He missed him. He fucking missed him. Every moment of every day. His smell, his body, his touch. His crooked smile, his dark, soulful eyes. His corny sense of humour. But most of all, he missed his presence. His nearness. His humanity.

And it pissed him off. That he couldn't be the one. The one to bring a grin to his face. The one to make him forget about all the shit surrounding them. He wasn't enough. That had been made obvious.

He hadn't seen him since that night. The night they'd last been together. The night he'd opened himself up and thought the depth of his emotion was reciprocated. But he'd been wrong. Because Jeremy didn't love him, the boy's heart and thoughts were with another. A dead other. So fuck it.

Shit with Klaus, Stefan and Elena was heating up, not leaving a lot of thinking time. He was grateful for this. He couldn't bear to mull over his humiliation at the hands of a mortal teenager any longer. No. Dwelling and ruminating were not his style. He wouldn't waste energy wishing for things that weren't, that couldn't be.

Instead, his hurt and anger drove him. He would kill that bastard Klaus and free Stefan. Because he was sure of himself and his ability to save his brother. But he had failed to win Jeremy's heart. That was clear. Even in sleep, Jeremy chose a ghost over him, the once heartless vampire who would have protected and served the teen to the end.

Elena talked about her brother occasionally, small things, during their planning sessions. Little details of Jeremy's life away from him. The first day of school. Seeing Vicki. Bonnie's sense of betrayal at the hands of Jeremy. At least Vicki and the others were now gone, driven back. But Anna remained. Elena spoke briefly of her concern for Jeremy, her annoyance with Anna.

But mainly Elena talked about Stefan. She was focused on ending Stefan's ties to Klaus and to breaking Klaus' need for her. And who could blame her? Klaus threatened everything and everyone she loved.

Yet Elena didn't know all the plan entailed. They needed to keep her safe. Stefan had argued with him at first, wanting to tell Elena everything. He had won that fight, Stefan realizing in the end that Elena needed protecting. As usual.

So, tonight was the night. He was pumped, stoked for the upcoming events. Everything was in place. The other two had already started their part, gone to the scene of the showdown. And he was up in his room, ready to leave for the party.

The doorbell rings insistently, urgently, almost angrily. The sound is accompanied by pounding, fist banging, knuckles bruising in their relentless attack on the solid wood door.

'Alright, alright.' He mutters as he descends the stairs, 'Keep your shirt on.' Opens the door to come face to face with the one he's been wasting precious seconds thinking about.

Jeremy storms past him, into the living room. The fire is roaring, casting shadows around the darkened room. The teen looks ferocious, fists and jaw clenched. Like he wants to murder someone.

"Why have you been avoiding my texts and calls? Why haven't I seen you in days? I know you've been at our house to see Elena but you make sure it's when I'm not there. I don't get it Damon. I thought we were past the bullshit, the mind games. I fucking told you that I loved you. And then you left me. The very thing you promised you'd never do." Jeremy stands still, fuming, waits for an answer.

He's stunned. Speechless. Thoughts race through his mind. Unbidden memories of their last night together. Jeremy lying beneath him, wide open, trust in his eyes and in his body's response. Jeremy murmuring his name, over and over. Telling him not to go, to never leave him.

He shuts his eyes. Because he remembers his response to Jeremy's pleas, his promise to never disappear, to always be there for him. Because he loves this boy.

Shaking his head, he pulls himself back. "Yeah. You told me that. Right before you fell asleep to dream about Anna. You called out her name. Not mine. And judging by the tone of your voice when you said it, you weren't telling her to get lost. You were telling me how you really feel, that it's her you want to be with. Not me."

He shrugs. Looks at the teen's stricken face. Jeremy is no longer angry. He hears the younger man's heart beat change, from a loud banging to quick fluttering. Angry to anxious. Whatever. He needs to be leaving; Elena and Stefan are counting on him.

But Jeremy is talking, striding towards him, placing a hand against his still chest. "Damon. What the hell are you talking about? You're blowing me off because I talked in my sleep? Are you fucking kidding me? How do you know what I was dreaming about? Were you in my dream?"

He hadn't been. He'd reacted immediately, had left without trying to find out what exactly Jeremy was dreaming about. He hadn't wanted to know. Couldn't face the thought of Jeremy wanting Anna more than him.

"I thought not." Jeremy reads the changing expression on his face, continues. "Damon. You've got it all wrong. In fact, you don't know anything. You just assumed the worst. You don't trust me. Or my feelings for you. You threw everything between us away without even bothering to talk to me. You're an ass. And this time it's over for good. Because what is anything without trust?"

Jeremy pulls his hand away and turns.

As always, Jeremy is walking away from him. Only this time, he deserves it. He's fucked up. Jeremy offered him his heart and he destroyed it, as surely as if he'd driven a wooden stake right through their love.

Except Jeremy wasn't a vampire. So Jeremy's heart would mend and he'd go on. But not him, his heart would never mend. He leaves the house wishing he could go back to being the old Damon, the vampire who had switched off. Better yet, he wishes for his life back. For the time when he was human, because then, maybe he'd have stood a chance.

A chance to give his heart away. And to have it held by another. Without the years of pain and loneliness causing him once again to falter, to mistrust everyone. Including the brown eyed boy who had made him feel, for a time, like he'd actually had a heart to give.

A/N: The end. This is it for me for a while. I am really liking Season Three so hope the next installment provides fodder for all you TVD fanfic writers and readers. Take care and thanks for reading.