This chapter takes place during All My Children and has a small sex scene at the beginning. But, seeing as how this site has a policy against NC-17 stories, it's not too terribly graphic.

Xxxxxxx

The bookcase pressed against the wall shook violently, and the clock hanging beside it nearly fell with the force that Damon put into shoving Kol into the wall near it. He ripped open the white dress shirt Kol had on and grinned in appreciation when he tossed that as well as Kol's jacket aside, leaving him nothing but his dress pants.

"We going to do this right here?" Kol asked, returning the favor with Damon's shirt and jacket.

"Why not? Can't hold me up?" Damon's eyes glittered with the challenge, or offer and Kol gripped his neck, reversing their positions.

He ripped at the rest of their clothes before lifting Damon up the wall. Kol lifted him high only to bring him back down again, sinking inside of him in one fast, smooth motion. It hurt, burned like it always did when they did it this way and he supposed if he were human that the hint of blinding pain that always came at first wouldn't recede the way it did for him but he was and his superior healing made it momentary.

It still burned as Kol started moving, lifting him up and back down again in a rhythm but it gave way to pleasure as well and the mixture of both was the best thing about this. Maybe it was because he was a vampire or maybe it was just him. When Kol lowered his head and bit into Damon's chest, right above his heart, he arched his back and the noises that escaped his throat would have been embarrassing if it were anyone else.

Xxxxxxx

"I can't do this." Elena wasn't looking at Stefan as she said the words. She kept her gaze on her drink, spinning the glass in her hands. They were sitting at her dining room table.

"You have to," Stefan argued automatically. "Look, I know you feel bad about Elijah but he did betray us and we need Klaus gone-"

"It's not just about Elijah," she interrupted. "You didn't see them together. Damon and Kol. They were…"

"You really think Damon cares about him?" Stefan asked skeptically. "Be serious, Elena. A week ago, he was in love with you."

"Maybe that's because he thought Kol had left him. You didn't see. And if he really does care about Kol…what would that make us? If we let this happen just for a shot at taking down Klaus?"

"Damon will get over it. I mean, I know he can't have cared too much for Kol. He did spend a hundred and fifty years searching out Katherine, didn't he? And then when that didn't work out…"

"Right." Elena glared at him. "You've been obsessed with taking out Klaus for a while. Maybe you'll do anything for that. Even if Damon loves Kol."

"He doesn't love him."

"But if he does?" Elena pressed. "Stefan…" She trailed off a moment, trying to think. "I care about Damon. Maybe I even…"

"Love him?" Stefan filled in for her stiffly.

Elena shrugged. "Maybe. I was never too sure about that. But I do know I care about him. If he cares about Kol…I just can't do that to him. I can't be a part of something that hurts him like that."

"And what do you thinks going to happen to him and countless other people if Klaus is left alive?" Stefan countered. "Klaus is too dangerous, Elena. We have to take this shot. It's the only one we have."

Elena sighed and stared into his eyes for a moment. "Okay," she finally relented but her mind was already racing. Stefan was too obsessed with this, with his revenge. He would literally do anything to kill Klaus at that moment.

She waited until Stefan left before she ran out herself, heading towards the boarding house.

Xxxxxx

Elena didn't knock. She hardly ever did. It wasn't out of discourtesy but Damon rarely answered when she knocked anymore, if he was even home so she had gotten into the habit of simply walking in. It was, this time, a mistake.

"Oh my god!" She yelled, turning around, only catching a glimpse of the two men in the living room, a glimpse of how Kol had Damon bent over the couch and was…

"How nice of you to drop by." Damon sounded highly amused and when Elena dared to peak, she saw that both men had gotten up.

The older vampire was suddenly in front of her. "You must be Elena. I'm Kol."

"Yeah, I am so not shaking your hand right now," Elena responded, keeping her gaze up enough that she only saw the top half of his face. She didn't even notice when Damon disappeared from the room, only to come back with a pair of pants on.

"Can I talk to you?" She pressed him, so very relieved when he threw a pair of jeans to Kol as well.

His and Kol's eyes met for a moment and she watched the silent conversation. Then he leaned close to Damon, whispered something that Elena couldn't hear but had a smirk fully bloom on Damon's face before the older vampire was gone, disappearing from the room in a flash.

"So, what can I do for you?" Damon asked, dropping down on the couch, still only half clothed but not seeming to care.

Elena looked him over. His hair was a mess and there were fading scratch marks marring his skin as well as dried blood. And yet, he looked completely relaxed and his eyes were shining with the same light she'd seen at the ball.

"I don't…so, you're gay now?" She blurted out first. She wanted to ask him other things. She wanted to ask him how much he really cared about Kol, what their relationship was like. But she knew Damon, knew that he'd deflect and maybe even lie if she asked that stuff right off. Besides, it was something she'd been thinking about.

But Damon only snorted and gave her a look that made her think he thought the question was stupid. "I'm a hundred and seventy years old, Elena. There isn't much I haven't tried."

"So, it's an experiment?" Elena pressed. "Because trying something is one thing but…" but letting a thousand year old vampire bend you over a couch was another.

"I like sex, Elena. People make way to big of deal about this stuff, trust me."

"But you let him…" She paused, unable to finish that thought. "You just…don't seem like the type."

"Sex is sex," he commented with a shrug, lifting his feet to rest them on the coffee table. He seemed highly amused by her line of questioning. "Why should I obsess over gender or the…position?"

"So, it's just about sex?" She asked skeptically.

"Why are you here?"

"I'm just…" Elena chewed her lip, trying to decide how she could make him tell her just what Kol meant to him. She started closer to him and he raised an eyebrow.

"You're just what?"

Elena didn't answer verbally; instead she leaned down, into his personal space, and before he could protest, kissed him. She kissed him the way that he'd kissed her before Kol had shown up. It only lasted a second, and then he pushed her away.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked first.

"Looking for an answer," she responded, pulling away completely. "I think I just got it." She paused. She had to tell him the truth. "Damon, there's something-"

"Elena." A voice from behind interrupted her and she turned to see Stefan. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just…" She trailed off again at the look in Stefan's eyes and for a moment, they stared each other down. Damon looked between the two of them and stood, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"As much as I'd love to stick around and watch you two make eyes at each other all night, I have plans. I'd find somewhere else to do that if I were you. Unless you want another show." He wagged his fingers at Elena before making a stop at the liquor cabinet and then heading up the stairs.

Stefan glared at her and grabbed her arm, dragging her outside. "Are you crazy?"

"No." She jerked out of his grip. "He deserves to know."

"No, he doesn't. You have to let this happen."

"I don't have to do anything," she retorted and then shoved past him, heading towards her car.

"Okay, fine," Stefan called to her. "When Klaus finally kills us all, I guess you'll feel good about the knowledge that you saved Kol and Elijah at the expense of all of us. At the expense of Damon and Caroline and Bonnie and yourself."

Elena only faltered for a second. But she couldn't agree with him. She didn't want to be that person. The person that believed the ends justified the means, no matter what.

Later, when Elijah showed up at her house, asking about what Esther had really said to her, she told him everything.

Xxxxxxxx

"Yeah, yeah. I'll meet you there." Damon held the phone between his ear and shoulder as he buttoned up his shirt and made his way downstairs. "What the hell is wrong with my liquor collection, by the way?"

"Come on, darling. I want to have some fun."

"You were having fun earlier," Damon pointed out a little smugly.

"Yes, well, a little variety never hurt, does it? And if you come out with me, we can have a drink, and a snack before we head back into desert."

"I said I would meet you, didn't I? Just give me a few." He hung up his phone before Kol had time to respond and went into the parlor to find his jacket, only to stop short at the sight of the vampire sitting in the chair in the corner.

"Elijah."

"Hello, Damon. I see my brother has made an impression."

"We're…catching up. What are you doing here?"

Elijah lifted the glass of alcohol he'd set aside earlier. "I had intended on coming with a warning. You see, I recently acquired something that I had thought you and your brother may want back."

Damon eyed Elijah warily. "Really not in the mood for more original games. So, why don't you stop being vague and just-"

"Elena," Elijah cut him off. "The one thing that I know will force you and your brother to stop your plan."

Damon stiffened. "What plan?"

The door banged open before he could get an answer, however and Stefan came in. "Damon! I need your help. I can't find Elena-" He stopped short at the sight of Elijah.

"He has her, apparently." Damon turned a glare on Stefan. "What the hell's going on?"

"Oh, Stefan. You didn't tell him? Shame on you." Elijah turned his gaze on Damon. "Your brother is in on a plan to kill us all, apparently. My mother linked us together. Myself, my brothers and my sister and she intends on killing us through this with the help of your witch friends."

"She's going to kill her own children?" Rage burned brightly through him as soon as the words registered. "You weren't going to tell me?" He asked, this question directed at Stefan.

"I would bet not," Elijah answered for Stefan. "You are engaged in an affair with my brother and Kol will die with the rest of us if my mother succeeds."

Terror mixed with the rage at these words. "What do we have to do to stop it?" He blurted out without even thinking first.

"Damon." Stefan's tone was furious and he grabbed his brother's arm. Damon shoved him off.

"Shut up, Stefan. You don't get to be angry at me over this."

"There is no need to fight," Elijah cut in. "Rebekah is holding Elena," he directed at Stefan. "So, you'll help or Rebekah will kill Elena." He turned his gaze on Damon. "As for you…whether you care about my brother enough to help based solely on that or if you care about Elena enough not to wish her dead is irrelevant at this time. All that matters is that you help me stop it."

Xxxxxxxx

"And what exactly do you want us to do?"

Alaric crossed his arms, standing beside Caroline and watching Stefan. The vampire had filled them in on the situation and he was at a loss for the moment.

"I just need to stall. Klaus doesn't know about this yet, at least I don't think he does and the originals are linked right now." He paused and pulled a dagger out of his pocket.

"Where'd you get that?" Caroline asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Took it from Damon when he was…distracted. It's the one he had from waking up Elijah."

"But how will this help? Klaus isn't affected by the daggers."

"No, but the others are, including Rebekah. I'm hoping it'll buy us enough time so we can find her or she can escape on her own, maybe even enough time so that Esther can work her magic."

"So…which one do we use it on?" Alaric asked, accepted the dagger.

Stefan hesitated only briefly. "I know the easiest one to get to."

Xxxxxxxx

"What are we doing back here?" Kol asked in mild annoyance even as he let Damon drag him through the front door of the boarding house.

"I'm going to guess you haven't talked to Elijah today."

"Why would I? And what exactly has got you so riled up? When I left last, you seemed rather relaxed."

"Yeah, well, that was before your brother kidnapped Elena to coerce my brother into stopping your mothers plan to kill you all."

Kol stopped and the smile on his face died. "What did you say?"

"Apparently your mother's idea of 'being a family again' is killing you." Damon's tone was still casual, still his usual but he was internally very, very aware of the time, of how short of time they had to stop this from happening.

Kol stepped closer, right up into his personal space. "Tell me. Do you want to stop it because my brother has taken Elena or is there another reason?"

"I tell you that you've got a couple hours until your mother kills you and you want to waste time here?"

"One question, darling. It'll only take a second to answer."

"Fine. There may have been another reason. Now, can we go find a way to stop it?"

"One second." Kol gripped the back of his neck and brought him in for a kiss. It was short and fierce and Kol was the one who pulled away first. "I believe your friends are here."

Damon heard them as well, just before the door opened and Stefan and Alaric came into the house. Damon studied his brother's expression. "I'm going to assume you have a plan."

"I do, actually." He walked past Kol, so that he was in between them.

"Well, don't let me stop you," Kol said, facing the brothers, his back towards Ric. "Speak up."

Kol did not see it but Damon did, just a second before it happened. He saw Ric pull something from his back pocket, caught a glimpse of what it was. Kol saw his expression and turned, right into the dagger.

Stefan was fast too, his arm went around Damon's neck and there was the prick of a needle and a massive dose of vervain burning through Damon's veins. He slumped almost immediately at the same time that Kol did against Ric.

Stefan let him go at the same time as well and Damon fell face first on the carpet. He watched Kol's skin grey through fading vision before it went completely black.

Xxxxxxx

"What the hell?" Ric stared down at Damon before turning a glare on Stefan.

"I said you weren't going to like this," Stefan stated with a shrug, as he turned his brother on his back and tied his hands together.

"I'm just a little confused as to why you would attack your brother."

"He would've pulled the dagger out."

Ric shook his head. "Why the hell would he do that? He wants them dead just as much as you do, doesn't he?"

"I'm really not sure anymore." Stefan paused before he lifted Damon's dead weight, throwing him over his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. Are you going to help me or not?"

"Fine. But you're telling me everything that you left out before."

"Don't worry, Ric. By the time that Klaus figures this out and figures out it was Kol that we did this to, it'll be too late. Tonight, they're all going to die."