A/N: I guess this story should be over soon! Thanks for the reviews, they help keep me going. Also, as usual, there are spoilers in this chapter for all aired Episodes of Season 3, in particular, it takes place between Episodes 5 and 6, after Stefan walks in on Elena and Damon and Katherine and Jeremy find Michael in the crypt. Let me know what you think, cheers!

I Should Have Stayed Home

He could smell Jeremy, his scent was everywhere. He could hear Jeremy all around him, that distinctive heartbeat, his pattern of shallow breathing. The heart rate and breathing may be slowed, but they were definitely Jeremy's. What the fuck? Was he going crazy?

He had agreed to come on this stupid road trip because Katherine was up to something and he needed to know what it was. And he had felt the urge to get away. From Mystic Falls and all that was confusing. And that included Jeremy.

Jeremy who had left the boarding house in a huff, refusing to talk to him. Honestly, he couldn't figure out what gave the teenager the right to be pissy. After all, he had tried to reach out, to ask what was troubling the boy.

But noooo. Jeremy had pushed him away, dressed in haste, had practically ran away from his attempts at consoling. The distracted, sexily tousled teen hadn't even paused as he stumbled past Ric lying dead on the couch.

Christ. Jeremy was in the car. He knew it, he could hear the tall teen's body bumping softly around in the trunk. What the hell was Katherine up to? Why had she kidnapped Jeremy Gilbert? She must have rendered the lad unconscious somehow, which would explain the sluggish breathing and heartbeat.

Did she know about the two of them? But how could she? She hadn't been back long enough to spy on him, to see him with Jeremy. Or had she been at the boarding house in the middle of the night? Had she seen Jeremy leaving, half dressed? Had she heard him calling after the teen, begging him to come back?

Because that would be humiliating. God. He couldn't concentrate on Katherine and her lame attempts at seducing him. His thoughts were on Jeremy and wondering what Katherine was planning. If she knew about the two of them, why would that necessitate knocking out Jeremy and dragging him along on their quest?

Unless she had some other motive for stealing Jeremy. But what? This was crazy. He was going crazy. He couldn't stand not knowing what the hell Katherine was up to. Making an abrupt decision, he pulled the car over. Tossed the keys.

He reached out to gently dab at the wound. Jeremy flinched. "Shit. That hurts. Leave it alone. I'll do it myself."

"Jeremy. Honestly. I want to help. But you're no making it easy. It's taking all my willpower right now not to attack you. Do you have any idea how the smell of your blood affects me?"

"No, Damon. Actually I don't." The teen spoke in a rather sarcastic tone, "You never talk about your vampire tendencies around me. I only get to hear about your stupid vampy stunts from other people, usually well after the fact. Like killing Ric. So, no, I have no clue as to how the scent of my blood affects you. Perhaps you'd care to enlighten me?"

He took the boy's head in both hands, no longer even attempting to be careful of the gash on Jeremy's forehead. Looking deep into those limpid brown eyes, he forced himself not to yell, to speak in an even tone.

"Jeremy. Every time I am near you, kissing you, fucking you, and long after you leave, your smell surrounds me, haunts me, consumes me. The scent of your blood is like a drug to me, it draws me to you, makes me want to fuck you senseless, commands me to bite your flesh and drain you dry.

But I don't drink from you or even ask to. Because I know that would be it for me. I'd be bound to you forever, and you'd never get rid of me. Your blood would be in me; you would become a part of me.

And I know you don't want that. So I fight my, what did you call them? Oh right, my 'vampire tendencies' to be with you. So. That's how your blood affects me."

He let go of Jeremy, stepped back. Spread his arms, palms towards Jeremy, in a gesture of surrender. "When I knew you were in the car, I was freaking out, trying to figure out what Katherine was up to. Then seeing you, having to pretend nothing was going on between us, that I wasn't worried sick about what she might do to you. It wasn't fun.

And then when I found out that you've been seeing dead people, or rather, dead specific female vampires, I was pissed. Because Jeremy, I've been asking you for days what's bothering you. And you didn't even have the decency to tell me that you'd hooked up with your dearly departed vampire girlfriend."

So that's why you gave me the friggin' head wound? Because you're jealous of a ghost? Damon, you're a fucking idiot." Jeremy laughed. "It's really late. And now that I've told you about Katherine and I locating Michael, I'm going to go." Jeremy made to move around him, out of the bathroom.

"No you're not. You're not going anywhere. You're going to let me kiss you." He grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him close. Jeremy was smirking. He wanted to wipe that stupid grin right off the annoying boy's face. How dare Jeremy make fun of him, mock him?

He kissed Jeremy a little harder than intended, teeth clashed. He thrust his tongue into Jeremy's mouth, he needed to taste him. Jeremy bit down, but not too hard. Apparently the teen was OK with where this was heading.

Which was straight to the bedroom. He walked Jeremy backwards, kissing him, running his hands over the boy's back, up into his hair, pulling him closer and closer. When the back of Jeremy's knees hit the bed, he pushed the teen over onto his back. Landed on top of him.

He could feel Jeremy's erection between them. Ah hah. Knew it. The teen could mock him all he wanted, but the boy was putty in his hands. He drew Jeremy's T-shirt up over his head, kissed his chest. Jeremy's heart was pounding, his blood surging.

The wound on Jeremy's head began to ooze again. Christ. Snarling, he feather kissed down Jeremy's abdomen, undid Jeremy's pants and watched as Jeremy's straining erection broke free.

He licked his way back up the ripped torso, reclaimed Jeremy's lips. The boy moaned and whispered his name. "Yes, Jeremy? What do you want?" he whispered in return.

"I want you to touch me," the teen was almost begging. Nice. This was much better than Jeremy making fun of him. He slowly undid his own jeans. Pulled out his own, hard dick. It was a stretch but, surrounding the two swollen cocks with his right hand, he began to stroke, up slowly almost gently, down fast and hard. Repeated the motion over and over. He loved the alternation of their cocks sliding up and down, the friction created by the movement, their pre-come lubricating his fist.

Jeremy's hips began to rock off the bed, hands fisting in his hair. "Holy shit, Damon. I'm gonna come. Faster, faster. Yeah, like that. Just like that. Arggggh." Ah, he thought proudly to himself, like taking candy from a baby. He continued to hold Jeremy as the teen covered them both in sticky, salty-sweet semen.

"Well, well, well." The voice from the doorway startled him. Damn it, he hadn't been listening for his brother. He had returned to an empty house after dropping Elena off. Assumed Stefan was off hunting hapless humans. And then Jeremy had shown up, making him completely forget about the imminent return of his 'ripper' sibling.

"Isn't this special? Two cozy Gilbert scenes in one evening. My, you've been a busy boy in my absence, Damon. Tell me, dear brother, which of the esteemed Gilbert siblings truly holds your cold, still heart?"

Shit. Why did all his best-laid plans come apart like this? He really needed to stop scheming. And judging from Jeremy's face, he definitely had some 'splainin to do.