"Can we go again?" Stefan asked as he crashed out down beside Payton that morning slightly breathless from their morning sex.
"Stefan," She giggled innocently, turning her to look at him on the pillow, "I'm already running late. I have to go see my Dad!"
"He doesn't even know you're coming. So surely it doesn't even matter when you turn up?" He raised his brows up at him temptingly.
"As much as I would love to stay here all day with you," Payton scooted closer to him and pecked his lips lightly, "I really have to go see him and see what's going on."
"Alright," He sighed lightly, going to put his hand through her hair, "if you have to."
"I do," She smiled, hating how hard he was the situation, she really did not want to go, "we can do this later."
"Or now." Stefan smirked back, before pulling her on top of him causing her to laugh uncontrollably and squeal.
"Stefan!" Payton exclaimed as she sat onto his lap, laying her hands down onto his chest, as he held onto her waist, "don't do this."
"Don't do what?" He teased her.
"You're such an ass sometimes." She grumbled, before leaning down and going to smash her lips onto his.
"Good morning love birds." The sound of Damon's voice broke Payton and Stefan off one another, before Payton found herself flying back down onto the mattress below and wrapping a blanket around her naked body, she glanced over at Damon with a glare, not liking how he just barged into their room without knocking.
"What the hell?" She snapped as Stefan sat himself up pulling the same blanket around his body also.
"I made you guys some coffee," He said carrying through their coffee cups which were steaming in his hands, "or do you have blood bags at this hour during your little ration rituals?"
"Coffee's great thanks." Payton grumbled back at him dryly, as he came over to lay them down on her night stand.
"Is there any reason why you're barging into our bedroom in the middle of the morning?" Stefan questioned his brother.
Damon leant down onto the ground after he had put the coffee's down and picked up Stefan's vest, before he tossed it over to him in which Stefan caught, "Why are you two such a grumpy gus? It sounded like to me you were having so much fun before!"
"Yeah we were before you barged in!" Payton said back to him, before she witnessed Damon bending down to pick up her underwear off the ground, quickly she leant forward and snatched it out of his hands, "give me that!"
Damon smirked at how easy it always was to piss the girl off, as he went to go on, "I thought you'd want to celebrate today. I finally got Elena tucked away safely. You two are happy in love with no one ruining it for you for once and Ric saved his lady..."
"He what?" Payton looked back at him with wide eyes, her suspicions about her Dad being up to no good were now confirmed.
Damon suddenly felt his face fall when he realised he had just blabbed Alaric's secret right in front of Payton, knowing the guy didn't want her to know yet and yet here he was saying it right in front of her.
"I'm seriously going to kill him!" She exclaimed, going to grab the comforter off the end of the bed and wrapping it around her body under the blanket, before getting out of the blanket and going to go get changed so she could go over to her Dad's apartment asap.
Stefan sighed lightly knowing she wouldn't deal with this well, she had been upset with her Dad since last night and now this was just going to make it worse, he didn't want to intrude, knowing she could handle this on her own but he felt bad for her.
Payton walked through into the ensuite, she grabbed her robe off the back of the door and changed into it, before going to clean her teeth whilst eves dropping on the boy's conversation.
"Ooops," Damon had said once Payton had left the room before he went on, "Everything is coming up Salvatore, so much so that I have decided to turn over a new leaf."
"Oh good." Stefan responded back half interestedly.
"I am gonna be the man who does right by Elena. All on my own. By keeping her in my heart, instead of keeping her underfoot."
"That's interesting." His younger brother remarked again not sounding very convinced now.
"I'm gonna need a little help with the dirty work, so rise and shine, brother," Damon said to him, causing Payton to shake her head in amusement from inside the bathroom, "we are going to interrogate a tall, beautiful heretic with a terrible attitude."
Payton suddenly felt her body freeze up at Damon's words, before she quickly spat out her tooth paste and came marching on through, a look of frustration on her face, "Valerie?" She presumed with raised eyebrows, the tooth paste still around her lips and the tooth brush in her hand.
"Rings a bell," Damon commented when he saw the look of anger coming across Payton's face, then when he glanced at his brother, he noticed how uncomfortable Stefan suddenly looked, he began to put the pieces together, "hmm. I'm missing something here."
"Oh just the fact another person wants to try break us apart," Payton found herself saying back, as she went to grab a towel out of the bathroom and wipe her mouth, putting her tooth brush back as she did, "she was Stefan's first love. They also haven't had a face to face since she came out of the prison world."
Coming back through, Payton watched as Stefan lowered his head in unease, knowing they had been able to push aside the whole Valerie thing the past couple of days after she failed to show up to meet him, but now someone was bringing it back up again, it was evident to see that Payton was not over it.
"Hang on," Damon quickly caught on, as his gaze held onto his brothers, who was looking back at him wanting him to shut up, "Valerie? As in V-card Valerie?"
Payton gave Damon a pissed off look, as she went over to the closet to pick out some clothes from the day, her anger bubbling around her body waiting to explode, but she tried to hold it together.
"Wham! Bam! Thank you ma'am. Broke your and..." Payton spun round to look at Damon with folded arms, where Stefan was now motioning for him to just shut up, because he knew Payton wasn't wanting to hear this, "uh..."
Payton found herself scoffing, as she gave her boyfriend a look, "This is just perfect you know...the perfect chance to finally talk to her and you know...let her know what life is like for you now!"
Stefan looked back at her unconvinced, he knew he would make sure Valerie knew he was happy with Payton, but at the same time, he wasn't sure he wanted to do it this way especially not with how pissed off Payton was.
She grabbed the clothes out of the closet and then went back into the ensuite to get changed, slamming the door slightly behind her, as Damon gave his brother look, knowing not only had he pissed Payton off with the whole Alaric thing, but now bringing up Valerie he had also caused more anger for the girl.
Back in the day, he would have got off on it, but now he just felt awkward.
Payton was about to leave that morning to go see her Dad when Stefan managed to catch her before she left, "Hey." He said catching up to her out on the driveway as she was about to open the drivers door of her car.
"Hi," She said back to him, opening up the door and then leaning on it to talk to him.
"I'm sorry about that." Stefan apologised.
Payton shrugged back, "it has to happen, right?"
"Yeah but I just didn't want it to be today I guess."
"Well, you don't have to do anything you don't want to after all." She said suddenly feeling bad that she had pressured him into it when she had been raging out.
"No but I do need to do this. I just wish it didn't mean hurting you." Stefan said back to her shamefully.
"Stefan," Payton breathed, as she found herself taking her hand in his own, "I'm still trying to get used to being jealous, you know? So of course, I am going to worry and especially with the fact that everyone has always tried to break us, but I know you'll come back to me. You always do."
"Of course I will. Valerie doesn't change how I feel about you and that I want us to be together." He assured her.
"Likewise," She nodded in agreement, before going on to say, "I know you'll do the right thing."
Stefan leant over and pecked her lips lightly, "Are you going to be ok? You know with seeing your Dad?"
"It's him you should be worrying about." She sighed.
"It will be alright. I'm sure he didn't intend to hurt you on purpose," Stefan tried to tell her, as he squeezed her hand, "if you need me, just call me, alright?"
"Yeah," She nodded, before saying, "you too."
When Payton got to her Dad's apartment a while later, she didn't even bother knocking on the door, she didn't want him to not answer it or tell her to leave, so instead she just walked straight in and thankfully it was unlocked.
Alaric had been making himself a coffee when he heard his front door open, causing him to quickly come out of the kitchen in panic, wondering who the intruder was or whether it was Jo making a grand escape, but instead he was met by the sight of his daughter, who looked pissed off right now.
"Pay," Alaric said with surprise, as he tried to pull himself together, knowing Jo's body was still laying in his bed through in the other room right beside him, but Payton couldn't see it right now, as she was around the corner at the front door, "what are you doing here?"
"Well you were avoiding me so I thought I'd give you no other choice than to see me." Payton folded her arms back at him.
"I wasn't avoiding you." He tried to tell her.
"Yeah you were, Dad. You've barely spoken to me the past few days and when you have you've been distant. I could have really needed you last night and you just flaked on me." She pointed out to him.
"I was tired, Payton," Alaric tried to convince her, not knowing she knew the truth, but even hearing him make excuses was hurting her, "I'm sorry I wasn't there but living with five other guys I thought you'd be alright."
"Well there's nothing like a girl who needs her father but clearly he has forgotten about that on his quest to bring his wife back to life," Payton said to him with raised brows, as he went to disagree, "yeah I know, Dad. You don't have to bother lying to me anymore. I know."
"Payton.." He sighed, knowing he had well and truly screwed up, as he turned on his heel and went to sit down on the top of the back of the couch, "how did you find out?"
"Damon slipped it out of conversation earlier. But that is beside the point, why didn't you tell me?" She exclaimed.
Alaric sighed once more, as he shook his head, "you were so set on me getting rid of the stone and I just couldn't do it! I didn't want to let you down and tell you I didn't do it."
"I don't care if you couldn't do it, Dad! I care more about the fact that you couldn't confide in me about any of this!" Payton pointed out to him how she felt about all of this, "after everything we've been through together and the fact you nearly pulled a gun on yourself..."
"Payton," He breathed, going to get back up as he went to explain, "you know I wasn't thinking straight..."
"And it sounds like you're not now!" Payton told him with confused look.
"I had to bring her back, Payton! I couldn't be without her. I am sorry." Alaric informed her with a sorrow look.
"I know that. But you could have told me. I would have been there and helped you. You know I would," She said back to him, before asking, "so what changed?"
"I didn't want to let you down or you to think I was crazy. I guess you were right after I nearly pulled a trigger on myself I didn't want you to see me as some erratic freak who was out of his mind!"
"I wouldn't have thought that. But now I do. So where is she?" She asked.
Alaric looked over to his bedroom, motioning over to the bed, before Payton came round the corner and then saw Jo lying there, she felt her stomach drop at the sight of her. For some reason, she felt very emotional seeing her what would have been step mother, lying there, looking peaceful asleep, just like she should have been still there, but it felt odd, like something wasn't quite right.
Because whenever they brought anyone back, it never did feel right, but this felt even more off.
"Bonnie should be coming over soon." Alaric told his daughter who was just staring at Jo.
"How did she even manage to do it?" She found herself wondering in confusion.
"Some spell."
"Just some spell?" Payton raised her brows up, shaking her head as she did, this just didn't add up to her, "Dad, no offence, but this just seems so..."
"So what?" He looked back at her with slight annoyance.
"Just..." She breathed, feeling bad for him right now, but she couldn't hide how she felt, "just not right...I mean...surely if she was back to life like we were when we came from the other side, then she should be up on her feet back to normal, right?"
"Well that's why Bonnie is coming over. I don't know how she is, alright?" Alaric grumbled back.
"Dad," She sighed, not wanting him to be so upset with her, "I just don't want you to get your hopes up..."
"She's alive, alright? She's back and we'll figure out how to get her back to normal. It's just going to take time." He tried to convince her and also himself.
"Alright," Payton sighed in defeat, before going to ask, "have you eaten?"
"Nope."
"I'll go grab you something." She suggested, in which he nodded in gratitude, thinking they both could do with some space for a moment to cool off.
When Payton got back, she was surprised to see that Jo was now up and on her feet, Payton felt taken back to see the woman stood there, now about to go sit on the couch.
"Oh hi," Payton found herself saying, unsure of how to handle this, because she still felt like something was up, "it's good to see you awake."
Jo was about to respond, looking a little confused, when Alaric came through into the room carrying three beers, "That's Payton, my daughter, you remember I was telling you about her."
"Yes right, of course." Jo nodded back, but she still looked completely unresponsive.
Payton frowned back, before motioning toward's the kitchen and getting Alaric to follow her as she went to put the takeaway boxes down onto the counter top, "What the hell is going on?" She questioned him in a hushed tone.
"She just woke up. But she doesn't remember anything. So I'm just reminding her of everything." He tried to explain.
"What do you mean she doesn't remember?" Payton frowned.
"She doesn't know who she is and where she is or who anyone is. I don't know, Payton. I'm just trying to act normal in the hopes she'll come back with a few memory jogs."
"Dad," Payton sighed, shaking her head, feeling so gutted for him right now, "just please be careful."
"I will." He assured her before helping her get the takeaway food out of the boxes.
Coming back through into the sitting room, Alaric went to put the takeaway food down onto the coffee table for the three of them to enjoy, Payton went to sit opposite them, whilst Alaric took the spot beside Jo.
"Is that art or something?" Jo questioned them pointing over to the TV.
Payton frowned a little at the question, before Alaric answered slightly amused, "No. Actually that's a TV."
"That's a TV," Jo repeated, as she then went to look between them, "I'm Jo. You're Alaric but you go by Ric because it's an odd name."
Payton couldn't help but feel her face soften at this, as Alaric, also chuckled, but Jo continued on, "And, we're married."
"Let's not worry about the finer details right now," Alaric tried to tell her, as Payton anxiously began to tuck into her food, "it's gonna take a little time for your memories to come back."
"This is amazing!" Jo suddenly exclaimed, looking back over at Payton, "did you make this?"
"No, uh, it's takeout." Payton answered uneasily, as she watched Jo's face fall, she almost looked like she was about to cry.
"It's made by someone else and then Payton picked it up," Alaric explained, before he told her, "it's Thai. Your favourite."
Jo went to put her fork into one of the dishes, before Alaric quickly warned her, "expect for that. That's meat. You don't eat meat."
"Why would I not eat meat?" Jo quickly questioned.
"I have no idea." Alaric chuckled and shook his head.
Jo began to tuck into the meat dish anyway, enjoying it as she chewed on it, as Payton awkwardly sat across the couch, watching the two of them, the bad feeling she had never leaving her as she quietly ate.
"Hey, why don't we open a bottle of wine?" Alaric suggested to the two of them, as Payton found herself going to put her Chinese on the table so she could go get some, "it's gotta be 5 o'clock somewhere right."
"Sound's good to me," She mumbled, knowing she needed some alcohol to take the edge off at how damn weird this situation was.
Even though they had brought so many of them back from the dead before, herself included, something just seemed off with this one. It was like she was looking back at a total stranger. It wasn't Jo. It might have looked like her but it wasn't her. It was just odd. She could sense it.
Payton went to get up and go get the wine, she brought it back and three glasses for them, she laid the wine bottle onto the table and then her Dad went to go open it, but instead he managed to cut himself, wincing as he did.
She immediately smelt the blood coming from him, but thank god her cravings were in check these days, if she had rewound to a few years ago, she would have been storming out of the room like a crazy one and having to calm herself down. Now a days she just wanted to help heal him.
Jo quickly leant over and took his bloody hand into her own, looking down at the fresh wound, "It's not serious. Do you have any bandages? I'll wrap it for you."
Payton was suddenly taken back by Jo's sudden urge to help and almost implying some sort of medical background there, maybe Payton had been wrong, maybe Jo really was in there.
Alaric looked just as stunned, as he went to answer, "Medicine cabinet. Above the sink."
Jo beamed back at him, before then going to take off, "Be right back."
Payton raised her eyebrows up at her Dad as she went to take her seat again, who gave her a small smile, pretty pleased that maybe his wife was really in there after all, but no sooner had Jo left and she saw how happy her Dad suddenly looked again, the more she was hit with a bad feeling.
A couple of hours later, Payton headed out of her Dad's apartment to get some fresh air and catch a break from the weirdness of the Jo situation, as well as a chance to check in with Stefan, knowing the guy was facing Valerie today, a thought she didn't like but knew it had to be done.
When Stefan answered, he was quick to ask her how she was getting on, when she told him that Jo was very much back but had no recollection of anything or who she was, he was also just as suspicious and confused as she had been. She had told him how hopeful her Dad was and how hard this was for her to have him getting his hopes up.
"I don't know, it was super weird," Payton began to explain to him more, as she walked through campus, "one minute she was acting like a complete idiot not knowing anything and then the next she was offering to wrap his wound after he cut himself on a wine bottle...doesn't it just seem odd to you?"
"Maybe your Dad is right," Stefan said, trying to think of the positives right now "maybe there just need's to be some time to get her memories back."
"I don't know, Stefan. This is just too weird." Payton sighed.
He could immediately pick up on her unease and it was making him want to scoop her up in his arms, taking away some of that worry, "I wish I could be there."
"Me too," Payton breathed, thinking the idea of that would be perfect right now, as she found her curiosity getting the better of her, "how is everything going? Where are you?"
"We're at some gas station in the middle of nowhere." He answered.
Before she could answer, Payton heard Damon remark something in the background, "Don't worry, surf girl. I have issued a no-hanky-panky zone. No former flames will reignite on my watch."
"What the hell?" She found herself growing pissed off at Damon's comment, thinking in true Damon fashion he was trying to piss her off and it was working.
"Sorry about that. The fumes are getting to his brain." Stefan tried to ease the situation.
"No he's just always been an ass." She grumbled.
"Hmm," Stefan found himself smirking, knowing Damon and Payton would never get on, but he had other ideas right now, "let's go dinner tonight."
"Where are we going to go in a deserted town?" Payton wondered.
"I'm sure we can find somewhere out of town."
She found her once pissed off expression changing into one of happiness at the idea, "Well I would love that. I really would."
"I'll see you at 8 back at the Lockwood's?" He suggested.
"See you at 8." She answered.
Stefan found himself making a joke, "Do I need to dress in a suit?"
"Depends where we're going or should I say depends if you want to continue on from this morning." Payton teased him.
"I'll definitely see you tonight." Stefan smirked down the line once more.
Payton told him seriously, "I love you."
"I love you, Payton. So much."
Payton stayed with her Dad for a few more hours, she had been hoping Bonnie would have turned up in that time to help them through this, but the girl was stuck at the boarding house trying to get some answers from Oscar who had also come back last night through the stone. This was all so messed up and as time went on, she knew she wouldn't be able to stick around for much longer because she needed to get back and get ready for her date night.
Although she was reluctant to leave her Dad alone with Jo especially after the women had been acting weird all day. She hated having to be a witness of it and see her Dad still remaining so hopeful.
After sometime, she got up onto her feet from the couch and addressed her Dad, "Dad, I think I'm going to head out. How long will Bonnie be?"
"I'm not sure. But hopefully not much longer." He answered going to get up with her and walk her to the door.
"Well I can stay if you want me to?" She raised her brows up at him.
"I'll be fine, Payton." Alaric tried to assure her with a small smile.
"Dad, I'm serious, no offence, but she isn't Jo, well she might look like her..." Payton muttered in a low tone so Jo who was across the room wouldn't hear.
"I said I'll be fine, Payton." He repeated once more in an irritated tone.
He didn't mean to be so harsh to her but he was tired of her putting down his hopes and he wanted to remain hopeful.
"Alright. Well. if you say so. But please call me if you need me," She said as she went to open the door, turning back to him, giving him a deep look, "And I am serious, Dad. No more pushing me out. I cannot afford to lose you again."
"I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave you." Alaric tried to tell her, even though he knew the day he had been acting stupid was the worst thing he could have done for their relationship, she would always see that whenever she looked at him.
"Good." Payton leant forward and pecked his cheek, before heading out of the front door.
When she got back to Mystic Falls that day, she headed straight for the bath and had a long hot soak, trying to ease some of the tension she felt in her body, knowing it would soon melt away when she was on her date night with Stefan. They hadn't had many date nights in the time they had been together so Payton felt nervous yet excited to be going out with him.
It would be nice to try do something more normal like she had been craving to do.
Once she had gotten out of the bath, she dressed in her robe, then focused on her hair and makeup, before she went into her closet to try to find something to wear. Once she had settled on something, she went downstairs to grab a glass of wine and brought it back up to her room, sending a text to Stefan asking him how much longer he would be, she was hoping he would have been back by now and getting ready like she was.
It was growing closer to 8pm and now Payton was dressed in a sage green silk slip dress and some black heels, she was heading back downstairs to grab yet another glass of wine, after sending yet another text to her boyfriend, she would give it until 8 and then she would call him, knowing she wouldn't probably be able to keep her annoyance at bay, she felt like she was being stood up.
She would have been more understanding about it if it wasn't for the fact he had been with his first love all day.
Pouring herself another glass, she sighed and quickly took a large sip, before she suddenly heard the front door open. Laying her wine glass down onto the counter, she came charging through into the hall, relief washing over her when she saw Stefan stepping into the hall way.
"Oh thank god..." She breathed, until she felt herself coming to an almighty stop in the middle of the hall, when Stefan moved out of the way and Valerie herself came to full view on the front porch in the door way, "oh..."
Stefan who was already feeling awkward and on edge about what was going on, instantly picked up on his girlfriend's disappointment to see he was bringing home Valerie, as he slowly came closer and asked her politely, "Uh can we go talk?"
"Uh yeah." She nodded back, rubbing her lips together, before she nervously eyed Valerie again, who was stood uncomfortably on the front porch.
Something was going on and Payton did not like it. Not one bit.
"Is Matt in? I need him to invite Valerie in." Stefan said as his eyes trailed over to the staircase.
"Uh yeah, um, he's upstairs," Payton informed him, her suspicion only growing as to why Valerie had to be invited inside, she hoped by some miracle Matt would say no, if Valerie had not been standing there, she would be making her opinion on this idea well known, but she didn't want to give Valerie the impression that she was some crazy girlfriend, so obeyed, "I'll go get him."
She quickly headed upstairs not even giving him the chance to comment anymore, as she went across the landing over to Matt's room, she knocked lightly on the door and once he had given her permission to come inside, Payton came on through, but only this time she let her guard down.
"What's wrong?" He immediately saw the look of rage on her face.
"My boyfriend has just come back to the house, late for our date night may I add, but with his first love. She wants to come inside the house. Stefan wants you to invite her into the house. I am trying not to freak out but I am inside. Very much." Payton said through gritted teeth and a fake smile, trying to keep her voice low so the vampires couldn't use their hearing to hear her rant.
"What do you mean Valerie has to come inside?" Matt repeated in confusion, as he got off his bed and came to meet with her.
"Exactly what it means! I don't know why she has to come inside!" She grumbled.
"Let me go talk to him."
Payton followed Matt out of his bedroom and down the stairs, as soon as he reached the bottom he was quizzing Stefan, "What's this about, man?"
"I need you to invite Valerie inside. It's important." Stefan said to him as Payton lingered behind her best friend on the stairs.
"How can we trust her?" He raised his eyebrows back at the guy remembering that not so long ago Valerie had been torturing Caroline, killing innocent town folk and breaking into bars.
"You can trust me." He tried to tell him giving him a knowing look.
"He isn't going to back down, Matt," Payton sighed, as she came past Matt and down the stairs, "you might as well just do it and get it over with."
She didn't even wait to see the outcome, as Payton went past her boyfriend and back into the kitchen, her glass of wine calling her back for some release and to try keep her anger in check, but she knew as soon as someone was to talk to her again, she would just go off.
Taking another large sip of her wine, Payton went to grab the bottle out and topped up her glass, feeling so stupid and embarrassed right now that she had gotten herself so dressed up for nothing, it felt like a massive slap in the face that Stefan was bringing his first love back to her house where she lived with him.
She didn't know whether she was overreacting and being stupid or whether it was actually disrespectful and she had every right to be upset.
When Stefan came through into the room a couple of minutes later, she had just finished sipping from her wine glass and looked over at him, he slowly closed up the door clearly wanting some privacy or maybe he just knew Payton would kick off and didn't want his guest to hear her, but she wasn't going to play miss nice girl, she was tired of everyone and everything coming in the way of them.
"Should I go get in my pyjamas?" Payton asked him sarcastically about the lack of date night they were going on.
"Payton, I'm sorry..." Stefan tried to apologise to her, his guilt had been beating him up ever since the drive back to town.
"What the hell is going on?" She snapped back, not in the mood for lame excuses or apologies right now, she needed to know the truth, "why is Valerie in our house? Why is she allowed in? Huh?"
"It's a long story." He sighed thinking no matter what he did she would probably take it the wrong way.
"Well good job we're staying in tonight now then. I can stay up all night and listen to it!" Payton responded back dryly.
He hated how angry she was being towards him and knew that talking to her when she was like this was pointless, "Please, just, calm down."
"Calm down?" Payton scoffed, going to take another sip from her wine glass, "Stefan, I was so damn excited to have a date night with you and try to do normal things, but hey, again, it's ruined."
"We can still go out if you want to." He suggested thinking it was never too late.
"No. I don't." She made that clear to him, the idea of being on a date with him right now was making her want to claw her eyes out.
"You're being dramatic." Stefan found himself remarking unhelpfully, he didn't know what got the better of him that night, but he found himself feeling tired of her anger.
"Dramatic?" Payton looked back at him stunned that he was turning this back on her, when he had been the one to ruin their night and bring one of his ex girlfriends to their house with no explanation, she knew she might have been acting slightly childish right now, but she had been so excited, she felt like a fool.
"Alright...fine..." she didn't want to do this anymore that night, "if you're not seriously going to see how messed up this is and why I am so disappointed, then I'm going to bed."
"Payton..." He sighed, knowing he had made a low blow, but she wasn't even giving him a chance to speak right now.
"Have fun doing whatever the hell you're doing."
Payton went past him, bringing her wine glass and the bottle of wine with her, as she headed out of the kitchen, causing Stefan to sigh and shake his head, thinking that had not gone down well.
When she got to the top of the stairs, Mason was coming out of the bathroom, he smiled at her warmly at first until he noticed the look on her face, picking up on her vile mood that evening.
"Oh no...oh no..." He kept saying as they met in the middle of the landing, "what's going on?"
"Just a little bit of Stefan and Payton drama." She grumbled.
"Just the usual then." Mason remarked mockingly.
"Funny." She rolled her eyes back at him.
"Don't be so sad, Payton! Come join me and Tyler. We're playing a drinking game." He offered.
"A drinking game? Is that what you really get up to in a deserted town?" Payton looked back at him.
"It's better than sitting there on your own being miserable," Mason explained, before going over to Tyler's room, "c'mon."
Payton sighed, thinking he was right, it was better than sitting on her own and being miserable, so she followed him into Tyler's room, going to join the boy's for the rest of the evening. Matt had slipped out to go on his evening patrol, which left Damon at god know's where and Stefan with his ex girlfriend in the sitting room downstairs, the thought making Payton feel sick, but she numbed it with the alcohol.
It was nearing midnight when Payton climbed into bed and was about to go to sleep after several chats and drinking games with the boys, she went to go turn her lamp off and lay down, when the bedroom door opened and Stefan walked inside, she avoided eye contact with him, not wanting to look at him, knowing she felt a little buzzed from all the booze, which could either make her more angry and upset or make her horny and give into him.
"Can I sleep in the bed?" He asked her.
"Do what you want." She grumbled back, laying down and getting cosy under the comforter.
"Payton, seriously..." Stefan sighed, hating when she was being like this, she made things so hard.
"What? I'm trying to get some sleep." Payton tried to tell him, reaching over now and shutting off the light.
The room went dark as she did, but that didn't stop Stefan from continuing the conversation, "You weren't sleeping when I first came up to check on you."
She had no idea he had come up to check on her.
"What because I was in Tyler's room with him and Mason?" Payton presumed.
"Yeah..." Stefan said almost like he was implying something.
"What do you think I was doing?" Payton took it that way at least, as she found herself drunkingly remarking, "you thought I was having some three some with my ex boyfriend and his nephew?"
"No..." Stefan couldn't believe how ridiculous she was being right now, he had been used to her bitterness and sarcasm before, but this was like next level, "Payton, seriously, what has happened to you?"
"Happened to me?" She found herself scoffing, reaching over to turn on the light once again, so she could see him and he could see how pissed off she was right now, as she sat up in the bed, she felt so angry for some reason, "you're the one bringing your first love back to our house!"
"I have a reason!" He defended himself.
"What is it? To remind yourself how you never got your chance!"
"No..."
"I'm going to go sleep on the couch." Payton found herself saying knowing this conversation wasn't helping either of them and she was far too tired to continue it.
She went to swing her legs out of the bed and head downstairs, when Stefan held up his hand and walked over to the door, "No. I'll take the couch. Just go to sleep."
Payton sighed and snuggled back under the comforter, watching him go walk back out of the room and shut the door behind him, she sighed loudly as she turned the light back off and plunged herself back into darkness, wondering if maybe he was right, maybe she was being irrational right now, but she was just so damn upset and felt like an idiot.
Stefan on the other hand felt like he had really messed up that night, trying to please everyone, but at the same time, he felt like the more Payton acted like that, the less he could trust her and have faith in her that she would be able to deal with what he had to tell her.
He didn't want to break her with what he knew, he almost felt like it was a case of him breaking her through his own actions or the news he had to share with her, either way she wasn't going to be coming out of this lightly and he hated how he had to do this to her.
When she got up the next morning, her head was slightly sore from the booze and how messed up her head felt from what had gone on last night, Payton went to head downstairs to go make herself some coffee, she knew Stefan would be asleep down there somewhere, so she hoped to avoid him, but when she passed the sitting room, she saw him sitting up turning his head to look at her from his spot on the couch.
She stopped in her tracks, tugging her dressing robe tighter around her body as Payton rubbed her lips together nervously, not knowing how to handle the situation that day.
"Hi." He said breaking the silent.
"Hi." She answered back.
"Did you sleep alright?" Stefan asked her.
"Yeah fine," Payton nodded, before going to step forward, "did you? I mean surely the couch wasn't very comfortable."
"Well, I wasn't welcome in my bed so." He shrugged.
"You know I would have taken the couch."
"I wasn't going to have you sleep on the couch when this is my fault." Stefan corrected her.
"Well," She breathed, coming more into the room to talk to him, "I'm glad you can see that now."
"I knew I was last night but you just wouldn't let me explain anything."
"Well," Payton sighed, knowing she had been off on one last night, but she was so angry and she still kind of was, "it's my insecurity, ok? First it was Elena, then somehow Katherine was thrown in the mix, then Caroline and now some blast from the past. And hey, I'm the one who's ex seems to be the problem? But god, at least I only have one!"
"You could have trusted me though." He pointed out.
"I do," She tried to convince him and maybe herself, as she came over to sit on the other end of the couch, "I just don't like the idea of you bringing her back to our house!"
"Now you can understand how I feel about living under the same roof as Mason."
"That is completely different! The door between Mason and I is closed. Plus this is his house! Way before it was ours!" Payton tried to tell him.
"Well, I guess we both have some issues we need to work on."
"Agreed." She sighed, thinking how quickly things always seemed to change between them.
Before anymore could be said between the couple, the sound of footsteps broke their gaze off one another and onto the woman now stood in the arch way of the sitting room, Payton snapped her head round and felt her anger rise when she saw Valerie stood there soaking wet in her towel, clearly the woman was really wanting to test her limits right now because this was so not appropriate.
Stefan looked away from the sight of Valerie in nothing but her towel, clearly if he was even seen to just looking over casually, Payton would flip and he had just managed to actually have a conversation with her that morning without her going off on one.
"I, I just wanted to let you know I used the last of the shampoo." Valerie informed the two of them, holding in her hand Payton's favourite shampoo.
"Oh wow! You just helped yourself to my shampoo. How long do you plan on staying and using whatever you please?" Payton asked with her arms folded as she gave the girl a harsh look.
"Just one night." Stefan interjected, knowing if he didn't try to mediate this, his girlfriend might throw a punch or two with how angry she had been lately.
"I should, um, go put some clothes on." Valerie said sensing some tension between the two of them, as Payton gave her a fake smile to encourage her to leave the room before she seriously did flip out.
Once Valerie had left the room, Payton turned her head to her boyfriend and gave him a glare, knowing she had to know answers now, "Explain!"
"Ok," Stefan nodded, wondering how he could go about this with the less drama as possible, "Lily wants to raise Julian from the dead. Valerie tried to scorch his body before she can get her hands on him. And that did not work out so well."
"So that gives her a free pass to come into our lives, stay in my house and use up my favourite shampoo?" She raised her brows up in annoyance.
"If and when Lily welcomes Julian back into his body, he will find out what Valerie did and he'll come after her." Stefan explained further.
"Still don't understand why we have to hold her refuge?" Payton was unconvinced that this was a good enough reason to have her here.
"Well, maybe, you can please, just trust me to know what I am doing." He told her, knowing it wasn't good timing to tell her more than that, because clearly she wasn't ready to hear it.
She rubbed her lips together, sighing lightly, knowing she did trust him deep down, but he made it so damn hard to sometimes.
"Basically we just need her to disappear for my own sanity but also to save her own ass." Payton presumed from what he was saying.
"Hmmm.." Stefan wasn't so sure that was the right thing, but he knew why Payton would think so.
"We could get her a new name, a new identity, a new place to live in a completely different country," She went on, liking the idea of that more and more, "I think Caroline would be perfect at helping her reinvent herself, I'm going to call her and get her to meet us so we can get this mess solved!"
"Hmm.." He repeated once more, feeling the guilt hit him hard, but just by how she was talking now, this wasn't right.
"I mean unless you have a problem with that." Payton raised her brows up questionably, Stefan looked back at her, before going to shake his head.
