A/N: This brings out Damon's GOOD side a bit. Just post 2x06 after the breakup. What Damon does to try and fix the damage he's caused...

As the door shut, Damon heard a loud crash from the living room. For a moment, he ignored it, wanting to run after Elena, knowing she definitely was not okay but then changed his plans. Elena had Jeremy and Jenna to talk to...all Stefan had was...

Damon sighed. It was all his fault—Stefan mightn't take too kindly to his brother asking him to calm down. Cautiously curling his hand around the doorknob, Damon pushed open the door. He saw the fire raging in the fireplace, Stefan sitting on the floor, leaning against the sofa: a bottle of vodka in one hand, a bag of blood in the other. He was staring hard at the orange flames that leapt before his eyes. Damon inwardly groaned. Not only had he driven his brother to drink, he'd driven him to feed. This was not good. Stefan had self control but when he lost it, he was worse than his brother. Damon knew that whatever happened, Stefan could not leave the house. If an unexplained death turned up on the highway, Damon didn't want to be picking up the pieces. 'Stef?' he called. Stefan didn't flinch. Damon folded his arms. 'It won't last forever. Just until Katherine leaves. She has what she wants, now we can make her leave the town peacefully.'

Stefan laughed hollowly. 'Damon, you and I both know that won't happen. It's not Katherine's style.'

Inside, Damon knew that was true but he wasn't willing to admit it. Stefan took another swig of vodka. 'Might as well leave town,' he said, his voice becoming a slur.

'God, you're drunk,' Damon said, swearing. 'Drop the vodka, get rid of the blood. Here's a thought—take it out on me. You can hurt me as much as you want, it's my fault anyway. Just don't kill me, please.'

Stefan didn't move. 'It's not your fault. It's your style. Everything we do has consequences we have to live with. You have yours, I have mine. Elena's got hers...' His voice broke on her name and he threw the vodka bottle into the fire. The glass smashed against the bricks, the fire roaring from the alcohol. Damon jumped over the railing of the stairs, snatching the blood out of Stefan's hands. 'Christ, Stefan! Anyone would think that you'd turned into me! Look, how are you going to fix this by brooding?'

'I always brood, things turn out okay,' Stefan muttered. Damon grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. 'You're never going to get back with Elena with Katherine lurking around. There's only three options: kill her, drive her out of town, or lock her in the tomb. Choose your pick.'

Stefan scratched the back of his head. 'Neither of us have the heart to kill her, we loved and protected her once upon a time. If we drive her out she'll just come back...so...'

'We lock her in the tomb,' Damon finished. 'It's harder but we got the witch and Ric and Jeremy and Caroline. We can do this.'

Stefan flopped down on the couch. 'Can you go check that Elena's okay? She'll probably be with Jeremy at the hospital.'

Damon nodded. 'As long as you promise me you'll keep of the booze and stay outta my blood bank.'

'Deal,' Stefan sighed heavily. 'I'll start planning the thing with Katherine.'

As Damon left the room, he gave a quick glance back at his brother who was leaning over the desk, scribbling something down before zooming out of the Salvatore house and heading towards the hospital.

Vampire Diaries seiraiD eripmaV

'She's in there with Jenna.'

Damon ran his fingers through his silky, black hair, focusing his hearing to the ward.

'How did it happen?' Jenna asked. Damon held his breath but he exhaled in relief at Elena's words. 'Well, you were holding the knife and the phone rang. You went to get it and accidently walked into the knife.'

'I walked into the knife? How stupid can I get?'

Elena laughed weakly. 'Yeah.'

Damon saw her look through the window and see him. She got to her feet. 'Um...Damon's here. I'll be right back.' She hurried out of the ward. 'Is Stefan okay?'

'In a manner of speaking,' Damon improvised. Elena's alarmed look made him roll his eyes. 'Yes, Elena, he's fine. He's brooding like always and writing in that damn journal of his. He wanted me to check that you were okay.'

'I'm holding up,' she said, wrapping her arms around her middle. 'I gotta keep strong for Jeremy and I can't let it slip to Jenna what's going on. I suppose I can talk to Caroline sometime, and even Bonnie when I fill her in to what's going on.'

'You have Ric,' Damon suggested, hesitating before saying, 'and me.'

Elena smiled thankfully. 'Thanks but...I'll stick with pouring my heart out into a tacky notebook on my desk at home.'

Damon grinned. Yup, she was fine. He turned to leave when Elena grabbed his arm. 'It's not your fault,' she said in an undertone so Jeremy wouldn't hear. 'Katherine did it all.'

Damon shook his head. 'Our actions set things in motion, Elena. I believe you know that all too well.'

A/N: Haven't written a VD fanfic in a while, so...you know what to do, read and review!