CHAPTER 1

"I bet you're feeling pretty happy with yourself aren't you?" Damon's voice barely reached his ears from the dusty, dark cellar that Stefan had locked him in. Stefan had been hanging around the door for a few minutes, peeping in every now and again to check on him. The truth was, he felt guilty. He knew that Damon was out of control and had to be stopped before he hurt others but seeing him slowly decay like this was weakening his resolve. He had to be strong.

"Not particularly." He answered back as he stepped fully in front of the bars decorating the small window in the door. Damon turned his head towards him with difficulty and stared at him. Damon's skin had started to turn yellow now as it dried and there was a thick layer of sweat on his face as he tried to draw in each breath. Stefan couldn't imagine what the pain of that must be like. All of Damon's muscles were stiffening as the last of his blood evaporated within him and soon he wouldn't be able to move or speak. It must be terrifying.

"You caught the bad guy." Damon tried to smirk and instead a tear ran down his cheek at the effort. Stefan felt his stomach drop as he watched the tear glide down his yellow skin.

"It didn't have to be like this." Stefan whispered, closing his eyes in pain. The truth was that he had started to get used to having Damon around. There had always been a vain hope in his heart that one day they could reconcile and Damon could be the big brother he remembered from their human days. Human Damon had been his best friend, his favourite person on earth. He had worshipped him and then it had all been ruined. He sometimes wondered if Damon ever missed their human relationship like he did.

Damon coughed violently and fell from his seated position onto a heap on the floor. Dust swirled around him and coated his clothing and he coughed again groaning at the effort it took his rib cage to move for that action. Stefan felt torn. He almost wanted to go to him but he knew that he couldn't. Damon could be faking his distress and then try to overpower him. Damon rolled onto his back and Stefan saw another tear roll down his dust coated face.

"The show's over Stefan. Just go." Damon rasped as he rolled his head away from Stefan's view.

"I'm sorry brother." Stefan whispered and Damon grunted. He stepped back with the intention of heading back upstairs when he heard Damon call him again. He stepped back to the window.

"I can't take this Stefan. Let me out or kill me now. If I can't move I will go crazy." Damon implored to him, his eyes filled with tears. Stefan shook his head and Damon groaned, shedding the tears onto his pale cheeks.

"I'm not going to kill you Damon, you're my brother." Stefan said with a hint of fear in his voice. Damon couldn't really mean it could he?

"Please brother. Have some mercy." Damon whispered as he shivered and closed his eyes. Stefan held his breath as his chest ached. He couldn't kill him, but his pleas were so desperate and sincere. He didn't know what to do as he shakily stepped away from the window and sat down. He could hear Damon's breathing get shallower. It wouldn't be long before he couldn't breathe anymore. He didn't need to breathe but it was such a natural automatic movement that it would still make Stefan feel urgent when it stopped, because it would mean that Damon had no control over that part of his body anymore.

"Stefan, please." Damon begged in a whisper and Stefan put his hands over his ears and closed his eyes as he fought his urge to go to him. He couldn't sit here all day and listen to this, he had to get out. He stood up and walked away up the stairs, hearing Damon sigh painfully as he realised he was leaving.

He sat in his room writing his thoughts out, trying to figure out what he should do. He had vowed to protect Elena and everyone else in this town and Damon had admitted he didn't care. Damon had brought this upon himself. Damon was to blame for untold horrors and yet, right now he was pleading for a kind death, some mercy. Why was it such a hard pill to swallow? How was it that despite everything that Damon had done lately, he still couldn't help feeling such anguish at being the one who had to do this to him, to dry him up till he was paralysed and afraid and store him away like a piece of furniture? Damon knew that Stefan would feel bad and conflicted. Stefan threw his journal at the wall and clasped his hands behind his head trying to breathe out his anxiety. He had to see this through.

A day went past and he finally got up the courage to check in on Damon again. Damon was lying with his eyes open, in the same position as he had been lying in when Stefan last seen him. He watched him closely, looking for signs of movement but his chest was no longer moving.

"Damon?" He called and Damon didn't budge. His skin was grey and sunken in at his cheek bones. He looked more like a real corpse now. Stefan carefully unbolted the door and entered, closing it behind him as he crept closer to the body. He knelt down and touched Damon's face gently. His eyes moved slightly as Stefan touched him and Stefan shivered. It was eerie, like something out of a horror movie. Damon was still in there, he just couldn't react externally. Stefan looked into his eyes and saw fear and pain so intense he had to look away.

"I'm sorry. You made me do this." He stroked Damon's face tenderly and noticed Damon's lip tremble as though he was trying to say something. Stefan's heart ached and he closed his eyes as he scooped Damon up, holding him against his chest. His body was so absent of fluids now that he weighed very little. He looked up at Stefan pleadingly and Stefan sighed, feeling himself well up under the scrutiny of those eyes.

"I can't kill you. I love you brother." Stefan's voice trembled as Damon stared on at him in judgement. It was strange how emotive his eyes were. He could speak so many words without using his mouth.

"Go to sleep. I promise I will come back for you once enough time has passed." Stefan whispered and placed a kiss on Damon's forehead. Damon's eyes closed and he sighed anxiously. He lifted Damon's head higher onto his shoulder as he cradled him for a moment, reaching out to open the cellar door as he heard Zack coming down the stairs. Zack peeked in the window.

"Is it done?" Zack asked nervously, eyeing Damon's lifeless form and Stefan nodded grimly.

"He won't be any more trouble now." Stefan assured and looked down at Damon's fragile face again. He leaned his head against Damon's in a last moment of grief, brushing his forehead against his temple when Damon suddenly opened his mouth and latched onto his neck like a crocodile. Zack shouted as Stefan's eyes popped open in surprise. Damon sucked fiercely at Stefan's bleeding neck and wouldn't budge even as Stefan tried to tear his jaw away. Damon couldn't move his arms and legs but he could clamp his jaw down like stone. The stiffness in his muscles actually helped him hold Stefan's throat to his hungry mouth as he gulped mouthful after mouthful of Stefan essence.

Stefan stumbled, falling to his knees as he tried to forcibly remove Damon's body from him. Zack made to unbolt the door but Stefan shouted at him to lock it again as he began to weaken. Damon's cheeks pulled in as much blood as possible and he found his voice again as he moaned at the pleasure of feeding after so long starving. Stefan gasped as he fell forward onto his hands and knees, dropping Damon beneath him. Damon brought his arms up finally able to move and held Stefan almost as though they were embracing. Zack frantically paced around outside, not knowing what to do.

"Damon, please don't kill him!" Zack shouted and Damon sighed as Stefan fell completely on top of him, unconscious. Damon pulled away and sighed in relief, laying himself back into the ground. Stefan's head lay against his chest now as he delighted in drawing in air with his lungs and expelling satisfied sounds at the blood flowing through his veins. Stefan had a funny taste. It must be all the animal blood. It wasn't as potent as human blood or that of other vampires but it would do for now. After a few minutes Damon looked up to see Zack gripping the bars and watching Stefan intently.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill him yet." Damon chuckled, putting his hand around Stefan's waist territorially as Zack's expression became pained. He rolled over and lay Stefan onto his back.

"Of course I could kill him now I suppose. Show him the mercy he didn't show me." Damon pondered out loud, hoping for a reaction from Zack.

"Damon!" Zack tried to sound as though he was warning him but he had no cards to play here other than Damon's freedom and he knew that Damon would get revenge in either eventuality. Damon laughed at his distress and stalked up to the window. Zack drew back.

"I'm full of vervain." Zack reminded him and Damon snorted at him.

"Family only runs so far I see." Damon commented and Zack's face straightened.

"We aren't family Damon."

"Ah I see. You think of him as family though don't you?" Damon leaned into the bars confidently and smiled as Zack's heart rate shot up in fear.

"Got to admit I'm a little hurt by that Zacky-boy. In fact, it makes me a little jealous. Maybe I should give Stefan a piece of my mind while we are in here." Damon smiled wickedly, licking his lips slowly to show Zack the blood that still remained there on the surface of his teeth. Zack gulped.

"Let him go Damon. Please, he's your brother." Zack tried to reason and Damon's face grew angry.

"Exactly! He's my brother. My eternal ball and chain. If you don't let me out of here I am going to feed on him again and again until there's nothing left in him and he becomes the dried up corpse that you both made of me!" Damon spat angrily and Zack stepped back against the wall in fear.

"Let. Me. Out." Damon snarled, opening his eyes as wide as he could to appear as threatening as possible as Zack panicked.

"I can't. I promised him. He understands why you can't be allowed to torment this town anymore. If the both of you are in here then at least I will know there will be no vampires in Mystic Falls anymore. Everyone will be safe." Zack spoke in a hurried voice and quickly ran up the stairs, tearing at his hair in torment as he left. Damon shouted after him growling but he didn't return.

Damon slowly walked back and sat down next to Stefan in disbelief. Was Stefan really such a martyr that he had convinced Zack that if something happened to him in here, then he should leave them forever locked in this cellar? He shook his head and grunted frustrated as Stefan stirred next to him.

"Rise and shine brother." Damon drawled as he turned to look down at him. Stefan opened his eyes slowly and frowned as he realised how weak he was.

"I would save your energy if I were you. You'll only tire yourself out writhing about like that." Damon advised nonchalantly as Stefan fought to sit up. He reached out with one hand and pushed Stefan over, laughing at how pathetic he looked as he glared up at him.

"You know if you weren't full of Bambi you might actually have been able to stay conscious there, but then again if you had tasted like a vampire should I would have taken it all." Damon smiled in a predatory fashion as Stefan huffed.

"Sorry to disappoint your taste buds." Stefan mumbled.

"So baby bro, what now? Your precious Zack just conveyed his desire to keep us both safely locked away in here forever thanks to your self-righteous crap." Stefan closed his eyes and groaned.

"If you're going to kill me just get it over with Damon." Stefan said and Damon laughed, leaning over him.

"I'm not going to kill you Stefan. I love you brother." Damon imitated Stefan's words of love in a high pitched voice to mock him, turning their meaning into hurtful sarcasm. Stefan gulped and shook his head, hurting at Damon's cruelty. Damon chuckled for a minute and then became serious again.

"You were actually going to do it. You were going to lock me away in that crypt, knowing I was still alive." He leaned his face nearer to Stefan's menacingly. "You would have left me in the dark, paralysed, starving and aware of every passing minute of time."

"You left me no choice." Stefan retorted weakly and Damon bared his teeth.

"At least I know what to do with your body now." Damon hissed as he sank his teeth into Stefan's neck again. Stefan cried out and grabbed Damon's shoulders desperately trying to push him back. Damon took a gulp and relaxed as he felt bliss trickle into his stomach. Stefan sighed under him and let his arms fall away from his sides as they both shuddered in ecstasy. Blood sharing was always intimate but between vampires it could result in sexual stimulation too. Normally they could decide to switch that aspect of the sharing off if they were drinking to incapacitate or kill the other but right now all Damon could do was feel as pleasure rippled through him. Stefan moaned and tilted up into him as he drank another gulp. Stefan was clearly too weak to fight off the pleasure too. Damon pulled back, surprised by his complacency and lack of interest in turning off the sensation. Stefan's eyes were half closed and his skin ghostly white as he panted. Damon wanted to leave him this way, drain him and let him dry out but the pleasure he had received from drinking from him was so enjoyable that it gave him another idea.

He knew Zack wouldn't give them any give them any blood so he would have to create a new blood bag. A human sized one that he could drink from when he wanted. Vampire regenerative qualities were such that as long as he gave Stefan some of his own blood, Stefan's would replenish enough for him to be able to feed from him regularly. Damon smiled to himself as Stefan's mouth fell open. He leaned back into Stefan's neck and licked the wound that was fiercely trying to heal as he wondered how much more blood loss Stefan could take.

"I'm hungry Stefan. So hungry and it's your fault." Damon whispered against Stefan's cheek.

"Damon, don't…" Stefan mumbled weakly and Damon smiled to himself, sinking his teeth in again as Stefan's body arched. He found himself holding Stefan's body as he drank a few more gulps until Stefan was completely out again. He dropped him to the floor and licked his lips. He could get used to this taste.