Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the proper of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
~ X ~
Island off Nova Scotia
The company sat around the campfire. A careful viewer would note that the so called group was subdivided into smaller clusters. Damon and Elena snuggled together, his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Another faction included Shane, Bonnie, and Jeremy, sitting comfortably sprawled. The last fireside set was Stefan and Rebekah. They sat close, shoulder to shoulder, Rebekah's head resting against Stefan's arm.
He whispered something in her ear, so low even the other vampires couldn't hear. A smile lit up her face, and she placed a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle.
Damon catching sight of the byplay snickered. "Going to zip your sleeping bags together tonight so you can do the naked stuff."
Rebekah made a disgusted face, but Stefan never acknowledged that his brother had spoken. He whispered something else, and she reached into a nearby back pack, pulling out a canteen. She uncapped it and took a sip and then coyly offered it to Stefan, looking up into his eyes.
Stefan smiled down at her and allowed her to hold it to his mouth. She tilted the blood filled container allowing him to easily drink.
"Aren't you two the love birds?" Damon razzed.
This time neither one of them reacted to him. Bonnie raised her eyebrows at Damon while Jeremy rolled his eyes. Shane just seemed bewildered by the constant taunting. Even Elena looked puzzled.
Rebekah turned her body to snuggle up against Stefan's chest. He, at first, seemed disconcerted, and his hands hesitated before wrapping around Rebekah's waist. She gave a contented sigh, and he soon settled down, both staring into the fire, mesmerized by the dancing flames.
Damon picked up twigs and pelted the duo. Bonnie gave him an exasperated look while Elena reached over and grabbed his arm mid fling. "Stop it Damon," she whispered.
Shane and Jeremy exchanged baffled looks.
Jeremy stood up. "I'll get some more wood."
"Not a good idea for you to wander off. Stefan and I can get it." Damon offered. He stood up, brushing his pants off, and looked over at his brother. "Let's go."
Stefan never looked away from the flames. "You go with Jeremy. You can certainly protect him."
Damon didn't look happy. "We don't know what's out there."
"Then take Elena with you. The two of you should be able to protect him."
Elena shot an astonished look at Stefan, but he hadn't even bothered to turn his head towards her. She slowly got up and followed Jeremy. Damon, after a brief hesitation, went with them.
The three soon came back, each with an armload of wood. Damon bumped into Stefan and Rebekah as he put the wood on the fire.
"Oh, so sorry," he exclaimed, smirking. The grin slowly died as his brother refused to take the bait. Instead of complaining or fighting back, he and Rebekah scooted over without saying a word.
"Really," Bonnie whispered sotto voice. "Not too childish."
Damon shot her a sour look, but didn't say anything.
After Damon sat back down next to Elena, Stefan got up and went over to his tent. He came back with a bottle of whiskey and two cups. He poured the liquor and gave one to Rebekah.
"Do you intend to share?" Damon asked.
Stefan didn't reply just passed the bottle to Shane. "Help yourself and pass it around."
Jeremy went and got three cups and Shane poured for everyone. When he was done he capped the bottle and tossed it over the fire to Damon. Elena rummaged in her knapsack and pulled out a camping cup. Damon opened the bottle and filled the cup, letting Elena drink first.
He peered at the bottle in the light from the fire. "This looks like it came from my private stock. You didn't ask my permission so the bottle stays with me." He looked at his brother as he issued the challenge.
"Hey!" "Not fair!" "Cheapsake!" Bonnie, Shane, and Jeremy immediately protested, but neither Stefan nor Rebekah bothered to answer him. They continued talking quietly to each other.
Damon ignored the others, staring at his brother and the Original from under his brows, his lips compressed with displeasure.
Elena gave him a look and then pacified the others by tossing the bottle back. "He's joking."
She put a hand up to Damon's cheek and turned his face towards her. He smiled at the concern on her face. "Just having a little fun" he assured her.
Shane, Bonnie, and Jeremy started playing a word guessing game and Elena joined in while Damon refused to participate. He kept shooting glances over at the duo, who were totally involved with each other.
About an hour later, Stefan stood up and offered Rebekah a polite but unnecessary hand up. She took the offered hand and let him help her to her feet. They brushed themselves off and Rebekah said, "Good night. We're turning in."
"Night." Came from Bonnie and Jeremy. Elena, frowning, refused to look at them,
"We probably all should," Shane chimed in. "We have a long day and night ahead of us tomorrow."
Damon couldn't resist taunting his brother. "Gonna do the naughty again with Rebekah?"
Stefan just reached his hand out to the blonde, and she took it. They walked off hand in hand to her tent.
Elena angrily stood up without saying a word and strode off to her tent. Bonnie winced, while Jeremy just shook his head. Shane's eyebrows rose, but one look at Damon's face kept him silent.
The next morning Damon rose early to find Rebekah making coffee. She didn't speak, just quietly watched the pot on the built up campfire.
He moved around, but felt her gaze following him. He turned to see her giving him an amused smile.
"What's so funny?" he asked, hands on hips.
"You," she answered.
"How so?"
"I finally understand you. You need your brother." She spoke with complete confidence.
His rolled his eyes as he denied her assertion. "I don't need my brother."
"Yeah, you do," Rebekah said as she poured and prepared two cups of coffee. "You can't stand for him to ignore you. It's why you torment him. Why you always track him down. Make his life miserable."
She cocked her head. "It may even be why you first went after his girl. You would rather he hate you then not care about you. It's why you continually have to get under his skin. Even his hate is better than his indifference."
Damon opened his mouth, but found he had no words to say. He finally said weakly, "That's ridiculous."
Rebekah just smiled widely. "Excuse me. I'm going to wake Stefan now."
As she sauntered off, Damon recovered and started blustering. "That's a bunch of crap. I don't need him. I could not see him for a hundred years, and I wouldn't care. Do you hear me? I don't care!"
She turned and gave him one last superior smile before she flipped back the tent flap and entered, leaving him alone with his denials.
~ FIN ~