Chapter 3:
-So let the stars a line, and let the water make wine 'cause broken souls become whole tonight…-
Damon looked out into the lake as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He missed her. It had been five days since he sent her home and he kept listening to her endless voicemails over and over.
"Hey it's me…look, I know why you sent me away. You think what I'm feeling for you is because of the sire bond, but I hate not being near you." A small smile graced his lips as he saved the message again and closed his phone.
Jeremy and Matt were sparring behind him and he spared a glance when the newbie hunter filled Matt and pinned him to the ground. When Jeremy stood up he stared at Damon expectantly. "Did you see that?"
"Couldn't miss it…it was in slow motion." He mumbled in a snarky bored tone.
"Then teach me something useful." he complained with his arms out to his sides. "We've been here for days and so far all you've done is bark orders."
Damon turned his mouth down in consideration of his proposal. "Ok." Reaching behind him to the stakes lying on the table he picked one up and flipped it. "Take a seat on the bench quarter back…" he sauntered over with a cocky smirk. "Karate Kid wants a shot at the title."
Mat shook his head. "Jeremy, you're not ready for this."
Jeremy only smiled with confidence as he accepted the stake Damon tossed him, twirling it between his fingers.
"Well…" Damon goaded.
…
Elena hung up the phone with a disappointed sigh. He hadn't answered any of her calls and it hurt more with each voicemail she left him.
She needed him right now. Carol was dead, she had one friend she barely saw anymore, the other determined to fight for her "epic love"… and Stefan knew. Stefan knew that she slept with Damon, and that scared her more than she wanted to admit. What would he do now that he knew?
Elena wanted to believe that Stefan wouldn't go off the deep end. That he would definitely be hurt but above becoming the ripper he once was; but the fact that he hadn't said a word to her since, combined with his frequent perch at the bar of the Grill and careless flirting with the girls at school told her otherwise. She expected brooding…but he was smiling. He walked through halls like he was on the prowl.
It wasn't normal…not this soon.
Four Days Ago:
Stefan let the rest of his whiskey coat his throat and signaled the bartender for another. He'd been here since he left the Boarding house after Elena ripped his heart out and compelled the bartender to keep serving him well passed closing.
The bell on the door chimed followed by two clicking heels. The unwanted company slid into the barstool next to him and smiled prettily. "Drowning in your sorrows, Stefan? And here I thought that was Damon's job."
Stefan didn't even cast a glance at her. "Apparently not…he's too busy fucking my ex-girlfriend." He muttered bitterly, pounded back another glass of whiskey.
Rebekah seems honestly shocked. "Well…I must say I did see that coming. The Damon sleeping with your girlfriend part, the 'ex' wordis what surprised me. I don't know why you're so upset, he did you a favor. Elena's a whiny little bitch…you can do better."
Stefan chuckled with no humor. "Like who…" he slowly dragged his eyes over to meet hers. "A blonde rapacious, sociopath that destroys everything she touches?"
"We blondes do have more fun." She pouted crossing her arms like a petulant child. "On a side note…you are very mean when you've been drinking. You haven't even asked me who pulled the dagger out."
"Well I'm sure you're going to tell me."
"That April girl…very useful."
Stefan grabbed the bottle from behind the bar and poured himself another glass. "Congratulations. You're back and Klaus is safely lying in a bed of concrete restrained in Tyler's body…all is right in your world. Please leave."
Rebekah smirked. "Wrong." She watched as Stefan's face changed. "Klaus is very much in his own body…considering he'd have to be to kill twelve hybrids."
"What?"
"Yup. All dead…so sad." She stated sarcastically turning her mouth down in a frown. "But let's take a step back for a moment. You and Elena…" Stefan rolled his eyes. "What happened? I thought you in love with her, a stupid mistake if you ask me."
He sighed and resigned. "I am but…she's sired to Damon and that changed things."
Rebekah's eyes lit up. "Oh, this just keeps getting better. Sire bond…fascinating!" She stopped when she noticed the pain on his face. "I can make it stop you know…the pain doesn't have to be there if you don't want it."
Stefan was quiet for a very long time before he stood, staring down at Rebekah with a resolute expression. "Do it. Take it away…take away everything that made me love her."
…
"Just try and focus." Shane sat across from Bonnie as she focused her energy on the candle.
She sighed and let her shoulders slump. "I'm trying Shane…There's just a lot on my mind." She rubbed her forehead.
"All the more reason to meditate. It'll help you clear your head." He continued to urge.
Bonnie sat back in her chair in his office. "It's just that with Carol dead, and Jeremy hunting vampires with Damon…"
Shane nodded with a small smile. "I get it…you're worried about them. That's understandable."
"And it's not safe for Tyler right now…Klaus killed all twelve of the hybrids because he was plotting against him." She continued.
Shane's eyes snapped back to her. "What?" Hayley had told him that they hadn't broken Adrian free of the sire bond. He thought there were eleven plus the Alpha that she was trying so hard to protect. He contained the grin that was crawling its way to the surface. He did it…twelve were sacrificed.
Bonnie was ready.
…
Elena walked down the halls of the school feeling more alone now than she ever did with no Damon, no Bonnie and no Caroline to accompany her. In her first weeks of being a vampire and even more so, her first week with Damon, she enjoyed having him show up as a random surprise in her day. Now he wouldn't even answer her calls. Tyler hadn't shown his face since his mother's death, and she was sure Caroline was with him.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw Stefan…but more importantly who he was with. Rebekah smiled flirtatiously and Stefan smirked back at her in a way she remembered. She had no reason to be mad or upset…but she was.
Her strides didn't stop until she stood in front of them, though neither of them turned their attention to her. "Stefan…can I talk to you?"
He glanced at her blinking as if surprised by her presence before crossing his arms casually in disinterest. "About what?"
"About why Rebekah isn't laying in a coffin," Elena shot the blonde a dirt look for good measure. "And why you're talking to her like you're best buds."
He laughed. "I wasn't aware who I slept with was your concern." Elena's shock was visible on her face.
"What? You're sleeping with her now?" She couldn't contain the dismay and disgust from her tone.
"Sorry Darling…you can't have them both." She turned to Stefan and kissed him thoroughly in front of her. Stefan quickly wrapped her in his arms and tunneled a hand through her blonde tresses. "Mm…see you after class." She sauntered off with an extra pep in her step.
Elena forced herself to stare at her shoes and not the blatant display of the reunited lovers. "Is this you trying to get back at me? I slept with Damon so you sleep with Rebekah? Tit for tat?" she asked once they were alone.
"I don't care what you do anymore, Elena. It's not my business. If you wanna fuck Damon, fuck him…God knows he'll jump at that opportunity again." He mocked callously.
Elena's jaw dropped at his crude comment. This was not the Stefan she knew…he would never speak to her that way. "I'm not" she lowered her voice. ", fucking Damon, Stefan. I love him. I'm in love with him." She added gently with nervousness to his reaction.
But he only shrugged. "Good for you. You've finally admitted it."
Elena shook her head in disbelief. "Why are you acting like this?"
"Acting like what, Elena? Like I'm okay? It's because I am. My world doesn't revolve around you." He leaned closer staring her down with a straight face.
A part of her felt pain at those words. She fell out of love with him, but she didn't think he would get over her so soon. It was selfish. "This isn't you…"
"Sure it is." He shifted his weight so his legs we shoulder width a part with his arms crossed in a confident stance. "I've always been this way. You've just never seen me when I'm not in love with you." Stefan walked away leaving her looking after him with shock.
