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Alaric stirred awake from the best sleep he'd had in weeks, expecting to be in his bed at the Gilbert house, but upon opening his eyes he found himself in Damon's room…in Damon's bed. The sun hadn't come up yet, but light was barely making an appearance through the dark curtains tailing the windows. The vampire was lying on his back, shirtless, asleep, next to Alaric. Ric's leg was entangled in Damon's and the human's fingers were laced with the vampire's. Alaric couldn't help the elated grin that formed on his face. He removed his fingers from Damon's hand and slid closer to the sleeping vampire, kissing up the man's sides, chest, and stopping at his neck. His lips lingered there, caressing the skin gently, and never stopping, even when Damon stirred.

"Mmm…Morning, stud." He spoke with his eyes closed, and Alaric continued to kiss his neck. Damon arched his back a little. "I could get used to waking up like this."

Ric pulled his head up and looked at Damon, who's eyes were still closed. "Don't get too used to it yet, I have to get back home before Elena wakes up and sees breakfast isn't made."

Damon's eyes shot open. "You'll get up to make them breakfast but leave me here alone?" The vampire's voice mocked sounding hurt. "She depends on you too much."

"Which is precisely why I need to get back before she wakes up." Alaric returned his lips to Damon's neck and moved so he was on top of the vampire, grinding his hips down hard. Damon took in a breath, smiling.

"It doesn't seem like you wanna leave too badly, stud."

Ric laughed into Damon's neck. "Well, I don't, but I have to." The human trailed light kisses up to Damon's lips, and he kissed the man passionately. The vampire's hands slid down Ric's body and cupped his ass lightly, warranting a moan from the human. "Morning sex sounds fun, right?" Alaric breathed the words on Damon's lips, making the man smile widely. He kissed Ric again and was in the middle of sliding off the human's boxers when someone cleared their throat.

Damon pulled away from Ric and saw his fully clothed brother standing just inside the doorway. "Stefan."

The younger brother ignored Damon and looked at Alaric with pursed lips. "I'm heading over to Elena's and I was gonna take you with me, if you wanted. I didn't see your car outside and I figured you walked here last night." He was averting his eyes every few seconds, like he was embarrassed at what he was seeing in front of him.

Alaric kissed Damon once more before getting out of the bed. When Stefan stared at him, wide-eyed, Ric looked at him strangely. "What?"

"Uhm…" Stefan shifted uncomfortably and finally tore his eyes from Alaric, who looked down and saw his incredibly hard dick through his boxers. He immediately pulled the blanket off of Damon and covered himself, his face filling with color and his heart beating ridiculously fast.

Damon stood up and threw his arm around Alaric's waist tightly. He smirked at his brother. "No need to be jealous, Stefan. I know he's hot." The vampire was stark naked, and Stefan threw his hands up, covering Damon's lower half from his vision.

"Okay, this is way too awkward, so I'll be downstairs." Stefan disappeared out of the room.

Alaric shoved Damon, a smile capturing his lips. "You're a dick."

"A horny dick. A dick that wants yours in him right now, but can't have it because of cock blocking brothers."

"I heard that, Damon." Stefan shouted from downstairs.

Damon smiled. "I hope you did, Stefan!"

"I need to get dressed." Alaric laughed and dropped the heavy blanket back on the bed, beginning to gather his clothes from the floor where he had dropped them the night before. He was stopped by Damon pushing him against the wall next to the window. The vampire kissed his neck and let his extended fangs slide over Alaric's skin softly, making the human's breath stagger. "I need…to get dressed…Damon…"

"No, you don't. You need to stay here with me." His words were spoken into Alaric's neck, and Damon kissed Ric's pulse point once more before beginning to slide down to his knees. He trailed his lips over every inch of skin he could on the way down, and the vampire kissed Alaric's hip lightly before pulling back the man's boxers and biting into the flesh behind. The human made a sound, but swallowed half of it back, and twisted his hands in Damon's black hair as the vampire drank from him. The pain of it was strangely intoxicating for Alaric, much different than Damon drinking from his neck, or even his wrist. This was, for some reason, more intimate, and Ric loved it. He stifled with a whine when the vampire pulled his teeth out of his flesh. He watched as Damon licked the wound clean, then his crimson lips. Damon stood up, looking seductively at the human, and standing entirely too close for either of them to not be aroused. "Get dressed, Ric." He walked away, back to the bed, and all Alaric could do is stand there, breathing hard.

"You suck."

"No, no, Ric, there's no time for that, remember? Breakfast, Elena, reality." Damon did that eye thing he was so good at, which drove Alaric wild, to say the very least.

Ric sighed and pulled on his jeans, having a difficult time getting them zipped and buttoned over his insane erection. "I'm gonna get you back one day, and you'll hate me for it, but it'll be worth it." He winced as the rough denim ran over the open wound on his hip, and he looked up at Damon while he put on his shirt. "You mind healing this?"

Damon shook his head, smirking. "That'll turn into a nice scar in a few weeks, and you'll be forever marked as mine."

"Great…possessive, jealous, vampire boyfriend." Ric threw on his jacket, running his hand through his hair, which was terribly dirty. He made it a point to take a shower immediately after making breakfast for Elena. "God, I still hate that word, but I don't know what else to call you."

"What happened to lover, hm?" Damon wagged his eyebrows at Alaric, which made the human smile.

"I forgot about that. So, you're my possessive, jealous, egotistical, overly charming…vampire lover. Cool."

Damon only smiled and got up again, sifting through one of his closets and pulling on a pair of jeans which looked much like the ones Alaric had on. He didn't bother putting on a shirt. "You just think so fondly of me, don't you, Ric?" The vampire stepped to Alaric, who was sitting on the bed, putting his boots on. Damon leaned down and kissed the top of Alaric's head, keeping his fingers in the man's light brown hair. "Will you call me later?"

Ric nodded, standing up, and letting out a breath. "Now it's time for an awkward car ride with my lover's brother." He smiled when he saw how much taller than Damon he was with his boots on, and Damon without any shoes whatsoever. "Look at you, you're no taller than my students."

"You know what they say, stud," Damon began walking out of the room, and down the stairs, and Alaric followed. "Short guy, big ego, big di-"

"Don't even go there, Damon." Stefan cut off his brother, holding up a hand.

Damon smirked, wrapping a possessive arm around Alaric's waist. "Cock. Blocking. Brother."

Stefan ignored Damon and looked at Alaric. "I'm just gonna drop you off quietly, I was gonna talk to Elena, but I thought better of it. Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Ric smiled, then turned to Damon. "Be good, okay?"

"Ric, Ric, Ric, you are hoping for something that will never happen for the rest of eternity." Damon had to raise himself up a little to kiss Alaric's lips. The human's warm hands slid around Damon's bare hips and the vampire had to pull away before he took things even further. He smiled, settling his feet back on the floor, and looking in Ric's eyes. "You better not forget to call me."

"I won't. Bye, Damon." Alaric placed a gentle kiss on Damon's cheek before letting go of the vampire and walking out with Stefan. They got in the vampire's car, which was a little too small for Alaric's long legs, but he dealt with it.

After a few silent moments, Stefan glanced at Alaric. "You really love him, don't you?"

Alaric couldn't help the smile that crept on his face at the words. "Yeah…I do." There were another few silent moments, until Ric spoke again. "I'm sorry if it's awkward for you."

"It's alright. I'm just not used to it, yet. I just…I don't really get it." Stefan's tone was hesitant and confused as he drove.

"What don't you get?"

The vampire looked at Alaric, then back at the road. "You and Damon." When Ric said nothing, Stefan continued. "I've been dealing with my brother for a hundred and sixty-six years, and I honestly cannot stand being around him most of the time. And he's killed you, twice, but…you love him, and you come to him when you're upset, and you kiss him like you used to kiss Jenna but with more passion, and I just don't understand it."

Alaric let out an exasperated breath. He had barely had time to think about exactly why he was in love with Damon, and he had just focused on the feelings he had while he was around the vampire. He was going to have a difficult time putting it into words if he wasn't going to repeat what he had said after he and Damon had sex for the first time. Regardless, he tried. "I don't really fully understand it, either. I just love him. I know he's frustrating and he never listens to anyone and he's a complete dick most of the time. He just…he was there, and I wanted to feel something other than grief and loss and pain and disappointment in myself, so I kissed him, and I never meant for it to go any further. Especially as far as it's come now. I needed a distraction, and I got Damon, and I fell in love with him. I don't know how it happened, it just did." The human paused, not sure if he should say what he was about to. "He really is sweet when he wants to be, and he looks out for me. I may get pissed when he tries to protect me like a little girl all the time, but I know he doesn't wanna see me get hurt. He'd do that even if we were still just friends. He's passionate and clever and funny and smart and sexy and charming and, just, perfect." By that time, Alaric knew he was babbling, but Stefan didn't seem to care. The vampire was actually smiling.

"I'm glad he makes you happy." Stefan said, after nodding a few times. "I'm glad he's not the total asshole I thought he was. To you, at least."

Alaric chuckled a little. "I'm glad he's not, either. That would just mean I'm one of those pathetic people who doesn't know how to get out of a bad relationship."

Stefan had stopped, a few houses down from the Gilbert house. He turned and smiled at Alaric. "Don't forget to call Damon later. And put in a good word for me with Elena? I-I'm not really sure what to say to her after she saw what I did…"

"Don't worry, Stefan. She'll be fine. She was saying last night that she sort of understood why you had to do it, she just didn't like seeing it." Ric got out of the car and walked around to the driver's window. "I'll see you, and thanks for the ride." Stefan nodded and smiled, driving off, and Alaric walked in the cold to the house, silently slipped his key in the door, and quietly made his way upstairs to his room. He changed into his sleep clothes, and he noticed the wound on his hip in the full-length mirror. Perfect bite marks, with large holes where Damon's fangs had been. Ric smiled at how beautiful it was, that his vampire had marked him, that no matter what happened, he would always have this reminder of how wonderful his time with Damon was.

Alaric put a bandage over the wound, then went back downstairs and into the kitchen to make breakfast. Halfway through cooking bacon, he glanced at the clock on the wall and ran upstairs, banging on Elena's bedroom door. "Wake up! Breakfast is almost done!" He heard the girl moan disgruntledly, and a few seconds later, she opened the door, looking terribly tired and like a normal teenager in the early hours of the morning. Ric smiled at her. "Morning, sunshine."

Elena rubbed her face sleepily. "I'm going to kill you, Ric."

He held up his hand, showing her his ring. "I'll come back, and I'll be mean Ric. Get your ass down here and eat my food, damnit!" Alaric didn't let her respond before he turned and jolted back down the stairs to check on his bacon. It had finished, and he distributed it evenly between the two plates of eggs and sausage he had set at the table. He smiled as he heard Elena coming down the stairs.

"I have to say, as early as you have me up, this smells good." She was sniffing the air around her as she walked into the kitchen. She sat in front of a plate, as Ric put a glass of orange juice in front of her, and he sat down across the corner of the table from her. Elena didn't begin eating, she only looked up at Alaric, concern on her face. "How are you, you know…feeling?"

Ric sighed, looking back at her. "I'm fine, Elena. No memory gone. No murders. Yet." He started eating, and so did Elena. They didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"Meredith wants me to take you to the hospital for tests. She told me last night after you went to bed." Elena's large brown eyes searched Alaric's face for a reaction. "She got us out of school."

"You don't need to miss any more school, and neither do I. We're going."

"Ric, I think this is more important than work I can make up and things a sub can do for you for the time being. We're worried about you…please let us help."

Alaric sighed, and dropped his fork, his appetite leaving him. He ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, but I'm going out with Damon after. He can watch me and make sure I don't…kill people, or something." Successfully making up an alibi for spending time with Damon: check. Now all Ric needed to do was stop killing people.

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A/N: Oooooh, how very canon of me. Next chapter will be in the present, because I know that's what you're all itching for :p Please review! Also, I've written a few other fics since updating this so if you're interested go on my page and read them (: And don't forget to tell me what you think!