Inbetween - Salvatore

Chapter 26 - We Have Company

Damon, Alaric and I pulled at the random house. The house is average, it's plain. It's a brick house with a wooden door. We open the doors and get out.

"This is the one here," Alaric informs us as we walk along the path to the house. "Records show this house was paid three months in advance The lights are on so someone must be home. We step onto the porch and Damon grabs the handle.

"This is where it gets tricky. I may or may not be able to get in." Damon says to us. He knocks on the door.

"Yea, how does that work? You always have to be invited in?" Alaric question.

"By the owner of the person of entitlement. Short-Term rentals and hotels are a bit of a gray area. You kind of gotta play it by ear." Damon says. When no one answers he places his hand on the handle."

"I made a mistake," I say. "I don't want to meet Isobel. I can't do this." I bolt from the door straight to the car, but Damon vamp speeds right in front of me, catching me.

"Take a deep breath. You can do this." Damon comforts me. I breathe slowly. Isobel left Ric to be a vampire. Gave Elena and I to someone else. Who knows who our father is? I don't really want to meet the person who doesn't even care about the people that loved her.

"Okay." I breathed. Damon smiled. I can do this. I just need to breathe. I join Ric back on the porch. Damon reaches for the handle again and brakes it.

"Could we not kill anyone tonight, please?" Alaric begs.

"You mean, you just brought me along for my company?" Damon smirks. I roll my eyes.

"Open the door, Damon," I say rolling my eyes again and folding my arms. Damon just continues to smirk as he pushes the door open. He lets Ric and I pass first. I turn to Damon as he inspects the door, seeing if he can get in. He takes a step into the house.

"No permanent resident apparently," Damon says still inspecting the house. I walk in front into the kitchen. I study the house. Its plain and modern. Blue walls, tv, couch.

"Uh, Guys, we have company," Damon says. I side tackled to the ground, and teeth sink into my neck. I scream for help. Ric comes over to help me, by jabbing stakes into the vampires back. He stops bitting and I push him away. Putting my hand to my neck. Ric throws a punch at the guy, as the vampire tries to bite him.

"Boys, boys, boys, that's enough," Damon says, throwing the vampire to the floor. He looks at the vampire. "Hey, I know you." The vampire stands up.

"Damon?" He says as he gains his balance.

"You name is Henry, you were in the tomb," Damon says staring at the vam- Henry.

"Yes, sir," Henry responds. What are you doing here?" He asks hesitantly. Damon looks at me and then to Ric.

--

"Elena it was just another dead end. The vampire, Henry, didn't know who Isobel was." We are never going to find her at this rate. Elena gets up and just leaves the room. Stefan, Damon and I stay seated in front of the burning flames. Yep, Stefan, Elena help him overcome his fear of hurting her and surprisingly me. Damon bigs up the watch again for the fifth time today, shaking it. As soon as she left Stefan glance at Damon and me.

"Thank you, both." Stefan politely says.

"No, Stefan, Thank you." Damon interrupts him. "You're back on Bambi blood, and in the big badass brother again. All is right in the world." Damons smirks. I stifle a laugh. He really did just called himself a badass.

"I mean it. Thank you. For... Helping her take care of me." Stefan stares at Damon, he has a serious look on his face. Damon just sighs.

"You brood too much. Everything on this planet is not your fault. My actions, what I do, it's not your fault, I own them they belong to me. You are not allowed to feel my guilt." Damon just looks away, not even staring back at Stefan. He is to busy thinking about the Gilbert watch.

"Do you feel guilt?" Stefan ask, brooding. He does brood a lot doesn't he.

" if I wanted to, it's there." Damon took a sip of his water. Stephan looked away, it looked as though both brothers were concentrating hard on something different. Stephan gets up off the couch.

"You know Emily waited till after I turned to tell me she's been successful in protecting Katherine with a spell? She didn't want me to know about the term. She thought it would impact my decision," Damon says. My eyes widen. Was that's really how it happened. She could of been the reason why I would have never met Damon, or Stefan.

"She didn't want either of us to turn. She said it was a curse." Stefan says.

"Witches, judgy little things." Damon said smirking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Stefan asked.

"Because, I didn't want you to know, because I hated you, and I still do." Damon says barely looking at Stefan. Stefan nods. He quickly raises his eyebrows.

"I know." Stefan looks at the floor.

"Not because you forced me to turn." Damon's informed him, the whole time looking at the floor."

"Then why?" Stefan asked confused. Damon looked at Stefan like he was about to rip his head off. Damon stood up and got closer to Stefan.

"Because she turned you. It was just supposed to be me Stefan. Just me." Damon said walking away from Damon. Stefan looked at the floor, as I got up to go after Damon. Again, I always seem to be taking care of him. I walk up the stairs into Damon's room. I knock on the door and enter.

"You know, if it was up to me I would've snapped his neck ages ago. He does like to brood a lot." I say. Damon just smirks.

"That's the thing. I can't, When I look at him, I see my brother. But I also see the guy that my ex girlfriend cheated on me with. I can't kill him." Damon says looking Down.

"I know Damon, it's okay to have a heart. That's why I care about you so much, I know that somewhere inside of you, you have a heart. And that heart has room for Stefan. You've just forgotten how to love him." I say. He just smirks at me. I plonked on the bed sitting right next to him. I rest my head on his shoulder. "You love him Damon you just don't want to. I'm telling you Damon it is okay to love. It makes you strong. It makes you human."