Final chapter. Thanks to those reading along silently!

I knew he was in pain. The way he had been acting. Our constant bickering. My 'elephant in the room' moment when I accused him of loving Elena. And now. Hearing him roar at Andi. Kicking her out of the house. I knew what it was about. And I had to speak to him.

I left Elijah and Elena still talking. Told Elena I needed to go check on him. Elijah cast me a calculated look that I chose to ignore. It wasn't any of his fucking business. And who was he to judge? I had heard the rumours about Klaus and him. So. He wasn't really one to talk.

Damon was standing in the middle of his bedroom facing the draped window. His shirt off. Fists clenched tightly. His head bowed. I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. He was really wound up. I walked up behind him slowly, cautiously. Reminiscent of approaching a dangerous animal. Except this wasn't an animal. It was my brother. My hurting, angry vampire brother.

"Hey" I addressed him softly, "I saw Andi leave. Are you OK?" He flinched. "No Stefan. I'm not fucking OK. Why would I be OK? Elena's life is in danger. As is pretty much everybody else. And you want me to apologize to that arrogant asshole. And to trust him. Because Elena trusts him. As if that makes sense. Because it doesn't. It makes no sense to trust an ancient with an agenda. You're being irresponsible. Not to mention stupid. "

He paused. Turned his head to regard me over his shoulder. "And I just want to kill. The urge to drink human blood is making me crazy. Alcohol isn't doing a thing. I don't think I've ever gone this long. The blood bank thing just isn't cutting it. I really don't understand how you've managed all this time." He slowly sank to the floor. Onto his knees.

Wow. This was a Damon I hadn't seen in a long time. A defeated Damon. My older brother who always had 'the plan'. Who was quick with the witty comeback. The king of "I so don't give a fuck." This vampire in front of me wasn't the brother I knew. The brother who had saved me from myself time and time again. The brother I loved.

Crossing the room, I placed my hands on his shoulders. Pressed down lightly, feeling the tension in his muscles. He was on the edge. I wasn't sure what to do, what to say. I just knew that I had to make things right between us. I couldn't survive the next couple of days if I wasn't sure of him. Of us.

"Damon. We've spent so much time being angry at each other. You hating me for what I did to you. Me hating you for turning your back on me. Time and time again."

Damon slumped back against me, leaning against my legs, as if he could no longer keep himself upright. "I was always there for you, Stefan. You know that. I rescued you over and over. Saved you from yourself. Returned you to your chosen path. Your ridiculous way of living. Even though I disapproved, thought you were crazy. Every fucking time. I came running. From wherever I was, dropping whatever I was doing. To find you, comfort you. So don't accuse me of turning my back on you. I never walked away from you when you needed me. Never. And you know it."

"Yeah," I replied softly. "You were always there when I screwed up. But you always left. You never stayed."

"Because we would always start to fight. You didn't like my lifestyle. I didn't like yours. You thought me cold, calculating. I considered you sub-vampire. Blah blah blah. Same old shit, different era."

"But it hasn't been like that this time. Since we've both been back. Maybe in the beginning. But up until the last few days, I thought we were growing closer. Reaching an understanding."

"Aren't you forgetting one minor detail?" Using my legs as support, Damon pulled himself into a standing position. Still facing away from me, he walked slowly to the bed. Dropped, rather theatrically, face first onto the mattress, arms outstretched to shoulder height. "Elena?" he mumbled into the pillow.

I paused. Thought hard about what to say next. Took a deep breath and started. "You love her because I love her. And you love me. No matter how much you hate me or are angry with me, you still love me. Deep down. You want me to be happy. And I am happy with her. But that doesn't mean I don't need you. Because I do. Need you. Always have. Always will. Please Damon, I don't want to fight like this anymore. We need to stand together if we are going to win this fight. Save Elena."

Damon rolled over onto his back. Propped himself up on his elbows. Regarded me intently. "You want us to stand united. Forget about the past. That's a tall order, Stefan. Come here." He beckoned with his hand. "Come on. I'm not going to bite."

Laughing, I jumped onto the bed beside him. Ran my index finger down his chest. Where it rested on his belt buckle. It had been a long time. A very long time. We hadn't been together in that way since the sixties. Damon had become increasingly angry, unreasonable through the ages and I had gained better control over my urge for fresh human blood.

But now, seeing him lying there, vulnerable and unhappy, I felt a surge of emotion. I wanted to comfort him, make things all right again between us. I bent down and kissed him, taking him by surprise. He startled and pulled back. "What are you doing, Stefan? I thought we didn't do this anymore? Elena's down the hall, I heard her go to bed. And Elijah's still here. With his supersonic hearing."

I kissed him again, effectively shutting him up. I was done with talking for now. The future was uncertain, full of danger. I just wanted to be with my brother, to forget about tomorrow. He gradually returned my kiss, opening his mouth, letting my tongue enter and take over.

My hands roamed over his body. Familiar territory, but it had been awhile. I remembered how he liked being held in my hand while his erection grew. I recalled how he reacted to slow, strong strokes. Smiled as he uttered that memorable groan as I took him into my mouth. This was so good.

I forgot about Elena sleeping down the hall. Even when I heard Elijah slam the front door, I could only grin, imagining the original's expression. Damon reached down and pulled me up along his smooth, muscled torso. He smiled up at me before flipping me over onto my back.

"Well, little brother. It certainly has been awhile. I'd forgotten how good we are together. How much you love it when I do this." I gasped as his hand reached between my legs and with two fingers entered me. His memory was excellent, that was clear. Because he kept on, causing me to utter moan upon moan. My excitement only served to fuel his desire. Pulling my legs up around his waist, he thrust his cock into me with one, swift, hard thrust forward. I felt like I was going to lose my mind. But Damon didn't allow time for adjustment, instead he continued thrusting, driving us both towards simultaneous orgasms.

Much later, I lay in his arms, both of us quiet. I knew that our thoughts had returned to the situation at hand. But I felt calmer than before, more at ease. I knew that whatever tomorrow would bring, my brother would be there for me. That whatever course of action he chose, it would be with my best interests at heart. Because he loved me. For always.