Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I owned The Vampire Diaries! But, as I am reminded every time I write this, I don't own The Vampire Diaries.
The Petrova Curse
Chapter One- Wandering Off
Author's Note: This chapter is the same as the preview on Snowy Day of Christmas.
The note felt heavy in his hands, but Stefan knew he had to do it. He had to go back to Katherine. He couldn't stay with Elena and he couldn't stand the weight of his emotions. Going back was the best option. One single teardrop running down his cheek, he placed the note on his pillow. He could only hope that Elena would understand.
As footsteps approached his door, he knew he had to go. Deep down, Stefan hoped he wouldn't be fast enough, that Elena would catch him before he jumped out the window. He was afraid. Once he turned off his emotions, he would quite possibly kill people, torture them simply because it suited his needs and do several other things he considered condemnable. But the pain was so great he couldn't keep himself from doing the one thing that would make it stop. He flipped the switch.
His last thought before jumping out the window was that he needed to find Katherine. Before he ran away, she had been staying in a small town just outside of Mystic Falls. That was the first place he would search. As he made his way to the little hotel, the only one in the city, he wondered what was going on with Elena. He had heard her crying. Even with his emotions turned off, he could still feel for her, though not with the same intensity. He would never be completely cold-blooded, it didn't matter how hard he tried. He hadn't lied when he wrote that he would still love her even with his emotions switch flipped off. The only way for him to stop loving her was compulsion.
In the distance, he could make out the slender shape of Katherine.
- It took you long enough to come back. - She commented, a smile playing on her lips.
- Katherine. - Stefan acknowledged.
- Come on, we have a long trip ahead of us. - She motioned for him to follow her.
As they made their way to the car, which Katherine had stolen for them, Stefan couldn't help but wonder what she was up to that time. She still hadn't shared her master plan with him, probably knowing that his emotional state was unstable even when he had the switch turned off. Katherine was no fool. She knew when and how to play her cards. All what Stefan knew was that she had a quarrel with the Originals, and whenever she had a quarrel with someone this person better look over their shoulders. She wasn't going to quit easily.
They sped off the driveway, the engines humming soothingly.
- Where are we going? - Stefan asked, resting his elbow on the door.
- New York. - She smiled wickedly.
The landscape outside his window soon got boring and he turned his attention back to Katherine. He couldn't help but appreciate how much she looked like Elena and, when she wanted, how much she sounded like Elena. He almost sighed. He would never be rid of his humanity, never. All he could do was pretend and try to dim the light of his emotions. But he would always be a little human.