Authors Note: Um, there are kinda episode spoilers if you haven't seen every episode in season one... :) though I'm sure everyone has.

Chapter 9

It was Jeremy and Alaric who went into the sink hole to get Stefan out.

Elena stayed on more solid ground, kneeling next to Damon who had finally managed to prop himself crookedly against a tree after several failed attempts, having refused Elena's help every time.

Damon was looking better then he had been ten minutes ago, though his appearance hadn't changed enough to be overly noticeable. His features weren't as sunken in and he was more alert, but when it came to energy he was still practically drained. What little rain that was still falling beaded down his darkened face and clung to his hair, but he made no move to wipe it away, seeming to absorbed in watching as the humans carefully brought his brother out of the sink hole.

Finally, after much sliding and a few choice curse words, the two humans managed to get Stefan out of the hole, the vampire completely hidden by the muddy, soaked blanket that he'd been covered with.

Damon sat up slightly more as Alaric and Jeremy set his brother on the ground and Elena hurried over to them.

"Where are his clothes?"

Jeremy asked it, as nobody else seemed to have the guts to ask it.

"He didn't have any," Damon rasped as he almost unwillingly allowed Jeremy to help him over, "when I found him, he didn't have clothes, he was locked in a room missing half it's room and he was chained to a bed... God knows," he hissed slightly as the teenager helped him sit on the ground again, "how long he'd been left in there, he freaked out when he saw me..." the vampire trailed off.

Elena swallowed hard, blinking back tears, "why... Why would someone do this?" She wiped a spot mud off of Stefan's darkened face with shaking fingers.

The question hung in the air, no one seeming to be able to come up with a good enough answer.

Jeremy took out his pocket knife again.

"It doesn't matter, it's been done," Damon finally stated, watching as Elena quickly took the knife from her brother and cut open her palm to give Stefan blood.

"Hurry up Elena, we need to get them out of here," Jeremy stood and looked around, "the sheriff and her deputies could be back any minute."

"They won't be back for awhile, I told Jenna to stall them," Alaric replied, watching as Elena pressed her bloody hand to Stefan's thinned and dry lips, waiting for a response.

Everyone turned to look at the vampire hunting history teacher, "did you tell her about Stefan and Damon?" asked Elena, looking away from Alaric and down at Stefan, smiling slightly when she felt the vampires tongue flick out to taste the blood that was being offered.

"No, I came up with some clever lie that I can't even remember anymore, but seeing as they're not back yet, I'd say it worked," Alaric stood up, quickly stretching before he looked down at Stefan who had now latched on to Elena's hand and was slowly drinking, "don't let him take to much," he warned.

"How are we gonna get them back to the boarding house?" Jeremy asked, wiping the blade of his pocket knife on his jeans and snapping it shut, tucking it back in pants pocket.

"We're gonna have to walk, the grounds pretty level if we take the long way, one of us will have to help him," Alaric nodded to Damon who was now laying on his back, eyes closed, hands on his stomach, "and the two others will help Stefan, or I can just carry him over my shoulder."

"Don't be stupid, it's too far, you'll either end up pulling something, or trip and kill Stefan and yourself," Damon retorted, half opening one eye and looking at him before closing it again.

"You forget I can't die," Alaric stated with a sigh, sounding somewhat annoyed, "or did me coming back to life after you staked me not make that clear to you?"

"Lets not forget who tried to stake who first Ric, the difference being I was successful," the vampire didn't bother moving from his spot on the overly soaked ground, "besides, you're only unkillable while you have that nifty little ring on, the moment it's not there you're just like every other, easy to kill human on the planet," Damon opened both his eyes this time and slowly pushed himself into the sitting position before taking a deep breath, one arm wrapped around his stomach.

Jeremy stepped between them when Alaric stepped towards Damon threateningly.

Everyone turned as Elena got up slowly, cradling her cut hand, all of them hearing Stefan give a muffled whine of protest as his food source moved away.

"Jeremy, you help me with Stefan, Elena, you help Damon," Alaric instructed, handing the girl a handkerchief from his pocket for her cut hand.

Elena nodded, crouching to help Damon to his feet then stood with his arm around her shoulders as he swayed slightly on the spot, waiting until Damon nodded before she started walking, eyes going from their feet to ahead of them, making sure there was nothing to get in their way.

It took Jeremy and Alaric a moment of discussion to decide the best way of carrying the now unconscious vampire.

Carefully tucking the muddy blanket around Stefan, Jeremy helped the teacher get the vampire over his shoulders.

"I know we didn't agree for it this way, but it's easier then two of us carrying him, this way, if I trip, its two of us who go down, not all three," Alaric moved his shoulders slightly, slightly glad at the fact that Stefan had obviously lost weight over time.

Jeremy nodded, "let's just get him back to the boarding house."

The two started walking, the teenager keeping an eye out for roots and making sure Alaric didn't fall, Both occasionally stopping when the older man had to find another way around an obstacle or had to carefully readjust the vampire draped across his shoulders.

Finally they made it back to the boarding house, Elena pacing on the front step under the over hang, hurrying over when she spotted them, "was everything okay? You didn't fall or drop him?"

"We're all fine thanks, and no I didn't drop him, help me get him inside before I actually do drop him," Alaric replied, breathing heavy and steps a little shaky as he followed Elena into the den and put him on the leather sofa, he straightened up, back cracking as he stretched with a groan, "We'll move him up to the attic after I catch my breath."

"Where's Damon?" Jeremy glanced at the history teacher who had collapsed into a near by chair and then at Elena who was fussing with Stefan's hair.

"Upstairs cleaning himself up. I told him he should eat and rest, but he said that can wait until after he's showered and put on clean clothes," Elena spared him a quick glance, "and Zach's out running errands, he was leaving when I arrived with Damon, he said he'd be as quick as posible."

"Sounds like Damon," Jeremy laughed slightly, pulling off his soaked hoodie and throwing it on the coffee table before running a hand through his hair.

He couldn't really say anything about Stefan and Damon's nephew, he'd only met the man a few times when he'd been with Stefan at school or at town gatherings.

After that everyone was quiet, Alaric had fallen asleep, and was now softly snoring, Jeremy had perched himself on the sofa's arm rest and was fidgeting with the ring John had given him, while Elena sat on the floor by Stefan's head.

"Well don't we all look like a cheery bunch."

Alaric jerked awake, pushing himself up so he was sitting straighter in the chair, muttering something to himself that no one quite made out.

Jeremy and Elena looked over at Damon who stood in the doorway, dress in a clean black button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and dark jeans, his fingers shoved in his pockets. Besides looking tired and slightly thin, it was almost impossible to tell that he'd practically been a mummy not even an hour before.

"All of you can go home now, I can look after Stefan by myself," Damon walked forward, his expression unreadable as he slid his arms under his brother and lifted him from the sofa bridal style, taking the fleece throw Elena had laid down under Stefan with him.

"I'm staying here until Stefan wakes up," Elena got to her feet as well as Jeremy.

"You're going home Elena, it's non-negotiable," Damon narrowed his eyes warningly at her before vanishing in a blur as he took his brother upstairs to his room in the attic.

"Let's just go Elena, he's not in a good mood and you'll get no where by arguing with him," Jeremy put his hoodie over his shoulder and waited until Elena walked quietly past him tucking her hair behind her ears, before he followed.

Alaric followed after the two teenagers, stretching the sleep from his limbs, "I'm sure Damon'll call if anything happens."

Elena said nothing, just paused to glance back into the house before Alaric put his hands on her shoulders and steered her out of the house, Jeremy closing the front door quietly behind them.

~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~VD~

Bada-boom! NUMBA NINE!

Sorry it took so loooooooooong to update, I had my friends bugging me to update my Harry Potter story and then there was school and such.

But on another note... has anyone else seen the epicness that's Damon's bedroom? XD it's totally not what you expected. I mean, the sheets aren't even silk ones! And the bed's bigger then a king bed! :P I learned that from an Ian interview lol

Hope everybuddy enjoys :D

Reviews are muuuuuuuuuuuchy lovied!