All in Time Part 6
"Bella?" I heard a voice, a mere whisper, next to my ear. I opened my eyes to see him: Stefan. He was standing by my bed with one hand resting on my cheek and a worried smile. A soft golden light streaming through the open windows of my bedroom gave him a halo.
"Stefan." I sighed softly and placed one of my hands on top of his.
I heard a man chuckle and frowned. That's not Stefan's voice. I look back up to see Damon smirking at me.
"Well someone had good dreams last night." He said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
Scowling I threw his hand off my cheek and groaned when I tried to sit up.
"Hey, don't push yourself," Damon said with worry in his voice.
"What happened?" I rasp out and I place my hand on my throat.
"Um. I'm not sure." Damon grumbled as he sat by me. There he goes, acting worried again. "I came home to grab some supplies and you were on the floor in front of the doorway. A small pool of blood coming from your nose."
"I had a nosebleed?!" I sounded like a squeaky toy people give to their dogs.
"Yeah. It was weird. You have been asleep for the past couple of days." Damon hands me my phone.
16 texts, 32 calls and 200 emails. Wow. I had slept for 5 days. "You couldn't wake me?" I rub my temples with a slight frustration.
"I tried. Hell, even witchy came down to see if a spell was placed on you." Damon laughs at some memory before returning to worrying about me. "Do you want me to help you get up?"
Lamenting at the idea of Damon actually being nice for a change, I nodded. Seconds later, I was cradled in Damon's arms and he was slowly lowering my legs to the ground. Once my feet hit the wood, he smiled before giving me space enough to try to walk but close enough to catch me if I fell.
"Thanks," I mumbled, uncertain of the man's attention.
"Your welcome." His cheeks flushed and he turned his head towards the door. "I'm ah. I'm gonna go make you something to eat. Holler if you need me." He was dashing off before I was able to reply.
What a weirdo, I thought as I looked down at my nearly naked body. "No wonder." I laugh before stepping shakily to the bathroom. Hopping into a steaming shower, I let my mind wander to the last moments I was awake. What had happened? I had walked through the threshold and then, nothing. It's was all a fog in my mind. After a thorough cleansing, I stepped out of the shower and made my way to the joined closet. I put on some underclothing, my favorite The Donna's purple shirt, and a pair of dark wash blue jeans. I grabbed a pair of socks and my converses before heading down to the kitchen.
The closer I got to the kitchen, the more I could smell bacon and coffee. Moaning loudly with excitement, I entered the kitchen. Damon had left me a large bowl of grits with bacon and cheese next to a cup of coffee and a note. The note said to meet him at Alaric's after school let out. I set the note aside and started eating the grits while checking my messages. Most were from Caroline and Bonnie updating me before turning to concern. I had a few text messages from Elena including one where she wrote out an essay long apology. "Bet she got bitched at by Lexi," I said with a sad smile. Oddly, there was one text message from a number I didn't recognize.
"Una bella addormentata davvero." The message read and my mind started churning. Translated from Italian, the phrase meant "a truly asleep beauty". This message was no coincidence. Whoever sent it is watching me and saw me in such a state.
"Well, looks like I have another mystery to solve." I murmur before taking the last bite of food.
I start slipping on my shoes when I hear someone laughing in the living room. I finish tying my laces and then make my way over to the voice.
A young blonde woman is speaking french into the phone rapidly. "J'ai besoin de 6 robes formelles ici immédiatement! Mes couleurs préférées sont le rouge, le bleu et le vert. Ne bousille pas ça ou je serais très énervé." She swiped her finger across the plexiglass screen before looking up at me. "Ah! You are finally awake. I need your help!" The girl speaks fast while clapping her hands excitedly.
"Uh. Who are you?" I frowned trying to place the familiar face. She looked like someone I had seen before. Who?
"Oh. I apologize, we were not formally introduced." Her crisp British accent replied with a light laugh. "I am Rebekah Mikaelson." She gleamed and I couldn't help myself from doing a double take. She was tall, with long legs and a curvaceous figure. Her long blonde hair waved slightly and came to a bouncy curl at the end. She reminded me of Rosalie Cullen a bit but she had a smile that held a bit of warmth to it.
"As in…"
"Yes, my brother is the Notorious Klaus." She said with a flash pain in her eyes.
"Oh, too bad he isn't the Notorious B.I.G," I smirk and she laughs heartily.
"Oh, to hear him rap would be a moment ripe with laughter!" She squeals as her laughter grows louder.
After a few minutes of laughing, I walked up to her with my arm stretched out. "I'm Isabella Swan."
"A pleasure." Rebekah smiles coyly before turning around and walking to Salvatore's bar. "Do you care for a drink?"
"Actually, I would. I haven't had any blood in a couple of days." I walk over to the bar and lean against the counter while Rebekah pulls out two blood bags.
"Glad to see you are not on Stefan's Bambii diet." She scoffed at the idea while handing me a glass full of the red liquid elixir of life.
"Oh hell no. I tried it once but the only thing that comes close to human in taste is a cougar or lion. Do you know how hard it is to take down giant cats? Harder than I thought it would be." I chuckle at the memory while Rebekah gives me another bright smile. I take a long drink and rest my hand on my chest as the substances begin to fill my stomach.
"I like you." Rebekah laughed and I smiled at her. She seemed nice enough but I bet if someone ruffled her feathers, she'd beat them with one of her Milano Heels.
"So, Beks, wait. Can I call you Beks?" I ask hoping that I didn't offend her.
She smiled softly, her cheeks reddening a bit before she answered. "Of course, as long as I can call you Bells."
"Deal." I say with an easy smile.
I spent the rest of my morning talking with Rebekah about life after the 20's. She had a lot of questions about women's rights and the progress of fashion. I told her about the storage container I had in Phoenix filled with my vintage clothing. I even agreed to take her there one day so she could feel all nostalgic in those old flapper dresses. My phone rang reminding me of the meeting with Alaric and Damon was ignored once or twice before I finally grumbled a quick apology and had to leave. Beks was remarkably funny and willful which I normally hated in Damon but thought were adorable traits for her. I genuinely looked forward to getting to know her better.
Soon, I was standing in Alaric's tiny one bedroom apartment staring at old cravings that Alaric and Elena had taken photos of the day earlier. Damon and Elena were practicing her fighting skills (more like Damon was trying to grab her butt and she was deflecting) while Alaric and I studied the photos.
Alaric was grumbling every few minutes and switching between collections of photos. I was cataloging every photo and looking through old rune pages on the web trying to find some matches.
Damon lunged towards Elena and she quickly dodges with a side step to the right.
"These images tell a story…" Alaric spoke softly. I glanced up at him and he looked over to Elena and Damon. "To learn the story you have to decipher these images."
"No shit. What do you think I'm doing? Pottery?" I chide while peering up from my laptop to see Alaric glowering at me.
I turn my head to watch as Elena tries to stake Damon but he effortlessly disarms her and tosses the steak down at her feet.
"Sloppy!" Damon snaps.
"Shut up! I'm new at this." Elena says as she tries again only to fail.
"'Ghost of Christmas Past' Mason Lockwood set up the cave and led us to a weapon that can kill Klaus. But you two continue with your sparring while us grown-ups try and figure it out." Alaric says snarkily while plopping back into his seat.
"But doesn't…" Elena huffed between breaths of her fistfight with Damon. " Doesn't Mikael have a weapon?"
"Yes," Damon says as he knocks her to the ground. "Which probably means that wall will lead us to Mikael, who we have already found…" Damon growls as he continues to block Elena's attacks while attempting to straddle her. "And Lost." He smiled wickedly down at Elena as he pins her to the ground and mockingly pretends to attack her neck.
I look away in disgust as Elena giggles softly. Alaric is staring at them with wide and curious eyes.
I cough softly and hear the pair moving away from each other. Eventually, the pair walks over to where Alaric is standing around the spread out pictures.
"These images at the very least might tell us what that weapon is," Alaric says while giving Elena a concerned glance.
"Then all we have to do is find out what they mean," Elena said cheerfully as she picked up one of the photos.
"Fine! Fine!" Damon groans and runs a hand down his face. "If I am being irritatingly optimistic like you three, how do you suppose we do that?"
"Well, if the story is about the Original Family living here," I noticed a malicious glint in Elena's eyes as she spoke. "Then we go straight to the source." She finishes with a Cheshire grin and a sharp heel turn towards the door.
Damon and Alaric shared a concerned look as I watched the dark-haired doppelganger walk out of the apartment. What is she up too? Why is she suddenly flirting with Damon? Suspicion coursed through me. I had not known Elena Gilbert long but she seemed to all the world an innocent girl caught up in the dramas of the supernatural. Could she, in fact, be someone I needed to keep a closer eye on? Was she dangerous? I shook my head and returned to the pictures in front of me. Frustrated and concerned that the girl wasn't all she appeared to be, I shut my laptop.
"Everything okay?" Alaric asked as he looked over at me.
"No. I… I don't know why but my gut is telling me Elena is about to do something… I don't know. Something bad." I say while staring at my hands as they wrapped around my laptop.
"Mhmm. Bad Elena." Damon moaned and I heard the sound of a sickening thud. Looking over, I noticed that Alaric had thrown a heavy metal bookend at Damon's head.
"What the hell do you think you are doing man?" Alaric growled ferociously as he came to a stand.
Damon touched the edge of his lip where the bookend had hit him. A small line of blood had started to flow and Damon smiled as he looked at the droplets on his hand. "Tsk. Tsk. Alaric, you know better than to go for my face." Damon got to his feet quickly and flashed in front of the man.
"She's a teenager, Damon." Alaric stared harshly into Damon's cold blue eyes.
"You don't think I know that?!" Damon bellowed loudly. Damon sighed and put his hand on Alaric's shoulder. "I… I get lost when I look into her eyes, Ric."
"Ugh." I groan as I start to pack my things.
"Hey, I bearing my soul here!" Damon cries out.
"Yeah, well I'd rather be pecked to death by a flock of hummingbirds than listen to you whine about Elena, who by the way, is in a relationship with Stefan. You know, your brother?" I finish packing my things and set my bag on my shoulder.
"You don't have to be such a…"
"Bitch?" I laugh while walking out of the apartment.
I did have to be that way though. I have to protect myself and those I love, like Charlie. If I am being played by either Damon or Elena, I'll be damned if it was going to continue. First thing, I need to have a little chat who knows both of them like the back of his hand. I headed straight for the Old City Jail.
Walking inside the basement, the smell of dust and rotting rat hides made me cover my nose for a brief second. I walked along the long line of cells until I came to a stop in front of Stefan's. He was lying on the small bed in the corner of the cell. One arm was slung across his face and the other laid atop his stomach. He stayed like that for a few moments before he moved his arm from his face and looked at me with reproachful eyes.
"You know," His voice croaked out. "If you all are gonna keep me locked in here for the next decade, I think we can skip the routine visits."
"You know I'm not a big champion in the whole Lexi-Recovery Plan. I told you in the 80's that it was messed up. But, Elena thinks this place is gonna weaken you up, break you down, and make you feel again." I wrap my arms around two of the cells holding bars and lean my forehead against the cool metal.
"We should all listen to Elena, right?" He sneered before sitting up. "I mean, her plans always work out so well, don't they?" He looked at me with such an intensity that I looked away from the overwhelming sense of opia. "Why are you here?" He shouted.
"I have questions that only you can answer," I mumble honestly and look down at my nails. Last week they had been a beautiful color of deep red but now the nails we chewed up and half the polish had been removed. Bad habits are truly hard to kick.
"Go away," Stefan grumbled and threw his empty water bottle at me.
"Nah," I smirk as I catch the bottle with ease. "I thought we could hang out, a little ex-fiance bonding." Stefan looked at me with a somber expression and I smiled softly. "How've you been, Stef? Huh?" I chuckle as his eye ticks in frustration.
"You know, Klaus may wanna keep Elena alive, but that doesn't mean she's safe with Rebekah." He sneered.
"What does Rebekah have to do with anything?" I frown slightly as the image of the beautiful blonde comes to mind. "It doesn't matter," I say with the shake of my head and looked at Stefan again. "Klaus compelled you to protect Elena, and if you thought for even a second that she was in danger, you would be trying to escape this cell no matter what the consequences."
Stefan's eye twitched again and he smirked sarcastically. "You got me. You got me!" He clapped his hands together playfully.
"Duh." I roll my eyes and watch as Stefan gets up. He staggers forward slightly before shuffling to the front of his cell.
"You got me. You're good." He wrapped his hands around the bars next to mine. "Congratulations!" His eyes shone with anger and thirst. "You can do now."
I lean closer to the cold metal so our noses touched. "No," I whisper softly. His face contours in anger and he wrenches away from the bars.
"It's not like I'm some broken vase that you can glue back together and then expect that everything will be ok again! It doesn't work like that!" His voice strained and broke into quiet choked sobs.
I look at him and for a few minutes, a let him sob in the still silence of the room. Reaching down to the cell's lock, I insert the key quietly before opening the heavy iron door.
"What are you doing?" Stefan asks while stumbling backward.
"Screw this Lexi-plan," I grumble before reaching down to Stefan's chained legs. I break the chains easily and look up into Stefan's eyes. "I think we both could use a drink."
With a timid smile, Stefan and I walked out of the basement and got into my car. I suggested going to a bar out of town and Stefan nodded while his eyes closed. After 30 minutes on the road only listening to Stefan's cat-like mewling snores, I stopped the car at a small bar near Rocky Mount. Stefan's eyes opened slowly as I turned off the engine.
"Where are we?" He yawned as he stretched his arms in front of him.
"A small town." I smile wryly.
We were getting out of the car when my phone began to ring and I fished it out of my jacket pocket. Elena was calling me. Rolling my eyes slightly, I answered the phone.
"Hello?" I try to sound nonchalant.
"Where is he?" She hissed into the microphone.
"Right next to me. Why?" I say while biting back a comment about her and Damon. No need to cause drama. Yet.
"Take him back to the cell!" She whispered darkly.
"I'm way too sober to deal with your attitude, Elena." I hissed in frustration at the girl's arrogance. With the flick of my finger, I ended the call and made sure to put it on vibrate.
Stefan was standing by the door of the bar looking amused at me. "Let me guess, they want you to put me back in that hole." He says as I walk over to him.
"Yep," I say as we open the door. "But I much prefer this."
The bar was dark and slightly musty but had a decent enough crowd of 12 or more folks. Some were seated in small dark red booths, eating their lunches, while 3 men and 2 women sat at the bar talking loudly, laughing, and drinking from pints of light amber ales.
"So, what are we drinking?" I move to the bar and take a seat on a green wooden stool.
: Hopefully something a little bit warmer. And a little bit blonder..." Stefan pondered as he watched the blonde buxom bartender walk over.
"Hi!" The blonde says as she flips her hair over to one side of her shoulder so we could see her name tag.
"Hello," I look at her name tag, "Callie. I would love a shot of your best whiskey, and my friend here would love," I lean in closer so she could see my eyes clearly. After a brief second, I felt the compulsions pull had been successful. "He would love a shot of you."
Stefan stared at me questioningly and I smiled darkly as the girl mutely walked over to get my drink.
"What's the catch, Bella?" Stefan asked.
"No catch. Drink up." I whisper as the girl walks back over and hands me my shot. "It's on me."
I watch as Stefan smiles darkly, grabs Callie's wrist, and bites into her soft white skin. The smell of blood was instantaneous. While Stefan drank, I walked around the bar and compelled the remaining people to stay seated and have "fun". I pushed away from the feelings of guilt and allowed myself to enjoy the rhythm of the music. Swaying softly along to the country beat as I watched Stefan. Despite pretending not to care, he was being gentle with Callie. Sure, he'd probably kill her but he was still showing restraint.
After a few minutes of watching Stefan go from body to body, I started a game of quarters with a few of the patrons. Might as well try to make their last moments somewhat fun. I was winning and had since imposed three rules: the dark-haired girl to my right had to keep her left arm behind her back, the greasy salt and pepper haired man next to me had to balance on one foot whenever it was his turn, and the older woman in front of me had to make strange animal noise with every toss she made. Stefan had joined us with Callie after a few minutes. Callie was sitting in Stefan's lap and beginning to look sickly pale due to blood loss.
Stefan flipped a coin into the glass easily and looked at me. "Oh! Drink up, Bells!"
I held up my empty whiskey bottle and looked at Callie. "Be a dear and get me another bottle." I didn't compel her but she still shook her head yes and walked off.
"You've been on this 'bunny diet' for a better part of 50 years. So how is it that 'Saint Stefan' of all people, is still better at drinking games than I or Lexi ever were." I turn towards him and he is chuckling.
"Oh, the 'bunny diet' gave me a lot of time to practice." He jokes and I hum softly.
"Wallow in despair," Stefan grumbles as he flips a coin into the glass. "Drown in guilt." His voice grows a bit steadier as he makes another coin into the glass. "Regret my existence." His voice is filled with pain and he makes another coin into the cup. "It's precision born out of tragic boredom." He looks at my glass. "Drink up, Bells."
With a roll of my eyes, I take the bottle that Callie has brought back to me and taken a hearty swig. "All that effort wasted trying to tell me how boring are?"
"Bella, you are worse than Elena or Damon." His voice is laden with scorn and I look up surprised. "Getting me drunk, bonding over blood" he gestures across the room before continuing. "What do you think, I'll break down and you can pull me back from the edge, is that it?"
"I happen to like the edge, Stefan." Fuming quietly, I stand and crack my neck to relieve some tension. "Your problem is your inability to resist falling over it. All or nothing, man." I walk up to Callie and pulled her gently off Stefan's lap. "You can't just be." Looking at Stefan, I knew how close his dark passenger, The Ripper, was to come out. I decided in that moment, risk everything and these people's lives. "Although, who am I to judge," I say shoving the girl back into his arms, grabbing the coin from his hand, and flipping that coin into his cup. "Drink up, Steffie."
Moments turned into seconds and soon became hours. Stefan had killed 9 patrons but Callie was still alive, albeit a tottering mess when Stefan let her off his lap. I could see the light had dimmed outside. A woman had stumbled into the bar a little while ago and I had compelled her to forget and leave. Currently, I was sitting at the bar and gesturing for the bartender to give me another drink when Stefan sat down next to me.
"Alright! Tell me what's up." Stefan had clearly had enough 'fun'. "What's the point of the jailbreak, hmm?" He asked while wiping some blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I thought you could use a hug," I responded dryly before taking another sip of the whiskey.
"Come on, Bella. You know Elena is gonna hate you for letting me out." Stefan held up a finger and the bartender brought over a beer for him.
"Maybe, but I don't care what she thinks. All she does is flirt with Damon lately anyway." The last bit I mumbled so quietly that Stefan must not have heard it. "Or maybe," I continued and turned my head to look at him. "Maybe I wanted to remind you what freedom was like before Klaus took that from you."
"As long as Klaus is alive, I do what he says." Stefan stubbornly whispers and takes a drink of the beer.
"That's my point, Stefan. You've given up!" I yell but he rolls his eyes. "Now you could sit around and be his little bitch," I hiss and he glares at me. "Or you can get mad enough and do something about it."
"Maybe I can help with that." An unfamiliar voice boomed from the doorway. We both turned around to look at a blonde middle-aged man who was gazing around the room unphased. "Stefan Salvatore and Isabella Swan, I presume?" His voice is a low baritone with a British accent.
Stefan's breath hitched and his eyes were wide as saucers as he looked at the man. "Mikael." Stefan's voice trembled and for a brief second, I felt fear.
"Is Klaus out of the country?" Mikael demands, making no time for small talk.
"I can't tell you." Stefan glares at the man.
"Has he spoken to you since he left." Mikael grabbed an apple off one of the tables and bit into the plumb fruit.
"I can't tell you." Stefan murmurs through clenched teeth.
"All right. Can you tell me the last time you spoke to Niklaus?"
Why does this conversation feel like an interrogation, I thought while watching as Mikael circled around Stefan in a predatory manner.
"I'm compelled to do what he says, and he says to keep my damn mouth shut." Stefan quips.
"I really hope this game of twenty questions isn't your secret weapon," I say with a roll of my eyes.
Mikael moves forward and lays a hand on my shoulder. "You see, Isabella," He whispered my name softly. "I've been a vampire hunter longer than you've been alive. It is why I found you here and it is why I am going to find Niklaus." I noticed that when he said Niklaus, his eyes glinted evilly.
"Well, Klaus has been running for a thousand years, so if you think you can get a work around here…." Mikael interrupts my sarcastic commentary by hitting my chest. I look up at the man who seems perplexed for a moment. "We that was hella rude."
"How…." His eyebrows furrow in confusion and his eyes zero in on a small scar I had on my wrist. "A cold one bite?" He asked in surprise and I covered my wrist with my other hand.
"Yes. What of it." I grumble and dismiss the concerned look on Stefan's face.
Frowning, Mikael looked at me with sonder eyes as if to silently apologize for what I must have endured. I nodded and walked back to the bar to grab myself a drink. Before I even reached the chair, I felt a burning sensation and looked down in horror at the fire spread from feet to my legs. Above my screams, I could hear Mikael and Stefan.
"Careful, Stefan. One move- and this accelerant will finish her into a fine white powder." The man sneered. "Where is Klaus?" He bellowed.
"His emotions," I gasp out in pain, "have been cut off. He can't care." I groan and scream as the fire moves up to my thighs.
"Really?" Mikael mused. "Is this link to Klaus so strong that he will let his best friend and former lover die?" Mikael leans down and caresses my face with a sickeningly sweet smile. "Think Stefan!" I look up enough to see Stefan holding his head in his hand. Terror flashing across his face as he realizes this man will kill me. "I guess you're right." Mikael chuckles darkly. "He's a dead end and so is you, Isabella." Mikael lights another match and slowly brings it closer to my face.
"Wait!" Stefan shouts and Mikael stops. "I can bring him back. I can lure Klaus back to Mystic Falls." Stefan is panting and the fire has reached my midsection. The world around me is becoming darker and darker. Their voices beginning to sound further and further away.
Suddenly the heat of the fire vanishes as cool water is doused over me. My vision is blurry but I can see Mikael, holding a pitcher and smiling victoriously.
"And there is our loophole. Just had to rile him up a bit." The man sends me a wink and I stare at him in disbelief. "Get Klaus back to Mystic Falls, and I will gladly drive a stake through his heart. Fail, I'll drive it through yours. With that last threat, Mikael vanishes from the bar and Stefan sinks to the floor.
I looked down at my legs, happy to see that I was healing already. I let out a small whimper as I tried to sit up. My legs were stinging and I couldn't help but wish I had some aloe vera. My whimper made Stefan look up and move towards me.
"Bella, I am so sorry." He cried as he pulled me into a brief hug.
"I give him ten points for flair and creativity." Snickering, I attempt to stand up. I can stand thankfully but as I walk, I realize I am limping instead.
"At least now I know where Klaus and Elijah learned their tricks from," Stefan grumbled as he held the bar doors open for me.
"Don't think you had to wait till the last second to have your breakthrough, though." I groan as a sharp stabbing feeling shoots up my leg.
"I didn't have a breakthrough, Bella." Stefan picked me up gently and began walking towards the car.
Cradled in his arms, I fought the urge to sleep and instead stuck my tongue out and blew him a raspberry. "Ooooo, ooooo, Bella is about to die," I mock as I act like I am crying. "I just had to save her for the millionth time!" Stefan's lips twitch fighting off an amused grin. "Careful Stefan, your humanity is showing."
"So you know what?" Stefan says as he opens the door and gingerly places me in the passenger seat. "You're right, Bells. You're right." He nodded as if agreeing with himself. "You reminded me what my freedom felt like. And when we kill Klaus, I'll be free." He tugs at the seat belt and buckles me in. "Free to leave." He stares into my eyes and I can see wave after wave of emotion crashing into him. Stefan was always an open book that I could read. "See, I didn't do this for you, Bella." He caressed my cheek where the fire had almost burned me. "I did it for myself." He whispers before getting up and shutting the car door.
A few seconds later, he climbs into the front seat and cranks on the engine.
"Sure, Stefan. Whatever you say." I say quietly as his hand finds mine and gives me a gentle squeeze.
"I still don't know why you are doing this," Stefan mumbled as he released my hand and put his head on the steering wheel. "What do you want from me, Bella?" He turns to look at me with pain in his eyes. "Why is everybody trying to save me?" A single tear falls down his cheek.
Reaching up to wipe away his tear, I found myself answering him honestly. "Because I have to, Stefan. Because before you were in this mess with Klaus, Elena, and Damon, you saved my life. Because I owe you. Because I love you more than anyone else. I'd die for you, kill for you, watch you fall in love with someone else." Stefan looked away in shame.
"You know what a friend of mine told me before coming to Mystic Falls in search of you?" Stefan shakes his head and I sigh softly and look out the window. "She said 'If someone won't lift a finger to call you, see you, and spend time with you, then it is time for you to lift 5 fingers and wave goodbye."
Stefan sighed. "Bella, I…"
"I nearly died in Forks, Stefan, and I nearly died tonight." I let my pain seep into my voice. No hiding, no pretending, but bare it all out so he could hear how it affected me. "You stood there and watched. Mikael wasn't even compelling you but you wouldn't save me. Not until the very end."
"I'm so sorry…" His voice was sorrowful but I cut him off.
"No. When we get back to Mystic Falls, I'm leaving, Stefan."