A/N: Thanks for reading & enjoy! ;)

Remember Me- Chapter Thirteen

Closing the door, Damon exhaled deeply while leaning against it. Today had been one of the toughest days of his life and trying to get everything in order without his brother was proving to be even more difficult. "Uncle Damon!" He heard from the other side of the door, Ben must have woken up just as he had shut it and now, the little boy was clearly calling out to him.

"Yeah, buddy?" He asked, opening the door back up and smiling at his nephew as he watched him lean himself back into the pillows behind him, the light from the hallway casting a shadow upon his face while he spoke. "My daddy is really sick, uncle Damon. He's really sick and he went to Seattle to get some medicine."

"What?" Damon questioned, giving Ben a perplexed look because all Damon had known thus far was that Stefan had gone to Seattle for business. At least, that was what his own brother had told him when he had dropped Ben off.

"My momma's mad at him because he left and that's why I'm here. Daddy told me to be a good boy while he was gone." Ben added in, suddenly burying his face under the covers as Damon exhaled deeply and tried to comfort him. "Ben, do you know why your daddy is sick?" He questioned, hearing the little boy sniffling under the covers as Damon moved them away to show his face and then saw it, the heartbroken look of sheer fear on his nephew.

"I don't know." He replied. Damon got up from the edge of the bed, telling Ben to move over as he sat next to him and pulled him closer, covering his legs up from the cold as he felt Ben resting his head against Damon's shoulder.

"What's wrong kid?" He asked him quietly, noticing that Ben was crying and that his cheeks were wet.

"I don't want my daddy to die. I'm scared he's gonna die." Ben replied, looking at his uncle with tears in his eyes as Damon wiped them away and kissed the top of his head. He wasn't really sure what was going on and he was pissed off that no one had told him the real reason for Stefan seeming to be so on top of things and all over the place at the same time. But, Damon quickly reminded himself that now wasn't the time to sort things out. "He's not going to die, Ben. I promise, your daddy is going to be just fine." Damon commented, kissing his nephew's cheek before he slid out of his bed and told Ben to get some sleep. "Wake me up if you need me, buddy." Damon reminded him before he closed the door and walked into his office where Katherine was doing some organizing over their business files.

She glanced up at her husband briefly, hearing the door close behind him. Katherine didn't flinch as Damon cleared his throat and tapped on the desk with his finger. He waited for her to look up at him and when she didn't, he spoke. "You're going to explain something right now." He said as she finally locked her eyes on to him. He looked angry as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. Damon fidgeted a bit before he finally dug into her. "How the fuck did you know about Stefan being sick before I did?"

He watched his wife drop the light green colored folder on to the desk as she placed her hands flatly on to it, looking at their family photo from a few years ago. It was new years and it was when Elena was still in the picture. All of the adult's had gotten together and went to New York where they spent the night at one of Lexi's houses. The picture had been taken in Lexi's living room and everyone looked so happy back then. Stefan had his arms wrapped around Elena tightly as she kissed his cheek. "Look at me, Katherine. Look at me and fucking explain to me! What the hell is going on!" Damon demanded as she snapped out of her memories and with watery eyes, she got up from behind the desk. Damon's voice was hoarse as he shook his head. "He can't be sick again, Katherine. Please, tell me it isn't true. Because, I have a little boy in that room over there. Praying that his dad isn't sick and that he's not going to go away." She heard him say. Katherine's eyes were glazed over with tears as she said nothing. Damon felt her arms wrap around him, the feeling of her body against his caused him to lean into her deeper.

"Please tell me that he isn't dying, Katherine." Damon begged, his voice pleading as he felt his wife run her hands over the back of his neck before she finally softly said. "I wish I could, Damon. I really wish that I could. He told me not to tell you or anyone yet. But," She paused, knowing that the next few words were going to shatter his heart.

"Stefan's got about five more years or less left. The cancer is in his lungs and growing rapidly from what he told me. He's in Seattle because he's going to be starting radiation and chemotherapy treatment." She explained, swallowing the lump in her throat as she finally backed away from her husband and noticed the tears in his eyes. Damon was furious. He was more pissed off at himself for not encouraging Stefan to take care of himself more.

"I should have been on him more about taking care of himself. Not just for himself. But, for that little boy…" Damon's voice trailed off as he choked back sobs when he stated. "Babe, he's already lost his mother. He can't lose Stefan too. Damn it! He can't lose my brother. I can't lose him, Katherine. I can't lose Stefan." Clinging to his wife, Damon and Katherine said nothing as they stood in the middle of his office, crying together. His heart breaking as he thought about how he was going to tell everyone else that they knew. It wasn't going to be easy, but he knew that someone had to tell them all.

"Wake up." Elena whispered against his ear, kissing his cheeks on each side of his face as Stefan groaned, placing his hands against her hips and gently caressing her skin. Elena giggled, lowered her body against his as she left a kiss on his chest. One by one, she lowered her lips towards his pelvis. But, Stefan's hands slipping into her hair caused her to stop as she flung the sheets over her head, grinning at him while she straddled his body.

"I'm awake, woman. What do you want?" He teased, biting his bottom lip as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"Do we really need to answer what I want?" Elena asked, her smile fading quickly, as Stefan tossed a pillow over his head and spoke into it. Elena could barely make out any of his words until he moved it a little away from his face as he said. "I am exhausted, Elena."

"I'll make you something to eat then." She said sweetly, crawling off of him as Stefan felt the light gray colored bed sheet covering his body being slipped off of himself. "Since when do you cook?" He asked jokingly as he covered himself up with a blanket and she turned around, glaring at him.

"Well, I learned a few things. In London, from Klaus." Elena commented as Stefan nearly doubled over in laughter, covering his face with his hands because he couldn't believe it. "Klaus knows how to cook?" He asked, still laughing.

Elena rolled her eyes, placing one of her hands onto her hip as she tilted her head to the side. "Do you want me to make you food or not? Because, you know. I just could just easily let you lay there and starve. I mean, I am the one who made you exhausted. So, consider it a fair trade." She said teasingly with a seductive tone, watching as Stefan collapsed back on to the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Pancakes?" He questioned as Elena chuckled, throwing one of his t-shirts over her bare skin before she sauntered out of his bedroom and into the kitchen. She stopped briefly near the door, "I'd eat anything with you." She said before hearing him loudly exhale as he shouted out. "And, I could lay in this bed thinking about your sexy ass and those legs underneath my shirt all day long. Damn, I was a stupid man to let someone so beautiful like you get away. I'm going to regret that forever."

"I heard that!" Elena yelled back, laughing as she stood near the refrigerator, glancing up at a picture that she hadn't noticed before on his fridge because it was covered up by everything. Elena took it off from the magnet and examined it in her hands. It had been from years earlier, when she and Stefan had finally decided to give their relationship a try.

"Reminiscing?" He asked, noticing that she was deep in thought because she jumped back a little when his hand rested against the middle of her back and she heard his voice. "I thought you were laying down in bed." She commented, feeling Stefan's fingertips linger against his gray colored t-shirt.

"Well, I was. But, the idea of you in this shirt made me really hungry." He joked, kissing her cheek as she put the picture back into place and took his hand into hers. Stefan stood there speechless as Elena placed his hand onto her heart while she covered her own on top of his and spoke in a shaky tone. "I have held you in my heart for the last six years of my life. Remembering all the stupid things I had done to hurt you and push you away from me. Which, I regret every single one of them…." Her voice cracked as Stefan gave her a somber glance and kept his hand underneath hers as she continued. "But, I have never once stopped loving you. Stefan Salvatore, you changed my life. You made me a better person and you made me realize so many things about myself that I didn't even realize at the time we were dating. Even more so when we were apart for so long. I love you with this broken heart of mine and I will always love with it. You're the best thing that ever happened to me." Stefan nodded as Elena shook her head, trying to fight off the tears as she leaned into him and pulled him closer, whispering into his ear. "I can't lose you to this. Stefan, it has always been you that I've wanted to raise Ben with. And, I still want it to be you. Every day and every night. I want you. You and no one else." She told him, feeling his arms wrap around her as he pulled back to cup her face into his hands and wipe away her falling tears.

"Elena," He began to say, trying to make her remember the big picture. He was still married to Aubrey and now, he was dying. The last thing Stefan wanted was to give her false hope for their future together. Because, most likely, it wasn't going to happen.

"I know that last night stirred up some old feelings for you. Because, they did for me too. But, you know what I'm going through right now and-." Her breaking voice cut him off as she grabbed a hold of his hands and locked her eyes on to him. "I know. I can't deny that it didn't do anything to me. Because being with you or having you close to me always does. And, I know that you're going through a lot right now with her and with this diagnosis. So," She paused, licking her bottom lip as her eyes met his and she said. "Maybe while we're both here together, we can just pretend. Just for a little while it can be just the two of us again. Stefan and Elena. No one else, how it used to be in Florida. Then, after your treatments. We go back to how things are now. You go back to her and I go back to….my life in London."

Stefan took a step back, popping his lips together as he turned away from her and ran his fingers through his hair as he saw her leaning against the kitchen counter. He thought about it for a while as the silence between them grew, he finally spoke. "And, how are they now, Elena? Everything is so fucked up! I'm married and I'm sick. And, seeing you again after we said we'd keep our distance is fucking me up! Seeing you in my fucking clothes, laying in my damn bed and holding you in my arms. Like nothing's changed! Making love to you. God, it makes me….It…" Stefan stammered out his words, closing his eyes he could feel the anger within him boiling to the surface. How could he have allowed it to get this far?

She took a step towards him, reaching out her hands that he refused to take. "It makes you what?" Elena asked in an urgent tone, wanting to egg him on a bit.

Stefan refocused his gaze on her as he said in a truthful tone. "It makes me forget all of that. It makes me feel like the old me again, the guy you fell in love with! Being with you makes me wish that I wasn't sick or married. It makes me want to spend every waking moment I have with you and not her! Just so that we don't miss anything. Because, I don't love her, Elena. I've never loved her as much as I've loved you. And, I don't want to leave here without feeling alive again. Which is what you do to me. You make me feel everything. As much as I want to do so, I can't hide from you!" Tears were cascading down his face as she carefully approached him, her hands shaking as she placed one hand onto his moistened cheeks and then the other. "What do you want, Stefan?" She heard him ask, her thumbs rubbing the stubble across his skin as he focused in on her and replied simple. "I want all of you. Here. Now. Without regrets. I want to live in the moment with you. I don't want to wake up without you in my bed." He said, leaning into her and kissing her passionately as Elena felt her body being pressed up against the counter top. Stefan's arms hoisted her up as they both heard the mail drop on to the ground. Elena ran her hand over his bare chest, moving her hands towards his boxers. Stefan gently moved her hair away from her shoulder as she leaned back and laid her body flat onto the smooth cold surface. The kitchen counter felt cold underneath her warm back as she felt Stefan pull her legs closer towards him aggressively. Elena instantly wrapped them around his pelvis, she pulled him close to her, stroking his chest with her fingertips.

Stefan bit his bottom lip hard. He could feel his body stiffen at her touch when she smirked at him. "The kitchen counter?" Elena questioned as Stefan laughed, pointing over to the couch. "I thought it'd be a good idea. I mean, we could go over to the living room." Elena smiled at him, placing her hand onto his cheek as she lifted herself up from the countertop and wrapped her arms around Stefan, pressing a kiss against his neck. "I like this better." She commented, whispering the words into his ear with a seductive tone. Stefan's hands tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it gently over her head. His lips kissing the top of her breasts, he smiled as he watched Elena arch her back forward and lean back against her elbows. "Do your worst, Mr. Salvatore." She taunted him, giggling loudly when she felt Stefan pulling her off of the counter and into his arms, suddenly heading back into the bedroom. "I thought you said the countertop?" She asked him, wrapping her arms and legs tighter around him as he shook his head while placing his hands underneath her butt to support her body weight.

"We're not doing anything else on that countertop. Now, the same can't be said for my bedroom." He winked, pressing Elena's back against the wall as he kissed her hungrily, hearing her moan out a breath. Stefan felt her legs slip off of him as they gently glided down to the floor. He cupped her face into his hands as she opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Forget breakfast…I want you instead." She told him, leaning into his lips as she felt his hand gently stroke her back. Stefan had pressed Elena against the wall, lifting her arms above her head, watching her lips quiver a bit as his fingertips touched her so lightly that it felt like he was caressing her skin with a feather. "Stef…an….Stefan…." She stammered out, her mind reeling as he took control over her body. He smirked, kissing her shoulder before she watched his thumb press against her lips. His green eyed gaze was seductive and intense, alluring as he bit his bottom lip and just inches away from her, he spoke with an inviting glance. "You're so beautiful and I want you, Elena." He said in a serious tone, his eyes flickering with pure admiration for her as he traced her lips with his fingers before leaving a sweet kiss against her lips. Elena's heart raced quicker, her breathing hitched as she felt Stefan's mouth moving towards her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. However, she could feel her body losing control as Stefan tugged on her earlobe gently with his teeth. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest while he whispered into her ear. "I'm never going to stop wanting you, Elena."

Elena smiled at him, grabbing a hold of his hand as he guided them back into the bedroom, closing the door behind them. Elena heard the door close and her heart felt like it was about to leap out of her chest while he hands gently touched her overheated skin. "Close your eyes." Stefan told her, grabbing her hand until she felt her knees hit the back of the bed in his room and then her body was being lowered onto the mattress. Elena laughed with her eyes still closed, smiling widely as she felt Stefan's body hovering over her because she could feel his cool breath tickling her skin. Each kiss upon her skin, each caress of made Elena's flesh feel like it was on fire. She tried to speak, but all she kept thinking about were where his hands would to go next. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes tightly, Stefan moved effortlessly, kissing and touching her. Elena felt herself falling deeper and deeper under his spell as she wrapped her arms around him and whispered into his ears ever so softly. "And, I want you, Stefan. Over and over again."

Aubrey sat on the porch the next morning, her eyes scanning over again at Stefan's test results. She hated that the last things they had said to each other had been hateful words and it broke her heart that he left the house angry with her. Picking up her cell phone and about to dial his number, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Aubrey got up from her seat in the backyard as she walked through the now quiet house.

Opening the door, she was met with two darkened brown eyes and a pissed off expression spreading across her face. "You know, I liked you in the beginning. Now, I don't know what to even think of you. And," Katherine paused, brushing past her and into the foyer. Katherine turned around just as the door closed and Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest, staring at her intently. "What are you doing here, Katherine?" She asked.

The brunette smiled, tilting her head to the side as she pursed her lips together and then smirked a little. "As if you don't know." She commented, making her way into the living room and noticing the magazines on the coffee table, they were traveling magazines. "Going somewhere? Leaving Stefan to die alone, perhaps?"

Aubrey took a deep breath, following her into the living room and placing her hands onto the back of one of their cream colored leather couches. "No, I'm not. Listen, Stefan's sick and he was going to tell you guys. It's just-."

"You told him not to do it just yet." Katherine pointed out, glancing down at her black high heels before she locked eyes onto Stefan's wife. "Well," She paused, shaking her head in disgust as she made her way back to the front entrance. "For your information. I have a very scared little boy at my house right now. He's scared to death of losing his father! The only person who has ever had his best interests at heart!"

"Ben's not supposed to know. Stefan and I-." Aubrey began to say as Katherine's anger grew. She was feeling a range of emotions and all of them at the moment were being directed towards Aubrey.

"Well!" Katherine threw her hands up into the air, her frustration building and just about to boil up to the very surface. "He does! Because of you and Stefan probably yelling about it!" She suddenly shouted, watching as Aubrey's body tensed up.

"Ben knows that his dad is going to die, Aubrey! He knows and that's why I'm here." She licked her bottom lip, confessing. Katherine closed her eyes, continuing to explain. "Why would you do that to a little boy? Why in the hell would you or Stefan talk about his illness in front of Ben? You know, I'm mad at Stefan too. Although, I'm way more pissed off at you because you're the 'oh so perfect step mom' that's supposed to protect him from all of this! Yet, now that you didn't. I have a little boy at my house who spent the night with my husband crying because of how heartbroken he is and you should be ashamed of yourself!" Katherine yelled, opening the front door to exit out of the house as Aubrey rushed after her, calling her name.

"Katherine. Please, wait!" She shouted, stopping her hand with the door as Katherine began walking to the car and started unlocking the driver's side door.

"What?" She asked, feeling a bit annoyed that Damon had even sent her over to Stefan's house to try and talk to Aubrey about why Ben was saying the things he had been to Damon the night before.

"I'm sorry, alright. It's just been a lot to handle lately. Please, tell Ben that I'll see him in the morning and please tell him that I love him." She told her, watching as the brunette nodded, getting into her car and leaving without even saying goodbye.

Aubrey slowly walked back into the house. She hadn't heard from Stefan since the day before he had gotten to Seattle which had already been two days ago. He had told her that he'd be in touch, however that after everything, it was better that they took some time apart. Missing him was starting to take its toll and so, she decided to call. Standing outside of the house, Aubrey dialed the familiar number. It was already late in the afternoon and she figured that he was probably taking in the sights of Seattle as the phone rang.

Aubrey's body tensed up and her heart sank when she heard an unfamiliar voice on the other end saying a soft and groggy. "Hello?" She opened her mouth to say something. Although, she couldn't. Instead, Aubrey stood there in the middle of the driveway with the phone pressed against her ear as the young woman spoke again. "Hello?" She answered a little louder, before eventually hanging up Stefan's phone and leaving Aubrey completely stunned and her mind reeling with one realization, Stefan clearly wasn't alone in Seattle.

A/N: Uh ohh...