"You guys want a beer or something?" Alaric suggested once Stefan and Payton had arrived at his apartment an hour later, the two of them going over to the couch to make themselves at home.

"I'm good." She answered her Dad, him slightly taken back at her refusal for alcohol that night.

"Yeah me too," Stefan agreed with Payton, not really in the mood to drink, as he sat at one end of the couch and her at the other.

Alaric instantly picked up on some weird tension between the two of them, but he wasn't going to pry, he'd just wait until one of them came to him, "So what's been going on beyond the border, huh?" He asked knowing he had missed coming to town.

"A day from hell." Payton grumbled back folding her arms.

"What happened?" He asked coming over to join them but sitting on the chair opposite.

"Damon killed one of Lily's heretics last night which caused Lily to seek revenge and take Caroline." Stefan explained.

"Wait what?" Alaric was surprised to hear this had happened, he wasn't surprised that Damon had done something reckless though, but he was worried for Caroline's safety.

"It was also Bonnie. She helped Damon. It was her idea actually." Payton added, knowing she had failed to inform Stefan yet what else she knew.

"So how are you getting Caroline back?" Alaric wondered.

"We haven't really got a clue to be honest." She sighed back.

"Well Damon and I are trying to play Lily at her own game. Make her think that we have fallen out and Damon has left town."

"Have you guys fallen out?" Alaric then asked.

Stefan shook his head, "No. But of course I am mad at him for coming back and ruining our peace deal."

"No offence but it was kind of a crap deal. We didn't exactly get much out of it." Payton found herself adding unhelpfully but after her conversation with Matt earlier she was ready to fight back.

"It was the safest thing to do." Stefan tried to remind her not understanding why she was being like this, but clearly her anger issues and their disagreement was making her act out of character.

Alaric began to chuckle awkwardly, thinking the tension was getting worse, so he had to step in, "I'm kind of glad I'm on this side."

"Sometimes I wish I was too." Payton added with a light sigh.

"Everything ok, P?" He asked his daughter with concern.

Payton nervously trailed her eyes over to Stefan, then back onto her Dad, "just dealing with the Saltzman anger issues."

"Really?" Alaric looked back at her with surprise, "like what?"

"Near out of control rage. An urge to kill. That kind of thing." She anxiously explained to him.

"What like drink from people?" He asked.

"God no!" She shook her head, before going on, "it kind of started with wanting to kill Damon then progressed to these stupid heretics."

"What started it off?" Alaric wondered because he knew she had always hated Damon so why would his daughter all of a sudden want to kill him?

"Well Damon basically suggested killing Matt off." Payton began.

"He did what?" Her Dad looked over in annoyance.

"Only because the guy owns the deeds to the house. But he survived."

"Yeah just," She hissed back, before going on, "then I just felt this massive urge to kill Damon. I don't know if it was because I was so worried about losing Matt or whether it was because I've felt completely and utterly useless recently."

"You're not useless, Pay," Alaric tried to tell her otherwise, before going on, "and it sounds like to me you were worried about losing Matt after all this loss recently."

"Yeah I guess," Payton breathed, as she asked, "so what the hell do I do about it?"

Alaric glanced over at Stefan, who looked back at Alaric uneasily, before her Dad spoke up, "I think you do nothing. I don't think you should act on it at all. I think you just let it pass."

"How am I supposed to do that?" She looked back at him in disbelief.

"Do what you do when you stay in control and keep those blood cravings at bay." He suggested.

"That sound's good." Stefan agreed with the man.

Payton looked between the two of them, before shaking her head, kind of disappointed with that answer, "Right. Ok. I'm starving. Can we order some food?"

"Sure," Alaric nodded, as he went on, "there's a really nice Italian around the corner that does pick ups."

"Oh look at you, all fancy with your European cuisine." Payton teased him.

He chuckled lightly, "The menu's on the counter top by the microwave."

She got up from her seat and went round to grab the menu, Payton opened it up, looking over at the food, "Oh they do some good stuff. I think I'm going to go for the Gnocchi. What about you?"

"I'll have the sausage and mushroom taitatellie." Alaric called back.

"Stefan?" She asked across at her boyfriend.

"I'm good." He answered back bluntly.

"You sure?" Payton said to check not wanting him to go hungry or miss out.

"Yeah I'm not really hungry." Stefan informed them.

"Alright," She sighed lightly, before going to head to the door, she needed to get out and get some fresh air after today, "I'll go get the food. I'll be back in a bit."

Once the door closed, Alaric raised his brows up at the guy, picking up on the guys mood and the weird vibes between him and his daughter, Stefan looked back at him, wondering why Alaric was looking at him so questionably.

"What?" He grumbled back slightly.

"What's going on?" He asked in a calm tone.

"What do you mean?" Stefan frowned back.

"Well," Alaric began as he sat forward in his seat slightly, "despite Payton's anger issues, I'm sensing something is going on with you two. So what is it?"

"It's nothing really. We just disagreed about the whole Matt thing. I didn't support her enough." Stefan brushed it off not wanting to go into it.

"You sure it's just that?" He asked him once more.

Stefan looked back at him guilty, before sighing, "Maybe it has something to do with the fact we're living with her ex."

"Mason?" Alaric presumed, as he went on when Stefan nodded, "the guy isn't trying to cause drama again is he?"

"No," He sighed once more, Stefan felt uneasy talking about it, but maybe Alaric could help him, "but he just seems to want to get involved."

"With you and Payton? Or just Payton?" Alaric pressed for more.

"Just everything. I know he lives there but whenever we're having a conversation, he just appears. Then he's offering Payton help. It just doesn't sit right with me especially since she didn't tell me about her wanting to have him as manager." Stefan explained to him.

This was also news to Alaric. He could understand why Stefan was feeling a little annoyed about Mason. But he also knew that Payton loved Stefan and was over Mason. She wouldn't go there again. So their involvement with each other was completely innocent.

"What's different about her being friends with him compared to when he came back?" Alaric raised his brows up at Stefan, knowing there had to be something that had changed Stefan's opinion.

Stefan sighed lightly, "It doesn't matter..."

"Yeah it does," Alaric assured him, as he went on, "you're my friend. Payton is my daughter. You're her boyfriend. And she loves you. So I want to know what's changed?"

"Me." He admitted in a shameful tone.

"Why you?" He looked back slightly taken back by his answer.

"When I turned my humanity back on, I felt a lot of guilt and shame. I could barely drink because I felt like I just needed to be with how I felt not try to numb it. But I don't know there's just this part of me that feels very protective over Payton since then. Like of course, I was a little worried about Mason returning but I didn't let it rule me and I wanted to be understanding, not the crazy jealous boyfriend,"

Alaric listened as the guy confided in him, wondering how much Payton knew of this, "but since my humanity came back and I've been trying to deal with everything, then this whole thing with Lily and the heretics, I just feel paranoid that I'm going to lose her and that I have to be in control of that, which includes putting Mason in his place."

"Did Mason do or say something to make you feel threatened?" Alaric wondered.

"Uh, no. I guess mixed with those feelings and the fact he just somehow got over his whole anger thing, his feelings for her and wanting to cause trouble for us both."

"Payton said being a vampire changed him."

"But how? I mean sure, I agree, being a vampire does change people. But where did his feelings for her go?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Alaric suggested.

"And come across as the paranoid boyfriend? No way!" Stefan shook his head in dismissal.

"Why don't you ask Payton how she feels about it? Like if she thinks Mason still likes her?" He said next.

"It's not going to happen."

"Why? You seriously cannot be doubting that the girl doesn't like you..."

"I'm not!" Stefan was firm to clear that one up as he went on, "I'm more worried about me making an issue out of nothing and her getting annoyed with it."

"Did you get annoyed when she insisted you and Elena were still a thing?" Alaric pointed out to it.

"No." He shook his head.

"Then Payton is going to be understanding, isn't she? Please just give her the benefit of the doubt and talk to her about this."

"I'll see," Stefan sighed lightly before going to say, "did you have that beer?"

"Uh yeah it's on the second shelf in the refrigerator." Alaric informed him.

When Payton got back with the food, they tucked into their meals whilst Stefan sat casually sipping on their beer, Payton found herself speaking up, "Something weird also happened with Bonnie today."

"What do you mean weird?" Alaric asked with concern.

"Well, when she was doing this spell on Matt to stop his heart she just came over all weird like she was in some sort of trance and then passed out," Payton explained, before adding, "she said she had some weird vision."

Alaric lowered his head slightly in guilt, Payton quickly picked up on it, "What?" She was quick to ask.

"Hmm?" Her Dad lifted his head back up, trying to force a warm look back onto his face, but inside he was feeling screwed.

"Your face. When I said that you looked all weird." Payton pointed out to him.

"Uh..it's nothing." He was quick to shake his head.

"No, it's not nothing!" She persisted, as she went on, "what was that?"

Alaric sighed, knowing if he didn't tell her the truth, then she'd just keep on asking, "it's because of that stone."

"Wait what stone you got on your travels? The same stone you said could bring Jo back?" Payton asked him in horror at what she was hearing.

"Yes." He hissed back at her.

"So you talked to Bonnie about it and now she's having some weird visions because of it?" She presumed.

"What stone?" Stefan questioned wondering what was going on.

"My Dad brought some stone back from Europe with him. Someone said it could bring Jo back. I told him to talk to Bonnie about it before he did something stupid. Clearly whatever that stone does is bad news." Payton concluded after linking Bonnie's visions to the stone.

Stefan frowned at this news, he didn't know whether to be hurt that yet again Payton had failed to tell him something or whether to be worried at what this so called stone could do.

"Please tell me you've got rid of it." She told him with raised brows.

Alaric looked back at her uneasily, before he went to inform her in shaky tone, "I haven't yet. But I do plan on it."

"I think you should do it sooner rather than later. It sounds dangerous, Dad." Payton warned him with concern.

"I will get rid of it. I just haven't had the time yet." He tried to convince her.

"Alright," She breathed, wanting to trust him, before going to get up and put her trash in the trash, "nothing is ever simple."

When they got back to the Lockwood's later that evening, they kept in silence the whole car ride home, Stefan unsure of what to do or say, whether he should act on Alaric's advise and Payton to be honest was tired of the drama of that day that she didn't even want to talk about anything anymore. She just wanted to go to bed.

Heading into their bedroom, she took off her jacket and laid it over the chair at the vanity table, before going over to the bed to take off her boots, Stefan silently closed the door behind them and turned to look at her, she lifted her head up to him and shone him a small smile.

He lightly smiled back at her, before he said, "come here."

"Why?" She asked taking off one of her boots.

"I just want to hold you." Stefan told her.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Payton couldn't help but ask, as she took off the one one.

"Of course I do! I am sorry about earlier." He apologised once more.

She slowly got up from the bed and came over to him, walking into his arms and laying her head on his chest, closing her eyes and wrapped her arms around his torso as she did. Stefan held onto her tightly, also closing his eyes, loving the feeling of comfort he was getting from this embrace, he should have been making her feel loved today not the opposite.

And that started with getting things off his chest.

"I have to be honest with you." Stefan said after sometime.

Payton opened her eyes and glanced up at him, as his gaze came to meet with her own, she looked back at him with slight worry, "What is it?"

"Come sit," He encouraged, before linking his had with her own and leading her over to the bed, she joined him on the edge of it, looking back at him with more fear, she couldn't help but worry that something bad was wrong, "I need to talk to you about what's been really going on with me."

"What do you mean?" She frowned slightly, feeling bad she hadn't picked up on something sooner, she thought he had been ok and getting back on track.

"You know after my whole humanity switch being turned off and needing sometime to deal with how I felt?" Stefan began.

"Yeah," Payton nodded urging him to go on because the anxiety this conversation was causing her was becoming unpleasant.

"Well, somethings have got better but other things not so much to the point where I am dealing with some new found feelings I didn't have until recently."

"What do you mean? Like cravings?" She presumed.

"No," He shook his head, relief coming over her slightly, even he was relieved that he had been in control of that, "more so emotional ones."

"Like?" Payton looked back at him with curious eyes.

"Anger," Stefan began to recall to her, as he went on, the shame eating away at him, but he pushed it aside to focus on what was important here, "jealousy, paranoia."

"Because of Mason?" She was quick to put the pieces together now after hearing him say that because it seemed to make sense.

He nodded back, "I know I said I didn't have a huge problem with him coming back and him being in your life because I didn't. That was true. But since I have come back, I just feel pissed off at him. I don't get how his feelings for you just vanished or why he stopped trying to get in the middle of us. It just stopped out of nowhere and I know you'll tell me it's because he's a vampire but how can he just get over it?"

"Maybe he hasn't, Stefan," Payton sighed lightly, as she shook her head, "I don't know but surely this is better than what is was, him not getting in the way of us and him being less alpha male."

"But he is still getting in the way of us," Stefan tried to tell her, as she looked back at him slightly confused, "at least that's how I feel anyway."

"Because I asked him to be my manager?" She presumed knowing he had been upset with her about that.

"Not necessarily," He shook his head, trying to explain more, "just how he always sees to pop up in conversation and wants to help you. I guess it just doesn't sit right with me. I guess I question his intentions."

"Stefan," She sighed lightly, feeling bad he had been feeling like this and not telling her, "I don't really know what to say because I don't feel like whatever I say will change how you feel. I mean I could talk to Mason..."

"No, I don't want him to know." Stefan told her straight.

"Alright," Payton nodded in understanding, presuming he wouldn't want him to know because he wouldn't want Mason to feel like he had the upper hand on him, "well what can we do to help this?"

"Get rid of my mother and the heretics so we can have our own place back." He suggested with a small smile.

"That would be ideal," Payton agreed, before going on, "maybe I will talk to Tyler about him. That way it looks like it's come from me but without going directly to the source. I'll see how he's been getting on, whether he talks about anything..."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I want to if it makes you feel better." She tried to convince him otherwise.

"I don't want to make you feel bad though, Payton." He lowered his head guilty.

"Why would I feel bad for wanting to help you?" Payton nudged him slightly to look back at her.

"You'll feel bad when you know more." Stefan mumbled to himself but of course having a girlfriend with vampire hearing she heard him.

"W-what do you mean?" She frowned back.

He slowly lifted his head up and sighed, "I really didn't want to have to tell you this..."

"What?" Payton looked back at him, the unease was growing once more after it had only just gotten down.

"Do you think we've been having sex a lot more recently?" Stefan asked her at first.

Payton couldn't help but chuckle at his question, "Stefan, what the hell?"

"No, seriously," He went on, not finding it as amusing as he was, because he knew if she knew what he wanted to tell her, then she'd feel hurt, "do you?"

"I mean," She flushed slightly at his question, as she went on to say, "I guess so, maybe, yeah? I don't know, have we?" he lowered his head once more, the shame coming back on his face, causing her confusion to grow,"I just thought we were happy and in love. Isn't that what couples do?"

"Not couples where the guy is having different feelings." Stefan remarked sheepish.

Payton looked back at him slightly hurt at what she was hearing, she couldn't help but presume the worst as her once embarrassed expression was replaced with one of puzzle,"What?"

"You know when I came back I told you that part of me enjoyed making you feel weak and having that control over you." He reminded her.

"Yeah?" She said in a quiet tone.

"Well," Stefan breathed, looking back at her now, as he admitted, "I haven't shaken that feeling. I want to make you weak. I want to be in control of you."

Payton was taken back by his admission, she didn't really know how she felt hearing him being so open and honest with her, she almost felt cheated in a way like all the great sex they had been having was a lie, like it wasn't because they were so in love, it was because he wanted her, not because he wanted to make love to her.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to hurt you or you to think differently of me. I've tried to resist you and to push those feelings out but I can't help it. I just want you all the time."

"Stefan," She breathed, shaking her head, not really sure how she felt right now, "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything right now. You can take all the time you need."

"How did this even happen?" Payton asked looking back at him with such confusion.

"Like I said, it was when I came back, everything felt really raw."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She questioned further.

"How was I supposed to? You had just bought the Grill, you were so happy and I didn't want to ruin that by telling you I was having problems with my feelings towards you."

"So do you even love me?" Payton found herself asking with sadness.

"Of course I do!" Stefan made that clear to her, as he reached for her hands, "I love you so much. I just can't...I just can't have sex with you anymore."

"Are you serious?" She looked back at him taken back by his suggestion.

"It's the only possible solution I have for this right now. I've never dealt with this before. I just need to learn to not give into those feelings and once I have then we can go back to what we were before."

"So you're really asking me to stop having sex with you?" Payton repeated back to him, the idea sounding crazy to her right now.

"To stop me from having those feelings, yeah." He nodded back.

"How the hell is that going to work? Stefan, we're around each other all the time, without your problem right now, couples have sex on a regular basis. Surely it's just a normal part of a relationship?" She tried to point out how hard this would be.

"I know and it will be tough but I know we can make it work, right? We both want me to be better, right?"

"Of course!" She nodded, knowing she did want that, but she just didn't see how it could work, "if you seriously think we can do it then..."

"It has to work." He said hopeful because right now he had no idea how he'd stop feeling that way.

"But how I mean I want it to as well but we're two vampires who have heightened sexual desire?"

"We'll just have to work really hard on resisting each other." Stefan shrugged back.

She scoffed, "Alright well how is that going to work when we sleep in the same bed?"

"I'll have to go sleep in Damon's room whilst he's gone." He answered.

Payton looked back at him with slight sadness, it had been a long time since she had slept alone and she always hated it, "Seriously?"

"Afraid so."

"So what can we even talk, kiss or cuddle?" Payton looked back at him unconvinced about this idea.

"Of course we can still talk and cuddle, maybe we can try to kiss, but if it makes us progress further, then I don't know."

"I can't believe this is even happening," She couldn't help but chuckle in shock, even though it was far from funny right now, as she got up from the bed, "I'm on a sex ban."

"It's only until I get rid of these feelings, then we can go back to being us properly." Stefan tried to reassure her.

"I hope you're right." Payton sighed.

That night, Payton went to bed alone and Stefan went to bed in Damon's room which he was no longer using since him and Stefan were pretending they had fallen out and Damon had left town, when really he was just staying at Alaric's to try play Lily. It felt lonely being in this big house with him through in another room not being able to sleep beside him, feel that safety and knowing he was right there.

It almost felt like they had gone back in time to when Payton and Stefan were just friends, the best of friends and she used to sleep in one of the guest rooms and not his bed. But this felt way worse than that, because all she wanted was him there, beside her and all Stefan wanted to do was jump in right next to her, keeping her warm and safe.

Payton found herself tossing and turning until 3am, the lack of Stefan beside her, worries about her Dad and that stone, wondering if Matt was doing alright after what had happened to him, concerns about Caroline and how she was holding up, freaking out about how they were going to get rid of the heretics and go back to normal, so much was on her mind.

Reaching for her phone on her night stand, she brought it out and found herself typing out a text to Stefan.

I miss you so much.

Hitting send, the sighed lightly, before laying her cell phone down on the mattress next to her, knowing he might have very much been asleep, but there was a slight chance he might not be and he might be thinking of her to.

She lay there for another hour, checking her phone every so often, before she began to give into the tiredness she felt and she drifted off.

The next morning when she woke up, her bed was still empty, her phone still beside her as she groggily picked it up and saw that she hadn't heard back from Stefan at all in the night. Payton wondered if he was still sleeping so that's why he hadn't gotten back to her yet. Grabbing her sweater out of her closet, Payton threw it over her pyjama shorts and camisole, before leaving the bedroom and heading downstairs.

Coming through into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Stefan sat up the counter top, writing in his journal, a coffee cup in front of him, "Oh morning," He greeted her with a nervous smile, knowing that last night had been tense after their conversation, they hadn't really said much after it, they just sat in silence, not really sure what to say, "do you want some coffee?"

"Uh yeah, coffee's great, thanks," Payton nodded back at him, slightly confused, as she hopped up onto the seat beside him when he went to grab her a cup, "how long have you been up?"

"A couple of hours." He answered pouring the steaming liquid into a cup.

"Did you not get my text?" She wondered.

"Uh, no. I think I've lost my phone," Stefan admitted as he turned round to face, bringing the coffee over to her, "I don't know if I lost it at the Grill yesterday after talking to Damon on it or whether I lost it back at the boarding house."

"How come you didn't realise last night?" Payton said slightly surprised he hadn't realised it had gone missing sooner she always had her cell phone on her.

"I guess I didn't really think about it with everything going on."

"Well do you think we should go look for it? You can't be without one!" She took the coffee cup from him as he stood beside her.

"Yeah let's swing by the Grill first and hope it's there because if it's at the boarding house I have no idea how I'm going to get it back when I couldn't even get Caroline."

"We'll find it." Payton assured him.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her.

"Not well," She admitted with a light sigh, laying her cup onto the counter, "I could barely get any sleep at first then I finally crashed just after 3am. I was hoping you were going to come join me and give in."

Stefan smiled lightly, "It was tempting."

A little while later after grabbing some breakfast, having their first blood ration for the day and getting ready, they headed over to the Grill to go look for Stefan's cell phone.

"You know I could just call it right and we'd be able to find it easier?" Payton suggested after she had unlocked the door and allowed him to go on through first.

"Yeah I know. I guess I'm just wishful thinking that it will just be sat at the bar." He said going over to where they had stood.

"You and I both." She grumbled coming over to join him.

"Ring it," Stefan said when he failed to find it anywhere around the bar, "hopefully it hasn't died of battery."

Payton brought her cell phone out of her pocket, going to hit his name and pressing the call button, she brought it up to her ear and thankfully it began to ring, "it's ringing."

They both listened intently to try hear if it was anywhere around, but it wasn't, the Grill was completely silent, Payton was about to give up and hang up the call, when someone picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" A famaliar voice answered down the end of it.

"Oh my god," Payton gasped when she realised it was Caroline, confirming Stefan's theory that he had left it behind at the house, "Caroline!"

The girl quickly put her friend on loud speaker as Stefan came over to talk them, "Payton?" Caroline beamed back in relief to hear a friendly voice.

"How do you have my phone right now?" Stefan asked although he clearly knew why she had it.

"You must have dropped it when you got threshold-vacuumed out of here yesterday."

"How are you?" Payton found herself asking, knowing she hadn't spoken to the girl in days because of her capture, it was so good to hear her voice, "are you doing okay?"

"Well, I'm spelled into your room by a menagerie of mean girls," Caroline informed them both, "but other than that..."

"We're still trying to figure out a way to get in the house." Stefan told her.

"Uh, I'll be fine," The blonde tried to reassure them down the line, as she went on, "just keep Damon from killing any more heretics."

"I will." Stefan assured her even though Payton was skeptical about it especially with Matt and Bonnie's anger also coming into the mix along with her own.

"Stefan's trying to convince Lily that she hates Damon's guts and proves that she's made a point." Payton added.

"Who's Valerie Tulle?" Caroline suddenly asked out of nowhere.

"Who?" Payton was quick to answer, before she looked over at her boyfriend, who looked just as confused.

"Stefan wrote about her in his journal in 1863. She must have found a copy in the prison world."

"Are you talking about one of the heretics?" Stefan presumed with a deep frown.

"Yeah. Dirty blonde hair. Blue eyes. She's one of my new pyscho housemates."

Payton was about to question her further, when they suddenly heard the sound of Caroline's groans, sounding like the girl was in pain and danger, "Caroline?" Payton asked with concern.

"Caroline?" Stefan then asked when they heard a sound of commotion, Caroline's grunts followed suit, before the line suddenly went dead.

"What the hell!" Payton exclaimed as she ended the call and went to go ring back, but Stefan stopped her.

"We don't want her to get punished more for talking with us." He tried to warn her laying his hands over her own.

Feeling his touch on her skin, made her look up at him through her lashes, the feelings of confusion and concern wiped away instantly, as their eyes met together, she felt a familiar warmth hit the pit of her stomach, her chest tighten as she looked deeply into his eyes, Stefan could feel the connection between the two growing and he knew if he didn't break it, then it would lead to one thing.

"We can't..." He breathed, closing his eyes and lowering his head.

Payton sighed lightly at the reminder as she was brought back down to reality, as she shook her head and went to head for the door, "let's head home."

Coming out the back way to where they had parked the car before, Payton and Stefan found herself frowning when she saw Lily stood right beside their car, looking at the two cars in front of her, one that belonged to her was crashed into Stefan's, a slight dent was on her car where the cars had collided.

Payton glanced over at Stefan, waiting for his reaction to the fact his mother had gone into his car.

"You can take my town, you can destory my house, but you will not touch my car." Stefan remarked to his mother, coming down the steps to his mother.

Payton slowly followed behind, as Lilly looked between the two and said, "Good morning, Stefan and Payton."

"What are you doing?" Her son asked her curiously.

"I was out practicising my driving and saw an opportunity to work on my parallel parking." Lily responded, looking down at the tire that was now letting out air.

"That doesn't look good." Payton found herself saying upon seeing the tire going flat.

"Must have run over a nail or something. The streets around here are a disgrace." Lily commented.

"Listen, you need to tell those spoiled brats living in my house to stop torturing Caroline." Stefan warned his mother, after their phone call with the girl moments before.

"Of course. As soon as you tell your brother to stop killing said spoiled brats." His mother responded.

"Damon and I aren't speaking right now." Stefan lied to her.

"Really?" Lily said with surprise, not expecting that.

"We have no idea where he is. I guess I should thank you for finally getting Damon to leave town and leave us all alone." Payton found herself adding the lie, wanting to help Stefan.

"Then I will give a lecture to the girls on their manners." Lily promised them.

"Is one of those girls named Valerie Tulle?" Stefan questioned her, causing Payton to raise her brows up in confusion.

"I was wondering when you might put those pieces together," Lily said back to him, only causing Payton to grow more confused as to what or whom they were going on about, "I knew Valeria years before you did. She worked in my tb ward. After I turned, I took her under my wing. If memory serves me, you didn't meet her until 1863."

"How would you know I met her?" Stefan frowned with a puzzled look.

"Who the hell is this Valerie?" Payton interrupted, not liking where this conversation was.

She had been confused earlier on when Caroline had brought it up, but she hadn't thought that much into because Caroline had given them anymore information and Stefan had looked confused, but now she was looking at her boyfriend, she could almost see her knew more than he had first thought.

She had a horrible feeling about this. Payton felt her concerned and jealous instinct kick in almost immediately.

Who was this girl?

They both ignored her as Lilly answered, "Because, Stefan, I sent her to you."

"Why did you send Valerie to me?" Stefan quizzed her further.

"Like any mother longing for her children. I was in a black hole of depression. Yes, Stefan. I'm more than the cold-hearted snake you and your brother wished me to be. It took me a long time to get over losing you. Anyway, I had been invited to travel to Europe with a vampire gentleman friend of mind. But I refused to leave until I knew that my boys were ok."

Stefan scoffed slightly in amusement, "A gentleman friend," he repeated, as Payton continued to listen in with confusion and worry, "you had a boyfriend?"

"His name was Julian." Lily informed her son, who raised his brows disapprovingly, "what? You're acting as if that's absurd."

"Well, your first husband shot and killed his own son, so you'll have to excuse me if I don't trust your type," Stefan answered.

"Julian was nothing like your father." Lily corrected him sternly.

"No," Stefan shook his head dryly, before going on to say, "what was he, a nebbishy banker, town butcher perhaps?"

"Julian was the man you are not supposed to fall for, so of course I did." Lily continued on.

"Hello?" Payton interrupted once more, her unease getting the better of her looking between them both with folded arms, "isn't anyone going to tell me who the hell Valerie is?"

A little while later, Payton found herself in the back of Lily's car after Stefan managed to help her with the tyre and then allowed her to persuade them to join her on a drive. Payton was confused and just wanting to know who the hell this Valerie was and what she had to do with Stefan, but Stefan was more concerned about finding out answers from his mother.

He knew he would be able to support Payton through this once he knew more.

"No, no, no. Keep the car on this side of the road." Stefan told his mother, leaning over to guide her away with the steering wheel.

Lilly did as she was told before she went on, "Valerie never told me about your romance."

"Wait," Payton found herself exclaiming from the back, a deep frown forming in fore-head, "you and this Valerie were in love?!"

Stefan lowered his head slightly in embarrassment, whilst Lily smiled to herself, "is it hard to believe Stefan has had other romances over the years?"

"No, but..." She trailed off, thinking this was just going into other conversations they shouldn't have been having, she didn't want to know about his exes.

Elena, Katherine and Rebekah had been enough. She didn't want to hear more about this Valerie.

"Well, Valerie never told me that you were alive." Stefan said to his mother.

"Would it have mattered?" She questioned back.

"Is that a real question?" Stefan looked back at her with a serious look.

"She told me that you'd forgotten all about me. She said you had moved on and that was the only way I was able to move on as well."

"My mother was practically ripped out of my arms and sent to a tb ward. You don't move on from that." Stefan told her honestly with a painful tone.

Payton felt herself sinking back in her heart, her once confusion and somewhat jealousy being pushed aside as she was hit with a wave of sadness for Stefan, for what he had been through, what his mother had put him through, all of it sounded so bad and she was so grateful that even though she barely saw her Dad growing up and her Mom always pushed her away from her Dad, Payton still had a good childhood.

"You find distractions." Stefan added, turning his head to look out the window.

After some tense silence had come over them, Stefan finally turned his head to look back at his mother, who was already staring back at him with a faint smile, when he saw that she wasn't looking at the road, he went to say, "no, no, no. Keep your eyes on the road. Make a left here. It will take us back into town."

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Lilly asked her son.

"No," Stefan shook his head, as he went on, "I mean, it doesn't matter. Obviously, it was all a lie, right?"

Payton suddenly felt the atmosphere quickly change as she braced herself in the back seat, as a Lilly confused asked, "What do you mean?

"Well, Valerie was using me." Stefan answered.

"No, no," Valerie wouldn't have hurt you," Lily tried to tell him, as she pressed, "because that would have hurt me as well."

"Hmm," Stefan hummed before he went on to say, "did it ever occur to you that maybe Valerie doesn't give a crap about you or anyone else?"

"I don't believe that." Lily said back.

"No?" He looked at her, as he thought back to his memories, "how about the part where she sent me a telegram saying she was coming back?"

"She what?" Lily was stunned to hear this.

"She said she wanted to run away with me. Her telegram said to meet her Friday at noon. I showed up two hours early. Sat around all day like an idiot," Stefan retold with a slight scoff, as Payton felt a weird feeling come over her, "but she never showed. So yeah, I guess you could say I'm wondering what the whole point was."

"Surely you're still not angry with her?" His mother asked.

Stefan glanced back out the window as he answered, "It was 150 years ago."

When they arrived back to town, Lilly offered to Stefan the chance to see Valerie again, at first he had been skeptical about seeing her again, especially after all of this time and the fact she had hurt him when he was a younger man, but she convinced him that it would be closure for both him and Valerie on the situation.

Payton wasn't sure how she felt about it because it just didn't sit right with her allowing his ex he hadn't seen in centuries come here and talk to him about unresolved feelings. It made her feel physically sick at the thought. She thought she had gotten rid of the threat of him being linked to someone else but here they were back at square one.

But despite how she felt, she tried to act mature and supportive, knowing he would do the same for her and he had done the same for her when Mason had first come back it's been more recently he's struggled, but she wanted to try be the best person right now.

Once Lilly had driven home and Payton had gone back into the Grill with Stefan, neither of them wanting to return back with this now up in the air, she poured them both a glass of bourbon and she said, "So this Valerie, she was your first?"

"Uh, yeah." He nodded, holding his glass in his hands.

"Wow," Payton drew in a breathe, as she tried to process this information, "it's weird to hear that. I mean, not that I didn't think you had a first because everyone has a first, but I guess I've always known you to either have Katherine chasing after you or you to be madly in love with Elena. I guess it's just different for me to hear that there were others."

Stefan nodded in understanding, sensing her unease, as he went on to say, respecting her decision to be understanding, because he knew she wasn't happy inside right now, so he tried to to be the same back, "I guess it's different for you though. Mason was your first and you have a positive experience from that."

"Yeah, I guess do" She looked back at him with a small smile, this time she appreciated his comment, especially after how he had felt lately, "even though he died, then came back from the dead and things were a little bad at first, now I can say that I guess I'll always be able to say my first was a good one."

"I want to respect my mothers wishes as much as I can so that we can get Caroline back." He informed her, taking a sip from his drink.

"So you're going to go meet this Valerie?" Payton looked back at him uneasily.

"Would you be ok with that?" He asked.

"It's not really up to me, is it?"

"I want to make sure you're okay with it though. This affects you too." Stefan leant across and took her hand in his own.

"It doesn't matter what I want though. This is your life way before me. All I can do is put on a brave face and support you." Payton tried to convince herself and him.

"Do you want to come with me?" He suggested.

"Honestly," She drew in a shake breathe, "the thought of seeing you and her together makes me feel physically sick so I'd rather not."

"Fair enough." Stefan nodded in understanding before downing the rest of his drink.


Author note: Thanks so much for sticking around and reading this part :) I so appreciate it!

Special thanks to Djone246 for reviewing the last part. Your reviews always make my day so thank you sooo much!

I'd love to know your thoughts on this one.

Stefan and Payton are on a sex ban? 😳

Should Payton overreact and worry about Valerie?

Thanks so much.

Best wishes always,

guiltypleasurexo