Chapter 2: The People Who Raised Me

Damon stared at his sister. She looked so weak, so... dead, or at least she looked close to it. She was pale and cold. For a moment there Damon thought she was dead, but he could still hear a faint heartbeat, and shallow breathing. With Stefan gone, he didn't know what to do. He was alone in this and all he knew was that he couldn't bear the thought of losing his sister.

"Damon?" she called out, her voice barely a whisper. He was instantly by her side, holding onto her hand. She wondered for a moment how he moved so fast, but dismissed it. She was too tired to think. "Where's Stefan?"

"Stefan... Stefan's gone. He's left." He shifted in her bed, resting her head on his shoulder, cradling her. It wouldn't be long now before she was gone forever.

"When is he coming back?" Her hands were barely holding onto his. Damn everything. Damn their father for not taking care of her. Damn Stefan for not sticking around. Damn. Everything.

"I don't think he'll be coming back, Faye," he sighed.

Faye was silent after that. She couldn't fathom why her brother would ever leave her, especially now that she was dying. Everyone kept telling her that it was going to get better, but she was smart enough to know there was nothing anyone can do to save her.

"When are you leaving?" She asked. The question surprised Damon, causing him to draw back just to see if she was joking. She wasn't. He shook his head and held onto her hand tighter.

"I will never leave you," he held his sister closer to him. "I promise."

"What the hell are you doing here, Faye?" Damon suddenly bellowed, pushing past Stefan to inspect the mess. "Oh no. Not on the carpet! I just changed that." Just a few nights ago actually. They were trying to teach Elena how to eat from a blood bag and things got a little out of hand. If he knew his sister was coming, he would have hidden the good rugs.

"What? No hug? No kisses? No 'I missed you, sister, how have you been for the last century?' Nothing?" Faye crossed her arms over her chest, eyeing her eldest brother. Of course given the mess she's made, she wasn't really expecting anything less than a lecture.

"And him?" Damon continued, tapping the idle body by her feet with his shoe. "Do you know what happened to me the last time I killed him? He broke every rib I had."

"Maybe you deserved it," she retorted, glaring at him now.

"Did you just come here to ruin everything?" he wasn't really sure why he was mad, or who he was mad at, but he was mad - with the shape of the house, with Kol's lifeless body on the floor, with this unexpected visit.

"Why did you have to mess up the house, Faye?" Stefan asked calmly, trying to hide his own accusations. They haven't had the chance to talk in what seems like forever, you'd think they would have at least asked how she was by now.

"I didn't do anything," Faye lied easily, pointing her finger at Kol. "He did it. I got here and he's trashed the place."

Stefan gave her a speculative look, but said nothing more about the issue. "Why the sudden visit?"

"Yeah, Faye, why are you here?"

"Damon-"

"I'm here to remind you that you have one other family member out there that hasn't died yet," she sighed, but she kept her expression neutral. She was still angry with them. No need to pretend that she wasn't.

"Well, we're reminded. You can go now," Damon regretted saying the words as soon as they left his mouth. He waited for a tantrum from her, but she remained stoic. Trying to read her was hard. Already he could tell that this Faye wasn't the sweet girl he'd grown up with. And it was his fault.

"He doesn't mean that," Stefan said, glaring at his brother before looking back to his sister. He still couldn't believe that she was there, alive and well. He couldn't care less about the mess around him. All that mattered was that she was there. Maybe things would get better now.

Faye only shrugged and stepped away from the body. "Well I guess you guys have some cleaning up to do," she started walking towards the front door.

"Where the hell are you going?" Damon called after her. "Hey, it's dangerous out there."

His sister turned on her heels, a smirk still on her face. "Don't worry, Damon. I can protect myself now."

Faye ran after her brother, holding onto his hand just before he got to the door. "I still can't understand, Damon. Why are you leaving?"

Damon stared at her for a while before shaking off her hand. "I have to, Faye. I'm sorry."

She couldn't understand why after all that he's done for her, he was going to leave her alone. She can't do it alone. She can't live alone. Why live at all?

"You promised you would never leave me!" Tears were streaming down her face now, more frustrated than anything. Did she do something? Is it because of that girl she had killed the night before?

"Faye-"

"You promised, Damon. You promised."

"Faye," he sighed, facing her finally, "I've taught you all that you need to know. You can protect yourself now."

Faye continued pleading for her brother to stay, but he said nothing back. He only took his suitcase and left. After a few hours Faye decided that she wasn't going to need anyone. She will never be the one to be abandoned ever again.

Kol woke up groggily only to find himself chained to a chair. He chuckled, feeling the burn of the vervain they've laced it with. "Whatever did you do to piss that girl off?" He asked as Damon passed by him, carrying the rug they've spoiled and putting it in a corner.

"Shut up," he snapped.

"Oh. Touchy subject eh? From the looks of what she's done to your house I'd say she was deeply in love with you."

"What?" Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Faye's my sister you asshole."

"Ah," Kol couldn't help but laugh, "You have a sister? Well, Rebekah's going to have a field day pulling on her limb by limb."

"Shut up or I'll kill you," Damon's hand was around his throat, his fingers digging into his skin.

"Oh you Salvatores. You all like it rough." His laughter was cut but the sound of his neck snapping. For the second time that night, he was dead.

Kol woke up again later that evening, all of the lights were turned off except for the lamps in the hallway. Slowly, he felt the chains around him loosen and drop on the floor. He was confused for a moment before Faye appeared in front of him. Gone was the smirk on her lips.

"Why?" he chuckled, standing, but he was pushed back into his seat.

"You owe me," Faye sneered.

"I won't be killing you tonight. I think that's payment enough." He already had plans for her building in his head.

"No. You owe me. And one of these days I'll come to collect."

"Darling, you're the one who snapped my neck-"

"Do you want to go home or do you want to rot here?" Faye interjected. She was getting impatient with him. She had no time for his games.

"Well as long as you're going to accompany me..." he smirked, silently analyzing this new Salvatore in front of him. She should be easy enough to break. All she needs is a little push for her to go over the edge. "Fine. I owe you one."

Faye backed away and let him stand up, expecting him to speed out of there the second he got a chance. Instead, he crashed his lips against hers for a long, lingering kiss, before smirking at her. "I just had to try one more time." And he was gone.