Title: Eternity
Author: Ayumie und CrowX
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Damon/Stefan
Word count: 5680
Warnings: Incest, slash and some violence and kinky scenes

Summary:Damon had promised his brother an 'eternity full of misery'. But will Damon be able to fulfill this promise or is the bond between him and Stefan too strong? They will meet again and again throughout time and places, experiencing good and bad times while challenging each other. Incest, slash, mature themes.

Many thanks to my new beta reader Krystal (TVD-FFN-NIN at ).

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Notes: This the new story of my best friend Ayumie and me. We wrote it with different POV's, she wrote Stefan's side while I wrote Damon's side. In contrary to the other stories we have removed the markers for the change of POV, but if you think it would be easier to read (since sometimes a moment is rewritten from a different POV), then please leave a comment. Of course we are happy to receive a lot of reviews. :-)

This story is finished and quite long (maybe about 40 chapters?), it will show the changing relationship of Damon and Stefan until they meet once again in Mystic Falls at the start of season one. Since we began to write it before the books "Stefan's diaries: Origins" were published and before most of the flashbacks were shown in the series, any similarities (and I don't think there are any) are pure coincidence.

ETERNITY

Chapter 2

Stefan snuck out at dawn to feed. He didn't quite know why, but he wanted to hide his special diet from Damon for as long as possible. Also, he needed time to think about everything that had happened the night before. Damon was still in the cabin, probably still naked, and Stefan would have to face him again soon. He wasn't sure whether to grin or hide in the woods.

When Stefan got back, his brother was awake. Damon was still in bed, though, sprawled and on display. Swallowing hard, Stefan smiled.

"Good morning. Did you ... did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep I had in a long while," Damon replied lazily. It was fun to see his brother's shy smiles, his eyes darting around to avoid looking at him naked.

"What are you going to do today?"

He wondered how his brother usually spent his days. Damon studied Stefan with a curious look. Something seemed different. Had Stefan been hunting already? Without him? He instantly dismissed this thought. His brother was much too pale to have fed.

"I like it here in the woods. It's quiet, a nice vacation from the bustling cities. I almost forgot how uneventful life can be."

"Uneventful – that pretty much sums it up. To tell the truth, I don't do much of anything. I just read, think, and spend time in the woods. We could go to town though, I suppose. You always did get bored easily…"

He would have to talk to Damon about not attracting any attention, though. Stefan had a feeling that in the city there was not much need to hide one's tracks, particularly if Damon had kept moving from time to time. And God, what was Damon going to do about food?

Stefan himself was hungry all the time, although he didn't think that Katherine had had to feed all that often. Was it because of his diet, or because she had been an old vampire?

Damon contemplated this. He was hungry, but he could wait a little longer. Besides he felt sticky and, since this cabin didn't look like it had a luxurious bathroom, a dip in the lake sounded like a good idea.

"Well, let's go to that lake I saw yesterday. Wash up a little bit. Wasn't it fun when we did that all those years ago?"

He stood up, unconcerned by his nakedness and grabbed his clothes.

"We could go to town later, find some nice establishment with delicious ladies to cater to our needs."

That suggestion made Stefan grin. They had often gone swimming when they had still been alive – the hot summers of Virginia invited that kind of activity and both boys had loved being outside. It was still early, but already the day promised to be sweltering.

"Sure, that sounds great! Race you to the lake?"

Both vampires were out of the door in a flash. It was great to run through the woods like they were carefree kids again – only much, much faster. The trees were flashing by and the air felt warm and liquid around them. Damon quickly took the lead, though, and it was all Stefan could do to keep up.

It was a wonderful, hot day and the brothers were fooling around like they had as kids. For a moment, Damon could forget about all the things that had changed. At least they didn't have to worry about their stern father.

Since Stefan was obviously still uncomfortable with their changed relationship, Damon only initiated some kisses. It was nice, but soon Damon got very hungry – or rather thirsty. He had to remind himself of the proper termini.

"Let's get dressed. I'm thirsty. What do you say about going into town? I'm sure there are some saucy trollops waiting for the great Salvatore brothers."

The most difficult thing about his new condition, Stefan thought, was that he never had any idea what was expected of him. He had always been the good son, had always done his best to fulfill his father's expectations and largely succeeded.

Now, however, everything was different, leaving him adrift and slightly disoriented, his lips still swollen from Damon's kisses.

Pulling himself together, Stefan smiled.

"Certainly. We can go right away. I have a request, though: I have been living here for quite some time and I would like to be able to come back. Could you please try not to draw any attention to yourself?"

Damon slung an arm around his brother's shoulder, smirking. "Of course I can do that. But even better, I have picked up a trick or two about how to influence people."

They got dressed and Damon helped Stefan bind his scarf, as he had always done just a few years ago.

Conspiratorially, he whispered in Stefan's ear, brushing the shell with his lips.

"You know what I mean, making them forget or changing their memories, opinions, anything. It's quite funny how easy it is to manipulate those humans."

Stefan had to suppress a laugh. He knew all about that power, all right, although he had mostly found himself on the receiving end of it. Now that he wasn't drinking human blood, Stefan found compulsion difficult, though. As often as not, it didn't work at all and he had learned the hard way that he shouldn't rely on his powers.

It wasn't a big town – only just big enough to support a few shops and businesses. There was a railroad station, so strangers didn't stand out too much, which was why Stefan had chosen it in the first place. Damon immediately seemed at home, dragging him through the streets and into the nearest tavern. Nothing new there.

All towns seemed the same, Damon mused, since he instantly found an appropriate establishment. It wasn't too fancy, so it shouldn't be hard to get the food they needed.

Inside it didn't take long to attract the attention of some women. They just needed to order the most expensive wine and flash some money. Fooling around with food was always fun. After some time one of the girls pointed upstairs and tugged down the neckline of her dress in an obvious invitation.

"That's a very good idea, darling," Damon drawled. "Come on, your friend can take care of my brother here."

Stefan seemed slightly uncomfortable, but apparently, the wine had helped him as well. They went upstairs where they were guided to some small bedrooms.

Stefan was grateful for when the girls dragged them into different rooms. He didn't think that he could have hidden his diet with Damon in the same room. The girl was giggling, pressing up against him. It was obvious that she had already had a few drinks – that'd make things easier.

Wondering just what his brother was doing in the other room, Stefan caught the girl's chin in his hand, making her look into his eyes. It wasn't really a compulsion, more like a nudge in the right direction.

"Go and sit over there. Be quiet. When you leave the room, you won't remember anything."

Then Stefan settled in to wait.

Damon didn't really care about the girl's feelings, but the blood always tasted better when it was spiced with pleasure. So he made an effort instead of just plunging into her. It took some time, but finally, when they were joined in ecstasy, Damon bit her carefully, like he had learned in the last few months. She didn't even realize what was happening, her orgasm covering the pain. Damon took large gulps of the hot blood, spicy and sweet at the same time.

Before he took too much, he remembered Stefan's request. He lapped at the last droplets and sealed the wound. It wasn't hard to compel her to forget about the feeding and to wear a scarf for the next days.

Throwing her some money, he went to the other room where Stefan should be finished by now.

"Hey, baby brother, are you finished or do you need more time," he asked, chuckling.

Hearing his brother's voice, Stefan quickly got to his feet. The room was altogether too neat. Loosening his collar, he moved in for a quick kiss, smearing the girl's lipstick, tousling her hair and tugging at her dress. The girl looked confused even as he pushed money into her hand.

At the last moment, Stefan remembered to rumple the bed and open the window, hoping to mask the absence of any telltale smell. Plastering a grin onto his face, he all but stumbled out of the door.

"Sure! I am done. So where do we go next?"

Damon frowned a little. Something was off. Something was buzzing in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite make sense of it. He shrugged it off and threw an arm around his disheveled brother's shoulder.

"Was she any good? I believe I tired my girl out. The next customer definitely has to wait a few days," he leered.

"I suggest we go somewhere else to chase the blood down with something stronger?" He felt fantastic. Feeding always did that for him; he could take on the world. Luckily, he didn't have a lot of trouble controlling his thirst: the older vampires he had met had taught him enough.

"I guess she just wasn't a match for you. Mine did just fine – no problems there."

Damon was pleasantly warm and Stefan's smile was quickly becoming real. He wrapped his arm around his brother's waist and fell into step beside him. Damon's good mood was infectious and soon both of them were laughing, making their way towards a saloon.

The alcohol would mask the absence of new blood in his systems and Stefan quickly downed his first drink, letting Damon order another one without protest.

"This was a really good idea. I haven't had this much fun in months. I am glad you are here, brother."

Getting drunk with his brother was the perfect way to enjoy eternity, Damon thought. There was no one to chide them, no father to disappoint. Just the two of them, the way it always should have been. The topic of Katherine was firmly put away in the depth of his mind, since it would take many decades until he could try to get her out of the tomb. For now, he didn't want to deal with it.

He continued to tell about his experiences in the city and soon a lot of empty glasses were piling up on their table.

"I think I like the scotch best. What's your favorite so far, dearest brother?" he slurred. He was still far from getting drunk, though, which would be a feat as a vampire. Over the last few hours, he had been moving into Stefan's space until their bodies were touching all the way down their sides.

Damon was so close to him, Stefan wondered at the fact that nobody seemed to notice anything untoward. Perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. There was not anything unusual about two inebriated young men sitting next to each other and, after all, nobody could see that Damon's hand had found its way beneath his shirt. His brother was stroking the small of his back in slow circles, his fingers warm against Stefan's skin.

Stefan felt strangely warm as well, alcohol and want strong in his blood. He found himself glancing at his brother's crotch, trying to see whether Damon was equally affected.

Smirking Damon saw that nobody was paying attention to them both. He began to touch Stefan's back with light, feathery brushes of his fingertips, wanting to see what his brother would do.

Since Stefan stayed silent, Damon turned to face him and saw Stefan looking at his crotch. He took one of his brother's hands and guided it down to his already half-hard member, pressing it against it.

"Can you feel how much you affect me? When I was with the girl, there was only one person on my mind – you. I thought about how it would be to slide inside of you or feel your cock pushing up into me."

Grinning Damon whispered into Stefan's ear. "Do you want to go back to the cabin?"

Stefan almost choked on his drink as he heard Damon's words. The images they provoked in his mind were utterly sinful. He was just sober enough to know that he had to get out before he embarrassed himself. At Damon's suggestion, he nodded eagerly.

"Yes. Let's head back."

To tell the truth, Stefan had no idea how they got out of the town. He had managed to get pretty drunk and his stomach was clenching in nervous anticipation. They seemed to arrive at the cabin impossibly fast and Damon all but pushed him inside.

When they were finally away from any possible disturbance, Damon pushed Stefan inside the cabin and against the wall. Careful as to not frighten his brother, he brushed their erections together, rubbing slowly but steadily until Stefan was moaning.

"You liked what we did yesterday quite a lot, didn't you?"

Damon kissed his brother deeply, mapping that sweet mouth with his tongue, nudging Stefan's tongue to follow suit. The taste and the scent of his brother were amazing and he could not get enough.

"What do you want to do? There are so many ways of giving and receiving pleasure."

Stefan kissed Damon eagerly, sucking at his tongue and pulling at his clothes. It felt so good, having his brother pushing against him, rubbing against his crotch and all he could think was that he wanted more.

"I want ... to see you naked. Need to touch you, Damon. Don't even know where to start."

Yesterday had felt so good already and now, emboldened by the alcohol, Stefan ran his hands down Damon's sides.

"Is there ... is there anything you want to do? Because I recall you bragging about being an authority on all things pleasurable..."

Groaning at Stefan's eager touch, Damon responded with vigor, opening his brother's vest and shirt.

"It's only bragging if it's not the truth. And you already had a taste of my knowledge, right?"

Remembering his brother's request, he stepped back a little and slowly removed his own clothes until he was naked. He grasped his leaking erection, slowly sliding his hand up and down, smearing the precum around.

"Do you want to taste me, little brother? It's not hard to do so, just copy what I did yesterday," Damon seductively asked Stefan.

Damon was beautiful. Warmth pooling in his stomach, Stefan let his eyes drift down his brother's body. His nostrils flared at the scent of Damon's arousal and, remembering last night's taste, he instinctively stepped closer.

Not letting himself think about what he was doing, Stefan dropped to his knees and brushed his lips over the head of his brother's erection. He sucked the head into his mouth, trying to remember what he liked best when he was on the receiving end.

Stefan's own cock was hard in his pants and he reached down to rub himself through the coarse fabric. Closing his eyes, he took that hard flesh in deeper, moaning softly as he ran his tongue over the underside.

Ah, those red lips around his dick were a sight for sore eyes. His little brother seemed still so naïve, but he didn't hesitate to pleasure Damon. Stefan's mouth was strangely cold, but it soothed Damon's aching erection. He held himself back, wanting to see how his brother would manage.

And manage he did – wonderfully. He sucked and licked like he had done so before, but Damon knew that he was the first. That knowledge and the great vibrations Stefan's moans sent around his hardness were exhilarating. He couldn't help but thrust into that talented mouth.

"Mhm, Stef, you're doing great, this is just right," he groaned. He opened his eyes that had closed without him noticing, not wanting to miss the sight of Stefan palming himself.

"Do you like my taste? Do you want more?"

Damon's movements made it more difficult to keep from choking, but somehow Stefan managed. He hadn't really expected to be aroused by this, but he was. Encouraged by his brother's praise, he kept going, sucking and using his lips and tongue in all the ways he could think of.

At Damon's question, he pulled back a bit, looking up and licking his lips.

"Tastes so good. Want you to come into my mouth..."

Without waiting for an answer, Stefan immediately drew Damon back in, deeper than before.

Those dirty words coming from his brother's mouth were as arousing as the sight of him licking his lips. When Damon was encased in that mouth again he knew that it was just a matter of a few thrusts before he would come.

"Touch yourself, want to watch you come with me," Damon commanded huskily.

He felt the approaching orgasm and, gripping Stefan's head, shoot his seed deep into his brother's mouth. Groaning, he rode out the last waves. "So good, little brother!"

Stefan was glad that he didn't need to breathe when Damon started to fuck his mouth in earnest. The sounds his brother made were incredibly arousing, getting louder now that he was approaching orgasm. Gripping Damon's hips, Stefan held on tight as he swallowed.

He hadn't managed to get his own pants open in time, so Stefan hurriedly plunged his hand down the front and, resting his forehead against his brother's hip, he thrust into his own fingers. Damon's taste was still strong in his mouth as he came.

Half embarrassed, Stefan stayed on his knees, keeping his face hidden against his brother's body.

Damon wondered why Stefan was quiet, but he knelt down and faced his brother. Some cum was still on his lips and so he bent forwards to lick it off. Nearly hugging Stefan, he pulled him up and towards the bed.

"Come on, you look tired, brother. Let's get you to bed." Pushing Stefan down, he began to remove all his clothing, caressing him gently as he did so.

"If you're up to it, we can try something different tomorrow? And maybe I can show you some sights in a bigger town, if you all right with leaving the woods?"

Stefan sighed as he let himself be pushed into bed. He wondered how his brother could be so comfortable with the situation. Damon was running possessive hands over his body, occasionally leaning in to claim a kiss. It felt good, but something was still bothering Stefan. The alcohol was still strong in his blood, causing him to blurt out what he was really thinking.

"Do you really think that there is nothing wrong with what we are doing? Nothing at all? Can you imagine what Father would say? Or the priest?"

Damon pondered that for a moment. He himself had been surprised by how fast he had thrown away human morals.

"It all depends on the viewpoint. Over the centuries, many things have changed. For example, just 100 years ago Luther's doctrines were considered a crime. And before the French Revolution, it was unthinkable that the status of the royals would be challenged."

Damon gestured at the place where their bodies touched. "This isn't so different. We are what? Sodomites? In just a few decades, it could be just as acceptable as it used to be in ancient Greece. Hell, we will live to see it now. Or is your problem the brother thing? How can anyone condemn love? We are brothers, so we love each other. That's all there is to it. And if we make each other feel good, it's not hurting anyone."

Damon shrugged carelessly. "But those excuses are just for your benefit. I don't care either way. Father tried to kill us; the priest would have done the same. Is that okay? He killed us, his own sons! That is a crime I will never forgive. If what we do makes him turn in his grave, all the better."

To counteract Stefan's sudden brooding, he caressed his brother again, taking care to touch his sensitive spots until he moaned once more. "Don't you like it when I touch you? Take care of you like an older brother should?"

Apparently death had only aggravated Damon's rebellious streak. Biting his lip, Stefan found himself at a loss of how to explain the virulent knot of guilt that formed in his stomach whenever he thought about touching his brother that way.

Then Damon's hands were back on his body, driving all such intentions from his mind. Instead, entirely different words tumbled from his lips.

"Oh God, yes. I love it when you touch me. I ... I used to think about it all the time. Been wanting you for as long as I can remember. I used to lie in my bed at night and think about you, just a few rooms away. I ... I always wondered what would happen if I just got up and went to you, told you that I needed you. I had all these fantasies..."

Those confessions, whispered in the husky voice of his brother, made Damon wonder. He imagined a younger, human Stefan coming to his bed, telling him that he needed him. He grew hard again.

"Tell me all about it, brother. Isn't it strange, that we could have had this much earlier?"

Maybe then, she would not have come between them. But it didn't matter, what had happened was over and done with. He sat up and looked at his brother.

"I used to have the same fantasies. Used to feel guilty since you were so young. But if you had come to my room, I'd have welcomed you in my bed for sure."

Stefan shivered as he tried to imagine what it could have been like. He slowly ran his hands down his brother's chest and stomach, feeling strong muscles flex beneath his fingertips.

"She said that we'd be together, all three of us, and all I could think was how much I'd like that..."

Both vampires moaned roughly as Stefan wrapped a hand around their erections, pressing them together.

"So what did you want to do to me? Because I am here now."

"So eager, Stef. First, I would have touched you all over, explored your body. You were so slim, just starting to build the muscles you have now."

Damon made good on his words and touched Stefan just as he had described.

"I would have kissed you all over, every inch of your skin. Would have explored your mouth with my tongue, until you were out of breath..."

He kissed his brother deeply.

"And then I would have asked you to touch me."

Stefan was panting, moving helplessly against Damon's hands, trying to get his brother to touch him where he needed it most. He laughed breathlessly.

"I don't think ... you would have gotten that far. I would have come the second you placed your hands on me. Would have loved touching you, though. Just ... let me..."

Biting his lip, Stefan ran his hands over Damon's body, mirroring the way he had just been touched. After a few minutes he stopped, lips close to his brother's.

"And what next?"

It was strange. He was so caught up in his fantasies that Damon could almost see his younger, human brother touching him. Stefan's eager hands on his body made him ache for more.

"Then my hands would have sought out your entrance, hoping that you wouldn't deny me."

His fingers were traveling down Stefan's crack, circling his hole. Since Stefan's just moaned, Damon didn't stop.

"I would have pushed a finger inside, tried to find the elusive spot that would make you see sparks all over."

His fingers mirrored his words and finally he felt tight heat around his finger. Since it was too dry to do much more, Damon slid down and, pushing Stefan's legs apart, started to lick that spot.

Stefan gave a small, mewling moan as Damon's finger pushed into him. Then that wicked tongue joined in and his back was arching off the mattress. Until Damon had touched him there, he hadn't known – hadn't even guessed – how good it felt to have somebody invade him this way.

"I wouldn't ... wouldn't have denied you. Knew that you wouldn't hurt me. Wouldn't have known what to expect, though."

The pleasure was back, making Stefan pant and writhe and shiver. He tried to keep talking, though, enjoying the fantasy too much to let it go.

"I would have spread my legs for you... God, Damon!"

They would need something to make this easier for Stefan. Damon stood up to search the cupboards.

"You do that and then you wait for me," he said.

Finally, he found some oily lotion that smelled faintly of herbs. He took it and rushed back to the bed. The sight of Stefan with his deliciously spread legs was mouth-watering. Immediately, he bent down to pleasure his brother some more with his tongue and fingers.

"Do you like that? Knowing that your big brother has his fingers inside of you?" he murmured in a low voice. Coating his fingers in the lotion, he pushed them inside much easier. Licking around Stefan's balls produced wonderful mewing sounds and Damon wanted more.

Suddenly bereft of Damon's touch, Stefan waited, legs still spread wide. He slowly caressed his own chest and stomach as he watched Damon rummage around. Then his brother's fingers were back, sliding in easier now. It was even better this way, it didn't burn, and soon Stefan was moving, hips bucking to meet Damon's hand.

"So good, Damon. Want – need more. Please! So close already..."

His cock was throbbing in time to his brother's ministrations and Stefan reached down to take himself in his hand, shameless in his need.

The way Stefan was pleading and touching himself made Damon groan with want. Deeming his brother prepared enough, he couldn't wait anymore.

With a slow thrust, he pushed inside his brother. It was amazingly tight, and the feel of Stefan around his cock was nearly too much. With small movements, he pushed in and out, trying to give his brother time to get used to the intrusion.

"Relax, Stef, I'll make you feel good," he whispered and went as deep inside as the tight hole allowed. He kissed Stefan deeply as they were finally connected in every possible way.

Eyes wide and glazed, Stefan could not help but tense a bit as he felt Damon's cock against his opening. The first thrust was a bit painful and he bit his lip, trying to concentrate on the kiss that followed.

Stefan nodded at his brother's promise, although at the moment he felt mostly overwhelmed. The look of pleasure on Damon's face was worth it, though. Shifting a bit, Stefan tightened his hand around his own erection.

"It's fine. I'm ... I'm good. You can..."

Damon stilled for a moment. He put his hand over his brother's and slowly started to stroke Stefan's erection. When his brother's hand fell away, he took over and caressed that hot length.

"Don't want to hurt you, Stef. Want you to enjoy it as much as I do. You're so tight. It's perfect."

After a few minutes, his brother's noises got louder and Damon once more started to move. He angled his thrusts in different ways until he heard from the breathless shout that he had found the perfect spot.

"Do you see the stars? Or should I stop?"

Stefan tried to relax. His brother was stroking him, teasing him towards pleasure and after a while, the hard length in his body ceased to feel uncomfortable. Then Damon angled his thrusts and a low cry was torn from his throat. It felt incredible.

Screwing his eyes shut, Stefan clutched at brother's arms and shoulders, hips lifting frantically to get more, to take Damon in deeper.

"Don't stop! Please don't stop! Oh, please!"

It would be over quite soon if Stefan kept talking like that, Damon realized. He thrust faster and faster, meeting his brother's hips with almost inhuman speed. Gripping Stefan's hip with one hand, he stroked his brother's erection in time with their thrusts.

"I love hearing you plead like that, brother. Don't worry, I won't stop."

He kept moving until he felt that he couldn't hold out any more.

"Come with me, little brother!" he commanded. Riding out his orgasm in that clenching hole, Damon spilled his seed in that tight space even as he felt Stefan's cum drip over his own fingers.

Stefan came hard. Head thudding back into the pillow, he gave a strangled moan as he spilled his seed over Damon's hand and stomach.

Blinking stupidly, Stefan looked down to where his brother was still buried in him, wet and sticky now that they had both come. The sight was positively obscene and enough to send a thrill of lust through his tired body.

Once he was sure of his own voice, Stefan smiled hesitantly.

"It's probably a good thing we didn't do this back at home. People would have been bound to hear..."

Damon's laughter filled the room and he carefully pulled out of his brother's body.

"Yeah, that's right. But the faces would have been funny…" He went to fetch some washcloths and cleaned them both.

"Let's sleep. Perhaps tomorrow we can go to some bigger town for a while?"

Damon watched his brother. Stefan looked relaxed, but still so insecure. He put an arm around him and got them both back into bed.

In the morning, Stefan was hungry. He once more carefully disentangled himself and stepped out into the woods. It was early in the morning and the air was pleasantly cool. There weren't any animals nearby – they had learned to avoid his cabin long ago – but after a few minutes of running, the forest around him was teeming with life.

Stefan felt bad about deceiving Damon in this way, but he couldn't shake the feeling that any such confession wouldn't go down well. He brought down a deer, running it down after an exhilarating chase. It didn't taste too bad.

Damon woke up when Stefan was sneaking out of bed. Curious as to what his brother was doing that early in the morning, he followed him. First, he thought that he was just running through the forest, but then he saw what Stefan was chasing. A fucking deer!

Damon hid behind a tree when he saw his brother feeding from the animal. He couldn't believe it. Why was Stefan drinking that disgusting blood? Even a few yards away Damon could smell the stale scent. And apparently Stefan had been doing this a lot.

Damon ran back to the cabin and decided to wait and see how Stefan would behave. But Stefan was just being his normal, shy self. So Damon confronted him.

"I saw you in the woods. Why do you drink animal blood?"

Stefan froze. He had known that a confrontation was inevitable, but he had hoped to introduce the idea slowly and tell Damon in a time and place of his own choosing. Biting his lip, Stefan tried to figure out just how furious his brother was.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was going to explain, but..."

He took a deep breath, praying that he would find the right words to say to his brother.

"I don't want to drink human blood. It makes me feel ... bad. I just don't want to hurt anyone. You can understand that, right? This way I'm a bit weaker, but it's a small price to pay for my peace of mind."

This explained a lot of things Damon had observed but disregarded. Stefan had been making a fool of Damon. Damon saw red. Like the predator that he was, he cornered his brother.

"You've got to be shitting me. I don't believe it. All of that was an act when we were in town?" he shouted.

"You have thought about it, all right. No bad conscience – so what?! You are a vampire, Stefan, not a damn saint. Do you really think you can live like that?"

He drew a deep breath and continued to yell.

"And that's what makes you feel bad? Biting random humans? What about me? I didn't want this! I didn't want to drink from a human to finish the transition – I didn't want to drink from that woman you brought to me! And now, you've decided to live like a saint? You fucking hypocrite!"

At Damon's vehemence, Stefan took a step back. This was worse than what he had expected. He flinched at his brother's accusations.

"Please Damon, don't be angry. I did not mean to deceive you. I just didn't know what to say and I was so happy to see you – I was going to tell you."

Damon's next words made Stefan's eyes fly up. Of course, he was aware of what he had done to his brother, only...

"I can't. I can't feel bad about what I did to you. I tried, but... I can't regret not letting you die. I don't think I ever will."

Damon couldn't say anything for the next few seconds. His rage and disbelief at Stefan's outrageous words actually silenced him. He bit down on his own lip, cutting it with his fangs. Stefan's apologetic face didn't do anything to calm him down.

"You can't feel bad about that. I don't believe it. You are worse than any vampire on the face of this earth. I hate you, brother. I hate you so much. You only care about yourself, don't you? I came back thinking that I overreacted, but no."

With a dangerous and suddenly quiet voice, he whispered in Stefan's ear. "I renew my promise of eternal misery for you."

He left the cabin without hearing another of Stefan's excuses. Carnage sounded good to him, so he decided to pay the towns around the cabin a visit.

TBC