He pulled into the parking lot and circled, spotting the bike parked in the designated bicycle and motorcycle area. Now that he knew Stefan was here he parked the car and practically ran inside. The terminal was fairly empty since the morning rush hour commute was long over and the afternoon one hadn't started. His brother was sitting on one of the long benches, a bag on the floor between his feet.
He slowed down and walked over. He stood for a moment waiting for his brother to acknowledge him, but Stefan was obviously preoccupied and gave no indication he was aware that Damon was there.
"Stefan," Damon said softly. "We need to talk."
Stefan started and looked around wildly. He slid over a few inches on the polished bench.
"Just talk." Damon soothed, afraid his brother would bolt.
Stefan eyes were harder and wilder than Damon had seen in a long time.
"Everything's been said over and over again and it means what it always has. Absolutely nothing." Stefan's voice was resigned.
Damon reached out a hand to touch his brother's shoulder, but Stefan flinched back. Damon sighed deeply and sat down on the opposite bench, giving his brother space. He cradled his forehead in his hand and tried to marshal his thoughts into some kind of coherent order.
"Let me explain," Damon implored. "It's not what you think."
Stefan gave a harsh laugh, staring at his clasped hands, hanging loosely between his legs. "What isn't what I think Damon? That the two of you tumbled into bed the moment we broke up? That you tried to hide it from me? That you won't break the sire bond?"
Damon closed his eyes briefly. He placed his hands on his knees and bent forward towards his brother, willing him to understand. "She begged me not to break the bond Stefan. I couldn't hurt her like that. I need to figure out how to do this without doing more harm than good."
He threw up his hands. "I love her Stefan. I don't deny it. You know it. But I'll find a way. I just couldn't do it then."
Damon couldn't see his brother's face. His head was bowed, but he noticed that the knuckles were white with tension.
Stefan spoke without raising his head. "I've had enough Damon. Enough of the lies, the empty promises. Enough of the hate. I need to get away from you forever."
Damon swallowed and tried again. "Please . . for once try to see it from my side. I can't hurt her. I will do what's right. I just need time."
Stefan looked up now. "You have all the time in the world Damon. Do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to be there to watch it."
Damon met his gaze. "I don't want it to be this way between us, Stefan." His mouth twisted and he looked away as if he couldn't make the words come out of his mouth. He braced himself and turned back. This was too important to him to back away because it was tough to say. He had a bad feeling like this might be his last chance to set things right with his brother.
"You of all people should understand. You forced me to turn because you didn't want to be alone. Well, I don't want to be without you, Stefan. Not anymore. I will do whatever it takes." Damon eyes burned into his brother.
Stefan's face was set in hard planes and his voice expressed his disbelief. "I don't believe you. You promised me my life would be hell and I think you're just making good on your promise. You killed my best friend. You went after the girl I loved. Lexi always swore you weren't good for me. I should have listened to her."
Damon went crazy. "SHE wasn't good for you. Her and her stupid animal blood. Look at you! Over one hundred and sixty years and you have less control than a newborn vampire."
As quickly as the anger came it seemed to drain out of him just as fast. He threw up a hand in desperation.
"Stefan, I promise I will break the bond and we will search for the cure together."
"I don't care about the cure."
Damon was stunned. "Whatya mean you don't care?"
"She's not the girl I loved. I don't even recognize her anymore. You're okay with her as she is so let's leave well enough alone." Stefan practically spat the words out.
"If you don't care about her anymore than why are you going?" An exasperated Damon threw up his hands. "You make no sense."
"I can't trust you, Damon. That's the bottom line." Stefan accused, his voice betraying his inner hurt for the first time.
"We can work things out." Damon promised. "You don't have to go."
Stefan smiled grimly. "Elena seemed to think so too. Thinks the three of us will be a family. Must be a doppelganger thing. So very Katherine of her."
Damon winced. "She didn't think before she spoke. She's under the influence of the si. . "
Stefan gave his brother a knowing smile. "Yeah, it's better not to finish that sentence."
"History just keeps repeating itself. Someone's got to stop it," Stefan continued, his voice cold now.
Damon extended a hand to his brother. "We can stop this together, Stefan."
The hand was ignored and Damon slowly let it drop. He studied his brother closer now and smelled a telltale whiff of fresh blood he had missed before. He honed his sight in and saw a wet spot on the underside of Stefan's jean jacket sleeve.
That blood spot worried, no, scared Damon. If Stefan had fed directly from an animal or from a blood bag there would be no spillage.
"Did you drink human blood Stefan?" he asked quietly.
Stefan didn't answer him directly. "Isn't that what you always wanted, brother? Isn't that what you wanted for Elena? Drink from the warm body?" His tone taunted his brother.
"You can't do this without help. You can't live with yourself if you lose control. You can't handle being a ripper again. Let me help you," Damon begged.
"Ah!" Stefan held up a cautionary finger and squinted playfully. "Wait! Wait! Yup .. I remember we've done this before too. Didn't you get Rebekah to attack someone to tempt me to drink human blood?" He pretended to think really hard. "And when I did, didn't you promise to teach me moderation?"
He laughed at Damon's evident discomfort. "Yeah, you did promise, didn't you? But you left me on my own, didn't you? Gotcha!"
Damon retaliated. "You were being a dick!"
He scrubbed his hand with his face wearily, realizing he had let himself fall into the trap Stefan set.
"Okay . . I dropped the ball, but I will watch you now," Damon promised.
Stefan just shook his head looking away from his brother. His laughter had a crazy edge to it. "Ah, Damon! The words just fall off your clever tongue."
Stefan stood and invited Damon. "Come on. Walk with me. Got something to show you."
Damon stood warily and motioned for his brother to go first. Stefan raised his eyebrows at him, but led the way.
Damon didn't reply to Stefan's taunt. "Afraid for me to be behind you?"
They walked the length of the terminal, Stefan leading him out the automatic doors to the back parking area where the local connecting buses stopped. Damon stayed alert recognizing Stefan's cocky walk from another era.
They slipped around the corner of a building and Damon's nose picked up a coppery whiff immediately. He groaned as he caught sight of what he knew was coming. A woman sat, propped behind a dumpster. The head was set at a strange angle to the rest of the body.
"Oh, Stefan." Damon shook his head sorrowfully. This was the last thing he wanted for his brother. The next moment he was gasping with pain as Stefan shoved a long wooden stake through his stomach hoisting him up off the ground.
Damon flailed helplessly, unable to slide to the end of the stake or gain enough leverage to break it off.
Stefan reached into Damon's jacket and pulled out his cell phone. Watching his brother with a cruel smile on his face he tapped out a number from memory. Damon heard him say. "Damon's at the Western Range Train Station. Out past the bus stop. He's staked and needs someone to come to his rescue. Be a good girl and come fetch." He flipped the phone off and dropped it on the ground at his brother's feet.
"Enjoy your life with your trained puppy! She's a quick learner. I'm hopin' for your sake she's already learned fetch!" he cruelly taunted.
"You can't do this brother. You can't live with yourself." Damon forced himself to speak through his pain.
Stefan dropped his scornful manner, turning deadly serious and that seriousness scared Damon more than all Stefan's posturing. "I'll live with myself for as long as I can."
"You'll never be at peace like this," Damon whispered.
The life seemed to drain out of Stefan. He looked defeated and in that defeat Damon saw his baby brother again. The brother he only wanted to protect. The brother he felt he had failed.
When Stefan spoke his voice was tired and lifeless. He held up his right hand and twisted the signet ring on his finger. "Remember, Damon. Peace is always only a ring toss away."
The overhead speakers blared then. "The 1:40 train to Richmond is now arriving on track twelve."
Stefan whooshed away before the first syllable dropped from Damon's mouth. "Stefan! Stefan!"
"S – T – E – F – A – N!"
His voice echoed in the empty area, mocking him.
~ X ~
Elena arrived in record time. She smelled his blood as soon as she entered the station and quickly tracked him down. She released him and he collapsed to the ground on his hands and knees. Just pulling out the stake didn't satisfy her anger. She smashed it to pieces after offering Damon a blood bag. He quickly healed, but made no move to get up.
She sank to her knees in front of him cupping his face lovingly. "He did this didn't he? Stefan did this to you."
She was furious now and asked, "should we hate him, Damon? Should we hate him now?"
Damon slowly raised his head to the concerned face anxiously waiting for his response, ready to follow his lead.
A solitary tear welled up and spilled over his lower lid, sliding down his cheek.
This wasn't how I wanted it to be!
~ FIN ~
