Please bear with me, I haven't written in about 9 years! But my thoughts would always travel back to my favourite duo, Damon and Stefan. So now here I am with another oneshot. I don't know if any of my old followers will read this, but I just wanted to let you know that I always thought about you guys and the fun I would have reading your reviews to my stories :D

"He's my brother," Stefan had told Caroline tearfully. As much as he loved her, he couldn't leave his brother. And Caroline understood.

Family first.

Which is why he was grappling with Katherine in the tunnel, while a human Damon was lying unconscious on the other side.

Stefan had tried persuading Damon to leave, using Elena as an excuse:

"You have quite literally an eternity with Elena ahead of you."

"Which means a lot less without you!"

Stefan could see the turmoil in Damon's eyes and the need to be with his love. He thought he could push his brother to accept Stefan's fate.

But Stefan should have known his big brother would not give in. In the nearly two centuries since he'd made his brother a vampire, Stefan had fought to turn him into the man who deserved happiness that was out there right now. And Damon definitely deserved his happy ending, after all that he had endured. No matter how much Damon denied it, it was Stefan's fault.

But Stefan's brother had the whole 'big protective brother mode' going down for the past few years, and he didn't want to do it the easy way...

"You are going to walk out of these tunnels and you're not going to stop until my death breaks the compulsion... because I am the big brother. I'm sorry I wasn't better at it until now."

Stefan would have screamed in frustration, if the compulsion had allowed him. Damon was not playing fair! He started walking away as he'd been told in a dazed manner. But then the compulsion wore off as the vervain kicked in...

Stefan scoffed, as he staked Katherine with the dagger made of her bones. How could Damon have not twigged that Stefan was ingesting vervain? Stefan was actually surprised Damon hadn't shoved it down his throat himself ever since he became human. Protective brother and all that.

Well, it had definitely worked to his advantage. And the benefit was that he'd given Damon something he'd always dreamed of – a cure!

Stefan sighed and trembled. He could hear the hellfire rushing to meet its prey. While Katherine lay like a dead weight in his arms, he kept his focus on his brother's body.

Tonight I saw a side of you I hadn't seen in a while. The older brother I looked up to. The Damon I knew when I was a boy. I want that Damon to live. Live a long and happy life, and I want to hear all about it when l see you again.

"I love you little brother."

"I love you too."

Damon could not stop worrying as he took his last breaths. What if he didn't find peace? What if a new hell was created just for him, and he wouldn't get what he wanted?

He had lived a long and happy life with Elena by his side. Children and grandchildren! He could not believe that he of all people could produce such compassionate and devilishly handsome offspring. Obviously, Elena helped.

Their house had been filled with love, laughter, scraped knees and baking sessions.

But now it was time to let go. Elena had already passed a few months ago, and now Damon felt it was his turn. He was in bed, surrounded by his children.

In truth, he'd been wanting to go for a long while now. He had something to do on the other side. Someone special to meet.

He smiled one last time and closed his eyes.

What if I don't deserve peace? What if I'm not allowed to see -

Damon opened his eyes to find himself in Mystic Falls, fit as a feather and 50 years younger.

Wow, if this is hell then I wouldn't mind staying a while!

Damon smiled to himself, then quickly sobered up. There was someone he had to see.

He raced to the building he hadn't seen in a long while.

He was about to knock at the door, but found his hands shaking.

50 years... It had been 50 years since he'd lost...

Damon took a deep breath to steady himself, but before he could raise his hand again, the door opened.

"Damon."

His face. His beautiful, beaming face. Was right in front of him. Not a day older than when he'd last seen him.

"Hello brother."

Damon pulled his little brother into a deep hug and just savoured it.

His little brother had waited for him. His little brother had sacrificed himself for him. His little brother - had still kept his hero hair. Which Damon was flattening down with his hands.

"Hey!" Stefan pulled back and instantly tried shaping it up again.

"Oh Stefan, it looks like we have an eternity of me giving you big brother advice, which starts with your fashion sense. You're not going to get any ladies looking like that..."

Stefan rolled his eyes, but it didn't escape Damon's notice that a huge smile was spreading across his face as he closed the door.

"I love you little brother."

"I love you too."

The End.

Did anyone else just literally sob their hearts out at the end of the episode when Damon and Stefan reunite? I just couldn't my head around the fact that Damon had lived a long life after Stefan had died young. But they both look the same in the afterlife...

Anyway, enough crying! Please read and review :)