Thank you for sticking with this story! I appreciate all your reviews :D

victoria: Thanks for your review! xD I know it was short, but I hope this makes up for it! :)

Guest: Thank you for your review! :)

chelsie: I had a great time, thank you! :D

Rye: Thanks for your review! xD

Chapter Five (Damon's POV):

Damon raced in to find Stefan crouched by the bed, hands clutching his side, where he was wounded.

Damon gently slid his arms under his brother's and lifted him into his bed again.

Once Stefan was once again settled down, his eyes held Damon's in an intense grip.

He murmured "You promised me the pain would stop. You suck at promises."

Damon swallowed, just slightly, but he knew that Stefan could track the movement.

He was way out of his depth here, and he considered getting Elena to deal with it.

Yet this was his brother lying here all derelict, in pain because of his stupidity.

His brother's quiet voice cut through his thoughts.

"I wish I could have a memory of the sound of our mother's voice. I have nothing because it was my fault she died..."

Damon remembered the anger he had always felt towards his little brother because his mother had died a little while after giving birth to him, but he had never considered what it would be like to have never known her. To be constantly reminded that it was his fault she died (yes, Damon felt ashamed at this).

Now it was Damon's fault his brother was dying, so he guessed they were in the same boat, and all could be forgiven.

"No need to bring up old memories, Stefan. We should look to the future."

Stefan's laugh turned into a painful cough. "Look to the future, yeah. I prefer the past, when we were...closer."

His eyes flicked up to Damon's, as if to gauge his reaction, and down again.

Damon hadn't actually registered what Stefan had said, because an idea was forming in his mind.

If Stefan preferred the past, why couldn't he live in it again?

He knew how to control dreams, and had controlled Stefan's more than once, when he had been stronger than this.

The weaker the person, the better the dream could be.

Again he was cut of his thoughts by Stefan drenching one of the pillows in blood and crying out, and he knew he had to act soon.

"All right brother, budge up, big bro's coming in."

Stefan frowned at him while moving.

"Aw Stefan don't look like that I'm trying to get in all our 'brotherly bonding' before you die, because I've realised how important it is to me."

Damon told himself to shut up, and smiled cockily to outwardly show that he was joking. Now was not the time to start blubbing.

"Please move that pillow away. That blood does not look appetising after it come out of your mouth."

Stefan obediently chucked the pillow away, but immediately fell backwards, exhausted by that meagre effort.

They both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling, memories flooding their minds from way back.

Eventually Damon broke the silence. "Do you remember that time when you fancied Harriet, but you couldn't ask her out because she was always surrounded by her friends, and you were too cowardly to approach them?"

Stefan smiled "Yes, and you decided to save me from the mess by asking her out for me."

"And she accepted - except she thought I was the one who wanted to go out with her!"

They both chuckled, reliving the memory from their human years.

Stefan's voice was quiet. "Thank you for not going out with her, even though I know you liked her too."

Damon felt Stefan's eyes trained on him, but he continue to look at the ceiling.

"I realised up close that she had bunny teeth - very unattractive in a woman."

Stefan laughed again, and Damon didn't want him to stop.

He finally looked over at his brother, lightly ruffling his hair. "What mess have you got into now, Stefan?"

"Don't tell Elena, but it's with another woman."

"Yeah, her way of asking you out was to bite you. Very forward of her."

Damon glanced again at Stefan, and saw tears fall from his eyes.

"Stefan..."

"No no I'm sorry, I'm just getting emotional. Stupid me, as if I haven't lived long enough."

Damon honestly didn't know how to express his feelings aloud, so waited for the right moment.

Stefan continued "I've been such a nuisance to you. Making you turn, becoming the Ripper, always getting the girl - "

"You're forgetting Harriet."

"Okay not Harriet, but Elena and Katherine. I never wanted to hurt you with them, and - "

Now seemed the best chance out of any.

"Don't make excuses for them! You didn't hurt me, they both did. They rejected me when I made advances on them, yet you never rejected me. Even when I was terrorising this neighbourhood. And - "

No...he couldn't carry on. He really wanted to, really wanted Stefan to know what he truly felt for the first time since they became vampires, but it seemed like there was a block in his throat, preventing him from speaking those feelings.

He sensed disappointed from Stefan, as if it would give him peace of mind if Damon could say what he felt.

But Damon could do one better.

Lifting his brother slightly so his head was lying on his shirt, Damon told him to close his eyes.

"But - "

"Ssh, just do as I say. Please?"

He felt Stefan relax against him, then he closed his own eyes.

(Stefan's POV):

Opening them again, his eyes widened with shock.

He hadn't expected to be standing in front of his old house again. The real Salvatore house.

Turning his head, he saw Damon standing next to him, looking at it too.

"Ah, just like I remembered it. Perfect in every detail."

"Damon..."

"Yes brother?"

"Thank you."

"What for?"

"The pain is gone."

Damon inclined his head. Then he gestured inside. "Well, don't you want to see what's happening?"

"I can go in?"

"Of course! You don't need to be invited in because you're not a vampire."

"I..." Looking down at himself, he realised he was wearing his usual set of clothes from when he as human.

Now he was eager to find out what was waiting for him inside.

Starting forward, he opened the front door and went in.

There was the pretty handmaiden, Mary-Ann, but where was Gertrude, the housekeeper who kept her apprentice on a tight leash?

He raised his eyebrow at his brother, who replied "I can't be expected to remember everyone!"

"Only Mary-Ann."

He smirked "Well, yeah, only Mary-Ann."

Shaking his head affectionately at his predictable brother, Stefan heard commotion upstairs.

"What's happening?"

"You'll just have to see, bro."

Climbing the stairs after Mary-Ann, Stefan followed her into his father's room.

He stared at the scene in front of him and gasped.

"Is that...?"

"Yes, it is."

"And is that - "

"Right again."

He felt Damon's hand squeeze his shoulder, as tears pricked at his eyes.

Lying on the bed, with his father and Mary-Ann surrounding her, was his mother.

She looked tired and was holding a tiny newborn baby, but her kindness could almost be felt radiating out of her.

Stefan took in her raven black hair (from which Damon inherited), her oak green eyes (from which Stefan inherited) and her gentle hands caressing the baby, which didn't make a single sound.

"You always were the quiet one Stefan, ever since you were born."

Stefan looked towards his brother, wanting to show how much this meant to him, when a little boy then made his way into the room, stepping up close to the bed.

"Damon, you're so - "

" - don't say the word, brother - "

" - cute."

Stefan grinned while Damon rolled his eyes.

Mini-Damon was standing next to his mother, frowning at the baby that was his brother.

"Who is that, mama?"

"This is your little brother, called Stefan."

Mini-Damon was feigning disinterest, but everyone could see that he was intrigued at this new addition to the family, who would be genetically closer to him than any other member.

"You've got to promise me, Damon, that you will take care of Stefan always, even when your papa and I are no longer here to remind you. He could be your best friend, as well as your brother, and you must love him like no other."

"I promise mama."

Stefan turned to Damon. "I've already told you you suck at promises, haven't I?"

Damon raised his hands. "Hey, cut me some slack! You're not the easiest person to look after, always putting yourself in danger to save someone!"

"What about your promise to love me?"

Damon hesitated, then looked Stefan straight in the eye.

"Well, that wasn't so hard. You're my brother and no matter how much I hated you over the years, I couldn't stop loving you...The bond of brothers is hard to shake off, no matter how hard you try - and believe me, I've tried."

Stefan laughed and it was only when he tasted salt did he realise he was also crying. He broke down.

"I don't - want to - leave you, Damon. I'm sorry for everything - I've done, I made you turn - so I wouldn't be - alone. It was selfish and I hate myself and - "

Suddenly he was enveloped in Damon's arms, and he held him because he never wanted to let go.

And then he heard them...the words he hadn't heard since he was 10 years old.

"I love you, Stefan."

And he knew everything was going to be all right.

(Damon's POV):

Now was the perfect time to end it.

The dream. The tears. His brother's life.

Still aware of what was happening inside his brother's head, Damon reached for the stake he had slipped inside his jeans pocket, being careful not to jostle Stefan's sleeping form.

Holding it firmly in his grip, Damon pulled it out, and took a moment to familiarise himself with the weapon.

He'd used it so many times before, but now it seemed as alien as the thought of killing his brother.

For some reason, his vision was blurred, and he shook his head to try to clear it, as he didn't want to miss the heart.

It had to be a clean kill.

Raising the stake, he sniffed uncontrollably, and realised that his obscured sight was due to tears.

He hadn't cried in such a long time. Trust Stefan to make him feel things he'd long since buried deep down.

Concentrating on his brother's laboured breathing, he took a moment to recollect himself.

He could do it. He felt his hands drive down slowly, bringing the object closer to his brother's heart.

He was cold. Closer.

He was unforgiving. Closer.

He was hated. Closer.

He -

A voice from the doorway cut his train of thought "DAMON, NO!"

Please please review! :)

Yes I know, I feel mean leaving it like this, but I wanted to make this chapter perfect, and this is how it turned out!

I will update mega soon, I promise! And I don't suck at promises ;)

I was listening to sad songs while writing this, and I actually became depressed :( And I don't want to stay depressed at my own story, so things will look up :D