So here's a new story. For those of you that have read my Vampire Academy stories, I'm so sorry for the lack of updating them. I have horrid writer's block for them, but I do plan on continuing them. Anyway, read and review. If you would like this story to be more than a one-shot please let me know.

I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of the cannons sadly enough.

Hope you enjoy!

Of all the things that Damon and Stefan put each other through, the most recent one had to top the cake. History was beginning to repeat. They both wanted the same girl. The only difference was that she wasn't toying with them. She made it clear, on countless occasions, that it was Stefan she loved. Damon had just hoped that he could change her mind. Last night made it clear that he had been wrong. Stefan and Elena had made that clear at Klaus's little shindig.

The night hadn't been a total waste. He had gotten the chance to snap one of the original brothers' necks and then had a very fun night of wild, drunken sex with Rebekah of all people. He couldn't say he exactly regretted it. He got wasted, Rebekah was there, they both had gotten their hearts shattered, and they both needed the outlet. It was a spur of the moment thing, and Damon couldn't say he regretted it. That didn't stop him from waking up to her in his bed.

He was now at The Grill with Ric, playing a game of pool. They had both been silent for most of the game. They had made bets on which of them would win, but then just fell silent. Of course they commented and jibed one another on occasion but neither put in effort to make conversation. It was until Damon won that Ric even tried to talk to him, much to the vampire's annoyance.

"Normally you're content at sticking to drinking your own stash in the morning and whatnot," Ric observed. "Why are you hanging out here so early?"

"I do it on occasion," Damon argued.

"When you're in a mood or you're avoiding someone or something," he said. "You haven't gone on a whiskey binge and you aren't drunk to attempt to hide it. That leaves avoidance. What happened? Am I going to have to call Elena or Stefan?"

"You're not calling either of them."

Ric raised an eyebrow at that and crossed his arms over his chest. Damon ignored the gaze. He just went up to the bar and ordered a whiskey. Once he was handed his drink, he turned to return to his banter with Ric only to pause as three men approached his friend and a single name caught Damon's attention.

"Do you know where we might find Stefan Salvatore?" one of the men asked Ric.

"That depends on why you want to find him," Ric said smoothly.

"He ruined my sister," the man said. "She comes back and gives me a name but refuses to give me anything else. I want to talk to him and I've heard you are one of the few that know him well."

Damon frowned at the words and briefly made eye contact with Ric. What the hell did his brother get himself into? Damon turned his back to them, but continued to listen to the conversation. He wanted answers before he got involved, and he trusted Ric to get them. Sighing, he took a drink of his whiskey and relaxed.

"I don't know where he," Ric said. "And I wouldn't give him to you even if I did. Mind telling me what you are, though?"

"Werewolves," a man, slightly younger than the first one, said. "And we are here to get payback."

Damon snapped his head up and looked at the group, finally realizing what must have gone down. That also meant it wasn't his brother's fault. It had to have been back when Klaus had him in his claws. Slowly getting to his feet, he made his way toward the group. It didn't surprise him when the group of werewolves glared suspiciously at him. He ignored it and just looked at Ric. He made his way over to his friend the were who hadn't spoken grabbed him by the arm.

"Who are you?" the first guy asked.

"Hey, Ric," he said, ignoring the were that spoke to him and glaring at the hand that was touching his good leather jacket. "Have you seen Damon? He said he'd be down here, and I need to talk to him."

Ric's eyes flicked with confusion, but unless one knew the man well, they would miss it. To his credit, he caught on quickly. There was no way Damon would willingly hand his brother over to a pack of vindictive wolves. Damon would take the fall, and he didn't mind it at all.

"Hey, we asked you who you are," the one who had him snapped.

"The name's Stefan," Damon said easily.

"How do we know that's true?" the first guy asked.

"Why would I lie about my name?"

"Look, you wanted Stefan Salvatore and here he is," Ric said, playing along. "Take it or leave it."

Without warning, the second guy to have spoken to Ric grabbed Damon's other arm. Ric tensed as if to intervene, but Damon shook his head sharply. Ric settled but even Damon could tell it was killing the bastard to do so. Heck, it was going against Damon's very being to let them grab him like this without putting up a fight. He couldn't fight though. He wouldn't allow himself.

"Tell Damon he better keep my house clean," he told Ric as he was led outside.

He caught Ric nod just as the doors shut. He was then led to a plain white van out of sight. There he was promptly staked in the chest. He was vaguely aware that whoever skewered missed his heart, but they didn't pull the stake out as he was shoved into the back of the van.

"We're going to have a lot of fun with you for what you did to Tori."

Damon didn't bother to figure out which one said that as he was staked again. He grunted as he noted the stake missed his heart again.. They weren't looking to kill Stefan. They wanted to torture him. That knowledge came to him just as his consciousness was fleeing. His eyes closed as he realized all this. The last thought he had before he let the black void have him was his brother. He had done a lot of things wrong by him and still the guy couldn't stop saving him, even when it cost him everything. He couldn't help but think this was fair. He used to protect his brother without a second thought, and he owed him that much now. Whatever was in store for him would be worth it. He would take his brother's punishment one last time. With that he finally let the blackness engulf him.