I'm baackkk! I hope you all didn't miss me too much ;) This is the sequel to Control, so if you just happened to click on this story without reading that one, it will make absolutely no sense. So I advise you read that first!

As Control was about bondage, this one will be also. Just in a different context. However, I must warn that this story is A LOT darker and more psychological than the first one! This means that there is more mature content and possibly more disturbing content than in Control. If you don't like that kind of thing, don't read it! I won't be offended but please don't flame me since I'm warning you now! If you've read the first story, you know that we left on a bit of a cliffhanger and (almost) everyone was in a dark place. This story starts three weeks later.

Please read, review and enjoy! I love all my readers and I hope I didn't make you wait so long for part two!

Warnings: smutty goodness ;)

Disclaimer: Don't own The Vampire Diaries or characters associated with in. I only own the plot and OMCs.

The frosty air nipped at the tips of his ears and he cursed himself for not remembering to bring his earmuffs. Grey clouds in the sky cast the already gloomy scene into further despair as they darkened. The wind hadn't stopped since they first arrived, making the cold air even more biting. He pulled his pea coat tighter around him in the hopes of staving off the winter air. He hoped it would start snowing after they left. It would be wrong of this to be cut short due to bad weather.

"Does anyone have any words they wish to speak?"

Tyler blinked himself back to the present moment, staring at the four black coffins in front of him. They were all closed but he knew for a fact that three of them were empty. After the FBI had gone through all the refuge of Stefan's once brilliant mansion, they hadn't found so much as a finger to give to them to bury. They'd found fingerprints and even pieces of hair on clothing that had miraculously survived the explosion that took the lives of Stefan, his wife and Klaus Mikaelson. The labs were swamped with DNA from testing every victim of Mikael's operation, himself included, so he knew it would take time before determining anything. Tyler just wished it would all end. It was hard enough as it was without it being dragged out for the press to discuss every other day.

It had been three weeks since they were all released from the hospital, three weeks since everything changed. It had been three weeks since Mikael's death and they were still struggling to put their lives back together. The bastard wasn't even here and he still managed to destroy lives the way he wanted. Tyler nearly snorted at the irony.

The hand in his squeezed gently and he pressed a tender kiss to the back of it. In front of him, Rose's hair was mused by the rough breeze that passed them He shoulders were stiff and she stood rigid but Tyler knew it was how she was keeping herself together. She had known Stefan longer than he had and he felt genuinely bad that she had lost someone she considered a dear friend. She hadn't been nearly this upset when she'd learned of her step-brother's death, merely having Trevor's body shipped back to their parent for them to bury without so much as a good riddance.

Mason stood close to her, their hands intertwined. Tyler couldn't imagine how his uncle felt. While he was mourning the loss of his mentor and former dominant, Mason was mourning the loss of a submissive, someone he cared for at a young age and helped nurture into the person he had become. He wondered if they'd ever slept together but couldn't bring himself to ask. It was enough they'd already shared one bed partner.

"Do you want to say anything?" Jeremy's voice shook him from his rampaging thoughts. He shook his head, squeezing his hand once more.

"It won't change anything."

"No, it won't," he mumbled quietly. Tyler leaned in to kiss his cold cheek. Jeremy had been in a mood all day and he couldn't blame him. He was doing his best to control his emotions for his sake and his family's but it was easier said than done. Focusing on Jeremy was what he did best and he put every effort into his lover whilst denying himself. It bothered Jeremy, he knew it did by the way he brought it up nearly every other day, but he refused to let himself feel anything. His mother begged him to talk to Jenna but he didn't want to burden her with his problems while she was helping Jeremy through his. They were worse in his opinion.

"Could you give us a moment alone?" Katherine rasped, her voice hoarse from crying. The balding man nodded and stepped away from the podium.

When he was gone Tyler nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Sitting through this ceremony, listening to a man talk about Stefan and the others as if he knew them was difficult. No one knew the agony they were facing. No one knew how hard they were all taking this blow to their family. The media tried their best to broadcast their grief but they were wrong.

Next to Jeremy, he could hear Rebekah sobbing into Matt's arms as she mourned the loss of her two brothers. Kol kept a hand on her back as he stared blankly at the coffins. His face was ragged and unkempt. His dark circles made him appear even more exhausted. Tyler couldn't help but feel sorry for them; they had lost one brother, to learn that another one survived after being missing for nearly six years, only to lose him again at their own father's hand.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Mason reach over and squeeze Damon's shoulder. His best friend was slumped forward in his white plastic chair, elbows on his knees as he covered his face. Alaric sat on his other side, hand also on his shoulder. Damon didn't acknowledge either of them as they gave him silent support.

Tyler's heart ached for him the most. Stefan was the one person Damon loved constantly through his life, the one who taught him to love unconditionally. He'd lived for Stefan, loved him as fiercely and loyally as siblings were supposed to love one another. He felt that same love for Katherine despite her not being blood related. He couldn't imagine a world without his wild, free-spirited sister just as he imagined Damon couldn't fathom a world without Stefan. And nothing any of them said could dull that pain in his heart of losing the last of his family.

Katherine sat with Caroline, both gripping hands and the blonde's head on the brunette's shoulder. It was the first time Tyler had seen them together in weeks. The blonde took to hiding in her room and locking the door when she was released from the hospital, not coming out unless to eat every now and then. It killed him to see the bubbly blonde reduced to this shell of her former self and it killed Jeremy too. It was as if he'd lost his best friend. Caroline wasn't the same and he was sure she would never fully recover from the trauma she faced. When he wasn't comforting Jeremy from nightmares he was comforting his sister, holding her as she cried in his arms for the loss of both Caroline and Damon. He wondered if they would ever be able to make their relationship work again.

Jeremy sniffed next to him and he pulled him into a hug without saying a word. He could feel him shaking and he pressed a kiss to his neck as he gripped his nape.

"I'm sorry this happened," he said against his neck.

"This isn't your fault Jer," he admonished lightly. "You didn't kill them."

"If—if he hadn't been looking for me, if I had just done as he'd asked—"

"No," he pulled away to look into sorrowful brown eyes. "Stefan died protecting you and that was what he wanted."

Jeremy wondered if he believed his own words. They may not show it, but he knew that deep down they all hated him for getting Stefan murdered. They had to. He was a part of their family longer than he was and he destroyed it. Jenna called what he was feeling survivor's guilt. He called it the truth.

Eventually Damon stepped away from their group, opting to stand by the large willow tree on the hill with his back to them. No one followed him though Tyler could see Katherine itching desperately to say something to him. Damon had told him he was keeping his distance from the women and he'd left it at that. Tyler didn't press his best friend for any more than he was willing to give. This was how he grieved and he would respect it while making sure he did nothing to harm himself.

Jeremy stared at his former dominant with a sad, longing gaze. Tyler pulled him into another tight hug, letting his head rest on his shoulder. Jeremy blamed himself for his brother's death and it was seen clearly in how he acted towards him. Damon treated Jeremy no differently than before, even having a long talk with him when they were out of the hospital about how he was doing. It didn't appease the orphan and he worried constantly how he would ever make things right between them again.

Footsteps approaching them made him raise his head and he fought back a growl when he saw Elijah Mikaelson, donning an orange jumpsuit and shackled by his wrists and feet. He was guarded by two heavily armed officers from the FBI.

"If you all don't mind, Mr. Mikaelson would like the chance to say good-bye to his brothers."

Tyler wanted to protest but held his tongue. It wasn't his place to deny him. He looked to Kol and Rebekah, each of them regarding their eldest brother warily.

"Yeah," the dark-haired police officer said roughly. Matt took Rebekah by the hand as they stood. She paused when Elijah was next to her and simply regarded the brother that she now realized she never knew. The days they would play together as children seemed like another life as she took in his haggard appearance and sorrowful eyes. Everyone paused as they watched the tense exchange.

"I'm sorry that it has come to this Rebekah," he said softly. "I never meant for any of you to get hurt."

Rebekah said nothing as she kept staring. Her long blonde hair billowed behind her like a curtain in the wind, the cold air freezing her tears to her cheeks.

"One day, I will be able to accept your apology," she said finally, her voice carrying over them. "But right now, I don't even want my child to know of you. You helped put our brothers, our family here Elijah. Right now…I don't have the strength to forgive you."

Elijah nodded minutely.

"I wish you both a long and happy life," he looked between his two siblings. "I hope you and everyone else my actions have hurt will be able to find peace someday."

Rebekah looked away as her tears started again and she quickly walked towards the road, bringing her hand to her mouth as her sobs resumed. Matt followed after her without a backwards glance. Kol offered his brother a light squeeze on his shoulder.

"Good-bye Elijah," he said quietly before running after them.

Tyler watched them leave with a heavy heart. He couldn't bring himself to feel any sort of compassion for the punishment that Elijah was going to face, though he did feel a little funny about him taking the fall for all his father's misgivings. The public, however, wouldn't settle for anything less than the maximum. Even after three weeks, fear loitered in the streets that Mikael's influence still lingered and the new government wanted that fear abolished as quickly as possible lest there be another uprising. He snorted; the bastard had screwed everyone over, including the only son that was loyal to him.

He and Jeremy watched from a distance as Elijah put his hand on Klaus' and Henrik's coffins. It was tragic that everything he'd done to keep Klaus away from their father had been for naught. Elijah had sold his soul to the devil in the hopes that Klaus would be spared from the fate Mikael chose for him and now he was paying the ultimate price. Tyler felt as if he should stand up for his former butler but Mikael wouldn't have known about Jeremy if it weren't for him. He wouldn't have taken Jeremy and Caroline to be terrorized or killed Stefan trying to get to him. He was just as guilty as Mikael for those two reasons.

"I feel bad for him. He's going to take the fall for everything Mikael did and he didn't want to be a part of it," Jeremy spoke softly, as if he'd read his mind. "He only wanted to protect his brother."

"He could've found another way."

"Could he?"

Tyler remained silent. That wasn't a question he could answer.

The hidden sun was starting to set by the time Damon made their way back to them. He'd been crying; everyone could tell but no one made any mention of it. Tyler couldn't help but pulling him into a hug. The raven-haired billionaire stiffened momentarily before returning it.

"I'm alright," he reassured as he pulled away. It was a lie, but he told it nonetheless. He caught Jeremy's eye and gave him a small smile. "You guys ready to go?"

"If you are. I think they're going to lower the coffins soon."

"We don't need to be here for that. Plus I'm starving."

Tyler took this to mean he didn't want to see his little brother's final departure. He couldn't blame him.

"Tell me you have food."

"Dolly cooked. All comfort food," he chuckled lightly. Damon forced a grin.

"I'm in."

Dolly had cooked enough food to last them all a week. By the time they returned she, Carol and Amelie were already loading the table for their feast. The atmosphere changed immediately when they sat down to nearly twenty dishes and multiple bottles of the finest wines from around the world. Jeremy wondered if it was wrong of them to be talking and indulging and laughing considering they had just come from a funeral.

When they had their fill of food they stored the leftovers in the refrigerator before retiring to Tyler's parlor. The billionaire engaged Damon, Kol and Matt in a game of Dominos while Katherine and Rebekah watched. Her hand rested on her still flat belly but Jeremy suspected she would start showing soon.

He sat away from everyone, his own wine glass dangling from his hand as he got lost in his thoughts. They revolved around the same thing each time and he was tired of thinking. Tired of repeatedly seeing Mikael's head being blown open and showering him with blood, tired of seeing himself grab the knife out of his side and slit his throat open, his dead, soulless eyes glaring back at him, taunting him as he further dehumanized him—

"Hey," Caroline sat next to him, dressed in a pair of sweats and a baggy sweater. She held her wine glass from dinner in her hand. Jeremy could tell she was inebriated by the rosiness of her cheeks.

"Hey," he sounded surprised. It was the first time she'd spoken to him in three weeks.

"You okay?"

"I'm—I'm fine," he gave her a hesitant smile. "How're you feeling?"

She shrugged, "Pretty shitty, to be honest. But this is the first time I've felt like myself since…everything."

"I know what you mean," he said quietly. They were silent for a moment.

"Did you ever tell Tyler about…about Elena and Katherine?" she lowered her voice when she spoke their names. Jeremy shook his head.

"Only about Klaus."

She bit her lip.

"I don't know what good it'll do if we do say something," she sucked in a sharp breath. "I feel awful keeping this a secret but…is there really a point now?"

Jeremy had been wondering the same thing. On top of worrying about Mikael, he felt a significant amount of guilt about keeping Katherine's true lineage a secret. The brunette fashion designer was already a mess and he didn't want to add to her grief. Still…a part of him felt that she had the right to know about her twin sister.

"I honestly don't know," he sighed. "I feel like it's not the right time, but when is there ever a right time to tell someone they have a sister they never knew about?"

"And one that looks just like you," she snorted quietly. Her cerulean eyes drifted to Katherine and gave a small smile when the brunette bestowed her with one. "I can't even look at her sometimes because I feel so guilty about knowing something she doesn't know about herself. I never used to keep secrets from her…now it's become so easy."

Jeremy could relate. He and Tyler had spent the past three weeks avoiding the topic of Mikael, his captivity, Trevor and anything related to it. The billionaire hadn't even brought up his proposal or dominance and submission. At times he was grateful to not have to deal with it, other times he missed the feeling of giving himself to Tyler so completely.

"Have you tried this cake?" Vicki sat on the other love seat near them with a plate of yellow cake. "Your cook is amazing Jeremy. You're so lucky. Sorry, am I interrupting? You guys look really serious."

"You're fine," he laughed. Even Caroline had to crack a smile. Vicki had bounced back better than any of them…at least she pretended she did. Jeremy knew she was still traumatized but she'd been getting better with each day she wasn't in her holding cell. He was surprised that she spent so much time with Damon in these past three weeks but he didn't press her for information.

"This is seriously the life of luxury. Can't say I'm not jealous," she stuffed her mouth greedily. "I thought Damon was kidding when he said you had a cook."

Caroline excused herself as she sat her wine glass on the coffee table. They watched her practically run out of the room towards the stairs, Jeremy with his sad, resigned expression and Vicki looking confused.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"It's not you," Jeremy murmured. He jumped slightly when she put her hand on his knee.

"It's me."

"I know. Sorry I…sorry," he mumbled as he ran a hand over his exhausted face. Vicki gave him a sad smile.

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah."

"I get them too," she murmured. "I wake them up sometimes. Sometimes I hear Rebekah screaming too. We talk about them, even when we don't want to. Is it bad that I'm happy it's not just me?"

"No. It's nice knowing someone understands," Jeremy murmured. "Tyler has them too but he doesn't like to talk about them. He only talks about mine."

His eyes drifted to the billionaire. He was concentrating on the game but Jeremy noticed more worry lines on his face that had nothing to do with strategizing on how to win. He didn't like it considering how young he was. The dark circles were less visible against his darker skin but they were still present. He imagined he looked no better, purposefully avoiding his own eye contact in the mirrors so he couldn't see just how badly Mikael damaged him. He could gage how pitiful he looked every time Tyler's eyes landed on him and gave him that woeful smile.

Jeremy honestly felt as if he were still in captivity. Being driven crazy by his memoires was proving to be slightly worse than the real thing, only because his dismal imagination could conjure images that were 100 times worse than what really took place. He wanted nothing more than for them to stop but he didn't know how.

"Are you going to therapy?"

"Yeah."

"Does it help?"

"Kind of," he said lowly. "We talk about it but it only gives me more nightmares. If I don't talk about it, I think about it and that gives me worse nightmares. I can't win no matter what I do."

She made a disapproving noise and took his hand.

"It has to get better. He doesn't get to keep winning," she muttered. "He's dead and he's never coming back. And the people that hurt us are going to prison. They shouldn't get to still torture us. It's not fair."

Jeremy couldn't've agreed more.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Later that night he and Tyler soaked in the bathtub in complete silence. Jeremy leaned against him as he washed his hair and his body but could barely feel his hands. His mind was still racing, dreading the moment when he would have to try to sleep. Maybe he would be lucky tonight and not dream at all.

"You okay?" Tyler's soft voice blew over his ear. He nodded.

"Just thinking."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No," the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. He gazed at him through wet, dark lashes. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" he kissed his nose.

"I feel like I'm always shutting you out," he admitted quietly. "I don't like it."

"Talk when you're ready," he said simply. Jeremy hummed and leaned against his shoulder.

"Is there anything you wanna talk about?" he asked coyly.

"I'm fine," he grinned. It was false but Jeremy returned it to appease him.

"Alright."

Another round of silence followed them. Jeremy wondered when they were going to stop tip-toeing around issues and just talk. A part of him was afraid to disrupt this spurious, harmonious routine they'd fallen into and just hash out their problems. But he didn't think he had the strength for that talk, at least not tonight.

He was the first to get out ten minutes later, missing Tyler's frown of concern. He followed suit, taking Jeremy's towel when he was done to dry off. He caught sight of his perfect ass and licked his lips. It felt like it'd been years since they were intimate when'd it only been a couple weeks. Between injuries and hospitals and funerals and everything else they barely had time to feed themselves before they were on the move again. And then there were the nightmares and sleep deprivation that put a definite damper on their sex life. It was understandable but Tyler missed him, missed what they used to have.

Dropping the towel, his arms snaked around Jeremy's waist and pulled him into his chest. He was still slightly damp and heat radiated off of him, his semi-erect cock pressing into those perfect globes. Jeremy reacted immediately, wiggling his hips slightly as he let out a huff of air. He pressed a kiss to his pale back, then another on his shoulder, then two more on the other one and Jeremy was turning around and pressing their lips together heatedly, his soft hands cupping his face and his tongue pressing incessantly against his lips. Tyler opened his mouth at the same time he grabbed his ass to bring him closer causing their cocks to brush together. They both moaned at the contact.

He wasn't at all prepared for Jeremy to push him into the wall by his shoulders. He laced their fingers together and pulling them above his head. He absently thought that Jeremy being taller than him in this situation was pretty fucking sexy before Jeremy grinded into him and he stopped thinking. This position made him miss the dominance and submission part of their relationship. But there was no telling when Jeremy would be ready for that again. Tyler didn't have the heart to tie him up when he'd been forced into chains barely a month ago.

The kiss grew in intensity. Soon they were rolling their hips against each other and swallowing each other's tongues and moans rapidly. Tyler's hands squeezed Jeremy's slender hips when he kissed his strong jawline down to his neck, his head resting against the wall as he took in the nearly forgotten sensation of Jeremy's lips on his skin. His soft hands cupped his face and his lips were back on his, stealing his breath away as his body pressed into his deliciously and he felt what little of his self-control he still possessed wither away.

He turned them around quickly, pressing Jeremy into the wall chest first. Jeremy thrust back into him, groaning as Tyler grabbed his hips and rolled his own into them. He bit his lip when he felt lips trailing down his back, kissing every bit of his skin lower and lower until he reached his ass. His head fell forward to the wall as Tyler spread his cheeks apart and kissed the puckered hole. Jeremy cried out when his tongue thrust inside him and he squeezed his eyes shut as he grabbed his throbbing cock. He normally cringed at the thought of this but the way Tyler did it was amazing.

His thumb rubbed against his head as his slick tongue moved against him and he gasped with a quick jerk of his hips, unsure of which way to move for more pleasure. His tongue felt so good against him it was quickly driving him insane. When it started thrusting at the same time his hand started tugging Jeremy began moaning, his voice bouncing off the bathroom walls.

He came so hard that his knees buckled a little. His cum spurted against his hand and over the bathroom wall. His hand kept moving through his orgasm as he writhed against him until he was sated. The orphan lowered himself to his knees and Tyler pulled him back so that his back was to his chest. Jeremy sagged against him, his head going to his shoulder as he reached back to kiss him. He could taste himself mingled with the lavender bubble bath soap they just bathed in.

Jeremy could feel Tyler's erection pressing into his back and turned onto his knees to face him. He straddled him, letting his cock press between his cheeks once more as their kiss turned into a passionate make-out session. Tyler groaned when his lips went to his neck and he grabbed his ass to pull him closer, their skin nearly sticking together from the heat and hot water.

Jeremy nipped at his ear before kissing and sucking his way down his body. Tyler sat back on his hands as Jeremy's lips hovered over the dark scar on his chest. He watched as his eyes glazed over with emotion and then pressed a lingering kiss to it. His hand came to the nape of Jeremy's neck to play with the hairs there as he did it again and again.

Eventually Jeremy moved down his body to his taut stomach and tight pelvic muscles. He pushed Tyler down gently to get better access to his cock. Pressing a kiss to the head of it and lapping up the small bead of pre-come, he didn't warn Tyler before swallowing him down. The billionaire let out a slow breath, his hand going to grip Jeremy's shoulder.

"Fuck," he jerked his hips when he hit the back of Jeremy's throat. Jeremy pulled off a little bit and waited until Tyler's hips lowered before continuing. The billionaire's eyes rolled to the back of his head as Jeremy's tongue did that thing that drove him insane. He made the mistake of looking into Jeremy's eyes, watching himself disappear in that wet, warm mouth and nearly came on the spot.

Quickly he pulled Jeremy up by his shoulders and kissed him hard. The younger moaned into his mouth, his hand traveling down to grasp him.

"I want you," Tyler gasped as he started stroking. Jeremy nodded and allowed Tyler to pull him to his feet. It seemed as if he had flown to their bed for the next moment they were laying down. Jeremy's hands ran over the scars on Tyler's shoulder and his chest once more and it reminded him of why he had to kill Mikael.

His eyes shot open as Tyler's lips went to his neck. He killed Mikael because he wasn't going to let them go. He was going to kill him and Tyler and he couldn't let that happen. He was so damn selfish when it came to him that he ended another man's life, something he thought he wasn't even capable of. And though he knew he killed Mikael out of pure fear and hatred, he knew that his main reason was the man he was holding in his arms right now.

Or was it?

"Jer?"

He blinked when he realized that he had stopped participating. He gave Tyler an apologetic smile and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips before sliding his tongue inside. Tyler pulled back quickly to look at him.

"What's wrong?" he murmured with worried eyes.

"Nothing," he sighed as he sat up. "I didn't mean to zone out on you."

"You've been doing that a lot," he said softly. "I'm just worried about you."

"Don't be," he gave him a quick smile. "I'm fine Ty. Really."

"No you're not."

His smile disappeared as Tyler's frown deepened.

"You don't have to lie to me. I know you're not fine," he said as he sat on his knees. "If you're not ready for this then we don't have to—"

"That's not—I promise it's not—" Jeremy took a deep breath. "It's not that I just…I zone out sometimes because I…I…"

"You're thinking about how you killed Mikael."

He flinched. "Yeah."

Silence settled over them, the mood rapidly losing its passion from moments ago. Jeremy shifted back towards the headboard and brought his legs up. He caught sight of the blue rose on his ankle and he looked away quickly, searching for something on the bed.

"Did you move my socks?"

Tyler reached behind him at the foot of the bed and grabbed the folded cotton. He watched as Jeremy pulled them on hastily.

"You don't have to wear them."

"Yes I do," he muttered as he slid under the blankets in an attempt to cover himself. "I don't want to be reminded every time I look at my feet."

Tyler couldn't say he blamed him. Nothing prepared him for the overwhelming anger that overtook him when he discovered that Jeremy had been branded like Caroline, Rebekah and Vicki. All of them bore Mikael's mark and they weren't sure of how they were going to remove it. Pearl had told them it wasn't a normal tattoo, that they couldn't use the lasers to remove it because it hadn't been drawn on, but scarred into the skin. As a way to cover it up, Jeremy had taken to wearing socks. From what Damon told him, Vicki wore them in double layers.

Looking at the rose hurt his heart. It reminded him that while he'd saved Jeremy, he couldn't save him from being tortured. He knew that his pain was nothing compared to Jeremy's. He was forced to wear that rose as a symbolic reminder of the hell he went through, of the torture he suffered and the lives that were forever altered because of Mikael. It was times like these where he was glad Jeremy was the one to end the bastard's life.

Jeremy curled onto his side with his pillow. Tyler sighed as he crawled into bed next to him, making sure to keep his distance. He felt his loneliness creeping back up when Jeremy kept his back to him and tried to hamper it down. He wasn't alone; Jeremy was right there. He was always right there and yet he felt so distant from him. He missed talking the way they used to. He missed holding him and kissing him every now and then just because he could. He didn't want to push Jeremy into being close to him when he wasn't ready for it but he needed comfort too.

As if his mind was being read, Jeremy rolled over and slid against his side. Tyler's arms immediately went around him, smiling slightly when he pressed a lingering kiss to his neck.

"I'm sorry," he murmured.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Tyler soothed as he kissed his hair. "I just want you to know I'm here for you. And I'll listen if you want to talk. It won't be too much for me, I promise."

Jeremy didn't doubt it. He just wasn't ready to discuss how he ended Mikael's life a brutally as he had.

"I know," he whispered. "I'm here for you too."

Later on at Damon's house, Vicki stared dazedly at the sky as she took another rough inhale from his pipe. The smoke tickled her throat but when she released it she felt a nearly overwhelming calm take over. Leaning back against the recliner, she took a sip from her wine glass and passed the pipe to Damon. She watched as he lit up and blue circles of perfect Os into the air.

"How do you do that?" she grinned.

"Practice," he did it again, finishing with a smirk. "It's easy once you know how."

"You probably know all the stoner tricks," she laughed.

"I know a good few. That's what happens when you smoke all the time."

"You don't look like much of a smoker."

"That's the beauty of marijuana," he took a drink of his beer. "More wine?"

"I'm good. I should probably be going," she stood to stretch, the jacket she was wearing rising up and showing a sliver of skin. "They worry when I come home late."

"Why don't you just sleep here? I have plenty of empty rooms," Damon suggested. Vicki's eyebrows rose.

"You'd be cool with that?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't," he smirked. She flustered a little.

"I…I mean I would but I don't have any clothes or…anything—"

"I have plenty of clothes," he stood too. "I just don't want you going out there stoned. Your brother would probably kill me."

"That must be the reason. You don't want him to know how bad of an influence you are," she teased. He laughed.

"Guilty," he grinned. "C'mon, I'll get you some stuff."

She followed him upstairs and to the first room. She gaped when she saw how lavish it was. Crème colored with hints of brown and purple mingled in with the decorations, surprising her.

"This was Jeremy's room when he was staying here," Damon handed her a set of fluffy green towels. "Everything's been washed, don't worry."

"How many bedrooms do you have?"

"Eight including mine. Then there's all the bedrooms that could be that I turned into other things."

"Like what?"

He smiled mysteriously, "Personal rooms. For my eyes only."

The way his eyes sparkled mischievously made her shiver. She felt that there was more behind that statement than he was letting on.

He disappeared for another moment and came back with a bathrobe, toothbrush, hairbrush, a tank top and sweatpants. Vicki smirked when she saw the Victoria Secret heart on the side of them.

"I didn't know you were into Pink," she laughed as she held them up.

"They're Katherine's, I think."

She faced him. "She stays here?"

"Yeah, sometimes."

"She doesn't live that far away from you."

Damon said nothing. Vicki turned around to face him again.

"What?"

"Nothing," he shook his head with another disarming smile. "I'll see you in the morning. I'll call Matt and let him know you're here."

"Thanks," she said softly as he closed the door. She turned back to her pajamas for the night and frowned slightly. In the three weeks she'd been around Damon Salvatore and the people he called family, she realized that she didn't know much about any of them at all. Not even Matt, Rebekah and Kol but that was slowly changing. She knew Jeremy but she hadn't seen him in so long that he might as well have been a stranger too. All of them were strangers, which made her wonder why she felt as if she could trust them already. She'd spent her whole life being weary of people because of her mother and now Damon Salvatore was erasing that doubt despite the mysterious air about him. How could he make it go away so quickly?

"I'm stoned," she concluded with a laugh. She stripped out of the clothes that Rebekah loaned her and took her towels into the bathroom.

Jeremy screamed Tyler's name as he jerked awake from his horrifying dream of repeatedly slitting Mikael's throat. His head knocked into Tyler's chin as he tried to sit up, making the billionaire groan and sink back into the pillows.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Jeremy gasped as he scrambled over him to turn on the light. "God Ty I'm sorry!"

"It's alright," he rotated his jaw once. "You okay?"

"Just a bad dream," he took a deep breath and tried to quell the shaking. "I'll be okay."

"Tell me about it."

Jeremy looked away, "You don't want to hear it."

"Yes I do. That's why I asked you."

Jeremy continued to look down at the blankets. Tyler took his chin and turned it so he was gazing into his eyes instead.

"Jer, you can't keep this bottled up," he said softly. "It's killing you."

"Like you keep everything bottled up?" he snorted as he pulled away. Tyler's eyebrows rose.

"What does that mean?"

"You never want to tell me what your nightmares are about but you expect me to tell you mine," he pulled away from Tyler completely. "You keep everything bottled up so why can't I?"

Tyler blinked in confusion at the sudden edge Jeremy's voice had taken.

"You went through more than I did," he said slowly. "You went through a lot of trauma Jeremy."

"I've been traumatized my whole life. Why is this anything special?" he quipped as he found his pajama pants on the ground. "It's nothing to make a big deal about Tyler."

"I'm not making a big deal out of it. I just want you to talk to me when you—"

"I don't want to, okay? That's what I have Jenna for."

"Do you even talk to her, or do you just talk about how you feel guilty about Stefan's death? You probably haven't told her about your nightmares, have you?" Tyler felt his anger starting to get the better of him. He didn't understand why Jeremy was lashing out at him when he was only trying to help.

"What I tell Jenna is none of your business," Jeremy snapped as he pulled his shirt over his head roughly. "None of this is any of your business, alright? I don't need your help."

He flew out of bed to find his own clothes. "What the hell is wrong with you Jeremy? I'm trying to be here for you and you won't let me in!"

"So now there's something wrong because you don't know every little thing that happens in my day?" he spat. "I know you have control freak tendencies but I'm not your slave or your submissive or whatever. We don't have a contract binding us anymore so I don't have to tell you anything. Even if we did, it's not legal so it doesn't mean shit. You don't own me and you don't control me, not anymore."

Tyler's mouth dropped as Jeremy stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. Now would be the time to be rational and give Jeremy space. Jeremy was obviously dealing with something that was tearing him apart and he, being the sympathetic person he was, was taking time to be there for him when he could've been elsewhere dealing with his own issues of his father's reopened murder and Stefan's death and everything else. Yet he had taken time out for Jeremy and he was angry with him for it? How the fuck was that fair?

Before Tyler knew what he was doing he was storming into the bathroom, seething at the way Jeremy jumped when the door hit the wall. In the back of his mind, he wondered why it wasn't locked.

"You're an ungrateful brat, you know that?" he snapped harshly. "I've done everything to make you comfortable, to be there for you, to give you what you needed while you dealt with your shit and now I'm the one that's wrong? I don't know if getting mad at me is some new tactic of coping that you have but it's seriously fucked up Jeremy. You don't see me getting pissed at you for no fucking reason so you don't have an excuse for this other than you can't deal with your shit and you're taking it out on me!"

"You always make everything about you!" Jeremy yelled back. "These are my nightmares! These are my problems and I'm not ready to talk about them with you! It has nothing to do with you, you self-centered bastard! The entire world doesn't revolve around you! Everyone has their own shit to deal with and guess what? It doesn't involve you so back off!"

"You're sleeping in my bed, waking me up at four every damn morning so I think it does involve me!"

"Well then I'll sleep in another room so I don't disturb your beauty rest! Happy, prick?"

"Perfect! Go scream about it on Caroline's side of the house and wake her up! I'm sure she'll really appreciate that!"

"Better than having it thrown back in my face by an asshole like you!" Jeremy snarled. Tyler let out a disbelieving laugh.

"I don't know why the fuck I bother," he grumbled as he turned to leave.

"What'd you say?"

"I said I don't know why I fucking bother!" he snapped as he turned back around. "I don't know why I keep wasting my time when all you're going to do is push me away! It's like you want me to leave you alone so I will. You can figure out your shit and I'll figure out mine. Alone."

Jeremy couldn't deny that those words stung. It wasn't that he didn't want Tyler around because he did. He just didn't know how to tell him about Mikael. He didn't even know he was capable of the level of violence that now haunted his dreams. He didn't want to admit to himself that he could do something like that. So how could he admit to doing it to anyone else?

The door slamming again made him jump. He turned back to the counter and splashed cold water on his face. He didn't mean to start a fight. He hated when they fought. And he was wrong about half of it; this situation was about Tyler. About how he'd killed for him and he could barely live with himself because of it. But it was also about the knowledge that he would do it again without hesitation if Tyler was in danger.

His eyes stung with tears and he closed his eyes to keep them back. He gripped the counter as the entire scene played in his mind again as if it were on repeat. He could almost feel the blood on his shirt, the cuts on his hands as he dislodged the knife from his side and crawled towards Mikael's dead corpse. He could feel the anger and hatred and fear and desperation to survive coursing through him as he dragged the steel blade across his throat, watching the blood run in small rivers down his pale skin. He could feel the power coursing through his veins as he ran it over that same wound three times before thrusting the blade into Mikael's chest over and over and over. He could feel himself revel in the feeling of taking the bastard's life that had nearly taken his and he liked it.

Maybe it was more than Tyler. Maybe he used Tyler as his excuse to kill because the truth was too terrifying to admit.

His eyes opened slowly and he stared at them in the mirror blankly. The light brown of his irises had disappeared and become nearly black like coal. These weren't the eyes of a wounded victim that acted in a moment of panic for his life and his loved one. These were the eyes of a stone cold killer. Even with the tear trailing down his face, they did not look like eyes that were sorry for killing Mikael Mikaelson.

His face crumpled and he bit his lip to keep from sobbing too loudly. He sank to his knees, keeping his hands on the counter and resting his head against the wooden doors, gritting his teeth against the pain he suddenly felt in the lower left area of his stomach. He gasped for breath as it overtook him.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Tyler grumbled irritably as he took another hit of marijuana from his bong. He blew the smoke into the brisk night air from his balcony and felt more tension leave him. He could hear his conscious that sounded like Mason telling him how counterproductive he was being but he could give a fuck at the moment. Jeremy pissed him off so much that he needed to let off a little steam so he wouldn't do something to scare him.

He honestly believed that everything was fine with them. He thought when his mother told him that Jeremy's personality could be altered by the number of concussions he'd sustained throughout his life that she was just being paranoid. But Jeremy had been different ever since he'd woken up and truthfully, it was starting to worry him. There were traces of the sweet, caring boy that he'd come to love but he wondered where the rest of him had gone. Or maybe this was who Jeremy truly was and he didn't recognize it until now.

Don't be an idiot he scoffed to himself as he grabbed his container of marijuana to pack another bowl. The door sliding open made his bare shoulders tense but he kept his eyes determinedly on his task. He didn't even look up even when he felt the cushion dip.

"I'm sorry," Jeremy said softly when he lit the greens. "You're right. You're just trying to help me and I shouldn't take this out on you."

Tyler inhaled the smoke and turned his head to the side to let it out. He counted to three in his head and made sure his answer wouldn't come out as a growl before speaking.

"Ever since we've come home you act like you'd rather not be around me," he allowed the hurt to show on his face. "You never talk to me, you're always annoyed with me, and all I'm trying to do is help you."

"I know and I'm sorry," Jeremy took his hand. "I don't mean to push you away. I don't want to."

"So why do you?"

"Because…I'm scared of what you'll think of me if you knew what happened," he admitted quietly. "I killed someone Tyler. I butchered his body when he was already dead. I don't want you to think I'm…"

"What?"

"Psychotic," he said quietly. "I killed him and I…I'm not sorry I did. It disgusts me but it's true. He was going to kill me and you and when I pulled the trigger and used the knife it just felt..."

He looked away as he bit his lip. Tyler set his bong on the table so he could pull Jeremy into his arms, listening as he kept talking about the details of Mikael's murder. To anyone else listening, he might have sounded insane but Tyler couldn't see him that way even if he tried. He personally knew what psychotic looked like.

He stayed quiet as Jeremy rehashed every nightmare that plagued him for three weeks. By the time he was done the sun was coming up and flooding his balcony with orange and yellow light.

"You're not psychotic. You killed a man that's been terrorizing the city for years, so I think that makes you a hero," Tyler chuckled as he kissed his forehead.

"If I was a hero I'd feel guiltier about killing him."

"Not after all the shit he did to you and everyone else. Anyone who can feel sorry for that bastard is psychotic."

Jeremy laughed.

"All joking aside, you're not crazy Jer. And I can't believe you went three weeks thinking that you were," Tyler reprimanded. "You liking the feeling of killing the man that tortured you and branded you like you were an animal is normal."

"Yeah, I guess so," he sighed. Tyler allowed that to be the end of the conversation and leaned back into his recliner, Jeremy resting his head on his shoulder.

"I was scared to tell you all of that because…I thought you wouldn't want to marry me."

"Seriously? You got rid of the guy that's wanted me dead for years. I'd be a damn fool to let you go," he grinned. Jeremy laughed and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"You're crazy."

"I'm truthful. And you're my hero," he smirked. "I'm indebted to you for the rest of my life."

"That sounds promising," Jeremy grinned up at him. "I'll have to think of something really good for you to do."

"Please do," he purred before he kissed him, his heart swelling with love and devotion. It made him hot all over knowing that Jeremy loved him so much he'd kill for him. At least he wasn't the only one that loved this hard.

When Jeremy couldn't breathe he pulled away. Tyler followed him, keeping their lips against his but allowing air to pass through. Jeremy's heart was pounding when he stared into his eyes, the bright morning sun reflecting off of them and making them brighter.

"What?" Jeremy breathed when a half-smile formed on Tyler's face.

"Let's get married."

Jeremy beamed, "When?"

"Now."

It fell slightly. "What?"

"We can go anywhere in the world. Let's pick a place and get married."

The seriousness in his eyes juxtaposed with the childish grin on his face made Jeremy wonder if Tyler was wholly serious.

"What about our family?"

"We'll tell them whenever we come back. It should just be me and you," he breathed as he pulled him into another soulful kiss. Jeremy inhaled sharply when their tongues dueled once more, heart pounding at his words.

"They're going to be pissed."

"They'll get over it," he reached over and kissed him quickly. "You can pick where we go, I don't care. Just say yes."

Jeremy's luminescent smile was all the answer he needed.

Thank you for reading! If you feel like leaving a review, please do! See you on the next chapter :)