Chapter 3: Blood Habit

"I don't know why he's so worried, we're friends, right?" she asked.

Damon grinned, although it was forced. "Yeah! BFF. But you know Stefan…he's got to brood about everything." It was nice to have this back. No tension, no worries, just the two of them having a good time.

"Hey Elena…Damon." Stefan slid in beside Elena and kissed her cheek. He didn't catch the look she gave Damon that clearly said 'See what I mean?' He directed his next question at Damon. "What's going on here?"

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing, brother. Elena came in by herself; I figured I might as well join her."

Stefan's eyes stayed locked on Damon's as if trying to read between what he was saying. "Really…is he bothering you?" he asked Elena quietly.

She frowned and shook her head. "No, Stefan…I'm glad he did. Damon's right I shouldn't be by myself knowing everything that happened recently. He was keeping me company." She smiled at Damon and that put him at ease. He smiled back.

Stefan's eyebrows knitted together. "Well why didn't you call me?"

Elena tried not to roll her eyes and Damon smirked a little. "Because you said you were going to talk to Alaric…I didn't want to pull you away." Her eyes landed on Stefan before opening the menu in front of her as a distraction.

Stefan smiled and soothingly ran a hand down her back. "I wouldn't have minded. I'd take my girlfriend over Alaric any day." Damon's smirk grew as she huffed.

"Stefan…" she said exasperatedly. "We need to talk." Her voice meant business.

Damon slid out of the booth. "And that's my cue!" he commented grandly. "Any conversation starting with 'we need to talk' I want no part of. I'll be at the bar." Damon strolled to the bar and occupied his previous spot.

Stefan looked confused. "What's wrong, Elena?"

Elena turned so she was facing him fully. "Look I told you before that we need some time apart." She started gently. "And just because Katherine is in the tomb and you and Damon saved me…doesn't mean we can pick up where we left off." She grabbed his hands in hers. "I love you Stefan…you know that, but I need time to figure out who I am without you." He was silent for a while and she was about to continued when he spoke softly looking down at their hands.

"Is this about Damon?" she could hear the insecurity in his voice.

She shook her head vehemently. "No…this is about me. I barely know my friends anymore, Stefan! Bonnie, Caroline, they're all slipping away. I feel like all my life is, is doom and gloom and chaos and I need a little bit of regular teenage angst." She tried to joke, but Stefan wasn't laughing.

Stefan nodded. "And that's my fault." He admitted. "I bring all that to your life. Katherine and-" he rambled, feeling sorry for himself.

She sighed irritably. "Stefan, this isn't about what you did! I need a break…from us, from the intensity; I just want to get back a little piece of the Elena I used to be. Please don't make this about you…it's not. I just need you to give me a little space to breathe, okay?" she asked hesitantly. He didn't answer; he just looked at the hard wood table in front of him and nodded demurely.

Elena exhaled a load off her shoulders and thanked whoever deserved it that the booth they were sitting in didn't have a wall blocking her in. She grabbed her bag and slipped off the other side of the booth, casting a glance at Damon's back before exiting the Grill.

She sat in her car and couldn't help but feel so much better. She knew it would be hard on him because it would be hard on her too; going from being with him all the time to not seeing for days at a time. But she felt it would be better that way. She needed her space because she was starting to feel suffocated.

Elena pulled out her phone and called Bonnie. No answer. She called Caroline who picked up sounding a little agitated and said she had her hands full but she'd call her back later. She turned the ignition and headed back towards her house for the rest of the afternoon.

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About ten minutes after Elena left, Stefan shook himself out of his stupor and sped back to the Boarding House. He was mad. Mad at himself, mad at Elena, mad at Damon, mad at everyone. He couldn't stop his face from changing the veins around his eyes protruding and his fangs elongated. Now he was hungry. He sped to the kitchen and threw open the fridge door, nearly ripping it off its hinges. The bag of O negative called out to him and he didn't think twice about puncturing the bag with his fangs and greedily draining it.

Five bags later, Stefan's body was humming with power. He missed this feeling; the feeling of strength and dominancy. He realized with a smirk that he had drained his brother's blood supply. He didn't really care but he didn't want him knowing about his new blood habits. So Stefan disposed of the bags in a dumpster in town and headed straight for the blood bank. He replaced Damon's stock and filled one of his own which he kept hidden in a cooler down in the cellar, a different spot than last time.

He felt great! Why didn't he do this before? Sure he was sipping Elena's blood everyday, but it wasn't enough to make him feel like this. But they couldn't know…they would deem him 'out of control' and lock him away again. No, no not this time.

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Elena sat in her room writing the past few days events in her journal, not even flinching when Damon hopped through her window mutely. "Hey." She greeted, writing one last line before closing it and putting it on her nightstand.

"That was quite a speech you gave back there Miss. Elena." He clapped his hands. "Oscar-worthy for sure." He hopped on her bed, reaching for the stuffed animal by her pillow and started fiddling with it. "Stefan seemed pretty upset though." He said in a semi concerned voice.

Elena sighed, and wrapped her arms around her bent up knees. "I know…but I had to, Damon. I was suffocating." He nodded in understanding. "It's gonna be hard, and he's going to be upset, but it's better this way. Both of us will be able to think with a clearer head and we can focus on what's coming next." She frowned. "Stefan was gonna talk to Alaric about something…do you think it has anything to do with The Originals and the curse?" Elena's brow was raised as she questioned the dark-haired vampire in front of her.

"Probably…what, he didn't tell you?" Damon asked spinning the stuffed toy in the air.

Elena smiled, and snatched it before he could catch it. "No. That wasn't really the topic of conversation. Would you mind asking him? See if there's anything we should know about…I don't really Stefan's gonna want to talk to me right now anyway." She said a little sadly.

Damon rolled his eyes and bounded off the bed. "I doubt that. Stefan would talk to you even if you just ripped his heart out and ate it for breakfast." He grinned facetiously at the look of disgust that curled her lip. "I'll go see what the Saint's up to…maybe pop by and see the teacher too. I'll come by later okay?" And with that he was out the window before she could tell him that he could use the door.

She smiled. She and Damon were falling back into their regular routine, and it was nice to know there was no pressure. She couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered when he smiled at her, when he really smiled. Or when he did that thing with his eyes…but that was just walking on dangerous territory. "I'm not Katherine." She whispered to herself. She wouldn't let herself be the one that led them both on and traded one up for the other. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. She thought back to the moment Damon shared with her. A moment he thought she wouldn't have to be burdened with. But it wasn't a burden.

"Why do you have to say it with my necklace?" My voice sounded scared, but I was nervous.

He seemed taken back by my question and had a hard time answering it. "Because what I'm about to say is probably the most selfless thing I've said in my life."

I shook my head. "Damon, don't go there."

He stepped closer to me. "I just have to say it once, you just need to hear it…I love you Elena. And it's because I love you that…I can't be selfish with you." His eyes bounced back and forth to look at mine. His voice broke. "And why you can't know this. I don't deserve you…but my brother does." He kissed my forehead sweetly and ran a hand over my hair. "God, I wish you didn't have to forget this." He couldn't quite look at me as he spoke. I remember being confused as the look of determination crossed his face. "But you do." He cried for me. Then he was gone.

It was a privilege. That he would share such an intimate moment with her, regardless of whether or not he intended for her to forget it.

Damon opened the door to the Boarding House and looked around. "Hello? Dear Brother?" he drawled loudly. He continued in knowing his brother was somewhere in the house. He moved to the parlor and poured himself a drink. He'd been doing that more than usual as of late. "Are you gonna come and greet me…or should we yell at each other through the walls?" he called with a half smile. It dropped when he didn't hear a reply. "Stefan?" He knocked back his bourbon and started to move up to Stefan's room.

Instead of knocking he waltzed right in and caught Stefan on his knees draining a bag of blood, a dozen bags in front of him and blood smeared all over his face. Damon's eyes were wide in horror and anger.

"Don't tell Elena." Stefan said calmly around a mouthful.

Damon sped up to him and ripped the bag from his hands. "What the fuck are you doing? Have you completely lost your mind?" he yelled, wrenching him off the floor.

Stefan's eyes were blank. "Kinda."

Damon shook him. "You can't drink human blood, Stefan! You can't control it!"

Stefan's voice was innocent and excited. "No, Damon I can! I feel great…I've never felt this good before. I can handle it, I promise. I need this Damon." His sentences were short and forcefully as he held on to Damon tightly to prove his point. "What do I have if I don't have this?" he eyes begged him to answer but Damon couldn't. "Please don't tell Elena…it's different this time. I can control it." He nodded quickly and numerous times as if trying not only to convince Damon, but himself too.

Damon scoffed. "Oh yeah…" he looked at the mess behind Stefan. "You're doing a great job at controlling yourself. Gold star for you!" he patted him hard on the back. He took a moment to assess the situation and collect himself. "I won't tell Elena if you can promise that you will let me help you with this." He looked his brother dead in the eye. "Promise me that no one will get hurt."

"I promise. I promise." Stefan agreed quickly. He laughed and pulled Damon into a hug. "It'll be just like old times."

Damon pulled away and looked him in the eyes sternly like a child. "Nooo…it won't be like old times, because in the old times we were killing people." Damon shook his head. "We're not killing anyone." He drawled. "Now go clean yourself up…I need to talk to you about your date with Alaric." Damon turned Stefan around and pushed him towards the bathroom. "When did I become the level-headed one?" he muttered to himself.

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Authors Note: Thank you again for all your reviews! I really appreciate them and it's making me update faster for you. I was given a great idea by BTVS100 and I will put it into the story in a future chapter! Thank you for your input! Love you guys! Hope you liked this chapter I had fun writing it!

Vanessa