*I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.

…

"What are you doing?" he asked, because the second he opened the door he sensed that something was wrong. Over so many years of torture and pain, on his own accord and everyone else's, he could just sense when something was wrong, and he always came back to fix it – to try to at least.

His older brother walked out casually, yet somehow tense, from his bedroom. His hair looked like it was wet, from a shower perhaps. Stefan saw a girl walking across the room past Damon and knew just what was going on. He wasn't surprised, but it didn't answer his question of what was wrong.

"Home so early?" he asked. "Thought you'd gone to visit Elena." His voice was snide, rude, and downright demeaning, almost venomous. Stefan knew his brother had fallen for Elena and had backed off. But Rose's death looked to have had a bigger impact on him than he'd realized. Stefan had known it had affected him, despite his obvious façade. What he had failed to consider, however, was how it might have built up with his inability to have Elena. His brows narrowed and he folded his arms across his chest.

"She's at Caroline's. I thought she could use some company."

He nodded once. "Right. Well, I have some company as well, so if you wouldn't mind…" he trailed off, clearly intending to back up into the room and shut the door in his face.

"Damon."

He stopped mid-way and looked at his brother with a clear expression of annoyance. "What?" he snapped with a light air. Stefan made no effort to change his stance.

"Something's wrong. What is it?"

He scoffed and leaned his body against one side of the doorframe. "What makes you think something's wrong?" he asked, sarcasm clearly lacing his voice. Stefan said nothing, only waited, his eyes squinting a little, trying to read into his brother's thoughts.

Damon pursed his lips together tightly and straightened. "Well, I suppose I should tell you…" he paused and then looked at his very serious brother carefully. "As soon as this whole business with Klaus is dealt with, I'm leaving town."

"You talk about it as if it can be dealt with it in two seconds, no problem, as easy as can be."

He sighed dramatically. "No, of course I know it won't be simple, but we've got people on her side, and I know we can protect her. There's no way I would leave if I didn't know she'd be safe."

"Alright. Then, why are you leaving?"

His façade fell. Somehow, Stefan thought, he'd decided it wouldn't be worth it to keep it up, that it took too much effort, and maybe he wasn't in the mood to be rude to his ever serious, ever caring and heroic younger brother.

"Because I can't take it," he said, his voice solemn, low, accepting. "I can't take seeing you with her," he admitted. "And I can't handle the fact that even if the two of you weren't together and completely in love, destined, whatever…that I still wouldn't be enough."

Stefan was still, not knowing how to react. He wanted to say the right words, just the ones that would make his brother stay, because he hadn't really thought about it, but now he knew he had missed his brother all these years and that being around Elena had made him humane. He didn't want his brother to forget that. And with him clearly not advancing on his girlfriend out of due respect from both of them it seemed, he didn't want him to lose the one thing that had made him so good again, whether he wanted to admit it or not. It would not be good for Damon to lose Elena. He needed her.

"That's why," he said, backing up into the room and shutting the door in his face. Stefan stood there for awhile, contemplating if he should walk in there or contemplate the kind of discussion he'd have with his brother in the morning. Regardless, he was stuck, and perhaps fully contemplated the depth of Damon's emotions. This time he wasn't in love and obsessed. He was just in love. And it was unrequited. Again. Both times. Maybe he could use his own safety in the council not suspecting him as a means to get him to stay. But maybe he couldn't. Often only Elena could get him to change his mind, and this time it was her that was the reason he'd be leaving.

….

A/N: Don't ask. This could be an extremely short one-shot or possibly a little preview for a future multi-chap fic. My ability to update stuff at the time being isn't exactly awesome though, so…I wouldn't get too hopeful. Right now it's just a drabble, but if it turns into something more I'll delete it and start it up again to get reviews on other scenes in the first chapter. ;p I'll PM any of you who are interested if that's the case. If not, hope you enjoyed. I'm not particularly proud of this at all, but it's an idea that's been bugging me since the episodes started up again.