ANTHER LOVE // E.GILBET 1.

5. 1953.

DAMON WOKE UP GROGGILY and rolled on the ground before seeing Daniel loking at him. "Where is my ring?" he asked, noticing that his daylight ring was gone.

"Good morning, brother," Daniel smirked at Damon, who sighed weakly from all the vervain in his blood and rested his head on the ground again. "Safe," Daniel then said, meaning his ring. "Where you can't find it."

"How long have I been here?" Damon asked with narrowed eyes as Daniel's face hardened and he stared at Damon.

"Three days," Stefan spoke as he approached Daniel with a serious face and looked through the bars of the door.

Damon grimaced and looked at the vervain stash that was placed in the cellar. "What are you two doing?" he questioned in confusion. Damon thought that his brothers, especially Daniel, would've killed him already.

"During the dark ages when a vampire's actions threatened to expose or bring harm upon the entire race, they would face judgement," Stefan began to explain and Daniel nodded, getting amused again. "They sought to reeducate them rather than to punish them."

"You know what will happen if I don't..." Damon paused, frowning at that idea. "... feed on blood."

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest. "We know, Damon, and that's what we're counting on." Daniel liked the idea that Stefan suggested.

"You'll grow weaker and weaker. Eventually you won't be able to move or speak," Stefan said and Damon glared at him. "In a week your skin will desiccate, and you'll mummify. A living corpse. Unable to hurt anyone. Ever."

"So what, you two are just going to leave me in the basement, forever?" Damon asked them sarcastically.

Stefan glanced at Holden with a pointed look, then his eyes went back to Damon. "I've injected you with enough vervain to keep you weak. Once you're circulation stops, we'll move you to the family crypt, and then in 50 years, we can reevaluate."

"Or never, actually," Daniel added with a smirk causing Damon to roll his eyes.

"I'm stronger than you two idiots think," Damon told them with dark eyes, even though he looked very weak at that moment.

"You always have been," Stefan agreed honestly. "But you're not stronger than the vervain. And we all know it. I'm sorry. Didn't have to be this way..."

Daniel looked at Stefan with a look to stop feeling guilty. "Let's just go already," he mused dully and the two left the cellar before locking the door.

Upstairs, they were greeted by Zach. Daniel went to the bar and poured himself a drink before sitting down. "He's weak," Stefan informed Zach as he grabbed his bag. "He's weak, but it's probably best to stay out of the basement. He's Damon. I'm not sure how dangerous he still might be," Stefan said then started leaving.

"You're going to school?" Zach asked Stefan before glancing at Daniel, who was drinking. He looked distant as if something deep was on his mind.

"Came here to live a life," Stefan sighed. "It's about time I get back to that. And Elena, if she's still speaking to me."

"Why haven't you called her?" Daniel asked, finally looking up from his thoughts.

"What am I supposed to do, feed her another lie?" Stefan asked angrily and Daniel raised his eyebrows. "I hate lying to her, Daniel. I'm not good at it. She already thinks I'm hiding something."

"Because you are hiding something," Daniel argued sternly then rolled his eyes. "You knew this was going to be a part of it. You can't lie forever."