A/N: First off I would like to thank 'Daughter of Chaos 98', 'cold kagome' and 'elvalove' for reviewing! Also to everyone who faved or story alerted this story. It means a lot to me! XD Okay, now for this chapter. I am still a bit confused with myself in this story because I changed ages and stuff... so to clarify right now I made Stefan and Damon nine years apart. Hopefully everything is spelled right. I sometimes miss my misspelled words when I do my rereads. Bleh. Anywho, I hope you like this chapter! If you have any ideas for where I should go with this story let me know! I have a loose plot and any ideas would be welcome. XD Oh, I almost forgot. I have flashbacks... so you know.

(Then)

Stefan's POV

He awoke to shouting. This was a normal occurrence in the house. Either Mother with Damon, Father with Damon, either of the twins and Damon... basically anyone Damon encountered could basically guarantee to end up in an argument with him sooner or later.

So the shouting he was used to. It was what was with the shouting that Stefan had not heard often in the house. Crying. And a lot of it, but he was not sure who it belonged to.

He slid out of bed and his small feet padded across the carpeted floor. He peered out of his bedroom door but saw nothing so continued. He listened closely and jumped when he heard his mother shout extra loud. He walked even faster.

He went down the stair case and paused at the landing. He looked around the corner and saw his mother, still wearing her robe, her face streaked with tears and her eyes bloodshot. Damon was standing opposite of her, so Stefan could not see his older brothers face, but by the way he held his body, Stefan could tell that Damon was angry. His hands were in fists and his body rigid.

The twins stood farther away, Brooklyn leaning on Ryder for support. They too had tear stained faces.
"Mother?"
His mother looked up, alarm in her eyes, and she made as if she were going to come to him. "No, Stefan, go back upstairs!"
But before she could come to him, or he could even obey her, Damon was standing behind him, one arm around his waist another with his head in a lock. Stefan was too startled to struggle and just stood there, shocked.
His mother, however, had a different reaction. She shrieked and dashed forward.
"What!" Damon growled. "You think I'll kill him too?" Those words sent a shiver down Stefan's spine.
"Damon..." He whimpered; Damon just made his grip tighter.
"Of course! You are messed up, who knows what you would do!" Mother was almost at the base of the stairs now, and she was holding out her arms as if Stefan should fall, she would catch him.
"Damon, he has nothing to do with this, let him go." Ryder pleaded, sharing a glance with Brooklyn.
His older brothers arm loosened around his head as he was surprised by the twins words. "Nothing to do with this? Don't be blind, Ryder, EVERYTHING, is about him! Don't you understand?"
Stefan didn't understand what was going on. He knew he wasn't Damon's favorite person, but it had always been the two of them for everything for as long as he could remember. Ryder and Brooklyn had each other, and he had Damon. But now... he had never once been this scared of his brother, or anything else in his life.
 Stefan saw his mother straighten up then and her eyes grew steely.
"I knew it was a mistake to keep you al-"
The arm went around his neck this time. "You know I could twist his neck in two seconds flat."
Before anything else could be said or done by either of them a new voice chimed in. It was one that Stefan was only slightly familiar with, for Damon's girlfriend rarely ever came around the house.
"Damon," The voice was heavily sweet. He couldn't see her but he could smell her. Her perfume was heavy in the air and it made him a little dizzy.
"Let your baby brother go. Come on, there you go..."
Stefan ran into his mothers arms as soon as he was released, but she wasn't interested in an embrace, not yet. She still stood there, now looking at Damon with a smug expression, knowing that she had won this battle. Stefan, not understanding, tugged on his mothers sleeve, wanting her to shield him for protection. Protection from the brother who had never threatened him in such a way before. Shield him from the girl who could control someone like him. But she didn't.
So he watched. He watched as Katherine took Damon's arm and slowly led him out of the house. Watched as his mother stalked to the door and bolted it shut. Watched as Brooklyn collapsed into Ryder's arms crying.
The whole time he watched he noticed something. Someone wasn't there. Someone hadn't been there the whole time.

"Where's Father?"

(Now)

Damon's POV

When he pulled up to the mansion, no one was there, but the door was not bolted shut, so he easily picked the lock and made himself at home. He set the baby to the side, as it had finally fallen asleep, and decided to start a fire.

He instantly adored the fire place. It was about his height and cast great shadows from the flickering flames. It was the only light he used as he made his way around the room, snooping through whatever was lying around.

He came to a pause when he saw a picture sitting on a table stand. He picked it up and moved closer to the fire to examine it. A bemused expression came to his face as he looked it up and down. The picture was of him and baby brother Stefan, nine years before.

Stefan had his arm around him, a huge grin that revealed that he had lost his two front teeth at the same time. Damon himself had a hand resting on his brothers head as if he had just finished tousling his hair, a crooked smile on his face.

Why would this picture be out lying about? He shrugged to himself and then plopped down on the leather couch directly facing the fire, and waited.
He didn't have to wait long. Maybe half an hour later, Damon heard a car pull into the drive way. He listened as the car door closed and was a bit surprised to hear two. He smirked just a bit at the fact his brother might have company.

The front door opened and he heard his brother calling for some random person. He waited a bit more until he heard breathing behind him. Then he stood slowly and turned around, dangling the picture of the two of them from his fingers.

Before he said anything he took in the scene before him. His baby brother, not much of a baby anymore, gripping the hand of face that he knew. Katherine.
His first instinct was to lounge at her and rip her pretty little head from her body, but something made him take pause. It was a sound. A beating. A heart.

The pretty brunette girl-who seemed perplexed if anything else- had a heart, that was beating.
So not Katherine. But how- He stopped he would think about that later. For now he had to act normal-not as if he had seen the human form of his- of Katherine.

He pulled himself together and smirked just a bit and then spoke, "Hello, Baby Brother."

Stefan opened his mouth to speak, but before any words could come out not-Katherine spoke. "Isn't he the guy in the picture?"

Damon's smirk became a grin and he looked sideways at the picture in his hand, and then brought it closer to his face as if he wanted a better look.

"Why, yes it is! How very observant of you..." He trailed off waiting for her to supply her name. But before she could Stefan found his words.

"Get out. Right now."

Damon frowned playfully and shook his head. "Really now? Must you be so rude, I just got here, and I brought you a gift."

"I don't want anything you have."

He made a noise with his mouth and shook his head slowly. "Well, see the thing is, the only reason I'm here is to give it to you. I'm just the deliverer, shall we say."

"Wait- Hold up." The girl let go of Stefan's hand and threw both of her hands into the air as if she were about to stop an oncoming car. "I don't understand. I thought you said you didn't know who was in the picture. Who is he?" She looked at Stefan for an answer.

Damon did too, amused at what was unfolding, and crossed his arms intrigued.

Stefan seemed to be having trouble trying to find the right words to say. "He... I... I don't know him anymore. He was someone I wish I didn't know." He looked down, searching her eyes, trying to convey an apology without really speaking.

Damon decided that this was all going at much too slow of a pace so he offered, "I'm Damon. Stefan's older brother. Black sheep of the family, if you know what I mean. And you are?" He stuck out his hand across the couch, but the girl just eyed it more perplexed than ever.

"I'm El-"

"She's just leaving." Stefan interrupted. He turned her away and started whispering to her. Damon stood still and inclined his ear to the conversation.

"Stefan, what is going on?"

"Just take my car keys okay? Drive yourself home, I can pick it up tomorrow before school. I just need you to leave."

"Why can't you just tell me whats going on? What is he talking about? You said you were an only child."

"Ooh, so my little brother has been denying my existence? I would say how sad, but let's be truthful, I've been doing the same thing." Damon shrugged when they both looked over at him, slightly annoyed. "What? You know I can still hear you when you turn your backs to me."

Stefan just continued talking and Damon rolled his eyes. "Please, I promise I will tell you everything as soon as I can, okay?"

She looked up at him with a frown on her face. "Promise?"

"Promise."

She bit her lip and looked over her shoulder. Damon caught her gaze and waggled his fingers in her direction. She looked away and took the keys from Stefan and then left quickly.

"Aw! Come on, really? You just had to send her away? She is one of the best looking things I've seen in, like, at least a week. How did you score something like her?"

Stefan whirled around and stomped right up to him so the only thing between them was the couch. "What the hell do you want?"

"Ooh.. feisty, aren't we?"

Stefan leaned closer and spoke through gritted teeth. "Stop. If you have a point to being here, get to it."

"Before we get to that, why the hell does that chick look like Her?"

Stefan stared at his older brother blankly. "What?"

Damon rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about."

Stefan slowly shook his head. "No... I don't."

Damon could feel his patience wain by the second. "Katherine! Why does she look like Katherine?"

Stefan still looked lost and Damon had a sudden urge to strangle him. "Katherine...? I don't know what-" Suddenly realization came to his face and his eyes widen. He looked over his shoulder as if his girlfriend would still be standing there, and then looked back at Damon. "I... never realized... I mean..." He tried to compose himself. "Damon, the last time I saw her was when I was twelve. I didn't even realize..."

He stopped and shook his head. "This is all beside the point, though, isn't it."

Damon examined his brother through the light of the fire and cocked his head to the side. He hadn't seen his brother face to face since he had left when Stefan was ten. Now at seventeen his brothers hair, which had been white blonde, was now a more golden color, and he was almost the same height as he was. His face looked tired, as if he hadn't gotten a good sleep in a long time. And Damon was just about to make that all even worse.

He sighed-deciding to drop the Katherine subject for now-and dropped the picture that he had been holding the whole time and walked over to where the sleeping child still sat in her car seat. "Fine, you dragged it out of me."

Stefan's eyes followed him suspiciously and then, cautiously, he followed him. His eyes grew round when he saw the baby. He quickly looked up at Damon accusingly.

Damon threw his hands in the air, "Hey, it's not mine! It's Lyric's. Well, now it's yours, but I guess since Lyric said she may come back for it... maybe it's a fifty fifty ownership deal?"

Stefan seemed unable to comprehend what he was saying. "What's mine?"

"The baby."

"What?"

"Lyric said that she can no longer take care of it."

"So she's giving it-him-her- to me?"

"Her. Yes."

Stefan knelt down beside the baby and then looked up at his brother. "Why?"

Damon shrugged nonchalantly and crossed his arms over his chest. "She told me that you are the only one of us she trusts."

Stefan looked down at the baby again, as he slowly stood. "I can't take care of a baby! I'm seventeen, I'm still in high school!"

"So," Damon started, "lots of kids do it."

"Yeah, because they have to!" He had raised his voice there and woke the baby. She started to cry pitifully.

"And now, so do you. Come on. You're rich, hire it a nanny, or something."

Stefan shook his head at him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I don't understand. Why are you here, and not Lyric?"

Damon paused, but only for a moment. "Oh, you know our sister-ever the flighty childish character, pretty much only cares about herself-"

"I thought you were trying to describe Lyric, not yourself."

Damon smirked, though his eyes became steely. "Very funny, baby brother. I'm the one being the stork because I'm apparently the only one who knew where you were. Though I understand her on that ground, you have been moving around a lot- maybe you're running from something...?"

Stefan didn't answer that. "So she just expects me to take care of her daughter until she feels like coming back for her?"

"Yep, that's the plan-could you make the thing stop screaming?" Damon could no longer take the high pitch noise emitting from the infants mouth.

Stefan bent down once again and released her from her bindings and then straightened back up holding her so her head rested on his shoulder, as he had seen people do in movies. Still she screamed as if she were in some sort of danger.

"What's her name? If our sister was responsible enough to give her one."

"Ha. Danielle."

Stefan started bouncing just a little, trying to get her to calm down. "Shhh.. Danielle, come on, it's okay..." He said soothingly.

"Really? That's how you get people to stop crying?"

Stefan shot him a dirty look. "It's how you get babies to stop crying! Augh- maybe's she's hungry, when was the last time- oh never mind, take her."

Damon was startled when he put the baby in his arms. He held her awkwardly and looked down at her even more startled when he realized something. Apparently Stefan realized it the same time because he was back in the room in flash.

"Did she just stop-"

"Yes."

Danielle was silent in his arms looking up at him through tear heavy eyelashes. He looked back down at her slightly disgusted.

Stefan slowly began to back out of the room again. "Um..."

"It has a diaper bag thingy right there."

Stefan picked it up and said, "I'll make her something. You just keep...holding her."

Damon frowned, but then lifted his gaze and looked over his shoulder and smirked. "Does this mean you don't want me to leave?"

Stefan didn't not answer and Damon shrugged to himself and shifted the babies weight in his arms and made his way to sit on the couch. As he sat there he was brought back to the last time he had held a baby...

(Then)

Damon's POV

"He's so cute!" Lyric chirped, leaning over and giving the baby a kiss on the head.

Chloe looked down at the baby and shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so."

"What do you think, Damon?" Lyric asked, pulling her brother up beside her to peer down at the baby in the cradle.

He made a face as he looked down at the baby. He had white wisps of hair and large dark blue eyes. His face was not red as Chloe and Lyric had said the twins had been. They both had recalled Brooklyn and Ryder to be the most ugly babies they had ever seen.

Damon, however, did not want to admit that he too thought the baby was not all that bad looking so he made a face. "I think he's ugly."

Chloe laughed, but Lyric gasped and flicked her little brother in the head. Damon moaned and rubbed the spot.

"Don't let mother hear you say that. She thinks Stefan has been sent down from the god's to grace us with his presence."

Chloe laughed again, and even Damon had to smile at that. It never failed; for when ever he felt down, it was usually Lyric to pick him back up, even if her designated sibling best friend was Chloe.

He looked down at his baby brother again and sighed. He guessed Stefan would have to be his designated sibling best friend, even if they were nine years apart and he already wasn't fond of the way that all he had to do was look up at somebody with those big blue eyes and his wish was their command.

"Hey, do you want to hold him?"

Damon looked up at Lyric as if she were crazy. "Why would I want to do that?"

Lyric shrugged as she scooped Stefan into her arms. "Well you didn't hold either of the twins and who knows, you might need the practice if mother decides six just isn't enough."

Chloe looked at if she may be sick at the the thought and put her hands to her head. "Oh please, don't even joke about that."

Damon agreed. "Yeah, besides, she has Stefan now, why would she want more?"

Lyric rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, neither of you can take a joke. Anyway, here." She placed their baby brother in his arms.

Stefan gurgled and waved his hands in the air. Damon winced and sniffed the air around him. "He's smells funny."

"He's a baby, that's what they do."

It got quiet as his sisters came closer and looked at Stefan over his shoulders. His brother was heavier than he thought he was going to be, and squirmed a lot more too.

He was just about to comment on that when he heard a booming voice from behind him. Startled, he jumped and dropped his arms, and the baby that had been in them.

The next couple of seconds were the longest and most terrifying that he had ever experienced in his short nine years. The second of the fall, and realization that he had dropped Stefan, followed by the second of the thud, and then ending with the seconds waiting for a sound.

When at last Stefan started to scream was when everyone seemed to unfreeze. The figure belonging to the booming voice rushed into the room and picked up Stefan. A moment later his mother came running into the room.

"What happened?"

"That thing was holding our son!" The man holding Stefan cried, trying to sooth his son. "And then dropped him, get the phone, we have to call 911."

Chloe already had her cell phone out and handed it to the man. "Here, Giuseppe." She said calmly.

He snatched it away from her and gave their mother Stefan, hurrying out of the room so he could be heard over the screaming. But right before he left he called over his shoulder, "Claudia, if you don't deal your son, I will."

Claudia whipped around to face Damon, who was still standing there rather stunned. "What the hell is wrong with you! I know your mad, and you think the only reason we moved here is because of Stefan, so you have some sort of vendetta against him, but for heaven's sake he's just a baby, Damon!"

Damon looked up with desperation in his eyes. "I didn't do it on purpose! Giuseppe sc-"

"No excuses. As soon as we come back from the hospital..." She trailed off as Stefan's screaming became louder.

Tears began to well up in Damon's eyes, which made him angry. He had not cried since they moved, and that was almost a year ago! He was not a baby! Yet... he couldn't help the tears that fell from his eyes. He fell into the arms of Lyric who was still standing beside him.

She instantly wrapped him in her arms and tried to soothe him. "It's okay, it's not your fault! These things happen!"

Damon just hugged her tighter and rested his head on her shoulder, now wet with tears. He saw Chloe out of the corner of his eye. "Chloe," He spoke up, " Chloe, tell mother it wasn't my fault. I didn't mean to drop him, you know that!"

He pulled away slightly from Lyric and they both turned to look at their older sister. She was staring at the wall, not really at them, and was acting as if she hadn't heard a word he had said.

"Chloe...?"

"Damon, just let it go. If anyone needs me I'll be in my room."

He watched as she walked past them and out of the room. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened there. Lyric pulled him close again and kissed his head.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to mother. It will be okay. I promise."

(Now)
Damon's POV

He suddenly no longer wanted to be holding that baby. He looked around and decided the best place for her was the floor, so he set her down gently and then settled back in the couch. Within seconds the crying began again. He clenched his teeth and looked up at the ceiling as if looking for answers.

"Really?"

"Hey, what did you do to her?" He heard an accusing voice from the other room. His gaze switched toward the kitchen and he narrowed his eyes. "Nothing. Yet."

"Then why is she crying?"

"I don't know, I don't speak baby."

Stefan reentered the room with a bottle and saw the baby on the floor. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and did not say a word as he picked her up and tried to stick the bottle in her mouth. She would turn her mouth away with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You know those tears are completely fake, don't you. You used to pull that trick all the time-"

"Could we not reminisce on the past, please." Stefan snapped.

Damon lifted his arms in a mock surrender and slowly stood. "Whoa. No need to blow a fuse, I can see when I'm not wanted and personally I don't..."
He trailed off, for Danielle had noticed him and now held her arms out desperately trying to escape Stefan's grasp.

"What is it doing?"

"She wants you." Stefan said thoroughly annoyed.

Damon rolled his eyes and then put his face into hers. "Yeah? Well get in line." Still crying she reached for his nose.

Stefan pulled her back and frowned. "Really?"

He shrugged. "What?"

Stefan sighed. "Never mind, I can not hear myself think over this crying-take her back."

"I don't want to take her back I-"

"I meant hold her!"

"So did I!"

"Oh for heaven's sake." Stefan turned his back on him and tried to sooth her.

Damon watched for a moment, and then headed for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

Damon paused, only steps from the door. "Away. That's what you told me to do when I got here. I did what Lyric asked, and now I'm done." He began walking again, hoping that Stefan would stop him. He had to for his plan to work. To be able to stay and to find any signs of Katherine... and now to figure out why his kid brothers girl looked just like her.

"Just-wait."

Damon faked a sigh and looked up at the ceiling, tapping his foot impatiently on the floor until Stefan was standing beside him with a still crying child.

"I am going to regret saying this... but I need you to stay. At least until tomorrow night and- Could you please hold her!" He held her out and Damon looked at her for a moment and then resignedly took her from his arms. Her crying ceased in seconds.

"Thank you. Now, as I was saying. I'm going to need you to stay at least until tomorrow night or until I find out what to do about her."

Damon pretended to contemplated this for a moment. He had to make it look as if it was the last thing he wanted to do. He knew Stefan too well. If it looked as if Damon wanted to stay-he would kick him out for sure.

Finally Damon said, "What about the whole, me leaving idea? Cause I kinda like that one better. And, I thought you didn't trust me."

Stefan narrowed his eyes at him. "You are apparently the only one of the two of us who can get her to stop crying, and you are the only of us who does not have school tomorrow, which makes you the perfect candidate. And, this is Lyric's baby. I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, but if she does, that's her loss."

Damon shook his head in mock sadness. "And here Lyric had said that you were responsible, and what do you do as your first line of action? You put a monster in charge of a baby."

Stefan just stood there, apparently waiting for an answer.

Damon looked down at the baby again. She looked up at him with her dark green eyes contently. He smirked ever so slightly. He loved this baby! He knew she was the perfect plan to get him to stay. The fact that Danielle seemed to be more comfortable with him would probably grate on him in a couple of hours, but it would all be worth it in the long run. Plus he hadn't slept in a house in what felt like forever, though he wouldn't admit that to Stefan.

He looked at the ring on his finger and then slid that hand under the baby as so Stefan wouldn't see it and have some kind of fit. "Sure. Whatever. But just so you know, I expect the going rate for a well paid babysitter, $7 an hour."

Stefan narrowed his eyes, shaking his head slowly he spoke. "You know. Just because you're going to be nineteen forever, does not mean you have to have the same maturity level forever."