A/N: This chapter contains a paragraph with violence. Please heed the warning!

Showdown

Broken, by Seether

"The worst is over now and we can breathe again
I want to hold you high, and steal my pain away
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight
I want to hold you high and steal your pain

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away."

(Stefan)

I would've never thought to find my brother in such a desolate condition. Weak, starved, filthy, caked with his own dried blood… The sight made my blood boil. Whoever had done this to him would pay for it, no matter how long it would take to get him! Elena could barely contain her tears and I also had a hard time not to cry. She lifted his head gently and supported it while I opened one of the blood bags Caroline gave to me and poured it down his throat. Tyler stood guard at the gate in case Damon would try to bolt. After a few seconds, his instincts kicked in and with a growl he yanked the bag from my hands. "Easy, brother", I tried to calm him, "we've got enough for you." Handing him one bag after the other, Elena, Care and I could literally watch his body rejuvenate and he sat up on the bedstead. After the fourth bag he sort of regained his control and I motioned at Tyler to go upstairs to look after the Corey witches and Damon's son. Searchingly Damon looked around. "Where's Brannon?" he asked. „Is that his name? He's upstairs with Jessica and Abigail", Elena replied. With a sigh, Damon leaned to the wall. "Is he okay?" he asked. "Oh yeah, he's hungry and cries at the top of his lungs", Caroline explained with a broad smile. She had been upstairs in the meantime to get some portable lamps. Relief spread across his face and he closed his eyes. "Thank God", he breathed. "Damon, what happened here? Where is Helen?" I pressed. He opened his eyes and stared at me with an unsettling intensity. "How much cruelty can you bear, Stefan?" he asked.

I gulped. This coming from Damon meant he must've have literally gone through hell, but I needed information. "As much as you want to share, brother", I whispered and put my hand on his forearm. He shook his head, his empty gaze falling to the floor. "Bree's brother had two months to excel at torturing every inch of my body and Helen had to watch it all." His voice was barely a whisper. For a moment, I nearly got sick with rage and clenched my fists. We had survived quite some challenges, but this… this exceeded it all! Damon sat cross-legged on the bedstead and looked down on his hands. "After a while, I really thought I would lose my mind… Reuben bled me dry… on a regular basis, but that wasn't the worst…" He drew a shaky breath. "He used Helen's blood to play with me… like training an animal… he was in complete control…" His face hardened. "And then, there was his magic… crushing my insides bit by bit was his favorite pastime." He let a mirthless laugh. "Bonnie's headaches are shit compared to him!" I saw red and jumped up, crashing my fist into the wall. Elena sat next to him and held his hand, tears flowing down her cheeks. Even Caroline was crying. She knew what is was like to be tortured and probably remembered how Jules' pack had tormented her. "Who was that woman and what happened to Helen?" I asked him and pointed to the other bedstead. Damon looked at the corpse. „Her name was Laura. She was the midwife Kane had abducted and she saved Helen's life", he replied quietly. "How?" I asked. „After giving birth to our son, Helen hemorrhaged. I had no power left, but Laura called Kane and he gave Helen my blood.

The tears in his eyes indicated how hard telling this was for him. "After Helen woke up, Kane simply forced her to accompany him… and he opened my cell… he wanted me to kill Laura, and my child… The bastard knew exactly how Helen would fight once she figured it out, but he didn't care! And she fought so hard… and cried…" His voice trailed off, his memories obviously overwhelming him, but then he inhaled deeply. "Laura shielded the baby with her own body when Kane blew up the tunnel. Later she offered me her blood. She wanted me to regain my strength… I had warned her…" I squeezed his arm in a comforting gesture. "I understand. Your thirst overwhelmed you…" He yanked his arm away and jumped up. "You understand shit, Stefan!" he shouted. "I did not kill her, on the contrary. She gave me her blood, more than once, and she showed me how to take care of my son. If she hadn't tried to help me moving the rocks, she wouldn't have been slain by a lose boulder!" He had worked himself into a rage. Elena put her arms around him. "It's okay, Damon, we believe you!" she whispered and stroke his hair. He disentangled himself and walked over to Laura's corpse. Just before he pulled the blanket over her face, he briefly caressed her cheek. "Thank you… for everything", he whispered. Then he turned to face us. "I need a shower. You don't happen to have some clean clothes for me?"

(Damon)

I didn't want to tell any more. The memories haunted me enough, just like the uncertainty what had happened to the mother of my son and if she was alright. Besides, I wanted to see my child again. I went to the gate, but Caroline blocked my way. "Are you sure you can manage?" Blondie asked. Never before had she directed that much compassion at me, but I'd never given her a reason. However, her question was out of line. "How do you think my son survived the last two weeks, hm?" I hissed at her. "After the bit of baby formula was gone, I fed him my blood! Do you really believe, Caroline Forbes, that I would hurt my own child now?" I huffed indignantly. Embarassed she shook her head. „No, of course not. I'm sorry, Damon", she whispered and hung her head. I sighed. I hadn't intended to react so gruffly. „It's okay, Care, I understand", I whispered and hugged her tightly. "Thanks for saving us", I said and turned to Stefan and Elena who were standing behind me. "Actually, you have to thank Sheila Bennett", Stefan replied with a grin and clamped a hand on my shoulder. I just raised an eyebrow. "Jessica finally thought of calling to her and she searched for you. When she told us that you and the child were alive, Bonnie did a locator spell and Abigail connected the ravens to you", Elena explained. "What ravens?" I asked bewildered. „The ones that were wheeling above this hill", she replied. I shook my head. "I didn't call them."

The three of them looked baffled. "But then who…?" Stefan started, but I interrupted him. „As much as I'd like to solve this puzzle, I can hear my son crying. Will you excuse me, please?" I replied and left them standing there. I flashed upstairs and saw Jessica standing in the kitchen. "He won't stop, Abby. What's wrong with him?" she said, trying in vain to calm her grandson. "He needs me", I said and approached them slowly. "Damon!" Jessica exclaimed startled and stepped back a few. „Jessica, it's okay", Stefan called from behind me. He had followed me. „I kept him alive for two weeks, Jess'. Are you honestly trying to keep me away from my son?" I growled. "Let him hold him", Abigail whispered to her. Reluctantly she handed me the baby. Carefully I placed him into my arm. "Hey junior, calm down", I cooed and dandled him softly. "I think I know what you want", I whispered and bit a tiny hole in one of my fingertips. When I held the tip to his mouth, he started suckling greedily. I had to smile. "Guess you'll have to give that up soon, sweetie", I told him regretfully. "You… you gave him your blood?" Jessica asked astonished. „It was all I had down there", I replied and shrugged. After Brannon was done, I kept dandling him for a while until he blinked sleepily. "There we go", I whispered and looked up. Jessica scrutinized me baffled. „Do we have a place for him to sleep?" I asked. Abigail grinned. "Come, I'll show you", she said and motioned at me to follow her.

There was a small room next to the kitchen with a bed and a wardrobe as well as a washbasin. "I did dust everything and I'll get you warm water in a minute to wash up, okay?" she said. I gave her a rewarding glance. "Thank you, Abby…" I had to gulp. She smiled and pecked my cheek. „No sweat. What's a family for, huh?" Before she closed the door, she turned around once more. "Take a look into the wardrobe. I think there are some old clothes in there." And off she went. I glanced at the baby in my arms. Brannon was fast asleep. „Alright, I'll get cleaned up while you take your nap, buddy", I chuckled and placed him on the pillow on the bed. Opening the wardrobe, I saw a pair of old jeans with a worn belt and a simple, slightly worn shirt. Better than naked, I thought. The next moment, Jessica entered the room, carrying a large jug with hot water, followed by Abigail with a towel and some soap. "Here you are", Jessica said and put the jug next to the basin. "I have to apologize, Damon", she said softly. I shook my head. „It's okay, it's an extreme situation… for all of us", I replied as quietly. She looked at the baby. "Sleeping so peacefully", she sighed and smiled. „I'll join you as soon as I'm ready, okay?" I told her. She just nodded and they left the room again.

While I scrubbed my body, I had to think about Helen. Where had Kane taken her? Were they still in the country? Had he… my hand shook a little when I thought about his plans. Had he raped her already? Or had she lost all hope and…? No, I couldn't imagine her doing the latter. I shoved the heavy thoughts away and started toweling myself. This had been the worst I had ever gone through, even Jules' werewolf bite had been a stroll in the park compared to what the warlock had done to me. I trembled as images of the past two months surged to the surface of my awareness and squinted my eyes. For a moment, I thought I was back in chains, bleeding and screaming while Helen cried her heart out in her cell… "Damon?" Somebody shook my shoulders. I opened my eyes and saw Tyler's face directly in front of me. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked concerned. I noticed that I crouched on the floor next to the washstand. Surprised I ran my hands over my face. "Must've been a flashback", I mumbled and got back on my feet. "That bad?" he wondered. "You don't want to know, boy", I replied. „What's up?" He held up some familiar items. "Found them downstairs and thought you might wanna hav'em", he said casually. I buttoned the shirt and slipped into my leather jacket and boots. "Thanks, man", I said and patted his shoulder.

After making sure that the little one was still asleep, I accompanied Tyler in joining the others. Jessica was on the phone. "Of course, thanks Dr. Fell." She turned to us. „I just talked to Meredith Fell. She thinks we should take the boy to her as soon as we've returned. Just in case", she added with a glance at me and I nodded. "Any hints where Kane could've gone?" A general head-shaking was the answer. I walked to the window and stared out into the darkness. Night had fallen. Inside, I felt almost as frozen, like the landscape outside. Suddenly a hand softly rubbed my back. "We will find her", Elena tried to soothe me. I nodded hesitantly. „I suggest we all stay here until dawn and head back in daylight", Stefan interjected. Everyone agreed and we made our arrangements. They had insisted that my son and I should have the bed and now I made myself comfortable next to him. Jessica entered after knocking once and held a bottle. "Here", she said, "feed him one more time. Dr. Fell said you should feed him as often as he wants to drink, to gain some weight." Then she sat next to us on the bed. "Have you already thought of a name?" she asked. I nodded. „Yes, I think his name should be Brannon", I replied and looked at her. "Brannon Rafael Salvatore." Her eyes filled with tears. „That would be a wonderful name", she whispered deeply moved and caressed one of his tiny hands.

At some point in the wee hours of morning, I woke up. Sleep had avoided me most of the night since the memories haunted me too hard. Brannon still slept peacefully. He had woken me once during the night to get fed. Quietly I got up and stood at the window. The first rays of light crept over the ranges and bathed the snow covered forests in a glowing pink light. It was a beautiful sight. From the corner of my eye, I suddenly caught a movement right in front of the house. Carefully, I peered through the drapes, but I couldn't see anything. Something or somebody was out there. I took Brannon together with the pillow he was sleeping on and opened the wardrobe where I placed him on the bottom. "Keep sleeping", I cooed and closed it. Alerted, I opened the room's door a crack and peeped through into the hallway. Nobody was there. Soft-footed, I crept into the living room and woke Stefan. "Quiet. I think we've got company", I whispered below human hearing. Silently he got up. „Where?" he asked equally quiet. I tilted my head towards the porch. "Outside, I think." We crept through the front door, but couldn't find any trace. "Damon, if someone's really been here, he's gone now", Stefan whispered. I frowned. "They couldn't get past us unless…" My eyes widened. „Reuben!" I flashed back into the house and to my room.

Stefan followed me on my heels. "Damon, what…?" he asked when I opened the wardrobe. Brannon still slept soundly on his pillow. „Thank God!" I gasped and lifted him into my arms. Meanwhile the vampires among us were up too and woke Tyler and the Corey sisters. I handed the baby to Caroline. "Care, protect him as if he was your own child!" I urged her in a whisper. Her eyes widened. „What's going on here?" Abigail asked quietly. „The warlock is back", I growled and my face vamped out. I felt an uncontrollable destructive hatred welling up in me and shoved Care and the baby into the small room. Then I led the way down into the tunnel, the Corey witches right behind me. I knew I needed them to encounter the warlock. Quietly we crept through the tunnel until we reached the end. "Shit…", I heard someone curse. He really had returned! „Forgot something?" I sneered and stepped into the light of the lamps. Immediately, he attacked me, but Jessica and Abigail shielded me from his magic and kept him in check. I grabbed him and dragged him into my former cell, chaining him to the cross. Now he hung there in my place and tried in vain to fight the Corey witches. "How does it feel to be on the other side?" I hissed and gripped his throat with one hand. His eyes bulged while I slowly squeezed his windpipe. "Where is Helen?" I growled. He just grinned. „Ask Kane… when I left… he was about to drag her to bed…" He couldn't elaborate any further because I snapped…

Warning: Physical violence ahead! Skip if you don't want to read it!

With a roar I attacked him and ripped into his throat. He howled in pain. I didn't want to kill him right away and stopped. He wheezed for air and I ripped his shirt away, placing my hand over his heart. "Where…" I started pressing my fingers into his flesh, „is…", I dug in even harder and he screamed like crazy, "…she?" I was short of ripping his heart out and the howling wouldn't end. "Im here." Helen's voice made me spin around. There she stood, at the end of the tunnel and approached me slowly. "Helen?" My voice shook. For a moment, I thought she was a figment of my imagination. "Damon." Just one word and I flashed right in front of her. My hand lifted out of its own volition to touch her, but she stepped back and averted her pale face. "Don't", she whispered. I frowned, but she pushed me to the side and directed her attention to Reuben. She hadn't even acknowledged her mother and her aunt yet. "Ah, the favorite mistress!" the warlock sneered. "Did you enjoy Kane? Is he here?" he added. „I killed him when he expected it the least", she spat and pointed her hand at him. Reuben howled with pain. She was obviously using magic on him. "This is for Damon", she hissed and turned her hand once. The warlock was a screaming mess and blood flowed from his nose and ears. "And this is for my son!" She did the same to him as he had done to me. Her pale and haunted face had hardened with an expression I had never seen on her before. I felt no remorse and no compassion at all, but I was concerned for Helen's psyche. The warlock's hoarse cries had turned into a weak whimpering and I put a hand on her shoulder. "Helen!" She didn't react. "Helen, our son is alive." With disbelief in her eyes she spun to face me. I nodded. "He's upstairs with Caroline." I tilted my head toward Reuben. „Kill him off, Helen", I said. Her eyes never left my face while she flicked her wrist and the warlock died with a gurgling sound.

Silence filled the room. I searched her gaze for any sign of joy about the news, but the only flicker of emotion occurred when the warlock died. Her eyes seemed lifeless and empty. "Take me to him", she whispered and left the cell without looking back. "Helen, baby?" Jessica asked softly and held her hands out to her. „Later, Mom", she replied and avoided her touch. What the hell was going on inside her?" I thought and got a little nervous. I shook my head when Abigail moved to block her way and followed her upstairs into the room. "Damon! Is everything…?" Caroline spun around with Brannon on her arms and her eyes widened at Helen's sight. "Helen!" She wanted to move forward, but I beat her to it and took my son from Caroline, turning to Helen. "Say 'hi' to your mommy, Brannon", I said softly and held the baby out for her to take. For the first time, I saw emotions returning to her eyes, as well as tears. "You've given him a name?" she whispered while she took him from me. "Yep. Brannon Rafael Salvatore", I replied. She looked into my face. „I… I thought… I thought you had…" She couldn't continue and gulped heavily. I shook my head and smiled. "Yeah, I know. They did too", I replied and pointed to our friends who squeezed themselves in the doorway. Helen sat on the bed and the baby started to whimper and to mewl. "What wrong with him?" she asked a little disconcerted. I let a laugh. „He's hungry, the little glutton." Jessica had already prepared a bottle and handed it to me. "Here", I held the bottle out for her. "Or do you want to breast-feed him?" Without knowing, my question initiated a flood of emotions breaking through her carefully erected dam. She started sobbing while she fed Brannon and her hands shook so badly that the boy had trouble drinking.

Wordlessly, I took the baby from her arms and passed him on to Jessica who took care of him. Then I wrapped my arms around Helen. "Don't", she whimpered. „Don't what?" I whispered. She sobbed loudly. „Don't touch me." Tears streamed down her cheeks. I wanted to give her space, but in contrast to her own words, she clung to me like to a lifeline. I tightened my embrace again and rocked her gently. "Shsh, it's okay, darling", I whispered to her ear. She cried and sobbed uncontrollably in my arms. I nodded to the others who stood there shamefacedly to leave us alone. Helen was obviously in shock and whatever she was going to tell me, should remain private. "Tell me what happened, baby", I whispered when the door had closed. She shook her head fiercely. "… can't…", she sobbed. „Yes, you can", I told her. „…you… won't want me anymore!" it burst from her chest. Inwardly I felt numb. So he had touched her! „Shsh, don't be stupid!" I cupped her face with both hands. "I will always want you, Helen. I love you, no matter what he's done to you!" I urged her and held her gaze. She disentangled herself forcefully from my arms and jumped up. "But I did it myself!" she exclaimed upset. "I wasn't compelled! I used my body to kill him!" She stood at the window and her whole body shook. With a heavy heart in my chest I got to my feet. She had obviously seen no other way, and I couldn't blame her. Somehow I had to get through to her. Somehow I needed to make her see that it wasn't her fault. I put my hands on her shoulders. "How did you kill him?" I asked calmly. She drew a shaky breath. „A wooden letter opener, right through his heart when he… when he came!" I inhaled deeply and then turned her to face me. "Helen, look at me!" I lifted her chin. Her eyes were still flowing over with tears. „I love you. And nothing you do or have done will ever change this, got it?" I stated and brushed a kiss to her trembling lips.