Author's Note: So this story picks right after S05E21,"The Promise Land". Don't read if you have not watched it yet. Also I don't make any money off this story and don't own any of it's characters.
"Where are they? They should be here by now." A touch of worry was evident in Elena's voice.
"Relax Elena. I am sure Caroline took her sweet time packing her whole wardrobe. Even when she is running away from death, she will still be Caroline." ,Damon gave her his patented smirk.
"But shouldn't they at least call once?", Elena demanded of him.
Truth is that Damon himself was starting to worry about Stefan and Caroline. He and Elena took off in Jeremy's car from Mystic Falls almost four hours ago, and reached their temporary destination for the night after two hours of journey. Currently they were cooped up in Bonnie's Mom's old place and were waiting for his brother and Elena's best friend to join them, so that they could find a way to kill Markos and stop the damned spell that threatens to kill everyone they love, destroy everything they love. But saving the day is a bit difficult when they are missing Mr. Hero Hair Stefan and the vampire blondie.
Damon speed dialed both of them again, for the twentieth time. And for the twentieth time, the calls went straight to their voice mails. The older Salvatore brother had a sudden urge to throw the phone to a wall. Instead he forced a smile and turned to his girlfriend, "You think they shacked up somewhere and are now kissing passionately?"
It was worth a million dollars to watch Elena's reaction. She opened her mouth and then closed it uncertainly, kind of like a goldfish. Then she managed to utter a "You're crazy" under her breath, to which he replied "Yeah, but you are my girlfriend, which make you crazier." This cheek earned him a thrown book from Elena.
Suddenly Elena's phone started ringing. Even before she turned around to pick it up, Damon vamp-ran to the table where her mobile was and took it, hoping that it was her brother on the other side of the phone. Instead he saw "Bonnie" on the caller screen.
Disappointed , he answered the call , "Hello little Bennett witch. Got any news for us?"
"D-Damon?", Bonnie was struggling to speak at the other end of the call.
"Yes Bon-Bon , it's the one and only me. Now tell me that you made some progress with Enzo…you know, my currently dead friend who is hell bent on coming back to the land of the living?"
"Damon…", this time Bonnie was definitely crying , Damon could tell from her voice, "It's..it's Stefan…".
"What about him? What happened to my brother?" , Damon did not like the tone of Bonnie's voice or her sobs. He knew in his mind that something truly terrible had to have happened. He just prayed to God that the terrible had spared his baby brother, that Stefan was all right.
"He's d-dead. Damon, I'm so sorry…".
Damon distinctly remembers dropping the phone and then picking it up mechanically, remembers Elena saying something behind him. Everything sounded coming from a faraway land. He remembers Bonnie saying something about Caroline and Julian and God knows what else. His senses did not belong to him anymore.
Slowly he became aware that Elena was shaking him and that she had taken the phone from him. Then she was giving a gut wrenching scream. Or was it he, who was screaming Stefan's name? He was not sure of anything anymore. All he knew that he felt cold..so cold..
He remembers his knees buckling, feels his cold tears dripping from his cheek..he remembers his promise to make Stefan's life a living hell almost a hundred and fifty years ago…..he hates himself at that moment …more than any one on this planet, he hates himself. How could he be so stupid? How could he even abandon his brother for Katherine? He even took Elena from him….he is the worst big brother in the world.
He was always supposed to protect him. He made that promise to himself the day Stefan was born and he saw his little brother for the first time. He failed…it should be him who died…not Stefan..not his little brother…
He remembers the day when Jeremy died in the hands of Silas. He remembers gripping Stefan's shoulder , wanting to tell him how much he means to him, to tell him that he will always be there for his baby brother, to tell him that he would kill himself before he would let anything happen to him. Why didn't he tell him that day?
No, he would not let his brother die, he simply would not. He would go to Bonnie, to Liv, to Luke, to every witch in the world. He would find a way to bring his brother back. If needed, he would go to The Other Side himself and drag Stefan by his hero hair out of the hell hole.
Damon would make sure that his brother is well and alive once more, no matter what the price is. He would happily die if that ensures that Stefan will be in the land of the living.
"I will bring you back, brother." He promises.