First off, thank you so much to all your wonderful comments! They really made my day, and thus, I present to you the conclusion to this story of mine.
Though I said that I was gonna focus on the brothers, there will be some Stelena in here. I wanted this fic to be as close and true to the episode as possible and it would be completely unrealistic if Stefan only said goodbye to Damon and ignore Elena, who is obviously the love of his life. No worries though, the boys are still the main attraction. Aren't they always? :P
Enjoy!
The room is almost pitch black, but the moon shining outside filters some light in through the windows, allowing him the view of his brother's form on the bed. From the way his breaths are even and deep, he knows Damon's asleep.
Quietly, he makes his way over. As he nears the bed, his eyes catch the sight of a small bottle on the bedside table, or even more specific, the red liquid inside it.
Klaus' blood.
Damon's cure.
Maybe Katherine does have a heart after all. Though he has no doubt Katherine has her own agenda in bringing the cure over, Stefan can't help but feel grateful to her. She helped save Damon. If it weren't for her, Damon would still be suffering now. As much as he hates to admit it, he knows he owes her one. How he'll repay this debt to her, he doesn't know, especially considering he's supposed to be hunting her soon.
All thoughts of Katherine vanish in an instant as soon as he notices Elena. He doesn't even realize that's he's changed his course until he finds himself standing in front of her.
She's curled up in the chair beside the bed, making her small frame seem even smaller. Part of her long brown hair falls past her shoulders, covering a part of her face. She's fast asleep as well, eyes closed shut and mouth partly open.
Even as his heart clenches painfully, he can't help smiling softly down at her.
She's always beautiful to him, no matter what state she's in, but there's something about her when she's asleep that never fails to get him. Maybe it's the way she relaxes as she gives in to sleep, or the way her face smoothens out, making the frowns she always wears nowadays disappear. Or maybe it's because when her eyes are closed, then Stefan won't have to see all the sadness and worry and fatigue swirling in them.
Because seeing them hurts him too. Because he knows, no matter how hard she would try to convince him otherwise, Damon and him have been causes of them.
He kneels down. Swallowing hard, he traces her face gently, fingers barely touching, almost reverent. He stubbornly ignores the burning in his eyes as he desperately memorizes every inch of her face, taking in her beauty as something to remember by. Other than a soft sigh, she makes no mentions of waking up.
He lets out a small chuckle. She's always been a deep sleeper. His chuckle turns into a choked sob and he tilts his head back, his own eyes closed. He bites his lips hard, trying to stop the tears from flowing.
This isn't the time to break down. No, not here. Not now.
But God, this is so hard. How is he supposed to do this? She just looks so peaceful. He can't do this to her. This isn't fair. She's already suffered enough. She's already lost enough. Breaking the news to her, telling her what he had done, that he's leaving, the thought of what her reaction might be scares him to the core.
And Damon..
He glances over where his brother is resting.
Damon will explode when he finds out what happens. He would probably try and go after Klaus, being the reckless person he is. Before that though, he'll probably rip Stefan a new one, using his rage as always to disguise his care and worry. He'll call Stefan stupid, and probably follow him later on when he returns to Klaus, which will undoubtedly lead him to getting hurt again.
He shakes his head and gets up slowly, backing away.
No.
He can't
He won't.
Call him a coward, call him selfish but he can't do it.
This was a mistake. He shouldn't have come. What was he thinking? How is coming here going to help any of them? Goodbyes only makes things harder.
Angrily, he wipes the tears that manage to sneak their way down his face and takes a deep, shuddering breath to center himself. He eyes darts between his brother and Elena, mind working furiously as he tries to make a decision.
He may not be able to do this right, but he can still do it his way. He's still saying goodbye. They just don't have to be awake for it.
Nodding determinedly to himself, he turns around and he slowly walks over to Damon.
Damon's lying on his back, firmly tucked under the covers. He's breathing slowly, but deep. Stefan runs a critical eye over his brother's still form, assessing. He lets out a sigh of relief as he notices how there's more color in Damon's face now compared to before. He didn't like how pale and clammy he had been before. His brother definitely looks better.
His gaze goes down to Damon's arms where they're hidden under the covers. His hands itch to raise the covers and see the healed bite for himself, to run a hand over it and reassure himself that he'd done something right, that Damon's truly not going anywhere, but he resists. He shouldn't wake him up. Damon needs his rest.
Stefan sits beside his brother. Damon doesn't even stir. Stefan's not surprised. The cure may have worked, but Damon will still need time to fully heal and recover. Right now, he can barely fight.
It's weird, seeing Damon so silent and still. He's always been full of life, pardon the pun. He's always been the loud one, the one who charges headfirst into everything, the one never afraid to speak his mind. Seeing him so…weak, it makes Stefan uneasy.
He doesn't regret it, saving his brother. He would never regret it. Despite everything, he loves his brother. And he knows Damon loves him too. They've just never been the most expressive when it comes to something other than spiteful words and mockeries.
He just wishes it doesn't have to end this way. He'd been hoping that for once, there'd be a happy ending.
Not this time.
He leans forward, closer to his brother. "Hey," he whispers softly, breaking the silence that seems to suffocate the room. "Get better, okay? And try not to get yourself into any more trouble, will you? I can't always be around to save the day." He lets out a small chuckle before sobering.
"I.." he breaks off, looking away and then turning back again. He tries again.
He takes a moment to find his words. "I know you're probably sick of hearing this but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I've ever put you through. It was never my intention, Damon, you have to believe me. I never wanted for us to be this way. We used to be so close, remember?" He looks at his sleeping brother, as if waiting for a reply.
In a way, Stefan guesses, they still are. They've walked away from each other countless of times, and yet always manage to find each other again, whether intentional or not. They've hurt each other in ways that sometimes seem unforgivable, and yet he knows that Damon would kill anyone that tries to hurt him without a second thought. And no matter how he tries to deny it, Damon's thoughts and opinions matter to him.
Honestly, it's all a clear testament to the how hard it is to let go of each other. Or, at least in Stefan's case.
Even after a century, after countless of fights and betrayals and hurt, the hold Damon has on him has never once wavered. Even after everything, the way Damon effortlessly weaves his way in and out of Stefan's life, the way Stefan lets him, it shows just how hard it is escape his older brother.
"I used to tell you everything. And you used to listen. But then I had to go and mess things up." Stefan blows out a breath. "I just wish we could go back to how we used to be. Act like we're actually brothers. Not fight all the time. I hate it, Damon," he whispers fiercely. "So, so much. I don't know what I can do to make it better for you. Just…" he lets out a sigh, and rubs his forehead wearily.
He shakes his head, pulling himself together. "Take care of yourself, ok?"
He glances back at Elena before turning his attention back to his brother. Jaws clenched, he looks down briefly and closes his eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"And take care of her for me will you?" he asks softly, voice suddenly raw, as if he's been screaming for hours. "I know you'll find it hard to believe but if there's anyone I would trust with her, it's you."
Damon rests motionlessly, calm.
"I know you love her, Damon. Honestly, truly, deeply in love with her. Anyone can see that. And I can't really blame you for it." He smiles sadly. "She's pretty amazing, isn't she?"
He pulls in a shuddering breath. It hurts to say, but it's true nevertheless. He glances out the window and is surprised to see that it's almost sunrise.
Almost time to go.
With a heavy heart, he rises to his feet. He lays a hand on Damon's chest and rests it there for a while, feeling the way it rises and falls, letting it soothe him. He takes one last look at his older brother's calm face.
"Be safe, brother." Goodbye.
One small solemn smile and he steps away from the bed, moving towards the slumbering girl on the chair.
There's so much he wants to say to her, so much he wants her to know. How much he loves her, how much she's changed him, how no one will ever compare, how sorry he is, how devastated he is to leave. But for some reason, words don't come to him as easily as they had with Damon. As he looms over her, words fail him.
He watches her silently over tear-filled eyes. One hand hovers over her cheek, but never making contact. He wants to kiss her, hold her tight, but he can't.
"You'll be okay. I promise." He whispers brokenly. Loveyoumissyouneedyousorry.
These are all the words he can manage. Any more, and he's afraid he's going to break.
He takes a step back, and then another. And then another and another, till he's at the door again.
He draws in a breath, clutching the doorknob in a death grip.
God, give me strength. Give me courage.
With a final glance at the slumbering occupants of the room, his family, Stefan Salvatore walks away.
No one heard him come in. No one heard him leave. And no one definitely heard his heart crack as he kept his head firmly fixed down and forced himself to keep moving, out of the room, out of the mansion, out of their lives.
END