Stefan had dropped her back so she could didn't have to be around when he met up with Valerie that day, she went straight to the liquor as she came on through the Lockwood home, Matt, Tyler and Mason were playing video games, picking up on a weird vibe coming from the girl and even more so when she came through with a whole bottle of bourbon in her hand.
She threw herself down on the couch in between Matt and Mason, Payton unscrewed the lid and took a large swig out of the bottle, the three guys anxiously looked away from the TV screen, between each other in confusion and then on the girl that had now joined them.
"Everything good?" Tyler asked her as she finished her mouthful of bourbon with a slight wince.
"Obviously not." She grumbled back.
"Want to talk about it?" Mason offered thinking it was the least they could do right now.
"Nope." Payton rubbed her lips together, before taking another swig from the bottle.
"Pay, come on..." Matt tried to encourage her to put the drink down and talk to them, because if not, this could really rewind time to the days when she used to down herself in drink and then break down.
"I don't want to talk about it!" She protested.
"Where's Stefan?" Tyler asked knowing the two of them had gone out earlier on together.
"Exactly who and what I don't want to talk about it!" Payton grumbled back, taking another large amount from the bottle.
"You guys fallen out?" Matt presumed.
"No," She shook her head, before sighing, "just someone else trying to break us I suppose."
"Who?" Mason was quick to answer, knowing he had been one of the one's before, he hoped Stefan hadn't been spreading stuff about him that wasn't true.
"It doesn't matter," Payton dismissed them, as she got onto her feet, "I need some air."
Payton took the bottle with her as she left the room, the three men looked between each other again, "Someone needs to go after her." Matt warned, knowing if they didn't, it would just end in disaster at the rate she was going.
"I'll go talk to her." Mason suggested, going to get up.
"No way man! You're her ex boyfriend and there's no way in hell you should be the one talking to her about her current boyfriend." Matt pointed out to him.
"No offence man but you also had feelings for the girl and tried to hit on her several times." Mason reminded the younger guy unhelpfully.
"Christ sake!" Tyler hissed at the two of them, as he threw the controller down onto the couch and went to get up, "I'll talk to her."
Tyler went and found Payton sitting on the steps out the back, she was still swinging from the bottle when Tyler appeared down beside her, "They sent you, huh?" She remarked.
"I thought you'd have less awkwardness with me." He shrugged back.
"You've never been one to confide in me unless it was about Mason or Klaus." Payton explained.
"Or Caroline." Tyler added.
"And Caroline." She repeated.
"Who's getting in the way this time?" He asked her up front.
"Some physco heretic from the 1800's." Payton grumbled back.
"Wait one of the heretics wants Stefan?"
"God know's what she wants! But he's there now meeting with her to find out what she wants. He met her when he was a human. She was his first love." Payton explained back with bitterness in her voice.
"Surely the guy would be crazy to go back to someone he barely remembers?" Tyler looked back at her in amazement.
"Well, I'd like to hope so but somehow there is always something in the damn way." She sighed.
"Look, Payton, for a long time, I was so sure you and Mason would find a way back to each other, but you and Stefan are pretty damn solid with everything you've been through. I'm sure this heretic chick isn't going to ruin that. We hate them. They hate us. There is no way Stefan would ruin this for that." He tried to tell her.
"I guess I don't have much confidence in myself."
"You should. All three of us here right now can vouch for that." Tyler nudged his arm with her own.
She lightly smiled back at him in gratitude, as she went on, "how are you finding life here?"
"Not leaving the house often, doing sweet nothing, getting drunk and psyching myself up for the full moon, it's not exactly been the worst, but it could be better."
"What about Mason?" Payton asked.
"I have no idea. The guy hates supernatural drama. You know that. I think he's afraid to get involved incase he gets killed again like the last time he was alive."
"This is going to sound a really weird question," She began to say to him, knowing it was better now than never, "but do you know if he still likes me?"
"Why do you ask that?" Tyler questioned her quickly not understanding where that had suddenly come from.
"It's just..." Payton sighed, knowing she couldn't tell Tyler the truth, he would just tell Mason, so she had to act, "I guess with more time to think, I've been wondering just how quickly he seemed to just move on when he was finding it so hard before."
"I guess it was the whole vampire thing?" Tyler suggested, as he went on, "but honestly I don't know, Payton. If I'm honest, he doesn't really talk about you anymore."
"Oh." She was a little surprised to hear this, but it still didn't give her much clarity to assure Stefan with, but that was the least of her problems.
"Are you going to come back inside?" He asked her.
"Can I join in your little game?" Payton replied.
"If you give me the bottle, then yeah." Tyler nodded back.
"Deal." She agreed, as she handed him over the bottle and then he held out his spare hand to her, the girl put her hand in his own and allowed him to help her onto his feet.
When Stefan got back a little while later, Payton was in the kitchen clearing away their food since they all got kind of hungry and decided to make pizza's, they were still sitting in the sitting room playing games, so Payton went to make herself a coffee whilst she cleared everything away, she felt content being with the guys and having a distraction whilst Stefan was gone.
But now he was back, she knew she had to face the music with him.
At the sound of the kitchen door swinging open, she turned her head round to see Stefan walking through it, he looked sheepish to see her there and she looked just as nervous to see him.
"Hi." He greeted her in a soft tone.
"Hey." She said back to him putting the tea towel down on the counter.
"How are you getting on?" Stefan asked thinking it was the least he could do after today.
"Yeah fine, we had pizza and played games," Payton shrugged back, as she went to go pick up her coffee she had made a few moments before, "it's been alright."
"That's good," He nodded back, as he went to explain, "uh, Valerie never showed."
Payton snapped her head round to him in total shock, "What? She didn't?"
"Nope," Stefan confirmed, as he came more into the room, "I waited and I waited. But she didn't show up. So I don't know whether it was Lily playing me or she just didn't have the guts to face me."
"Probably both," She couldn't help but remark, shaking her head at her bitterness, "how do you feel about that?"
"Well, I don't really know what to think." He admitted to her honestly.
"Ok." Payton breathed, going to sip her coffee with her unease now growing once more.
"But I do know that I am sorry."
"I appreciate that," She nodded back, before going on, "I mean it's just another person getting in the way, right?"
"I hope not." He tried to tell her.
"You and I both," Payton grumbled, laying her coffee cup back down, before she went off on one,"I mean Elena was hard enough, having to deal with the fact you had feelings for her and probably always will, but hey let's just throw in your first love from hundreds of years ago to make my insecurities a hell lot worse and my fear of losing you."
"Look, Payton, I was just a kid when I met Valerie, just a troubled boy mourning his dead Mom. I was young and human." Stefan tried to convince her that he wasn't about to jump ship to be with a women he had met when he was just a teenager.
"Even so feelings change. She could have been the lover you always wanted but couldn't have and now you get the chance to." She theorised.
Stefan couldn't help but scoff at her assumption, "I don't think so."
"Well I do!" Payton snapped back, not directing her anger at him but more so the world, "this is always going to happen! The damn universe trying to get the doppleganger to find love in anyone but me."
"Things have changed, Payton," He came over to her and was now standing in front of her, "different circumstances, different results. We have been through so much, have dealt with so many people trying to get in the way and yet here we are. We're here, aren't we?"
Payton looked back at him with sadness in her eyes, as she slowly nodded, "I guess so."
"I don't care about the past. I don't wonder about Valerie and if she would have shown up. I don't think about the feelings I had for Elena because she's my friend now. All I care is that you're here with me, the two of us, together. That you're safe. And you're with me. That you're happy."
"Do you mean that?" She asked him for assurance.
"Of course I do," He assured her, bringing his hands up to cup her face, "I love you, Payton. I wouldn't have proposed to you if I didn't, would I?"
"I guess not," Payton smiled lightly, as she laid her hand over his, "I love you too. I don't want to lose you."
"You won't," Stefan promised her, before he pulled her into him, "you'll always have me."
"You'll always have me if you'll let me." She half joked, snuggling into him closer.
"I don't think I can argue with that." He smirked.
Payton looked up at him, smirking back at him before reaching up and planting a light kiss on his lips, "Even when life is hard you make it seem worth it."
"I just want to make you happy."
"You do," She breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck, "sometimes," she teased, causing him to chuckle back at her, "when you're not pissing me off!"
"Which is a daily basis it seems at the moment." He tried to make light of the situation.
"I'm sorry I get cranky!" Payton apologised.
"It's fine," Stefan laid his hands on her waist, bringing her closer again and resting his forehead against her own, "I can deal with a cranky, Payton."
"Just not a drunk one." She laughed.
"That is always a challenge I will admit."
"You're lucky. Tyler stopped me from nearly downing a whole bottle of bourbon earlier on." Payton informed him.
"Well I'm glad Tyler saved me a job of having to put your drunken ass to bed."
"The fact you won't even join me in bed means I don't think you'll be putting me to bed anytime soon." She reminded him.
"Don't remind me." He planted a kiss on her lips.
"I could barely sleep last night without you." Payton sighed.
"Why don't I stay with you until you drift off tonight?" Stefan suggested.
"That would be nice," She breathed, before kissing him again, she couldn't help it, she liked being close with him, "should we go up now?"
"It's not even 6pm yet." He chuckled lightly.
"I know but I just want to be alone with you in the comfort of our room." Payton smiled hazily at him.
"Alright, c'mon," Stefan took her hand in his own, before leading her over to the door to leave the kitchen, "let's go."
When they got upstairs, they laid down on the bed, Payton was staring up at the ceiling when she found herself saying, "Hey, I was thinking..."
"What?" He turned his head to look at her on the pillow.
"Well since you're struggling to control yourself around me maybe I should just take control." Payton suggested, turning her head to meet his with a mischievous look.
"What do you mean?" Stefan frowned.
"Well you said you're having a problem with wanting to control me and make me feel weak. Maybe I should be doing the same to you."
"What like you take control?" He found himself smirking slightly.
"Yeah," She nodded back, unable to hide her own smirk now, "I mean, maybe it will help put you back in your place."
"If you think it might work, then I'm not going to complain." Stefan began to chuckle.
"Oh it will work!" Payton said confidently, before she hopped off the bed.
"Where are you going?" He wondered especially after that conversation he was feeling excited.
"Oh I'm not going to do it now," She teased him, going over to grab her bathrobe, "I'm going to go take a shower."
"Can't I join?" Stefan said suggestively with a naughty look in his eye.
"Definitely not," Payton smirked back, as she went to head to the door and go locate the bathroom just down the hall, "but you better prepare yourself in the meantime."
A couple of hours later, Stefan was breathing heavily as Payton flopped down on the bed beside him, also feeling slightly breathless and flushed after putting their little experiment to the test, so far so good, Stefan had been pretty hard to tame at first, that side of him that wanted to take control and have her screaming out to have it his way, but Payton's stubbornness and persistence as she put him back in his place several times.
"I need a drink after that." Stefan found himself saying as he turned to look at her.
"Was I really that bad?" She laughed back.
"No," He shook his head, going to take her hand in his own, "I just mean I need a refreshment."
"Yeah I could do with one too," Payton nodded in agreement, before swinging her legs out of the bed, "although I always hate going back downstairs to see the guys after having our moments together."
"Why?" Stefan smiled as he followed her out of the bed, getting dressed as he did.
"Well," She turned round to look at him, "I guess I wonder if they heard us, I hope they don't, but two out of three have supernatural hearing so."
"I'm sure they don't!" He tried to assure her, but the thought had also crossed his mind.
Payton was about to grab a sweater to throw over shorts and t-shirt, when her cell phone began to ring, causing her to go over to her night stand and retrieve it, "Your phone is calling me."
"It must be Caroline!" Stefan exclaimed wondering if the girl was alright.
Payton quickly answered it and put it on loud speaker, "Caroline?"
"Hey! I'm free!" The girl announced to them in a forced cheery tone, clearly she was feeling exhausted from her days of kidnapping.
"Thank god!" Payton breathed in relief, as she shared a warm smile with Stefan, "are you ok?"
"Yeah how did you get out?" Stefan wondered.
"Lily let me go." Caroline answered simply.
Payton found herself frowning over at her boyfriend, wondering how it was so easy for the woman to just let the girl go so randomly, "She did?"
"Yeah she did," Caroline responded back to her friend, before going on, "did you find out more about this Valerie?"
"Uh, yeah we did." Stefan answered awkwardly at the reminder of the girl again as well as Payton's insecurities around it as his girlfriend fell silent.
"So what do you think?" Caroline asked.
Payton looked down at her lap not wanting to have to go into this and to be honest neither did Stefan, "We think nothing of it. It was the past and it stays in the past."
"Yeah I really don't want to have this conversation," Payton was then quick to jump in before asking, "do you need us to come get you or anything? Do you want to crash here?"
"Uh, no, it's fine," She said back to them, clearly picking up on the unease from her friends, "I'm going to go see Bonnie at Whitmore so I'll catch you guys later."
"Alright, well as long as you're okay..." Payton said back suddenly feeling bad they hadn't done more.
"All good," Caroline assured them, before bidding them farewell, "catch you later."
The next morning, Payton was busy doing the laundry since the other four men she lived with seemed to think now there was a woman around the house they would her do everything, which in someways she didn't really mind because she liked looking after them, but at the same time, she didn't want them to take advantage of her.
She was just carrying a basket full of clean laundry through the hall, when the front door opened and she turned her head round to see Damon coming on through.
"Damon?" Payton said with surprise, turning her full body round now to look at him, "I didn't know you were coming back."
"Well, I had a slight issue so." Damon replied coming straight out of it not even wanting to beat around the bush.
"When don't you?" She sighed rolling her eyes as she did, before going to ask, "do I want to know?"
"Probably not." He flashed her a fake smile.
"Great!" Payton shook her head, before going to lay the basket down, "I'll go get Stefan and let him know you're back."
Payton jogged up the stairs and went straight over to their bedroom, Stefan had just finished having a shower and was getting dressed when Payton walked in, he saw the look of confusion on her face when she came into the room to talk to him.
"What's up?" He questioned her.
"Damon's here," Payton explained to him, before going on, "and he has a problem."
"When doesn't he?" Stefan sighed repeating exactly what Payton had said moments before as he quickly threw on a t-shirt.
"Exactly what I said!" She gave him a look, before shaking her head, "I said I'd go find you."
"Well I'm not looking forward to this." He remarked.
"You and I both," Payton sighed, as Stefan came over to her, he instantly wrapped his arm around her, "maybe we should just forget about all of this and go to that secret cabin in the woods you took me to."
"Now that would be a good idea." Stefan smiled back at her and at the memory, before he lead her out of the room, his arm still around her.
Coming down the stairs, Stefan went on ahead and went to go locate Damon, Payton slowly followed behind, debating whether to give the guys some space or whether to be there to put Damon in his place and support Stefan, knowing his brother could sometimes lead him stray, it had happened the other day with the whole Matt thing and she wouldn't let it happen again.
As they grew closer to finding Damon, who surprise-surprise was in the study of the Lockwood home, a disgusting smell of a decomposing body filled Payton's nostrils causing her to scrunch her face up in disgust, "What the hell is that smell?" She grumbled.
Stefan came through to the study first, also not enjoying the smell and not liking it even more when he spotted a dead vampire sitting in the leather arm chair, Payton pulled a disgusted look when she came on through to see the sight, she shouldn't have expected anything less from Damon, but this was a sight she would never get used to.
"Jesus Christ!" Payton remarked, as they came on through, but she went to stand in the far corner trying to block out the smell and the sight, "what the hell happened?"
Stefan shook his head, trying to understand how this could even happen, Damon had gone away to do one job and yet he couldn't even do that without screwing up, he had called yet another one of the heretics, Oscar, now they would be back at square one again with Lily after slightly progressing so far, who would be taken next or worse because of Damon?
He hoped it wouldn't be Payton. He couldn't lose her. No way.
"How the hell did you let this happen?" Stefan questioned his brother with his hand firmly on hip and the other motioning to the dead vampire in front of him.
"Don't even think about blaming this on me! I'm not the one that unscrewed his heart!" Damon defended himself with folded arms.
"What? So you didn't kill this guy?" Payton found herself questioning from across the room in surprise at what she was really hearing.
"No, he may not have but he was still just the one who chased him down, kidnapped him and are still technically holding him hostage." Stefan pointed out in a very angry tone.
"To get Elena back." Damon protested his innocence to them.
"And how's that working out for you?" Stefan retorted back, before he went on, not even giving his older brother a chance this time, "because she's in more danger than ever because you won't let her rest!"
"You spend one day with Mommy dearest and now you're on her side?" Damon grumbled back in disbelief.
"He isn't on anyone's side." Payton tried to stick up for her boyfriend.
"Stay out of this, surf girl." Damon snapped back at her.
"Are you seriously going to keep calling me that?" She grumbled back at him.
"Leave Payton alone," Stefan told his brother, before he went on to explain, "can't you see what's happening here? You can't be with Elena so you're making all your bad decisions about Elena."
Damon blinked back at his brother, remaining silent, something inside of him knew Stefan was onto something there, but he didn't want to admit it or give his brother the satisfaction, so instead he pointed down to Oscar, "we need to get rid of this body!"
"No, no, no," Stefan held his hands up in dismissal of the idea and he corrected him, "you need to get rid of this body."
A little while later, Payton watched Damon drag Oscar's dead body across the hall of the Lockwood home, "Oh my god, you cannot be serious right now!" Payton found herself complaining, hoping none of the guys would rise anytime soon to see this.
"I'm getting rid of the body, aren't I?" Damon tried to tell her in a dry tone.
"Where are you even going to take it?" She asked just as Stefan then appeared this time carrying a coffee.
"I'm going to take it over to Ric's."
"Wait," Payton shook her head, not liking the idea of this, "do you really think my Dad wants a dead vampire in his apartment?"
"He has no choice!" Damon grumbled back.
"Well, if you're taking him there, I'm going with you." She said not wanting her Dad to somehow be dragged into this mess and her not being there to protect him.
"Don't you have chores to do?" Damon mocked her as he arrived at the front door with the body.
Payton scoffed at his remark, "And don't you have anything better to do than going around making things worse for us all?"
"We'll come with you, Damon," Stefan said trying to calm this situation, knowing if neither of them weren't careful, things would just get ugly, "I'll help you put Oscar into the car."
Damon nodded his head, as he opened the door and Stefan came over to Payton, he got her to look at him, as he cupped her face in his hands, picking up on her unease, "it will be okay."
"I swear if he drags my Dad into his mess more than he already has..." She said with warning as she eased into him.
"I promise you I won't let that happen." Stefan assured her before planting a kiss on her lips and then going to go help his brother.
Payton sighed as she watched him walk over to help Damon, causing her to go grab her jacket and cell phone, knowing today was going to be a long day.
When they got to the Whitmore campus a little while later, Payton was reminded that today was actually the halloween party at Whitmore to celebrate halloween, she remembered Caroline telling her about it the other day and Alaric had mentioned how his students had already been pestering him to join the party which was a heaven and hell ball.
Thankfully walking across campus to Alaric's apartment with a dead vampire corpse in their arms didn't look that out of place today with people already walking round in the costumes trying to get the party started early. To the outside world, it looked like they were getting in the party spirit with their friend who dressed up as a corpse, unaware that it was actually a real life one.
Payton brought out the spare key she had for her Dad's apartment, before ushering the brothers inside so that they could get the body out of broad daylight, she walked on through seeing them struggling to carry the body over to the couch. She would have to remind her Dad to get the cushions and throw on the couch dry cleaned because there was no way in hell he would be happy knowing a dead vampire was laying out on them.
"Careful!" Payton complained when she saw them nearly knock something off the coffee table.
"Would you relax?" Damon spat back clearly tired of the girl's presence that day but she wasn't going anywhere whilst this was happening in her Dad's apartment.
They went to go throw him down on the couch, when there was suddenly a very loud knock at the door, Payton snapped her head round in horror wondering who the hell was there, she knew it wouldn't be her Dad, because he had keys to his own place and was teaching right now.
"Damon?" The sound of a female British accent called through the other side of the door, causing Payton to snap her head back round to look at the brothers in fear, knowing just whom it was behind it, "I know you're here! Open up!"
Quickly Damon motioned for Payton to come take the body, causing Payton to shudder slightly as she linked her arm over Oscar's and with the help of her boyfriend, she used all of her vampire strength to quickly move his body through into the bathroom, whilst Damon slowly began to wonder over to the door as the knocking got louder.
Payton grabbed a dirty sheet out of the laundry basket in the bathroom, motioning over to the window for the two of them to hoist Oscar out of it, knowing if they didn't, they would notice the guys body once the heretics came inside, quickly she helped her boyfriend wrap it around him and then they hung him from the window, knowing that no one would suspect anything and would just presume it was just a halloween decoration.
Quickly hurrying out of the bathroom, Payton pulled the door slightly to, just as one of the heretics was demanding "Damon, open the..."
And right on time, Damon flung the door open and flashed the two female heretics a fake welcoming smile, as Payton chucked herself onto the couch and Stefan stood next to her leaning against the arm of the chair, both of them trying to act casual.
"Hello..." Damon went to greet the two women, before they made their own way inside, not even bothering to greet him back, "...oh hello..."
"University housing..." The blonde one remarked about Alaric's apartment knowing from Lily that Damon was staying there, "how lovely."
"How sad." The other added in a dry tone.
"Not as sad as being exiled here by your own mother," The blonde mocked Damon, before she looked between the three of them, "Lily must have had the wrong address for the hostage exchange."
"Hmm." Stefan hummed back in agreement as Payton nodded backing up her boyfriend and his brother.
"Where's Oscar?" The blonde demanded.
"You just missed him." Damon tried to lie pointing over to the door.
"You reek of blood." The other heretic who was brunette pointed out.
"Well I've been..." Damon went to say but Payton interjected.
"He's been binging!" She told them.
"And I've been judging!" Stefan back the two of them up once more.
"Yeah me too." Payton rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Yeah." Damon forced a smile back on his lips.
The brunette suddenly spun around and picked up one of Alaric's vases, causing Payton to find herself slowly standing up in caution, not letting anyone or anything coming in here and destroying her Dad's space or his things.
Stefan could sense the tension rise in the air and also knew that if Payton wasn't careful, that anger she had been warning about would be rising to the surface, so he quickly laid his hand on the small of her back, hoping it would at least bring her some comfort.
"Not going to find him in there." Stefan tried to warn the heretic.
Hearing the sound of the vase shatter seconds later, Payton went to step forward and go give the girl a piece of her mind, but Stefan managed to hold her back, as Damon grumbled at the sound of the pieces hitting the floor below his feet.
"Your girlfriend seems awfully raged." The brunette smirked over at Payton.
"I wouldn't have too be so awfully raged if you didn't think about destroying my Dad's place." She grumbled back at her.
"Look, I get it. Okay, you got me," Damon quickly interrupted, knowing if he didn't, Payton would just be easy game to the heretics, they would have a real good time aggravating the girl, which would only make this worse, especially when the brunette smashed something else of Alaric's, causing Stefan to tightening his hold on Payton, "Oscar turned the tables and knocked me out and he took off."
Stefan managed to grab a photo frame off the coffee table that was a picture of Alaric and Payton from when she was a little girl, he would hold his girl back, but he would also protect her and that also meant protecting her wishes, meaning he wasn't going to let the brunette heretic ruin something so meaningful, so he quickly snatched it before she could, holding onto it tightly and sending a warning look to the heretic.
Payton folded her arms crossly, as she gave the heretic a deep glare, thankful that Stefan was helping her right now because she would have ripped her head off if she had smashed the photo.
The brunette smirked back at them, before she began to head over to the adjar bathroom door, going to investigate the home more, as Damon continued on his web of lies, "I lost my one and only bargaining chip."
"Then why isn't Oscar answering his phone?" The blonde questioned as Payton and Stefan looked over to where the brunette was heading.
"I mean the guy doesn't want to be found!" Damon tried to convince her otherwise.
"Why don't I believe you?" The brunette asked after she had pushed open the door to reveal the empty bathroom.
"Well, this is pointless," The blonde sighed in defeat at what they had failed to find here, although they knew something wasn't quite right, "come, Nora."
The blonde went to head back over to the door to go leave, the brunette who Payton had now learnt was called Nora, followed behind before she threw her iced drink onto the ground below Damon's feet, the contents splashing over the window floor below as Payton sighed at the mess.
"I'll throw that away for you." Damon responded back sarcastically.
When the door closed, Payton let out a large groan, before she went through into the kitchen to grab a brush to sweep up the mess they had left, "I hate them!" She grumbled as she came back on through.
Damon and Stefan were through into the bathroom, going to retrieve Oscar's body from the window before they had a chance to see him, they carried him back on through and chucked him down onto the couch, "Screw it! Let's just get this guy to the furnace!" Damon instructed in frustration.
Payton was busy sweeping up the mess of the broken vase on the floor that she barely noticed the door open until she heard the sound of footsteps coming across the wooden floor near her feet.
Lifting her head up, she frowned when she saw a woman now entering her Dad's place, she immediately began to panic when she realised Oscar's dead body was in the room.
"Wrong dorm, darling." Damon tried to tell the girl as Payton got up onto her feet in confusion.
Weirdly, the woman failed to answer them, instead she just brought out a letter for them, handing it over to Payton to read, Payton took it as Stefan came to stand beside her, sensing something was up right now.
"A message from Miss Nora Hildegrard," Payton began to read out, as Stefan stood behind her looking over her shoulder, "Dictated but not read. For every hour that Oscar isn't returned, a Whitmore student will die," she felt her heart sink when she read the last words, "starting now."
Suddenly the woman stabbed herself in the neck, grunting as the blade came in contact wither skin, causing Payton to gasp and move out of the way when her body collapsed down onto the ground.
"Shit!" Payton cursed as she brought her head round to look at the two brothers in complete worry for what the hell they were going to do to get out of this one.
"No!" Damon grunted in frustration that this was actually happening right now as Stefan let out a large sigh.
Payton and Stefan were taking a walk around campus a little later on, he thought it might be good to get out in the fresh air to clear their heads and regroup later on when they had somewhat of a plan. They had just grabbed a coffee from the coffee shop on campus and where now sitting on a bench near where Payton used to have her old classes.
"And there was me thinking the biggest task of my day was putting the laundry away." She sighed lightly before taking a sip from her coffee cup.
"That can still be if you want to. You can go home if you need to." Stefan reminded her knowing this wasn't her mess to solve.
"What kind of girlfriend would I be if just left you to deal with problems alone, huh?" Payton nudged his side.
"One that wants to look out for herself and deserves a break." He smiled lightly back at her.
"Don't we all deserve a break? A longer break than we got before the heretics caused drama!" She pointed out to him.
"Maybe so," Stefan nodded in agreement, before going on, "I just know you're having a hard time with the anger right now."
"Well, thank god for you otherwise I would have killed her if she had smashed the photo."
"I wouldn't have let her." He assured her.
"You know being back here, I strangely miss it." Payton looked around at the campus that was bustling with students.
"You want to be a college girl again?" Stefan teased her.
"No," She laughed shaking her head, "but I do miss the place and how it was my kind of normal. I thought I was going to replace that with the Grill. I thought it would be my new taste of normal. But I guess that's on hold now. I also loved our place here. It was ours, you know?"
"I still think we should have kept it."
"We can't if we don't live here." Payton pointed out.
"But even so, it was our place, wasn't it? The Lockwood place isn't really our place."
"We can't move out though. We have nowhere else to go right now." She sighed.
"Maybe we could figure something out. I just want you all to myself again." Stefan lazily wrapped his arm around her.
"Don't tease me," Payton smirked back at him, before going on, "I guess I just miss the old normal even if it wasn't really normal."
"Say why don't we go to this ball tonight?" He found himself suggesting.
"What the heaven and hell ball?" She arched her brows up at him.
"Yeah. It can be a chance to be normal and also might be a good way to give Damon a chance to sort out his Oscar problem. No doubt Nora and Mary Louise will be attending to try to find victims." Stefan pointed out to her as he came up with a plan.
"So our chance of being normal is gate crashing a student ball at a university where we're not even students to babysit two heretics who are on a killing spree to get what they want?"
"When you say it like that it does sound less romantic than I was intending." He chuckled lightly.
"Well I'll say yes," Payton found herself saying, before she smirked, "but only if you wear a suit."
"Aren't we supposed to dress up scary?" He smirked back.
"You can dress up scary and still wear a suit." She shrugged.
"Alright deal."
Author note: Hey guys! Sorry I missed Friday's upload day. Basically I wasn't feeling well and after looking after my stats on this story from the past few months, when I was uploading on a Sunday night, we had way more views, so I guess I'm going to stick with Sunday's for the time being and see how we get on. Let me know if you have any preferences in the meantime!
Thank you so much for reading this story. I hope you're enjoying it and you liked this part.
Special thanks to Djone246 and ally1762 for reviewing the last part. I am so with you haha I wouldn't have forgiven Caroline either but I guess Payton has her reasons ;) I am also not ready for Valerie's arrival!
I'd love to know your thoughts on this part!
Thanks so much.
Best wishes always,
guiltypleasurexo
