As always, thank you guys for your reviews. I know I am writing a lot of stories concurrently but never fear I aim to finish all of them in time. For everyone reading 'What Happens Now' I apologise for the hiatus, but the chapters come in a flow and I can't force it, but please stick with it. I have plans ;-)

CHAPTER 11

Damon lay his head against the cold porcelain of the bathroom floor and felt sorry for himself. He couldn't fight the retching today. Maybe Stefan was right. He had been hovering around him, not forcing him to drink from him to stop the sickness, but not encouraging either. He was sulking. Damon groaned miserably. He had noticed that having Stefan near him seemed to calm it down a little but when he went back out to hunt or go for a drink he grew worse and worse. He had read Marcela's journal entries and knew it was true. She and her 'mate' had been trapped and had to feed from each other too and once they had had intercourse while feeding from each other their blood changed forever. That's just what had happened to them, albeit quicker probably because their blood was so similar anyway. Now he knew that he couldn't leave Stefan. Some part of him took comfort in that knowledge, the knowledge that they were bound together forever. It was just what he had wanted with Katherine – to be part of her always.

"Damon…" Stefan called to him gently, looking at him crumpled on the floor. "This is silly. Look at you." Damon groaned in response.

"I can't take seeing you like this." He knelt down and extended his wrist to him.

"I love Katherine, Stefan." Damon mumbled, turning his head away from his wrist.

"And I love Elena."

"Then why is this happening?"

"Because I love you more than her. You've always been a part of me, since we were young, I just didn't realise it." Stefan said as he rolled Damon onto his back to face him. "We don't have to have sex. Just be with me."

"But I want you." Damon grumbled and Stefan gave a surprised laugh. "All I can think about is touching you. I don't know how to handle this."

"I do." Stefan coaxed, placing his wrist over Damon's mouth. He finally bit in and drank and Stefan let out a sigh of relief. Damon drank for a few minutes as Stefan turned off the switch, then he melted into the floor and let go of Stefan's wrist. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Better?" Stefan asked and he nodded sleepily. He had put himself through hell refusing to drink from Stefan and now he fell asleep as Stefan's blood soothed his stomach. Stefan lifted him from the floor, so happy to have his strength back and carried him to bed. Damon's bed was so enormous and comfortable. Secretly he hoped that now that Damon had accepted it, he might be able to make love to him here. Damon snored quietly and Stefan climbed in beside him, eager to hold him. He had hated sleeping alone for the past few days, listening to every sound coming from Damon's room as he struggled with the need to touch him again. Even the electricity that he felt when Elena touched him hadn't compared yesterday. He had been happy to see her and he still had feelings of love, but Damon was the one he wanted.

Damon slept for a few hours curled into Stefan's embrace as Stefan lay thinking, planning. They should leave Mystic Falls, go to New York or Chicago. He knew Damon loved the bigger cities, mostly due to the ease in which you could feed undetected. He was going to find it hard to deal with Damon feeding from humans but perhaps now Damon wouldn't kill them. Stefan might actually become a little stronger from the mix of animal and Damon's blood too, considering Damon would be drinking from humans – by proxy so would he. Damon stirred, laying his arm across Stefan's waist and holding him tighter as he lay his head on his chest. Stefan kissed his hair and stroked his fingers along Damon's arm. Damon began laying small kisses on Stefan's chest as he stroked his abdomen and Stefan relaxed and purred.

"Unless you want me, you're going to have to stop." He whispered as Damon swept his tongue over his skin and made contact with his nipple. He had missed his touch so much. Damon was being gentle and licked up Stefan's chest to his throat as Stefan melted into the pillows. His hands and mouth seemed to roam everywhere at once while Stefan grabbed the sheets with his fists and mewled. He bit his tongue as Damon began to suck his length and stroke his bottom. He panted and couldn't help the burst of love he felt.

"Yes…" He whispered and Damon squeezed his bottom, eliciting another moan from him. He arched his back, sending his member deeper into Damon's mouth as Damon lifted his hips higher and pulled his mouth away. Stefan was expecting him to push his manhood inside but instead he jolted as he felt heat enter him. He gasped and looked down to see Damon's eyes looking at him as he pushed his tongue inside of him. Stefan grabbed the headboard behind him for support as he jolted again, aroused at how dirty this act was. Damon thrust his tongue in a few times, leaving him panting and then kissed his way back up to his face.

"I can't believe you just did that." Stefan panted as Damon smiled down at him and scooped him into a sitting position. Damon kissed his throat and made a small bite, savouring the blood as he lifted Stefan up and onto his erection slowly. Stefan groaned at how little he had control of his body. Damon owned him completely as he slid him down gently until Damon was fully inside of him. They hadn't done this before. When Damon pulled back licking his lips they were face to face and it felt good. Damon thrusted upwards and Stefan gasped, putting his arms around Damon's neck. It was great to be able to kiss and look into each other's eyes as Damon pumped into him, making him moan and cry. The way he was looking at Stefan made it so much more intense. Stefan could see every thought, every ripple of pleasure spread across his face and it made him climax quicker than he had intended. It was so intimate. Damon closed his eyes as Stefan spilled his seed and sped up his thrusting as Stefan kissed him. He loved seeing Damon so carried away and free as his face contorted in pleasure and he cried in short bursts as Stefan let him have his body any way he wanted. He folded into him as Damon pulled them backwards so that he could lie down and thrust straight up and Stefan clenched his insides to stimulate him to climax. It didn't take long before Damon was like a broken doll beneath him, exhausted and happy.

This would be their proper beginning. This moment right here. Stefan sighed happily as Damon sat up and kissed him again. It felt nice to have Damon encompass him like this.

"I'm sorry." Damon whispered against his shoulder, laying kisses there and taking another bite. Stefan closed his eyes and let Damon guide him back down onto his back. He sank back into the mattress and sighed at how comfortable it was. He had been fantasizing about this for days and now it was finally happening. He reached up and Damon leaned down to kiss him again. Stefan held his face as they kissed, not wanting him to stop. He felt so blissful he would let Damon eat him if he wanted right now.

"Damon…" He sighed. Damon's hair tickled his chin as he dragged his mouth down Stefan's chest to his heart and lay his chin down there.

"I love you." Damon said looking up at him and Stefan looked down at him surprised.

"I know." Stefan smiled and Damon exhaled loudly.

"Fuck." Damon sighed and Stefan laughed pulling him up beside him so they were holding each other on their sides. They stared at each other in silence for a while.

"Do you feel ok?" Stefan finally asked.

"I feel incredible." Damon exclaimed, running his hand up Stefan's hip.

"You'll be able to feed now." Stefan comforted and Damon bit his lip in contemplation. "As long as we feed from each other regularly we'll be strong."

"How is it that you always end up completely changing my life? You made me become a vampire and now you've made me your mate as well." He wasn't chastising him, just ruminating out loud but Stefan still stiffened and it snapped Damon out of his thoughts. Stefan sat up and Damon followed.

"Is that how you see it? That I forced you?" Stefan mumbled and Damon scooted in behind him and kissed the back of his neck.

"I was happy not feeling anything if that makes sense, but I don't regret it anymore." He tried to placate Stefan by kissing him and making small bites around his shoulders lovingly.

"Are you always going to blame me?" Stefan hung his head and Damon wrapped his arms around his stomach, pulling him into his chest as he kissed his neck again. Damon squeezed him, drinking a little from him to calm him but Stefan couldn't let it go.

"I can't do this." Stefan whimpered as he was hit by a wave and Damon pulled up from him abruptly.

"What?"

"If we are together it has to start from now - a fresh page Damon. I can't deal with the baggage anymore." Damon dropped his arms and Stefan turned around to face him. Damon seemed angry but was thinking it through.

"Or we could go back to what we were - just draining some blood out for each other every day to stop the sickness. You can go back to hating me and blaming me for everything and I will try and go back to Elena." Stefan swallowed and Damon growled.

"You're mine Stefan." His voice was territorial and deep and it raised the hairs on the back of Stefan's neck. The veins in Damon's eyes protruded and he threw himself on top of Stefan, biting his neck and licking the blood that spilled out. "Mine." He growled and Stefan felt a wave start. He wanted to make sure that they had this settled first though before he gave in to what might be the last time with Damon. He needed to know if Damon could let go of the past or not, let go of the grudges. Damon began to drink from him and he moaned as he tried to speak.

"Yes or no…" He gasped as he began to writhe and Damon growled, holding him tight. "Damon…" Stefan moaned, his body lit on fire inside as their blood boiled and Damon growled, animalistically filled with lust.

"Yes or no…" He whimpered as he gave his body over to Damon's hold completely. Damon slurped noisily and pulled his mouth away still growling. He looked into Stefan's eyes.

"Yes." He licked his teeth and Stefan closed his eyes in relief and longing as Damon resumed their blood fever.

The next morning Stefan woke up stretching comfortably. This bed was amazing. He sighed, remembering the passionate night they had had. It had been everything he had imagined it would be and Damon had promised that they would clear the slate from this point on and just be together. He got up lazily, needing some deer for breakfast when he noticed the bareness of the room. Damon's things were gone. He shot up frantically and blurred down the stairs into the foyer, standing naked as he searched for him. Damon's brandy and leather jacket were gone and Stefan began to hyperventilate. He'd left. He'd taken his things and left him, just like Stefan had feared. He let out a cry from inside his chest as he dropped to the floor panicking. How could he leave? He knew that they would both die if they couldn't feed from each other.

Tears fell from his eyes as he put his head in his hands.

"Stefan?" He heard his voice and looked up. Damon was standing at the stairs holding a suitcase, staring at him in confusion.

"You're leaving?" Stefan choked and Damon sat the case down and frowned.

"Yes." Damon's voice sounded strange and Stefan stood up, his heart in his throat. "We have to get out of here Stefan." Damon said and Stefan took in a breath. Damon's face dropped and he realised what Stefan had thought. He immediately blurred over and grabbed him, holding him tightly as he rubbed his nose against Stefan's. Stefan relaxed and gave a sob of relief as he clutched him. Damon made a growling sound under his breath and Stefan's blood pressure spiked.

"I'm not going anywhere without you little blood machine." He purred into Stefan's ear and Stefan laughed. Damon kissed his throat and pulled back to look at him.

"Let's get the hell out of dodge." Damon did his eye wiggle and Stefan kissed him.

"We'll come back someday. When everyone's forgotten." Stefan said.

"Damn right, I love that bed. It better be here when I get back." Damon joked and shoved Stefan towards the stairs to get dressed. He had no idea if this was going to work out with Stefan but he knew that he couldn't deny him. Everything was about Stefan and hopefully it'd stay that way. Damon looked around their home, already missing it as he sighed. He had so wanted to set up a home here again, where he belonged, where he was born, but they couldn't be together like they wanted to be if they stayed and making Stefan happy was starting to become his only focus of late. He ran his hand over his brandy table one last time and walked out of the door. Stefan appeared at his side by his car as he closed the truck and Stefan looked up at the boarding house sadly. Damon stroked his back as Stefan's eyes filled with tears.

"It'll always be home." He kissed his shoulder and Stefan murmured in agreement.

"It'll always be our beginning." Stefan smiled at him half heartedly and Damon pulled him into the car, stroking his tears away with his thumb as he started the ignition. Stefan watched the house disappear as they sped off towards the unknown together.

FIN

Move on to 'Blood Ties' for part two of the series!