Hey guys,

Thanks for all the support and lovely messages. It seems no sooner have I given an end to Blood Fever, than I have new ideas coming in. It seems I just can't let these two go. Gosh darn! I always set out to write a beginning, middle and end and I felt like the ending was good. I guess it's just that I see this story as being one that could continue indefinitely if I wanted, but didn't want the story to run out of steam and wither away so I wanted to give it it's proper end with potential for more maybe.

It'll be my naughty pleasure now and then so might not do very regular updates. We'll see ;-)

The Heat

Chapter 1

Stefan stirred as he heard Vida moan unhappily. He grunted and turned onto his side. She moaned again and kicked her arms and legs, desperately wanting to be attended. He grunted again and sighed.

Damon, can you get the baby?

He channelled and relaxed once more. She continued to fuss and began to gurn and he opened his eyes to see an empty side of the bed next to him. He sat up and rubbed his face disorientated as usual. They'd been staying in their temporary home in the woods with the wolves for over a week now and every morning had Stefan awoken confused as to their whereabouts.

Vida began to cry and he got out of bed and cross over to Damon's side, lifting her up and out of the bassinet that she was quickly out-growing. As soon as he had her in his arms and patting her back she calmed. She lay her head on his shoulder, drooling onto his vest.

"That's my angel." He mumbled and kissed her head as he bounced her. "Where'd daddy disappear to huh?"

He left the bedroom and went into the lounge-like den. Still no sign of Damon. He yawned and lay lady impossible down on her play mat, spinning some of the mobile hanging above it for her, to keep her entertained while he started a fire in the hearth. She squealed in delight and kicked her legs as the small rocket ships on the mobile danced around for her. He chuckled, watching her stare up in wonder.

It wasn't so bad being here. When they'd first arrived at the camp, the wolves had offered them a tent to stay in – why this pack were obsessed with living like hobo's he couldn't understand but Damon wasn't one for roughing it and had downright scoffed. He smiled to himself at that memory. Damon with all of his pricey shirts and expensive jeans, sleeping on the ground? No. Over his mostly dead body.

Nisha had been welcoming and excited that they'd decided to stay with them for a while and the rest of the pack – although some of the men nervous at their connection to Klaus, appreciated that they wanted to understand more about their wolf side. It demonstrated that he and Damon acknowledged and respected the fact that being a wolf was a lot more than changing with the moon.

Thankfully one of the wolves' relatives owned some land and it housed an old boy scout's camp, complete with wooden lodges. They hadn't been used for years but they all made quick work of restoring them to make their stay more comfortable.

Vida gurgled and squealed and Stefan blinked out of his thoughts and turned to look at her. She was looking towards him and smiling.

"What you up to huh?" He cooed and she smiled wider and stuck her fingers into her mouth. "I know that expression."

He crawled over to her and she giggled.

"What did you break?" He raised an eyebrow as he chuckled and she kicked her legs excitedly, her eyes wide and innocent.

He looked at the mobile, studying it. This was her new thing. She was getting stronger. She'd started to pull at things now, his hair, Damon's collar and items she wanted to store away. It was bizarre but they kept finding things that didn't belong to her. It was like she was foraging.

"What did you do?" He cooed and she gave a cough. "Did you eat something?" He frowned a little concerned and lifted her up as she coughed again.

He tried to look into her mouth but she squirmed unhappily.

"Let me see." He put his finger in her mouth and she gurned. "Jesus Vida."

He looked at the mobile again and noticed a small plastic star was missing and he placed her to his shoulder again and rubbed her back.

"You're lucky you're not human lady." He sighed and she continued to cough. "Come on."

He stood up and went outside to look out for Damon. The other wolves always seemed to be doing something, building things in the camp. It was nice actually, to know that there was always someone around. Nisha came up to their porch cooing at Vida and he sighed in relief.

"She swallowed something. Plastic I think." He said and Nisha gave a small frown. "What should I do?"

"She seems ok though." Nisha took her from him and checked her. "It'll pass through her system if it's not too big."

"She doesn't pass anything though. Same as us." He folded his arms and Nisha blinked at him surprised.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Then we better get it out. Ok angel?" She whispered and Vida coughed.

They moved inside and went back into the bedroom to lie Vida on her changing mat. She complained and tried to move onto her side and Nisha quickly spun her back onto her back as she undressed her. Vida kicked and began to cry as Stefan stood and tried to soothe her.

"What's going on?" Damon entered the room, dirty and sweaty and Stefan frowned at him in surprise before motioning him forward.

"She swallowed some plastic. Damn mobile. We need to get her something higher that she can't grab."

"She what?!" Damon panicked and Nisha gave a small chuckle.

"Relax daddies, babies put things in their mouths, but you do have to keep more of an eye on her now. Before you know it she'll be walking and pulling at everything."

Damon paled in worry.

"How do we get it out?" Stefan asked and she sat Vida up and onto her forearm as she used her fingers to push upwards on her breastbone.

Vida began to wail and Nisha bit her lip in concentration as she turned her over and patted Vida's back.

"Why isn't it working?" Damon pulled at his hair as Vida continued to cry, her face red.

Nisha gave her a sharp hit on her back, which had Damon flinching to move and take Vida from her, when Vida coughed and vomited. Stefan exhaled in relief when he saw the little pink plastic star sitting on the changing mat. Vida on the other hand, wasn't so relieved. She screamed and wailed at the trauma and Nisha lifted a bib from the drawer and cleaned her face.

Damon took her from her and left the room, whispering to her.

"Thanks." Stefan squeezed Nisha's arm and she cleaned her hands with a baby wipe.

"She's doing things that babies twice her age do Stefan. You're not going to be able to take your eyes off of her anymore."

He nodded, annoyed with himself.

"It's every first time parent's nightmare but you'll adapt." She smiled. "Time to baby proof I think."

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Is it normal to have such quick development? I mean, she's growing a little faster but she seems to be more switched on."

"In cubs you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Not really. It must be her vampire aspects. Cubs grow at a normal human rate of development, even when conceived in the main heat."

"Right." He nodded to himself.

"Speaking of which, are you ready for today?"

"I think so." He swallowed nervously.

"Don't worry. You can stop at any time, remember that."

"I'm not sure how Damon will do." He confessed.

"I can hear you!" Damon chimed sarcastically from the other room and Stefan blushed.

"Control takes time and a lot of practise." She chuckled and rubbed his arm. "Don't worry and don't fight what's natural. If you want to have intercourse, then do. "

"I want us to be able to abstain if we have to." He shook his head. "For Vida."

"We are here Stefan. She'll be fine."

"I know but, when we leave you won't be there to feed her and look after her if I'm…if we're….I need to be able to take care of her through a heat too." He struggled and she gave a sigh and nodded.

"Just, don't beat yourself up too much. A heat is for the purpose of connecting physically."

"You think we can't do it?" He raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.

"Sometimes you can't control everything is all I'm saying. Don't punish yourselves needlessly. We will start slow today with some meditation and drinking of the tea."

"No touching?"

"If you want to, yes. We can do some practise with your trigger." She nodded and he gave a tight smile.

It was so embarrassing talking about such intimate matters but she was the only one who could help him. She gave him a wink and took her leave.

He exhaled and went through to the lounge. Damon was talking softly to Vida as she sniffled against his chest and played with his fingers. He lay his lips against her forehead and rocked them both on the rocking chair.

"She ok?" Stefan asked and Damon gave a nod.

Guilt.

Stefan channelled as he looked at her little tear stained face.

It's not your fault little blood machine. I should have been here.

"You can't be here all the time and I should have been watching her." Stefan sat down defeated and looking at her play mat.

"She's a Salvatore Stefan, she's made of steel, plus she learning. Now, she knows not to swallow pink stars. Don't you princess?" He tilted her back into the crook of his arm and she looked up at him with a petted lip. "Don't put plastic in your mouth, only yummy necks."

Stefan watched as Damon rocked her comfortingly.

"You're filthy. What've you been doing?"

"We're not spending your heat in a tent Stefan." Damon looked at him pointedly. "I'm building something else."

"What?" Stefan frowned in surprise.

"If we can't control ourselves then I want Vida here in her own bed, surrounded by things she recognises here, not lying in a bassinet beside us while we roll around on the ground."

Stefan clenched his jaw at the horror of that thought.

"No." He agreed. "You're building something?"

"Just a small place, just for us when you're ready."

Stefan smiled warmly.

Love.

Love.

Damon smiled back and Vida gurned as her eyes changed in hunger.

I'm covered in mud and coal.

Damon stood up and handed her to Stefan to feed, while he went to shower and Stefan smiled down at her. She clutched at his vest with her hands and pulled, looking up at him. She lay her face against his chest and licked there through the fabric.

"Hey!" He chuckled. "Where are you going?"

She continued to lick and try to suckle there and he tensed for a bite. She was right over his nipple and it'd hurt like hell if she bit there. He frowned as she latched her lips around it over the fabric.

"Hey, come on." He cooed and detached her, lifting her up to his neck and she bit down and began to drink.

He rubbed the wet patch on his chest, feeling his nipple itch underneath. She never drank from there. She had fed from his pec muscle when she'd first been born, probably due to confusion. After all, that's what nipples were for, for giving milk to a baby. Of course he had none to give. He patted her gently, careful not to pat too hard, given the fact that she'd just been given the Heimlich manoeuvre by Nisha. She drank for a lot longer than normal and he sighed relaxed. He was glad. She'd sensed all of the change and emotions lately and she hadn't been feeding as well as normal.

He closed his eyes as she continued, holding onto a strand of his hair with one of her fists. He must have dosed off for a few minutes as he awoke with a start when Damon walked back through, fully dressed and smelling glorious. He sat up a little and realised that Vida was dosing also, with her face against his neck.

"You ok?" Damon smirked and he nodded.

"Yeah."

"You ready?"

"Yeah." He stood up and lay Vida into the bassinet Damon lay at his feet.

She slept on as they tucked her in.

"You want to have a shower first?" Damon rubbed their noses together.

"Do I smell bad?" Stefan chuckled and kissed him smiling.

"Never. It just might make it harder not to jump you when you smell as Stefan-y." Damon mumbled as he kissed his throat.

"That's the point though. We have to be able not to jump each other." Stefan sighed at Damon's soft touches.

"Hmmmn." Damon scented his neck and inhaled the roses.

"Come on." Stefan urged and they broke apart and lifted the bassinet.

Today Constance was looking after Vida while they had their tantric session with Nisha. Damon was a little stiff when handing Vida over. He still didn't like Constance very much owing to her Toby-stealing behaviour. Still, she was heavily pregnant and emitting comforting hormones to Vida. Vida felt safe around her and had bonded.

They walked to Nisha's lodge and tapped on the door. She opened it welcoming them in. The smell of incense hit their nostrils immediately but it was pleasant, so they found themselves breathing the scent in deeply.

"The incense will help you focus when you're meditating." Nisha sat and ushered them into a small room where she'd lain rugs and candles around.

Damon gulped when he saw how romantic the room had been made up. It felt strange to be expected to be open about sex with a stranger here. Stefan felt Damon's discomfort and squeezed his hand.

"What do we do?" Stefan asked and she smiled and gestured for them to sit down.

"I'll bring some tea."

"Tea?" Damon snorted and Stefan hit his arm.

"The tea to stop me from getting pregnant." Stefan huffed at him and Damon nodded grumpily. "I know you don't see the point in this but I want to try it."

"Whatever you want Stefan." Damon gave a weak smile and they sat down together in silence.

Nisha came back and handed them each a cup. Damon frowned in confusion as to why he was having to drink this.

"It's good for you to share everything. It'll help keep you connected throughout this experience. After all, both of you are involved in preventing another baby." She advised and Damon nodded.

They both drank a sip and swallowed hard. The taste wasn't great but just about palatable.

"Now, I want you to relax, close your eyes and breathe." She instructed. "You can lie down if you want to."

And so it began. Despite Damon's discomfort with the whole scenario, he found himself lying down and relaxing completely to the gentle sound of her voice guiding them into meditation. He'd never meditated before and was surprised at how rejuvenated he was feeling.

"Now create a place in your mind where you can return to your human brain, your higher brain. This is the place you will come when you feel the heat trying to fog your minds." She said gently.

Damon frowned a little, trying to picture somewhere. It was difficult when you weren't sure what you wanted to visualise.

"It can be somewhere you've felt safe before or somewhere you felt at your most rational." She said.

Damon flickered through his mind, trying to think. Somewhere, sometime when he felt rational? That was a joke. He was tempted to chuckle but he could feel how deeply Stefan was into his trance and he didn't want to disrupt that. He exhaled and tried to concentrate.

"Think of a time when you felt absolute clarity." Nisha soothed.

Then he had it. There was no clearer time in his life than the moment he realised that he couldn't live without Stefan. They'd been through a lot, but the moment he knew he couldn't live without him, had been when he'd woken up sad and drunk in their Chicago apartment alone after Stefan had left him. Yes, that was the moment. Not only was the memory vivid, it was motivated with the reminder of how important Stefan was and this was for Stefan. All of this.

"That's right. You've got it." She soothed. "Whenever your heat comes, you'll know that you can come back to this place and you will be able to think clearly."

Damon didn't remember much from after that. He'd felt so relaxed he actually dozed until Stefan nuzzled him. He hummed and opened his eyes.

Time to go to bed.

Stefan's eyes were large with intention and Damon sat up and followed him robotically. Nisha didn't speak, so as not to bring them too sharply out of their meditation stupor. They walked back to their cabin, Stefan practically dragging him in and closing the door with a clunk as it locked.

Bed.

Stefan channelled and Damon removed his clothes and climbed into their bed. Stefan took a few deep breaths and disrobed too, climbing slowly. They began to kiss slowly and gently as they settled around each other.

"No sex." Stefan mumbled in between kisses and Damon nodded. "Just touch me."

It was strange to get to touch Stefan and scent him but not to penetrate. Every cell of his body wanted to, but Stefan wanted to know they could control themselves and that this intimacy would be enough. Come his heat, they'd get stuck together for hours on end again and they couldn't have that with Vida in her crib in the next room.

They sighed into each others' mouths, focusing on staying in the place they'd created to stay human. It was a challenge though as they both grew hard and needy. Stefan began to gyrate under him, shivering as Damon sucked at his throat and slid his hands over his body gently. Damon moved down onto his chest and took his nipple into his mouth and Stefan let out a moan of pleasure and began to leak from his entrance.

This has to be enough, it has to be enough…

Stefan ranted in his head, trying to shake the urge to open his legs wide in invitation and Damon rocked against him, humming at the scent of the fluid. He continued to tease Stefan's nipples, delighting in the taste of the swollen tissue there and Stefan began to pant and squirm.

"God!" Stefan mewled as Damon changed over to the other nipple now, dragging his hair across Stefan's smooth milky skin as he did so.

Stefan rocked his hips upwards and pulled the hair at the back of Damon's head slightly, just enough to make Damon inhale.

"God I want you." Stefan struggled unhappily. "I want you so badly."

Damon licked over his nipple one last time and raised his head to look at him.

"It's ok." Damon soothed and Stefan squeezed his eyes tight. "I'd be worried if this didn't make you feel this way Stefan. It's natural."

Stefan gave a nod but Damon could see that he was struggling. Quite frankly the notion that Stefan believed they could get through a heat without any penetrative sex was wishful thinking in Damon's opinion. He didn't believe for a second that they could, but he had to be supportive and try to at least.

"Want me to stop?" Damon whispered and Stefan grunted and opened his eyes again.

"Can you use your fingers?" Stefan swallowed and Damon grinned at him in the affirmative.

Fingers were safe, as long as he could control himself and not push his manhood in afterwards. He kissed his way down over Stefan's muscular abs, sniffing at the abdomen.

"Is it working?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, you're not fertile right now." Damon smiled at him reassuringly.

Stefan relaxed with an exhale. His trigger was working. Thank god. Damon kissed his stomach and inserted his fingers gently inside of him. Stefan opened his mouth and exhaled at the relief. His entrance pulsed. As Damon moved his fingers in and out to caress his insides, he licked around Stefan's inner thighs – now saturated in his fluid. Stefan began to gyrate in enjoyment and whimper as Damon twisted and bent his fingers inside.

Don't think little blood machine, just feel it. Relax. I won't cum in you.

Damon's reassurance aided Stefan's orgasm and he climaxed onto his stomach breathlessly. Damon slowed his fingers and scented his emptied manhood, cleaning him and making small gentle bites of ownership. Stefan lay his arms behind his head and sighed. Damon continued to kiss his body and stroke his skin gently.

Stefan opened his eyes and looked at him, reaching for him to pull him forward, back up to his face again. Damon draped himself over him and kissed him lightly.

"Thank you." Stefan whispered and Damon kissed his brow and forehead. "You're turn."

He reached his hand between their bodies, feeling Damon's erection still leaking. He took him in hand and began to squeeze and juice him. Damon rested his face in at Stefan's neck and exhaled, gyrating as Stefan worked him.

My beautiful mate. My black haired one, who wants to cum in me so bad but won't, just for me.

Stefan channelled as he increased his effort and Damon began to pant and moan into his neck.

Stefan…

Let me take care of you.

Stefan urged Damon to sit back and Damon did so with a grunt of confusion. Stefan scooched down a little and licked his lips and Damon frowned in confusion.

"Fill me up." Stefan grinned and opened his mother teasingly.

Damon exhaled a laugh of delight and hovered above him, lowering his manhood into Stefan's mouth gently. At this angle it would be hard not to fuck Stefan's mouth to deep as he was below but Stefan knew and had initiated it. Stefan tilted his throat and took him deep, looking at him throughout and Damon lost his mind at how carnal it was. He moved as though he was taking him and Stefan hummed and swallowed him over and over until Damon emptied his seed down his throat. He leaned forward to steady himself and held the headboard of the bed for support as he breathed.

Stefan slipped him out of his mouth and flexed his jaw, sliding his hands up Damon's thighs to his bottom and squeezing there.

When the heat came, Stefan wanted to avoid penetrative sex. If they could still have this though, it'd be absolutely fine. Damon nodded to himself and lay down beside him sleepily. They curled in towards each other and had a snooze.

Damon awoke to Vida channelling their faces to him and he sat up in surprise. He looked to the space where her bassinet stood and remembered she wasn't here. She was with Constance. He yawned and kissed Stefan's shoulder to rouse him.

"Lady impossible wants us." He nuzzled his neck and Stefan hummed.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked sleepily.

"She must be hungry. She channelled."

"She did?" Stefan sat up in surprise and Damon nodded.

"Guess that's another plus. Even if we do get a little intoxicated with each other, we'll feel her and we'll remember." Damon smiled and Stefan gave a reserved nod.

"Let's go."

Constance was polite and civil when they arrived and squeezed Stefan's shoulder comfortingly.

"She's been great. Slept most of the day."

"Really?" Stefan asked in surprise. "She's normally really active."

"Maybe it's my scent." Constance shrugged as Damon raised an eyebrow and took Vida's bassinet from her.

"Thanks." Stefan said appreciatively and they left to return to their own lodge.

Vida was well and truly awake now and she squealed and wanted to play when they took her out and held her. They lay her on the floor on her mat – while Damon cranked up the mobile height to avoid her being able to grab at it. They both sat with her, cooing and tickling her and she soaked up the attention from both of them and drooled, moving her arms and legs and panting in excitement.

A few hours went past and they tried every toy and game to satisfy her and tire her out but she seemed overly exuberant and demanding. Stefan cracked his neck tiredly and sighed. Damon leaned over and kissed his neck, biting playfully and Vida clapped her hands and giggled.

"Have a nap. I got her." Damon suggested and Stefan nodded gratefully.

He scratched his chest, feeling his nipples itch slightly and leaned down to place a kiss on her head. She gurled and looked up at him.

He stood up, stretching and went into their bedroom, scratching his chest and discarding his vest. Keeping up with Vida was getting a little more tiring, but then again, his heat was coming soon and perhaps that was why he was tiring too. His scent must be increasing as Damon had sucked and licked at his skin for a lot longer than normal today. He'd almost climaxed on himself through the ministration on his nipples alone. Perhaps they were more sensitive because of the heat? Hell, Nisha advised that most of his body felt more alive to sensation. He remembered a little of that from the spell heat but some of his memory of it was starting to cloud now.

He remembered feeling so hot he wanted to pull his skin off and the torturous feeling of needing to be filled – a feeling he wasn't looking forward to repeating. Still, as Damon kept reminding him, this heat would be different. They wouldn't revert to being animals and they'd be together from the start. If they could continue like they had today, he'd be satisfied with that and they'd still be able to look after their baby without help from the others. That was more important than anything else in his mind. The only time Damon would get stuck inside of him would be during a heat. If they could get through the heat without Damon being inside of him and being stuck, then after the heat Damon could have him all he wanted.

Damon didn't understand his worries. He seemed to feel that the trigger solved all of their problems but it didn't. Yes, thankfully now Stefan could control his abilities to conceive, which was incredible, but it didn't mean they could control anything else and he wanted control. Control was something he'd always struggled not to have in any given situation.

He lay down on top of the bed covers and relaxed, closing his eyes. When Vida was older, it'd be easier. She could go and stay with Anne and Michael and they could have a penetration heat, but not now. Not till she was walking and talking and not as much of a handful.

Not till then.