AN: Please Read…okay, wow! I am doing a lot of these. Anyways, I think I'm going to be making this very much a Daroline story, but then again maybe not. I don't know. I guess we'll all see. Haha. I feel like I'm almost done with this story. I thought it would have been longer, but I think that there's only going to be five more chapters at the most after this one. I am sorry about how this story seems to be lacking in just about every aspect, but then again, it's sort of supposed to get into the mode of Daroline a little better. You can let me know what you think at the end of this chapter, by reviewing at the bottom. Please be nice and review. I absolutely love to know what you all are thinking. Enjoy!
Chapter 4: Fun Jinx
Stefan sets Damon down in the driveway of the Salvatore Boarding House. Damon groans in pain and rubs his wrists hoping to alleviate the raw skin. "You okay?" Stefan asks, his voice dripping with concern.
"Yeah, I'm okay; he just tied the ropes really tightly." Damon explains.
Stefan nods, "You've been more open lately." He finally says.
Damon looks up into his brother's eyes and frowns, "I guess I have been a little easier to read these days, but I blame that on the fact that I'm a seven year old human version of me, and not the normal twenty four year old vampire version." Damon laughs.
Stefan raises his eyebrows and grins, "Well, let's go eat, okay. Hopefully someone ordered pizza or something." He shrugs.
Damon nods, and his eyes suddenly glass over.
"What's wrong, Damon?" Stefan asks.
"I'm sorry for being such a troublemaker for everybody; it's just that I don't know what to do." Stefan watches as tears silently stream down his brother's cheeks.
"This human, seven year old thing is affecting you a lot more than we originally anticipated." Stefan tries to lighten the mood.
"Thank you, Stefan," Damon says again in the same voice he did the night he almost died. Stefan tightens his jaw and swallows. He nods in response.
"Come on it's getting cold, and I am not sitting up all night with a sick Damon!" They both turn and see Bonnie standing on the porch of the boarding house with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Race you!" Damon exclaims and he laughs and immediately runs toward the house.
"Hey!" Stefan yells, feigning jealousy before he runs after his brother.
Damon reaches the house before Stefan does and during his gasps for air he jumps up and down in excitement, "HAHA! I beat you!" He takes a breath in between each syllable.
"Yeah, okay, don't get used to it, because just wait until things are back to normal again, I'm going to beat you." Stefan says.
"Oh please, Stef, you couldn't beat me as a seven year old, face it I'm just better than you no matter what stage I'm in." Damon says over his shoulder as he walks in the doorway.
"Well, things seem to be going well, have there been any relapses with his memory since he's been with you?" Bonnie asks.
"No, and I think I took care of it." Stefan says proudly.
"Really," Bonnie grabs his arm before he walks into the house, "What did you do?" She asks curiously.
"I took him to the old ruins of the Salvatore Estate and I took him to see Giuseppe's gravesite and made him read it aloud. I think his mentality is slowly regressing, because I've noticed that he's starting to act more like he did when he was human, but I think I definitely slowed it down." Stefan sighs.
Bonnie nods, "If he ever, you know, thinks about his father again and confuses his memories…what should I do?"
Stefan frowns, "It's complicated, Bonnie." He starts as he closes the door so he and Bonnie can talk in private. Hopefully, Caroline isn't listening in, but that doesn't really bother him as much as he thinks it should.
"Why?" Bonnie presses.
"Our father used to beat him, when he was human. He would try to hide it from me, but during our period of actually being close over the last century, I got him drunk and asked him why he's so against closeness, and he spilled the beans to me. He remembers that he told me, he just thinks that he generalized it, which I can tell you for certain that he didn't." Stefan explains.
"Your father would beat him, but he's so young and so…" Bonnie couldn't find the right words.
Stefan frowns, "I know, if he ever goes out of it for a second don't touch him or he'll flinch, thinking that he's going to be hit, but try to remind him of some good memory between the two of you. He's with you at your house, so try to trigger a very recent, happy memory with you, so he can have tangible evidence as to why it would be real." He frowns.
Bonnie nods, "I'll keep you posted if he ever, you know." She shrugs and Stefan opens the door and they walk through it.
Stefan looks around the living room, upon entering it and notices that his brother is sitting on the couch, happily eating a piece of pizza. He's laughing too, which is nice to see. Stefan smiles as he takes a seat next to his brother.
"What's so funny?" He asks.
"Damon was just telling us a story of when you two were kids." Alaric laughs.
"Oh, really, what'd he tell you, nothing embarrassing I hope?" Stefan rolls his eyes, when he sees them all start busting up in laughter. Oh, yeah, definitely embarrassing. Stefan thinks to himself. He leans back into the sofa and smiles.
"You really don't want know, Stef." Damon confesses.
"Oh, trust me it's probably better if I didn't so that way I can't tell an embarrassing story about you to rival it." Stefan playfully threatens.
Damon looks at Stefan with wide eyes, "Oh, gosh."
Stefan smiles, and just when he's about to open his mouth to tell an embarrassing story, Elena asks a question first.
"What's wrong with your wrists, Damon?" Elena asks. Everyone's gaze is now directed toward Damon's raw skin on his wrists as he incessantly rubs them.
"We had a little run in with Fredrick and the ropes were rough and tied too tight, but luckily he was saved before any damage could be done." Stefan explains.
"Fredrick? The one that attacked the other night?" Alaric asks.
"Yeah, but don't worry about it because he and his partner are both dead." Stefan explains.
Everyone in the room nods.
"Okay, enough of this!" Caroline finally screams.
Everyone turns to her, "What?" Elena asks.
"Let's play a game, okay, because I am absolutely bored of this grim atmosphere that has been hanging over us for forever."
Elena rolls her eyes, "Caroline, we're just concerned, is all."
"Okay, and that's more than okay, but tonight we're going to play Taboo and we're going to laugh and have fun." She announces, stands up and looks around the room. "Okay, so let's pick teams."
"I have to say that Damon and I have never played this game, so do not pair us up on a team." Stefan explains and Caroline deadpans them.
"What?" she asks.
"What, it's not like we didn't have fun." Damon defends.
"Okay, then Damon you'll be on my team, since I'm the best at the game, and Stefan and Elena can be together and Ric and Bonnie can be on a team." Caroline states, matter-of-factly.
Stefan smiles at his brother as he walks over to sit next to Caroline. Damon looks at his brother after he sits down and notices the big smile plastered on his little brother's face, and he gives Stefan a "shut-up or I'll kill you" look. Stefan rolls his eyes and just smiles.
"Damon," Caroline starts, "I'm the best at this game, and I am going to be on your team, because I tried to kill you; it's the least I can do." She finishes.
Damon frowns, "You didn't try to kill me, it was the big idiot over there who thought it would be smart to push me against a corner of the wall with vampire strength."
Stefan rolls his eyes and sighs.
"Okay, so is everyone ready?" Bonnie asks; she doesn't exactly want a fight between the brothers to happen right now.
"Okay, so I'll go first, and Bonnie you can make sure that I say none of the words." Caroline starts.
"Oh, gosh!" Ric suddenly exclaims, directing everyone's attention over to him.
"What?" Bonnie asks, quickly. Damon frowns in confusion.
"I am a pathetic excuse for a teacher. I'm hanging out with my students on a school night, distracting you all from doing your homework." Ric laughs.
"I'm not your student." Damon announces.
"No, but for the moment, you're not exactly in the same boat with me, adult wise, because you're a seven year old, and I'm about to team up with a student of mine in order to play a card game." Ric chuckles in defeat.
"Look, guys can we play or not?" Caroline asks exasperatedly.
"Yes." Ric answers as he rolls his eyes. He knows he should feel weird, but the odd thing is, is that he doesn't. He actually doesn't mind being here; in fact he finds it to be enjoyable.
Suddenly as Caroline is starting to try to get him to guess the word or phrase on the card, Damon busts up into laughter. Caroline pauses, and everyone looks at him. They can't help but smirking as Damon's laugh slowly calms down.
"What's so funny?" Stefan asks.
"Nothing, Stef…you don't them to know." Damon smirks at Stefan.
"Okay, an embarrassing story about Stefan, now you have to tell." Caroline pleads.
"Oh, gosh I already know what it is!" Stefan says after a moment of staring into his brother's eyes.
"Okay, now we have to know." Bonnie states.
"No, he's right I don't want you to know." Stefan quickly adds.
"Actually, Stefan, I think it might be cool to tell them about our past." Damon smiles deviously.
Stefan shakes his head quickly, but his brother already has his mouth open, "Okay, so when we were human, and I was around seventeen, and my brother was around ten we were home, and our father was entertaining the founding families, and the maid walked in and Stefan told me…" Everyone's sitting quietly in anticipation, when all of a sudden Damon lets his voice trail off and becomes silent. His eyes grow large and his breathing becomes quick and stressful.
"What's going on?" Caroline asks hastily.
Stefan is on his knees in front of his brother in second. He lightly slaps Damon's cheek. He knows exactly what that look means, and he knows that the only person ever to be able to successfully give it to Damon, was their father.
"Hey, Damon, look at me." Stefan pleads as calmly as he can. Damon looks down at his brother, but nothing changes about his mood or expression, in fact Damon looks confused. "Damon?" Stefan asks with worry.
"Stefan?" Caroline quietly asks, "What's going on?"
"Who are you?" Damon asks in a quiet, fearful voice.
Stefan closes his eyes for a second, "Damon, it's your brother, Stefan, can't you remember?"
Damon is suddenly shedding tears, and everyone quickly gets up to go to him, but Stefan lets go of his brother and backs away, signaling everyone to stay back. They all reluctantly comply and suddenly Damon has his face buried in his hands, while he sobs.
"Damon, listen to me, I am your brother, Stefan, and these are our friends. Father is not alive. Do you remember what we talked about earlier…where we were?" Stefan asks again.
Damon looks up at Stefan and frowns, "Stef?" Damon asks hesitantly.
Stefan breathes in relief, "That's it, Damon." He then embraces his brother and Damon seems to try to hide in his arms.
"What was that?" Elena asks.
"Damon appears to be having memory regressions and we have no idea how to stop it or what its outcome is going to be." Bonnie explains.
"Is he okay?" Ric asks.
"I hate this!" Caroline exclaims, "I want to have a day with no drama, for once. Okay, you know what, new rules just in no talking about your past, Stefan, and Damon, everything is going to be okay, you need to believe this. We are going to go to Isobel's research, tomorrow and have a look at it. Ric, you need to get off work tomorrow. It will be Stefan, you, Damon, and me."
"Why you?" Elena asks, "Why not anyone else?"
"Well, because, Elena, you and Bonnie need to go to school." Caroline states matter-of-factly.
Elena's about to argue, but Bonnie just signals her to shut up, and she reluctantly complies.
"Stefan, he should stay here tonight…I'll stay and call my mother and let her know. You two on the other hand," She looks over at Bonnie and Elena, "It's getting late so you two should go home and we can discuss more tomorrow night after we get back."
Bonnie and Elena nod and leave shortly afterwards, because they know that there is no use arguing with Caroline when she is like this. "Stefan, Damon is sleeping now, so why don't you take him up to his room and stay with him through the night. Ric and I will each take a bedroom for the night and we'll all go together in the morning." Caroline states.
Stefan nods and looks down at the small boy huddled in his arms, and sighs. "It will be okay, Stefan." Caroline adds and Stefan nods and is off a second later with Damon cradled in his arms.
"This is so weird seeing Damon like this." Ric thinks out loud.
Caroline looks over at him and frowns, "What do you mean?"
"It's just odd, this spell, and what it's doing to him. However, one thing is for sure, I'm definitely going to hassle Damon about this when I know this is all over." Ric chuckles.
Caroline can't help but laugh at that. "I think we all are, except for Stefan." She adds.
Stefan sets his brother down in the large bed and covers him up. Damon snuggles into the warmth and doesn't even wake up. Stefan watches his brother sleep before he himself falls to sleep in the chair beside Damon's bed.