Stefan's eyes were focused on Elena laying in Damon's arms. He had strode toward them after he was sure there were no more threats nearby and was ready to take her from him. She was his girlfriend and he had seen enough of her with his brother to last a lifetime in the last day.

But as he reached them, he gazed down at her face and saw that she was asleep or at least it looked like it, the way she was nestled in against Damon's chest. He looked up to his brother as he lifted his arms to reach for her.

Damon shushed him and shook his head. "Please brother, she has barely slept all night and woke up screaming from nightmares from today. She's exhausted and just now faced another man who looked like he was trying to kill her." His anger built as he spoke but he still kept his voice low to not disturb her. He looked hard in his brother's eyes, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. "God Stef, he had his fucking hands around her throat, just like the psycho in the tomb! She looked like she was seconds from death and I couldn't do anything to stop him!"

Stefan was silent wondering what his brother was getting at. He thought he saw Damon flinch back as he had reached out to take her from him.

"I'm not trying to be an ass, Stefan. And what you saw there in my bedroom...I didn't do any of it to hurt you." He spoke quietly, his head down. "I was going to sleep in another room but she begged me to stay. She was so scared and did not want to sleep alone. I swear to you I did not take advantage of her."

"Her nightmare was so bad." His voice choked as he continued, unconsciously holding her tighter as he dared to look back up at Stefan. "The wolf tried to finish what he started with her bloody and naked on the floor in my room. She couldn't even hear me when I tried to wake her!"

Damon felt one of the tears that he was fighting to hold back break free and slide down his cheek as he shivered. remembering her screams.

He lifted up his knee supporting Elena on it as he reached around her to the pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out the keys to his baby; his car, and tossed them at Stefan. He had never relinquished his keys to anyone. His car was precious to him but not nearly as precious as the beautiful, sleeping girl in his arms.

Stefan caught them and looked back up at him.

"You drive, please brother. She is finally peaceful, I don't want to wake her. She has been through hell and needs to rest. I promise I'll behave." He looked around them again, still unsure how safe they were. "But we need to get out of here. There is no telling how many more of Klaus' goons know where she is."

Stefan just stood still taking in his brother's words. She had been screaming from nightmares? She had dreamed that the wolf had almost raped her for real? Was it not enough; the damage the wolf had actually inflicted on her?

He sucked in a breath and looking down at her, running his hand through her soft hair and then back up at his brother's pleading eyes. He nodded slowly. The guilt of what she had survived was still crushing him and he wanted to do whatever he could to help her. He wanted her to sleep, even if it was in his way too affectionate brother's embrace.

He snapped his head back up, dangling the keys in his hand. But he was not going to take this lying down.

"Okay Damon, I understand. I'll honor that...for Elena. But if I see you kiss her once and I will show your beautiful car what the wrong side of a hydro pole looks like before we get back. Are we clear?"

Damon's eyes widened at his brother's cockiness. Stefan knew how much he loved his car and he had no doubt that he would not fail to follow through on his threat. "Sure Stefan. We are clear," he mumbled. He hated when anyone had any kind of power over him, his brother included. But it was worth it to sit in the back holding her the whole way there.

Katherine was still standing beside Stefan and growing impatient at them and their stupid tug of war with the measly, human girl. She was sure they only loved her because she looked just like her. But here she was finally free and she was determined to stay that way. At least long enough for her to figure out a way out of the damn werewolf bite mess. But staying free involved getting as far away from Klaus and his minions as she could be, even if it meant riding with her two favorite vampires who could very well fight the whole way there about who deserved the doppelganger more.

"Can we go then Stef?" Katherine snapped at him, making an annoyed face. "Now that we have established who is sitting with who; like in kindergarten just to make sure no one feels left out." She pouted fakely at them both and stuck out her tongue. "Who cares? We just need to get out of here before Klaus finds us. How do we know his little helper did not call him to report in before he made himself known?"

Both brothers looked back at her and nodded their agreement that they needed to get out of there and without another word, headed to the garage. Stefan opened it and climbed into the driver's seat of Damon's pristine blue 1969 Camero. In his whole 161 years he did not think Damon had ever let him drive it.

He saw Damon trying to readjust Elena in his arms to open the back door and he reached out and held it open for him and swallowed his jealousy and urge to rip her away from him. He took a deep breath. He could be strong and put her first. He was no stranger to that.

Damon smiled back at his brother, knowing it must have taken a lot of strength to actually let him keep holding her. He slid into the backseat still holding her tight against his chest and let Stefan close the door.

Katherine swung open the passenger side door and slammed it closed a little too forcefully earning herself a glare from Damon. She smirked at him, hoping her had woken up the little bitch that was stealing all her limelight. She hoped she would get the chance to get into her head later and give her a nightmare to remember. That would be fun.

The engine roared to life and Stefan backed the car out and down the driveway. It was a long drive to the cabin. The awkwardness was felt by everyone in the car and silence fell, permeated the air as no one really knew what to say to each other. It was Katherine and her Salvatore boys together again.

If only the human tag a long hadn't just died in the damn tomb, Katherine thought. But maybe she could figure out a way to offer her to Klaus; in addition to the moonstone, so she could finally be given her life back and maybe her freedom too. She was so sick of running.

Damon knew what he had promised his brother. He was also very aware of Stefan's eyes on the rear view mirror; more than they seemed to be on the road ahead of them. He knew he was making him so uncomfortable with how he was sitting. There was plenty of room in the backseat for her to even lay down beside him but Damon would have none of that. He had promised not to kiss her and that was it. Holding her as close as she could possibly be to him, was not off the table.

Once the door had closed, he had leaned against it and stretched his long legs across the seats, cradling her in his arms. His leather jacket was still wrapped around her shoulders and knowing Stefan was not taking his eyes off them, he kept the jacket up over her and slipped his one arm underneath it to caress her without being seen.

He was not wanting to wake her but he wanted his touch to be soothing. He hoped it would ground her, even if another nightmare threatened her and she could draw strength from his touch. It wasn't sexual at all in nature, just stroking her arm and down her side on top of his long comfy shirt she was wearing. He could hear the steady rhythm of her heartbeat get slower and slower as his fingers moved.

Damon shifted himself lower, moving her head gently so it was resting more so on his shoulder rather than his chest. He leaned his head to the side, his chin almost against his chest.

He hoped to the occupants in the front seat it looked like he was sleeping too, when in reality his eyes were open just enough to see her laying so peacefully against him. They were almost laying down, her small body on top of his and it felt like home. A home he had only visited a few times. But each moment that he left the comfort of her nearness, he longed for it like he never should have left. Like she was his drug and he would start shaking in withdrawal, without her to bring him back to life.

He studied her face, every inch of it in the dim light of the dawn. The sun would be up soon and each minute that ticked by, nature revealed more and more of her beautiful face to his hungry eyes. Sure he was a vampire and could see in the dark exceptionally well, but the tiny rays of sunlight peeking up were lighting up her features in an almost angelic way. He wanted to memorize how she looked exactly in that moment.

Her dark lashes fluttered just slightly, kissing the skin under her eyes and her brows would crinkle and then relax as she was deep in REM sleep. Her one cheek still held the faded scar that had blood dripping down her face when he had first seen her in the wolf's arms, when he had blurred into the tomb earlier that day. The sight of her like that so bruised, broken and weak had almost brought him to his knees right there in front of her.

He reached up and ran his finger across her cheek and her lips curled into an involuntary smile. His finger made its way to her lips feeling the moist softness against his skin and he sighed in contentment. There was no where on earth he would rather be.


Here is another chapter. I loved writing it and there is a deep and tender chapter coming up next. Little spoiler...Damon is very respectful and honors his brother's wishes as they drive but he finds a sort of loop hole in his promise. It will be so sweet I promise.

I nearly teared up as I wrote that she looked like an angel to him as he was gazing at her. The words just flowed as I wrote and it sounded so perfect. I reminded me of her first glimpse of him as sped into the tomb and that Elena thought he looked like a angel descending into hell to save her. When his body was outlined in sunlight.

Sorry if the story feels slow paced. The first book took place in one day and the second will be the same. Kinda like the show 24, ha ha. Not much for time jumps. At least not yet. Wasn't Stefan so selfless to let Damon hold her and let her sleep? I can just see that scene so clearly. It kind of reminds me of Edward being so selfless with Bella when Jake was warming her up with his body heat on the hill in the tiny tent in the winter. That must have taken a lot of courage for him too.

Anyway I hope you are loving Part 2. There will be more action yet too. Klaus will be very upset when he finds out they slipped away from him. Review please I love hearing what you all think. Thanks!