Protecting At It's Finest || SEQUEL

Three;

"So, are we talking about this or not?" Damon says, his voice lowered as though to not affect those stood in the room — argh, they're vampires for crying out loud.

I don't look at him, folding my arms across my chest as I watch Bella embrace her daughter with a grin on her face, "Not now Damon."

"You know we have to—"

"Not now."

Bella smiles over at me, her grin enlightening her beauty as she holds Renesmee close to her chest, her spare hand grasping the small child's lovingly.

I return her smile almost reflexively, the action coming so easily to me at the sight of my sister and her niece that I find it hard to drag my eyes away.

"I'd just like to point out, Firestarter, that this is extremely immature of you, possibly even being the most immature person I know," Damon says,"And I'm wholly offended that you'd try to take that title from me."

Ah, there it is. Remind me again why I keep him around? All he seems to do is either cause trouble, or convince me to cause trouble for him.

I roll my eyes, turning away from the happy sight in front of me to look at the awfully daunting future ahead. Damon smirks at me, his arms folded across his chest as he leans against the doorframe. His eyes glint with the obvious amusement of aggravating me.

"Why must you ruin everything for me?" I ask, even though I'm fully aware I don't actually mean it. He doesn't ruin everything (just most things), and he tends to make a lot of things better for me too (mainly just sex, but hey, a girl takes whatever she can get nowadays).

He grins, winking at me, "Liar, I'm the highlight of your life." Great, he knows it too. As if his ego couldn't get any bigger.

"The point is, Damon," I say, "We don't need to discuss this now."

He grows serious now, stepping closer so that he semi-towers over me, his eyes glaring into mine. There's no trace of playfulness in his tone, or his expression, and I find myself slightly intimidated. Which is, by the way, entirely ridiculous because since when have I ever been intimidated by Damon?

"I dropped everything to be here with you, every last thing — no matter how important." Damon says, his tone harsh.

I nod, "I know that."

"I did that because you needed me, and that was more important to me than playing house with Stefan, Caroline, Bonnie and Elena. You needed me to help you save your sister, and her unborn child, and I did that without hesitation."

"I appreciate that, you know I do."

"Now I'm asking you to help me save my brother and his."

His eyes reveal everything he would never in a million years say. He's scared, Damon Salvatore is scared. He's worried for his brother's life, for his niece or nephew's life. God, I've been so selfish. He's right, I know he is. I've asked so much of him these past few months and he never protested, not once, and now he's asking me to do the same for him and I was contemplating saying no.

I look up at him, lifting my hand up to rest against his cheek comfortingly. He turns his head into it a little, enough to show he appreciates the action, but not enough to direct his gaze from mine. He rests his hands on my waist, his fingers trailing patterns on my skin as if he's trying his best to occupy his hands.

"When do we leave?"

He closes his eyes for a moment, relaxing instantly with relief, his grip on my waist loosens and he seems visibly less stiff. He opens his mouth to says something but is cut off by a voice that is not his.