CHAPTER FOUR
Stefan leaped out of bed in a flash, a scream escaping his lips. He had just had an awful dream that Damon and Maggie had fed off of Elena. He looked around and saw his two siblings sitting on his bed, Maggie with her head rested on Damon's shoulder. "Bad dream, Stef?" She asked standing up, "Do you know how easy it was to get inside your head just now? You really need some human blood. It might even out the playing field a bit. Football reference. Too soon?" Stefan turned around, grabbed a knife from off his chester drawers and threw it at Maggie, hitting her in the stomach. She pulled it out as Damon ran to her side.
Damon looked at Stefan, "all right, she deserved that. But we just came to let you know that they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing coach Tanner and all those people." When Stefan gave him a blank look, he added, "It was a mountain lion. A really big one. It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news. 'Deadly beast captured'. All is well in Mystic Falls."
"Why would you cover your tracks?" Stefan asked, slightly confused. His siblings change their minds like nobody's business.
"We've decided to stay a while, haven't we Mags?" Maggie nodded, fully healed now. "And personally, I'm having way too much fun here with you and Elena."
"You can't touch her now, Damon."
"Well, the vervain keeps me out of her head, but maybe that's not my target. Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion. Some girls just can't resist my good looks, my style and my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift." This time Stefan was the one to get stabbed. Maggie rushed behind him and put the knife into his stomach; he fell to his knees.
Maggie looks down at the hole in her shirt that the knife made. "This was designer, Stef. Dick move." She left the room. Damon gave Stefan a 'what can you do' look and followed after her.
-8-8-8-
Two hours later, Maggie and Damon were sitting on the sofa in the Salvatore sitting room. Damon was reading and Maggie was fiddling with her hair, reading the newspaper. Zach walked in and started in shock, "I didn't know you two were here."
Maggie put down her newspaper, "go ahead. Get it out. What's on your mind, Uncle?"
Zach cleared his throat, "why are you two here?"
Damon turned a page in his book, "To spend time with you Zach. Family is important."
"I know you. You always have a motive. So tell me, what is it this time?" Damon put down his book and walked over to Zach, grabbing him by the throat.
"Damon let go of him," Maggie sighs and Damon drops him. "You are in no position to question us. Come along Damon, let's go grab a bite. Mr Party Pooper is here." The two walked out as Stefan helped Zach to his feet.
"How many people are going to have to die before you see that, Stefan?" Zach said walking towards the basement stairs.
Stefan followed, "I see it. Alright, Zach, I see it."
"Then why aren't you doing anything about it Stefan? Don't look at me like that. It's obvious isn't it. We can use vervain!" Stefan began to protest but Zach interrupted. "I have a whole stock of it. Damon would kill me if he found out, but I trust you. Don't make me regret it."
-8-8-8-
Stefan walked in to see Maggie standing in a long golden dress that framed her body tightly, fixing her hair into a braided bun, and Damon trying to figure out his tie. "Do they still wear ties to this thing, Stefan?"
Stefan tilted his head, "why are you two even going?"
Maggie put the last bobby pin in place and turned to look at Stefan, "it's only fitting. We are a founding family and we were at the first one, duh."
"I think it'd be better if we all didn't draw attention to ourselves."
Damon finished with his tie, checked his hair in the mirror, "so then you stay her. I'll see to it that Elena has a good time. My goodness, Maggie! We've driven our dearest brother to drinking!" Maggie giggled.
"What am I supposed to do Damon, I can't seem to get rid of you two. Go about living my life?"
Maggie stepped towards Stefan, "see, therein lies your eternal struggle. You're dead dude, get over it. I mean, it's not cool growing old. I mean I don't know about you two, but I like being the eternal stud."
"Yes, Maggie. Being a 150-year-old teenager has been the height of my happiness."
Damon gasped, "Stefan cracked a funny. We should have a drink to celebrate. Shouldn't we Mags?" Maggie nodded and handed a drink to herself and Damon. "1864. You and Katherine were the perfect couple. It was hell watching you dance with her. I remember. I left the party early. I was waiting for her. The night you dropped her off, I was waiting just inside. You were such a gentlemen, little brother. Oh, well, here's to history not repeating itself, huh?" Stefan took a gulp of his drink, but Maggie tipped hers on the ground, making Damon stop and sniff his drink. Vervain. He tipped his drink away too.
"I admire your effort, Stef. Pouring yourself a drink and then spiking the bottle with vervain. I'm not some drunk sorority chick. You can't roofie us. But I can't help but feel a little used. I thought we were all having a moment. We have to go to the party angry now, who knows what we'll do?" And the two Salvatore siblings barged past Stefan, leaving him to wonder if he'll survive until morning.
-8-8-8-
All three of the Salvatores stood next to Elena as she read off the first registry, "Wow! Look at all these familiar names- Sherriff William Forbes, Mayor Benjamin Lockwood. Does that say Damon Salvatore and Maggie Salvatore and… Stefan Salvatore." She turned to the siblings with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
Maggie quickly said, "The original Salvatore Siblings. Our ancestors. Tragic story, actually."
Stefan glared at Maggie, "we don't need to bore them with stories of the past."
"It's not boring, Stefan," Elena said smiling warmly at them all, "I'd like to hear more about your family." Damon went to say something but Caroline cut him off. "Well, I'm bored. I want to dance and Damon won't dance with me. Could I borrow your date Elena?"
Stefan looked at Caroline, "I don't really dance."
"Of course you do Stef! You should see him," Maggie turned to Elena and Caroline. "Waltz, the jitterbug, the moonwalk. He does it all." And with that, Stefan was dragged by the hand to the dance floor with Caroline.
-8-8-8-
Maggie practically dragged Damon and Caroline up the stairs of the Lockwood Mansion an hour later.
Damon looked at Maggie exasperated, "what is it Mags?"
"I found it Damon! I found the crystal!" Maggie wrapped her arms around Damon's neck and squeezed him tight.
Damon smiled at her, "this calls for a drink." He turned around to Caroline and began to compel her, "stay silent follow Maggie and I into the yard. We need a drink."
-8-8-8-
Caroline stood inbetween Damon and Maggie a look of fear written all over her face. Maggie looked at Caroline compelling her once again, "you may talk, but don't scream. We don't want to make a scene." Maggie looked at Damon and winked. Their fangs expanded and the veins popped out from their eyes, and just as they were about to dig in to their meal, Maggie put her arm on Damon's shoulder indicating him to stop. Without turning around she said, "You know you're crap at sneaking up on people right Stefan?"
Stefan gave a small laugh, "must be another side effect of not drinking human blood. Speaking of which, what do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like Stef? Damon and I are just about to have a small snack. There's nothing you can do to stop us either. Why don't you come and join in? Family meal." Maggie giggled, Damon smirked and they sunk their fangs either side of Caroline's neck. Caroline gave a slight gasp. In the blink of an eye, Damon and Maggie were on the floor gasping in pain.
"What the hell?" Damon croaked.
Stefan sighed, "I knew I couldn't spike your drinks, so I spiked hers instead." He pointed to the barely conscious Caroline. "I did what I had to do." Then everything went black.
-8-8-8-
Damon opened his eyes slowly. He already knew where he was without even needing to look; the cellar. He sat up, still feeling wobbly, and looked to his left. Maggie was still unconscious. Damon stroked her hair and then called out, "This is low, even for you little brother."
Stefan's face appeared through the bars of the door, "like I said, I did what I had to." And then he turned and left leaving his two siblings all alone.