Damon stepped out of the car in one swift motion, slamming the door shut behind him. He turned to Klaus, glaring expectantly at him. "What room?" he snapped, the resentment he was harboring towards his brother was getting the better of him.

Klaus grimaced and pointed to the only room in the two-floored L-shaped building with its blinds drawn shut. "That one." He muttered under his breath pushing off the edge of the car and making his way towards it.

Damon followed quickly, hesitating for a moment before touching the door handle. "Is he alone?" he asked quietly, his hand reaching into his pocket for a gun. Klaus nodded curtly, once before jerking his head in agreement, pulling his own gun from within his jacket.

Damon slowly pressed the handle down, shaking his head at Stefan's idiocy at leaving the door unlocked. He opened the door, stepped inside the room and pointed the gun at his brother's head in less than a heartbeat. "Locks are a useful invention, little brother, surprisingly, they only work if you lock them."

Stefan stared at the two men in undisguised shock, holding his hands uncomfortably by his side. "Damon." He said quietly, refusing to meet his brother's gaze. "Klaus."

"Stefan." Klaus greeted pleasantly clicking the gun off the safety and moving around Damon, pressing the gun to the soft part of flesh between Stefan's shoulder and neck. He pushed him down to his knees, keeping the gun trained carefully on the younger man.

Damon lowered his gun, holding it up to his brother in a twisted salute before placing it down with a soft noise on the aged dresser near the door. "No guns." He said in a low voice. "Klaus, back up." He ordered, giving his friend a look. Klaus scoffed, pressing the gun more firmly into Stefan's skin. "I said back up," Damon clarified, sending a knowing look in Klaus' direction. "Not take the gun away."

Klaus backed away slowly, leaning against the back wall, his aim on Stefan never wavering. "You're lucky you're a Salvatore or you would be dead." He muttered angrily.

Damon leant casually against the door, blocking Stefan's escape. "What have you done, Stefan?" he asked aghast shaking his head. "Who are you working for?"

Stefan smirked slightly raising an eyebrow is contempt. "I'm making my own choices, brother, something you don't know anything about."

Damon tensed, glaring at Stefan with a look that could freeze a stronger man's soul. "A Vengeful Soul." He spat in disgust. "You're not even my brother any more."

Stefan lifted his chin defiantly from his position, kneeling on the ground with his hands empty. "Just ask your questions, get your answers and kill me." He growled in a strong voice.

"I don't even have questions to ask you, Stefan." Damon snapped irritated.

"Then leave." Stefan stated simply, shrugging slightly. "Your little Elena mystery has been solved, now fuck off."

Klaus snorted with disdain from behind him. "You think this is just about Elena? You were a Vagrants, by blood and by right." He hissed, moving closer with his gun held at arms length. "Don't ride, don't be a part of it and be respected for that. Don't betray your family and join the Vengefuls. You threw yourself to the wolves, Stefan."

"The Vengeful Souls weren't a part of my original plan." Stefan retorted defensively.

"No?" Damon shot in incredulously. "Just a spur of the moment thing then?" he asked sarcastically.

Stefan's green eyes met Damon's blues, fire burning in their emerald depths mirroring Damon's ocean storm. "Mason Lockwood." He said suddenly, staring into his brother's eyes with utter sincerity. "That's who Trevor's working for."

Klaus' mouth dropped open as he rounded around Stefan and came to stand in front of him. He studied him carefully, his blue eyes scanning over the man's face, reading him and seeing a different man that the one he had regarded as an ally. "You dumb bastard." He cursed viciously.

Damon glared at his brother, oblivious to Klaus' muttered curse. "Tyler's cousin?" he asked in disbelief. "Fancy yourself as the next deserter?" he bit out through clenched teeth. "It always come from the fucking family, doesn't it?" he ranted, pushing himself off the wall and groaning in fury.

Klaus slammed Damon suddenly against a wall, holding him there with his forearm pressed firmly against his windpipe. "What the fuck are you on about?" he demanded furiously.

Damon sighed, his anger diminished rapidly. "Mason didn't die." He added almost inaudibly, looking away from Klaus' intense gaze. Mason had been considered family to the Smith brother's and other than Tyler, Giuseppe and himself, none knew of his betrayal.

"He joined them." Klaus said, dropping his arm from Damon's windpipe. "You're fucking right. It does come from family."

Damon shoved Klaus away and glared at his brother again. "Why?" he asked him in a low voice.

Klaus shook his head at Damon's unneeded question, now leaning against the doorframe leading into the bathroom with his arms crossed. "Think about it, man." He urged quietly.

Damon looked at his brother, staring at the deep lines currently etched into his forehead and the worry that seemed to be burrowed deep into his green eyes. "You dumb bastard." He said softly, unwillingly echoing Klaus' words. "You dumb, fucking bastard."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stefan replied coldly, keeping his face impassive.

Damon crouched in front of his brother, glaring angrily at the man supposed to always have his back. "Katherine." He said simply, gauging his brother's reaction. He watched carefully as Stefan's emerald eyes tightened and his jaw clenched. He shifted uncomfortably only slightly before fixing his gaze back on his brother.

"What did she promise you?" Klaus asked incredulously. "That she would leave Mason and run away with you? You're a fucking idiot Stefan!" Klaus yelled, pulling his gun and aiming at Stefan's chest.

"She's Lockwood's wife." Damon growled, standing up and backing away from Stefan in disgust. "She can't leave him. You turned on your family, your legacy, your right as a Vagrant and betrayed it all for one girl who no matter what she tells you, can never be with you?"

Stefan flinched at Damon's harsh words and looked at the ground, his green eyes dark and angry. "Tell me you wouldn't turn your world upside down for Elena." He challenged when he finally met his Damon's eyes again. "Tell me that."

Klaus snorted, rolling his eyes silently. "Elena isn't Mason Lockwood's wife. Elena isn't married to a Vengeful. Elena isn't married to a traitor and toying around with another." Damon spat out viciously.

"Tell me you wouldn't turn your world upside down for her." He repeated dangerously.

"I would." He admitted angrily, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. "But I would never betray the Vagrants, let alone my family."

"Then I guess we're different." Stefan said indifferently, shrugging his shoulders.

"I guess we are."

Klaus shook his head and stormed over to the brothers, interrupting their confrontation. "So Stefan's a fucking idiot and fell in love with Mason Lockwood's wife. Great," he began in a fuming tirade. "Where does this link to anything? How does it link to Michael or Trevor? How did you get involved with them? You didn't have to join the Vengeful Souls, what made you do it?" he demanded.

Stefan sighed and moved off of his knees, sitting comfortably on the floor. "Michael spotted me and Katherine one night. You know what he's like, he's one of the most well known but never the most dangerous." He said quietly, his eyes far away. "Either he told Mason or I joined the Vengefuls."

"You're going to get her killed." Damon hissed angrily. "You're endangering her life because you're too selfish to know what's best for her!"

"I know!" Stefan shouted loudly. "You think I don't realize that?"

"Enough sibling rivalry." Klaus ordered. He lifted his gun again for the hundredth time that day. "Keep going."

"It was either I joined or Katherine died; I joined." He shrugged uninterestedly. "Mason controls Trevor, Trevor controls Michael, that's how I ended up in the house that night."

"Doesn't explain why you shot Elena." Damon said shortly.

"Why not?" Stefan replied, shrugging again. Damon hissed in rage, restrained only by Klaus' strong arm holding him back. "It was you or her."

"Michael seemed like your little bitch." Klaus noted absently. "If he's controlling you, why does he listen to you?"

Stefan chuckled humorlessly. "Can you imagine how pissed Mason would be is he found out Michael knew about Katherine cheating on him? He'd be a dead man in hours. Call it a business relationship, and a strained one at that."

"You tell Lockwood then you die too." Damon said quietly, folding his arms. "Or has Michael not figured that out yet?"

"Michael wants you dead." Stefan pointed out. "You killed Finn; he wants your blood. He's a little preoccupied with finding you to worry about little details like that."

"He pissed me off." Damon said, waving his hand dismissively.

"I've pissed you off." His brother pointed out casually. "Why am I not dead?"

"Believe me, I'm asking myself the same question." Damon muttered under his breath. "You're my brother and I can't fucking kill you; I'm sure you understand that." He snapped bitterly, gesturing to Klaus impatiently.

"I can kill him," Klaus muttered loud enough that both men heard him.

"You're not killing him." Damon said firmly. He picked his gun up off the dresser and slid it back inside his jacket. "We're leaving."

Klaus groaned and narrowed his eyes. "Salvatore or not, Vagrant or not; if you do something stupid I'm sending a bullet through your head."

Damon sighed and grabbed Klaus' arm, roughly jerking him towards the door knowing fine well that Klaus would never pull that trigger. "Idiot." He muttered under his breath. "I'm surrounded by idiots; complete, fucking idiots."

As Klaus walked out of the motel room into the late morning sun, Stefan's voice rang out in the quiet room. "I love her, brother." He said sadly. "And she loves me, so blame me as you will, but that's my lot is and that's what I'm going to take."

Damon nodded once, his blue eyes unreadable as he stared at the stranger his brother has become.

Damon yawned loudly as he pulled up in front of Elena's apartment complex, stretching his arms above his head. It was now well into the afternoon as he had headed back to his apartment to shower and change and now all he wanted to do was pass out for the next several hours. He'd dozed restlessly for an hour or so at his own apartment before deciding any attempts at sleep were futile and he had made his way back to Elena. He opened his door and climbed out slowly, locking his Camaro and letting himself into the building. He made his way methodically towards the elevator, sluggishly pressing the button for the desired floor and leaning his head against the cold metal walls.

As he let himself into the apartment with the spare key he had honestly forgotten he had he smiled as he glimpsed Elena through the open sliding door of her bedroom, reaching high to place a pair of shoes in her walk-in wardrobe, giving him a great view of her ass in the short ragged denim shorts she was wearing. Some time during his absence she must have collected most of her belongings from his place and started to make her apartment less dead looking. He had to admit, he liked it without furniture; it gave him a strange sense of comfort. He moved quietly towards her, a sly grin on his lips as he footsteps were masked by the quiet music coming from her laptop.

Damon snuck up behind her, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her backwards onto the bed. He kissed the back of her neck messily, trailing his lips across her shoulders. She pulled out of his arms and rolled over so she was lying across his chest, smirking playfully. "Is your goal in life to scare me every time you get the chance?"

Brushing his hands over her sides, sliding them under the fabric of her top to feel her skin, he smirked gleefully, reaching up to capture her lips with his. "That wasn't scary." He insisted, running one hand through the ends of her hair.

Elena spluttered with laughter and pointed towards the door. "That was locked!"

"I forgot I had a key." Damon replied honestly with a wide smile. He sat up so she was sitting in his lap with her head pressed to his chest, kissing her again as she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms wound around his neck. "Hi." He murmured sleepily into hair.

"Hey." She whispered back quietly. "Did you find him?" she asked softly, teasing the hair at the nape of his neck while her ear was pressed to the hollow of his throat.

Damon sighed dramatically, flopping backwards onto the bed again, causing Elena to curl up on his chest laughing lightly. "Yeah." He said, twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. "He did the same thing all fools do." He told her bitterly, his fingers on one hand dancing over her sides. "He fell in love with the wrong girl."

"Or the right girl at the wrong time." Elena added absently, her jaw moving against his chest. She shrugged lightly. "Something my Mom used to say." He said, her voice wavering slightly. "Never made much sense. She told me I'd get it one day." She shrugged weakly, a strained smile gracing her lips. "Then she told me love sucked and never to waste my time on anything I knew wouldn't go anywhere." Her voice cracked slightly as memories crashed over her.

Damon held her a little bit tighter in his arms. "Nothing makes sense when you first hear it." He pointed out, staring at the ceiling. "And then, one day it all clicks."

"She always told me to tell her when I figured it out." She whispered hoarsely, pressing her face firmly into the soft cotton of his long sleeved t-shirt. "But I can't." she said, her small frame shaking slightly. "I can't ever tell her anything." Damon didn't say a word; he held her in silence, letting her grieve in her own silent way. Few tears fell from her eyes as he kept his arms wrapped securely around her.

He watched the clouds move on the wind and the shadows change as the sun dipped in behind the cover, emerging only in faint beams penetrating the dull cloud. He listened steadily to the faint call of the birds and reveled in the silence of the desert. He felt the faint breeze against his skin, welcoming it as the hot sun shone through the glass. He ran his fingers across her back, moving in soft patterns across her spine.

"Thank you." She told him after a long period of silence. The shadows in the room had changed, washing them in the dull orange glow of the fading desert sun. She tilted her chin up so she could look into his eyes.

"Anytime." He told her softly, his voice rough. He unwound one hand from her waist and used it to gently tilt her chin up so he could claim her lips once more.

It started innocent; the sweet taste of her glancing against his lips, before Elena pulled herself up, straddling him dominantly as she smirked at him, stealing kisses across his neck. Her wandering hands found the edge of his shirt, pulling it up his chest and over his head with ease as he lifted his arms over his head.

Elena trailed kisses down his stomach, tracing the line of his hips with her tongue. Damon let out a rough noise of pleasure, grabbing her waist and lifting her off of him, leaving her on the bed not a second later. Damon was above her in moments, placing feverish kisses across the few inches of exposed stomach. He ripped her shirt off of her, throwing it carelessly away and tangling his hands in her hair as his tongue delved into the caverns of her mouth. Elena moaned, fighting him furiously, locking her legs around his hips. Damon broke the contact of their mouths, grinning against Elena's skin as she made an indignant noise of protest. Placing hot, open-mouthed kisses across her body he left a burning path across her neck, leading to her stomach and his hands found the catch of her shorts.

"Elena?" Giuseppe's voice bellowed loudly as he pounded loudly on the door, effectively dousing her in freezing cold water. "Damon!" he added laughing slightly after that. "I know you're in there."

Elena sat up abruptly; unintentionally pushing Damon off her so hard he rolled off the bed and landed with a hard thump on the wooden flooring. "Ouch." He said his voice muffled by something. Elena bit her lip to stop herself from laughing as she rolled over onto her stomach, leaning her head on her arms as she took in Damon's disheveled appearance. "You better be planning on fixing this." He said pointedly, gesturing bluntly towards his jeans. She burst out laughing, unable to force herself to be quiet.

"That's disgusting." She said, smiling slyly. "Your dad's right outside, and someone can't seem to keep quiet if I remember correctly." She said, winking at him as she lifted her head off her arms and moved closer to him, hovering her lips inches from his.

"Yeah, you." Damon retorted, his eyes sparkling as they glanced between her lips and her eyes. "Remind me how good I am? I'm sure you told me last night - several times in fact..." he trailed off meaningfully, shooting her a playful glare. Elena launched a pillow at him, laughing uncontrollably as he ducked comically, glaring at her.

"Not funny." He warned threateningly, his eyes bright and happier than she'd ever seen.

"Elena!" Grayson shouted this time. "If you're trying to be quiet, might wanna tone it down."

Elena rolled out the bed, wandering over to where her shirt lay abandoned and bent over for Damon's benefit, hearing him moan in displeasure. Elena slipped her shirt over her head and turned around, leaning against the wall as she looked at him. He was sitting pouting against her bed, looking incredibly irritated. She crouched down in front of him and pulled him into a rough kiss, fighting his tongue as he groaned and wrapped one hand securely in her hair while the other was braced against the floor keeping him upright. "They won't be here long. Trust me, Grayson won't want to stay here longer than necessary." She said chuckling, gesturing to her wild appearance. Damon smirked, looking proud of himself as he pushed himself up off the floor and pulled his shirt over his head. He ran his fingers through her hair gently, working out the worst of the mess.

She shook her head, her eyes sparkling with delight and wandered through the sliding doors of her bedroom, squealing in surprise as Damon charged after her and grabbed her from behind, spinning her around wildly and tickling her mercilessly, leaving her a giggling mess in his arms. He knew she would have sunk to the floor if he didn't have one arm securely wrapped around her waist. He kissed behind her ear, grinning happily as she set her down and reached over with his free hand and pulled the floor door open, winking obnoxiously at Grayson who was looking at them both with a horrified expression.

"Afternoon." He drawled, gesturing exaggeratedly for them to enter. "Please, sit down." The two older men walked into the apartment, staring around in disbelief.

"Nice furniture, 'Lena." Grayson commented dryly, closing the door with a amused grin.

"You didn't get the girl for furniture?" Giuseppe asked his son incredulously, raising a greying eyebrow. Damon shook his head, rolling his eyes at his father. Giuseppe tutted and looked at his life-long best friend. "Shocking."

Damon burst out laughing and held one hand up in surrender, the other still wrapped out Elena's waist. "I was busy!"

Elena turned and stared at him in shock, her brown eyes wide and dancing with hidden laughter. Giuseppe roared with amusement, his rough melody echoing around the empty room. Grayson stared in revulsion at the man he had known for nearing thirty years and the girl he had his arm wrapped around with his fingers moving gently over her hips, who just happened to be his daughter.

"Anyway, moving on…" Grayson prompted eagerly, motioning with his hands uncomfortably.

Damon's eyes went wide. "I didn't mean that kind of busy, you sick old man." He said aghast, staring horrified at his father. "I had to find Stefan-"

The light in Giuseppe's eyes dimmed at the mention of his younger son's name. "And why did you have to find Stefan?" he asked in a quiet voice, his blue eyes looking seriously into the identical one's of his son. Damon opened his mouth slightly, looking as if he was about to say something before he shut it firmly, looking away from his father's gaze.

Elena looked up at the three men in the room, meeting her father and Giuseppe's gazes for a split-second while her hand slid under Damon's shirt to feel his hot skin against her, more for comfort than anything else. He moved his arm; winding it around her shoulders and bringing her close to he could place a chaste kiss to her hair. She took a deep breath, meeting the oldest Salvatore's eyes and briefly registering the shock in them.

"Why did you have to find Stefan?" he repeated quietly, staring curiously at the younger couple, noticing the sot touches and gentle comfort they found in each other. Elena met his eye with an unwavering gaze, and he saw his best friend within their depths.

"Because he was the one who shot me."