Surprise! New chapter so soon! Yes, I'm amazing, I know. Anyway, I don't know what's up with these completely ridiculous but totally original one shots of mine. I mean, I've searched, but I haven't read any one shot like these, so hopefully they aren't horrible. Thank you all for the reviews! You people are awesome! Hope you enjoy this one, too. I know I did.

Summary: I don't wanna give away too much, so here it is: Since the 1950s, Stefan has noticed that once a year, Damon behaves oddly. He doesn't speak, he doesn't drink, he just takes a motorbike and disappears, only to come back later, looking totally crushed. One day, he decides to follow him, not knowing that he's walking into one of the most terrifying periods of Damon's life. Kinda AU. Contains spoilers for season 5...I guess? Just from one episode really.

Enjoy!

Stefan sat troubled in one of the couches of the Salvatore's Boarding House's living room, a glass filled with whiskey clenched in his hand. He had always preferred that over bourbon, a fact which still seemed to horrify his older brother.

Damon.

Stefan dipped his head back, the alcohol burning the walls of his throat. It was that time of the year. The time when Damon seemed to take down every wall he had built around his heart, when his emotions left him vulnerable and his sarcastic words were all but gone. Much as he didn't want to admit it, Stefan worried. It had been this way for about half a century and never had he dared to ask Damon what that specific date meant. Why was it so important to him.

It had taken him a decade or two to notice. But once he did, Stefan worried. He had hoped that asking Alaric would have shed some light in the manner. Even if Stefan and Damon weren't on particularly good terms, Stefan liked to think that he knew his brother. That his brother still trusted him and counted on him. Even if he wasn't going to pretend they had regular heart to heart's, he was sure Damon wouldn't keep many things secret from him. Alaric was his best friend, so he had thought Damon would have told him why he was behaving that way.

Alaric however had been clueless. He had said that it was probably nothing and just Damon being Damon, but Stefan knew different. This wasn't usual for his brother. Looking back, it seemed stupid, asking the history teacher. Stefan knew that Damon wasn't one to open up to anyone, be it his younger brother or best friend.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Stefan put down the glass and looked at the end of the staircase, careful to keep his expression neutral. Damon was there, wearing long, dark jeans, a black t-shirt while his signature leather jacket, rested on his arm. His 'signature' smirk however was missing. Instead, his face was expressionless. Blank and completely devoid of any emotion.

Damon walked across the room and headed to the door. Stefan's eyes never let his figure and he surprised himself when words left his mouth without his own accord.

"Where are you going?" Damon stopped, staying incredibly still and for a second Stefan wondered if he was just as surprised at his question. After a moment, Damon just let out an "Out." before disappearing out the door. Stefan sat frozen for a moment, before deciding that enough was enough and he bolted out of the door as well.

He searched with his eyes for a moment and then spotted Damon's car speeding down the road. Without wasting any time, Stefan took his motorbike and followed close behind. Stefan left a considerable amount of distance between the two of them, in an attempt to not let Damon notice he was being followed, though Stefan had a feeling it wasn't really necessary. If Damon had been alright, he would have noticed him ages ago. But right now, he seemed to have closed off the outside world.

After some time travelling, Damon stopped in front of a flower shop. Stefan had gaped in shock at that and double checked. Yep, definitely a flower shop. What on earth-

If seeing Damon enter the shop was shocking, seeing him come out with a bouquet of red roses was astonishing to say the least. They somehow suited his current image, but being a guy and more importantly, his little brother, Stefan found the sight way too cliche and positively sickening.

Stefan wondered why, or more possibly, who the hell did he want the roses for. Seeing Damon's car almost disappear out of sight, Stefan started the motorbike and followed. Soon enough Damon stopped in a field. It was full of scattered trees and not a house could be seen for miles. Stefan had absolutely no idea where they were or what this clearing meant. Damon took the flowers and started walking into the forest, while Stefan tailed behind him, unseen. After having crossed the forest of green pines he saw it. It was a large building, old and wrecked, almost raised to the ground. If Stefan had to guess, he's say it was probably burnt almost to a crisp, and by the look of it, it had been a huge fire as well.

Damon stopped at the entrance of it, looking it up and down. Stefan hoped that he wasn't planning on entering, the building looked like it would fall the moment someone stepped inside.

Stefan looked at Damon and his undead heart almost stopped when he noticed. Shaking. His big brother, strong independent Damon Salvatore, was shaking. He couldn't believe it, but the proof was right in front of him. Trembling shoulders, His shoulders were slumped, trembling slightly while the fingers holding the bouquet shook and he could more feel than hear Damon swallowing as he stared at the rundown building.

Taking a deep breath, Damon slowly fell on one knee and gently laid the roses at the entrance, not daring to get inside. Stefan wondered what he must be thinking of, but from his position at the edge of the forest, he couldn't see Damon's face. Suddenly, Damon began talking, causing Stefan to jump a little, but he remained quiet and listened.

"I'm here again. It's been another year and I still have the nerve to show my face here." Damon's voice was cracking and the realization hit Stefan like a ton of bricks: Damon was struggling to keep tears in. Stefan didn't know how to feel about that. He had never expected this, not when he was human, and certainly not now. His heart ached and he had to literally restrain his body from moving out so he remain hidden. For now, the thought thundered in his mind.

Stefan wanted to know what had happened here, and why Damon was talking like that.

Damon made a show of looking around, a shaky smirk highlighting the bitterness of his face. "It's been now, what, fifty years? Weird how fast time moves when you're out of this place. When we were trapped here, even an hour seemed like a decade. Right?" Damon was quiet for just a second, then-

"Enzo?" He turned just a little and Stefan could see, at the whispered name, a tear roll down Damon's right cheek, though he immediately brought up a thumb to wipe it. Stefan could feel Damon's pain as if it was his own. He racked his brain for information, a memory, a conversation-anything related to that name.

Enzo. Enzo. Enzo...No matter how many times he repeated the name, it held no meaning to Stefan. Though it clearly mattered a lot to Damon. Just who was this person? Stefan felt a rush of protectiveness wash over him and if this 'Enzo' had hurt his brother in any way, Stefan would rip his heart out of his chest.

Damon started talking again, this time caressing lightly the petals of one of the roses. "You used to love roses. Remember, Enzo? After you admitted that, I used to tease you about being a girl. I used to say that you were such a sap. I promised you that after we had escaped, I'd bring you roses...And every time you lost hope of ever getting out of here...I used to say that we'd get out one day, so I could keep my promise..."

Damon cut himself off to take a deep breath, trying to get a hold of his emotion. "It has been fifty years, Enzo and the guilt still seems to suffocate me. And no matter how cheesy this sounds, even your eyes seem to haunt me." He trailed off as he winced, a deep sadness and regret marring his features. "I still get nightmares, you know? You there, staring at me with those terrified, brown eyes, begging me to save you..." Damon closed his eyes as his body automatically leaned in a little, his forehead resting on his knee.

Now tears rolled down both of Damon's cheeks, like endless rivers falling on the bouquet and Damon didn't make any move to wipe them. Why should he? More would come out anyway. His chest throbbed as if there was a monster there clawing his way out. He could feel his blood pounding loudly in his temples, as his mind flashed to every moment he shared with Enzo.

Enzo, his friend, his brother, his hope..."I am sorry, Enzo. God, I am so sorry."

Stefan felt his throat tighten, he couldn't bear it anymore. Stefan walked from behind the tree towards Damon, stopping just two feet from him. Damon heard him moving and his eyes snapped open, widened. He instantly turned to look and froze when he saw Stefan.

"Damon." Stefan started, half in a greeting, half wanting anything but silence between them.

"How long have you been there?" He asked immediately as he cleaned his face as fast as he could. Stefan's heart broke a little. Even while clearly hurting, Damon felt the need to appear strong. The fact that he felt that need towards his own brother felt like ashes on Stefan's mouth.

"Since the beginning." He replied and Damon glared at him. Stefan almost shuddered. It had been a long time since Damon looked at him with those kind of eyes. Murderous, cold eyes.

"I wasn't aware that I left the impression of wanting to be followed." He said coldly and Stefan chose to ignore his words, instead asking what he really wanted to know.

"Who's Enzo?" Damon stiffened instantly before trying to cover it up with feigned casualty.

"No one important." Stefan had the feeling that those words, even if he didn't mean them, cut deep for Damon.

"Important enough to make you cry." He countered. Stefan still didn't know how to feel about that information, meaning if he should start making plans to murder him or be grateful for him being an important part of Damon's life.

Damon didn't have anything to say to that, especially if Stefan had heard everything he said. He looked away.

"Damon, please. Talk to me." Stefan pleaded, trying and failing to meet Damon's eyes.

"Why?!" Damon snapped, irritated at his little brother. He had probably just wanted to visit this place and get it over and done with.

"Because I'm your brother! Because I want to help you. Because I care about you!" The admission rang loudly in the silent field as the wind carried his words away. Damon's eyes widened as he gaped a little. He was deeply surprised and Stefan could understand why. Since they had turned into vampires, they had always had a silent understanding: Fighting each other, taunting each other, but if in trouble, always by each other's side. Always helping. Protecting. Never did they say it out loud, nor admit it. They hadn't felt the need to.

But apparently, they did now.

Damon stood staring a little, his eyes slightly puffy from tears, before clearing his throat. "Fine." He said and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. You want to know about Enzo?"

Even if it probably was a rhetorical question, Stefan still nodded.

"Remember on 1912? We had a little falling out and didn't speak for years?" Damon began.

Stefan nodded again. How could he forget?

Damon swallowed and looked away again. "Around that time, the fifties to be exact, I got myself captured."

Stefan's eyes widened. "Wait, what?" Of all things, this wasn't what he had expected to hear. "By who?"

Damon smirked a little, which actually relieved Stefan. "Yeah, I admit I was careless. Shot twice with wooden bullets laced with vervain. As for who...There was this group called, the Augustine Society."

Here Damon looked over his shoulder at the burnt building behind him and Stefan could clearly see the effect it had had on Damon. It was clear in his eyes. The blue mischievous orbs looked completely empty. There wasn't even an ounce of fear or hatred in them, they were soulless, as if the life had been sucked out of them. So much worse than just pain, he looked almost...broken.

Stefan shuddered. He didn't even want to imagine that.

"They were a group of scientists who experimented on vampires 'in the name of science'." Damon's voice was mocking, though still so very weak. Like he couldn't find the strength to talk about that. "Bullshit. They were nothing but sadists who tortured us for their own mad desires. I was thrown in a cell next to a guy. A guy who I soon learnt to be called Enzo."

Stefan stood deathly still. His heart was hammering as a wave of shock and fury shook him from head to toe. His fists trembled and drew blood from how hard he was clenching them.

"They tortured you..?" His voice had lowered, dangerous. "H-How? For how long?"

Damon pursued his lips, screwing his eyes shut in order to push away the painful memories of pain and torture, the tools, tables, insane laughter from when they were tearing him apart...Damon felt on the verge of a panic attack and willed his body and mind to calm down.

"You really don't want to now what happened to me, dear brother. It was one of the greatest horrors I went through, even if I was there just five years."

Stefan stared at him, incredulous. "Only five? What the hell do you mean only five?! Have you lost your mind?! How the hell did you even survive for that long?! How did you escape? Why did you never tell me?!" The guilt threatened to eat Stefan whole. How could his brother have kept this from him? How could he have not noticed? His brother had been through unimaginable pain and trauma and where had he been?! How could he have not helped?!

Damon looked surprised at how great of a reaction he was getting from Stefan. As if he could understand, if their roles were reversed, Damon would be on a killing spree already.

"I'm telling you now." He argued weakly.

"Damon!"

After a moment. "I didn't want you to feel guilty. I always used to think you'd someday come and break me out." Cue Stefan's heart getting crushed. "And I did hold a grudge for quite some time, but after seeing you...I only felt relief. So I saw no point in telling you."

Damon sighed while Stefan blinked back tears. He should have known. He should have been there. He should have done something-Anything!

"Enzo?" He asked, voice croak. The first real smile since morning appeared on Damon's face.

"His name was Lorenzo St. John, though he insisted to be called Enzo. He was the one who helped me keep my own sanity. He was my hope, the only thing that kept me going. There were times where I was pushed too far the edge, and he was always the one to bring me back. In that place, he was my light. The first person who I opened up to. After almost losing my brother, Enzo made me trust again."

Stefan smiled warmly at hearing Damon talk about this Enzo. Apparently he had been there for Damon when Stefan himself couldn't. And for that Stefan would be forever grateful to him. His smile dimmed however when a thought occurred to him.

Slowly, with a feeling of dread, he asked. "Damon...where is Enzo now?"

As he feared, Damon's smile vanished immediately. Instead, his eyes filled with regret, guilt and pain once again. Stefan was trying to to dwell on Damon's earlier words.

"Everyday...they'd give us a glass of blood, enough to keep us alive." Damon's breath had quickened, a human reaction, which said a lot about his current state. "My fourth year there, Enzo came up with a plan. One of us would have to give up his blood for a year, so the other would gain the strength to break them out. We did rock, paper, scissors, can you believe that?"

Damon let out a strangled laugh, while Stefan winced.

"I was the lucky one. On the day they let us out, once a year, I started storming the place, killing almost all of them and, believe me brother, when I say that I've never enjoyed killing so much."

For once, Stefan held absolutely no objection. He hoped with every fiber of his being those bastards burnt in hell.

"Everything was going just fine...until a fire broke out. It was quickly growing and going out of control. Enzo was still waiting for me to let him out. He was locked and chained in a cage laced with vervain."

Stefan looked again at the burnt prison and imagined how that day must have been like. He already had an idea where this was going. Stefan noticed that Damon was shaking again, looking at the ground, but not really seeing. He seemed to be reliving that very day.

"I tried..I tried, I really did, but I couldn't even touch it and Enzo-Oh God, Enzo was looking at me-he was so frightened! It was his idea...He trusted me..And I-I..." Damon was close to hyperventilating and Stefan didn't think twice about wrapping his arms around his older brother, one around his back while the other pressed against the raven hair, supporting Damon's head on his shoulder. He hugged Damon tightly while the other finally broke down, tears rolling down like never before.

"I abandoned him! I looked at him in the eye...and..and..Stef, how could I do that, he trusted me! Ten years! He suffered there for ten years! Always smiling...Always hoping..For what?! For what, damn it! It should have been me!...Not him..Never him! It should-It should have been me..." Stefan didn't utter soothing words, didn't even rub circles on his back. Damon didn't need that right now. He didn't need to be told that it wasn't his fault right now. He didn't need to be told that everything was okay. Because it wasn't. Because Enzo was dead.

Right now, he just needed his brother. He just needed to mourn the death of family. Because that's what Enzo was. Because that's what he'll always be. 'Thank you, Enzo. For saving my brother.'

Damon sobbed on Stefan's shoulder, hands gripping the material of his t-shirt as if his life depended on it. Stefan could make out the words 'I'm sorry' between the continued repeat of Enzo's name.

Stefan just held him, as a tear ran down his own cheek. A tear full of pain for what his brother went through, for all the guilt inside him, for the lost man that could have been his brother. Stefan just hoped that, wherever Enzo was, he knew that Damon never forgot. That he was sorry, and that Stefan hoped he could forgive him.

He didn't know how long they stood there. He didn't care either.

In the same clearing, meters away from the two Salvatores, a young man stared aimlessly, his hand covering his mouth as he cried silently. Behind the hand however, hid a painful, yet blinding smile.

A velvet voice. British.

"I forgive you...Damon."

Done! OMG, I almost cried myself! Review please! Three guesses who's at the end!