, the latest victim of the most horrific animal attack to date, has sadly died. The youngster, aged only sixteen years old was found unconscious at Mayor Lockwood's Residence, while attending the Annual Charity Ball in support of the Mystic Falls Children's Hospital. Family and Friends are devastated by the loss, and only hope that this beast can be captured. Investigators report, that Mr Riley had severe trauma to the neck and had lost at least 2 to 3 pints of blood, when found by his girlfriend of 6 months, Jodie Garner . . . . .

As I continued to read, my mind bickered with itself. Firstly, about life. Why we were given it, if it is to be taken away from some of us so young? Secondly, I thought about fate. About what Damon had been explaining to me the previous night. Was it really controlled by life, by what's "supposed" to happen.

Or, I wondered ... is it us, who create our fate every day we live?