Chapter 13

Damon was anxious as he strode backwards and forwards in his room. Fate was knocking down on his door and the bitch was getting even. Peyton was getting even. He didn't blame her for wanting to get even with him – after all he could admit that he was rather abrupt about what they had together. He didn't just stick with her because the sex was good for ten years. He was with her all those times because he actually enjoyed her company. Damon liked her and he hadn't liked anyone for a long time since becoming a vampire and that thought alone drove him from her as well.

"Damon!" Elena shouted out, startling him as waited for her to enter the room.

"What?!" He shouted back annoyed as she walked in.

"Have you heard from Stefan?" She asked with her hand in her phone.

"No. He's been gone for three days."

Elena rolled her eyes.

"You don't care that he and Caroline have just disappeared of the radar?" She asked judgingly.

"So what? Let him and Barbie have some fun." Damon was concerned for his brother but he knew that if his little brother was with Barbie then nothing could go wrong. The two somehow had this weird connection and Caroline would keep an eye out on Stefan. Damon could trust her to look out for his brother.

"That's not the point." Elena tossed her cell on the bed and flopped down on the bed as well.

"Look Stefan deserves his own space. I don't blame him." Damon admitted with a tone of regret in his voice. He knew that he had messed up things between them and he had no idea how he was going to patch things up. Stefan was his brother and the term: "Bro's before hoes" should have been acknowledged and lived out when they had both realized that they had mutual feelings for Elena. But Elena had crawled under their skin like a disease.

"I feel awful." She sobbed.

Damon couldn't help but feel a smidgen of bitterness towards her. What did she have to worry about? Stefan was his brother , his own blood and he had repeated history by falling for the same woman again. There was nothing worse than betrayal between siblings, especially when things between him and Stefan were complicated.

"Well you shouldn't. You made your choice right? You're not having second doubts?" He asked, his voice laced with venom.

Huge crocodile tears rolled down Elena's olive skin. It was the first time Damon was being a jerk towards her. Since they had been together everything had been perfect and now that he was lashing out at her, she couldn't help but question if she had made the right choice. Was it the sire bond that had forced her to commit to Damon, and now that she was seeing him like this, she couldn't help but wish that Stefan was around.

"Of course not." She lied as she hiccupped.

Damon was an excellent poker player and he could see the bluff she was putting up. She was doubting them already after Stefan exited their lives. Did she really expect Stefan too stay on and be in the background while she got the best of both brothers? Was Peyton right?

Elena climbed off the bed and placed two tentative hands on either side of his face.

"I love you Damon." She leaned in and kissed him.

He responded out of habit but somehow her behavior was hitting a lot of home truths that he had been denying lately. Damon pulled back and looked at her brown eyes. He saw devotion and wiliness in her eyes. Devotion to him because he was her sire and wiliness because she would do anything he commanded and this too was because of the sire bond. The only way that he could be sure if her feelings were genuine was if she was human again and she could admit whether or not she loved him or not.

"I need to go." Damon stepped out of her embrace.

"What?" Elena asked puzzled and upset by his obvious rejection of her kiss.

She wasn't used to getting rejected by Damon of all people.

"I have to go and see an old friend." Damon picked up his cell from his bedside table and began searching for Peyton's number. There were things he needed to know and by being in her company she wouldn't be able to launch an attack on Elena, if that was her plan still.

"Who?"

Damon glanced towards Elena as he dialed the number and it went straight to voice mail.

"We need to talk. Call me when you get this message." Damon grabbed his leather jacket. "It's better that you don't know." He continued.

Elena stopped right in front of him before he could leave the room.

"No goodbye kiss?" She smiled.

Damon sighed and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. Elena frowned but before she could question him he had already left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Meanwhile ….

Caroline was paralyzed with fear as she screwed her eyes shut. If she didn't see what was happening then it wasn't happening. Except she could feel the slight rocking motion and it wasn't doing anything to calm the nerves in her stomach. She really didn't like heights. This was all Stefan's fault, she was going to kill him the minute they were on the ground again.

"Come on Caroline, it's not so high." Stefan placed an arm around her shoulder which caused their seat to rock more.

"Don't do that." Caroline shrieked as she opened her eyes, hyperventilating at the sight of the earth beneath her. She didn't know why they had to go on the Ferris wheel.

She hated the thing from her childhood days. When her parents were still married they had forced her to go on while they continued to argue. They figured it was best if their daughter was up high above them – but she had heard their fight from above.

"Look at me. Nothing can happen," Stefan pulled her closer towards his side and whispered, "You're a vampire, and you can't die by falling alright."

Caroline tucked her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled good.

"You so owe me a huge teddy bear." She mumbled into his neck.

Stefan chuckled softly as he stroked her head, running his fingers through her soft curls. Stefan was a sucker for carnivals. The atmosphere was intoxicating from the smell of giant pretzels, popping popcorn and sugary candy floss too the lights and sounds of the amusement rides and arcades. It reminded him that life was supposed to be fun. Taking a gamble and just rolling with the punches.

Once the Ferris wheel came to a stop and it was their turn to exit, he gently helped Caroline out of her seat as he loosed the seat belt buckle and tossed her over his shoulder. Caroline giggled as she was greeted to the sight of his jean covered bottom. She couldn't resist slapping him.

"Hey!" Stefan laughed as he returned the favor on her behind.

"You got a mighty fine hide back here." Caroline chortled.

Stefan walked with her over his shoulder until he reached the games section. He placed her gently on her feet before replying; "You are bootylicious my lady."

"Are you a Beyoncé fan?" Caroline teased.

"No not really but I seem to be quoting her quite a lot." Stefan moved toward a game, where the adjective was to throw the ball through the hoop five times in a row in order to win a giant stuffed animal.

Stefan paid the carnie once he spotted the stuffed animal he was going to get. Stefan easily passed the ball through the hoops as the carnie eyed him suspiciously before declaring him a winner. Stefan picked out the large lion stuffed animal.

He handed it over too Caroline who had a huge grin on her face.

"How did you guess?" Caroline hugged the stuffed animal closer to her body.

"Guess what?" Stefan put his hands in his jean pockets.

"That I wanted the lion."

"Oh that. Just picked the animal that reminded me of you. In my defense there was no monkey so I had to choose the lion." He said jokingly as she gave him her evil eye.

"Hahaha very funny."

"Well you're headstrong, tough and cheeky but on the inside you're a fluffy little fur ball. Cute as a button." Stefan placed an arm around her shoulders as they walked through the masses.

Caroline tried not to hyperventilate at his touch. He didn't mean anything by it.

"I always wanted a kitten." Caroline sighed softly.

Stefan glanced down at her.

"Why didn't you ever get one then?" He asked.

"My dad promised me one for my birthday. Except that year my parents got divorced and my dad's partner was allergic to cats. So I never got one."

Stefan hugged her closer.

"You'll get a cat one day and a picket fence with a handsome guy, ready to fall over his feet for you. I promise."

"That sounds perfect. Thanks for my lion and the panic attack. You've restored my faith in carnivals again. I enjoyed this one more than the last one."

Stefan knew she was referring to when she accidentally killed the carnival worker when she was still a newbie vampire, but even then when he was cleaning her up in the bathroom he could sense her determination and fight. She didn't want to become a monster so she fought it and resisted. She truly was one of a kind.

"You're welcome. I love carnivals. It reminds me of the times my father would take me and Damon to the local fairs in town. They weren't as exciting back then but we felt like a family." Stefan remarked quietly as he looked towards the sky.

"Family is important. I'm sorry that things are up in the air between you and Damon. But it will get better time. I promise you that." Caroline smiled as Stefan returned his gaze back to hers.

"What makes you say that?" He asked.

Caroline shrugged her shoulders, "He'll wake up one day and remember that you're his brother. That nothing can break you apart and he'll miss you. Damon might be an asshole but he's asshole of a brother who loves you. If it came between you and Elena, he would choose you."

Stefan didn't reply as they walked back towards the hotel they were staying the night at. The solitude evening brought with it closure and Stefan realized that Caroline was right. He was sure that in the future he and Damon could resolve their issues. They had agreed that when Elena had made her final choice that one would leave and the other would stay with her – but that hadn't exactly worked out because of Elena's situation.

Perhaps there was hope for them to be brothers again. He missed his older brother and he could never have faced eternity without him. He had been selfish when he had convinced Damon to turn. Stefan didn't want to be alone, his whole life he had been used to having his brother at his side. The two Salvatore brothers who were inseparable and had the belief that they could conquer the world together.

Once they reached the hotel, they separated as they moved into the elevator as they made their way up to their rooms. When the doors pinged open on their floor they stepped out and made it to their rooms which were next door to each other.

"So what you gonna name your friend?" Stefan asked when they came to a stop outside Caroline's room.

"Simba. Duh?" Caroline rolled her eyes playfully. "Thanks for tonight, it was really fun."

Stefan nodded before he moved closer towards Caroline. He lingered near her for a few seconds as if he was unsure of what he was going to do. Her breath hitched as his face came closer towards her. His lips touched her cheeks as he placed a kiss there.

"Goodnight Caroline." He whispered before he stepped back, breaking the connection that had surrounded them like a force field bubble.

"Night Stefan." Caroline croaked as she still felt the pull between them. The attraction and inner longing that was urging her to be pulled in closer towards him. It scared her, and she quickly fumbled her way through her hotel door before closing it behind her. She slid down the door defeated and exhausted by their interaction. She couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same.

An: Thank you so much for the reviews! It really helps with the motivation to keep this story going