To all my reviewers who answered the question, yay you were right! You seriously are VD champions :D What would you like as a 'prize'? I'm all up for reasonable ideas :) e.g. any one-shots you'd like me to write?
daydream4life2011: Thanks for that, I think I understand it now! Wow, I've actually got a lot of hits x)
victoria: Thank you, I think I've got the hang of updating regularly now ;)
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Please read&review and enjoy, this a long chapter for once, and it I was tired but happy when I finished it!
Chapter 30 Part 1 (Damon's POV):
He knew it as soon as he realised there were only two possible reasons left.
He didn't really care that Stefan had made him drink human blood. After all, without it he would never have experienced the pleasures of being a vampire!
But much as he now resented to admit it, he actually still hated the fact that Katherine - who had in the end told them that she only loved Damon - had given Stefan her blood! [Blood Brothers reference, chapter 17]
And in a way that Damon felt disgusted to think about. She had been his, why did his brother have to ruin it! Just like now, he always ruined everything...
But Katherine had compelled Stefan to drink her blood. Of course he hadn't wanted to intentionally betray his brother! But after The Ripper Stefan had emerged, Damon had always been suspicious of whatever Stefan told him. Maybe that type of Stefan was still lurking beneath the exterior 'nice' Stefan?
He had once or twice played a trick on Damon. And now, Damon wouldn't admit to anyone where one or two of his own tricks came from...
With a sigh, he went downstairs and poured himself a drink from the cabinet. There was something seriously wrong with him.
Why could he not forgive and forget? He'd been irritated at Stefan for not moving on, but it was himself who was to blame!
He had to do something. Wincing at the prospect of the subject he was going to discuss, he sped back upstairs.
Part 2 (Stefan's POV):
He was just sitting on his bed, with a pen in his hand, journal on his lap. He wanted to write something before he left.
He was going to leave his journal behind, it would only be a constant reminder of everything he had experienced - the good and the bad.
He would try to persuade Elena to leave too, yet would not force her. Although she was nothing like Katherine, it would be like a slap in the face whenever he woke up next to her. Another reminder of what he'd done to his brother.
His pen touched paper but in that second, it was gone. His hair was ruffled!
Hurriedly smoothing it out, he started to get up when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Sit."
"But I want my -"
"Leverage."
Just stopping himself from grabbing it out of his hands anyway, he slowly sat back down.
Damon whisked a chair from his desk and sat on it back to front, leaning on it's back. He was flipping through the pages of his journal and Stefan started to protest, but Damon put his hand up.
"Before you say anything, it's your own fault." Stefan tensed. He couldn't help it, hearing it admitted. He knew it didn't escape Damon's notice. "You shouldn't keep a diary in the first place, writing all this sentimental rubbish."
"It's a journal and -"
"It's a diary."
"No, it's a journal."
"I'm having a sense of de ja vu...We've had this argument before and I think I won." [Blood Brothers reference, Chapter 13]
"What! No you didn't -"
"Who's got the journal, Stefan?"
"You snatched it -" Stefan sat up straighter. A smile played on his lips "You've got my what?"
Damon's expression turned confused "What?"
"What did you say?"
"When?"
"Repeat what you said just now."
" 'When' ?"
"Just now!"
"I did."
"You did what?"
"Repeat it."
"What did you repeat?"
" 'When' ?"
"You said you were going to repeat what you said..."
"I did."
"You -" Stefan prevented himself from exploding once he looked at Damon's face properly. He was laughing!
And yet, he couldn't stop himself from grinning either. What a ridiculous argument!
Laughing with his brother felt...good. It had been a very long time since they had done anything funny together.
And that didn't count Damon teasing him about this, that and the other.
But he still needed to leave.
"Can I have it back now?"
"Have what back now?"
"The journal."
"It's a diary."
"Damon!"
"Aah Stefan, calm down. It is just too easy to wind you up!" Again with the laughing!
Stefan glared and might have launched himself at his brother, but quickly scooted backwards when Damon placed the book on his lap and leant forward, suddenly full of purpose, hands gripping the back of the chair.
"Stefan Salvatore, you can be very annoying and possibly the worst type of vampire I know, not to mention your simpleness at the best of times, and atrocious gullibility...but I want you to know that You. Are. My. Brother. And nothing I can do can change that fact, unfortunately - joke. But with the responsibility of brotherhood comes l -" He cut off.
Stefan was unconsciously holding his breath. Would he say it? Would Damon be able to say that word...?
"Well...Brotherhood is family, and families stick together don't they?"
Part 3 (Damon's POV):
He had chickened out. After all the preparation he had done in his head for this moment, he hadn't been able to say it. It just wasn't him!
He felt it, of course he felt it, but he couldn't express it out loud.
Trust him to have a brother who needed proof for everything. Wasn't the mind thought last night enough?
He tried not to think of the other reason for why he could not say it. But, as fate would have it, once he thought about it, he couldn't stop.
He felt ashamed. That even though he loved his brother, his anger was dominant when Mitsao influenced his feelings.
The wariness crept back into Stefan's eyes. It had been gone when they were laughing; Damon actually thought Stefan would get some sense knocked into him that they could have fun together, it wasn't all doom and gloom.
Stefan got off the bed on the other side and straightened the covers.
"Stefan..." Stefan mutely shook his head and turned to walk to his wardrobe. Damon wasn't having it.
Flitting to stand in front of Stefan, he grabbed his head between his hands and allowed him no room to escape.
His tone became steely - it filled the room with Power, so there was no doubt that he was telling the truth.
"Listen to me! I love you. Okay? I - I love you." He paused to let it sink in. "There I said it, but you probably still won't believe me until I'm on my hands and knees right? Begging you for forgiveness?"
He roughly pulled his hands away, and turned his back on those shocked eyes, striding to the window.
He felt, rather than heard, Stefan approaching from behind.
"Why, why are you so angry about it?"
Knowing Stefan, he probably thought he hated loving his brother.
"Because...Because my anger got the better of me. Just because Mitsao influenced the wrong emotion, my love should have overpowered it." His eyes widened, startled. He didn't know the word could come out so easily... "Love is supposed to conquer all, right? After all, we're family, we should protect family."
He felt Stefan tentatively place his hand on his shoulder. He tried to shrug it off, but Stefan just held on tighter.
"But...Damon, don't you see? Your love did overpower the hate. I'm living - dead - proof of that! You should be proud of what you did!"
"That's what Bonnie said..."
"And she's right! Both of you destroyed a kitsune! Imagine the fame you'll have: 'The coolest vampire kills a kitsune.'"
Damon sighed, maybe they were right after all...He turned around. "'The coolest vampire in town kills kitsune bitch.' Sounds more impressive."
They both stood there. He should just pat him on the back and walk off. He could convey his gratitude and be patronising about it at the same time! Stefan wasn't going to leave now.
He should, but...ah what the hell, he grabbed a very surprised Stefan in a hug. "You did well last night too."
"Wow, a compliment from the coolest vampire in town!" The sarcasm was burning him.
"By the way..." He gripped his brother just a little too tight "After you see your fiancée, we're going to have a much needed chat about when you eat, what you eat, and who you eat."
Pulling away, he walked towards the door, with a very Damon-y smirk "I guess you want your diary back then?"
Stefan's anxious expression altered to one of annoyance "...Journal."
"Diary."
"Journal."
"Diary."
"Journal."
"Journal."
"Diary!" A second after he said it, Stefan's expression was priceless. "No wait -"
"Thank god you admitted it, there's nothing to be ashamed of. As long as Elena doesn't find out, otherwise she might get a little nervous about your sexuality."
He smirked and threw the book back at Stefan. As he walked out the room, he called over his shoulder "It'll be out little secret...Which means she'll know by tonight."
"Damon!"
Some things never changed.