TEMPTATIONS

Chapter Twenty-One

I Knew That Look

Hazel's POV…

Shawn and I went back to his house because I didn't want to go to that motel. It really sucked there and there was no way I was going to get inside the boarding house now.

"Are you hungry," Shawn asked after he noticed my 'to myself' behaviour.

"No," I replied. "It's just family issues," I added.

I stood by his bedroom window while he sat on his bed. I was leaning against the wall staring out the window. That's when I came up with the best plan. If Stefan wanted to play a game with Damon whatever sort of game it was then I was going to get close to Elena and play a game of my own. I knew she was going to be at The Grill at four so that's when I decided to start my game.

If I had to I would drop clues to her that Stefan wasn't human. I didn't care if she hated me after she found out because I should have never cared in the first place. I know how to avoid capture that's to those English guys in 1865.

I spent the rest of the day at Shawn's house. We didn't do anything because I thinking about how my game should play out. I couldn't hurt her like Damon was doing with Caroline even though I wanted to just to hurt Stefan because I didn't want her to find out that way.

Eventually four o'clock came around. By that time I was already at The Grill. Since school had finished by that time the place wasn't completely empty.

I thought about getting an alcohol drink but my thoughts about that disappeared when I saw Elena come in. I decided to play it cool and let her come to me because I know she would.

After a few seconds of looking around she slowly made her way towards my booth.

"Hey hazel, have you seen Stefan here?" she asked.

"No, sorry, I can't say that I have," I replied. "Matt's been here longer than I have, he might know," I said.

"Thanks," Elena said.

She turned and was about to head over to Matt who was at the pool tables when she must have remembered something because she turned back to me.

"What happened to you at school?" she asked as she turned back to me.

"I guess I got a little angry with Stefan and that put my whole day off, it's not like I missed anything important," I replied.

"Don't take this in the wrong why but if I can make a suggestion, you should spend some time with him, he tells me that you too aren't that close," Elena said.

"Has he, well I'm planning too, we were going to hang out at the fundraiser together tomorrow," I said. "He suggested that I should get to know him more. As a matter of fact Bonnie suggested that too."

"I'm sorry if you don't like hearing it so much."

"No it's cool, I think I need to be told things a lot so that I remember them," I replied.

"Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I guess, since Damon's left I really haven't got any plans for like…" I paused. "Forever," I finished.

Elena looked at me a little weird. It was as if she was thinking about what I said as if it sounded bad and that was my plan. Make her suspicious about what Stefan did to Damon.

"Well goodbye," she said.

"See you," I replied.

I was getting into her head and I wasn't even using anything vampire related. Well technically the topic was about vampire, not that she knew, but that doesn't count.

Elena walked away and headed towards the pool tables where Matt was playing pool on his own.

"Hey Matt," she said. "Um, have you seen Stefan?" she asked.

"Nope," he replied as he stopped playing and faced her.

Elena turned to leave.

"But if you wanna kill sometime, you can rack," Matt suggested.

Elena turned back to Matt.

"Come on, we haven't played in forever," he added. "I'll let you break."

Eventually Elena agreed and they both started playing pool together and they were both talking to each other. For some reason I got bored and decided to leave. I decided to confront Zach and warn him that if he stepped outside that house I won't hesitate in killing him.

Damon's POV…

"My blood will only make you worse," Zach said. "Damon?" he asked when I didn't reply.

It hurt to move and hurt to talk but I managed to talk slowly.

"So it was your vervain? Good for you," I said. "Good for you."

I could hear Zach walk closer to the door. I slowly turned and looked up at him.

"Family only runs so deep, huh," I said.

"We're not family, Damon," He replied instantly. "Only in the most dysfunctional sense, in face I avoided having a living, breathing, loving family because of you," Zach said.

I remained silent for a couple of seconds.

"I don't guess I could talk you into bringing me a rabbit or something? I'd settle for Stefan diet at this point," I said.

"You know I can't do that," Zach replied.

"So you just planned to get rid of me? What about Hazel? You and I both know…" I said before coughing a little. "She can't be controlled."

Zach's eyes widened.

I knew that this wasn't the first time Hazel had been in America since she left. I had heard all about it and soon after I was turned I decided to find out what she was up to and how she was because I knew she was a vampire. I even saw her once but she never saw me.

"You succeeded Zach," I said. "I'm shutting down."

I paused.

"You're like your grandfather, he didn't like it when I came to visit either," I said.

"But you don't visit, Damon. You appear, unannounced, reminding me that this isn't my house that you're just permitting me to live here. Hell that you're permitting me to live," Zach said.

"Someone had to mow the lawn," I replied weakly.

Zach scoffed at my reply.

"I came to say goodbye, Damon," Zach said.

I decided that I wasn't going to let him say goodbye just like that. I rushed up to the door and grabbed his throat and pulled him back against the dungeon door. By doing this I didn't need to use a lot of energy because all I was doing was pulling my hand closer to me.

"Unlock the door, Zach," I said really angry.

If he didn't open the door I would kill him so Hazel could. I knew Hazel better than Stefan and I know that there was no way that Hazel would side with Stefan about this.

Stefan suddenly appeared. He grabbed my arm and twisted it away from Zach's throat. Zach slid down the door onto the floor while Stefan continued to hold my arm. I found against him but I didn't have enough strength to stop him.

When Stefan let go of my arm I fell back into the dungeon.

"Keep it up, Damon. More energy you expend, the faster you'll go," Stefan said.

Hazel's POV…

"Keep it up, Damon. More energy you expend, the faster you'll go," I heard Stefan say after I appeared in front of the boarding house.

From outside the front of the boarding house it was hard to tell where inside they were since I didn't know the layout of the house. But I could tell it was underground, most likely in a basement or wine cellar.

At first I stood outside the front door just standing there. I started pacing and eventually when I came up with what I wanted to say to Zach the door opened and Stefan came out.

"What are you doing here?" he asked worried.

"You really need to ask."

"You're coming with me," Stefan ordered.

"You really think you can order me around."

"We are going to spend some time together now."

"What about tomorrow?" I asked as Stefan closed the front door and started to walk away.

He didn't reply but I knew tomorrow was still happening no matter what I planned. I really didn't want do with Stefan but it isn't very fun threatening someone when Stefan is around and it wasn't going to be hard to get away from him tonight.

We stepped inside The Grill. I still wanted to get a drink but yet again it wasn't a low key idea. Sometimes when you wanted to stay under the radar you had to give something's up. That's why I was living in the motel and not some house I stole from someone.

Stefan spotted Elena and attempted to drag me towards her.

"I'll be fine over here," I said as I pulled my arm out of his hand.

I walked towards a booth but as I walked I noticed an elderly man staring at Stefan oddly.

1990…

I was walking the streets of Venice. I needed to get away from Travis. I had slightly got my emotions back and Travis was being very clingy.

I was slowly walking when someone spoke and brought me to the here and now.

"I remember you," he said.

I turned to face the man. I didn't know him from anywhere.

"I remember you," he repeated. "Seven years ago, I remember you, you look," he paused.

"I'm sorry," I asked making sure I was hearing what he was saying.

"This must be a mistake," he said before he turned and almost ran away.

I stood there and thought about it quickly. Seven years ago I had met Travis in Venice.

There is no way this guy remembered me from then, is there, I thought. I'll have to deal with that.

I didn't know when or how this elderly man knew Stefan but I knew that look. I had been given it so I knew it well. That's when I came up with the best way to get away from Stefan that night.

I walked up to the man and decided to compel him but I made it look like I was talking to him. Since there wasn't anyone enough to listen it was good plan.

"You are going to go over to that guy you know and comfort him calmly," I said.

"I will comfort him," he replied in a dull tone.

"You are going to forget me telling you to do this," I compelled.

He just nodded this time.

I walked away shortly after that and sat down at the table in time for Stefan to look over. I just smiled as a reply. He would have been too busy listening into Elena's conversation with Matt to listen to my conversation with the old man that knew Stefan from some point in time.

People you don't know who have seen you in the past is always tricking for vampire. Well for normal vampires it isn't that tricky because we could always compel them to forget or kill them but Stefan was different. Normal I would avoid places I have been for a few decades but I went back to Venice that year to change Venice. I didn't want to remember it as the city where I met Travis.

"No, Stefan, don't you get it? Every question gets a vague non-answer. What is so awful that you're afraid to tell me?" Elena asked after a couple of minutes.

I continued to sit there and watch the whole thing play out. Well not the whole thing because I disappeared shortly after the old man came up to Stefan and Elena. My favourite thing he said was the fact that Stefan hadn't aged a day. Of course he hasn't, he's a vampire.

I disappeared from The Grill and headed back to the boarding house to spend the night scaring Zach into never leaving because I would kill him if he took a step outside that house.