Extra disclaimer: Song lyrics used in this chapter belong to Anya Marina ("Not A Through Street") and Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields ("Big Spender")

A/N: This chapter takes place one or two days (+/-) after the first chapter.

- Rising Stakes -

"Saints and Sinners may be separated by their actions, but they are united by their reaction to passion."
~~ Gaiven Clairmont ~~

The Salvatore Boarding House, Mystic Falls, 2010

"I don't remember much of anything of those years; kind of strange, kind of sad considering… all the laughs and all… the tears."

The words were floating like a vague memory through Stefan's mind. He didn't know where he'd heard them before, but he remembered they fit with a specific melody. He gave up trying to remember the entire song, or even its name or singer. It was of no importance to him anyway.
He had to take a shower. He always felt dirty after hunting in the woods for squirrels, rabbits and other forest animals. They provided little sustenance, but on a day like this, he just didn't feel in the mood at all to drink from a blood bag. What he needed was fresh, humid forest air, with the faint scent of musk. He felt trapped inside, like in a secluded cell. The walls were closing in on him.
After a little hunting break in the forest, he felt better again. The small release the kill gave him, that nanosecond of bliss when he sated his craving… even though animal blood tasted gory and felt sticky, he preferred it to human blood at times. Despite murdering an innocent, helpless animal, he felt closer to nature than ever. He needed that sometimes.
But now he really needed a shower. The last part of finally being able to relax and letting his bad mood he woke up with go, was letting the hot water drip over his shoulders and wash his worries away. Damon always had preferred baths; Stefan never really understood that wish. Nothing felt better than a steamy shower, nothing felt more cleansing. Giuseppe Salvatore had always laughed at people who bathed excessively. He used to say they were soaking in their own filth. Stefan shook his head. 'Father and his convictions…', he thought while entering the bathroom. He walked past the mirror and gave himself a short glance. Yuck, he was muddy because of the wet forest ground. That bunny had made one hell of a chase. Not that he didn't like a challenge though.

"Do you remember me… secretly?"

He unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it on the ground, untied his shoe laces and kicked his muddy boots off. He zipped open his pants and graciously stepped out of them, leaving a muddy pile of clothes on the floor. He quickly threw his pants and his shirt in the laundry basket. He suppressed a little chuckle at the thought that even vampires don't escape laundry duty. Buying new clothes every day is a waste. His father always taught him to be parsimonious.
He opened the shower doors and entered the big shower, flexing his tight arm muscles.
Parsimony was good, but he didn't mind the luxury of a big shower. It offered room for around eight persons at the same time. Not that he'd ever tried that before, god no, but at least he had a lot of space.
He turned on the built-in speakers, which unleashed a choir of Italian voices singing "La Regina Della Notte". He turned on the water and waited for it to reach its highest temperature. He sighed because of the hot vapour, but stepped in. He wrapped himself in a waterfall of steamy hot water. "Ahh…" Awesome.
He immediately felt all his worries wash away with the water. He grabbed a washing cloth and rinsed himself from head to toe. When he reached his groin, he lingered a little longer there, and rubbed more gently. He felt his tool harden. 'Ugh, not now.' He rolled his eyes, yet couldn't help but feel a little turned on for no to him apparent reason. He didn't remember what he had been thinking of last. It must be the heat. He shrugged.

Suddenly the music changed completely. A song that sounded vaguely familiar rolled out of the speakers.

"The minute you walked in the joint, I could see you were a man of distinction..."

He looked up in confusion, but ignored it. Just a little malfunction. He shrugged.
He continued washing himself –and used a high quality shampoo for his hair of course- and then turned the water off.
When he stepped out of the shower, he noticed he had forgotten to tee a towel. Damn. He toddled into his bedroom, trying not to wet the entire wooden floor.

"…Good lookin', so refined…"

He quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his lower. When he turned around, he noticed a surprise guest.
He was about to say Elena, until he noticed the curls. He rolled his eyes. "Katherine."
"Hello, Stefan. I just came by to say hi." She blinked innocently. "And to admire the view, of course", she said, inspecting him from head to toe with an appraising glance.
"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" Stefan's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Not anymore," she giggled, "but I also came back because Klaus is finally dead and your precious little Elena is an immortal." She clucked her tongue. "What are we gonna do about that?"
"How about… you get the hell out of the town and rot away in whatever place you were hiding out before?" Stefan flashed a sarcastic smile at her.
"I don't think so", she said, smiling her bitchy smile. She rushed towards him with vampire speed, grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him on his bed, then jumped on top of him.
"How about… this?" She looked at him and smiled her typical mischievous smile. Then she tried to grab his towel and throw it away, but Stefan held on to it tightly.
"No", he said.
Katherine pouted. "Oh come on, Stefan, you know you want to. With all this Elena angst, she hasn't given little Stefan a lot of playtime lately…" she said, slipping her hand under his towel, then ripping it off with all the strength she had.
Stefan couldn't help but feel a little turned on. "Katherine…" he muttered, gazing her in the eyes intently.
"I know, Stefan. I know", she said, while undressing on top of him.
She kissed him until a voice from the entrance of the room disturbed them.
"Stefan! I can't believe you'd cheat on me with Katerina!" an indignant voice sounded.
Katherine turned around and her gaze met Klaus'. Her eyes widened in fear, but then she relaxed. "Eww, what are you doing here?" she snapped and turned her look at Stefan and rolled her eyes in disgust as if Stefan was responsible for Klaus' presence. She sighed and snapped her fingers. Klaus vanished. She bent forward to kiss Stefan again, but Stefan stopped her.
"Wait. How did you do that, Katherine?" Stefan asked with a puzzled expression. "How could Klaus be here?" It was all so confusing for him.
"Doesn't matter, my love", she said, pressing little kisses in his neck, slowly going downwards.
When she reached his belly button, however, she got pushed off Stefan so hard, she hit the wall with a big thud. She cursed.
"Fancy running into such a clingy doppelgänger", Klaus said, grinning mischievously, but with an annoyed twinkle in his eyes.
He snapped his fingers and Katherine vanished.
He came closer to Stefan and looked amused at Stefan's nudity. "I see you were waiting for me", he smiled defiantly, his eyes brimming with desire.
Stefan tried to cover up himself, but Klaus ripped the blanket off and threw it at the other side of the room. "Don't fight me, love! I'll give you a time you'll never forget. When I'm done with you, you'll beg me for more."
They locked eyes. The last time they had shared such an intimate moment of eye contact, Bonnie had desiccated him by having Stefan hold his heart literally. That wouldn't happen this time, Klaus knew. The situation was all different now. He was in total control.
His lips grazed Stefan's and Stefan couldn't help but allow him to. Whatever was going on, he didn't care anymore. He relaxed.
"Do you give up the fight so soon, Stefan?" Klaus snickered. "I'd expected you to show more… resistance, but it seems you finally realise what's at stake here…" He smiled mischievously and snorted a little at the word "stake". "I like a good chase, but I'll settle for a tender Stefan this time. You were a lot rougher in the 20's, mate."
He kissed Stefan again, but Stefan pushed him away and looked at him, mystified. "The Twenties? I thought we were no more than friends."
"Ah Stefan, you know we were so much more than that, or did my compulsion removal not make you remember every aspect of our friendship? I told you we were bedfellows"
"I don't think I want to remember that, Klaus", Stefan said, not knowing whether to be disgusted with himself or with Klaus.
"Oh well, too bad. I don't feel like keeping secrets with you, love", Klaus laughed. He held Stefan's face in an iron grip, and looked him in the eyes. He studied those tender emerald eyes and felt a deep passion, a feeling he had never experienced this consuming for a long time. This moment- this tiny spark of bliss was enough to make him forget his silly infatuation with Caroline. She would never make him feel like Stefan did. Stefan could relate to him and understood darker aspects of his soul, matters beyond Caroline's grasp.
He hated compelling Stefan, but he had to remember. It would make everything so much easier. He concentrated and his pupils widened. "You will remember everything that ever happened between us."
Stefan looked a bit dazed, but recovered pretty quickly. Images, sensations and sounds flashed through his mind. Different times, different him… He now remembered Klaus liked it rough, but he also fell for tenderness, which was something the Ripper rarely gave. In his ripper binges, he'd given in to any inclination. He remembered being on top of, beneath, behind, in front of Klaus. He'd dominated Klaus and Klaus had dominated him. They had been far more than "brothers". They had been kindred souls, lovers. Words couldn't match how… whimsical their mutual bond was.

"I remember you… secretly."

Klaus looked at him, grinning in anticipation. "Do you remember now?"
"My mind is scarred; thanks a lot", Stefan said, flashing an uncanny smile at him.
"Ah mate, you should be delighted you remember this!" Klaus spoke with passion.
He tickled Stefan, and they started wrestling. Now Stefan was on top of him, smiling and panting. Klaus chuckled and grabbed Stefan, rolled over so he got on top of Stefan.
"I win", he said, stealing a kiss from him. "You must surrender to my mercy." Klaus sounded as if he was about to purr. His eyes sparkled with mischief.
"I surrender", Stefan laughed, waiting for Klaus' next step.
Klaus grinned again, overwhelmed with love and desire. He bent forward and… vanished.

"Eww," Katherine said, "just eww. Do you honestly believe you could keep me out?"
She raised an eyebrow and snickered, but quickly returned to her matter-of-fact attitude.
"I can't believe you'd take him over me," she pouted, "I thought you loved me."
"Ah Katherine, don't pout. It makes your face wrinkly."
"Ouch, Mr. Salvatore", Katherine laughed, pretending to be shocked.
"Just go away, Katherine", Stefan sighed, displeased by her presence. She had absolutely no decent bone in her body.
She neared him, and suddenly jumped onto him.
"Make me", she smirked, her long curls fondling his skin.
Stefan didn't know what to do anymore. Everyone needed to stop trying to… molest him. Damon was the one who got laid by everyone, not him. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?
All he wanted was Elena, even though Klaus also awakened a primal part of him. But Elena didn't want him around her for the moment. She didn't want to burden him with her adjusting to being a vampire and she had left town to deal with things on her own. Now he was on his own here, and it seemed like everything went crazy without her. He'd been having dreams about Klaus, dreams he didn't even want to think about, even though a part of him relished in them. Now Katherine was here, trying to break him and Elena up again…
"Oh come on, Stefan! Have fun for once!" She hit his chest, making him gasp. "What are you thinking about?" Excitement illuminated her eyes.
"I was thinking that I'll probably never get rest with all of you around." Stefan closed his eyes and laid back, wishing Katherine would have evaporated when he opened his eyes again. Alas, he beheld disappointment when he opened his eyes again. Still there. Damn her. 'Should've killed her when I had the chance', a dark part of him thought. A part that enjoyed ravaging, massacring. Ripping limbs off just for the fun of it. He shuddered, disgusted with himself for having such thoughts. He was really messed up.
"Poor, poor Stefan", Katherine said, feigning sadness. "I'll give you some… rest", she smirked, licking her lips. She pushed Stefan down by applying pressure on his shoulders and started kissing his neck.
He remained immobile. Katherine kept kissing him, but suddenly stopped, annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm from Stefan's side. She sighed and bit her upper lip. "You're being boring, Stefan." She rolled her eyes and tried again, but there was still no response from Stefan.
"Is that any way to treat a lady?" she said, clenching her teeth.
"Oh Katherine, you're hardly a lady", Stefan countered, starting to enjoy her annoyance.
She got off him and shook her head in contempt.
"You were more compliant in my imagination", she pouted.

"Things don't seem to go too well between you two now, don't they, love?" Klaus' voice sounded, right before he appeared in the entrance of the room.
A collective sigh from Katherine and Stefan's side ensued.
"You have got to stop dreaming him into this!" Katherine yelled.
Stefan looked at her, finally realized what this all was and felt relieved. Just another dream.
"I don't want him in my dreams, Katherine. Make him leave again", Stefan said.
"Oh come on now, love! We all know I'm so much more fun than she is! Besides, I leave whenever I want." He raised his chin in pride.
Katherine snapped her fingers. Klaus vanished. Klaus reappeared and snapped his fingers, so Katherinedisappeared. Stefan looked at the scene, oddly fascinated by the continuous appearing and disappearing of the two.

'What an odd dream', he thought. Then he woke up, too much aware of the fact that it was a dream.
He was in his bed, his muddy clothes still on from the hunt earlier this morning. Now he felt even dirtier because of the foul dreams Katherine had been giving him.
He jumped out of bed, noticed his sheets were all muddy, but decided to put them in the laundry later.
He walked into the bathroom and slipped out of his clothes swiftly, trying to ignore the strong sense of déjà vu. He stepped into the shower, turned on the speakers, volume to maximum, so he wouldn't hear himself overthink everything anymore.

"Yeah, I remember you… secretly…"

He turned on the water and the heat soaked into his skin, he even felt it in his bones. He only relaxed when he placed his hands on the solid, cold wall and felt the water streaming down his tense back. This felt... real somehow. Not like another dream. He closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled slowly. Peace at last.

A short gush of wind startled him. He probably hadn't closed the doors completely. He turned around, opened his eyes and stared in shock at what was before him.
Klaus. Again. In all his naked glory. Stefan couldn't help but look. He tried to look away, especially so he wouldn't see... Oh god. How big. Stefan's eyes were wide open now. Klaus just stood there, proudly, just inside the shower, the doors closed behind him. He was grinning that dirty grin only Stefan ever got from him.
"Hello, mate. Fancy running into you here", Klaus said, clearly suppressing triumphant laughter. He was enjoying this, Stefan noticed. Then he thought 'Of course he is! Fool! He has the hots for you!'
"You know, I couldn't help but take a shower after how dirty you made me feel in those dreams of yours, mate", Klaus chuckled, his smile growing broader and- Oh! Not just his smile grew in size. "I brought a real stake this time, love." He snickered.
"You're a naughty lad, Stefan," Klaus scolded triumphantly, "I have to admit you're making me do things I've never fancied trying before." He gently stroked Stefan's cheek. Stefan felt paralysed. This felt realer than anything he'd ever dreamed before. His touch left a trace of fire under his skin.
"But then again," Klaus continued merrily, "You've always made me respond best to... your-" He licked his lips and swiftly grabbed Stefan's cock, making Stefan gasp. He tried to squirm out of Klaus' grasp and felt like a caged bird, with the malevolent cat nearby, trying to prey on him. Klaus held on to him tightly. There was no escape.
His touch had felt real, unlike in his dreams, where his thoughts told him he felt something. He tried to deny it, but couldn't ignore the irrevocable sensation. The horrible truth was inevitable.
This was reality and Klaus was alive, and beyond well; his physical state was the perfect proof of that. He'd been giving Stefan dreams for a while now, making Stefan feel out of control and creating a rift between him and the currently hypersensitive Elena.
"Another nightmare about you?" Stefan sighed eventually. 'Here's to hopin',' he thought.
"]Do you really think that low of me?" Klaus asked, showing an unexpected vulnerability.
'Maybe the bird would win this fight after all...' Stefan suppressed a vindictive chuckle.
He growled his answer. "Just leave me alone, Klaus!"
"Ah come on, mate! Give us a chance!" Klaus begged him with an apologetic smile and puppy eyes.
"What are you going to do? Tell me you can show me what the world has to offer?" Stefan rolled his eyes in contempt. "Your seducing tricks are getting a little old, Klaus." He snickered with an ironic smile.
"Just like you, mate", Klaus laughed. "Of course I'm not going to show you the world! I know better ways to spend my time", he said, licking his lips and giving a little squeeze. Stefan gasped again and Klaus smiled. Stefan struggled with every muscle in his body and finally broke free.
He panted, realised he was cornered, trapped in the shower still. Klaus blocked the entrance. He could try to call out for Damon, but he doubted his brother was present at the moment.

So here they both were. Wearing no more than the pride on their skin. One eyeing the other with lust, the other one eyeing the first with curiosity and self-conditioned hatred.
Stefan didn't miss a single detail of Klaus' body. Whoever Esther cheated Mikael with, it had made for an incredibly fine specimen. A perfected progeny.
Those defining dimples, able to conquer any person's heart with something as simple as a smile. His wavy, messy hair; blonde locks he just wanted to brush his fingers through, just to feel the hairs like spun silk.
His eyes were dark blue oceans, sparkling with a wicked craving for mischief, but with something eternally old behind them. An enigma waiting to be solved.
His gaze slid downward. Kissable neck, inviting throat. Pale, but slightly tanned skin. Just the skin of someone exposed to a healthy dose of sun every day.
Broad shoulders, muscular arms, not like a body builder's, but more... refined. Huggable chest, the heart inside beating with a violent passion. The tiniest cover of blonde hairs scattered across his chest.
Smooth abs; a pronounced treasure trail leading down to his... alpha male there. His gaze reached a halt. He just couldn't avert his look. His eyes were drawn to it.
All the while, Klaus kept studying his looks with an amused smirk of anticipation.
"Get. Out." Stefan grunted. "Now."
Klaus' eyes widened in surprise. After such a thorough… examination, he had expected something less… hostile, perhaps?
"Make me, sweetheart", he defied.
Stefan snarled and grabbed him, violently pushed him against the wall with a loud thud and... kissed him.
A raw passion overpowered him, made him melt his soul with Klaus'. It was heaven. It was a kiss he'd never had before. It was addictive and primal. Animalistic and refined.
His burning skin was against Klaus', glowing with intense desire. He licked Klaus' throat, relishing in every taste he got. They couldn't stop touching each other. His hands were everywhere and so were Klaus'. His hands touched Klaus' butt and he pinched him, startling Klaus at first, but then Klaus relaxed.
A memory swiftly tumbled through his mind of those times in the Twenties. This was different. There was more behind it. This wasn't just mindless giving in to experimental curiosity, but this was the deepest form of… union.
It was he who made Klaus beg for more mercy, eventually, but they both knew neither of them wanted to stop. They had started something that required the sufficient time to be fully... valued. Klaus begged for more of Stefan's pounding fury. Once or twice wasn't enough, by far not! They kept on going, hours and hours, panting but full of euphoria, until the hot water turned cold and thirst started to slow Stefan down.
In that final moment, Stefan looked him in the eyes and thrust once more before smirking in dark delight.
"Who's the alpha male now, Klaus?"

A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter and crave for more. Review would be much appreciated.