title: we'll be counting stars
summery: In the wake of a tragic school shooting, Damon and Stefan struggle to find a sense of forgiveness and the ability to move on.
pairing: damon/stefan brotherly, stefan/caroline, damon/bonnie, some lexi, alaric, no elena, no originals
rating: very strong T, could change to an M later
disclaimer: own nothing.
notes: About a year ago, I wrote a 'thriller' story called 'our hearts beat in sync' which centered around our brothers and also the need to find the ability to move on from a great tragedy. This idea that you are about to see was my original idea before I decided to go another way. If you are interested, check out 'our hearts beat in sync' because I particularly proud of it and I do hope that you enjoy it.
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title is lyric from 'counting stars' by onerepublic. amazing song!
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prologue
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Fireflies dance in the bask of the evening light.
And the man sits and remembers.
It is that one day, that day that changed his life and his loved ones' lives forever, bringing everything that they had ever known, ever questioned into full circle.
-;
Twenty three year old Damon Salvatore glares viciously at the open textbook in front of him. The chemistry problem that he had been poring over for the last hour was watching him mockingly, the stupid letters practically daring him to try and solve them out. He wonders again why the hell he is even in this class, knowing that this isn't anything that he is even going to get close to once he gets his degree. But, alas, to become an English Literature teacher, he needed all of this bullshit under his belt.
It was fun, being in college, he would admit that. He was four months away from finally getting his Bachelor's degree and then he would return to school to head for his Master's. His dear little brother was already ahead of him, advanced in nearly every single class. He would finish his Bachelor's at the same time that Damon would, of course being in the medical program instead.
"Show off," he mutters under his breath, feeling his pencil crack dangerously in between his fingers.
"Hey, Damon!"
Speak of the devil.
"Hello there, little brother," Damon says, hitching a smile on his face as he looks up at his brother. "What do you want?"
Stefan blinks those owlish green eyes at him before smirking. "I can see you're still fighting with that chemistry problem."
"Oh, shut up."
"Ooh, touchy."
"Well, obviously chemistry is like a walk in the park for you. You want to solve it for me?"
"Why sure, big brother."
The elder of the two watches with wide eyes as Stefan sits down and solves the problem within five minutes. Damon takes in his brother's concentration as he works, the way his lips purse and his forehead broods. It really is amazing.
Once Stefan solves the problem, he bends his head close to Damon's and proceeds to explain it in laments terms, nice and slow. With his younger brother's gentle direction, it finally starts to make sense and he is able to work through the equation on his own.
"Thanks, Stef," he replies softly, glancing up into his brother's emerald eyes.
"No problem, Damon," Stefan answers with a tiny smile before getting to his feet and exiting the library.
-;
It's nearly another hour later when the irritated Salvatore exits the library himself, finally finished with the problems and heading to his final class of the day. He eyes the watch on his wrist that his brother had given to him on his last birthday. The day is finally drawing to an end. His plans once his final class was over was to go home and sleep throughout the whole weekend, he was just too damn tired.
After the death of their parents in an accident a year ago, it had just been him and his little brother. They had friends and other family that they loved very much but in the end, it would always just be the two of them.
Sometimes, Damon wondered what his life would be like if he ever lost Stefan.
"Mr. Salvatore? Are you going to stand in the doorway all day?"
He looks up to glimpse his American History professor watching him from behind his desk. Alaric Saltzman was barely a couple of years older than him and also a close friend of the family.
"Sorry Mr. Saltzman," he replies softly, scooting over the threshold and catching the gaze of a cocoa skinned beauty in the front end. They exchange winks and he lowers himself into a seat behind her.
As Alaric begins the lecture, Damon feels his phone buzz against his thigh. Glancing down, he carefully pulls it out of his pocket and glances at the screen.
U look tired.
He smirks, silently typing out a reply.
And then the girl's phone quietly buzzes.
Alaric, of course, hears them.
"Mr. Salvatore and Ms. Bennett, can you kindly turn your phones off before I read the lovey dovey messages you just sent to each other to the rest of the class?"
Damon chuckles softly, hitting the power button on his phone and replacing it in his pocket.
"Sorry Mr. Saltzman," he says again with another smirk.
This happened all the time and to say the truth, he never got in trouble.
-;
Thirty minutes into the class, he slips out to head to the restroom. He pushes the door open to see Stefan at the sinks, vigorously washing his hands.
"What did you put your paws in now, brother?" he asks as he turns on the water on one of the adjoining sinks.
Stefan rolls his eyes. "Just got out of anatomy lab. We had to dissect—"
"Ah, never mind. I don't need to hear the gruesome deets," Damon says, squirting a bit of soap into his palm.
"Hey, it's part of my studies," Stefan says as he grabs a paper towel. "Wait until I start with cadavers."
"Are you determined to gross me out today?"
"Sorry."
"No, you're not."
"You're right, I'm not." The younger Salvatore tries to duck the smack aimed at the back of the head, nearly hitting his head against the mirror. Damon's hand snaps out and pulls him back in time.
"It's a wonder you don't hurt yourself in these classes, you're such a klutz," Damon chuckles, gently giving Stefan a shove and snatching some paper towels. "Hey, what are you doing tonight?"
"I'm meeting Caroline and Lexi for dinner. Lexi's birthday is next week but she's not going to be here, visiting her family in North Dakota so we're celebrating it now," he says. Lexi was Stefan's best friend since childhood. She and Damon were the same age but she felt like that she needed to take care of the younger Salvatore like he did. Of course, it didn't stop the immediate dislike between the elder Salvatore and her.
"How is the old bag anyway?" Damon replies with a hint of sarcasm, avoiding the slap that Stefan aims at his head.
"Her name is Lexi, smartass. And she's fine." His phone buzzes and he glances at it. "What about you? Are you and Bonnie going to have your epic hookup tonight like you keep planning?"
"Actually, no. After midterms this week, I am exhausted and I am just going to go home and sleep all weekend."
"I never thought I'd see that, Damon Salvatore turning down a one night stand."
"Oh shut up."
Stefan just laughs softly. The two brothers grow silent for a moment, relishing in the tranquility of this Friday afternoon, even if it was in the middle of a bathroom.
At that moment, that is when they hear it.
Pop-pop-pop
"What the hell was that?" Stefan muses, taking a tentative step for the heavy wooden door.
"I dunno."
Stefan takes another step and his hand darts out to grasp the doorknob. He opens it an inch and another round of the weird sounds rip through the air.
"Oh, my god—"
"What is it?"
"It's that guy Vinnie. He's in one my classes. He's got a gun."
-;
It was all a blur.
Damon didn't really remember the next fifteen minutes, except that it was like he was trying to watch a bad movie through a snowy television screen.
One moment, he was standing inside the bathroom and then he was outside, hastily trying to push his little brother towards the exit.
And then Vinnie appears at the end of the hall, shotgun in his hands.
Vinnie was a tall kid, around six feet with dark auburn hair that hung in shag cut around his ears. He was constantly flipping his bangs back like Justin Beiber and held that familiar look of a deer caught in the headlights. He remembered seeing the kid a few times on campus, always walking alone and always looking just so alone.
"Damon. Stefan."
Those were the only words that the boy would utter before raising the shotgun.
"Damon, get down!" Stefan's body is suddenly covering him, pushing him to the ground.
The bullets rip through the air, and he can hear his little brother's cry of agony.
And then there is blood.
So much blood.
-;
I have been fighting with this chapter for three days, trying to figure out how to put it down. Now don't worry, I have no intention of killing either brother, they are both going to make it out of this.
I wanted to spend this chapter focusing on the brothers' bond and how they really cannot live without each other. Tiny mentions of other relationships but this will definitely be a story about our brothers without Elena around at all. If you don't like the relationships that also occur, then don't bother leaving a scathing review about how much you hate them. Yes, they have women that they love that are not Elena but each other is who they love the most. That is real love story of this story and of the show. I just wish that Julie Plec respected that more.
Anyway, I'm really not sure if I like this chapter or not. It's full of holes that I can hopefully fill up next chapter and the ones after it. I guess that's my point. :)
Thanks guys. Have a safe and happy weekend. And never forget to reach out to your fellow man.
