AN: You guys rock! Thank you for the feedback, follows and favorites! There's a bit of recapping in this chapter as Jeremy is brought up to speed.

Chapter 2: Welcome Home Dinner

"Do you happen to know a real estate agent?" We are just finishing dessert when Jeremy asks. Dinner has felt like a finely choreographed routine. Damon, who doesn't go out of his way to impress anyone but me, has been overly nice to Jeremy who has, in turn, been polite even if it has resulted in a fairly stilted conversation with everyone avoiding the elephant in the room. At no point has Jeremy questioned my relationship status with Damon nor has he noticed the ring on my left hand. Of course, most men don't notice accessories no matter how significant they may be.

"Real estate agent? Are you thinking about moving here now that you are out of the military?" I practically squeal. Jeremy is my only family and the idea of him moving to the same city where I live is beyond exciting.

"Yeah," he grins. "So, can you help point me towards anybody?"

"I can help you out there," Damon offers. "The agent I had when I bought our house was great."

The silence that follows that sentence tells me everything I need to know about how my little brother is going to take my big news. After several very weighted minutes, Jeremy takes a deep breath before turning to me and spitting out "Our house? What does he mean our house?"

"Jeremy, calm down…" I start but he quickly interrupts.

"Elena, stop trying to pacify me and just answer the fucking question! Are you living with him?" I'm thankful that the restaurant has emptied because his voice is far from civil.

"You may speak to me any way that you want but you need to lower your voice and be respectful to her." Damon looks like he is ready to launch himself across the table if Jeremy so much as looks at me wrong.

"Fine, I'll say exactly what I've been thinking ever since I saw your sorry ass at the airport! You have a lot of nerve worming your way back into my sister's life after putting her through hell. She almost died because of you. I was almost left alone because of you. So don't act surprised that I am pissed that she has welcomed you back just so that you can screw her over again! Damn, Elena, how stupid can you be!"

The words no sooner leave his mouth than Damon is out of his chair and has Jeremy caged into his chair. The look on Damon's face is thunderous. "You listen and you listen good. You do not get to talk to your sister that way. There are things about our relationship that you don't know. If she chooses to tell you then you can draw your own conclusions and you can hate me. But I better never hear you disrespect her again." Damon stands back up, straightens his shirt and sits back down, draping his arm over the back of my chair.

"Jeremy, you need to know that there was a lot of miscommunication with what happened between Damon and I. There were things I never told you and because of that I can never clearly explain to you how truly mistaken I was."

"Elena, he left you and didn't look back." Jeremy's voice is more tempered after Damon's warning.

"No he didn't. I told Caroline that I didn't want to see him. He tried multiple times to contact me and even came to see me after he found out where I was but Caroline kept him away and didn't tell me. Jeremy, I know this is going to take some getting used to but you are going to have to accept the fact that Damon and I are together. You don't have to like it, though it would make my life easier if you did, but you do have to accept it."

"So you're living with him?"

"I'm living with him and so are you until you find a place to live so you had better be extra nice to him."

Jeremy sighs. "Any other little gems that you care to spring on me while we're getting all of the news out of the way?"

"Actually, there is and I hope that you can somehow find a way to be happy about it," I answer.

"What now?"

I hold up my left hand and sheepishly smile as I announce, "We're engaged."

Jeremy's only response is to get up and walk out of the restaurant.

"Well, that could've gone worse," Damon deadpans as I climb into bed. Once we got home Damon came to our bedroom while I got Jeremy settled in one of the guest rooms.

"How could it have possibly been any worse?" I moan as I am pulled into Damon's arms.

"He could've beat the shit out of me at the restaurant," Damon chuckles.

"Do you really think he could?" Jeremy will always be my baby brother so the idea of him being capable of harming my fiancé is beyond my perception.

"Elena, the kid was Seal. He could kill me with his bare hands if he wanted."

"He wouldn't. He knows I would never forgive him and he loves me too much to let that happen."

"Good to know my wellbeing rests on how much your brother wants to please you," Damon murmurs as he buries his head in my neck. When I sigh Damon shushes me. "Now, now, can't have baby bro storming in here and finding me stealing your virtue."

"Any virtue I had left you got rid of long ago. Besides, I locked the bedroom door." I grin as I trail kisses down Damon's torso before I pop up from under the covers. "You're wearing pajamas?"

"Your brother is right down the hall. I'm surprised you're not wearing them too. Pleased but surprised all the same."

I sit up giving Damon an unhindered view of my naked torso and untie his pajama pants as I purr, "If your pleased by my lack of pajamas, you're going to be thrilled with this." Damon groans as I take his delectable cock in my lips.

I'm in the kitchen toasting bagels for our breakfast when Jeremy comes in yawning.

"Morning, sis."

"Good morning, Jer. There's a mug by the coffee pot. You still drink it black?"

"Sure do, thanks. So, Damon, huh?"

I guess we're just going to dive into this. "Yes, Jer, Damon. And I'm beyond happy so please, please try to get used to this."

"Do you understand why I am hesitant?" Jeremy is much more calm today for which I am thankful.

"I do. I was extremely hesitant myself when I first ran into him." I chuckle as I add, "In fact, I made life as difficult for him as I possibly could. When I finally gave in and went out with him, he insisted that we take things slow. We still didn't really discuss what happened until Caroline and her big mouth…"

"Hey watch it!" Caroline grins from ear to ear as she strolls into the kitchen.

"Please, Care, feel free to use your key to our house anytime you see fit!" I laugh.

"Oh, I only use it when I know Damon isn't home. I don't want to risk walking in on you two getting creative on the kitchen table." I spit coffee into the sink with that proclamation.

"And now I'm deaf after hearing that," grumbles Damon. "Care! How are you?" Jeremy leaps up from his spot at the kitchen island to greet Caroline with a hug.

"I'm great! How is my hunky pseudo-brother?" I love that the two of them think of each other as family. When I wasn't able to take care of myself, Caroline moved in with us and took care of both of us.

"Not bad. I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that those two are together."

"Oh! That's why you called me a big mouth!" grins Caroline. "Seriously, Jeremy, she really is the happiest I've ever seen her. Did you tell him about the whole Rebecca's having Damon's baby thing?"

"That jackass got someone else pregnant?" Jeremy is back on his feet. "Where is he?"

"He's at work and you can sit yourself down! No, Caroline, I did not tell him about that!" I sit down at the island and bury my head in my hands. "OK, I guess I am going to tell you this sordid story. You remember my college roommate Rebecca?"

"The ditzy blond?"

"No, that would be Caroline. Rebecca was just the blond." I am going to be Rebecca's sister-in-law and we are working on building a good relationship so I have to disagree with the ditzy comment. "The night I had my wreck, before I left, I found a pregnancy test in the apartment and a lacrosse jersey with 'Salvatore' on the back in her room. I thought it was Damon's and jumped to conclusions but the baby wasn't his."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because it was Damon's brother's. I've seen Rebecca's son and he is the spitting image of Stefan. Anyway, as I was saying when Caroline came in, if she hadn't pushed us, we would've never talked things out and we wouldn't be where we are today."

"So he didn't knock up your roommate yet you had reason to believe he was capable of it? Well, isn't he a regular prince charming?" Jeremy drawls.

"He kind of is. He did save her from her stalker!" Caroline really needs to learn not to blurt out every thought she has.

"Stalker? What the hell? Elena, what's she talking about?"

"Oops," squeaks Caroline when I shoot her a withering look.

"I guess we have a lot of catching up to do," I mumble. "So, yeah, um, do you remember my friend Tyler?" Jeremy nods.

"Some friend!" huffs Caroline.

"He developed an obsession with me. When I got back together with Damon, Tyler got pretty upset and became kind of aggressive. Things started happening: anonymous deliveries and my apartment was broken into. Damon was refusing to let me out of his sight." I stop to take a breath.

"Well at least I agree with him there." Jeremy says.

"When Tyler found out Damon and I were engaged, he kidnapped me. Caroline figured out where he might have taken me and Damon came and got me."

"Shit! Elena, I had no idea!" Jeremy grabs me and wraps me in a hug. "Are you OK? Did that asshole hurt you?"

"He tried. It could've been really bad but Damon got there in time. Jeremy, you've got to give him a chance. You two and Care are the most important people in my life. Those two have worked their stuff out. Please tell me that you'll try to get to know him and drop the judgment for stuff he didn't actually do."

"I'll try. I promise." Jeremy gives me another hug before going back to his coffee. "So, Caroline, what's the best way to get to know my future brother-in-law?"

"I've got just the thing. We're going to have a cook out at my house!"

AN: So Jeremy isn't thrilled. We'll be seeing that relationship develop and Jeremy is going to have some news himself...We'll also have some wedding planning coming in the next few chapters. Thank you again for your support! Don't forget to review if you have time and hit those follows and favorites. We are headed into the homestretch of the school year but I'll update as often as possible.