It took Stefan a few moments to notice the brunette lounging in the corner of his room. He had just come back from helping his daughter learn to feed when Katherine, who had absently been twirling a piece of hair around her finger, coughed to get Stefan's attention. He glanced once in her direction, then turned to his desk where he tried make it look as if he had something remarkably important to do.
"You can at least look at me," Katherine muttered, uncrossing her legs and elegantly striding over to where Stefan fumbled with a former journal. "Or at least… attack me, or something. Anything, really, would be okay at this point."
But Stefan continued to stare down at his desk, his lips pressed so tightly together they were nothing but a thin, white line. He knew that if he opened his mouth, the stream of expletives would be unstoppable. Yet, surprisingly, after a moment of composure, Stefan was able to take a shaky breath and look up at the doppelganger. She smirked.
"Finally, a reaction."
"You're the last person I want to talk to," Stefan spat out, his words harshly incriminating. Part of him expected her to apologize, to express her regret for killing his daughter, but of course, this was the Katherine Pierce, and the last thing she did was apologize. Her small smile only furthered Stefan's growing hatred, and he clenched his fist. "Leave, please."
"I need you to listen to me, Stefan," Katherine said, her words suddenly expressing urgency. "I'm leaving, not that you care, but I just wanted to make sure you know I saved your son."
Stefan chuckled wryly, muttering, "You may have made him flip his switch, but you seem to be forgetting you killed my daughter in the process."
"Right, but I saved your son."
"Right, but you killed my daughter."
The two vampires stared at each other, both refusing to break the intense glare they held. Finally, Katherine let out an exasperated sigh.
"Alright. You wanna know the real reason I came here?"
Stefan raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"I came to apologize. Yes, I killed Gen. I knew she would turn, but it wasn't in my right to make that decision for her, or whatever. So I'm sorry. There, I said it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Well?"
"I…" Stefan didn't know what exactly to say. Sure, he was grateful for her apology, but there was still remnants of a full-blown hatred brewing within him. After many years, Stefan had finally learned and accepted that he was not the type to easily forgive.
"Thank you for your apology," he muttered, and Katherine nodded. There was nothing more to be said.
She turned on her heel and walked out, slightly swaying her hips with confidence the way she always did. Though there was still a hint of doubt, Stefan was somewhat sure this was the last time he would see Katherine for a long time.
He was right.
After changing clothes and making himself look somewhat presentable, Luke walked from the cellar to the front parlor. He knew who would be waiting for him there, and his mind worked through the endless ways to approach his sister. 'I'm sorry' was certainly an option, but the two words could not even begin to express how he truly felt; he did not believe there were any words to really say what he thought. His hands began to shake with an uncontrollable nervousness.
And then, all too soon, he was standing in the parlor and looking at her. All of the things he had thought to say vanished, and he was left with his mouth hung half-way open. Genevieve looked up at him, and to Luke's surprise and overwhelming relief, smiled. He exhaled slowly, drawing a hand over his face.
"Hi," was all he could manage to say.
"Hi," she said back, and patted the spot next to her on the couch. His legs easily carried him over.
"I'm sorry," he murmured before he could stop himself. "I'm sorry for saying I'm sorry. I should be saying more than I'm sorry-"
"Stop," Gen said, a hint of a smile still left on her face. "Just… you don't have to apologize, because it's okay. It is. Really."
But Luke was shaking his head. "How can you say it's okay? You died because of me, and you're okay with it? Get angry at me, Gen. Do something."
"I'm not angry, though. You didn't kill me. Katherine did. And I am okay, that's the thing. I used to think there could be nothing worse than being a vampire, but I was wrong. I was so, so wrong."
Luke rubbed at the back of his neck and cringed. "I'm never going to be able to forgive myself." He hadn't meant to say that, but the words had already slipped out and it was too late to take them back. "Will you ever be able to forgive me?"
"I already did forgive you, Luke. You were too busy being self-loathing to notice," Gen teased, lightly swatting him on the arm.
He glanced at her, a look of disbelief in his eyes. It astonished him, really; how easily Gen could forgive him. Whereas Luke had a tendency to hold grudges, Gen could not be more willing to see the good in people and forgive.
Perhaps, Luke thought, It's time I learn something from her.
"Where do we go from here?" Luke asked, smiling lightly at his sister.
"Well, I start my senior year at college in a few weeks, in case your forgot about that. My roommate from last year is renting with me again. There's going to be some changes with that, obviously, but nothing I can't handle." Genevieve grinned. "You're more than welcome to visit me, you know."
"I will," Luke promised, and he meant it. He knew it would be a while before he himself would go back to college, but the unlimited amount of time ahead of him presented numerous chances to see his sister while she was away.
I won't rush it, Luke thought. I'm not going to go back until I can handle it.
"What about you?" Gen asked.
Luke looked down at his hands and shrugged. There was not even a hint of an idea in his mind of what was next for him. It didn't matter too much, of course, for time was not an issue, but it suddenly dawned on the Salvatore boy that he had no place to go.
"I haven't paid my rent for… Jesus, I don't even know any more," he muttered, silently mourning the items that had probably been tossed onto the street by his landlord.
"I'm sure you could probably stay here for a while," Gen suggested. "Uncle Damon and Elena probably wouldn't mind."
"Yeah, maybe." Luke sighed. "You're really not angry?"
"No, I'm not."
Genevieve's lips once again broke into a smile, and she wrapped an arm around Luke's shoulders. They sat in a comfortable silence for the remainder of the morning, each anticipating the days ahead of them.
"So, Stefan. Will you be staying here?" Damon questioned, hopeful. "I mean… I wasn't gonna come right out and say it, but… you know, maybe you could stick around for a while."
His little brother smirked and set his glass down on the edge of the drink cabinet.
"Damon Salvatore, asking me to stay? Never would've thought you'd say that," Stefan responded wryly.
"Listen, smart-ass, you and I still have some catching up to do. Plus, I'd like to get to know my niece and nephew a little better," Damon said, trying to hide his grin. "Just- stick around for a few days or weeks or something, alright?"
Stefan stared at the decreasing fire in the fireplace and cocked his head. For a moment, Damon worried that maybe his brother would refuse, but to his relief, his brother's mouth twisted into a small smile.
"Alright," Stefan muttered. "But only for a little while. Gen will stay, and I'm sure Luke probably will, too. He's got some… things to take care of, but hey, Mystic Falls might work for us for a little bit."
"Good. And… I know I've said this already but… they're good kids, Stefan. They really are. Despite everything, they've shown that you know how to properly raise a child, so… you know, congrats."
Stefan gave Damon an odd look and muttered, "Thanks, Damon. I think."
"I'm proud of you, Stefan. That's what I mean to say."
The younger Salvatore nodded. "Thank you."
As if on cue, Luke and Gen entered the parlor, along with Elena and Caroline. Together, they sat and talked the night away, each getting to know something new about the other. Damon glanced from Luke to Gen, and from Gen to Caroline. All three were chuckling lightly, and Damon could practically feel the happiness oozing off of them. He then looked at Elena, whose eyes reflected the joy coming off of the other three.
Finally, Damon's blue eyes met Stefan's green eyes, and they nodded at each other. Somehow, though it took many years, the Salvatore brothers had come together again, and Damon was and would forever be grateful that he had run into Genevieve at the bar that night. Surrounding him now was his family, and he promised himself that he would never let anything come between them again.
With a drink in his hand and the laughter of the others surrounding him, Damon smiled.
Hello everyone! So, this is it. I've had such a blast writing this for you all, and I really hope this last chapter sums everything up nicely for you. Please, please, please leave some final reviews. Each one means the world to me, and I would so appreciate any last comments. Thanks again for your continued support. :)
