Author's note:

Once again, I'm sorry about the delay in updating. I've turned in a manuscript and finished the final round of edits on my upcoming book that's releasing in December since I last posted here. So, my writing time's at a premium.

Also, after episode 402, I was so pleased with the direction of the story that I honestly couldn't figure out a way to improve upon it without really copying the story arc.

But after this week, that's changed….

I will admit that I'm borrowing one part of the storyline. Y'all will know it when you see it, but other than that (and some similarities to Stefan's behavior), this plot line is my own.

Hope y'all enjoy it.

Warnings: Mature, violence, blood, Stefan, adult content, language, Bonnie, character death

Warm.

Metallic.

Thick.

Sweet?

Damon's blood flowed into Elena's mouth and filled her senses. She'd consumed his blood before, but this was the first time she'd done so by her own choosing. And it was a choice. She refused to leave Jeremy alone – he'd lost enough over the last year. She couldn't leave Stefan alone with his guilt….and the one glimpse she caught of him as he'd rushed into the room told her that if she died, he'd lose all traces of the humanity he clung to so desperately – because he'd blame himself. He'd already started. His morose sighing and pacing around her bedroom was the reason she'd made him leave in the first place.

But even now, she knew she wasn't being totally honest with herself. There was another reason she was making this choice. Elena turned her eyes to the one currently cradling her in his arm, since the other wrist was currently held to her lips.

She didn't want to be a vampire.

She never wanted that life.

She felt a tear trickling down her cheek.

"Elena don't…" Stefan lunged for her, tearing Damon's arms away from her.

And she swallowed.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Stefan's voice carried up the stairs to Elena in her room. She couldn't tell if they were actually screaming or not. She'd remembered the vampire lessons Stefan gave her back on the day when she'd first discovered what he and Damon were.

Everything is heightened. Every touch. Every smell. Every desire. Every sound.

She was amazed how quickly she'd learned that on her own. Even now the dripping of the shower faucet boomed in her ears, keeping time with her heartbeat pounding in her chest. Funny, she'd half-expected to sense her heart stopping….but she guessed that was leftover from her Twilight phase.

"I was keeping her alive!" Damon's voice echoed through the room. She didn't have to guess this time. He really was shouting. "Something you failed to do."

"She didn't want this!"

"I let her choose." Elena could envision how his blue eyes flashed with anger as he spoke. "Do you think I'd force her to turn? Put my bleeding arm to her lips, knowing she couldn't resist?" The unspoken reminder hung heavy in the air below.

"Stefan, Damon waited for her to agree." Jeremy was back? How had she missed hearing the door open? It must have been right after she swallowed – probably around the time she'd ended up in the shower after gagging and spitting the blood back out onto the sheets and bedspread. She still didn't understand how one mouthful of blood could cover so much surface area.

She turned on the hairdryer to mask the argument below.

It didn't help.

"Jeremy, stay out of this." Damon's voice was even, but she could sense the edge of anger and frustration building. "You need to go. Now. Why don't you go make sure Elena's invited into the house."

"But keep your distance – just in case." Stefan warned. Did he really know her at all? Elena knew she'd never hurt her brother, even now.

Jeremy took their advice. In no time at all, he'd mounted the stairs and made his way to the bathroom doorway. "Elena?" His eyes looked at her warily while his thumb ran over the ring on his finger. He was afraid of her.

An animalistic growl sounded below – accompanied by the sound of shattering glass.

"What?" Elena tossed the hairdryer down and lunged for the doorway.

"You don't want to go down there."

It had come to this. She'd expected it. Tension had been building between the brothers for days….weeks really. Ever since she and Damon had gone to pick up Jeremy, Damon and Stefan had hardly been in the same room together. And they'd both pressed her to make a choice.

Her breathing sped as she remembered the sound of Damon's voice on the phone.

Grief and sadness mixed with longing…and a hint of finality.

What had she done? The doorframe cracked beneath her grip.

"Um, guys?" Jeremy had backed to the edge of the landing. His attention flicking between the fight downstairs and Elena, his panic was evident. "A little help up here?"

But it was too late. The panic descended on her like a waterproof tarp, choking her. She couldn't breathe. Jeremy's heartbeat pounded in her ears. She felt…

Hungry.

Her senses fixed on the source of food in the house. He was standing mere feet in front of her. It would be over in an instant.

And that terrified her. Staying on her hands and knees, she forced herself back – skittering away from Jeremy and seeking refuge in the back corner of the bathroom. Her tears fell like rain.

"Stefan! Damon!" Jeremy's words pierced the melee below. The room grew dark as it became even harder to breathe. Stars exploded like fireworks in her field of vision. Elena hunkered deeper into the corner and covered her eyes with her hands in a vain attempt to make the flashes of color go away. "Seriously, guys."

"Damn it." Damon's voice sounded as if it were coming from a tunnel far away as Stefan's hands gripped her face. "Get her outside." Stefan pulled her to her feet and whisked her out of the room.

"What's wrong? I thought... Is she okay?" Jeremy's fear was the only thing that cut through the fog and reached Elena's consciousness.

"She hasn't been invited in." Damon answered tersely. Where was he? Shouldn't his hands be guiding her? Her teeth jostled against each other as she stumbled down the stairs. Her lungs threatened to explode. Just when she thought she couldn't endure it any longer, the front door opened and the pressure bearing down on her was released.

Gratefully gulping down air, Elena dropped to her knees on the front porch. The door swung in on itself, and she was stunned at the sight in front of her. Chairs and tables stood their sides. Pillows – and stuffing – were strewn throughout the living room. Shattered glass from…something… sparkled in the fading sunlight.

Just as she felt some relief from being able to breathe again, she sensed something else was wrong. The sunlight. Elena hissed beneath the rays of the setting sun. Pain like someone poured boiling water seared her skin.

"Aaah! Aaahh!" Tears welled in her eyes as she sought out a place to retreat.

"Stefan. Are you even thinking? Hello! Daylight!" Damon lashed out. "You won the bet, so get her out of here."

"Damon?" Elena was confused. Why was Stefan taking her anywhere? "But Damon….ahhh!" Her hand looked as if she'd spent the day at the beach without any sunscreen.

"Go." Damon threw his keys to Stefan. "I'll clean up here."

Dazed and confused, Elena allowed herself to be led down the steps into the waiting car where she finally felt some degree of relief. "Here you go." Something soft and warm covered her shoulders. Taking a deep breath, she sighed in relief as the familiar jacket covered her sensitive skin.

Why did she have to go anywhere? "Where are we going?" Her own voice sounded unfamiliar.

"To the boardinghouse. You'll be safe there until we're sure we've taken care of everything." Stefan started the car and pulled away from the curb.

Elena glanced out the window. Overwhelmed by the roller coaster of sensations, a tear fell from her eye as she said goodbye to the life she knew. Stefan took hold of her hand and his thumb rubbed over her knuckles. Too hard. Every nerve seemed to be standing on end as she shied away from his touch.

"What did you mean?" Jeremy turned a throw pillow over in his hand, obviously trying to decide if it was salvageable or not. He ran his fingers through his hair before he turned in the direction of the kitchen. One more for the trash bin.

"What are you talking about?" Damon could have used his vampire speed to clean the powdered glass in the middle of the room, but he simply didn't want to. Being around Elena this afternoon was painful enough. No reason to hurry home where Stefan was likely enjoying some of Elena's new skills. Maybe he'd stay and have a few drinks with Jeremy. He knew where Alaric liked to hide the best bourbon. A stab of pain shot through his gut. He lost the girl who was never quite his and his best friend in one night. Standing up, Damon looked at Jeremy. He'd lost his sister and his guardian in a single night as well.

Definitely a night to corrupt a teenager. Damon laughed to himself. Who was he kidding? This was Mystic Falls. The high schoolers were corrupted long before he arrived.

"You said Stefan won the bet. Then you sent him home with Elena." Jeremy rested his hands on the back of the couch and looked at Damon with mounting suspicion. "What bet?"

"Maybe bet's not exactly the right word." Damon leaned on the tip of the broom handle. "More like a gentleman's agreement."

Jeremy gave a brief nod and walked into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet and pushed aside the oatmeal and the box of grits. He knew where Alaric's stash was too. He poured a glass of bourbon and handed it to Damon. "I think I need the whole story."

Damon shook his head. Jeremy Gilbert was no longer a little kid. His lips twisted into a smirk. Of course, he'd probably earned the title of adult the night he chopped off a hybrid's head. "Stefan and I had an agreement."

"About my sister." Jeremy prompted.

Damon nodded and downed the amber liquid in one gulp. He held out his glass and Jeremy filled it to the brim. "If we'd kept up fighting over her." Damon took a drink and swallowed with difficulty. "We'd have been repeating history."

"Like the way y'all fought over Katherine." Jeremy drank his bourbon like a champion. "But my sister's not like Katherine."

Damon suppressed a smile. Elena was much more like Katherine than any of them cared to admit. "Still. We couldn't keep fighting over her. So we had an agreement."

Footsteps sounded on the front porch and the doorbell rang. Damon put his drink on the end table and approached the door with caution. Two of Sheriff Forbes' deputies peered up at the peephole. Putting on his best fake grin, Damon opened the door. "Hello gentlemen."

"Is Elena here?" The older officer cocked his head to the side as he stared into the living room. Damon was very much aware that it still looked as if a herd of cattle had stampeded through the room.

"No, Philip. Can I help you with something?" Jeremy stepped forward and addressed the men.

"This is kind of an adult matter." The younger officer's eyes flicked between Damon and Jeremy.

"Do you know how we can reach her?" Philip asked.

Damon smirked. "She's a bit occupied at the moment. She and my brother went out of town for the weekend. I'm baby sitting."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and advanced in the officers' direction. "She's ten months older than I am." Jeremy pressed on. "If you can tell her, then you can tell me."

"Son, I'm afraid we have some bad news about your guardian. If you have a way to reach your sister, then we're going to need you to do it. Have her give us a call down at the station."

"Sure." Jeremy nodded. "I'll see if I can call her." He turned away from the door and walked back into the dining room. From the defeated posture of Jeremy's shoulders, Damon knew he was already aware of why the officers had arrived on the doorstep.

"Sorry to bother you." The two men tipped their hats.

Damon's phone buzzed in his pocket. He took a breath before looking down at the message. You need to come home. Now. Of course he did. Jeremy heard his phone buzz too. He met the anxious brown eyes without blinking. "Everything's going to be fine. Stefan just needs me to come home."

"Is it Elena?"

Damon nodded. There wasn't any reason to lie to Jeremy. The boy had earned the right to some honesty. "Probably."

"Then go. I'll be fine." Jeremy put his hands in his pockets. The young man who looked so old moments before now suddenly appeared his age. Neither of the Gilberts should have been going through this. He silently cursed his brother for staying in Mystic Falls all those months ago. If he'd left the night he'd rescued Elena from the first wreck, none of this would have happened. "But Damon." Damon paused on his way out the door. "Take care of my sister."

"I always do." Damon nodded and stepped out of the house.

"She's upstairs." Stefan's voice carried through the hallway and mixed with the other sounds Elena once found familiar but now threatened to overwhelm her. The clock ticking. The hum of the air conditioner. A drip in the sink down the hall. Someone pacing on the front porch.

"In your room?" Damon. Elena sighed in relief. When she'd seen his torn shirt and the anger in his eyes as he spoke with Stefan, she'd half-expected never to see him again. And she knew she'd never survive that.

"It's the darkest." Stefan answered.

"Of course it is." Damon spoke each word as if it were a knife. Still, he didn't hesitate. After Stefan confirmed where Elena was within the cavernous house, Elena heard the first of Damon's footsteps coming in her direction.

Funny. She never really thought she'd be able to identify someone just by listening as his steps crossed the hardwood. But she knew the confident, decisive steps belonged to Damon – just as the more hesitant steps echoing behind his belonged to Stefan.

Once Stefan had tucked her in his bed as if she were a recalcitrant child, he'd told her to stay there…and then he left. She'd done as she'd been told, but the hours had passed slowly. She'd listened as the clock chimed two hours since she'd arrived at the boardinghouse. For the last few minutes, she'd wondered if she were ever going to be released from her rather comfortable prison.

"How is she?"

"Um, see for yourself." Stefan hesitated outside the doorway.

The tears began falling again as Damon came into the room. She'd thought she'd lost him. He was angry with Stefan. But that wouldn't mean he'd leave her. She didn't know why she'd been so afraid. Damon promised. He's said he'd never leave her.

Damon settled on the bed and scooted next to her. He cupped her cheek in his hand, and his thumb drifted softly over her skin. It was soothing. Gradually, she caught her breath and looked into his fathomless blue eyes. "You're going to be okay. Just takes a little getting used to."

Elena sniffed and swallowed.

Damon turned back to the doorway to look back at Stefan. "She seem a little…"

"Confused?" Stefan nodded. "I was waiting for you to get here. I didn't want to leave her alone."

Damon snorted with laughter. "Lucky I was still around to clean up your mess earlier. You can thank me for compelling the hospital staff later." Somehow Elena didn't think he was talking about the state of her living room. "What in hell were you thinking? Taking her to the hospital?"

"She was dead. That's what you do." Stefan glowered at Damon. "I didn't know about your blood."

Blood.

Just the mere mention of the word pulled Elena's focus from the brothers' conversation.

Her stomach rumbled. She'd never been so hungry in her life. Her mouth watered as she thought about it…and found her self just as equally revolted by the thought of someone's blood coursing in to her mouth.

"….really?" Damon shot to his feet and Elena focused on the conversation.

"It's what she would want." Stefan was walking from the room. What had she missed? Elena sat up in alarm.

"Three hours ago you were telling me she wanted to die. What makes you so sure she wants to follow your bunny diet now? What if Air Bud was her favorite movie?" Damon stroked her hair, and she relaxed.

"We have to try. If she never tastes human blood, then…"

"It's not going to work, Stefan."

"Stay here with her while I go get her what she needs." Stefan pointed to Elena as she still sat tucked beneath the blankets. "Something's not right..."

"You mean what you want her to have." The anger seething beneath the surface of Damon's words made Elena wonder if Stefan's room was about to be subjected to the same treatment as her living room had received earlier.

Stefan's muscles tensed as he glared back at Damon. "Then let's ask her." He approached her slowly. Elena wasn't certain if he was afraid he'd scare her or if he was scared of her. Damon stood and offered his spot on the edge of the bed. Stefan didn't hesitate to fill Damon's place. "Elena, I think you'll feel…more yourself if you eat something."

Food. Elena couldn't remember the last time she'd had something to eat. Maybe Stefan was right. She'd feel better if she ate something. When she was sick, her mother always made homemade chicken noodle soup. Maybe he could find her and tell her that Elena was sick. "My mom can make some soup."

"Your mom's…" Stefan paused and looked at Damon.

"Your parents aren't here right now, Elena." Damon reached down and took hold of Stefan's arm, dragging him from the room. "She doesn't even remember where her parents are. How can you expect her to make a decision like this?"

They shouldn't have bothered whispering their argument. Elena could hear them just as well as if she'd been standing in the room next to them.

"Then I'll decide." Stefan's voice took on a hard edge. "She chose me, Brother. Don't forget." Stefan paused for a moment. "We're doing this my way."