[[ Damon]]
All in all, it had been a good night. Damon had kissed Elena, more so stole it from her anyway. As he returned to the Boarding House he poured himself a glass of bourbon, sat in his usual armchair and stared into the fire. Lost in deep thoughts, Stefan had screwed them all over just to piss off Klaus. Hadn't his brother learned a thing by now? After spending all summer with Klaus you think he would've. After finishing off his bourbon, he felt an unexpected smirk come to his lips. "What're you doing here?" he asked, as he turned to face Katherine.
If Katherine was here, she had a reason. Last he heard, Katherine was fleeing town to get away from Klaus, from it all. Always running away, he shook his head, moving closer to her. He was only a few inches away from her by now, taking in her scent and her beauty all at the same time. "Cat got you tongue?" he asked snidely, narrowing his eyes.
[[ Elena ]]
She could still his blue eyes, ignited with some sort of fiery passion to them. Still hear his voice as he said, he was only going to feel guilty about one thing. And she could still feel his lips upon hers. Elena shook her head, trying to clear her mind of these thoughts. Finishing up her shower, she wrapped herself up in a towel and felt a cool breeze coming from her window. From where she stood in the bathroom she saw that the window was slightly ajar. She raised an eyebrow, and quickly got dressed.
She walked out of the bathroom ten minutes later, completely dressed, hair dry. The only thing missing was the necklace Stefan had given her. She missed it dearly, but it was now with Rebekah. As she thought of Stefan tears sprang to her eyes. She still loved him, no matter what. She knew that she always would, she looked at herself in her mirror and her hand raced to her heart. Speaking of the devil, there he was standing behind her. "Stefan?" she asked.
||Katherine||
She was back. But for once, she had no clue why. Something drew her back to the town that she constantly fled. Was the pull to Damon, or to Stefan? As she strolled down the now quite streets of Mystic Falls, she smiled as she remembered certain events that happened at each place. The Lockwood mansion, the old cobble stoned Side Street, and finally the Salvatore boarding house. She slipped in through the window in Damon's room. She inhaled, her nostrils flooding with Damon's scent, clean linen, dew, and….Passion. She ran her fingers over the top of his bed, before making her way down to the living room. Seeing Damon there was a shock, one she wasn't prepared for…For once she didn't have a snarky comment. She instead shook her head and asked "Is that any way to treat a guest Salvatore?"
||Stefan||
Why was he here? He had no feelings for the girl! His emotions were off, he shouldn't want someone this bad, and his heart shouldn't ache when he saw her brown eyes fill with tears. He looked up from his position on the ground, he could just see into her room. As soon as she made her way into the shower, Stefan creeped up the tree, adjacent to her room. He let himself in through the window and sighed. How he missed the days when Elena and him would just 'hang out' in here, when he would steal more than a few kisses. He walked over to her mirror and saw a picture of Elena and him tucked into the edge of the wood, he placed it down lightly after he was done staring at it. He had to see her. Not her silhouette, not her walking around town. Her, in the flesh, face to face. He opened the door to the bathroom, but not too far for it to emit a squeak. He stood behind her, so badly wanting to brush the hair over her neck, and litter her skin with kisses. His name fell off her lips and he made eye contact with her through the mirror "Elena…" was all he could manage to get out.
|| Damon ||
Damon raised an eyebrow at Katherine. Always the seductive minx, but what did she want now? Wasn't she supposed to be gone, to be leaving town. "No. It most certainly isn't it." he started. "Though, you're not a guest, you weren't invited here. You just...showed up, for lack of a better word." he said. His eyes raked over her body, and he felt something in the pit of his stomach. Something he hadn't felt in years, something he shouldn't have been able to feel, his emotions were off. So, it was a great confusion to him as he felt love, love for this woman. The woman that had never really loved him, threw him around like a toy, used him. "Katherine," he started, as he walked closer to her. His blue hues lit up with curiosity as he looked into her brown doe like eyes, similar to Elena's. "Why are you here?" he demanded, more so then asked.
|| Elena ||
Elena felt her heart break slightly, as she heard him say her name. She could hear the crack in his voice, see the pain in her eyes. She saw her own pain in her eyes, before she turned around to face him. "Stefan," she repeated, though this time she wasn't asking. She knew it was him, and not just some horrible nightmare taunting her. The only questions on her mind were racing at 100 miles per minute. Why was he back? Did he still love her? Was he turning his humanity back on? After all Klaus had given him the freedom to do so. "You're back.." she said softly, her voice cracking ever so slightly. The tears still stung in her eyes, but she bit her tongue as to not let them fall.
||Katherine||
Katherine smirked, avoiding the question. She started to walk around Damon, circling him like prey, she trailed her fingers over his shoulders, causing her fingers to tingle. The air crackled with sexual tension. She can admit, she definitely missed Damon's vivacious personality. Yes, she realized she tortured him before, telling him that she had ever only wanted Stefan, and that she never loved him. It was all fake, it was just her, playing her little jealousy games, trying to turn the brothers against each other. Again. " The real question" she purred "is do you want to know?" she asked, and stopped in front of him, a finger placed on his chest.
||Stefan||
His voice left him. He had no words to say. He could see her chocolate eyes sparkling with sadness and hurt. He probably hated him, after the way he had treated her. He had been horrible, and he didn't know if he could control himself around her, he didn't know if his switch was on, off, up or down at this point. His head spun as he tried to collect his thoughts to formulate a sentence. His mouth opened several times, before closing itself, as he decided it wasn't the right thing to say. Finally, he realized simpler was the best way to go. "Elena…I'm so…" he stopped himself and ran his hands over his face before continuing, his voice crackly and husky from emotion "Sorry. You never deserved what I did to you.." he started to turn away, to leave her, knowing she probably hated him and wanted him gone.
|| Damon ||
He sighed. Her and her games, though with no doubt the tension, sexual tension in the room was high. "Stop with the games, Katherine." he growled low in his throat. She always had an ulterior motive, or some reason to cause some sort of trouble. All he wanted was a direct answer. He looked at her finger on his chest, then up at her as she spoke. "You know what?" he asked her. Within a split second he had her up against the closest wall, his hand around her throat tightly. "Yes. I would like to know." he said, before hitting her head back against the wall a bit harder then intended. "And then? I want you the hell out of Mystic Falls." he growled. The only way to hide his love was to be angry, and violent. Or so he thought.
|| Elena ||
Elena looked at him, she was at a loss for words. The fact that he was even here, stunned her. She wanted so badly for him just to hold her in his arms again, to kiss him, to spend hours upon days in her bed or his bed. Just be with him. "Stefan.." she said softly, as he turned to leave. She followed him over to the window in her bedroom, her hand on his shoulder. The muscles underneath his coat and shirt tensed as she touched him gently. " I forgive you." she said suddenly, letting a silent tear escape and roll down her cheek. "But please...don't leave, again." She grew a bit worried as the silence continued on and she then she knew. Knew what she needed to say, to get him to say, because it was true. "Stefan, I love you."
||Katherine||
Katherine rolled her eyes at him, and pushed him off of her, easily throwing him half-way across the room, knowing he'd land on his feet. "Really Damon? Didn't your mother teach you /any/ manners?" she asked incredulously. "After all, I'm just a southern bell who lost her parents to a fire in Atlanta." She said with a southern twang, her eyelashes fluttering. She strode over to him and her hand unconsciously reached up to softly trail down his angled cheekbone. "And don't be such a hypocrite Darlin'. You're the one playing games….Hiding your true feelings for me. After all, you were the brother that loved me too much." She gave him a wink before walking over to his drink, that was now unattended, and took a sip out of it, before plopping herself down in his chair. "But I think, after I tell you the reason why, you will take back your request of my departure from this lovely hill billy town." She said with a smug smirk.
||Stefan||
The words he heard coming from her mouth was like the arch-angels themselves singing. She forgave him. She still loved him. He couldn't process it. How could a beautiful creature, such as her, love a monster of the night? Her heart was so pure. How could after all he had done to her, how /cruel/ he had been to her, how could she forgive him. How could her feelings for him stay untainted? These thoughts rushed through his mind at a neck-snapping pace. The words he wanted to say caught in his throat once more, but he was glad this time. He was about to be extremely selfish, and give in. But he couldn't. Elena needed a normal life, with a normal boyfriend. Not one who she had to worry about snapping all the time. He spoke these words out loud, voicing his thoughts, yet refusing to make eye contact with her, knowing if he saw her glittering brown eyes….He would cave.
||Damon||
Letting out a loud grunt, as Katherine pushed him off he sighed. Landing only a few feet away on his feet, he watched her. The way she swayed ever so slightly when she walked. The way her lips curled up in a tight smirk, when she faked a southern accent. "You know," he said walking over to her and taking his drink back. "You've always been a liar." he added, as he downed the rest of the contents in the cup. He shrugged, and sat down across from her. "Either way, I want you out of this town. The sooner the better." he gave her a 250 kilowat sadistic grin. He Damon got up moments later to pour himself another glass of scotch, he got out another glass and poured Katherine a bourbon handing it to her. "I figure, this is story in which we'll both need to be somewhat drunk to listen to it for more than five minutes." he resumed where he sat, and took a sip. "So, why are you here?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
||Elena||
Normal. Normal life, Normal boyfriend. Those were the only words Elena heard whilst Stefan voiced his thoughts aloud, and it was then Elena felt like she was losing him. It was the only time in fact that she felt like she was being defeated, "Stefan." she said softly, her voice dry and cracked. After all she had done enough crying in the past, it was finally taking its toll on her vocal cords. The only way she knew he was listening was when he looked at her for only a second, she sighed aloud. Walking over to him she looked at him, bringing her hand to rest on the side of his cheek. "Stefan, look at me. Look at me, Stefan." she said softly, "Please." and finally when their gaze's met, she breathed in a sigh of slight relief. Summoning up the strength to tell him she finally spoke, "After all you did, there were times when I thought I could never forgive you. The only reason I am though, is because I love you, so much." she paused. "I know, I'm being selfish to want you as much as I do, but I can't help it. Before you, I was dead, and you were the one that brought me back to life. I can't help but love you Stefan." she finished, anxiously wanting to hear his response.
||Katherine||
Katherine took the alcoholic beverage, downing it quickly, knowing she was going to need it. She crossed her legs up on a hassac, trying to make her demeanor look relaxed and confident. "Well, you are right in one portion." She swirled the scotch around in her cup, watching the motion of it, avoiding eye contact, not wanting to meet his piercing blue eyes. "I do lie a lot." She smirked slightly, "But I believe this portion might interest you." She sighed before getting out of the chair, she prowled over to him "But I always lied to you." She simpered. "Remember I told you all of the times that I loved Stefan more than you? Or that it was always Stefan?" she asked, trailing a finger down his jaw line, before leaning in, her voice barely a whisper "I lied."
||Stefan||
He yielded to her hands, finally allowing his head to turn. He looked into her deep brown eyes, seeing everything, his future and his past, all that he had done—good and bad—and all he had wanted to do. As she spoke those words, her forgiveness nearly gave him wings, he was brought back down to earth when he realized, if she could forgive him for all the horrible things he had done, why couldn't he forgive himself? Why couldn't he just let himself be happy? Why was he such a masochist, always blaming himself for everything? He could see now, that he couldn't control everything, and therefore, not everything was his fault. He couldn't express his feelings, so he settled for placing his hands on her face, mirroring her actions, and leaned in, his forehead touching hers, before he placed a gentle kiss on her soft lips. "I love you." He whispered.
||Elena||
Three words, those three words that at one time had meant everything to her, and then nothing. Now? Now it was reassurance, more of a safety blanket. Stefan was back, the one that she had bumped into the hallway that day in school, the one she fell in love with, her Stefan. A smile appeared on her face then, as she pulled back from the kiss. "You, have no idea." she said softly, her thumb stroking his cheek gently. "How much, I missed you...the real you." she whispered, her eyes casting their gaze to the floor then back up at Stefan. At this moment all she wanted to do was hold him in her arms, and never let him go. She didn't even want to go to sleep tonight in fear that she'd wake up and he'd be gone, she shook her head and her hand that hung by her side intertwined with one of Stefan's free hands. "I love you, so much Stefan." she said, for lack of any other words at the moment. After what seemed like hours but only turned out to be twenty minutes of talking and catching up they found themselves sitting on her bed and lazily talking. The clock read 4:00 AM now and Elena let out a small yawn. "Will you stay tonight?" she half mumbled.
||Damon||
Damon raised an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?" he said as if he hadn't heard her clearly. He shook his head, after all this time of her games and antics, and the lies, how could she expect him to believe her when she said she wasn't lying. He eyed her carefully, "And how can I entrust that you're not lying right now? That's all you've ever done is lie, Katherine. Quite frankly I'm not in the mood for anymore." he finished with a growl. He downed the rest of the contents in his cup and poured himself another glass quickly taking a sip before waltzing back over towards Katherine, "You want to prove to me you're not lying?" he said with a raised eyebrow, an edge to his voice. He set his glass down, and crossed his arms over his chest "You can start off by telling me why you've returned to Mystic Falls, because I'm positive it wasn't just to pay dear ol' me a visit." he said sarcastically. He figured at least if she wasn't lying and had nothing to hide, she'd tell him. Though, almost every word that came out of Katherine's mouth was a lie, there was no telling what he could believe.