Thanks to everyone's reviews! These really made me grin and made my story feel loved!

In reference to Jess's review (which is amazing, THANK YOU :D), I'm really sorry I haven't got any other Damon/Stefan stories for you to read, BUT Blood Brothers and sequel by TheFictionist is amazing, and kinda like a prequel to this story, have you read it?

And I could be persuaded to write a sequel with enough encouragement and ideas!

Please read and review, and enjoy!

Chapter Thirty-two

Stefan looked up at the apartments for the last time. After everything that had happened, he had forgotten. But now they all would be free.

Starting forward, he stopped suddenly when anger drove into his mind, hindering his progress:

Care to tell me what you are doing here?

Stefan groaned. "Damon, why did you follow me?" he couldn't keep the exasperated tone from creeping into his voice.

A hand clapped his shoulder as his brother walked past and faced him "Well it looks like someone has to check up on you before you do something stupid. Like walk into an apartment full of kitsunes who must be murderous after their leader hasn't returned for days on end..."

"I need to free a friend."

"...Or better yet, before you make friends with said kitsunes, which only you would do!" He smacked Stefan round the head.

"Ow Damon! What was that for?"

"Your stupidity! Now go home."

Only then did he realise his brother was holding a tub of gasoline in his hands.

"Err Damon...what are you doing?"

"Nothing for you to worry about little brother. Now do as I said." He began to turn back round.

Stefan grabbed his jacket (which was a brand new black designer one, after the 'horrifying destruction' of the old one - as Damon liked to put it) and forcibly stopped him from moving forward. Damon's head whipped to face him.

"Stefan..." he warned through clenched teeth.

"Damon please, I can't let you kill them! There's a guy who helped me a lot in there, Peter Ackroyd..." Damon's eyes widened, momentarily shocked, before narrowing in anger. Stefan faltered "...and I promised not to leave him behind..."

Another smack to the head, harder this time. "Jesus, Damon stop it!"

"Trust you to make friends with the deadliest vampire-turned-kitsune in town!"

"Soudns better than coolest vampire in town, don't you think?"

Damon raised his hand menacingly. Stefan backed out of reach, his grin slipping. "Please Damon, I promised...I can't -"

"You can't go back on your promises. Why do you have to be so moral? And for the record, I think your choice in friends is disastrous! First an Original, now a notorious kitsune..."

"Shame I didn't get a choice in my brother!"

Damon's face was priceless "Stefan did you just - did you just crack a funny? Alert the media!"

"Hey, I can be funny!"

"You can pout too. Oh and by the way, don't steal my brother jokes. You don't want any other brother." Damon shrugged his shoulders "Fine, get Ackroyd and get out. Then this whole place is going to go up in flames."

"Got it." After checking to confirm that he wasn't pouting (which he wasn't - okay, yeah he was) Stefan sped into the apartment.

It took him a moment to allocate Peter's room. He went in without knocking, which, in hindsights, was stupid.

As soon as he entered, he was immobilised and toppled onto the floor.

"Who dares enter?" Stefan couldn't tell if it was Peter or not, seeing as his face was mashed into the fluffy carpet "Tsstfnvvccmmffruu"

A hand grabbed his hair and flipped him over.

As the other man saw Stefan's face, his eyes sparkled and a smile spread across it.

"Still alive I see."

Stefan felt the magic leave his body and he stood up, grinning. "She's dead!"

Immediately, Peter's hand clamped over his mouth "Sshh!" His eyes darted to the door and back. "We don't want anyone else to know. They are all loyal to her."

Stefan nodded emphatically and signalled with his hands that they should leave.

Stefan was in the hallway when he realised Peter wasn't behind him. Turning back, he saw him pick up a photo of a pretty blonde and caress it with his fingers, before tucking it into the back pocket of his jeans. No second guessing who she was. Stefan wondered what it would be like to lose Elena. Unimaginable.

In less than a minute they were hurrying out the front door and Damon was using his vampire speed to spread the gasoline all over the hallway and backed out.

"Okay...now it's time for the fireworks..." Flicking a lighter, he indicated for Stefan and Peter to get further back. Then he threw it into the apartment and joined them.

Stefan couldn't drown out the screams and cries of agony. He felt like he was with Mitsao all over again, and imaginary pain on his back flared.

He couldn't let these turned kitsunes suffer for what she did. It wasn't right, they hadn't chosen to be like her!

He started forward, but Damon must have seen the way his face altered, or just known he wouldn't be able to bear this, because he shoved him back a few steps, glaring and shaking his head.

"I don't think so."

Somehow, he could make himself heard over the noise, while Stefan had to shout. "Damon, we can't let them die because of her! I can't watch them die!"

"Then don't look."

He tried sidestepping his brother, but Damon just moved in synchronisation, steadfast resolution shining in his eyes.

Stefan eventually stopped trying, bringing his hands up to his head. The screaming wouldn't stop!

Peter came up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Look Stefan, you don't need to feel guilty for this. I was the only one who resisted her. These kitsunes knew what they were getting into. All of them. Trust me."

And so, Stefan trusted him. How could he know that the notorious vampire-turned-kitsune could lie so well?

Once the building had collapsed and it was evident that nothing could survive the inferno, Stefan slowly trudged back to his car.

He didn't hear Damon ask Peter "Did they all play 'Follow the leader'?"

And he didn't see Peter silently shake his head.

But he did feel Damon's arm go round his shoulders comfortingly, and all was forgotten as he remembered that, after all the chaos in the past few days, he still had his brother.

And that was all that mattered.

Sooo how did you guys like this chapter? :)

The last couple of sentences seem like the perfect ending but I just have an epilogue to update next then it really will all be over :(

Unless anyone has any suggestions for a sequel/oneshots? I will write some at your request :D