DISCLAIMER; I own nothing Covenant or Vampire Diaries related, just Verity and the plot. The other characters belong to other people and I have borrowed them (with permission).

Song- Snowpatrol; Chasing Cars

Chapter One.

Verity browed absent mindedly along the rows of books, her arms already full of new and exciting literary adventures. She had moved to the outskirts of town and lived on the board of Ipswich and Mystic Falls; no man's land, her father called it.

The Hanes family had moved there three weeks ago, Verity had settled in well at Ipswich's Spencer Academy and made some good friends, but she couldn't help but miss New York. She would spend hours in Barnes and Noble picking up books, inspecting the covers and the dissecting the reviews to see if it was a book she would enjoy, but here she had to rummage in the small high street store where the choice was more limited.

Verity was daydreaming her way over to the crime section when she collided with another person coming her way, naturally she dropped her stack of books at the other person's feet.

"I'm so sorry!" Verity exclaimed, as she began to pick them up.

"It's not a problem, I should have been looking where I was going" The other person said, helping her to gather her books. "I'm Stefan." He said, handing her some of the books.

"Thanks, I'm Verity." She took the books and struggled to hold them all as she held out her hand to shake his. Verity gave an awkward smile, she was dazed by Stefan, and he was as equally dazed as her, snapping herself out of it, she began to apologise again.

"I'm not usually this clumsy, I just get a little day-dreamy in book stores"

"I do too, it's really okay" Stefan smiled.

"That's a nice ring. Is it a family heirloom?" She noticed the large, blue Lapis Lazuli ring on his middle right finger.

"Yeah, it's a little…..big."

"I think it's kind of cool, it means you have a long family history." Verity smiled and Stefan smiled back, she noticed he was wearing the same school uniform as her; the Spencer uniform.

"You go to Spencer, I've not seen you around." She enquired.

"Yeah, but I'm new, today was my first day. I think I saw you in History."

"You did? I didn't see you."

"Maybe you were day dreaming, but I definitely noticed you." He smirked, causing Verity to blush.

"I'm new here too, we moved here a few weeks ago." Verity shifted her books, the weight of them was started to make her arms ache.

"Do you maybe want to go get a coffee? I can tell you which are the good hang outs and the bad hang outs?" Verity asked.

"I'd like that. Do you want help with those books?"

"It's okay, I'll pay for them and we can go, I know this great café across the road."

"Great, lead the way." Stefan smiled, as Verity went to the counter and paid for her books, loading them in to a large cotton book bag, Stefan took the bag from her and followed her out of the store and in to the café, noticing the smile she had on her face.

"So, where do you want to sit?" Stefan asked, looking around the half empty café.

"The window booth? I sit there a lot." She smiled.

Stefan nodded and motioned for Verity to slide in to the booth and sit down, he placed the bag on the floor and leant down to her.

"What would you like to drink?" He asked.

"Just a coke please." Verity smiled.

Stefan nodded and went over to the counter to order, as he did this Verity watched, unable to take her eyes off him, she felt drawn to him for some odd reason she couldn't quite understand.

Stefan walked back over with a coke for Verity and a coffee for himself, she slid over in the small booth to make room for him.

"So do you come here a lot?" He asked, wrapping his hands around the mug.

"Yes, I came here alone after a disastrous first day at school, and have been back most days ever since, I come here with friends now. They really are a great bunch of people at Spencer. There are the odd few , but the majority are really nice and welcoming." Verity smiled. "So, what brings you to town?"

"Family, my sisters I just moved in with my uncle at the old boarding house in the next town over, about a forty five minute drive from school. You?" Stefan said, skipping the details.

"My dad needed a change of pace from the city so we moved here, my mom's an interior designer and she's re-decorating and restoring one of the old estates here that fell in to disrepair when the family died out."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" He asked, intrigued, feeling as drawn to her as she was to him.

"No, it's just me."

"Do you miss New York and your old friends?"

"Yeah I do, but my new friends are doing a good job of making up for that. You said you have sisters, how many?"

"Just two; Caroline and Lena, both younger sisters."

"Are they in Spencer too?"

"Yes, they're both in the year below us."

"Both? Are they twins?"

"My family is….complicated."

Verity sensed it was time to move the subject forward to took a sip of her drink and moved the conversation on.

"How do you like it here so far?" She enquired.

"It's quiet, I like it. Very similar to where I lived before. So what are the best hang outs here?"

"Nicky's! Always Nicky's! It's popular because there's food, music and cheap beer! And pool tables." She said, smiling, watching a smile make its way across Stefan's face.

"Perhaps you could show me where Nicky's is, maybe on Friday night? Play some pool and have a few drinks?" He asked, Verity nodded.

"Sure, I'd really like that." Verity saw the time on her watch, she was running late.

"Crap! I have to meet my dad! He's my lift while I wait for a new car. I'm sorry, I have to go!" She exclaimed.

"That's okay." Stefan moved out of the booth so Verity could go get out, he picked up her book bag and handed it to her. "Can I get your number? So we can arrange to meet for Friday?"

Verity stopped gathering her school bag and smiled, nodding, she got a pen out of her bag and took Stefan's hand and wrote her number on it.

"See you soon Stefan." She smiled.

"See you soon Verity." Stefan watched her walk out the café and over to a white Toyota Prius and watched her greet her father and get in to the car.

He sat back down to finish his coffee, smiling to himself. He could still smell her perfume, and he could still smell her skin; like sunlight and cherry blossoms. He was transfixed.