The day in the cemetery of Mystic Falls was bright and beautiful, in a way that nothing could predict the darkness inside the soul of every resident of this town.
"I'm sorry about what happened…" muttered Jeremy, after Alaric's funeral.
Damon was sitting in a rock by the lake, drinking his bourbon and staring moodily at the ground. "Yeah" he replied, without even looking at the young boy standing in front of him.
"You know, I… I… really cared about him" continued Jeremy, trying desperately to keep control of his emotions. The last thing he wanted was to look weak in front of Damon. He was seeking for his respect, not his pity.
"He cared about you too" said Damon coldly, while standing up. He was taller than Jeremy, even though the boy did grow a lot since the first time he saw him, he was still a child. He was only sixteen years old and already managed to lose everyone he ever cared about. First his parents, both of his girlfriends, his uncle, his aunt and now the man he looked up tp. Damon didn't feel sorry for him though. He was a vampire. Vampires don't feel sorry, pity, nor regret, it was against his nature. Those were the feelings he fought all the one-hundred and eighty years of his existence. What he felt was betrayed. Betrayed by his best friend, who died and left him there, alone, to deal with all the problems and all the responsibilities. Betrayed by the love of his life. Betrayed by life itself.
"Will you be okay?" asked Jeremy looking at Damon's blank, pale face, worryingly.
Damon laughed sarcastically, reminding immediately his old, cold-hearted self.
"I'm a vampire, Jeremy. Of course I'll be okay"
"Good…" Jeremy turned his back to him and was about to leave, when Damon grabbed him by the upper arm, maybe a little harder than he expected. In his defense he was more than drunk.
"Who is going to be your guardian now?" he asked looking straight into the boy's eyes, as if he was trying to compel him.
"Umm I don't know… I mean Elena is eighteen, soon she'll be off to college" said Jeremy puzzled, trying to pull his arm away from Damon's grip.
"How about you?" asked Damon, pulling Jeremy even harder.
"I'll stay at home. I'm old enough, I have my ring. I'll be fine" answered Jeremy in one breath, holding back tears from the pain.
Damon freed him and took another sip from his bottle. "Want some?"
The boy was about to get the bottle off his hands, when Damon pulled it back, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, I forgot, you are underage"
"Seriously?" Jeremy sneered, "I can kill, I can talk to dead vampires for you and I can die so you get your way, but I can't drink?"
"Sounds about right"
"Sometimes I wonder why I keep talking to you"
"Sometimes I wonder that too. I'm irresistible, can't help it"
"You are a dick" said Jeremy looking at the man with full disappointment. There were times he admired and maybe even respected Damon, but those times… weren't that many.
"Wait" Damon called after him, throwing his bottle in the lake.
"You said what to him?" yelled Stefan, back at the Salvatore boarding house.
It was later that day when Damon decided to tell his brother what he did.
"Relax Stefan, I did worst things in my life"
"That is true, but let us not recall those things" turned Stefan, having a drink from his brother's bourbon stash. "Can you tell me how am I going to explain this to Elena?"
"Don't worry I'll do it, with pleasure"
"Why did you have to do that? Why did you have to promise!" Stefan continued moaning.
"I was drunk Stefan! I do stupid things when I'm drunk! You know that!" said Damon throwing his hands back, enjoying the moment of his brother's paranoia.
"I'm glad you enjoy yourself. How do you think Elena will react to you getting custody of her brother. She won't let you!"
"Yes she will. If she wants to keep Jeremy in that house without getting a non-vampire friendly family member snooping around, who let's face it will end up dead anyway. I'm doing her a favor!"
Stefan grabbed his head with both hands and paced around the living room, thinking.
"What do you even want with Jeremy? You don't even like him!"
"That's true. I'll make him suffer" Damon laughed. "I am joking Stefan, have a sense of humor. My biological clock went on, what is so weird about that?"
"You don't have a biological clock, you hate kids! You snack on them!"
"That's true as well" Damon laughed, "relax Stefan, I'm only helping out Elena, you know I'd do anything for her, including getting annoying little brother under my guardianship. Speak of the devil"
The door of the Salvatore boarding house opened wide and a furious Elena, followed by a concerned Bonnie ran into the living room, to face the two Salvatore brothers.
"I can explain" said Stefan defensively, trying to keep Elena away from Damon.
"No you can't" said Damon with a smirk.
"Damon, start talking!" yelled Elena, pulling her hair back anxiously.
"Why you people make such a big deal out of everything? I'm only trying to help"
"And by help you mean ruin Jeremy's life"
"How am I ruining his life?" said Damon, getting two steps closer to Elena.
Elena looked over at Bonnie seeking for her help.
"Jeremy is broken Damon, he can't have you screwing up with his life too" said Bonnie nervously.
"Then it's a good thing that I' am not" Damon lowered his voice and took a couple steps closer to Elena, "You need this Elena, it's either that, or you lose Jeremy. He is underage; no court will let you take care of him. Me in the other hand"
"Can't you just compel someone" said Elena wearily, looking at Stefan as her last resort.
"The whole town?" Stefan breathed heavily. "I am afraid he is right"
"I don't want to live in a world where Damon is right!" Elena cried, allowing Stefan to hug her.