One Last Goodbye

[klada]

Ruby droplets of blood dripped down onto the hardwood floor of the Salvatore Boarding house, from the lean body of Damon Salvatore. He hardly noticed, nor did he notice how thick the coating of the blood was on his clothes, and it had even somehow reached his dark hair. Murdering the werewolf was a blur, he could barely recall how many times he had stabbed, and kicked, and tortured even.

All he could remember was the sound of teeth snapping down onto Stefan's skin and the reality of the fact that he was losing his brother. Losing the only person who was always going to be with him. Or at least he had thought that.

He did not even remember how he had found the wolf that had bit him, but he had, and he remembered the stabbing. When the police would find the body they would have to look at the dental records to figure out who had been killed. And they would never find out who had committed the crime either. He'd been careful.

He slammed the door shut, and carefully pulled off his leather jacket. The blood was thick against it, and he looked at it in utter disgust.

Damon entered the house further and threw the coat into the fire, and watched the evidence burn. He had to be careful, he did not want to get caught for a murder now. Shame. He had loved that coat.

Damon ran a hand through his hair and was not surprised to find that more blood had come off onto his hand with the slightest touch. He looked at it dully, and wiped his hands on his already soiled pants. He was nonchalant when he looked down to discover that the blood on the floor was coagulating on the floor underneath his shoes.

He did not want Stefan to die like that. Damon knew how the pain felt, he had been there, he knew how it felt. He could not let his little brother go through what both he had Rose had. Damon would have preferred to simply stake him and just get it over with. No one was supposed to kill Stefan but him. Damon was supposed to shove him against the walls, to stab him, to hurt him. Damon Salvatore needed his little brother, no matter how much he wanted to admit it.

He was supposed to protect his little brother. But somehow he had strayed off the path, somehow he had become lost. It was his fault. He could have saved Stefan. Damon was struck by the irony, that he couldn't save Stefan, but Stefan had sold his soul to Klaus in order to save him.

Pathetic. His human memories were still there, pulsating, throbbing with an ache because he missed them. All of a sudden all he wanted to do was play football with his little brother again. God, he would have given anything.

Killing the werewolf hadn't fixed it.

"I can fix it," Damon whispered, not even realizing the words had come out of his mouth, so that anyone could have heard it.

He was supposed to fix it.

Dully, Damon went to pour a drink of scotch that was sitting was its designated counter. He couldn't remember what made him enraged, but Damon suddenly shoved the glasses off of the counter and onto the floor with a resounding crash as the glass shattered across the floor.

The emotions were too much for Damon to process, but all he could think about was the fact that he was going to lose his brother. And he was not even worth enough to protect his brother. He'd never been able to please his father, and he couldn't save Stefan.

"Damnit."

[Eva]

This wasn't supposed to happen, and yet Stefan couldn't help but feel like it was exactly what he deserved. After all, he'd never really been the 'golden boy' by any means. All the innocent people that had died because of his Ripper self, all the blood that he'd spilled over the last century and a half; it all had to come back and bite him in the ass at some point, right? That being said, he'd never expected the end for him to happen like this. Of course, it wasn't the first time that he'd been subjected to the idea of losing someone because of a werewolf bite but this time was different. This time, he was the one who'd been bitten. The last time it had been Damon's life on the line and he'd given up everything he had left to save the life of his brother. Now, he had nothing left to give. It was because of this that he was resigned to his fate, although it was obvious by Damon's actions that the older Salvatore wasn't nearly so willing to give up and let his brother die.

Having been resting up in his room, as he had already begun to feel the effect's of the werewolf's attack as it slowly ebbed away his strength, Stefan opened his eyes as the sound of the front door opening and closing jarred him from his thoughts. They weren't really anything of importance, simply him reflecting on everything that had happened in his life, but the harsh sound of the heavy oak door slamming behind whoever had just arrived piqued his interest. Aware that Damon had left some time ago, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Despite the fact that he knew today would probably be his last in existence, the younger Salvatore didn't really want to deal with his brother's cold and angst-filled attitude just then. Just one day, he thought to himself as he raised up from his bed where he'd been relaxing for the last hour or so, one day where Damon and I aren't at each other's throats. Is it really too much to ask? He thought it actually sounded rather nice, considering that he wouldn't be around for too much longer.

Stefan knew that he should probably go see what had his brother's panties in a bunch, even though he already had a pretty good idea, and so it was with an audible sigh that he rose from the comforting smell of his sheets and headed downstairs. Every move pained him, as if he had a thousand needles inserted from his shoulder where he'd been bitten that extended throughout his entire body. That being said, he knew that he needed to still be strong; if only for Damon. Regardless of the way he tried to act as if he didn't care, Stefan knew that his brother wouldn't take his death easily. There was no easy way to cope with the loss of a loved one and the fact that they'd been around far longer that most people would ever consider possible would only make it that much harder. He just better not go and do anything stupid once I'm gone. Lord only knows I'll come back to haunt his sorry ass if he doesn't end up getting himself killed in whatever revenge mission he's probably cooking up right now.

Hissing as yet another jolt of searing pain coursed through his body with each step he took down the staircase that led from the second floor to the first, Stefan forced himself to mask how much it hurt once he'd reached the flat surface of the ground floor. He knew that it wouldn't help much considering that Damon had been in his position before with a werewolf bite but he didn't want his brother feeling any worse than he already was; if that was even possible. Trying his best to act as if he was fine(when he was really anything but), the younger Salvatore made his way into the living room where he could hear the familiar sound of the fire crackling. Pausing just inside the door, his eyes widened as he took in the horrific sight that was his brother at the very moment Damon's whispered statement reached his ears. Shaking his head at both things, he stepped further into the room with a saddened expression on his face.

"This is one of the few things you can't fix Damon," Stefan finally said, his voice remarkably quiet for once as he didn't have the strength to act that much, "and what the hell have you been doing? Not one ounce of that blood better be yours or I'll kill you myself. Just because I'm going to die doesn't mean you need to become suicidal yourself." There was an evident tone of both annoyance and anger tinting his words as he couldn't bear the idea of his brother having gone and gotten himself bitten as well. It was bad enough to know that he was dying but the idea of Damon's death was too much for him to deal with at the moment. He needs to be here, if only to watch out for Elena. We can't both and he should know that. She needs us, or one of us anyways. Raising his gaze to meet Damon's once more, he forced himself to remain standing despite how badly it hurt as he walked over to stand next to the one person he cared about more than anything in the world.

"You can't change what's going to happen," he told the bloody vampire beside him, "and you know it. We got lucky with you seeing as Klaus wanted me for some reason but our luck's running out. It's been dwindling for months now. There's no more free passes to use so just get over your moping, okay? After all, this isn't your funeral so you ought to be grateful." Stefan knew his words were harsh, but they were all he could muster up and the truth was there nonetheless. After all, he wasn't going to have a depressed Damon as his only companion for his last day on Earth. While he despised the seemingly endless arguments that usually comprised the majority of their time spent around another, he'd rather that be the mood surrounding them if it was the only alternative to having Damon be all sullen and pathetic. Besides, the older Salvatore did have a reputation to keep up and Stefan certainly wasn't going to let his brother throw it all away on his account. That would just be wrong, even more so considering that he's going to be around for another fifty years at least if I have anything to say about it. I may be dying but all hell's going to break loose if he thinks I'm willing to take him down with me.

Tag: Damon Salvatore
Word Count: 1,157 words
Outfit: Here
Notes: The real demise of Stefan Salvatore xD
Credits: Lyrics from Monster by Skillet
Template by: Masquerade Raccoon @ Caution 2.0

[klada]

Muscles tightened into a coil at the wavering voice of his baby brother. He didn't like the way he sounded. Weak. Stefan was constantly chastising him with more strength in his voice. Damon closed his eyes, not able to look at the face of his younger brother right at this moment. He could not stand how altruistic of nature Stefan was. Both of them had been raised by the same family, the same father. All Damon had ever done was disappoint, and somehow Stefan had thrived. There had always been some amount of jealousy from Damon for that, but he was irate with Stefan's natural personality.

Damon had been expecting more self pity from his little brother.

"Shut up Stefan! You aren't going to die, and I'm not suicidal. I took care of it, and I'm fine," The words came out of Damon's mouth briskly, before he even had the chance to think them out.

"It's my job, to fix it," He said in a softer tone, regretting that he had thrown his drink down onto the carpet.

He was supposed to protect Stefan, that was his job, and he had failed miserably. He had failed in the only job automatically dictated to him as a brother. He had never felt guilty about beating up on his little brother till now. Damon wanted to trade places with him. He had skipped death and now his brother was dying. The pain of that was incredible, and now he could not shut the emotions off like he used to be able to. He didn't want to feel this way, but he had not been able to completely separate himself since Rose died.

He needed Stefan. No matter what Damon did, Stefan was the only person who had never manipulated him. Who had never left his side for very long, or lied to him like Katherine had. He had dealt with him loving the same girl he loved for a second time. He was his little brother and sometimes he seemed more mature than his elder brother. It could not be just one Salvatore, it had to be both of them, otherwise it did not work.

"Stop telling me what I can and can't do. I am going to fix it."

Damon would do anything to fix it.

"I'm not going to just accept it, you idiot!"
Damon took a deep breath, trying to relax a little, but it was difficult. He couldn't move on with his life without Stefan. Nothing would be the same without his baby brother.

"Can you just stop being so selfless for a second? You are dying Stefan, and you are not even going to fight it. You can't die. I'm supposed to make you miserable, remember? I promised you that. I can't keep my promise if you're going to fucking die on me!"

Damon had finally opened the gates to his emotions, and all of a sudden they were all pouring out. All of a sudden he had to admit what he needed, how much he loved his little brother.

"Our family doesn't just lay down and die. Our father taught me that much."

[Eva]

Despite how badly Stefan wanted to simply pretend that everything was okay, both he and Damon knew that it wasn't. He was dying, and there was absolutely nothing that either of them could do to fix it. Werewolf bites were always fatal to vampires, or at least they were supposed to be. The older Salvatore had been lucky enough to escape his imminent death thanks to the generosity of Klaus coupled with the fact that Stefan had given up what little he had left in order to save his older brother's life. After all, that's what family did for one another. Or at least, that was what they were supposed to do. There was a definite ring of truth to the words 'blood is thicker than water'. Only, in the case of the Salvatores, the meaning could be taken far more literally than one would suspect simply by looking at them.

All that aside, Stefan had been determined to make his last day in existence as normal as he could. Whether it was arguing with Damon about something stupid or simply tossing sarcastic remark back and forth as they usually did, a sense of normalcy was what he craved above all else. He didn't want to see his brother moping about simply because the younger vampire knew that would do nothing but make him feel worse and he couldn't stand the thought of throwing himself a pity party mere hours before he was going to die. The least I deserve is to go out with a bang since there's no fighting it, he told himself simply, having already resigned himself to the fact that he was done in. After all, this is nothing more than I deserve. All the innocent lives that I've taken over the years had to come back and bite me in the ass at some point, right?

Some might think his perspective to be off but it was one of the few things that Stefan believed more strongly than anything else. It was time for him to atone for his sins and, as much as he refused to admit it, he was more ready than he would have believed possible. What surprised him more than anything else though, was the tone in Damon's voice when he replied. Eyes narrowing slightly as he listened to his brother, the younger Salvatore couldn't help but wonder if he had in fact detected a hint of worry under the more obvious emotions his brother was displaying. "Don't tell me to shut up Damon!" he shot back, the exertion of raising his voice paining him enough to where he actually cringed slightly at the aches that plagued him from head to toe. "Just grow up and accept it, would you? I'm going to die so get over it. You can't change it any more than you can stop the earth from orbiting around the sun so man up and deal with it."

Stefan knew that his words came out far harsher than he'd meant for them too and yet he made no attempt to justify or apologize for them. Though he hated himself for them more than anyone could imagine possible, he also knew that he needed to take control of his while he still could. Knowing what effects a werewolf bite had on vampires as he'd been there when Damon had been in the same situation, Stefan could tell that it wouldn't be long before the hallucinations began and after that would come the inevitable slumber and death. It was because of this that he had to do what he could now, before he lost touch with both reality and his brother forever. At least let me fix what I can. That's all I'm asking. He knew that the prayers were probably hopeless yet he still sent them out to whoever might be listening with all of his heart. Damon was the one person who had always been there, despite the fact that they rarely ever actually saw eye-to-eye and he wanted more than anything to set things right before he died.

Rolling his eyes as Damon again spoke about how he was going to find a way, Stefan simply sighed in annoyance at how stubborn his brother could be. "Just accept that this is happening," he replied after a moment, voice quieter than before as he could feel the strength once again seeping from his limbs. "I'm dying, and you can't save me. It might have been possible if Klaus was here but I'm sure he's long gone by now so there's really no chance. Why can't you see that?" Shocked into silence by what he heard next, Stefan found his eyes widening at how upset his brother seemed. After all, he'd figured that Damon would be glad to get rid of him but it was obvious by both his words and the tone behind them that he'd been wrong. Oh god, how he had been wrong. Moving to take a step closer to Damon, he felt himself stumble slightly before managing to catch himself against the mantle; praying that the other vampire hadn't noticed.

Still, Stefan knew that Damon having missed that would have taken a miracle given their close proximity to one another and so he didn't bother setting his hopes too high. "I'm not being selfless Damon, I'm being realistic. There's a difference and you know it. What point is there in fighting the inevitable? Besides, you've done more than enough in the 'making your kid brother pay for screwing your life up' department so consider your promise fulfilled." If he was honest with himself, the Damon that now stood before him scared Stefan more than anything. Having never seen his brother take anything so hard, he couldn't understand what it was that had opened the emotional floodgates(or whatever term one might use). This can't all be because I'm dying, he reasoned mentally, attempting to figure out what was fueling his brother's outburst at the moment. After all, Damon's made it clear on more than one occasion how he feels about me so why act like this all of a sudden? It doesn't make sense.

Forced from his thoughts by the older Salvatore's comment on their father, Stefan couldn't believe that Damon would choose to bring up that subject right now. Still, he figured that he might as well humor his brother as he wouldn't be around to do such things for much longer. "I'm not giving up," he began slowly as he struggled to keep his gaze fixed on his brother's gaze. "You of all people should know that I'm nothing like our father. I've simply accepted what's going to happen; that I'm going to die! Unless you plan on having that little fact drive you off the cliff of insanity, I suggest you do the same." He knew that there was no talking to Damon at this point; no reasoning with the older Salvatore as Stefan knew better than anyone just how stubborn his brother could be. That being said, he couldn't help but try. The one thing he couldn't consider was that his death would bring about Damon's own. It was too painful to even consider and so he was determined to get through to his brother; no matter the cost.

Tag: Damon Salvatore
Word Count: 1,225 words
Outfit: Here
Notes: Fighting to the end... *pets them both* >.>
Credits: Lyrics from Monster by Skillet
Template by: Masquerade Raccoon @ Caution 2.0

[klada]

Damon could not help but think about Rose. He remembered holding her, the werewolf bite on her shoulder. She had been so frail by the time he had spared her more pain and staked her. He did not want to watch Stefan go through that, through the pain that both he and Rose had gone through. It was hurtful, and you relived everything that you didn't want to relive. He had almost ripped Elena's throat out because he had thought she was Katherine. He could not go through this, not again, not with Stefan. Damon was not willing to watch Stefan fade away.

Damon was going to fight it. And now, all of a sudden, there was a million things that he had to tell his little brother, that he had never told him before. Emotions and feelings that Damon did not quite process well, thoughts that he'd been hiding for a century. The jealousy and the anguish, and above all, the love he had for his brother that he had been hiding for all of these years.

"Grow up?" Damon asked through gritted teeth. "No. I am not going to get over it. From what I remember you didn't let me die either."

Damon couldn't let his little brother just fade away, but on the other hand, he knew the pain of a werewolf bite. It was going to be slow, and these might be Stefan's last lucid moments before the fever set in. Damon could not let that happen to his little brother, he just could not. What in the world would he do for it, anyway? He was not going to be able to persuade Klaus to save Stefan, to save another Salvatore with his precious blood.

"Don't you dare try and tell me what to do, Stefan. Don't you dare."

Somewhere inside Damon was in excruciating pain, but he could not let that show right now. This moment was a horrible moment for weakness and for pain. He didn't want Stefan to think any differently of him now, when he was about to die. He was supposed to be the strong brother, while Stefan was naive and stupid. Stupid enough to sell himself over to Klaus in return for a vial of blood to save his homicidal older brother. That was something that Damon could never understand, because he had never had to sacrifice something to save a life. But Stefan had. And now Stefan was going to die on him. The whole point of Damon drinking human blood from that poor girl was so that the Salvatore's could be together for the rest of their vampire lives. This was not how it was supposed to end. Damon had enviosned it with him doing the deed, stabbing a stake through his little brother's heart.

For a moment, when Stefan spoke, all of the breath hitched inside of Damon's throat.He could not speak his feelings, but they were there on the tip of his tongue. He ran a hand through his hair, and brushed a finger across his lip nervously. What was he supposed to do now? Lie to his little brother? He could not do that, if Stefan was so set on dying.

"Because I can't lose you! I am not going through this again, not after Rose."

It was Damon being rather selfish, but that was the truth. He could not lose his baby brother, after all the pain he had already been through. He needed Stefan, whether or not he liked it. Stefan was the missing half of Stefan, the more pleasurable personality traits between the two.

"The point is that at least you go down fighting instead of just laying down and dying on everyone who loves you, brother. What about Elena?"

Damon was hoping that by taking the conversation away from himself, Damon could distract from his emotional outburst. But then, he watched Stefan stumble, and in a flash of vampire speed, he was at his little brother's side, a gentle hand on his shoulder, bending down a little to make sure that Stefan was going to live.

"Stefan?" The name of his brother was spoken much quieter than the rest of the conversation, but it also shivered with the pain of having to watch someone else die. "You okay?"

Damon didn't move from his position over his little brother, and at first, he did not even bother to answer Stefan. Numbly, Damon moved Stefan over to the couch.

"Sit."

"Oh, right, you were the perfect son. And now I'm the only one left to look out for you and I'm not going to just accept it, Stefan. It's not that easy."