Chapter Three

"I can't believe him!"

Elena and Bonnie looked up as their other best friend, Caroline walked over to them her face twisted in an affronted expression. They shared a look, wondering just who had warranted the blonde's temper this time.

"Who?"

"Your brother?!" She snarled at Elena. "He's trying to steal my boyfriend!"

The dark-haired girl raised an eyebrow and glanced up at her brother's slim form, noting the dark haired man sitting beside him. They seemed to argue for a moment before the man sat down with a forlorn expression.

"Actually, it looks like he turned him down."

Caroline followed her gaze then scowled.

"I just don't understand. We were fine this morning, then when we got here it was like all he could focus on was Jeremy."

Elena frowned disapprovingly at her. "That's not Jer's fault and you know it." She scolded.

Her friend looked down. "I know."

Bonnie placed a hand on the heartbroken girl's shoulder.

"Just talk to him."

Caroline glanced back at her lover, only to find him staring back at her with a slight frown on his face. He stared at her, only for a moment, then looked back at the teen beside him. He said something she couldn't hear and Jeremy only glanced at him, then at her. A small, bitter smile crossed the boy's lips and he shook his head then stood and walked away.

Stefan was confused. He had watched as Damon pulled up to the school with the Elena's friend hanging off his arm, only to disregard her presence completely in favor of Jeremy, Elena's brother. From there he watched as his brother seemed to gravitate towards the young addict and remove one of his earbuds with a gentleness he'd never seen in the older vampire before. His voice, when he spoke to the boy was full of wonder and pain, slightly breathless in quality.

"You're alive."

Jeremy had smiled at him, although he was sure they'd never met before in their lives and had answered it with an awed statement of his own, tears in his eyes.

"You're here."

He watched his brother sit down beside the boy and cup his cheek in his hand with the same alien gentleness he'd displayed upon removing the boy's earphones.

"How is this possible?" He asked brokenly, as if he were dreaming and expected to have his greatest desire ripped from him at any moment. Jeremy's reply was confusing and seemed to hurt him more because he flinched as if struck.

"Not here, my heart. It is not yet the time for us."

"Why?! Why isn't it?" He was begging. Stefan didn't know was he was begging for but he could hear it in the plea in his voice. Obviously Jeremy heard it too because pain flashed in his eyes.

"Later tonight, darling. I promise you it shall all be explained but for now we cannot, Damon. Please." Darling? Just what exactly was his brother's relationship with the boy? And when would they have met without anyone knowing they knew each-other.

They both acquiesced and he watched his brother collapse into his seat with a forlorn expression. For a moment they sat in silence. Then Damon looked down at the girls cheerleading.

"I assume you know about her?"

Jeremy smiled bitterly. "One of the main reasons we can't. I'll see you tonight, Damon."

Damon slumped lower in his seat and didn't respond, only watching him walk away. Once he was gone, the older vampire glanced down at the blonde girl fancying herself his girlfriend then vanished leaving Stefan to wonder about the strange encounter until football practice was over. Turning his attention to his own girlfriend he put it all to the back of his mind, vowing to interrogate his brother when they spoke again.

His heart was pounding in his chest, his blood rushing through his veins with such speed that one would think hell hounds were chasing his blood cells. As he stood at the door of the Gilbert home, Damon realized that for the first time in many years…he was nervous.

His lips quirked into a small smile. Then again, the only times he'd ever been nervous his beloved had been involved. It really shouldn't surprise him that he was nervous now. Gathering his courage, he knocked.

Light footsteps sounded from inside the house, then the door opened and his breath was caught in his chest.

His lover stood before him, eyes half-lidded in sleep, hair mussed and he realized that he'd woken him. Before he could apologize, Jeremy, Satine, smiled at him.

"Sorry if you were waiting long. I fell asleep and Aunt Jenna and Elena are out with their respective boyfriends."

"I wasn't. I just got here." He lied, refusing to admit that he'd been standing in front of the door for nearly an hour, hesitant to knock. Jeremy gave a soft laugh and rolled his eyes fondly, stepping back to let him in.

"You're still a horrible liar, Damon."

The vampire smiled. "Only to you." He replied and it was true. The other was the only person he'd ever met that he absolutely couldn't lie to.

He pulled the small body close, feeling it relax against him.

"How is this possible?" Damon asked softly and Jeremy snorted softly.

"Reincarnation gone wrong. I am Satine and she was me, but I am also the new me, Jeremy Gilbert, if that makes since." Damon nodded.

"Then I will learn to love the newer parts of you as I have in the past."

The teen shook his head and pushed him away.

"We can't. I want to so bad…but we can't."

"Why?! You keep telling me that but you won't give me a reason! Why can't we be together? There is no Duke, no contract, no Moulin Rouge! You are free now!"

A bitter laugh left Jeremy's lips, his arms wrapping around himself in a parody of a hug.

"You have a girlfriend, I'm a drug addict, who most believe is a whore, and My sister is dating your brother. There's no room for us."

His vampire only sighed and pulled him back into his arms.

"After you died, I wrote our story. It took me months to finally gather the courage to face the pain of losing you but once I finished it, I gave it to Toulouse to publish and left Paris all together. I am no longer the man you knew and loved. I am jaded and angry. I have done horrible things. But I would do anything you asked of me just for another chance at our love."

Jeremy was silent for a moment, then he sighed.

"I don't care what you've done, just as you didn't care so long ago. Leave her and that second chance is yours."

Damon's answering grin could've lit the darkest of nights.

TBC…