Hello there!

My muse seems to be on full working mood at the moment so with a little luck we'll have faster updates yay! Once more I want to thank every single one of you for reading and reviewing, seeing how much you love my story and everything you have to say it's the best reward I could ask for. I hope everyone is safe and taking care during this pandemic time and I also hope my story is helping some of you have a little less dull time during this quarantine.

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"These tears you cry have come too late
Take back the lies, the hurt, the blame!
And you will weep when you face the end alone.
You are lost! You can never go home"

-Emiliana Torrini-

.

The amber liquid swirled inside the expensive-looking tumbler that hanged from his fingers; his right leg was casually crossed on top of his left one as he leaned back in the dark red leather couch. If he had to use a word to describe the Mikaelson brother's style it would be lavish.

Signs of their extravagant style were scattered all over the living room; from the bearskin rug and the several sculptures artfully placed to the ornamented frames that hang from the walls. It was opulent and stuffy but Damon found himself thinking it suited the brothers and perhaps if he were with someone else the place would have felt cold and phony but with the current company, Damon felt more at ease than he had ever felt with other associates.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had grown to like the brothers given the fact they shared a coming goal and close knowledge of how twisted the world truly was.

Elijah Mikaelson's apprehensive gaze regarded him now from where he sat across the room in an identical couch to the one he was currently at "Liz Forbes has agreed to work with us?"

Damon chuckled humorlessly at his question "There was a little coercion on our part" His words were followed by a long mouthful of the liquid in his tumbler. To say their talk with the Detective had run smoothly would be to overreact, Damon had been aware that trying to blackmail a woman as powerful and tenacious like Liz Forbes would be a colossal task but he had never been one to back down from a challenge, so now here he was, with the woman that had been hunting his ass as one more allied.

Nikklaus, who had been sitting silently next to his brother, hunched over until his elbows were resting on top of his knees "Can we trust her?"

Damon emptied the content of his tumbler before placing in the exquisitely carved oak coffee table placed between them "While we're in this? Absolutely" He stated "Afterwards? Is every man for himself"

That had been the main clause in his and Liz Forbes agreement, bringing down Jonh's organization was the main goal and the only reason the detective would turn a blind eye to what they did to achieve it but once their task was accomplished she was going back to haunt them, something that didn't concern Damon in the slightest.

After all, in her years trying to catch them, Liz Forbes hadn't managed to get a piece of single evidence to prove their business wasn't as clean as it appeared and if luck was on their side the presidential elections of late fall would gain them a bigger ally.

As if in reading his mind, a gleeful smirk appeared in the blonde Mikaelson's face "Funny you say that since she's never managed to get any dirt on you"

"Not on you either"

Elijah cleared his throat, his sharp gaze traveling from his brother next to him to Damon who was sitting next to Stefan on the couch across the small coffee table "That'll be Nikklaus concern once this is over…and yours…"

Damon's lips tightened in a forced smile and felt Stefan stiffen next to him "And mine of course, but I think Klaus and I will work splendidly together, don't you agree?"

The blonde man raised his still full glass in a salute "I'm sure we'll find some common ground"

"Do you honestly think this will work out?" The words came out from Stefan's mouth; Damon glanced at him briefly and noticed his right leg was twitching, a nervous tick he carried from his years under John's tutelage "A clean slate for the organization?"

Damon snorted "We are not trying to make it Disneyland Stefan. But some limits should never be crossed"

The young Salvatore gave his brother an apprehensive glance and Damon briefly wondered how he had managed to miss the growing dark circles under Stefan's eyes "I just keep on thinking, John and Mikael's business has thrived so much because people are willing to pay for it" He said with disgust "What makes us think that in taking them down we'll manage to eradicate the entire thing? There will always be someone else wanting the same thing"

Klaus jaw hardened, the feral eyes that gave him his nickname drilling the young Salvatore to the spot "A little late to back down don't you think Stef?"

Stefan huffed nervously, the tremor on his leg becoming more evident "I am not baking down I just— I think we are being naïve"

Damon saw the way Elijah's Mikaelson demeanor changed and knew it was time to stop his brother before he threw away their alliance with the brothers, however before he had time to speak Elijah stood up from his seat and walked until he was looming over Stefan.

"Look, boy, we are not trying to change the fucking world" He spat "None of the presents can claim to be a saint, but there are two things that I want, that I've desired above anything else and those are revenge for what was done to my wife and my sister and the certainty it won't happen again under my watch" His words were sharp and cold but there was a shine in his eyes that spoke about pain, about a truth so horrible it was almost impossible to talk about it "Not in my city, not in my organization. I am not fucking Captain America trying to save the world but even I have limits"

Damon almost expected for the other man to crush the glass he had been holding onto his brother's skull but instead of it, he slowly turned around and headed in direction of the bar cart, back stiff as he strode away.

"Or are you telling me human trafficking is something you fancy Stefan? Because if that's the case then we were mistaken all along" Klaus decided to continue the speech his brother had started, a dark shadow covering his face as he directed his words to Stefan "Can you imagine the place Markos was going to take that pretty little blonde of yours? Because I've been there, Bekah's been there and she clawed her fucking eyeballs out in an attempt to forget about it"

Damon flinched at the mention of Rebekah Mikaelson, the one limit the brothers had, what had exactly happened to the girl had been a complete mystery to Damon who had heard nothing but whispers of people, rumors that couldn't be confirmed or denied, even Katherine had been tight-lipped about it but the more time he spend with the brothers more the mystery unraveled and the nasty feeling at the pit of his stomach increased because he could guess pretty well what had been done to the poor girl, what pain she must have endured to leave her in such a poor state of mind.

Damon decided to finally interrupt and stood to follow Elijah to the bar cart, his movements as nonchalant as he could muster "There's no need to lose our temper here, don't mind him, his head has been a mess since certain blonde girl refuses to speak with him" His hands busied themselves as he refilled his tumbler with the amber liquid Elijah offered him.

"Then perhaps he's not as good for the job as we believed" The words were whispered to him by Elijah, a knowing look on his face as he stared at him.

Damon tensed, something dark and dangerous shinning in his eyes as he leveled the other man with a stare as intense "I think we're all overreacting a little bit here, don't we?" He hissed "The impending doom is above us and tension is getting a bit high, but we are all still on the same side, aren't we Stefan?"

"Of course" Stefan was only too rushed to answer, his leg had stopped the nervous movement and his eyes were severe as he stared back at Damon "We are"

He strode into the office with his brother following close behind, his body was coiled with tension and his jaw continued to tick as he rounded the corner of the desk and went to sit on his black leather chair.

"What the fuck was that?" He spit out once he was seated down, blue glacial eyes boring down in the man taking a seat in front of him. The entire ride back to their safe-house had been spent in complete silence, Damon's body coiled with tension as his brother's careless words swirled inside his head "You want to cost us our alliance with the Mikaelson?"

Stefan huffed "Don't be an idiot Damon"

Damon gritted his teeth, his brother's attitude annoying him beyond his control "Sorry brother but that spot had been acquitted by yourself" His words were accompanied by the bang of his hand against the wooden surface of his desk "What the fuck was that?"

Stefan released an almost imperceptible flinch at the harshness in Damon's tone of voice; it wasn't often than his brother's ire was directed at him. The younger brother leaned forwards, tired eyes staring up at his brother and boss as a hand went to his head, his fingers losing in the strands of hair in a tense gesture.

"I finally killed Trevor"

Damon rolled his eyes as he leaned back on his chair, eyes assessing his brother "Took you long enough"

Trevor had been one of the men who John Gilbert had trusted with Caroline's kidnaping, Markos had managed to escape but the other man had fallen easily into their hands since it was Stefan's girlfriend he planned to harm Damon had handed over to him, it was his job to end him, a job he had taken too long to accomplish because apparently, he was having too much of a good time torturing the man first.

Hazel eyes moved away from him, a cloud of shame coating them and making something dark twist inside Damon's body.

Stefan filled his cheeks with air before releasing it and fixing his eyes in his brother's once again, his hands twisted anxiously over his lap as the unflinching blue gaze stared back at him "I… I dismembered his body"

"What?" Damon blinked in surprise, blood running cold at his brother's admission.

"And I liked it" Stefan's words were accompanied by a mad glint in his eyes, something Damon had often seen shinning in his step-father's gaze "I wanted to see him in pain after—if Markos had managed to take her"

"Jesus Stefan" Damon stood up from his chair, his hands going to his head and tugging on his hair in an attempt to control de buzzing energy inside him. He would never claim himself to be a saint and he was well aware his brother was as much a criminal as he was but something was unsettling in the way Stefan's words swirled in his head, in seeing the small boy that had ran into his arms crying after their mother beat him speaking about enjoying tearing up a man's limbs.

He wondered if perhaps that was the way Elena felt whenever she watched him arrive back home covered in blood after one of his jobs.

Stefan let his head drop between his hands, his body hunched forward over the desk "It scares me, the bloodlust inside me" He confessed "I'm not sure I could ever be as good as a Boss like you"

Damon went to stand in front of the bar cart, his hands busying themselves with the preparations of drinks "In case you didn't notice Stef, bloodlust is sort of a required skill here" He said, trying to push the fear for his brother at the back of his mind, if they had any chance of winning this war he needed Stefan sane, strong, not at the edge of a crisis.

"But not like me, uncontrollable!" His shouts startled Damon, his eyes moved away from his drink to watch his brother who had vacated his seat and now paced anxiously over the length of the room "I am not you Damon, I can't think with a clear head, I let the rage consume me"

"That's because they've always allowed you to reign free" Damon walked towards him with a drink extended in his direction "You need restrain, that can be learned" Stefan took the offering drink and downed it in one gulp before slamming the glass forcefully on the wooden desk

Damon took a hand to his brother's shoulder and squeezed "I will help you" He vowed, glassy blue eyes staring at him and once again seeing the little boy who had asked for his help so many times "People worship you Stefan; they see you as a leader, hell one would never guess you like to dismember bodies by looking at you"

"Not funny"

Damon chuckled, trying to ease the tension that had arisen in the room "I'm being serious, why do you think mother likes to parade you in her parties instead of me? People are drawn to you because they think you are nice" His hand left his shoulder and went to slap his cheek playfully before he walked away and went to sit behind his desk once again "And we need for people to keep on believing it, underestimate you. Plus, you'll have a brand new detective in your pocket"

Stefan released a dejected sigh and let himself fall into the chair once again "I don't think Caroline is ever going to forgive me"

"She'll come around," Damon said with a nonchalant shrug "You'll make her come around"

Stefan's haze eyes bore down on him "Sometimes I wonder who is more fucked up" He said and made Damon wonder the same time.

The pieces were on the move, war loomed over them and now he had one extra concern in his mind, he needed to find a way to stop his brother from spinning out of control. Damon took the tumbler with amber liquid to his lips and stared at the man in front of him, the little boy whom he had been forced to take care of as a product of their mother's negligence.

Damon had a plan but knew his brother would never join him, knew their paths were doomed to break sooner than expected, and felt an overwhelming weight falling on top of his chest as the realization finally hit him.

Their paths were meant to break but he would be dammed if he let his brother destroy himself.

Weariness overwhelmed him as he opened the door to his bedroom, the tiredness of the day had finally started seeping into his bones and he wanted nothing more than a warm bed and a decent night sleep so he could be as sharp as possible the next morning.

He stepped inside the room and found her lying down on his bed, sheets tangled around her hips, and a book between her hands while she sat with her back pressing into the headboard.

Elena was no prisoner in his bunker, not anymore; even so, it still startled him to find her waiting for him. Despite their fact, their relationship seemed to be on the mends, up until that moment she had chosen to spend each night alone.

"Rough day?" She asked when she saw him standing by the door; the book was closed and was placed in the nightstand; Damon blinked away his surprise and closed the door behind him.

"Awful" He admitted as he started removing his shoes.

Elena licked her lips nervously "Any new on my father?" She asked as she moved to kneel on the bed facing him.

"He is laying low, the bastard" Damon muttered under his breath as he unbuttoned his shirt and walked towards the bed "It worries me, it's almost as if he's making no effort in searching for us"

The last words were said more to himself than her; Damon pried himself into being smart, his uncle and grandfather had trained him to be a mafia for a long time but more often than not he felt his skills were only physical, he was good at hurting people and nothing more, and he felt like John Gilbert was slipping right from underneath him.

"Maybe he'll let it go"

Damon released a small laugh as he dropped himself into the bed "You are too naïve sometimes" Elena's face hardened at his answer but he reached for her before she could move away, his hand grabbing her by the waist and moving her so she rested on his lap "Hey, don't get mad"

"You keep on treating me like a child"

"I do not"

Elena released a huff at the same time she rolled her eyes "You couldn't be more condescending with me if you tried" Her tone was angry even as she went lax in his embrace, her hands resting against his chest as he circled her waist with his arms "I've always been nothing but a pretty doll to you" Soft brown eyes looked down, a blush covering her cheeks as she tried to hide away her face from him "Maybe— maybe I am only a reflex of Katherine"

"Excuse me?"

Elena bit her lip before explaining herself "You couldn't save her so you want to save me" She whispered "You couldn't have her so you want me"

Damon released a startled laugh that made her eyes snap back to him "Forgive me Bonita, but that is the most stupid thing I've ever heard"

Her olive skin flushed as she pushed at his chest in an attempt to move, an angry vein on her forehead appearing as her eyes clouded with rage "Fuck you, Damon!"

Damon released another small laugh as he tried to contain her forceful shoves "Len, come on. Are you for real?" One of his arms secured her to his body while the other went to her face, his finger grabbing her chin and forcing her to look back at him "Do you know when was the first time I loved you?" He asked and felt her going still in his arms "It was when I saw you crying in that awful white puffy dress, you had a flowery headband that was putting too much pressure on your head and tears kept spilling out of your eyes as you watched your father marrying my mother"

"Damon…"

His features softened in a way that was so unnatural to him that Elena could do nothing but stare at him, mesmerized by the tenderness she saw in his eyes "I loved you then, my heart felt something I couldn't explain, something that had been dead forever, so I held your hand" His lips twisted in a lopsided grin, his gaze shining with memories "I held your hand and it felt right, and right there I swore to myself I would do anything in my power to protect you. You are not a reflex of anything, you are you and I love you for it"

Elena looked back at him, loss at words after what he said so she just let her head fall into his shoulder, her legs circling his waist as she clung into him "I'm sick of this, sick of being here of everything"

Damon sighed tiredly as his hands busied going up and down her back "It'll be over soon enough" He said and prayed his words would become true, he wanted for everything to be over if he lived or died he wanted to happen already, waiting at the edge of a catastrophe he couldn't escape was the worst kind of torture and he didn't want Elena to live in it anymore.

"You promise?" Her voice was soft and muffled by the skin of his bare shoulder "You promise we'll someday live in a small fishing Italian village and swim in the sea every day"

Damon felt something twist in his chest at her words and tightened his arms around her frame "I promise you" He whispered into her ear as he held her against his chest "I promise you"

Did you like it? Please review and I apologize for any typos.