Crumbling Hearts and Shattered Minds

Chapter 18: Don't Lie To Me, Doors Do Not Exist

Stefan POV

No matter what my brother said, I was NOT brooding.

I was simply... Thinking Unhappy thoughts.

I was trying to come up with an idea of how to get the cure.

And through out my thought process, Damon sat on the couch next to me, picking at the threads sticking out of his sweats. Well, my sweats. Damon doesn't even own one pair of sweats.

He did.

But they "accidentally" flew into the fireplace.

I rolled my eyes and grinned at the memory.

I felt someone staring at me and looked over to see Damon giving me a curious look; his eyebrow raised in a questioning manner, a whisper of a smile playing at his lips and slight tilt of his head.

That's when I realized that my big brother just caught me staring, and grinning, at a wall.

"I was just thinking of ways to get the cure" I explained lamely.

"Right. Because you're a wall-whisperer and the wall will share all it's secrets when it knows how much of a pretty wall it is." Damon said with a completely serious expression.

If I were alive, I probably would be flushed bright red right now.

I just hope my brother wasn't having a psychotic episode.

Damon rolled his eyes.

"I'm just kidding Stef. I'm not insane at the moment and hopefully you aren't either." He said while his face split into a grin.

I laughed nervously, still not sure my brother was all there.

"I should go check in on the others." I said while moving to get up.

"You checked on them ten minutes ago." Damon pointed out.

"Yes. And knowing them, someone could be dead within that time span." I said while heading towards the dinning room where the others were eating the lunch I made them.

Apparently, they all are obsessed with macaroni 'n' cheese. I walked in to find the big pot in the middle of the table empty and everyone sitting in front of empty bowls.

"We saved you some! But then Jeremy ate it" Tyler said while giving a pointed look to a very full looking Jeremy.

"It's fine, wasn't hungry. You guys want anything else?" Everyone groined in response to my question.

Apparently there is such a thing as too much.

I laughed then started heading back to Damon.

That's when I heard a knock at the door and my brother answering it.

"Can I help you?" Damon said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

That was the first warning sign. I stopped at the entrance to the parlor to listen.

"Yes. Well, actually, I think it's I who can help you." Came the smooth British accent back. I started at the voice and moved swiftly to get to my brother.

I stopped when I saw my brother at the door, holding on to the handle and staring back and forth between Klaus and I.

I was about to charge the original but realized quickly that Damon was close enough to Klaus that the older vampire would barely have to try if he wanted to rip Damon's heart out.

But what surprised me the most was Damon's unfazed expression.

"What do you want, Klaus?" I said while glancing at my brother, making sure he was still there.

"I want to negotiate." He said while giving a small amused grin and putting his arms behind his back.

"May I come in?" He asked after no one said anything.

That's when everyone from the dinning room appeared behind me. I glanced at them then returned my gaze to Klaus.

I thought about it a moment. He surely was talking about negotiating for the cure. I nodded and he stepped into the house.

"Damon, would you be a dear and close the door?" Klaus asked before stepping around him.

"Don't lie to me, Klaus. There's no such thing as doors." Damon said while giving Klaus a frustrated look and walking around him and sitting in his previous spot as though nothing happened.

Klaus blinked a few times, trying to understand what just happened. And a quick look around showed that the group was doing much the same thing. I tried smothering a grin but failed miserably and went to go sit by my brother after shutting the front door.

After a moment Klaus came and stood in front of us while the group hovered by the wall.

"I heard about your little... Predicament and wanted to arrange a solution that benefits the both of us." Klaus stated while crossing his arms loosely in front of his chest.

"That would be...?" I prompted while Damon just watched the exchange curiously.

"I give you the cure, again, and I come back later to collect." He said as if giving Damon his blood wasn't a big deal.

I thought about it.

"What would it be that you'd come back to collect?" I asked while learning forward and resting my elbows on my knees and putting my two index fingers up to my pursed lips while I watched Klaus closely.

"I'll tell you when I decide. But for now, you have bigger problems, don't you? Wouldn't you want Damon to be there when the time comes to pay up, or would you rather he die in less than a week?" Klaus asked, never breaking his mischievous gaze once.

I thought about it and everyone in the room seemed to go silent, barely even breathing.

I nodded once.

"Okay. Deal. But he gets the cure now." I said while standing and holding out my hand.

Klaus stood and looked at it, as if he might change his mind. A wave of panic shot down my spine, but receded as soon as the older vampire clasped my hand and shook it once.

He let go and quickly moved to were Damon was.

Damon jumped and was about to move away when Klaus but quickly into his own wrist then pressed the bloody open vein into Damon's mouth.

My brother struggled for a bit but soon started to relish the taste. Klaus soon pulled away, leaving Damon looked slightly disoriented.

I had a bad feeling about what Klaus would ask for when I saw him gazing longingly at Damon.

I swallowed a hard lump in my throat and looked expectantly to Klaus.

"Well, not that you lot aren't fun to harass, but I have better places to be." Klaus said while taring his gave from Damon and giving me a devilish grin.

Then he was gone.

I looked to Bonnie.

"How soon can you get the spell ready?" I asked while keeping my eyes glued to the floor.

"Tomorrow. There's still some ingredients that I have to get." She said while the others calmed down from being in the same vicinity as the hybrid.

I nodded then looked to Damon.

He was smiling confidently.

"Well, I am feeling much better and I, for one, can't wait to be sane again." He said then wiped the remaining blood from his lips with the back of his hand.

I pushed Klaus' payment to the back of my mined and returned Damon's smile.

After days, that felt much like years, it felt good to have so much hope again.