Elena Gilbert sat upstairs in her room writing in her diary. She was almost done with a sentence when a more than familiar voice's shout reached her ears, "Ellie Gilbert! You better be up and dressed for school before I drag you down here myself!"
Elena actually found herself laughing at the sound of Blair's, her friend's voice. Not to mention the fact that she still called her Ellie. "Be right down!" Elena called back, finished her sentence, and grabbed her things for school.
"Toast. I can make toast." Jenna said as Elena walked into the kitchen.
"You can burn toast." Blair teased. She had known this family long enough to know what Aunt Jenna was capable of in the cooking department.
Elena went straight for the coffee while Blair and Jenna had their little exchange.
"Hey, you're a guest in this house Missy. Show some respect." Jenna teased right back.
"Guys, please. It's all about the coffee." Elena handed Blair a cup before pouring another for herself. The second cup poured didn't last very long before Jeremy came into the kitchen.
"Is there coffee?" Jeremy asked then helped himself to the mug in Elena's hand. "Hey." He said to Blair, taking a seat at the kitchen island beside her.
"You make a habit of stealing people's coffee?" Blair asked raising her brow.
"Yep." Jeremy replied, sliding her cup away.
Blair back handed his arm for that and took back her mug. "I don't like you." She said with fake seriousness, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh, yes you do." Jeremy answered, grinning as he sipped his coffee.
Elena looked like she was going to barf at the whole scene unfolding before her.
Meanwhile, Jenna was frantically moving around the kitchen. "Your first day of school and I'm totally unprepared." Taking some money out of her wallet she held it out to the kids, "Lunch money?"
"I'm good." Elena replied, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl.
Jeremy reached over and plucked the money out of Jenna's hand without so much of a thank you. An act that once again received a swat from Blair. Although this time it was more of a punch. No, it was definitely a punch. "Ow, jeeze. For a little Asian chick you pack a punch."
"Jeremy! Rude." Elena scolded but it didn't bother Blair one bit.
"Don't you forget it." Blair pointed at Jeremy when she said that, "Now what do you say to your Aunt Jenna?"
Jeremy rolled his eyes, sighing, "Thank you."
"No problem, kid." Jenna replied, smiling, before turning her attention to Blair, "You need some, Blair?"
Blair shifted in her seat, "No, I'm good."
"You sure?" Jenna asked, a tinge of worry to her voice.
"Aunt Jenna." Elena spoke that in way that politely asked her to drop it.
"I'm good, really. Thanks for the offer though." Blair was lying to a degree. She did have enough money for lunch, but that was it. So yeah, she was a bit far from good but that really wasn't something she was comfortable with talking about. Elena knew the gist, of course, but there was so much more that Elena didn't know and Blair wasn't going to risk sharing.
"Okay, well the offer is open just in case some jackass tries to steal your money." Jenna's eyes went right to Jeremy after saying that.
"Hey!" Jeremy exclaimed offensively.
"You should have thanked me without the reminder." Jenna grinned then got back on track. "Okay, do you guys need anything else? A number 2 pencil?...What am I missing?"
"Don't you have a big presentation today?" Elena asked before biting into her apple.
Jenna started putting things into her bag, "I'm meeting with my thesis advisor at..." she looked at the watch on her wrist, "..now. Dammit." Jenna pulled her hair down from her bun and ran her hands through it to try and look presentable. Looking at Blair, she sighed, "Why can't I have hair like yours? It's always so...perfect."
Blair looked at her straight, long black hair then looked at Jenna, "It's thanks to a newfangled invention...a flat iron."
Jenna picked up on her sarcasm, and replied with some of her own, "Damn, I must have missed that press release."
"Go, Jenna, we'll be fine." Elena assured her aunt before Jenna looked at them all gratefully and hurried out the door.
Blair reached over to the fruit bowl with a 'may I?' gesture and expression.
"Go ahead." Elena replied so Blair plucked an orange from the selection and put it into her bag before going back to her coffee.
"Are you okay?" Elena asked her little brother, sitting next to Blair. They didn't shy away from conversations like this in front of Blair because ever since they were kids, Blair was like a member of the family. Quite literally in fact, since she had spent more time at the Gilbert house than her own over the years. So Elena and Jeremy's loss was also her loss, in a way.
Jeremy got up from his seat and moved out of Blair's reach before he replied, "Don't start." he left the kitchen with his cup of coffee in hand.
Blair sighed in Jeremy's direction then turned to face Elena, "Are you okay?"
Elena put on her fake smile, the one that was supposed to say she was alright, "I'm doing much better." Seeing Blair's expression made her own falter, "Not convincing enough?"
"Not for me." Blair got up from her seat and hugged her best friend. "The others might buy it though. Or they'll pretend to just to support you."
Elena rested her head on Blair's, "I'm not sure which is better."
Looking out the window they saw Bonnie's car outside. "School time." Blair stated reluctantly and plucked her bag off the back of the chair while Elena got her own things. On the way out the door, Blair called out, "You better not be late, Jeremy or I'll kick your ass!" She and Elena both laughed as they walked out the door.
Bonnie looked at them with intrigue when they got in and buckled up, "Okay...what's going on?"
"Oh, nothing. Just Blair threatening to kick Jeremy's ass." Elena replied, looking at the backseat where Blair sat.
"Again?" Bonnie had heard that more than once over the years. "Are you ever going to make good on that threat?"
"One of these days I'm sure he'll end up doing something that'll make me." Blair replied, thinking about how entertaining that'd be.
"Well you are fully capable of it. I mean, you're a black belt in whatever it is." Elena pointed out, looking through her bag for something.
"Pretty much you name it, I'm a belt in it." Blair beamed with pride at that.
"You're a martial arts prodigy. There should be news articles about you or something." Bonnie turned the corner before catching Blair's signature 'it's nothing special' shrug in the rearview mirror. After a moment or two of silence, Bonnie said, "Oh, you guys. My Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem which isn't all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it. And I'm like 'put this woman in a home already'."
"But you did predict Obama...and Heath Ledger." Blair pointed out, leaning into the front from the backseat. That fueled what Bonnie was going on about, having a feeling that it would.
"I know!" Bonnie answered a bit excitedly, "That's exactly what got me thinking..." she was about to go on some more but noticed Elena was staring off into space again. "Elena! Back in the car."
Elena shook her head, bringing her back to the present, "Sorry. I did it again, didn't I? You were saying that..."
"That I'm psychic now." Bonnie replied proudly.
"Or maybe you're a witch." Blair added spookily with some 'woo woo' noises at the end.
Bonnie pushed Blair's head back into the backseat with a laughing, "Shut up."
"Oh! You should prove it." Blair egged her on and Elena was right on board.
"Yeah, predict something...about me." Elena's eyes widened a little in a subtle 'I'm waiting' way.
Bonnie looked at Elena with a smirk and said, "I see..." Before she could finish her sentence something big and black hit the windshield. That caused all the girls in the car to let out various sounding gasps and yelps as Bonnie swerved off to the side of the road with tires screeching.
"What was that? Oh my god." Bonnie felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest.
Blair leaned into the front seat, looking at Elena, "Ellie, are you okay?" Both of the girls looked at Elena worriedly.
"It's okay. I'm fine." Elena assured them, even though it did jar something inside her.
"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere." Bonnie tried to explain herself and what happened.
Elena just wanted to move past this little event, "Really, I...I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life."
Bonnie took a breath, "I predict that this year is going to be kickass. And I predict that all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy."
Blair didn't say a word about that, nor did she point out that Elena, while she was smiling, didn't look like she believed her. But Bonnie seemed to buy it, so Blair kept quiet. If only they knew how well Blair could read Elena's face because at one point in her life, her first life...it was her own.
The girls made it to school without any more...hiccups. Upon arrival, Bonnie couldn't help but point out the lack of hot guys around. "There are no new prospects on the male real estate market."
"What about for those who aren't looking for males?" Blair replied with a 'hmm' expression.
"You see any new female prospects either?" Bonnie looked at her openly fluid friend with the same expression she had just given her.
Blair looked around and sighed, "Sadly, no." she pouted, giving the girls a laugh as they walked to Bonnie's locker.
"We'll just have to find you someone to date. It's going to be a busy year." Bonnie grinned like a woman on a mission, pulling a book from her locker. She noticed Matt standing over by his locker and cocked her head a little to let Elena and Blair know he was looking.
Elena turned around and gave Matt a friendly wave with a smile. Matt didn't seem to want anything to do with it, so without a word nor response, he turned around and walked away, causing Elena to lean her head against the locker with a sigh, "He hates me."
"That's not hate." Bonnie replied, "That's 'You dumped me but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits'."
"That, or it's Matt being an immature, sulky brat." Blair couldn't bite her tongue on that one. Bonnie glared at Blair for saying that, but she just replied with a 'what?' raise of her hands accompanied with a shrug.
"Elena! Oh my god." Caroline rushed over to them and tightly embraced Elena, "How are you?" Pulling back from their hug Caroline said, "Oh, it's so..so good to see you." She looked at Bonnie and Blair asking, "How is she? Is she good?"
"Caroline, she's right there." Blair pointed at Elena, honestly finding Caroline the most annoying of Elena's friends. She herself wasn't really friends with Caroline, but they could be considered 'friends by association' thanks to Elena.
"I'm fine, Caroline." Elena moved herself to get into Caroline's view a bit just to emphasize what Blair had already pointed out. Putting on her smile she added, "Thank you."
"Really?" Caroline asked, causing Blair to wonder if she was genuinely concerned or if she had some sort of ulterior motive for asking, something that could range from cheerleader tryouts to student council or something.
"Yes," Elena lied relatively convincingly, "I'm much better."
Caroline pulled Elena in for another hug. "Oh, you poor thing." After giving Elena another tight squeeze she pulled back, smiling wide. "Okay, I'll see you guys later? Yeah? Okay." With her hands clasped together, Caroline walked away.
Elena looked at her two friends, "No comment."
"I wasn't going to say anything." Bonnie replied and Blair added, "I was." Blair proceeded to make a vomiting action that received two sets of eye rolls from her friends.
The girls walked past the Office and stopped when Bonnie noticed a new student in here. "Who is that?" she asked, gesturing to the boy standing at the counter with their back to them.
"All I see is back." Elena replied, chuckling.
"It's a nice back." Bonnie added.
Blair felt a shiver go through her, something that only usually happened when it brought up an old memory. But of course, Bonnie thought it was something else.
"Oooo, someone's got a little physical reaction from the guy with the nice back." Bonnie teased and Blair rolled her eyes, not even about to debate that with her.
Bonnie looked at the boy with his back to them and said, "I sense Seattle...and he plays the guitar." She sounded so serious with her statement.
Elena laughed, "You're seriously going to run with this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"
"Pretty much." Bonnie replied, smiling.
Blair cut this short when she tapped Elena's arm and gestured down the hall where a student was patting Jeremy on the back saying, "Good batch, man." before Jeremy walked into the men's room.
Elena and Blair shared a look before she said, "We'll be right back."
Blair followed Elena with a bit of a skip to her step, "Oooo...it is ass kicking time?"
"Not on school grounds." Elena replied firmly, causing Blair to pout before they basically stormed into the men's room.
"Whoa, pants down, chicks." Some random boy said to them as he exited the stall then the bathroom. Blair made yet another gagging face because that kid didn't wash his hands. She quickly suppressed that feeling and walked over to Jeremy, who was putting eye drops in.
Blair squeezed Jeremy's face as Elena inspected him. "Great. It's the first day of school and you're stoned." Elena was far from happy with her brother.
Blair took back her hand and crossed her arms, giving Jeremy a look of death.
Jeremy scoffed, "No, I'm not."
"Oh, please." Blair clearly didn't believe him. "Where is it?"
"Is it on you?" Elena asked, starting to check Jeremy's pockets.
"God! You need to stop. Chill yourself, alright!" Jeremy shot back.
Elena scoffed, "Chill myself? What is that, stoner talk?" She sarcastically added, "You are so cool." and went back to looking for Jeremy's stash.
"I don't have anything on me. Are you crazy?!" Jeremy exclaimed, trying to get his sister off him.
"Dude, you haven't seen crazy." Blair pointed out, since Elena was being pretty lax, in her opinion.
"Yeah." Elena agreed, "I gave you a Summer pass, but I am done watching you destroy yourself. We..." she gestured between herself and Blair, "...are both done."
Jeremy tried getting up from the sink he was pinned against, but Blair pushed him back down as Elena spoke, "You know what? Go ahead. Keep it up. But just know that one of us are going to be there to ruin your buzz every time, you got it?"
A toilet flushed in one of the stalls and another boy walked out without washing his hands. "Oh my god!" Blair shouted towards him, "Would it kill you to take at least thirty seconds to wash your hands?!" She shuddered before turning her attention back to the two people who were practically her family...actually, in a very bizarre way...they really were.
Letting out a breath Blair said, "Jeremy...we know who you are."
"And it's not this person." Elena picked up where Blair left off, "So don't be this person."
Jeremy looked at both of them, "I don't need this." He didn't say another word to them before walking off towards the door. Blair blocked his path for a moment, just to give him a look, then Jeremy stormed out of the bathroom.
"I don't know what to do with him." Elena confessed, running a hand through her hair.
"We'll figure it out." Blair gave Elena a reassuring nudge before they exited the men's room.
Elena was the first one out the door and almost bumped into someone. Blair soon followed and almost ran into Elena. She was going to make a joke about it but then her eyes locked onto who Elena was talking to. She felt like she was seeing a ghost, because in a way...she was. Blair knew that this was always a possibility, but she never thought it'd happen.
Seeing the way he looked at Elena made her feel even more protective over her. She was not going to lose another person to people like him. To things like him. Blair was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even hear the exchange between them and it took her a moment to realize that Elena had headed off towards class.
Blair knew she shouldn't be doing this, but it didn't stop her. "No." Blair said to him firmly.
He turned to face her, "I'm sorry? Oh, allow me to introduce myself I'm Stefan..."
She cut him off, "I know who you are Mr Salvatore and no. You stay away from Elena." Blair's words came out as if they were coated in venom.
Stefan looked suspicious, "Do I know you?"
"Personally? Not exactly. But like I said, I know you. So stay away from her if you know what's good you for." Blair doubted he'd listen to her but figured he'd be intrigued enough to at least think about her warning. Without another word, she headed off to class.
Blair moved her pencil between her fingers, shooting eye daggers in the back of Stefan's head. It was no coincidence that he was in this class with her, with Elena. She knew so much about this guy and honestly wished that she could out him right then and there and be done with it but she couldn't do that without outing herself in the process. How the hell was she supposed to explain not only what he was but what she was as well? Nope, she was just going to have to do this another way...somehow.
Even though she was shooting Stefan daggers, she was listening when the History teacher said, "Once our home state of Virginia joined Confederacy in 1861, it created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south..."
Blah, blah, blah. Blair thought to herself. She already knew this stuff. Hell a version of her lived this stuff. She halfway stopped paying attention when she noticed Elena looking back to Stefan, and he looking at her in return. The eye daggers didn't stop, even when he turned back to look at her. 'No.' she firmly mouthed to him in warning again, but he just smiled at her. God that smile still irked her. He looked so cocky, that hadn't changed.
Blair's phone buzzed, pulling her from her glares. Making sure the teacher wasn't looking, she slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled it out. It was a text from Bonnie that read 'Why are you shooting death eyes at the hawt-e?' Blair turned her phone off after reading that because there was no way she was going to give a response to that right then...or at all if she could help it.
After school, Blair was cornered at her locker by none other than Stefan Salvatore. "You don't like me." he stated.
Blair laughed, "Nice observations, Captain Obvious." she replied, working the dial on her locker.
"I don't think you actually know me. I think you're protective of your friend." Stefan crossed his arms and did a side lean against the lockers, "But that does make me wonder, since I don't know you."
Blair opened her locker, grabbed her things, and closed it with a slam. "I know more than you think I do." She looked at the ring on his hand then to his face, "Nice jewelry. Better make sure not to lose it. I'm sure it'd just burn you up if you did." With mock sincerity she smiled, "Have a nice day, Stefan." and walked away, knowing that little hint she gave him of what exactly she did know would just eat away at him. That was just part of what she was going to do. Now...now she was going to fume.
Blair picked up her bike from the Gilbert's and rode out to the Salvatore boarding house. She walked right inside and called out Zach's name from the foyer, impatiently waiting for him to make an appearance. When he finally did, she was fuming. It didn't take him long to realize why, "You saw him today."
"Yeah." Blair replied, throwing her hands up at her sides. "All day in the halls and in three of my classes. You didn't think that, oh, I don't know, it'd be worth mentioning!" She threw her hands up again in frustration and annoyance. "I really thought we had an understanding here, Zach."
"We do, Blair. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you Stefan was coming back...does he know...who you were?" Zach led Blair into the living room and poured her a drink.
"I'm underage, Zach." She pointed out when he handed her the glass of scotch.
"Technically, you're centuries old. Just take the drink." He retorted, so she did. When she moved to the couch, he repeated his question, "Does he know who you are? Who you were?"
"No." Blair answered between sips. "It's not like I could just come out and say, 'Oh hey, Stefan! It's been awhile. Oh, me? That's right you don't recognize this face but once upon a time I was Katherine's companion, Andrea, but when I as Andrea got turned into a vampire my soul moved on again and again and here I am'." She downed the drink after her little rant. "I told him to stay away from her though. He shouldn't even be here."
"This is his home too, Blair." Zach refilled her drink for her, but she slowly sipped at it this time.
"If he causes any trouble for Elena...I will stake him. Don't think I won't." Blair was firm with her threat, setting the glass down on the table in front of her.
"I don't doubt it one bit...all I'm asking is for some sort of compromise. Please?" Zach pleaded with her on this, even though he knew how unhappy she was about it all.
Blair stood up and smoothed out her clothes "Fine. But only for now. Two of my lives knew him, Zach. I know more about him than he even knows. I will use that against him if I have to."
"Noted." Zach replied, knowing all too well that she'd make good on any threat she made.
"I'll see you around, Zach. And I assume you will keep my secret too?" Blair put her backpack over her shoulder as she questioned him.
"I will. I swear." He answered truthfully and Blair was grateful for that.
"Thank you." She was about to take her leave when Zach stopped her, "I assume this means you'll be moving out?" Blair had been staying at the boarding house for awhile, when she wasn't staying at the Gilbert's. Now that Stefan was back, her leaving was his assumption.
Blair scoffed, "Uh, yeah." She spoke that like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll come back another time for my stuff." Not like she had much anyway.
"Do you need some money?" Zach knew her situation; Father MIA, never knew her mom, no place to live etc etc. He had been letting her stay there rent free as long as she helped out around the house when they had boarders.
"I'll figure something out." Blair fully intended on leaving it at that, but Zach had other ideas. He went over to her, pulling his wallet from his pocket. She accepted the bills he handed over with almost teary eyes, "I'll pay this back. I will." Blair hated feeling like a charity case.
"I know." Zach answered, smiling and watched as Blair took her leave. Even with having centuries old memories, including those about his family, she was just a teenager and wished there was more he could do for her.
She was just about to walk out the door when she turned back and said, "Before you asked me to compromise about Stefan being here...maybe you should've looked at the paper." He would know exactly what she was talking about when he say it. Leaving Zach with those words, she walked out the door.
Once outside, Blair rested her head on the door. Things just got really complicated especially with Stefan being in town because that would mean only one thing...Damon wouldn't be too far behind. Blair had lost more than one doppelganger in her lifetimes...she couldn't bear to lose another. She just couldn't. So one way or another...she'd just have to keep the Salvatore brothers away from Elena. Unfortunately even with all her centuries worth of knowledge and experience...she had no bloody idea on how she was going to accomplish that.
After buying a phone card for her cell to make sure she'd have service for awhile, she headed over to the Mystic Grill. "Vicki!" She called out, going over to the waitress / Matt's sister.
"Working." Vicki replied, not wanting to be bothered.
"I'm not blind, Vicki. I can see that. I was just going to ask if this place was hiring." Blair replied, following her around.
Vicki stopped at the bar to pick up some drinks and sighed, "I don't know, Blair. Grab an application and if you leave me alone for the rest of the night, I'll give you a recommendation."
Blair rolled her eyes, "Deal." she replied then went off to get an app. Taking a seat at the bar, Blair saw Jeremy come in and try to talk to Vicki. "Dude, give it up." She said to herself, knowing, or at least figuring that Vic would never give Jeremy the time of day he deserved.
"Thanks." Blair handed over to money and took her soda and fries over to an empty table. She was supposed to meet up with Elena, and looked at her watch for the time. It wasn't long before her eyes darted up to see Matt taking the seat near her at the table.
"How's Elena doing?" He asked, concerned.
"Her parents died, Matt. How do you think she's really doing?" Blair asked in reply, biting into her fry.
"Has she said anything about me?" Matt then inquired.
Blair rolled her eyes, "Matt, we can barely stand to be in the same room with each other so why are you asking me?"
Matt's answer was simple enough, "Because you know her better than anyone."
Blair couldn't argue with him about that, "True, but I'm not going to get in the middle of what's going on between you two. If you want to know, you pick up the phone and call her yourself."
"I feel weird calling her. She broke up with me." Matt admitted, reaching for one of her fries.
She swatted his hand, and replied, "Get over it, Matt. If you care about her at all then you'll respect her enough to try and be her friend or at least be cordial or whatever."
Matt accepted her answer, even though he didn't really want to, then asked, "How are you doing?"
"With what?" Blair asked, not sure what he was really getting at.
"You lost them too, Blair." Matt replied, causing Blair to shift in her seat a little.
"I'm fine." She really didn't want to get into it so she slid her basket of fries closer to Matt for him to take some. Sharing her fries was something she rarely did, so when it happened, it meant that she wanted whoever was speaking to shut up.
Matt took the hint and the fries. He was stopped midway to putting them in his mouth when Elena walked in with Stefan. Blair felt her blood boiling, "Oh, hell no."
"You don't like him, huh?" Matt asked, returning the uneaten fries.
"You're my favorite person compared to him." Blair couldn't be any clearer on just how much she didn't like Stefan Salvatore.
"Oh...that's bad." He replied before getting up from his seat. Blair kept her eyes on him as he walked over and introduced himself to Stefan. She soon looked at Stefan with her signature death glare, knowing she was definitely going to have to step up her game on keeping him the hell away from her. Maybe she would have to reveal just a bit of what she knew, just to make her point.
Blair munched on her fries as Bonnie and Caroline questioned Stefan. She snorted when he said that he and his family moved away when he was young. "Sorry, itchy nose." Blair lied when she received looks from those at the table.
"So, Stefan, since you're new here you probably don't know about the party tomorrow." Caroline got right back on track.
"It's a back to school thing at the falls." Bonnie added.
Stefan looked at Elena, "Are you going to be there?"
"Of course she is." Bonnie answered for her.
Blair had enough of this, "I'm going to call it a night." She was planning on making a quick exit but Elena stopped her.
"Are you staying at the boarding house tonight?" Elena wanted to make sure that her friend had a place to stay.
"You're a boarding house resident?" Stefan asked, finding this information intriguing.
"Not anymore." Blair answered truthfully, "Can I crash at your place, Ellie?" she asked, looking at Elena.
"Yeah, anytime. You know that." Elena wished there was more she could do for her, but there really wasn't.
"Thanks. Goodnight, guys." Blair made her leave and almost bumped into Matt on the way out. She didn't stick around long enough to hear what he was trying to say to her and just kept on walking.
Blair sat on Elena's bed, writing in one of her own many journals that have been written in over the years. Many were lost, some were stored away, and the rest were burned by her own hands. But that's another story. Blair was just passing the time until Elena got home from the Grille. When she did get home, Elena looked like she was on cloud 9.
"Someone looks happy." Blair pointed out, locking the clasp on her journal.
"I am." Elena smiled, plopping down on the bed next to her friend. "But you don't like him, do you?"
"No, Elena. I don't." She sighed, "I know you're going to say that I don't know him and all that jazz, but I can't help it. I just get this...vibe."
"I thought Bonnie was supposed to be the psychic one?" Elena teased and got hit in the head with a pillow as a result. Elena laughed, and threw one back at her before getting off the bed. "If I promise to be careful, will you give him a chance?"
Blair looked like that was the last thing in the world she wanted to do, because it was. Alas, Elena was fond of him and maybe it would be best to go about this in the way of keep your friends close and enemies closer. "Fine. I'll try and behave...but no promises."
At school the next day, Blair stopped Stefan at his locker. "Look, I'm sorry for being a bitch. You're right, I'm really protective of Elena...she's like my sister. But she seems to like you so can we do this whole introduction thing again?"
Stefan looked at her suspiciously for a moment before smiling, "Sure." After closing his locker he looked at her with a smile and extended his hand, "Hi, I'm Stefan Salvatore."
Blair shook his hand and answered with, "Nice to meet you. Stefan. My name is Blair Han."
He didn't take his eyes off her after their handshake ended. It was almost like he was studying her, "I've met you before, somewhere, haven't I?"
"Sort of." Blair answered, smiling, "But that's a story for another day." She patted his arm before walking down the hall to get to her own locker.
She just got it open when Matt went up to her, "I thought you didn't like the guy." Apparently he had seen her exchange with Stefan.
Blair tapped her nails on the locker door as a sort of interference in case Stefan was listening in, "Friends close, enemies closer." She replied, as if that was the only explanation that was needed.
Matt seemed to accept that and went onto another topic, "You going to the party tomorrow?"
"You're not seriously asking me out, right?" Blair rose her brows and Matt scoffed.
"Hardly." He replied, "A bunch of us are riding together and we didn't know if you needed a ride."
"I'm good." Blair honestly wasn't sure if she was going to go or not. Compared to the other parties she'd been to over the years, these Mystic Falls ones were nowhere near up to par. Then again she'd have to go, if nothing more than to just keep an eye on Elena.
"Let me know if that changes. We have an extra seat." Matt replied, leaving the option open.
"Use that extra seat for another keg. I have a feeling we just might need it." Blair pulled her last book out and closed the door before heading off to class.
The rest of the school day went by without a hitch...probably because Blair was just phasing through it. Her mind was constantly wandering, sorting through her memories of the past. She was trying to remember anything, any detail that could help her. Blair made a mental note to pick up some vervain from Zach to sneak into the Gilbert's coffee or something. That would be one little thing she could do to help out Elena. Of course that'd mean she'd have to go to the boarding house, but she had to go there anyway and grab her things. It was an unwanted but necessary evil.
After school, Blair headed straight to the boarding house. Since she wasn't a resident anymore, she didn't feel right about just walking right in, so she knocked. Seeing Stefan open the door, made Blair almost jump out of her skin. "What are you doing here?" She asked, feeling like a complete idiot after those words came out of her mouth.
"I live here. What are you doing here?" Stefan replied, leaning against the doorframe with crossed arms.
"I'm here to pick up my stuff and see Zach." Blair gestured into the house, "May I come in?" When Stefan stepped aside, Blair entered.
"Zach's not here." Stefan informed her, closing the door behind them.
"Doesn't matter, I'll just grab my stuff." Blair didn't have to go very far because Zach had her stuff all packed up and set at the bottom of the stairs. Everything she owned fit in a small yellow duffel bag. Once that was over her shoulder, she headed to the door.
"You don't have to move out if you don't have anywhere else to go, Blair." Stefan told her as she walked past.
"I'd rather live in a car than be here any longer." Blair shot back before walking out of the house. She knew she was going to have to give some sort of explanation eventually but that time was not now. So, she went back to the Gilbert house; her temporary home.
Blair, Elena, and Bonnie got ready together for the party. Bonnie had 'accidentally' brought over an extra outfit that just so happened to fit Blair perfectly and Elena just happened to have a pair of boots that didn't fit her right, but fit Blair. They acted like it was happy coincidence, but Blair knew the truth and it almost brought her to tears. Bonnie and Elena were the best friends that she could ask for.
At the party, Blair once again promised that she'd try to behave, but gave no promises. She gave Elena her space, but had a watchful eye...just in case. If it wasn't for wanting to...needing to keep an eye on her friend, she wouldn't even have been there. It was the same old stuff, just a different generation. Kids drinking, people hooking up, etc etc etc. It was ridiculous.
Blair sipped at her beer as she remembered a different time. It was the roaring twenties and she loved it. Of course she was a different person then, but still the same. The time that came to mind was the night she was killed...the night Stefan was there, and the night that...well it didn't matter who else she saw. It was long past and she didn't want to think about that particular event any longer.
Thankfully she was soon pulled from her thoughts when Jeremy sat on the table next to her, "You look like you're having fun." He was most definitely being sarcastic.
"So do you." She replied with the same amount of sarcasm.
Jeremy's eyes soon locked onto Tyler and Vicki when they walked off towards the woods. It took Blair all of two seconds to know what he was thinking. "Jeremy, let it go. She has clearly made her choice." Blair wasn't one to talk for sure, but again, that was a different life with much different circumstances.
"Whatever." Jeremy replied, taking a swig of beer before getting up and walking off as well.
"I hate these things." Blair muttered to herself, pushing away from the post she was leaning against, and went off to find something to do.
Blair finally caught sight of Elena again, right after Matt had walked away from her. "Hey...how did that go?"
"Matt's still hung up on me." Elena answered, sighing.
"What is it with guys and wanting girls that don't want them? I mean, come on. With all the effort they put into trying to get who don't want them, they could be looking for someone who actually wants to have a relationship with them. I don't get it." Blair brought the beer bottle to her lips but didn't take a sip when she caught sight of Elena's grin. "What?" She asked before taking a swig.
"Oh nothing. I'm just trying to figure out if you're talking about Matt or Jeremy and the fact you have feelings for one of them." Elena replied, still grinning.
Blair literally had a spit take moment. The beer from her swig sprayed out in front of her. She took the napkin Elena handed over, and glared at her when Elena was trying to not to laugh. "Not funny." Blair wiped her mouth, "I don't have feelings for either of them, Ellie. Jeremy is like my brother and Matt..." Blair shuddered, "I can't stand that guy."
"I don't get you sometimes. I really don't. I think you and Matt would make a good couple." Elena shrugged.
"Girl, you're crazy. Matt and I can't stand to be in the same room with each other for longer than a few minutes at a time. What makes you think we'd make a good couple?" Blair looked at her best friend like she was crazy.
"Opposites attract." Elena answered simply enough and nudged her friend with laughter.
Blair stuck her tongue out at Elena then turned around when Stefan approached. "I'll leave you to it." She backed up and caught sight of Jeremy going off into the woods, far more drunk than he was before. "Or not." She said, turning around, "Ellie." Blair cocked her head over to Jeremy.
"Oh no, that's my brother." Elena told Stefan, walking off with Blair.
"Do you need help?" Stefan asked, starting to follow.
"You really don't want to see this." Elena replied, picking up the pace with Blair right behind her. "Jeremy!" Elena called out to him, "Where are you going?"
"I don't want to hear it." Jeremy shot back, staggering as he walked.
"Well, you're going to hear it." She retorted and stopped when Jeremy tripped over something.
"It's Vicki!" He exclaimed then the three of them got into action and brought Vicki back to the party for help.
"Something bit her, she's losing a lot of blood." Elena stated, frantically, as soon as they got Vicki onto a table.
Blair pulled a bandanna from her pocket, "Here, press this on the wound." She would recognize that wound anywhere. When Blair looked up she saw Stefan leaving and that was it. No more Miss Nice Girl.
Without a word of warning, Blair took off, ignoring Elena when she called out for her asking where she was going.
It took Blair longer than she would have liked to get into town and to the boarding house. With a wooden stake in her hand, she stormed inside. Zach was downstairs and saw what Blair was holding. "Whoa, Blair, don't do this." He tried to calm her down.
"I warned you, Zach." Blair tried to walk past him, but he blocked her path.
"He said it wasn't him. Just think about this before you start something you might not survive." Zach pleaded with her.
"If I don't survive, I'll just come back in my next life and finish what I started." Blair stated firmly before pushing her way past and running up the stairs.
Once she reached Stefan's attic room, she kicked the door open and walked inside with the stake in hand. A gasp escaped her lips when she saw he wasn't alone. "Damon?" She could hardly believe what she was seeing.
Damon laughed in amusement when he looked at her, "My, my. A little Buffy wannabe. How cute."
Stefan looked at Blair, "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't it obvious, brother? She wants to kill you. Or is it me? Either way, let's dance." Damon 'vamped out' right in front of her and made his speedy advance, but Stefan was faster and got threw him back before he reached Blair.
Blair just stood there, trying to process what she was feeling. Yes, she knew that Damon showing up was always a probability but actually seeing him...it stirred things inside her that she hadn't felt in a long time. And he had no idea who she was. It was the crash of Damon getting thrown onto a table that pulled her out of her daze.
"Get out of here, Blair." Stefan shouted at her but she stood her ground.
Damon got to his feet and laughed, "Come on, Stefan. Let's have a little taste. There's two of us and only one little her. How about a bite?" Damon advanced again and Stefan pushed him back.
"Stop it, Damon!" Stefan demanded and Damon shot back, "Fine! Let's just go straight for Elena!" Stefan vamped out as well and charged for Damon, both of them going straight through the window.
Blair should have been more phased by this, but she wasn't. She'd seen worse after all...she'd been through worse. But, she did want to see what was going to happen next.
She ran down the stairs and past a questioning Zach, "Can't explain, gotta go!" Blair quickly spoke as she ran by, and out the door. By the time she caught up with where the brothers landed, she saw Damon throw Stefan into a shed.
"You should know better than to think you're stronger than me, Stefan. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. Don't try it again." Damon was beyond threatening with his words. Once his point was made, he turned around and headed back towards the house, stopping only for a moment to really get a look at Blair. "Have we met before?" He asked cocking his head to the side. In the blink of an eye Damon had the stake out of her hand and thrown it at Stefan, getting him right in the leg to just put more emphasis on his already made point.
Blair shoved Damon, her anger fueling, "You're an ass, Damon!"
"And you're a little annoyance." Damon vamped out again but stopped when she looked him square in the eyes and said, "You didn't used to think so."
That was all she had to say to get Damon to stop, and think. He looked at her as she sprinted past him and over to Stefan. Curious, but not enough to stick around, he just went back into the house and decided to let the girl live...for now.
Blair knelt down beside Stefan and pulled the stake out of his leg, throwing it aside. "And you wonder why I wanted you to stay away from Elena?"
Stefan sat up, looking at Blair like she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out, "Who are you?"
Blair sat down, crossing her legs with a sigh. "I'm a girl who's really sick and tired of what's been going on between you and your brother." Stefan looked like he wasn't going to accept that answer so she gave in, "You defended me so I owe you this. I am Blair, that's true...but it's not who I always was..." She tried to find the easiest way to explain it, "Who I was, that you'd be most familiar with...is Andrea. Stefan...I was, a part of me still is, Andrea."
Stefan didn't believe a word she was saying, "That's impossible."
Blair shook her head, "No...that's Personification."
End Episode 1