AN: These last few chapters certainly took a much darker turn than the rest of this rather more lighthearted story. I honestly hadn't planned for this: Stefan kind of took me by surprise too! It made me afraid that you might not like it all that much, but most of you didn't seem to mind. Yay! I have such wonderful and open-minded readers! I want to thank everyone who sent me reviews on the previous chapter (and I will still reply those of you that I didn't thank yet!), and who let me know they liked not-quite-full-blown-ripper Stefan. You made my Monday night, my Tuesday morning, and my whole week :D
The next chapter is called Fool for Love, which I originally based on the quote by Molière you'll find at the top of this chapter. It also happens (as Shadowfaxangel, my wonderful beta and source of all things Buffy, informed me) to be the title of an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the one where she realizes her mortality. How fitting…
BTW, this is going to be my longest chapter to date! Enjoy!
"On est aisément dupé par ce qu'on aime" - Molière
(One is easily fooled by that which one loves)
Elena had grown tired of waiting for Damon to come back. What was he doing anyway? He couldn't just tell her to stay here and expect her to twiddle her thumbs for the rest of the evening! Mind made up, she made a beeline for the stairs…
When she was almost at the top, she heard voices coming from the dressing room, though she couldn't exactly understand what they were saying. Straining her ears, she thought she recognized Stefan's voice. She'd known he was back, but what was he doing here?
She was inching closer to the doors when the sounds of a scuffle reached her ears. The thought of what might be going on in there made her hurry inside… only to pause on the threshold, surveying the scene in the dressing room with horror dawning on her face as she saw Caroline slumped against the far wall, and Stefan wrestling Damon down to the ground.
She didn't really stop to think; she just yelled, "Stefan! Stop! What are you doing?"
Stefan stilled to look up at Elena, a possessive green glow lighting up his eyes at the sight of her. He smiled as his eyes travelled down her body, taking in the short, snug, black dress, and lingering on the fair amount of cleavage she was showing.
As if they were the only two people in the room, he said softly, "You look amazing, Elena. But then you always do..."
Damon groaned. God, how pathetic! Here he was, trapped underneath his own brother, listening to him spouting some romantic drivel to his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend... Because any minute now Elena would tell Stefan that they were over. That she'd made her choice and that she was choosing the other brother. That it would always be Damon for her from now on. She would tell him any moment now...
Elena had already opened her mouth to tell Stefan that they needed to talk when she saw the blood.
There were rust colored smears all over Damon's chest and stomach, on Stefan's shirt, on the carpet... But whose blood was it? Stefan didn't look very much the worse for wear, so it had to be Damon's blood. That wasn't good... Did Stefan do this? Something was definitely off with him... And why was Damon just lying there, doing nothing? He was stronger than Stefan surely? Was he hurt that badly?
She snapped her mouth shut and forced herself to keep breathing normally, reassuring herself with the knowledge that Damon would heal quickly...
Her eyes returned to Stefan, puzzled by the air of danger and menace that he exuded, so much so that all of her senses were telling her to run... Where had she seen that before?
Suddenly it clicked: her mind flashed back to a picture of the same room, about half a year ago... Damon telling her that Stefan was still drinking human blood. There had been the same kind of intensity about Stefan then. He looked in control, but it was a tenuous control, like a tightly coiled spring that was ready to snap at any given moment. Oh, no! What if he'd succumbed to temptation again? Telling Stefan they were history might not be the brightest idea right now. What if he lost it completely? There were too many innocent people around here; it was like an all-U-can-eat buffet for a bloodthirsty vampire...
They would have to take Stefan out and wean him off the blood again. It was the only way, and it had worked the last time. But how? She frantically tried to think of something, anything...
Like a light bulb flashing on in her head, the vervain dart sitting in her bag sprang to mind. She'd been lugging it around all day, like a child would a comfort blanket... Trying not to be conspicuous about it, she cast a furtive look around the dressing room, hoping to locate the bag somewhere. Bingo, there it was, on the couch! She'd have to be very, very careful retrieving it, or Stefan would get suspicious…
'Keep talking, Elena,' she thought to herself. Distract him! At the very least it would give Damon the time to heal, so he could help her if something went wrong...
"What's going on in here?" Her voice was as shaky as her legs when she took a few steps into the room.
"Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, Elena," Stefan replied haughtily, and Elena frowned at his cavalier dismissal.
"Stefan?" She asked again, worry seeping into her voice, "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay? I'm perfectly fine," He answered her, almost flirtatiously now, "Tell me, Elena, did you like my rose?"
"What?" Elena blinked at his sudden change of subject.
Stefan repeated more insistently, "Did you like the yellow rose I left you last night?"
Maybe she'd better humor him a little... "Yes, Stefan, it was lovely," She replied uncertainly, as she slowly made her way over to the couch and her bag.
Stefan's eyes followed her movements like a hawk observing a mouse. She noted that his eyes were glued to her legs and the sway of her hips that came naturally now as long as she was wearing her high heeled dancing shoes… She swallowed, feeling nervous but at the same time oddly detached, as if it was someone else who was observing these things. Could she use this to her advantage? Surely Damon would understand that she was just pretending…
Flat on his back on the floor, effectively pinned down by his brother bodily sitting on him, Damon glowered, suspicion rearing its ugly head. What was going on here? What rose? What was Stefan talking about? Come to think of it, Elena didn't seem all that surprised about his brother's appearance. Had she known he was here? His eyes narrowed as he wondered whether Stefan hadn't been hiding in Mystic Falls before today, while he was out scouring the countryside for his runaway brother... Perhaps Elena had already seen Stefan? Had he snuck his way back into Elena's affections? But she hadn't said anything… And surely he would have noticed her changed behavior? Or was she that good an actress? No, that was impossible... Or wasn't it? Cold dread wrapped its chilly fingers around his heart as he watched Elena sink down onto the couch and cross her legs slowly, seductively.
Elena made sure to sit down close to her bag before continuing in a soft voice, "But I did prick my finger on one of its thorns," She hesitated, then added with a pout, "It made me bleed some…"
At the mere mention of her blood, Stefan's eyes darkened, confirming her suspicions. He was staring at her as if he was in thrall, Damon completely forgotten. She avoided looking at Damon; afraid of betraying by a single look why exactly she was doing this. But surely Damon should have healed by now? Maybe he was just biding his time, waiting for her to distract Stefan some more?
Elena gazed at her index finger pensively; then she stuck the finger into her mouth as if just thinking about it brought back the sting of pain she'd felt. Sucking her finger, she looked back up at Stefan from under her lashes to gauge his reaction.
"Pity I wasn't there," Stefan purred, his eyes fixed on her mouth unwaveringly. He ran the tip of his tongue over his lips, "I could have kissed you and made it all better..."
Why didn't Damon do anything? Maybe he was hurt worse than she'd assumed? She needed to find that vervain dart ASAP! Her mind racing, Elena languidly uncrossed her legs, and crossed them the other way around, Basic Instinct style, drawing Stefan's attention away from her face so she could reach behind her with one arm, blindly groping inside her bag for the vervain dart. She carefully extracted it under the cover of her body (trying not to get pricked in the bargain).
Damon watched incredulously as Elena flirted with his brother right under his nose. The red-hot jealousy clawing at his insides made him snap recklessly, "You mean you'd have bitten her and made it all worse!"
Damon's sarcastic comment made Stefan blink and tense up, his attention once again on his brother. Elena sighed and sent Damon an angry look. He was going to get himself staked again for his obnoxious behavior when she needed him to heal! She hurriedly tried to think of something to distract Stefan from paying any more attention to his brother.
Before she could think about the wisdom of her words, she blurted out, "Are you drinking blood again, Stefan?" The nerves constricting her throat made her voice sound husky, and Stefan's eyes snapped back to her face immediately.
"Of course I'm drinking blood," He flashed her a teasing smile, and jested, "Can't live without it! I'm a vampire, remember?"
Elena almost rolled her eyes at his willful misunderstanding of her question, "You know what I mean, Stefan. Are you on the human stuff?"
"What makes you think so?" He tossed back blandly.
Exasperated by his evasive tactics, Elena sighed and said, "Oh, Stefan! Denial is not just a river in Egypt, you know?"
The compassion in her voice made Stefan flare up, "And what if I am drinking human blood, Elena? It's in our nature," He shrugged. "It's normal for us."
"It's not normal for you!" She exclaimed before she could think better of it.
"Why not for me? Like I said, I'm a vampire. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood," He retorted, sounding like a petulant child. "You never had any problems with Damon drinking human blood!"
"This is not about Damon, Stefan," Elena said softly. "It's about what's happening to you!"
Damon had had enough. Why was Elena talking to Stefan like that, all sweetness and light? And why was she acting so caring and affectionate, like a good little girlfriend? She still hadn't told Stefan that they were through. In fact, it appeared as though she didn't intend to tell him at all. The taste of disappointment was bitter like ashes in his mouth as he listened to their conversation. How could he have been so stupid! He should have known she would go running back into Stefan's arms as soon as he showed his face again! He should have known... because Elena would always choose Stefan...
Scowling, he looked down at his side: at least the bleeding had stopped, and the healing had begun, though it was still happening at a snail's rate…
He knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do in his weakened condition, but anger and frustration fuelled his movements as he grabbed one of the slender pieces of wood that had once been a leg of the little table he'd crashed into. Then he bucked his hips, in an attempt to dislodge Stefan and drive the makeshift stake into Stefan's stomach, grumbling, "Let's make it about Damon then, shall we? I'm beginning to feel a little neglected here!"
Stefan was so distracted by Elena that Damon almost succeeded. But Damon's blood loss was too recent and his reactions still too slow as a result of the vervain in his system. Stefan ducked, but not in time to evade Damon's unsteady thrust completely. The wood went in a little ways before glancing off a rib. Stefan was quick to pull it out, and, reversing the stake, he buried the sharp end in Damon's stomach instead. Damon groaned and fell back, hands clutched around the smooth piece of wood embedded in his flesh and cursing a blue streak.
Stefan stood and casually raised his shirt with one hand, exposing the taut muscles of his stomach. He pursed his lips when he saw the blood trickling from the gash in his side, and watched until the flesh knitted together, leaving his skin flawless once more. Then he looked down at his grimacing sibling, and remarked spitefully, "That's what you get for being an ass, brother! Consider yourself lucky that this one was vervain-free…"
He bent over to put his hand on the wood as if to yank it out again, but Damon recoiled in a hurry, shielding himself from Stefan's attempt at grabbing the stake with a hiss, "Back off, Stefan! I'll get it out myself! I don't particularly care for your new brand of TLC!" He clenched his jaw and ripped out the stake, welcoming the searing pain that was not half as bad as the gut wrenching hurt of Elena's betrayal.
Elena had jumped up from the couch, eyes big as saucers as she watched the clash that had taken less than a minute. She almost ran to them when Damon got staked, but she forced herself to remain motionless, afraid that Stefan would see the syringe she was holding in her hand. Vervain. That explained Caroline and Damon's lethargy and their strange lack of healing! It looked as though it would be up to her to take Stefan down…
Stefan was still staring down at Damon, as if contemplating what to do with him. Before he could do any more damage to his brother, Elena took a cautious step forward, clutching the vervain-filled dart in one white-knuckled hand and hiding it in the folds of her skirt. She tilted her head and queried quietly, "Stefan?" This time, she couldn't have hidden the tremor in her voice if she'd wanted to, "This isn't like you at all."
He whipped around as if he'd forgotten all about her presence, and she felt a shiver race down her back at the sight of his eyes. They were as emotionless and hard as shards of green glass. But as soon as they came to rest on her, they thawed, almost as if he'd flipped a switch, turning into warm emerald pools again.
"Don't you see, Elena?" He spoke passionately, "It's exactly who I am! The real me! I'm stronger, faster ... This is who I'm supposed to be, not the broody and tortured soul from before!"
Elena cast her eyes down, "But I liked you before, Stefan..." She said sadly, sneaking a peek at him from beneath her lashes, trying to lure him away from Damon.
It seemed to work, because Stefan prowled closer. There was no other word for it: she recognized the predator's grace that had always been clearly visible in Damon, but she'd never noticed it in Stefan quite as pronounced as it was today.
"And you'll like me now!" He said fervently, "Oh, Elena! You will, I guarantee it!"
She was silent, thinking what to do next. He clearly believed what he was saying…
He inched closer, extending a hand to touch her cheek, and she couldn't help but lean into it for a second, regretting that it had come to this between them. She half-closed her eyes, afraid that he might read in them what she intended to do, but his thumb just kept stroking her jaw in a gently hypnotizing caress as he went on, "The old Stefan is gone. He's gone, Elena. And good riddance too, because he was boring as hell!"
"No, Stefan. He wasn't; he was sweet and caring. But…" She faltered when Stefan abruptly closed the distance between them, pulling her flush against his hard body.
His fingers wrapped around her upper arms, holding her in a tight grip, effectively preventing her from moving, and for a fraction of a second she thought she'd been found out, that he'd seen the vervain dart… but he just leaned in, in a desperate attempt to convince her, "He is me, Elena. I'm still the same person! If you loved him, you can love me too!"
This close, she could feel the aura of danger that clung to him like a second skin. He was a tiger pretending to be a pussycat, and he was just as unpredictable.
She knew he could feel her quivering in his grasp, but she couldn't stop herself. He rubbed her arms before releasing them with a whispered, "Please don't be afraid of me, Elena!"
This was her chance. Elena leaned into him as if to embrace him, one arm sliding around his waist, the other arm coming up in an arc behind Stefan's back.
"I'm so sorry, Stefan," she mumbled as she plunged the vervain dart in his body with as much force as she could muster.
Stefan reared back immediately, grabbing for the syringe to pull it out as fast as possible. He dropped it to the floor, and Elena was horrified to see that she hadn't succeeded in getting it in deep enough. Only half of the greenish liquid had gone into his bloodstream, and though he staggered a little, he didn't fall like she'd expected him to.
He turned his face towards her slowly, and her eyes widened when she saw that his face was changing, dark shadows appearing under eyes that had turned red in a blink. He didn't say anything, and she raised a shaking hand in a feeble attempt to ward him off.
"Please, Stefan! I was only trying to help you…" She defended her actions in a barely audible whisper, but of course Stefan's enhanced hearing had no trouble picking it up.
"You want to help me?" He rasped, and his gaze lowered, honing in on the erratically throbbing pulse in her throat. When she saw the hunger leap into his eyes, she backed away without thinking, because she could feel the direction of his thoughts, and the idea of Stefan biting her when he was on edge like this, scared the living daylights out of her.
Without taking his eyes off her throat, he lisped around his fangs, "How about sharing some of your delectable blood with me? I just want one taste…"
"Um… Stefan, I don't think that's a very good idea..." She started, but he moved closer, and she backed away a few more steps, because frankly, he was scaring her big time now. Why did he suddenly want to drink her blood? Would he even be able to stop in time?
When she came up against the wall, there was panic in her eyes. The thought flashed through her mind that she'd been just as up close and personal with Damon, but his vampire features hadn't scared her at all… They had turned her on. Stefan's… didn't. When his face had changed, it had seemed to drain away all his humanity in a flash. She was just terrified now.
"Why not? Are you sharing so much blood with my brother that there's nothing left for me?" Stefan's eyes were glittering dangerously, and Elena swallowed, "Does Damon make you scream with pleasure when he drinks from you?"
Her voice was a barely there whisper when she said, "Damon never..."
"Tsk, Elena! No need to pretend…" Stefan drawled, "I saw you two outside of that salsa club... Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it! You'll never convince me that you didn't let him taste you again after that..." Intent on the blood he could hear rushing through Elena's veins, he touched his tongue to his fangs in anticipation, before adding almost as an afterthought, "But since he didn't claim you…"
Elena made a break for the door even though she knew it was a futile attempt. Stefan pounced, his body trapping Elena against the wall. He cupped one hand to her neck, the other gripping her waist as he dipped his face down agonizingly slowly...
Damon growled from the far side of the room, but Stefan ignored him, lost in his lust for Elena's blood. He didn't just want to drink her; he wanted to possess her. He could claim her right now, and if he went by it the right way, she might even accept his claim… He didn't have as much practice as his brother did when it came to giving pleasure with a bite, but he figured he knew enough… Elena wouldn't be afraid of him after that! She'd be begging for more…
Elena froze, her breath trapped in her throat, as his fangs cut into the delicate skin of her neck, making the blood flow. The pain was enough to shock her out of her daze. She uttered a low moan and tried to pull away from him as he started drinking…
AN: Phew. This turned out to be a very hard chapter to write (and rewrite, and rewrite…), because I couldn't quite capture Elena's voice at first. She still wants to help Stefan, but she mistakenly thinks Damon will see through her ploy, and help her out. Damon being Damon of course thinks she is choosing Stefan again... and who could blame him? It's not like he hasn't been there, done that...
Stefan on the other hand is just fine with his new diet; in fact, he feels great. He just needs to convince Elena that she'll like this version of him much better. Maybe because it lies closer to what he imagines Damon to be? He's noticed that Elena seems to 'like' Damon a little too much (understatement of the century LOL), so I guess he feels that he stands a better chance of keeping her as Stefan 2.0. What a comedy (drama?) of errors this is turning out to be…
I know... I'm evil for leaving you with another cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist… So, what did you think? Please push that blue button below...
