At The Beginning [Stefan & Damon Salvatore]

Chapter 137

Car ride/Salvatore Boarding House.

The car ride back to Mystic Falls was completely silent. Cassie was texting Elena so she could avoid talking as Alaric blared rock music and Damon just stared out his window. Cassie knew she was doing the right thing. She knew she had to. He was in love with Katherine. That's why her and Damon would be better just as friends; he will probably always be thinking about her and Cassie will probably always be wondering if he was thinking about her. The car finally came to stop. Cassie saw they were at the Boarding House. Elena would have to drive her home considering Alaric picked her up. "Night Alaric." She said and got out of the car quickly. She heard Damon behind her.

They walked in to see Elena was writing in her diary. "Hey Lena." Cassie said and walked over to her. "Hey Cassie." Elena said as Cassie sat next to Elena on the floor. "Ugh. God. You're still here?" Damon asked with sarcasm. "Were you expecting anything else?" Elena asked with attitude. "No." Damon said as he picked up Elena's legs and sat down on the couch. He placed her legs over his lap. "So, how was your errand?" Elena asked both of them. Damon and Cassie exchanged defeated glances. "Dead end. Although, I think I witnessed our teacher having an existential crisis." Cassie told her with a weirded out expression. "Has Stefan eaten yet?" Damon butted in. "I thought you didn't care." Elena said to him with a small glare. "Chalk it up to morbid curiosity." Damon said with a smirk. "I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with. And it doesn't help that you've spent the last 145 years punishing him for Katherine getting caught." Elena spat at him. Cassie's eyes widened at Elena's accusations. "This is my fault now?" Damon asked offended. "No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just...saying you're not exactly innocent. You've made it your life's mission to make him miserable." Elena said with no remorse.

Damon shot up from the couch angrily. "Let me ask you a question. In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?" Damon asked with hurt in his tone. "He said there was more." Elena said to him. Cassie stood from the floor knowing this was not going to end well. "Yeah. That's an understatement." Damon said in a pissed tone and turned to leave but Cassie ran and grabbed him. "Damon, tell us. Please?" Cassie asked him with sincerity. She actually wanted the whole story.

Quarry 1864

In a flashback, Stefan returned to Damon with a girl. Damon was sat with his eyes closed. He was extremely weak and close to death. "What are you doing? Who is that?" Damon asked confused. "I brought her for you. She's a gift. Have a seat, please." Stefan said to Damon then to the girl. "What have you done, Stefan?" Damon asked in shock of his brother's behavior. "Damon, I've been to see father. He came at me. I didn't know my own strength. There was blood everywhere. He was dying, and the blood was too strong. I needed it. I had to have it." Stefan said with a crazed look in his eyes. "You fed." Damon said in disapproval. "Yes. And it's incredible. My body is exploding with power, Damon." Stefan said with a wicked smile. Damon hung his head in shame. "No." He groaned in disappointment, "I can hear things from far away. I can see through the darkness. I can move, like it's magic. And the guilt, the pain...Damon, I can turn it off. Like a switch." Stefan snapped his fingers. "Katherine was right. It's a whole another world out there, Damon." Stefan said excitedly. Damon stood up. "Katherine is dead, Stefan. There's no world without her." He said weakly. He was close to dying. Stefan grabbed Damon's face. "No. You can turn that off, too. You don't have to feel that pain anymore." Stefan said, trying to convince Damon to turn. "I don't want it." Damon said and shoved Stefan's hands away from him. Stefan was losing it. He grabbed Damon again. "You're weak. You'll be dead soon. You need this." He said as he had his hands around Damon's throat and began shaking him. "No." Damon said through a grunt. "You'll die." Stefan told him. "No. I can't." Damon said whilst struggling to breathe. Stefan turned to the girl. "Please." He asked her. She stood and walked over to them. Suddenly Stefan's face transformed and he bit into her. Damon looked at him in horror. He was scared of his brother. "I won't let you die." Stefan said and put his hands around Damon's face and throat. "No. I can't." Damon said as he struggled to get free. "Don't fight it. We can do this...together." Stefan said to his brother. Damon too weak to fight finally caved in. Damon hesistantly moves towards her. He put his lips to her neck and drank. He pulled away from her for a moment; then sinks his teeth back into her.

Salvatore Boarding House

Back in the present Damon is downing a glass of bourbon while telling his story. Cassie is in shock. Elena is silent and just listening intently. "From the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. I suppose I should thank him. It's been a hell of a ride. Heh." Damon said cryptically. "Oh, my God. He said he wanted to die. That's why he won't feed. Now I understand why, but..." Elena said sadly. "His choice. If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it." Damon said as if he didn't care about his brother. Cassie and Elena exchanged pissed off glances. They both despised that side of Damon. "Don't do that. Okay? Don't pretend like you don't care." Elena spat and turned to leave. "Where are you going?" Cassie asked confused. Elena went down into the cellar. Stefan was gone, but his ring was still on the cot. Elena picked it up and ran out of the cell.

Elena had left to go find Stefan, which left Damon and Cassie alone at the Boarding House. Cassie was on one of the couches reading 'Pride and Prejudice' and Damon was pouring himself a drink. "So this is fun!" Damon said sarcastically. Cassie put her book down and rolled her eyes at him. "You're talking to me why?" Cassie asked annoyed. "Come on Cassie, don't be like this." Damon asked with hurt in his eyes. "Don't be like what Damon?" Cassie asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't be a snotty bitch. It's not who you are." Damon said and moved toward her. Cassie heaved a sigh. "You know what; you're right. I'm not a bitch. I just don't know how to be around you anymore." Cassie said and stood up from the couch. "Just be you." Damon said simply. She chuckles and threw the book onto the couch. "Be the depressed, neurotic mess who's in love with a vampire? You mean that girl you've turned me into?" Cassie asked with a sneer. Damon put his head down in shame. "Yeah, I don't want to be that girl Damon. She's not who I was before I met you and Stefan. She's pathetic." Cassie said with disdain in her words. "I'm talking about the selfless girl who does everything and anything to help her friends. The selfless woman who sacrificed her feelings so her best friend could be happy. The same woman, who saved her best friend's boyfriend from a house full of vampires. The only woman who's ever really cared about me. That amazing young woman with her whole life ahead of her. That woman; who's heart I've broken over and over again. I want her back so I can apologize and tell her I understand why she needs to move on." He said as he walked toward her. "I understand that I took you for granted and I screwed up." Damon said now out of breath. Cassie stood there in wonderment. He finally realized the scope of the damage he'd done. "I'm sorry Cassie. I shouldn't have crossed that line. I know I ruined our friendship." He said with shame in his eyes. Cassie could tell he meant every word. Cassie just nodded in response. She took a deep breath and said the one sentence he needed to hear. "I forgive you Damon." Cassie said with a tight lipped smile. She walked over to him and hugged him. He wasn't expecting her to forgive him. He hugged her back and savored the hug because in that moment he had his best friend back.