A/N Thank you all for reviewing!

"Sorry, what was that?"

Damon ground his teeth together when Skylar, blatantly ignoring him, turned away from him without so much as a glare. His, and Stefan's eyes, trailed behind her as she made her way back over to the Original rooted behind her.

"You're okay?"Skylar inquired, pads of her fingers sweeping across his jaw and collecting a smear of blood.

Unsure of how to respond to the warmth and attentiveness Skylar exhibited while she concentrated on him, especially when she'd reached for him with gentle fingers, Klaus found himself unable to maintain her gaze. Her blue hues studied his features closely, something she'd done countless times before. Only this time, whenever she noticed a healing bruise or a wound, her upper lip curled slightly in indignation.

Indignation on his behalf, Klaus was slowly beginning to realize.

She seemed not the least bit daunted by the flickers of amber and his dilated black pupils tracking her hands and Skylar kept up her ministrations. Nor was she startled when one of his hands abruptly grasped her wrist and stalled her reaching for him again, her fingers just grazing his cheek.

"Hmm?"She pressed, arching an eyebrow at him.

Recovering from his momentary state of wonder, Klaus managed a smile. Skylar tilted her head to the side questioningly, her features beginning to soften when Klaus leaned down to meet her eyes.

"Never better, love."He lowly reassured, allowing her to clasp his cheek for a moment.

"Okay."She breathily accepted after recognizing his tone, her hands falling back by her sides. She cleared her throat and willed a smile on her face."Do you want a drink? I need a drink."

"One would be much appreciated. Or several, perhaps?"

Skylar knew they were once again in sync when his smile broadened roguishly. She made a sound of suggestive agreement, her smile faltering a bit when she caught sight of Damon out of the corner of her eye.

Damon gestured wildly at nothing, snapping his mouth shut before he said something he regretted.

"It's not like he felt it, all right? The guy's built to last."

"And it's not like we're human, is it, Damon?"Stefan gently informed, cautiously clasping his brother's forearm supportively."But it still hurts when someone hurts someone we care about."

"All right. All right."Damon pressed into his brother's comforting grasp, took a moment to compose himself before straightening."I get it."

His fingers itched to curl into his palm and hit something until his knuckles were bloody. But all he could do was watch his sister as she ambled over to one of several bars installed in the Mikaelson home. It hurt him to watch as she, as familiar as she would be in the Boarding House, collected two glasses then poured them halfway. It hurt to watch her return to Klaus' side and hand him his drink with the beginnings of a smile.

It hurt to watch her be at ease—in a place she thought of as home.

"Sky. Skylar."

He glanced at Stefan over his shoulder with a frown, it only deepening when his brother shrugged. Mimicking his brother's shrug quizzically, Damon's head snapped back and forth as he looked from sibling to sibling before eventually settling his gaze back on Skylar.

"What the hell?"Damon incredulously proclaimed.

"Fix your tone, Damon..."Skylar breathily replied looking longingly at her drink before she gulped it down in one go."then i'll respond."

He shifted uneasily under her gaze."I-"

"What's the meaning of this?"

Damon let out an annoyed breath when Klaus, glancing over Skylar's shoulder, smiled complacently at the new arrival. He rolled his eyes at the hybrid before turning around to take a look at the uninvited presence, Stefan copying him a moment later. He tilted his head up to take a good look at the Mikaelson, pursing his lips to put a name to the face.

"Finn."Skylar greeted warmly, grimacing down at her drink, sloshing around what was left."We disturbed you, right? I'm sorry."

Finn. Damon pondered the name while realization dawned on him. The one who took a nine hundred year nap, right?

Finn descended a handful of steps with an uncharacteristic assertive gait, stopping midway down the grand staircase. He had his book in hand, pointer finger trapped inside to keep track of his page, and a half-empty tumbler pinched between his thumb and the back of the book.

"You've put your hands on my brother."Finn aloofly observed, gesturing to Damon with his book. He squeezed the staircase railing so tight that his knuckles went pale.

"I can assure you, big brother, that he deserved it."Damon chimed in almost defensively. He folded his arms over his chest, hands clasping his forearms."It's not like he felt it, anyway."

Finn tipped his head to the side at Damon's argument, his eyes narrowing contemplatively. He turned his head to look at his brother questioningly after studying the younger vampire from head to toe.

"Niklaus?"

"It's simply a misunderstanding, Finn. They'll be leaving soon."Klaus waved a dismissive hand when his brother's eyes tracked the mess of the foyer."I've got a handle on it."

"You're sure?"Finn cooly inquired, tone skating on the edge of menacing.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Klaus' face, and his eyes warmed with admiration when he tilted his head up to meet Finn's eyes.

"I'm sure."Klaus affirmed, holding his hand aloft his head and tipping his glass at Finn."Your concern is appreciated, brother."

"All right."Finn quietly said, scanning Damon with a final dubious once over. His eyes returned to his brother who smiled at him."You know where i am should the need arise, Niklaus. Skylar."

He finished with a pointed glance at the Salvatore brothers then nodded reassuringly at their sister. Finn then turned his back on them and climbed the staircase again, four pairs of eyes trailing after him until he shut the door to his bedchambers.

"Maybe we should all take a breather, get a sense perspective on the matter."Klaus gestured aimlessly but with some sort of purpose, whiskey wading around in his glass, splotches of blood from his fingers smeared on glass."Whatever the matter is because I, for one, have no sodding clue."

Damon's eyes clouded angrily."You do have a freaking clue."

"Do I? I know that you came here under the pretense of a friendly chinwag, yes. But, instead of that, you revealed that you have a hopeless right hook, started throwing around accusations then proceeded to goad me."

"Klaus."

Lifting a shoulder in an idle shrug, Klaus looked at Skylar over the rim of his glass when she looked over her shoulder pointedly at him.

"What, am I wrong?"

"Oh, do you really want me to answer that?"Skylar teased with a suggestive smile, setting aside her own drink."But right now? No."

Damon sneered bitterly when he caught Klaus' eyes roam over his sister's beaming features captivatingly, delighting in being the recipient of her gaze.

"Hey, Damon—Hey!"

Skylar sidestepped to block Damon's path to Klaus even more than she had, and almost lost her footing when her brother collided into her. Clasping his jacket, she shook him to divert his attention from the Original, ears picking up on a snarl from the hybrid.

"Scan the room, look at yourself and your choices."

Chest heaving with rage that slowly subsided when he met Skylar's eyes, Damon's jaw clenched angrily.

"No, love, let the boy go."Klaus instructed, tearing his eyes away from her features to lour at Damon."I doubt he's going to do much more than glower at me."

"Glower at you?"Damon gruffly spat, eyes snapping from his sister and fixing on the hybrid stood behind her."Why don't you roll over and play dead, you-"

"Yeah, I don't think so."Skylar's sharply interjected in response to Klaus, ignoring Damon's hurled comments."He's spunky."

"Yeah. I'm spunky."Damon arrogantly echoed, rolling back his shoulders before rounding his sister, eyes clouding with resentment."And you..."

Damon barely made it past his sister's shoulder before he found himself floundering backward into Stefan who, for the relief of Damon's confidence, caught his brother before he tripped over his own feet. Catching his balance and straightening his leather jacket, Damon cleared his throat.

"You've got a thing for throwing your weight about."Pushing at her brother's shoulder again until there was enough breathable distance between them, Skylar narrowed her eyes at him."What do you think you're doing?"

"What do I thi—It was him..."Damon stressed his words by jabbing a finger at the air, spitefully pointing at the Original."Who beat the crap outta me."

"It was you—"Klaus fluidly sidestepped out from behind Skylar, tone falsely sounding frighteningly friendly. There was a familiar lilt in his voice that was dangerous."Who came gallivanting into my home with the intention to provoke me."

Rolling his eyes heavenward, Damon pressed his lips together to bite back a remark before firing back a response.

"I came gall-ivant-ing into your home to talk."Lip curling up into a sneer, Damon's eyes flickered to his sister as he indignantly nodded over at Klaus."Cujo over there is the one that went crazy with the fisticuffs."

"I know."Skylar tersely replied, casting an unreadable look at Klaus over her shoulder, eyes lingering on his features a moment."But you asked for it."

Sneer faltering into a frown, Damon blinked several times."Say what now?"

"Damon, what―"Skylar cut herself off when she heard her tone and took a moment to compose herself."What are you doing here?"

"Look, I'm not here to drag you back home, demand you come back with us or anything like that."Damon held up his hands in surrender, hoping his sister could read the candor in his eyes."And, believe me or not, but I wasn't planning to start a fight and get my ass kicked."

Skylar crossed her arms over her chest defensively, barely refraining from scoffing.

"Could've fooled me."

"I swear, all right? I just came to talk all amicable-like."

Damon nodded his head furiously, palms meeting entreatingly."Amicably."

"And ended up doing the complete opposite."Skylar frankly remarked, fingers unclasping from her forearm so she could, for the second time, gesture at her pummelled brother."It's not hard to believe."

"He's telling the truth."Stefan offered in his support of his brother, looking around the disarrayed foyer with an annoyed shake of his head."It's not what it looks like but he is."

Damon nodded a second time, shoulders slumping in relief when his sister murmured that she bought his reasoning.

He cocked his head to catch her eyes, hands falling by his sides.

"Skylar."

She imitated his head tilt, elevating a curious eyebrow."Damon."

"Look, I know i've been acting like―"

"Yourself only tenfold?"Skylar plainly suggested.

"Yeah."Damon snapped his fingers and pointed at his sister with an appreciative nod, hand falling back by his side. He thought carefully about his words before voicing them."And when I act like that, when I don't know what's going on and I can't control myself, when I can't control anything―"

Features softening a little, Skylar chimed in with another candid suggestion."You drown in whiskey, women, self-hate, and denial?"

"Yeah, thanks."Damon fondly repeated, corner of his mouth quirking up into a half-smile, glancing at his sister out of the corner of his eye. His smile quickly faltered, however, when he saw no smile being offered back in response and swallowed. He needed to get it out."And I know—i realize, sorry—that my behavior has..."

Ducking his head with pursed lips, Damon's mind raced a mile a second. His fingers dug into his belt when he braced them on his hips. He couldn't put into words what his behavior—words, actions, or looks—had done to his sister. There were no words to define what he'd done. But he needed to find something to say, something to show that he understood or, if he didn't, he was attempting to.

He just couldn't come up with the right thing to say, and if he couldn't it was only going to hurt them both.

"Pushed me away and therefore resulted in a great distance between us? Made me cry at least twice?"

Damon snapped his head up with a breathy exhale of relief, eyes shining thankfully when Skylar's identical blue hues met his own. There was a flicker of understanding in her eyes.

"What i'm trying to say is that―"Damon cut himself off with a disgruntled sigh, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably."What i'm trying to say..."

"Is that you love me?"Skylar gently proffered.

"That's it. Right there."

Resting his weigh on one foot, Damon leaned off to the side to look pointedly over Skylar's shoulder."And i'll be more than happy to say it after a few drinks and without eavesdropping Originals."

Enunciating Original through clenched teeth, all traces of fondness gone when he uttered the word, Damon sent Klaus another pointed glance out of the corner of his eye. The Original raised his eyebrows in response.

"If what you seek is privacy, Damon, then perhaps you should step outside. I think i've been quite accommodating, considering the circumstances."

"Damon."

Eyesdarting to his frowning sister, Damon's face fell with barely sheer shame. He swallowed thickly and evened out his breathing.

"But that's not the point. You shouldn't have to say it for me."

He inhaled a deep breath and exhaled."And I do, you know. I love you."

His words were rushed out in one breath because much like Skylar—but unlike Stefan—Damon had profound difficulty stating those three words, just as he had profound difficulty hearing them. Saying them, accepting them, and understanding them. It was a deep-seated strain that Skylar very much related to with her brother.

"Even when I begged mother to take you back wherever you came from because you wouldn't be quiet whenever I tried to take back my favorite toy soldier. I always gave it back to you whenever you started getting worked up. Your eyes would get all puffy, you would kick and wail..."

Pupils dilating and eyes glazing over, Damon's agitated gestures abruptly stilled. Even though he was still maintaining the gaze he shared with Skylar, she slowly began to notice that he was looking through her. Cobalt, glazed over hues bore into her but Damon himself was somewhere else, lost in thought.

Wringing his hands as his lips stretched into a nostalgic smile, Damon emitted a low laugh. He blinked several times as he snapped out of his musings, tuning back into the gaze he shared with his sister.

"But you'd always go quiet when I gave it back. Soon enough my army was nothing but an uneven group you were picking off one by one before losing them."

Skylar's shoulders suddenly joggled when her eyes rounded, but she drew in a sharp breath and pressed her lips together tightly to refrain from laughing. Damon heeded this, and his smile broadened as his sister's eyes twinkled warmly.

"But your eyes..."His voice dropped to a gentle murmur."would twinkle and you were just on top of the world whenever I gave in. And, if I look past everything, I can see that he..."

Damon's eye almost twitched when he cut himself off, swallowing before he corrected himself. It was for Skylar, not for him, it was for Skylar, not for him.

"I can see that Kl-Klaus does that."

His hands rubbing together in agitation while he tried to keep himself composed, it took every restraint he could muster from spitting venom at Klaus.

"I'm not saying I agree with this."Damon motioned at Skylar, index finger extending for a moment to point at Klaus with a flourish."I mean, clearly, there's some deep-rooted daddy issues playing in on this considering the personality and all..."

Clearing his throat, Stefan cut in before Skylar could.

"Damon."

Snapping his fingers in appreciation at his brother along with a quick thumbs-up behind his back, Damon uneasily chuckled, quickly attempting to rectify his statement.

"Even so, I can't really talk because...you know, mother and I weren't close and look at my track record."Damon forced a smile at Klaus over Skylar's shoulder, expression softening when his gaze returned to his sister."But i'm sure that I can live with him—with Klaus if I have to. For you. It's you."

He tried his luck and took a step closer to his sister, hoping that she could read the sincerity and contrition in his eyes.

"I can try and bite my tongue, no, I will bite my tongue if it means that we can be us again. Not like how we've been now…"Damon stepped aside, turning so that he was in-between his siblings and that he could look at them. He offered Stefan an uncomfortable smile—he was still feeling out of place apparently—before looking back at his sister."I mean us, Sky. On top of the world."

Skylar's teeth toyed with her lower lip, her eyes shining at his evocative words.

"I mean, I can clink glasses with him if I have to at Christmas, I love the holidays."Damon shrugged, rocking on his heels to try and help with his uneasiness."I can offer insight when it's your birthday because we both know I give the best gifts."

He let out a shaky breath then forced a reassuring smile. His eyes, however, zeroed in on his own shoes when subjecting himself to Skylar's stare was too hard to endure.

"Not just him, Sky. The whole lot of them, I can play nice with all of them."

Damon continued to ramble while Skylar's stare burned into him, glazed over and vacant, in hopes that his words, his promises, would garner a response instead of just silence.

"I can give Elijah pointers on which suit colours that go in the summer because dark grey isn't it, and I can share my discount at John Varvatos with Kol. I can help out that Finn guy with women and offer my pick up lines, I can even help out Rebekah on how not to get rid of a guy in ten days."

He concluded with a nod, exhaling when Skylar simply blinked at him almost in confusion, and tilted her head. Rubbing his jaw before carding his fingers through his hair to stop himself from fidgeting, Damon resolved to get his point across.

"If you want me there,"Damon hurried out the words as if uttering them caused him physical pain, exhaling a long breath before concluding."I can be better."

Skylar met her brother's eyes, mirrors of her own, and swallowed the lump in her throat as she saw just how blue they were, how she remembered them fondly, looking down at her with childhood amusement and lifetimes of fondness. There wasn't a trace of the storm that had been flickering in them in recent years, a storm that had been brewing slowly.

But, as she stared into them—as they tugged at her heart when she finally recognized the fondness as they bore into her own—she noticed just how pained they were. Conflicted.

And, for reasons unbeknownst to herself, Skylar found herself laughing, her mouth twitching into a wry smile.

"No, you can't."

"No, he can't."Stefan chimed in with a hum of agreement.

Damon's shoulders slumped, unable to carry the weight any longer.

"No, i can't."Damon bluntly concurred with a nod of his head, wiping a hand down his face, words coming out muffled."But I want to."

Brows knitting together at the heartfelt announcement, Skylar shook her head fiercely."I don't want you to because i don't want a stranger as my brother. And that's what i've had, I've had you acting as you but tenfold. You pushed me away. Further than you've ever pushed me before. I deserve better than that."

Damon earnestly nodded in agreement, cheeks tinted with shame, and his eyes shining. He suddenly winced in annoyance, rubbing his shoulder when Stefan's bumped his pointedly. He dug his elbow into his brother's side, baring his teeth at him. Skylar bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from scolding them like she used to when they were children, when they were teenagers then tenfold after they became vampires.

"You deserve anything but me being a bigger jackass than I am."

He gesticulated wildly at himself, Stefan then his sister. Hopefully."It's us. From womb to tomb."

Klaus, who'd been intently listening just as intently he'd been staring into his re-filled glass, tilted his head up an inch when Skylar closed the distance between herself and her brothers. In doing so, she put distance between himself and her, departing from his side altogether.

His hand tightened around his glass as he tried to quell the instinct to lash out, to pluck Damon's coaxing tongue from his mouth then gouge Stefan's sincere eyes from his skull. His fingers silently drummed against the cool glass in his palm, yearning for blood to coat them. But Klaus resisted and attempted to focus on the lingering ghost of her touch on his cheek, accompanied by her attentive gaze.

She's with you. He reassured himself, the ringing in his head murmured, sounding eerily like Elijah. She made a vow.

Klaus' grip on his glass carefully slackened, and he allowed himself to tilt his head up and look over at the Salvatore siblings. He watched as Skylar came up to her older brother, heard as she whispered his name before she reached out and touched his cheek.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, murmuring."It'll take time."

"I know."

"It hurt, Damon."

"I know. And I never really wanted to push you away."Damon's brows knitted together as he repeated the words in his head, finding that he himself didn't believe them because they just weren't true. He caught himself, clearing his throat before he corrected himself."I mean, I might've and that's...that's a dick move. And when you never came back—you always come back—i pushed you away more and spiralled a whole lot more. A whole lot. More than I already had."

Damon's voice, thick with emotion, drifted off into a whisper before he eventually went silent.

"I love you, you jackass. From womb to tomb."Skylar warmly crooned, the pad of her thumb wiping away a smear of crimson from his cheekbone. Her lips curved up when Damon's features relaxed in relief, her eyes trailing back over to Stefan."You too, Stefan."

Stefan grinned at her tenderly, his eyes cheeks rounding and shining with self-adulation.

"I know you do."He plainly stated with a slight jounce on his heels."I'm not the one who doubted that."

"You're sounding a little smug, Stefan. You sound a bit like me."Damon commented smoothly, side-eyeing his brother with an unimpressed curl of his upper lip."Quit it."

Still wearing his grin, Stefan offered his older brother a faux, considerate shrug. Damon bared his teeth again, only this time it was a flash, as his mouth twisted up into a smile. He reared his unoccupied arm back, and Skylar opened her mouth to tell them off, but swiftly snapped it shut when Damon turned and clapped his brother on the forearm.

It wasn't an enthusiastic hug like the ones they shared when they were human, it wasn't those rare three words said when danger was imminent, it wasn't an outright reconciliation—but it was something.

"Isn't that sweet?"

Damon let out a long-suffering sigh while Stefan grimaced, the pair sharing a look that had their sister frowning.

"Yeah, I don't think you're gonna feel the same when you see the mess of the foyer. Then the parlor, the kitchen,"Damon made a so-so gesture, imitating his brother's grimace with a light laugh."and sort of the library."

"Somebody threw one of his hissy fits."

Damon rolled his eyes at his brother's unnecessary add on, lifting a hand to signal he was to defend himself. He, however, stopped himself short when he turned to face her. He pressed his lips together as he studied Skylar looking over her shoulder at Klaus and the Original contemplatively doing the same.

There were no words being spoken by either of them, just silent and thoughtful gazing, but Damon had known his sister long enough to read expressions—she was trying to reassure him.

"Sky?"Damon drew her focus back to him, his hand coming up to rest on her arm. His eyes leveled on the Original while Skylar turned back to look up at him, her hand still clasped on his cheek. Klaus maintained his silence, watching the display over the rim of his tumbler.

"I'm going to kick your asses until I know that you've cleaned up after your..."She glowered at Damon teasingly, leaning off to the side to do the same to her younger brother."hissy fit, was it, Stefan?"

Stefan hummed his confirmation, strolling from behind his brother to park himself alongside Skylar. Damon was faced with a pair of matching, mocking looks as they, as usual, ganged up on him.

"Think of Emery Stewart's birthday celebration, his horse Walter,"Stefan's voice lowered to a stage whisper, his eyes darting back and forth between his siblings."and the mud then times that by five."

Damon tuned in every other moment to roll his eyes at the teasing, his attention becoming more and more honed in on Klaus, his sister, and the coolness of an unfamiliar ring pressed against his cheek. He'd caught sight of it on her ring finger before, situated there brazenly and comfortably, rested against Klaus' cheek then glaring at him when she'd pointed accusingly at him.

Now he felt it against his own cheek, Klaus' claim on his sister that she'd apparently accepted—whether it was a claim of love he wanted her to carry or something possessive, he wasn't sure. The little voice in the back of his mind—a voice damagingly insecure, angry, and, ironically enough, possessive—wanted it to be the latter. Damon knew better.

As he subtly watched Klaus watch his sister, as he studied with how his eyes swept over her pensively, a ghost of a lopsided smile on his face, the voice still insisted on the latter. Damon was certain he knew better.

"Emery and that freaking horse were plotting against me because the little moron knew that he had no chance with Norma Green and you know it. And Sky was already waiting with a scheme of vengeance planned out by the time we got home."

Damon inhaled a long breath, melancholy flashing across his face."You're always at home to either kick our asses, wipe the blood off our hands, or ready to plan on how to get someone back, aren't you?"

Stefan shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest with a muted chuckle, his grin faltering into a reflective smile. He cleared his throat again, bobbing his head in approval, fully aware of the reason for his brother's sidetracked turn of mind.

When realization slowly dawned on Skylar's face, Stefan could tell she was coming to it herself, only with a more alarming train of thought. He noticed Klaus' shoulders tense at the abrupt change of mood and scrutinized the Original as he straightened, gradually gathering himself for another brawl.

"Damon, i'm...i can't leave, okay? Not with—"Stefan caught Damon's eye for a moment during Skylar's stern beginnings of a rant.

"You don't have to,"Damon interjected before she could continue, his hand journeying up to her own and covering it.

He squeezed her hand with a small smile. It was forced, that much was obvious but it was understanding. Skylar stared up at him with a vacant expression, momentarily struggling to make sense of his words. Her ears rang with resounding white noise that was only stopped when the clacking of ice cubes against Klaus' glass broke through her daze.

Skylar frowned up at him, her eyes wide."You what?"

"You don't have to do anything, we can clean up the mess ourselves this time, okay?"Damon quietly reassured with a fun-loving wink, turning his head and kissing her palm."Scout's honor."

He removed her hand from his cheek and, after reaching for her other one, held them in his larger ones, their identical daylight rings colliding more than once. Skylar, still speechless, studying him closely for any deceit but all she could read were traces of shame.

But, more importantly, understanding. Which was all she'd ever wanted and needed.

"They're still dainty, by the way."Damon lazily remarked, looking down at her with a roughish smirk."Even after lifetimes of bloodshed. Congrats."

Skylar laughed at him through her disbelief, looking up at him with the love he'd taken for granted, something he'd worried she'd perhaps never do again. And his expression was a reflection of hers when he met her gaze, something that hadn't happened in a long time.

"I think..."

After one last fond smile, Damon circled Skylar on his way to the front door, willing himself to don his usual smirk when he gestured for his brother to follow him.

"I think we need to go clean up that mess, Stef."Damon patted his pockets for his car keys, 'ahhhing' when he caught sight of them strewn alongside the painting he'd knocked down during the fight."Come on. Not time to dilly-dally."

Damon huffed out a groan as he leaned down to pick them up, flinging them from hand to hand on his leisured trek to the exit. Stefan and Skylar watched after their brother with a mix of exasperation and affection, as they had for most of their long, long life together.

"I think that's the limit of heart to hearts he can do for one day,"Stefan said in a hushed voice, beckoning for his sister to come in for another hug. She complied with a fond roll of her eyes, her arms already outstretched and ready to wind around him.

"It's a Damon and I thing. You're limitless."

Skylar smiled up at him playfully, reaching up and patting his cheek before she let herself be pulled in. He sighed his relief against her, the weight of guilt he'd been carrying on his shoulders edging off just a little more. He clasped the back of her head as she burrowed into his shoulder then turned to peck her cheek.

"I'll see you soon."Stefan murmured into her ear, arms tightening around her one last time before he let go. Skylar returned his sentiment as she pulled away to let him pass.

Stefan picked up his pace, stepping over the painting and avoiding splatters of blood, to catch up with Damon. He slowed his pace when he reached his brother, narrowing his eyes when he noticed Damon and Klaus facing one another. There was a large enough gap between them, Klaus still situated at the lounge doorframe and Damon leaning against the opened front door—there was enough room to jump in between them if things got tense again.

Not now. Stefan awkwardly thought, stuffing his clenched hands inside his pockets to hide them.

"Huh. Good year."Damon smoothly commented, fingers drumming the doorframe musingly. Stefan's fingers loosened from their fist when he witnessed Damon nodding at Klaus' bottle of whiskey.

Skylar began to remove the distance between herself and made her way up behind his shoulder, her hands clasped behind her back. She resisted the smile threatening to brim when Original turned his head an inch or two after picking up on their close proximity. She blinked up at him curiously when he greeted her with a half-smile over his shoulder, turning back to face Damon when she rooted herself alongside him.

Damon's eyes trailed from the half-empty bottle of whiskey to Klaus. He shrugged once and opened the door wider.

"Should keep that on ice, I might want a glass one day."

Damon was out the door a good few seconds before Klaus had fully processed the casual remark or react. He simply shook his head and, once again, re-filled his glass just above halfway for the sake of it. He lifted his head when he noticed Stefan lingering, reaching for the door handle before it could swing closed behind his brother.

"Uh, there's a dead hybrid on your driveway, by the way."Stefan evenly informed the Original, glancing over his shoulder. He flashed one last smile at his sister before he turned and left, the door clicking shut behind him.

Skylar heaved a heavy breath when she heard Damon's car speed off, exhaustion flooding through her body and she took a moment to collect her bearings. The relief that there was some peace between herself and her brothers, along with Klaus remained. But the toll it had taken to get to any sort of balance with her siblings had still been exhausting and still was.

"I've a feeling Gavin's life was the one they took."Klaus broke the silence, his tone low and uninterested.

Drawn in by his voice as she usually was, Skylar rolled her head to the side, encouraging him to continue. She was momentarily bothered when she felt him shift beside her until she realized that he was facing her. He wasn't any closer, she wasn't looking up at him, but it felt like there was a great weight of reassurance now that his eyes were on her.

"Gavin never was a favorite of mine."Klaus pulled a face at the door at the thought of clearing up the mess, both inside and out."He had a predilection for calling me 'dude' at the end of every third sentence."

Her shoulders lightly shook, lighter laughter bubbling from her lips and Skylar carried herself closer to him. She shut her eyes a short moment when Klaus was more than responsive to her silent appeal and she felt his hand coast from her shoulder to her lower back.

"Are you okay, love?"Klaus velvety sought, proffering his glass with a solicitous hum. He inclined his head questioningly to the side when she tilted her own up to look at him.

Skylar shook her head in declination of the drink and elevated herself up onto her tiptoes, winding her arms around Klaus' neck. Her eyes flickered across his features as a pleased smile blossomed at his lips and she was powerless against it, a smile tugging at her own mouth.

When he impatiently cocked an eyebrow at her Skylar arched up into him, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Never better."

I'm so, so, so sorry that this took so long. As you can tell if you read anything else I write i've barely been writing the past few years, possibly more. The writer's block has halted me from writing anything for so long. I try really hard, I don't abandon or forget any of my stories that are in progress.

This took me two years to write and I hope you like at least part of it, I really hope it does make up for being gone so long. Thank you to all my loyal, lovely readers, you have no idea how much i appreciate you.

Thank you for reading! Please tell me if enjoyed it by reviewing.