Stefan pulled up to his home around dusk, the soft pink sky was nearly down and Lily was fast asleep in the passenger seat. He didn't want to wake her just yet, so he just sat there, thinking about what was going to happen. He didn't get an explanation from Lily. She fell asleep quickly and didn't wake once during the whole drive. She could have been faking, but he didn't bother her. She knocked her head around pretty good today.
"Why are we stopped?" Lily asked as she stretched out her arms. "Are we here?" She looked out the window, but she couldn't see much. The sun had completely set, casting shadows around the property. There were lanterns lit along the cobble stone walkway that led up to a large wooden door that was illuminated with two large gothic style lanterns. She couldn't smile though, it was off to her. The wary vibe she got from the beautiful house was not one that set well in her mind.
Stefan got out of the car and was opening the door for Lily before she even looked over at the driver's seat. She smiled, no one ever drove her baby, but unfortunately she had no idea how to get here. Stefan held out his hand and Lily took it politely and stepped out of the car. She adjusted her skin tight jeans and her lacy tank top and sighed. She grabbed her purse from the floor of her car and unplugged her cell phone from the charge and slid it into her pocket.
"Ready?" Stefan asked as he looked up at his home. He was second guessing himself, she could sense it. She grabbed his arm lightly as he began to walk away and smiled.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay her, I can go get a hotel room or something."
"You'd be spending more on staying in a hotel than an apartment, and believe me I think you would rather stay in a boarding house more than the Mystic Motel." He scrunched up his nose and shook his head. She laughed slightly, unnerved by what he was so worried about.
"What's wrong?" She asked him as he let out a long sigh.
"Nothing, it's just been a while since I've been home. I'm not sure what kind of welcome I'm going to get."
"Hugs and drinks." She said with a vibrant smile.
"You're amazing you know that." He said as he shut the car door that was left open.
"Thanks, you are too and Elena would be crazy, you know what never mind." She said as he watched his smile drop.
"Just one thing," Stefan said as he turned towards her. He pulled out his cell phone and sent her a text message, in case his brother was eavesdropping. Her cell phone vibrated in her back pocket and she pulled it out and smiled.
Stefan:D
Please don't tell anyone you are Klaus' girlfriend, I don't know how they would react after everything he has done to them.
Part of her wanted yell at him, but she understood. Klaus was not a good man, and has done many bad things. Especially to these people, from what she heard, she just didn't know what. She nodded in agreement and slid her phone back into her pocket.
"How did your number get in my phone?" She asked as she realized they had just started to speak. "You've been around for months now and I haven't ever gotten it."
"I put it in there when you were in the shower." He said with a smile and turned to walk towards the house.
"Wait!" She shouted after him, "I need my keys. I got to get the stuff out of the trunk."
"I'll get it in a little bit." He said as he motioned for her to hurry up. She just smiled and hurried to catch up to him. She walked close behind him up the steps and stayed behind him as he stopped at the door.
"Is anyone home?"
"I don't think so. They're probably down at the grill." He said as he pushed open the large wooden doors. He walked in slowly and she behind him, not wanting to startle anyone they walked quietly into the house. She looked around in awe. It was beautiful and expensively decorated, much like her home, but older.
He grabbed a hold of her hand and started pulling her towards the stairs. "This way," he said as they began to climb step by step. She pulled her hand away to hold onto the railing, her irrational fear of steps was silly, but handrails were her best friend. She was extremely graceful, but she had been thrown down to many steps in her short years, that it just etched into the back of her that stares were bad.
She followed him down a long hallway that was clutter with old pictures and vases with dead flowers. Flowers, she thought, she left her garden at home. Her heart ached as she thought about the time she spent there every day, and how they were all going to die without her there to water them.
"Hey Stefan," she said as she walked up along the side of him. "Do you think I could plant a garden?"
"Let me guess, roses and lilies?" He stopped and smiled down at her. She just smiled and nodded her head. "Of course, we could use some fresh flowers around the house, these are all dead." He said as he flicked a dead rose that stood tall in glass vase.
"Want to see something cool?" She asked him. He nodded his head. She smiled and picked up the rose he just flicked and clutched the thorny stem in her hand tight.
Stefan stared in amazement as she shut her eyes and concentrated on the flower. The smell of strawberries wafted through the air again and his jaw dropped as the limp dead rose began to regain color. She opened her eyes to see a lovely red rose sitting on a healthy green stem.
"How did you do that?"
"I don't know." She said with a smile and walked passed him through the door that he opened.
"You're going to have to start giving me answers Lily."
"Start asking que…" She stopped talking as she gazed around the room. The beautiful four poster bed was draped with a blood red satin that matched the curtain and the area rug perfectly. The dresser was a deep mahogany with a large vanity mirror attached and a small opening in the middle where a pedestal sat. The walls were lined with bookshelves that were stacked with books upon books, and small statues and ancient figurines. There were two doors against the back wall and window seat with throw pillows and more books. "This is where I get to sleep?" She asked him in amazement.
"Yes ma'am." He said with a smile on his face. She turned around and glared at him. He was leaning against the doorframe with a pleased look on his face.
"Don't call me ma'am." She threatened with a smile.
"Fine, fine, but you should get some sleep. We got school tomorrow." He said with a sarcastically happy smile and a double thumbs up.
"I'm not tired, how about we play twenty questions."
"I was actually going to get something to eat."
"You'd rather eat than get the answers you've been dying to know." She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Well we can play over dinner, come on, we have blood bags in a deep freezer in the basement." He motioned for her to follow him but she stood still.
"As appetizing as that sounds, do you not remember my little episode earlier when you were lunch?"
"You don't drink blood?" He asked with confusion in his voice.
"I'm allergic."
"You're allergic to blood?" He walked into her room and eyed her quizzically. "Your body is made of blood?"
"Well okay, I can't feast on blood."
"Then what do you eat?"
"Cheeseburgers, pizza, celery, steak, etcetera."
"But you're a vampire?" She shook her head at his statement. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Then what are you?"
"That my dear Stefan is the million dollar question."
"This isn't a joke Lily."
"Who said I was joking Stefan?" She threw her hands in the air and groaned. "I have no idea what I am, but if you have any ideas please let me know." She sat down on the chaise in the corner of joining bookcases and sprawled out bookcases. She felt her shirt lift a little, revealing a little skin but threw her hands up behind her and sighed.
Stefan made his way over to her and pushed her legs to the side lightly and sat down next to her. He rubbed his eyes and yawned as the exhaustion of not sleeping for a week started to take over him.
"I have obtained the powers of any one that has ever tried to kill me."
"What does that mean?" He turned around so he could look at her. He noticed a large black and white rose tattooed on her side and he smiled.
"Klaus says I'm the ultimate hybrid."
"Yeah, but what does that mean?" He was getting slightly annoyed from all the indirect answers.
"Stefan, it means that you could wake up tomorrow morning and find me dead in this beautiful. I'm a vampire, I'm human, I'm a werewolf, I'm a witch, and god knows what else." She sat up, "and do you know what the worst part is?" She didn't wait for him to answer. Her voice was beginning to rise as she was getting frustrated. "It hurts Stefan. My body can't handle the power it contains. My body can't handle the fighting within me. My body is at war with itself, Stefan." She stood up from the seat and walked around in circles, rubbing her head as a headache started to form. "I'm four different species thrown into one body, and they're all mortal enemies Stefan."
There were tears trickling down her cheek now and she still couldn't stop. She wanted to blurt out everything that came to her mind. The room was shaking slightly and Stefan quickly jumped to his feet.
"Calm down." Stefan said in soothing voice as he stepped toward her. "Lily, you need to calm down." He took a hold of her shoulders and watched her cry. The room stopped shaking and she fell limp into his arms. She sobbed lightly into his shoulder and was calmed almost instantly by his scent, nearly put to sleep.
He just sat there on the floor with her collapsed in his lap, her breathing finally evened out and the sobbing subsided.
"Did anything break?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.
Stefan just laughed and said "No Lily, nothing broke."
