"So, you just decided on a whim that you would give up your human life to… what, exactly?" Damon was interrogating Jeremy. I had never seen him so… parental.

"I just thought that it would, you know… Fix stuff." Jeremy's eyes were focused very intently on his feet while he talked.

Damon's piercing stare shifted to me. "Elena, did Jeremy here tell you why he wanted to talk to me in the first place?"

"Uh, no. He didn't. Why?" Damon almost looked amused.

"Well, it seems that innocent little Jeremy is afraid to bite someone. He's afraid to lose control." The mocking tone in Damon's voice didn't help Jeremy's situation. I shifted my expression from worried to glaring.

"Damon, whatever Jeremy needs help with, you will help him. You have to redeem yourself somehow." I smirked at the last part. Jeremy looked up to see Damon's discomfort and grinned.

"She's got you whipped, dude." Jeremy's amusement was short-lived.

"If Elena wasn't here, I would kick your ass." He looked like he meant it, though I knew he would do no such thing. At least, I didn't think he would.

"S-s-sorry," Jeremy stuttered.

"Anyway, back to what I was saying. You're afraid to bite someone, but you're more afraid to die. The simplest fix here is to get you some packaged blood. If Stefan hadn't robbed the hospital recently, I would go grab some for you. As it is, you might want to find a willing donor." Damon leaned back against the wall and relaxed, hoping Jeremy would squirm.

Instead, my brother looked up at me with hope. "Elena…" he began. My eyes widened. This is not at all where I had expected this to go.

He could see I was about to say no. "Please? After everything that happened… If you did this for me, I would forget all of it. Please." Damon's eyes had shot open when Jeremy said my name. They were like saucers now and full of some unrecognizable emotion. Maybe jealousy? Bloodlust? Shock? I wasn't sure.

"Jer, you know I love you, but I'm just not sure I can do that for you."

"Elena, it would solve all my problems. I'm afraid of killing someone while I'm this hungry. You don't even have to let me bite you, you could just… I don't know, pour it in a cup? It's not like you're against vampires." He glanced over at Damon.

"You don't have to do this," Damon said as he rushed to his feet. He put a hand on both of my shoulders and looked deep into my eyes. Had this been under different circumstances… No. Thinking like that wouldn't get me anywhere.

"I want to help him, though. I owe him so much after all the lying I did." I was wavering and I knew it.

"No, Elena. He's transitioning into a vampire now. He'll have to learn to feed sooner or later. Babying him now won't change what will have to happen." At that moment, Damon looked like he wanted to bite me.

I glanced over at Jeremy. He looked so lost and forlorn. I knew I was going to give in.

"I'll be right back," I said. This was going to be hard, but I didn't want to lose my brother. He was almost all the family I had left.

I stalked into the kitchen and grabbed the sharpest knife I could find. Aunt Jenna was upstairs in the shower, I could hear it. Next, I rummaged around for a cup. Tools in hand, I closed myself in the downstairs bathroom and took a few deep breaths. Just as I was about to open my wrist, Damon jerked the door open.

His eyes darkened when he saw the knife so close to penetrating my skin. I mentally shrank from the lusty look in his eyes.

"Elena," his voice was hoarse, "put the knife down. Please. I don't want you to do this."

"Damon, I know you hate your brother, but I don't hate mine. If Jeremy's going to be spending eternity on Earth, then I at least want him to remember me fondly. This may be the last thing I can do to regain his friendship. You don't understand, but that's okay." With that, I cut my wrist and let the blood flow into the cup.

Damon's face contorted into the rather frightening "inner vampire" face. He was restraining himself, I could see it outlined in the tightness of his muscles. Instead of making this easier for him, I actually wanted to… taunt him. Was I going crazy?

I inched toward Damon's stiff form. As I got closer, his nostrils flared. He could smell the blood. My blood.

"Elena, I can't… I can't control myself if you come any closer. I want to leave, but I'm afraid that, if I move, it will be in the wrong direction. I don't want to hurt you. You smell so good." Each word that came out of Damon's mouth was strained. Instead of looking at my face while he talked, his eyes were transfixed by my wrist.

"Then don't." I could hardly believe I said that.

"Wh-what?" Damon's eyes shot up to my face, trying to judge whether or not I was serious.

"Don't." I closed the gap between us and moved my wrist close to his mouth.

He only hesitated for a moment before his mouth was on the wound, sucking at the cut. The dull pain I felt as my blood was sucked out was nothing compared to the pleasure I felt. I hadn't expected that part. When Stefan had bitten me, it was out of desperation. This was out of lust, an entirely different kind of need.

I watched Damon's face change while he fed on me. As he calmed down, the frenzied look gave way to something more like… love? I could feel his fangs piercing my skin, but I didn't care. Our eyes were locked.

As he slowed down, I stepped closer to him until our bodies were nearly touching. While he released my arm and wiped the blood off his lips, he never broke his stare. There was something about those dark, tortured eyes that melted me.

What I felt for Stefan was warm and safe. This was something else entirely. This was dangerous and exciting.