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Chapter Text

Damon didn't waste any time hauling his ass out of Klaus' home because really, the entire situation was weird and he'd rather not deal with it. Damon Salvatore wasn't known for making the best decisions and yes, he did NOT thoroughly evaluate his decision on doing this— whatever exactly this was with Klaus. Still he couldn't forget how the hybrid's lips felt against his own, soft like silk but warm like honey. He tried to shake the thought and that proved to be more difficult than he imagined. He was absolutely positively not attracted to the paranoid psychopathic hybrid. That just wasn't a possibility because he was supposed to hate this man. He was the mortal enemy, the main source of his problems. Klaus tormented the women he cared for, dragged his brother back into his Ripper days and most of all, he tried to kill him multiple times. So even considering his attraction to Klaus was out of the question.

He left Klaus' home but he was still standing outside, leaning against the driver's door of his Camaro. It was dark; the sky was filled with stars, and is eyes scanned over the beautiful sight before dropping to the structure of the hybrid's home. His eyes managed to stop at the window of the room he was just in moments ago. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell he was doing. Stefan and Elena would kill him if they knew why he really disappeared for hours with no word. They'd lock him in the cellar for sure. He tried to reassure himself by saying it was beneficial to their plan. Klaus might slip up and reveal something important.

Yeah, he could spin it that way.

Still, he was frustrated and constantly debating how badly the situation was.

Cons: Having sex with a hybrid creature was dangerous, Klaus could bite him. Secondly, Klaus could bite him. Lastly, Klaus could bite him.

There, that was his motivation to stop. Then as always the pros seemed to have outweighed the cons: Klaus' mouth was far more talented than he'd liked to admit. Those warm full lips brushing over his neck, Klaus' hands ghosting up his sides leaving a few imprints from his nails. Klaus'—

No.

He felt like he was setting fire to his insides and Klaus was the cause of it.

"Shit. Klaus is sadistic, impulsive, emotional," he broke his gaze from the house and continued to convince himself. "Short tempered, careless, narcissistic, obsessive," his eyes narrowed. "Manipulative." He lingered on his last word because it held more meaning than anything.

"I would say I am just like you." A soft voice drawled.

Damon lifted his head and Klaus was standing inches away from him with both arms on either side of him. His lips parted but nothing was uttered. There was a crucial sentence missing from his rationalization about Klaus that he wished he had of said.

It's not his fault, he was forced to be that way, and he had no choice. He needed someone but no one was there.

His gaze shifted to the right or perhaps it was the left, he wasn't sure, he just needed to avoid those sad eyes from making him doubt everything he ever thought about Klaus' personality.

"I was just leaving." Damon said with a halfhearted smirk.

"Sure but you would have returned."

"Don't be so sure Mr. Cocky."

Klaus held up Damon's cell phone and grinned when Damon subconsciously patted his pockets. "Look at me."

Damon snatched his phone away and reluctantly did as he was told. "Cold hearted," he said. "You're that too."

Klaus just smiled as if it were a compliment.

"But that's all a facade because you're alone, right? You take pride in being an asshole because at the end of the day, that's all you have." He watched Klaus' smile falter and he felt his chest ache. He didn't know why he was saying those things to the hybrid; maybe to hurt him or to show that he understood and cared? "Don't go to the Grill tomorrow night."

Klaus glared at him. "And why shouldn't I?" He asked, obviously affected by Damon's words. It wasn't as if he never heard it before so why did it feel like he was stabbed through the heart this time?

"Just don't go that's all I can tell you."

That wasn't enough for him so he leaned closer. "Damon." His cheek brushed passed Damon's and his lips rested against the vampire's neck. "That's not a good enough reason." He parted his lips then suddenly bit him.

Everything he worried about happened; the bastard actually bit him. He pushed the blond away and grabbed at his neck. "Shit, Klaus!"

"Now that I have your undivided attention, how about you tell me everything or die?"

Damon's jaw clenched and his shook his head. "No."

"Then enjoy your last few hours." He turned and headed back to his house.

"You can't get rid of everything that doesn't go your way. That's why everyone leaves you after a period of time!" He shouted to Klaus.

"And why should I care? Don't you understand? If it does not pertain to my ultimate army then it does not matter to me." He yelled. He didn't need anyone and that worked better for him. Too many betrayals and abandonments opened his eyes to his solitude. "Damon," he started as he turned to lay eyes on the young vampire. "Power is everything."

"Power is nothing if you're alone at the top." Damon replied.

The frown on his face turned into something more vicious and he was back near Damon in seconds. He wrapped his hand around Damon's throat and squeezed causing the other to gasp. "You enjoy testing my patience don't you?

"If I'm going to die I might as well be the thorn in your side for the remaining time."

"So arrogant." He snarled and snapped Damon's neck.

Klaus knew everything Damon said was right but he didn't have to listen to it. There was more to him than that. Obviously he wasn't as cold hearted as people pegged him since he didn't let Damon die. He saved him by giving him his blood— after snapping his neck of course. He sat in the chair next to the bed with his book in hand. Damon got under his skin and his words cut deeper than anyone else's.

Four hours of waiting proved to be useful. Klaus managed to get a few new outlines started.

Damon groaned as he started to gain consciousness, he was oddly shocked that Klaus snapped his neck. "Fuck…" He reached for his neck and the bite wound was gone. That was another surprise.

"You know Damon," he cooed as he sketched in his small notebook. "What we have is surprisingly a healthy relationship."

Damon snorted.

"You and I, we're a lot alike."

"Sorry to break this to you but nothing I do is healthy."

Klaus smirked. "You're doing me, love. That's as healthy as you can get."

Damon wasn't one to blush but his cheeks might have flushed at the comment. "You are ridiculous." He sat up from the bed and eyed the book in Klaus' lap. "What are you doing?"

"Reminding myself why I haven't killed you yet."

Chapter Text

"Reminding myself why I haven't killed you yet."

Damon raised a brow in confusion at Klaus' words. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it says, I'm not sure I can dumb it down any further, Damon." He grinned and stood from his seat. "I assume having a few hours to process things gave me an opportunity to rationalize my actions." He moved closer to the bed and dropped the book into Damon's lap. "Unfortunately, you affect me in every way possible and I just can't have that. Weaknesses are not allowed." He didn't enjoy having weak spots; it was like his feelings for Caroline all over again.

Damon lowered his gaze to the book and scanned over the page. His lips parted but he didn't speak right away. It was him; Klaus was drawing him. He looked up to the hybrid and rolled his eyes. "This is kind of creepy," he whispered. "But really good."

Klaus felt his chest tighten because he couldn't remember the last time someone genuinely complimented his work. "Don't patronize me."

"For once, I'm not." He closed the sketch book and threw his legs over the side of the bed and Klaus promptly moved between them. "As much as I hate to give you a compliment, I really mean it."

Klaus stared down at Damon with a smirk plastered on his face. "Is that so?" He dragged a finger up Damon's arm and to his shoulder before wrapping his hand around his throat. It was tight enough to cause discomfort but loose enough to signal he meant no harm.

"Yeah, have a problem with that?"

With a grin he leaned down and closed a bit more space between them. Their lips nearly brushed. "No."

Damon broke the contact and tugged at Klaus' hand that was now loosely hanging from his neck.

"Tell me, why shouldn't I go to The Grill? Tell me why you're ruining their plan."

Damon snorted. "Maybe I'm tired of pretending to be good. Maybe I'm fed up with pretending to be something I'm not- something I'll never be."

"Prove it."

"How do I do that?"

"Tell me everything."

Damon rubbed at his head. He couldn't betray his brother even though he had every right to after their last fight. "So you can kill them? I don't think so."

Klaus huffed. "Do remember that you brought this up. Regardless of that, you have my word, Damon, I won't harm them."

"Sorry but your word doesn't mean much to me after you screwed us over the last time."

Klaus brushed his fingers over Damon's cheek. "I haven't killed you have I?"

Damon quickly looked up at him. "That doesn't count and you know it, besides, you attempted to kill me plenty of times. I want solid reassurance that you won't touch them."

Klaus reached out and took Damon's wrist and whispered, "I don't take this lightly." He yanked Damon from the bed and spun him around. Within seconds he had him pinned up against the wall. "Here," he pressed his own wrist against Damon's lips. "Drink."

Damon raised his brow at the gesture. He had Klaus' blood before but it was always under dire circumstances. This time— this time was obviously different, it was an innocuous gesture.

"Damon, my word means more than you think when it's for someone important. Now drink."

Damon, without hesitation, parted his lips and sank his fangs into Klaus' wrist. The hybrid's blood ran smoothly down his throat and oddly enough it reminded him of bourbon but sweeter. It made him wonder, did the werewolf bite distract him from how Klaus tasted all those other times? Since there was no pending issue or emergency he was actually able to savor the taste.

He liked it; he liked it a little too much.

Klaus grinned and watched his lover consume his blood. He wouldn't lie; it was a beautiful sight to see. The deep hues of red staining those gorgeous lips, the stray drops escaping down the corners of his mouth to his chin did something to Klaus.

Damon brought his hand up to Klaus' arm and reluctantly pushed it away. He knew he had to stop no matter how good it made him feel. There was a sense of vulnerability that resonated within Damon and he wasn't so sure he liked it. Damon Salvatore was not the vulnerable type. It was something new that he wasn't used to so of course his first reaction was standoffish but that didn't stop him.

Klaus had him hooked.

Klaus, for just a moment, settled for staring at Damon's features. He wandered from those icy blue eyes that refused to make contact with his own down to full lips that were stained with blood. Blood sharing was intimate and in all honesty, he had only done it with one other.

They weren't saying much, not with words at least. They had been around each other long enough to silently communicate and they were clearly okay with the lack of words, it was a common occurrence when they were together.

Without thinking Klaus slid his hand up to Damon's cheek and Damon leaned into the gentle touch. Before he knew it, his lips were pressed against the younger vampire's again.

"They plan to trap you at the Grill and desiccate you." Damon whispered against Klaus' lips.

Klaus leaned in for another kiss but it was pressed to Damon's forehead instead. Subtle moments like those made Klaus remember what it was like to be human and he could only hope that feeling would linger.

Damon's eyes suddenly darted over to the door when he noticed they had company. His eyes were narrowed now because of the interruption. He should have been irritated, but he wasn't. He had something better to focus on.

Klaus could tell who it was before Damon could even react. He dropped his hand from Damon's cheek then took a step back so there was at least a foot of space between the two of them.

"Brother, I hope this is important."

Kol grinned and leaned against the door frame. "Oh, don't stop on the account of me. I was just fetching you for Elijah. There is an issue."

Klaus rolled his eyes and turned to face Kol. "Can't it wait? Or is it so important that it needs my undivided attention now?"

"How would I know?"

"Elijah sent you so I'm sure you should have a least a little information about what he wants."

"Don't shoot the messenger." He shifted his gaze to Damon and grinned. "Elijah's in the study."

It was clear that Elijah didn't trust Damon. He was convinced that his involvement with Klaus was a part of a plan. Of course he voiced his concerns to Klaus but the skepticism didn't bother Klaus at all. For once, Elijah believed Klaus had the right to be paranoid.

Damon came down first and said nothing on his way to the door. Elijah watched the figure speed past then the sound of an engine was heard.

"This had better be important, Elijah. I was in the middle of something."

"I know you are impulsive but you cannot really be serious about this? You are not a child Niklaus, supervision shouldn't be needed."

"If this is still about Damon I don't have the patience for it. He's a threat; he'll always be a threat because he's Damon Salvatore but that doesn't worry me." He smirked and took a seat next to his brother. "Why does it bother you so much, Elijah?"

"Niklaus, despite what you might think, I do care about you." He turned his gaze to his brother and paused. "Family is everything to me after all."

Chapter Text

Okay, so Damon knows he's an asshole but so does everyone else and that doesn't make him any less likable since he owned it. He grows on people because he never denied that's he's an irrational, impulsive, rude, obnoxious asshole.

Despite that, Damon was sweet when he wanted to be, he's nice at heart and bluntly honest. It's an interesting combination of traits but under the circumstances, all bets went straight out the window.

"I'm Damon Salvatore." He said with a grin as he shook the Travelers' hand. He was only being civil because he knew what the Travelers could do. Plus he was out numbered. The guy doing all of the talking looked familiar to Damon but he couldn't quite place a name to the face. He didn't question it just yet.

"We have been looking for you, Damon Salvatore."

"Is that right? I must be popular today." He joked.

"Andrei and Mikhail, they've been searching for you everywhere."

Damon rolled his eyes and took a look around the place. To say the least, the place was beautiful despite the dust and worn appearance. It was an older design, perhaps early 1900's. Tall ceilings, hardwood floors, clay tiled walls and floor to ceiling windows. The place was beyond aesthetically pleasing but he still had a bad feeling about it. Something was off.

Damon was snapped from his thoughts when he heard, "welcome back, Damon Salvatore." He quickly swung around and was greeted by a face of an old friend.

"Enzo…" His eyes went wide before he whipped back around to the man he thought looked familiar and growled. "A Whitmore."

Wes grinned. "No, no, but close. Wes, Wes Maxfield."

"I've seen you before."

"You saw me two hours ago, Damon."

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"You see, it's very handy to have Travelers around because they have this talent for getting me what I want. And you know what? It turns out that you are one of the original Augustine testing subjects back from 1953. I want you back in captivity. Research has made a new leap in history, Damon."

"Ugh, you freaks brainwashed me?"

"I prefer thinking of it as, guiding you." Wes smiled and looked up to Enzo. "Now."

"Sorry about this mate— actually, I'm not." Enzo had an axe to grind and his chance had finally come. He sped up to Damon and without hesitation snapped his neck.

Payback was a bitch.

Meanwhile, back in Mystic Falls the conflict of Damon Salvatore was still being debated. Regardless of the fact that it was a one-sided argument, points were still made.

Elijah folded his arms and leaned against the door frame. "I figured you'd take a liking to him, brother. It seems that you two are cut from the same cloth and made from the same mold."

Klaus groaned. "Elijah, enough of the small talk, what are you getting at?"

"I believe that I was clear when I stated I did not trust the elder Salvatore. However, I clearly see your fondness of him and I will hold my tongue. But I will also keep an eye on him for my better judgment is in play."

"Yes, yes, brother, I understand. You are keeping me in your best interest, correct?"

"You needn't worry, Niklaus, I give you my word. I have no desire to intervene."

"I suppose that's all you have to say, brother?"

"Of course. I have business to attend to. I trust you can keep yourself out of trouble during my absence?"

"I'll be the perfect little angel."

Elijah nodded to him before quietly taking his leave.

Hands. It was a fragmented feeling in his state of mind but he knew that he felt hands. It started at his knees, pushing and prodding beneath the flesh then worked its way up to his thigh. His previous time in captivity seemed different compared to how it was now. Things seemed more gruesome now.

He might have tensed when he felt something cold on his hip but he wasn't sure. There was so much vervain in his system that he couldn't even move. It was a surgical knife that he felt and he was glad because whatever Wes had been using before made the pain feel like vervain soaked daggers slowly piercing through his heart.

Soon there were drops of blood placed on his lips and he instantly opened his mouth. It had been 6 hours since Wes willingly gave Damon blood.

Damon swallowed and then there were hands on his throat. That knife he felt only moments ago had been pressed hard against his neck.

"Let's see what that little sample can really do."

Wes smiled and swiped the blade cleanly across pale flesh then started the timer.

He had slit Damon's throat and the desiccation had begun.

Wes kept the wound from healing in order to drain nearly all of the blood from Damon's body. His reasoning behind it was to feed his other test subject, a newly changed vampire who had been infected with the ripper compound.

"Damon, I'm impressed. Your recovery rate has quadrupled since your original test date. I desiccated you and one drop of blood brought you back. Also, your flesh heals faster but I'm curious to see how your bones, organs and muscles compare." Wes grinned and picked up a needle filled with vervain.

"I still can't believe my luck. My initial target was a newly turned vampire spotted just outside of Mystic Falls but then I get wind of an older vampire who just happened to have been here before. Do you remember, Damon? Do you remember Dr. Whitmore? Dr. Whitmore has data on you starting from June 11, 1953. Five years of beautiful research that has given me the opportunity to continue it. Do you understand that this is a breakthrough for my research?"

Damon groaned and murmured something in a tired tone. "When I get out of here, you better run, you better run fast and far because I'm going to kill you. In the meantime, can you shut up because I'm getting really tired of hearing your voice?"

Wes grinned. "When you get out of here? I like your enthusiasm but you aren't going anywhere." He stuck the needle in Damon's neck and injected him with twice the dosage of vervain.

"Patient 21051 is healing at an accelerated rate. Vervain has weakened him but his resistance to it is strong. Flesh heals within seconds, blood depletion reversed under five minutes with a drop of human blood. Patient is unable to move but still coherent. Healing speed has quadrupled compared to data from 1953. Patient has not lost consciousness after 2 minutes."

Damon lost track of how long he had been locked up and frankly, he didn't care. It was four, four days of sheer torture and he'd rather Wes just kill him already.

"Damon Salvatore, I presume." A soft voice whispered as he ran his fingers along the bars. "I honestly can't believe you landed yourself back in captivity. You aren't very smart for your age." He grinned and kneeled down to Damon's level on the other side of the cage. "Listen up, gorgeous. I'm going to help you for two reasons. One, you're cute. Two, I hate Wes just as much as you do." He looked over the exhausted vampire and sighed. He bit into his own wrist and filled a cup with his blood. "He infected you, I can tell."

Damon's eyes changed and he snatched the cup from the vampire's hands. "Who the hell are you and infected me with what?"

"My name is Andrei but you can call me Andy and you have the ripper compound running through your veins."

"Alright Andy, why are you so adamant on helping me?"

"When you're out of here, I'll let you know. I'll bring you more blood tomorrow so in the meantime, don't draw attention to yourself. I have a way to bring this place down."

"Good to know."

"You had business to attend to, brother? What did you do with Damon?" Klaus spat harshly, a growl clearly resonating throughout the room. He didn't worry at first because it wasn't unlike Damon to not speak with him for a day or two, but four was something new and even Stefan and Elena hadn't seen him.

"I beg your pardon?" Elijah looked up from his book and raised a brow. "I have done nothing to Damon Salvatore."

"He's been missing for four days and it just so happens that the last anyone saw of him was when he was here. Forgive me if I have skepticism of the situation." He rolled his eyes and snatched the book from Elijah's hand. "Now tell me, where is he."

"Surely you do not believe I would harm him due to my suspicion of his motives."

"I don't know what I believe at the moment."

"Niklaus, I assure you that I have done nothing to him." He stood and slid his hands into his pockets. "Despite your accusations, I will assist you in locating his whereabouts."

Klaus glared and paced around the room. Deep down he knew Elijah had nothing to do with Damon's disappearance but still, he was livid and whoever was behind this would pay dearly. He'd make sure of that.

Chapter Text

Just as Andrei promised, he returned every day with a cup of his blood to make sure Damon wouldn't suffer. Well, to make sure he wouldn't suffer as much as before. It really wasn't much but the state that Damon was currently in, it helped more than he thought it would have. He wasn't just a limp body being poked and prodded at anymore. So that was more than anyone in Damon's position could ask for.

As much as Damon would have loved to rip Wes' head off whenever he was brought to the testing room, he also wanted to destroy all of his work more. He wanted to take away everything that Wes loved so dearly. So Damon stuck to Andrei's plan. He played along with the broken vampire act— and just the thought of revenge was enough for him to keep going and to behave.

After another two weeks had come and gone and even with the blood, Wes was getting more creative and it was taking its toll on him. Good for research- but oh so bad for vampires. Luckily, Damon and the other vampires could rest easy for a few nights since there was something that needed Wes' immediate attention elsewhere. That should have worried them all, but a break was a break.

They'd take what they could get.

And who were they kidding? It wasn't like they were going to be in there for much longer.

Klaus hadn't given up on his plotting to murder whoever took Damon. In fact, he had enlisted the help of Bonnie. It didn't take much convincing on her end since she and Damon had grown closer as friends. Although, Bonnie still didn't trust Klaus but that was expected on both ends. Considering their past track records with one another, it wouldn't shock anyone that they were cautious of each other's presence. But as it stood, desperate times called for extremely desperate measures with unlikely allies. "Alright, little witch. Where is he?" He asked, eyes watching over the girl closely as she worked. The mistrust was mutual but the common goal was even stronger.

Bonnie tried to focus and get a read on Damon but that was easier said than done when you had an impatient vampire hovering.

"Well?"

"Shh. I can't focus with you constantly complaining."

Klaus folded his arms across his chest and sighed. Patience was not his virtue.

"Who is Wes Whitmore?" Bonnie asked, eyes slipping closed as her flames grew wilder. "No, wait—" she shook her head once more information was revealed to her. "Wes Maxfield, he's..." She suddenly stopped and the flames blew out. "He's here, he's coming towards us." She said softly. "And he isn't alone." Someone...or something was cutting her signal off.

Klaus stopped his pacing and narrowed his eyes. "Whitmore. Thank you, little witch." His flat lined expression shifted into a frown and then he was gone.

"Klaus?" Bonnie called out but the hybrid was long gone.

Wes had it all planned out. From the time that he captured Damon to this very moment. He had caught wind of this family of original vampires. There were originally five of them but two had perished. His Travelers were fortunate enough to locate two and to his surprise, one of them happened to be spotted with Damon Salvatore. Wes felt like he had hit the Jack pot because capturing an original Augustine vampire and soon to have an original vampire was too good to be true. To sweeten the pot, his informants told him of Klaus' half breed and the family's immortality status. His research was about to take an advanced turn for the better.

With the assistance of the Travelers, he was able to impose on Bonnie's channeling and gave away his location. He knew the half breed original would come looking for him— well, come looking for Damon.

Things were working out perfectly.

So he thought.

It didn't take Klaus long considering that this man was obviously making sure his location was easily found. He wasn't naive, he understood that this all was insanely too easy and that someone was going through a lot of trouble to keep the ball in their court. But unfortunately, the closer he got, the farther Wes distanced himself. And before Klaus knew it, he was in the middle of a home that he didn't even realize he had arrived to. That didn't matter though, he could smell that the person who had been luring him from the start was here so all rational thoughts ceased to exist for the hybrid.

Klaus stood in the middle of the room but quickly turned when he heard the doors slam shut. "Oh, don't go running off on me now. We aren't done here. We haven't even begun, mate." He moved towards the door but as soon as he tried to reach for the doorknob, he was stopped by a barrier. After several failed attempts, he realized he was dealing with a top notch spell. "Witches?" He questioned, gazing off at the two windows on either side of the door. "Very well."

Two could play at that game.

He drew back his arm some before launching his fist down at the wooden table by the entrance. With a devilish grin, he grabbed a few broken pieces from the pile of destroyed wood then glanced out the window. As far as he could see, there were at least a dozen of Travelers in a group by the entrance. But that didn't really matter. He could see more than enough.

He drew his arm back again and it snapped forward, tossing the wooden piece right through the front door. He heard a body fall and then tossed another. After seven bodies hitting the ground, he heard the incessant chanting stop and he also heard a car's tires screeching against pavement. This Wes character just wasn't willing to play this game apparently.

What fun was that?

Klaus returned to Bonnie after finishing off the Traveler's except for one. He figured she would be something useful to him in the long run. He couldn't find Damon anymore and the trail was beyond cold. But they still had options.

There were always options.

The woman Traveler didn't take much convincing. Once glance at Klaus' fangs had her singing like a canary. She wanted no part in any kind of torture that the hybrid was threatening her with.

Klaus learned about the whereabouts of Damon and really, that was all he needed to know from her. And he definitely didn't think twice about killing her even with Bonnie's protests. Once everything was taken care of, he was on his way to retrieve Damon.

A few miles away was a different story for Damon. He had gotten out but he really couldn't remember anything and clearly the vervain was working its way through his system the more he moved. He was barely keeping to his feet. The last conscious act he remembered was speeding past Andrei when the vampire released him from the cage. He had gotten as far away from Augustine as he physically could while in his current state. So of course slight internal panic emerged when a car was slowly approaching him.

He could only assume it was Wes and he wasn't so sure he could fight right now.

The steady beams of the headlights had swept over the familiar frame of the so sought after vampire. The car came to an abrupt stop, scraping against the dirt in the process. The driver had already began the process of rushing out of the vehicle before the Damon staggered closer...but he wasn't alone. Silence settled heavily in the area and if it hadn't have been Klaus, it would have seemed eerie.

"Fucking A-plus timing." Damon said, stumbling a bit but Klaus gripped onto his upper arm to steady him.

"Considering that Wes is out for your capture, I'm slightly surprised to see you roaming around at night by yourself." The other shadow spat out to the hybrid.

Klaus' eyes focused on the figure and his eyes narrowed. "And you are?"

"The one that saved him." He answered, pointing to Damon who was now slumping against Klaus. "I've been shadowing him for precaution. But Wes isn't aware that Damon has escaped yet. So I advise you to get going now. Especially since you have become one of his new favorite obsessions."

Klaus just stared at him. "You are so full of information. Willingly. For all I know, you're helping him. And quite frankly, I couldn't care less, so stay out of my way." He was a skeptical man, okay? It was one of his many paranoid traits.

Andrei raised his hands to show he meant no harm. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Klaus could kill him in a heartbeat. But he really was just trying to help. He promised Damon to get him out of that place and that's exactly what he did. "Of course. Heads up though, he'll need blood soon. The right kind of blood." And then he was gone.

Wes was anything but happy when he discovered that not only was Damon gone, but the majority of his Travelers were killed. Setbacks, that's all that they were and Wes always had a plan for situations just like this.

So he was moving on to the next one.

Damon Didn't remember much after running across Klaus on the road. So when heard a voice talking at him, he didn't know what was happening. Everything was a blur and his body ached. It ached in a way that he hadn't experienced since he was human. It's unnerving.

"Damon." The voice called again but it's much clearer this time.

He groaned and finally opened his eyes. Everything was bright and he already hated it. "Ugh." Pushing up into a sitting position he locked a glare on a certain blonde. "You."

"I figured I'd get a better response from you but I was mistaken." Klaus grinned because despite how serious this situation was, he couldn't help it. Damon just did that to him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm hollow. Completely dead inside and no pun intended."

"You threw up every drop of human blood that you drank last night, so that does sound about right." He sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out, pressing his hand lightly on the side of Damon's neck.

Damon swallowed softly when there were now two hands ghosting across his throat and up to his face as fingertips were brushing across his parted mouth. He wondered if it was imagined when he heard Klaus' name but it didn't sound like his own voice saying it.

That's because it wasn't.

"Klaus." There it goes again.

Damon snapped out of it and turned his head some when Klaus' hands were suddenly pulling away from his face. He frowned but spotted Elijah standing at the door.

Right.

"He needs to feed."

Klaus sighed and nodded. "I'm aware of that."

"Not from you."

Klaus sighed again. "And why not? It isn't like he can kill me."

"He could desiccate you…"

"He's right." Damon murmured softly, running his fingers through his messy hair. He really didn't need to make things even more complicated than it already was. He just wanted to drink something before he desiccated.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that." Klaus grinned, reassuring Damon. Looking back over to Elijah he stood up from the bed. "I'll be down in a moment." He said softly. "You produce some sacrifices and he can drink from them. In the meantime, I'm busy." He smiled at his brother and motioned for him to close the door. He really appreciated his brother's concern, but he could handle this.

"You sure this is a good idea?" Damon asked.

Klaus laughed. "Of course not, but when do we make good decisions, love?"

"Good point."

Klaus returned to his spot on the side of the bed and tugged down his collar a bit more to expose his neck. "Go ahead."

Damon was hesitant but his instinct was to pounce. He hadn't eaten since Andrei had given him blood and that was practically years in his mind when you were turned into a vampire who now fed on other vampires.

Fucking ripper virus.

Damon scooted towards the edge of the bed until he could press his feet against the carpet. He bore his fangs and tried his best to not jump the original vampire but that was easier said than done. "I give you full permission to snap my neck if I don't…or won't stop."

"You will."

"So confident." Damon chuckled and placed a hand on Klaus' shoulder before leaning in. Without further hesitation, he bit into the soft flesh. The first drop of blood that hit his tongue had him feeling weak in the knees- weak in the body. At least he was already sitting down. A soft moan slipped out past his lips against Klaus' skin.

It was warm and sweet. It was also weird because he didn't remember Klaus tasting like this…tasting this good.

That was bad.

This was bad.

His eyes rolled then shut and he pushed even closer, drinking more, guzzling down as much as he possibly could…like his life depended on it.

After a few more moments he felt fingers threading through his hair and that's when he pulled off.

He licked his lips and just stared at Klaus for the longest. Damon was dazed, eyes glazed over and blood dripping down his chin. "Pretty sure I'm drunk now."

"Is that so?"

"Definitely so." He grinned and flopped back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I'm gonna kill him as soon as I get the chance. But I'm gonna burn everything he loves to the fucking ground. I'll make him watch all of his hard work go up in flames. Then I'll kill him slowly and let him see how it feels. Then he'll go up in flames."

"If you love me right, I'll accompany you every step of the way."

Damon tilted his head back down and raised a brow at Klaus. Did he hear him right? "Is that so?"

He wasn't expecting that at all.

"Get some rest, Damon." Klaus stood from the bed and smiled down at the vampire. "You'll need it."

"I swear it won't take me long." Damon slightly mumbled.

"I believe you."

"Good."

Good.

Chapter Text

“R-right there...” Damon moaned, his breath hitching and catching in his throat. He felt so high, and he could feel everything. He could hear everything. It was like his body was on fire but in a painless way. The way those warm lips shifted down his throat, leaving soft kisses in a trail and light marks from sharp teeth scraping at his skin.  

He’d never admit it out loud, but this was where he always wanted to be. “F-Fuuuuuck.” His body tensed and his grip that his arms had around the blonde’s neck tightened. Throwing his head back against the wall, trying to hold on to this moment as long as he could, he whispered. “I’m gonna come.” 

“Not yet.” Klaus said against Damon’s neck. “I want to see your face.” He lifted his head and with a flash of movement, he had Damon on the bed, now in his lap. His hand reached down between their bodies, grasping onto the hard flesh of the younger vampire. “Go on, love. Show me that pretty face that you make.” 

Damon would normally have a snarky remark ready at being called pretty by the hybrid, but for some reason, his words for retaliation had dissipated. Instead, he was far too focused on how he was about to physically explode. “Shut...u-up.” He managed out in a broken tone from how Klaus had begun stroking him.  

“Don’t stop moving. Come on, rock your hips.” Klaus placed strong hands on the pale hips of Damon. He gave a nice squeeze before guiding him into a nice and slow rhythm, encouraging him to keep moving. Judging by the sound that Damon had made, he had pushed him in just the right way. “ Come .” 

Damon really didn’t need to be told twice. As if on command, his body shook, lips parted and eyes rolling to the back of his head. He let out a low and chasmic moan, hips still rocking but at a quicker pace now to chase that spot being hit consistently. With faltering movements, his release landed up Klaus’ stomach and chest.  

Klaus watched in awe as he came inside of the other as a satisfied moan escaped him shortly after. He had come to admire how beautiful it was to witness this. It would always get Klaus there. His eyes wandered over every inch of Damon. He watched his body frantically reach that orgasm. He watched his face flush with heat, and he listened to how fast his breathing was. He was captivated by every minuscule detail. A soft smile formed, and he let his eyes drift down to Damon’s lips. Reaching up, he placed his hand on the back of the vampire’s neck and pulled him into a kiss.  

Damon wasted no time in moving fluidly with the blonde. He returned that kiss, smiling when he suddenly tasted blood- Klaus' blood. Something about that did something to Damon and it had him moaning. “Can I?” He found himself asking, nearly begging, desperate for it.  

“Of course.”  

Damon shifted, his lips kissing down Klaus’ neck before he bit into the flesh at his favorite spot. The rush of warm blood flooding his mouth had him making noises, noises that had Klaus thinking about adding a few more rounds to this moment they were having.  

Damon wouldn’t say that he had grown proficient at being a vampire who was now forced to feed on other vampires, but it wasn’t like he had to do it alone. Granted, no one else knew except for Klaus, Andrei, and the madman who had done this to him, but he was managing just fine so far.  

Reluctantly, he broke the contact before he lost willpower. Portion control.  

Klaus let his grip of Damon’s hips loosen and drift up his back until he could pull him close to his body, closing any space that had been there. He was content with staying like this for as long as they could. It was moments like that where he could faintly remember that very real simplicity of being...human.  

“You should stay.” Klaus suggested. 

“I can’t.” Damon countered. "I've got an asshole to hunt down and torment."

“But you will stay.” The blonde added with a grin.  

“Obviously.” His search could continue afterwards.

- THREE MONTHS LATER -  

“You know, I would never insult the person who initially saved me but...” 

“It’s never good when there is a “but” after a slight compliment.” Andrei drawled; eyes locked on Damon. He grinned, watching the vampire pace back and forth. “But go on, explain to me why.” 

“But you don’t have to keep hovering and popping up. You’re not my keeper.” 

Andrei laughed, genuinely laughed. “I think I do. I suppose I am a little obsessed with you after all.” 

“Well, that’s creepy.” 

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, I don’t mean in that way.” He reached out and grabbed Damon by the back of his shirt and yanked him close until they were pressed flush against each other. Damon's back to Andrei's chest. “However, you are insanely easy on the eyes." His free hand moved around and was placed on the blue eyed vampire's stomach. "I could easily become obsessed that way." You know, if given the chance. 

Damon faltered and he was starting to think that Klaus had broken him because he had never been this easy to rile up- this easy to fluster and dismantle. He felt like a frustrated teen hitting puberty with this man hitting on him. He was a natural born flirt and this- THIS small flirting shouldn’t have affected him this way. Before he could open his mouth to say something in protest, someone else was speaking.  

“Mate, I think it’s in your best interest to keep your hands to yourself before you lose those said hands.”  

Andrei’s head quickly turned to where the voice was coming from. Directly behind him. When he locked eyes on Niklaus Mikaelson he didn’t waste any time letting go of Damon and taking more than a few steps back from both of them. He really wasn’t on his game because he hadn’t even sensed that anyone else was around, let alone standing that close. Raising his hands in a non-defensive way, much like when they first met, he smiled. “Hey, yeah, right. Understood.”  

Andrei wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly what kind of claim that the Original had on Damon, and he wasn’t dumb enough to interfere.  

Right? 

Right...

Damon turned his head and locked eyes with Klaus and couldn’t help the smirk that appeared. “So, everyone decided to just pop up without calling? I didn’t know my house had an open-door policy.” 

“I don’t particularly need an invitation, Damon.” Klaus moved past Damon, brushing closely past him, his hand dragging over the back of his neck and fingers carding through dark black hair before he made his way over to the couch. He took a seat there like he belonged there. 

Subtly, Damon relaxed into the familiar touch. Although brief, it was welcomed even if he hadn’t verbally expressed that. “So, what’s up with this double visit. I understand why you’re here.” He said pointing to Andrei. “You’re a stalker.”  

“Stalker is harsh, plus, I didn’t come here of my own accord. “Your boyfriend here summoned me. His older stuffier brother’s words, not mine.” 

Damon looked to Klaus for elaboration.  

Klaus remained silent because he was contemplating on if he should just kill this Andrei person now. He only needed one reason and he already had two now. Two reasons that had 5 fingers each.

Time had passed since Damon had gone missing and the Grill Ambush that was supposed to happen. With the blink of an eye, everyone’s attention had shifted, and rivalries had fizzled out when a new common threat had manifested. Stefan, Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie had called a truce with the Mikaelson family after learning of Wes Whitmore and what he had done to Damon. They all had common ground. Plus, it helped that Damon was quite frankly sleeping with the enemy so it wasn’t like they could keep attempting to kill the hybrid. Well, not like they knew the extent to their relationship truly. It was speculation really at this point. 

Bonus, Klaus hadn’t been tormenting them. If they were all being honest, it had stopped long before the kidnapping, but it was more emphasized now. At some point, Damon had gone and made him... soft.  

“You wanna share with the class, Space Cadet?” 

Klaus scoffed and rolled his eyes at the nickname. “I found Wes Whitmore.” 

Damon was suddenly at the couch and locked in. “Where?” 

“Relax, love. I’ll tell you everything you need to know but before we do anything. I needed to make sure that your shadow here is exactly who he says he is. So, I thought what better way to find out than ensuring he doesn’t interfere.” 

He sped over to the stranger that he was going to get to know just well. He grabbed him roughly by the neck and looked him directly in the eyes before he spoke smoothly. “You’re going to obey every command I give without question. Your loyalty will belong to us. You will speak to no one about what you learn today. Do you understand?”  

Andrei’s eyes dilated and he went still, taking in everything Klaus was saying. He nodded to the instructions. “Yes.” 

Damon raised a brow. “Compelling him, why?” 

Klaus ignored Damon for a moment. “What is your name?” 

“Andrei Stoia.” 

“Are you here to harm Damon?” 

“No.”

“Why are you here?” 

“To protect.” 

Klaus frowned. “Who?”

"To protect Damon."

The hybrid's frown deepened. "Why?"

Andrei answered honestly, not like he had much of a choice anyway.

“He did the same for me. He saved me.”   

Chapter Text

"I saved you?" Damon questioned. He honestly had no memory of this. He hadn't recalled meeting Andrei before aside from when he was saved from captivity. Granted, he had his toxic days where he went on killing sprees and other unsavory actions. Still, saving someone didn't sound like something he would have done back then.

"Yes." Andrei answered.

Klaus' frown deepened.

History. They had history.

"He saved you how?" The blonde questioned.

"He saved me from something like Augustine. It was in Europe. Decades ago, you saved my sister and me. You could have easily left us for dead, but you came back, and you freed us and killed every human that participated in…whatever that was."

Damon blinked in confusion. Why didn't he remember any of this?

"We searched everywhere for you afterwards. Followed a trail of bodies in Europe, Asia, the states. Even if my sister gave up hope of finding you, I didn't give up. I refused to give up. Then by some kind of fate I found you. I figured if I couldn't find you, I could at least do what you did. Free vampires from human experiments. I had been tracking that Wes guy because he had taken one of my friends and I learned I was too late. He was dead when I searched the place. Then, I saw you."

Damon knew he had been up to a lot over the last several decades but being someone's savior couldn't have been one of those things. "You sure it's me?"

Andrei stepped closer and reached for Damon, but his hand was stopped by Klaus.

"You don't get to touch, understood?"

"Yes."

"Where is your sister, Andrei?" Damon asked.

"She's in England."

"Does she know you found me?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I wanted time with you first."

Klaus' jaw clenched and he stood up straight. "Enough of that. Now that you've found him, do you just plan to follow him around?"

"If he'll let me."

"Nik, let him go." Damon asked. He wasn't so sure about any of this, but this guy was so sure it was him. Something about the look on his face just made Damon believe him.

"You don't have to protect me; I've done just fine on my own so far. Minus a few close calls." He said with a chuckle. "I'm not some helpless cat. Consider us even, there's nothing to repay me for. If I did save you, I'm sure it was for a selfish reason on my part. I wasn't particularly doing things out of the kindness of my heart back then. I wasn't a nice guy. I'm barely a nice guy now."

"I know exactly what and who you are, and I didn't care then. I still don't care now."

Damon stared at him for a moment and there was just something he couldn't pinpoint about all of this. "Don't care, huh?" He laughed to himself. There was something about someone accepting him for who he was that just…just did something to him. It was rare, really. Most people tried to change him, tried to 'fix' him. There were only a few who just accepted him as he was. He could count them on his hand and coincidentally, two of them were now in the same room with him.

Awkward.

"Let him go. Please." Damon asked again, softer this time.

Klaus, reluctantly, let go of Andrei.

Andrei sped over to Damon and cupped his face and leaned in close to whisper something in his ear.

"Please. I need you to remember me, Damon."

After his desperate plea, he fled the home and made his escape just in case Klaus would retaliate for touching Damon again.

Damon stared in the direction the other vampire fled before glancing over to Klaus. "I believe him even though I don't remember any of what he said. I guess I did blackout a few times when I was reckless- well more reckless than now. There are some parts of my past that I could have forgotten."

Klaus stared at Damon. He didn't particularly like any of this. Call it toxic but he didn't like the idea of someone being this level of devoted to Damon. This obsessed. Not only was it annoying to him, but it was also…infuriating.

He was jealous even though he wouldn't admit that's what it was. "How devastated would you be if I just killed him?"

"Nik." Damon deadpanned.

"It was a hypothetical question, Damon."

Bonnie stared at Damon and his very weird request. "You want me to what?"

"I want you to do a deep dive in my head. I haven't really been able to get my thoughts wrapped around this whole saving people thing. I know it's fucked up, but I wouldn't have done that. Especially back in my England days. That was a bad time for me."

Bonnie sighed. "Are you sure? Clearly you wanted to forget it for a reason."

Damon nodded. He wouldn't be able to move on until he did this. "Come on, little witch. Help your favorite vampire out." He teased.

Bonnie laughed. "We bond once in captivity and suddenly we're best friends?"

Damon flashed that boyish grin of his. "That's exactly how it works." Neither of them would admit it out loud but they had in fact grew closer than they had with anyone else in their group. Funny when they used to hate each other's guts.

Bonnie may not have liked every act that Damon performed but she also understood a different level of him that others hadn't comprehended yet. "Sit down, idiot."

Damon smiled happily and did as he was told. "Bon?"

Bonnie grabbed a few candles and started placing them around herself and Damon. "Yeah?"

"Thank you." He said, almost a whisper.

Bonnie turned to lock eyes with Damon. The look on his face was kind of heartbreaking. She was really hoping that she could help him with whatever he was looking for. "So," she probed, trying to lighten the mood. "Niklaus Mikaelson, huh?"

Damon would have denied it to his grave, but he could feel his face flush—or at least feel the heat suddenly around his head. Not the bodily reaction that he was used to. Not a feeling that he was used to having for someone. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Damon, I probably know you better than you know yourself."

Damon rolled his eyes as he watched the witch point at each candle, lighting them with her will alone. Sighing, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Niklaus Mikaelson."

"Interesting choice in men. Here I thought you would end up with Enzo or the psycho Elena doppelganger."

Damon laughed. "I could say the same thing about you."

Bonnie cleared her throat. "Hush." She turned back to her unlikely friend and folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, this is going to hurt a bit but if I get close to something you don't want to remember, it's going to hurt a lot. You still want to do this?"

Damon nodded. "I'm ready."

Bonnie reached out with both of her hands and placed her fingertips on either side of Damon's temple. Closing her eyes, she began. A dim light began to glow around her fingertips.

It had begun.

Bonnie watched as Damon's eyes fluttered behind closed eyes. That went on for a good twenty minutes until suddenly she could see the blood tears streaking down his cheeks, dripping to the floor. She didn't say anything.

Damon had gone through several decades of memories, good, bad, and evil. It was like a speed run of his life, and it was hitting him harder than he had thought it would. It was bearable until it wasn't. His body tensed up and this may have been what Bonnie was warning him about.

Years of moments, time, experiences, spent with…Andrei. It all came flooding back, hitting him like a freight train. Memories of that all being taken away from him also came flooding back. Augustine had taken yet something else from him again. Those travelers had taken part of his memory from him.

Then the one memory that he had locked away himself resurfaced. Andrei's sister, she wasn't in England waiting.

She was dead.

Damon jolted and shoved Bonnie away from him, breaking the connection. He hadn't meant to, but his body was on autopilot. He was losing all composure. He couldn't see straight. "I killed her! I took away the only person he loved…" He shouted, breaking anything in sight.

Bonnie had to create a barrier to contain Damon in one spot so he wouldn't hurt himself. "You need to relax." She saw it, she saw everything Damon had lived through. "You can't take these memories for full context under these circumstances. It only shows what you saw with your eyes, you don't know what fully happened if someone was tampering with your memories."

Damon just stood there, any shred of humanity he had gained back, lost again in seconds. "I don't need context. It was my hands that killed her. That's why he's here. He wants me dead."

"Are you going to ignore the other memories?" Bonnie questioned.

Damon didn't want to think about that.

"You were in love with him."

"And I killed his sister in front of him. The only family he had left."

She couldn't rebuttal that because it was true, the memories showed that but there had to be a reason.

"You don't fall in love with someone that hard and just murder their sister, Damon. Something else had to happen. Let me finish the search. I don't want you doing something stupid."

"There's nothing else I need to know. Let me out. I need to go."

"Damon."

"Please."

"Come back to me after you're done with whatever it is you have to do. Please don't make me regret letting you out. Don't make me lose another friend."

She dropped the barrier and Damon stood there for a moment, staring at Bonnie before taking off.

Klaus had never thought he would be on the side of those who he once tried to erase from this earth. Still, it was true and here he was, standing face to face with one of their little witches. "And what do I owe this visit for?"

"As much as I would like to catch up and talk about our nails, I don't really have much time, and something tells me you have more influence over a certain impulsive vampire than I do at this current moment."

"Where is Damon?"

"Let me fill you in, on the way."

"So, you remember?" Andrei asked softly, watching as Damon approached him.

Damon nodded but didn't try to speak. What could he even say. He had killed his former lover's sister, and he didn't even remember why. Not that there would be a reason good enough to excuse his actions.

Andrei slowly approached the other vampire and Damon was fully prepared to lose his life without a fight. He had changed a lot with all his time spent on this earth. Despite how he had never wanted to be changed or to be fixed, he had grown for the better and found people and things worth living for. Worth being better for. Yeah, he wasn't perfect, but he was still working on himself. So in his new way of thinking, he would let this happen without protest.

Andrei stopped when they were face-to-face, barely any space between the two of them. "Do you remember everything, Damon?" He asked.

Damon once again nodded. This was it.

"I'm glad, that makes this a lot easier to do then." He raised his hand and placed it on the back of Damon's neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. His free hand found the small of Damon's back and slipped up under his shirt.

"I have waited for what felt like millennia to have you back, Damon." Andrei whispered against his lips.

"And I refuse to wait any longer."

Chapter Text

Timing was not on Klaus’ side because when they arrived to where they tracked Damon to, the sight wasn’t...expected. Klaus barely parked the car as he sped towards the two men. Seconds, just seconds it took him to interject himself between Damon and Andrei. His hand must have had a mind of its own because his fingers were tight around Andrei’s neck, squeezing.  

“I thought I was clear that you were not to touch Damon. Yet here you are doing exactly that. You have exactly 5 seconds and 1 word to convince me why I shouldn’t just kill you right now.” The blonde  growled.  

Damon stood there, still caught in the confusion of what was going on here. Andrei had kissed him. He had fully prepared to die here but Andrei wasn’t mad at him for what he had done. Why?  

“Klaus, you said you’d be rational!” Bonnie yelled as she ran to where everyone was gathered by the water. She wasn’t nearly as fast as the hybrid. “Let him go. You don’t know everything either. Just relax.” 

“There is nothing more that I need to know. I don’t take kindly to people touching what is mine, little witch.” 

Andrei, despite the predicament that he was currently in, he smiled at Klaus. “He was mine first .” He choked out. 

Klaus’ grip tightened and his eyes narrowed. “Arrogant...” The hold grew tighter; the sound of his neck cracking could be heard.  

“Damon!” Bonnie shouted, finally reaching them and shaking Damon who had just been standing there, lost. “Do something!” 

Damon snapped out of it, his eyes drifting to Klaus choking Andrei. He still had so many questions. He stepped closer and reached out to place his hand on Klaus’ shoulder from behind him.  

“I need you to let him go.” 

“No.”  

Andrei grabbed onto Klaus’ wrist, trying his best to pry that hand from his neck.  

Damon dropped his head to the blonde’s back and just rested his forehead there. “...Please.” He murmured, almost a whisper. The pain and conflict in his voice was drenched in his single word. He hadn’t quite felt like that in what felt like a century. “ Please, Nik.”  

Klaus’ determination faltered with just Damon’s one word, as did his grip on the man’s neck. His lips curled into a scowl when he reluctantly dropped his hand from Andrei’s neck. Oh, how unfortunate it was that Damon had this kind of control over him. He absolutely hated it. He stepped back until he pressed back into Damon who had already been in his space. “Fine.” 

Damon thanked him silently by reaching down to grab at Klaus’ arms then they just wrapped around him until he found himself hugging him. He needed answers but right now, he just needed to be grounded. He needed a moment.  

Bonnie tried not to watch the private moment they were having but it was kind of hard to look away. It was odd to see Damon so...so soft? She wasn’t sure if that was the word she was looking for. Damon always seemed so confident and in control, even when he wasn’t. Yeah, she understood that there were many layers to the vampire but this right here? It was something new, something raw and Niklaus Mikaelson had brought it out of him.  

Unbelievable.  

“I can help.” Bonnie offered while trying to diffuse the situation. “I need this guy alive though so you can’t kill him.” No more bloodshed. That was her goal. 

Klaus finally broke the glare he had trained on Andrei in favor of turning to face Damon. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.  

Bonnie sighed. “So, can we all agree to go somewhere tomorrow to figure this out? Damon, I’m pretty sure what you saw isn’t the whole truth. I can help you find out. Will you let me?” She pleaded. 

Damon just stood there staring back at Klaus. 

Klaus reached out and cupped Damon’s face to tilt his head back. “Will you?” He asked again on behalf of Bonnie. 

Damon nodded and glanced over to Bonnie. “Yeah, okay...sure.” 

Andrei rubbed at his neck as the bruises there started to heal. Focusing on Klaus and his outward affection towards Damon. He wasn’t so sure what it was he was feeling but it was something between rage and jealousy. “What do you need me for?” He asked, turning his attention to the witch.  

Bonnie folded her arms across her chest. “To help me retrieve all of Damon’s memories so we can figure out what really happened all that time ago.” She didn’t want to bring up the death of Andrei’s sister just in case the memory was in fact real. 

Andrei stepped closer towards Damon and Klaus, pushing his luck yet again, but Klaus reached down and grabbed Damon’s hand. “Tomorrow then.” He demanded rather than suggested. Turning on the heels of his feet, he headed back to the car, pulling Damon with him as they walked past Andrei. “Let’s go, little witch. I need you to drive Damon’s car home.”  

Bonnie followed quietly but glanced back at Andrei. “Meet us at Damon’s place tomorrow morning, okay?” 

Andrei nodded as the three disappeared into the darkness the farther they got away from him on the dock.  

“He was mine first...” 

The first sight of dawn had Andrei waiting outside of the Salvatore residence. He had known that Damon wasn't there yet because he didn’t sense his presence anywhere. That made an unsettled feeling bubble in his stomach because that only meant he was still with the hybrid.  

Why him ? 

He kept asking himself that the entire night. What did Klaus have that he didn’t have? What had changed that Damon had moved on from him? Yes, decades had passed but that shouldn’t have mattered. Andrei didn’t understand and that only frustrated him more. Oh, if only he’d spare him this agony of having to watch him love someone else. His thoughts continued to spiral until he heard a familiar voice echo from behind him. He turned and spotted the witch from last night.   

“I wasn’t so sure that you’d actually come.” Bonnie said as she approached with a large bag on one of her shoulders. “You know, when you consider the whole awkward-” she motioned with her hands. “Situation you three have going on.” Damon wasn’t the only one who saw those memories. She knew what Andrei and Damon meant to each other. “Still, I’m glad you came. I just want to help Damon and the only way to do that is to show him exactly what happened to him.” 

“If it’ll help Damon, then I’ll do anything.”  

She stared at him for a moment before smiling. At least they had a common ground there. “Well, help me set up before they get here. I want to jump right in. Can’t waste time.” 

Andrei nodded and moved over to Bonnie to grab the bag from her then followed her inside. “I shouldn’t be surprised but I for some reason thought he  wouldn’t be coming.” 

Bonnie laughed, snorting a bit. “You’re delusional if you think Klaus wouldn’t come. He’s uh, obsessive if you hadn’t noticed.” 

“Yeah...” 

“So, we’re making a habit of breaking and entering into my house?” Damon huffed out as he rounded the corner.  

Bonnie smiled and tossed a candle at her friend. “I didn’t think I needed an invitation, Damon.” She teased. 

Damon rolled his eyes and placed the candle where Bonnie had quickly pointed to. “I guess you don’t. How about you tell me how long this is going to take. The first time was enough, plus, I don’t- I’m not even sure if I want to know anymore. Maybe it’s best I don’t know.” 

“You and I both know you can’t move on without knowing what happened. We didn’t get to finish, and you ran off and almost did something stupid.” 

Damon mocked her silently and just leaned against the wall as Bonnie lit the candles much like she did before. He tried his best to ignore how hard Andrei had been staring since he had walked into the room. “You can take a picture, it’ll last longer.” 

“A picture would never be needed to remember you.” 

Both Bonnie and Damon looked at Andrei.  

“Okay, Christopher Marlowe.” Bonnie joked. “No time to write poetry. Set those candles up by the doorway, please.” 

Andrei sighed and did as he was told.  

Bonnie turned her attention to Damon this time. “And where is your shadow?” 

“Outside trying to turn off his homicidal tendencies before he comes inside.” Damon answered with a laugh, but he was being serious. They had a whole discussion on the drive there.  

“Heh, oh! Yeah, that’s great.” She had gone through 3 different reactions when she realized Damon wasn’t joking.  

When Klaus entered the house, he silently made his way over to the couch and took a seat. Pouting much like a child.  

“Alright, how about we get started. Andrei, Damon, come sit here please.” When the two men did as she instructed, she lit the remaining candles, and a glow began to surround the two of them. “So, I think I found a better way to do this.” She moved behind them and placed her hands on them. One on Damon’s shoulder and one on Andrei’s. “Just relax and just let me in, okay?” 

Both men nodded and closed their eyes as Klaus watched.  

Bonnie dived in. Her magic was still present from the last time that she had roamed around in Damon’s mind. This time though, she had Andrei, and his memory was filling in a lot of blanks. Just as she suspected, someone had in fact tampered with Damon’s memory. There was this black cloud that muddied up the visuals but that wouldn’t be a problem now.  

Shifting through decades of memories, she finally found what she was looking for. It was of importance because she could feel Damon tensing up. Right where they left off; Damon killing Andrei’s sister. Andrei this time tensed but the energy he was giving off was more confusion than anything. Their memories didn’t match. Andrei had memories of he and his sister traveling then settling in England. Recently too. His sister was still alive. 

“Wait...” Bonnie murmured.  

Damon’s hands were clenching the chair so hard that his fingers were breaking through the material.  

Bonnie’s eyes opened and she locked eyes with Klaus who was now standing. “Someone manipulated his memories. Well, partially. Specifically, everything after he found and saved those two and everything before Stefan had tracked him down. There’s a good 3 maybe 4 years that were fake memories. He was basically on autopilot. They implanted the memory of killing Andrei’s sister. Which I guess was because they needed him with no humanity for—I'm not sure what for but either way. They messed with his head—” 

“And now?” Klaus asked, impatiently interrupting her. 

“Nothing. They lost their connection to his mind a long time ago. Traces are still here but it’s not strong enough to do anything. I’m guessing when he was in Augustine the first time, they did something to him.” 

Klaus frowned. Another reason to kill Wes and everyone associated with him.  

“There’s something else. I’m trying to get close to the memory. It’s—erm—they’re still messing with his head.” Her eyes widened but suddenly glass shattering and hitting the floor could be heard, and her candles all went out simultaneously. The connection was lost. Looking down, she grabbed at her chest where an arrow was now piercing her, blood pooled around the wound and soaked through her shirt. When she looked up, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she dropped.  

Klaus was suddenly in front of her, catching her from hitting the floor. He scanned the area but there was no one.  

Once Bonnie was out, Andrei and Damon were released from the suppression she had them under. Damon saw Bonnie in Klaus arms and was on his feet immediately. “What the fuck happened?” 

Klaus stared back at the window that was shattered. “I’m not sure. Someone shot through the window. Clearly aiming for her. She was in straight line of sight.” Klaus laid her down and bit into his own wrist before dropping blood into Bonnie’s mouth to heal her. He yanked the arrow out and waited.  

Damon moved to the window and saw someone standing in the driveway. A woman, tall, long dark blonde curly hair, and dressed in all black with a bow in hand. Bold of them to still be sticking around. He moved quickly until he was outside, standing face to face with the intruder. “You must have a death wish.” 

“I could say the same about you, Damon. Long time no see.” She said with a grin, hooking the bow back on the cross-body holster.  

“Who are you? What do you want? I suggest you say your last wishes before I kill you.” 

“Oh, you still think you’re in charge. Wes sends me with regards to your nosy witch. Especially if she dies. Unfortunately for you, I can’t let you stay here. It’s time for you to come home.” 

“And what makes you think I’m going anywhere with you.” 

The woman laughed and raised a hand closed her fist, chanting something under her breath. She started walking towards Damon until she stopped directly in from of him. “Oh, honey, I’m basically your puppet master. It’s okay if you don’t remember me yet. You will.” Snapping her fingers, Damon’s eyes dilated, and it was like a switch had flipped.  

“Your witch is good, but not that good. Let’s go.” She turned and headed towards an SUV that was parked. Damon followed without question.  

When the car drove off, the woman dropped the barrier she had surrounding her. She couldn’t have that Hybrid locking on to her scent and presence. They had work to do, and Wes needed Damon back. No matter what it took.  

Klaus could sense Damon until he just couldn’t. He glanced back and saw that he was gone. He stood and Bonnie stopped him.  

“He’s gone. They’re...coming for him...no, they came for him and took him.” She sat up and clutched her chest and felt around where the wound had just been. It had healed. That arrow barely missed her heart, and she wasn’t so sure if that was an accident or intentional as a warning. “Wes is using a strong witch. She’s helping him. They need Damon for something. I think they have him collecting vampires. They were controlling him.”  

Andrei was gone when they both looked over to the chair, he had just been sitting in.  

That alone had Klaus suspicious. “Can you find them?” 

“I can try but I'm going to need a little help.” 

Klaus stood and held out his hand to Bonnie. “Tell me what you need.” 

“I need to call a friend. Then, we get Damon back.” 

“Then let’s go.”