~ The Vampire Diaries ~

One Thing

[CHAPTER 3: interlude]

~ T V D ~

Alaric flagged The Grill bartender for a refill of his double. It was too early to drink, in public at least, but he needed it. Last night he had the decency to get blasted in the privacy of his apartment and went to class with a hangover—using a surprise pop quiz as an excuse to not have to stand up and actually teach something.

He was on edge the whole day; several scenarios going through his throbbing brain. If this was a normal situation, i.e. Stefan was not a vampire, he was sure the Sherriff would make an appearance and taken him away in cuffs—Elena held all the power in this entire affair to make that happen. Alaric knew that it wasn't him that prevented her, but Stefan, his vampirism and her love for him. If the Council found out that he was a vampire, they would hunt him, either killing him in the end or driving him from Mystic Falls.

Elena had not attended class but he had glimpsed her once or twice around the school today. Stefan hadn't shown up at all. It was about as much as the history teacher/amateur vampire hunter expected.

He'd let the rush of dying and coming back to life in Stefan's arms, control (or more, lose control) of his lust for the vampire teen. He was unable to help himself, Stefan just drew him in—as a person, as a vampire, a man after his own historical heart. He just wanted to consume the brunette; body, soul, and mind.

Did Stefan being a 145 year old vampire change the fact that he was still a 17 year old boy?

"Alright, spill, Teacher." The last person on the planet slid onto the stool next to him, flagging the bartender for his usual as he faced Alaric. The teacher silently glared and Damon flashed his ice-blue eyes.

Alaric snorted, taking a drink from his fresh glass as the bartender slid their orders across. "I'm on vervain, you can't compel me."

"Maybe not, but I can still cause you pain. There's not an ill bone in my brother's saintly body so of course he'd beg me not to kill you even though you broke his heart. And that magic little ring says it won't matter if I get a little bit carried away with that pain, either." Damon responded without trip or qualm, sipping his bourbon.

Alaric expression tightened at the mention of the vampire teen, his grip on his glass hardening. "You don't scare me, Damon. Ring or not. What is between Stefan and I is none of your business."

"That where you're wrong. Stefan is my little brother and that's all the incentive I need to involve myself." Damon corrected. "I don't care that you're 'older' or even that you're a vampire hunter that tried to me (that was revenge, a language I know and speak well)—but you hurt Stefan and nothing will save you. Not your ring. Not even my brother's wish that I don't harm you. That all goes out the window if my baby brother turns off his humanity or worse..." Damon flashed his vamp-face in the shadows of the bar, "I'm gonna be coming back for that ring—only I'm going to go through your fingers first. One by one like the fucking three little pigs." He polished off his glass and stood. "Figure your shit out. Stop toying with my brother with your existential crises. You slept with a vampire, grow some balls, get over it. Just a polite warning..." And clapped his on the back with enough vampire strength to force Alaric's chest into the edge of the bar and leave a bruise the shape of his hand to show up later as he left.

"Shit," Alaric grimaced, he deserved worse than that. He rubbed his chest as he flagged the bartender, but as the man refilled him and went to turn away, the teacher stopped him with: "Leave the bottle," after a pause the guy left the bottle and left the dirty-bond to wallow in his mid-life crises, he was sure the vampire-hunter thing was a mental break.

Alaric needed to fix this, it had only been a day and already it was much to long.

If Stefan was human, then he really would be human right now, if they wanted to continue the relationship then they would only have to be patient and wait until graduation and they could be together openly—and Alaric would neither be arrested nor fired.

But Stefan was a vampire, he would always be 'perpetually 17' as he said himself, but only a tight circle of people new this fact. Alaric wondered if the concept would still be solid, could his conscious cope? Wasn't that why he broke it off in the first place, or just fear.

He was a selfish old bastard. He'd used Stefan both times: first to plug and curb his loneliness, to connect with someone; the second, to confirm that he was in fact alive, that it was real, that it was reality.

It would simply be easier for everyone if they weren't together. Save both of them the heartache and the trouble. Stefan was a vampire, Alaric was not, and he didn't see himself with any plans to become one in the future. Their relationship would be doomed and on a ticking clock from the very beginning. Would it be worth all the pain in the end?

tbc...

~ The Vampire Diaries ~

What do you think of protective/brotherly Damon? Don't worry, there is much more where that came from!