I do not own Vampire Diaries
Stefan, whilst watching the football team thought why not take Elena's advice and join the team so he got up and walked towards the jerk that called himself a teacher and asked him if he could.
"Varsity trials were last spring, Mr. Salvatore." Mr Tanner replied not even bothering to look at him.
"I wasn't here then, sir." Stefan replied a little taken aback at the teacher's pettiness though he kind of expected it after what happened in the classroom.
"And you're not here now, as far as I'm concerned." Mr Tanner said as he carried on watching his team play on the field.
"Mr. Tanner, I realize that you and I didn't get off to the best start, and I want to apologize for that. I've played football before. Wide receiver, mostly, and I'm pretty good." Stefan said hoping that he'd give him a chance.
"Well, I won't be asking you who won the super bowl in '71." Mr Tanner said as he thought about it, he didn't like the kid, far from it in fact, but if he was as good as he says he is, his team might have a better chance at winning.
"'71 was the..." Stefan was about to say before he noticed the raised eyebrow of the teacher and immediately backtracked, "Sorry. I...I understand that, sir."
"Just to see you get knocked on your ass. Borrow some gear. Go! Before I change my mind. Let's run it again!" Mr Tanner called out.
"First my girlfriend, now my team?" Matt asked frustrated with the boy.
"Dude, this is an opportunity. Football's a contact sport. Sometimes people get hurt. Whoo! Ha ha!" Tyler said hoping to get back at the new kid for Matt and for what happened before on the field.
[At the cheerleader's practice]
"Seriously, where is Caroline?" Bonnie asked a while later beginning to get concerned.
"I don't know. It's not like her." Elena said wondering where she could be.
"I'll try her again." Bonnie said just as Caroline arrives in Damon's car. She kisses him before leaving the car and walking towards them.
"Uh..." Elena said as she looked at the two of them shocked, this was a first, Caroline had many boyfriends over the years but she never was late to cheerleading practice for any of them.
"Oh, my God. That must be the mystery guy from the grill." Bonnie said and she could see what Caroline meant by hot.
"That's not a mystery guy. That's Damon Salvatore." Elena said to her.
"Salvatore, as in Stefan?!" Bonnie asked shocked, now despite her dislike for Stefan right now, she had to admit the family had some pretty good genes to have children that looked like them.
"I got the other brother. Hope you don't mind. Sorry I'm late, girls. I, uh, was busy. All right, let's start with the double pike herkey hurdler, what do you say? And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe today? Ok? Keep going! Ok. Do it again from the top. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Caroline instructed.
[The football field.]
"Blue 80! Blue 80! Set, hut! Go! Come on, Tyler, cover it! Let's do it." Matt directed his team.
"Get it." Mr Tanner said.
"Line up!" Matt shouted and as Stefan keeps doing a great job on the football field, Elena couldn't help but watch him.
"I hate to say it, but he's got skills." Matt said reluctantly though admittedly impressed.
"I think he needs a buddy pass." Tyler said, he didn't like the boy's attitude one bit and it was time to knock him down a few pegs.
"Really?" Matt asked in disbelief.
"You don't get to walk on the field and act like you own the place after 5 minutes. Just hang one up there and I'll take care of the rest." Tyler said not knowing that Stefan had been listening in on their conversation.
"Do it again." Tanner ordered.
"All right, let's huddle up. Set, hut!" Matt said a little unsure about what Ty wanted to do.
Tyler had made up his mind though and a few minutes into the game, he threw the ball and purposefully hit Stefan hard with it as he falls to the ground.
"Oh! Whoo! Welcome to the team, buddy." Tyler mocks.
"You gonna live, Salvatore?" Mr Tanner asked him.
"Yeah." Stefan replied as he hid his finger.
"Walk it off, son." Tanner said before he went with his team to restart the game.
"Hey. That was my bad." Matt said apologetically.
"It's all right." Stefan said to him appreciating the apology.
"Yeah." Matt said though he still was feeling regretful for not stopping Tyler sooner.
"All right." Tanner said just as Stefan turns around and pops his broken finger back into place.
[Ryan's pov]
After he dropped his son to school the next day, where he informed them that Anastasia's child would be off sick for a while so she couldn't come, he rode all the way back to the house he had dropped her off at and knocked on the door. It took a minute or two before the woman from yesterday opened it and she informed him that Ana was sleeping right now, as well as Liana. She invited him in though and they talked for a while, mostly about Ana, Ryan had the most stories to tell about her and they both had been laughing their asses after one of them when Anastasia walked into the room, she had heard the noises downstairs after she had come out of the shower before using her magic to dry it and style it before walking down the stairs one by one since her hip was still a pain, in the clothes she wore yesterday, she'd change them when she would get home. She left the crutches upstairs, she didn't really want to use them again, they were really uncomfortable and she'd rather not walk with them so she tried to get used to walking without them. She was still feeling so tired because of the nightmares that had kept her awake, there hadn't been any visions this time though she still had the last one in her memory.
"Now what's going on here?" Anastasia asked as she walked towards her friends with a smile on her face, James had hurt her many times in her leg when he used to beat her up so she was used to walking afterwards with the pain. She had a higher tolerance which is why the pain had already decreased enough for her to walk without the crutches though she let out a breath when she sank in one of the chairs at the table, already winded up from the short walk before her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the clock, it was pretty late in the day, all these hours and she still hadn't got much sleep, well, atleast Liana was sleeping, it was good she hadn't been able to sleep much living with James so she was glad she could now. It must be why her naps are longer than usual.
"Nothing. Wait, how is your leg?" Jenna asked her concerned.
"It's better." Anastasia said truthfully before she asked curious about what had them both laughing like crazy people, "So what was the joke?"
"We were just talking about you." Ryan said smiling mischievously.
"Wait, what?" Anastasia said her smile dropping in an instant as she looked at Ryan suspiciously before she asked, "What did you tell her?"
"Nothing much. Maybe just that time that when I was waiting for you outside of starbucks and you came out and got in the wrong car. God your face when you came out of it, you looked mortified and it was hilarious, I couldn't stop laughing." Ryan remembered that day, he had as usual been driving her to where she wanted to go, she had been on her phone with her dad and had gotten so worked up that she probably hadn't realised which car she had gotten into. He was laughing inside the car as soon as she got in the other one, she had sulked all the way home, embarrassed as she was, and he had been laughing at her with amusement at her pouty face.
"Ryan! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!" Anastasia exclaimed embarrassed as Jenna laughed at her.
"I couldn't help it." Ryan said unapologetically as he smirked at her slightly.
"Well then you wouldn't mind if I tell her of the time when you picked up the wrong girl from the mall I had went to to get some clothes and had left me there. I had come out of the place only to find that you were gone, the shop was closing and I was standing in the rain getting soaked for more than 15 minutes before you came back and picked me up." Anastasia said back to him with her arms crossed over her chest.
"How could you mistake her for someone else? Shame on you." Jenna said mock angrily.
"You're never gonna let that go, are you?" Ryan asked Ana as he shook his head at Jenna amused. Anastasia did the mature thing and just stuck her tongue out at him before they all began talking about random things, mainly about what shenanigans they got up to in college and it was fun for all of them, Jenna and Ryan were beginning to become good friends as well which Anastasia was happy about. Though they did ask her a while later if she was alright as she was strangely quiet for a while and she told them the truth that she couldn't believe he wasn't her real father, which also meant that her real father might be out there somewhere and she had no idea, it was just so much for he to take in that as she was explaining she had had no idea that she had begun crying until they both had hugged her, it had thankfully calmed her down though they did notice her flinch when Ryan had put his arm around her, and they exchanged concerned glances as Anastasia cried in their arms, she was clealy not taking this well.
After that, she became lost in thought as the other two gave her space continuing their own conversation, they both knew that what her father had said yesterday was still playing around in her head and they weren't wrong. She was thinking about his words yesterday, the words he had so callously spat at her, she still couldn't believe he had said all that and she didn't know why but the realisation that he wasn't her real father had hurt more than she thought it would. She couldn't believe that the one time he was drunk in front of her that had happened. They do say that drunk words are sober thoughts so clearly he had been holding that in for years ever since she was born. He had always been distant with her and she always wondered why when he gave all of his love and care to her brother, but she hadn't truly thought about it until her brother died, because she had Adrian by her side and he never made her feel unwanted.
After his death though, he was never there for her, in fact she barely saw him, he was so busy with his work that they barely talked at all. The only time they did was when he had gifted her with the car which she now realised wasn't even from his money, Ryan had been the one to buy it for her for her graduation and he had asked about where it was and she told him the truth, he already knew about James so what's the harm in telling him more about him, she trusted him anyway. She had to hold in the tears as she thought more about her father, she'd already cried before, as Jenna and Ry held her and she'd rather not do it again, it was too draining.
A while later, Ryan had to leave to go home and Anastasia had asked him to drive her to hers, both Jenna and Ryan had protested but she was stubborn, she refused to sleep in that room again so after a while they finally relented though Jenna had said that because of her crutches, she wouldn't be able to hold Liana so she'd take care of her. Anastasia knew that since the short walk she had was really exhausting for her, she'd rather not waste her energy so she took the crutches to help her walk.
Anastasia immediately refused Jenna's offer but then Jenna had said that her father was unstable right now and it was safer to keep Liana here, and when the safety of her child came into question, Anastasia couldn't help but agree. She painstakingly made her way upstairs but after a few steps Ryan had come up behind her and scooped her up in his arms, she was too shocked to say anything as he put her down in the room her baby was sleeping. She got over the shock and glared at him slightly though he could see the gratefulness in her expression before she went and kissed her still sleeping child on the forehead as Ryan picked up her stuff and then they both went out the house. She wouldn't have left had she not trusted Jenna and had there been a man in that house. The kid, Jeremy, showed that she could trust him last night and she also knew Elena so leaving Liana there wasn't as fearful for her as she thought it would be and she was beyond grateful to have made such a friend so quickly.
Stefan had walked Elena home with the intention of making sure Anastasia was okay, it was then he noticed that she was getting into the car of the guy who had picked her up yesterday. Anastasia looked up and caught his eye before a smile spread on her face.
"Hey Steffie, hey Elena how've you guys been?" Anastasia asked as she stopped getting into the car to say hi to them, the crutches were still annoying to walk in though thankfully Ryan was there to help.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Stefan asked her as he looked at her crutches in worry though he could see that she was better than yesterday.
Anastasia sighed at his concerned look before she said, "I'm fine."
"And we all know that's a lie." Ryan scoffed.
"Oh come on Ry, what do you want me to say, that I'm not fine because I think that's pretty obvious." Anastasia snapped at him annoyed, she knew he was just concerned but it was beginning to become suffocating.
"I'm sorry Ana. It's just...It's just too much of a big pill to swallow, what he said to you, I just want you to be okay." Ryan said earnestly.
"I know Ry, I do, but it's hard for me as well. I didn't expect what happened to happen at all when I went home yesterday. I'm still coming to terms with it." Anastasia said before she turned to face Elena, "So Elena this is Ry, or Ryan and Ry, this is Elena and you've already met Steffie, Stefanie, or Stefan."
Stefan rolled his eyes though there was a smile on his face as he nodded his head at Ryan in greeting who was laughing at him. Inside though he was really happy, even after finding out what he was, Ana never treated him any differently though he knew that was probably because she was one too and a witch, which was still shocking, and that reminded him, why hadn't she used her magic to heal herself?
"This is not fair Ana, you gave him a good nickname, why can't you give me one too, instead of ones that sound as ridiculous as those. I mean last time I checked I was a boy not a girl." Stefan said jokingly as they all laughed at him, Elena's a little forced, again, he was joking around with Anastasia, he never did it with her as much as he did with her, it was beginning to grate on her nerves.
"Well I could call you Stef but I think Steffie and Stefanie have much better rings to it, don't you think?" Anastasia mocked and the others couldn't help but laugh at the friendly banter between the two before Elena excused herself saying she had to go inside and they said goodbye to her, she needed to prepare for the dinner she was going to have with Stefan and Bonnie, who would be coming soon to help out.
"On a serious note though how are you feeling?" Stefan asked her as Elena left.
"I'm fine thanks to Ryan, I also want to thank you and your brother for finding Liana and then trying to find me." Anastasia said, more than shocked that Damon of all people had tried to help her, there had to be a reason behind it, he didn't care after all, she was just thankful that she had her locket on before what happened or it would have still been there, it helped calm her and right now that's what she needed.
"Yeah, I found Liana and she lead us to you, Damon agreed to help find you when Liana asked." Stefan said as he remembered exactly how they had found her.
"Well, I'll need to thank him later, I suppose." Anastasia said a little reluctant to do so.
"Ana I have to do something important right now, could you wait in the car as I go?" Ryan asked and his voice told her exactly what he wanted to do, there was one thing that he had been adamant about helping with and that was to do with a certain teacher.
"You don't have to do that now." Anastasia said to him, he had a child of his own, she didn't want him worrying about anything else as well.
"Ana it's been more than a few years since I've seen you and I can still read you like a book. Stop worrying I have nothing to do right now so I'm going to get it sorted." Ryan said before he kissed her forehead as he always did before walking off.
"Uh are you two..." Stefan asked trailing off a little awkwardly.
"No. We're just friends. He used to be my best friend quite a few years ago and we just met yesterday so we're just catching up." Anastasia explained.
"Oh." Stefan nodded at her before he asked, "Where are you going by the way after he comes back?"
"I'm going back Stefan." Anastasia said truthfully.
"Why?" Stefan asked shocked, after what he did, why would she go back there?
"Where else would I go?" Anastasia asked him shrugging her shoulders, she had nowhere else to go.
"Why can't you stay here with Elena?" Stefan asked confused.
"Cause the only spare rooms they have belong to their parents and they moved me there last night when I slept on the couch with Liana but I refuse to sleep there again, it's not right." Anastasia said shaking her head.
"What about Ryan, can't you stay with him?" Stefan asked, wondering why the guy wouldn't have asked to take her with him instead of her going back there.
"No, he lives farther away from Mystic Falls and I can't got there right now since first of all I left Liana with Jenna and second, it's the same problem here, we won't fit on the couch because of an injury I have. You've already seen me bleeding out twice and I can't afford to injure it again if Liana accidentally hurts me in the night." Anastasia explained.
"Speaking of, you're a vampire, why aren't you healing?" Stefan asked confused.
"I'm not your typical vampire, for one, I'm a witch and two, I don't need blood to survive and because of this, my powers had to be balanced, I needed a weakness and that was that I won't heal." Anastasia shrugged, that was the gist of what she understood from Death, or Alexander as he told her to call him.
"What? You don't need blood to survive?" Stefan asked beyond shocked, how was that possible, no vampire can survive without blood.
"Nope." Anastasia said as she popped the p.
"I've never heard of that before." Stefan said still in shock and Anastasia just shrugged her shoulders, she wouldn't ever tell anyone the truth about her life, it would be too hard to explain. After a moment or two of contemplative silence Stefan perked up slightly as he asked, "Why don't you come home with me? The Salvatore Boarding house has a lot of spare rooms that you can stay in." Stefan said, he wouldn't have offered if she didn't know how to handle herself against his brother, she was powerful after all.
"Really? You want to me to stay there for the night?" Anastasia asked him surprised at his offer.
"Well obviously I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to Ana, but you can stay as long as you need, not just the one night." Stefan said smiling at her.
"Thanks Steffie." Anastasia said to him with a relieved and grateful smile on her face.
"No problem." Stefan said as he smiled back at her.
"Should I leave Liana here?" Anastasia said looking at the doors of the house contemplating what to do.
"I don't know if Damon's home so I wouldn't do that yet, he's not exactly stable." Stefan said to her and she nodded at him in understanding before she quickly send a text to Ry that she would be going to Stefan's home instead of going to her fa… Andrew's. She had to get used to the idea of not calling him dad, she couldn't after what she had just found out.
As she got in the car with Stefan, Ryan texted her back with a thumbs up sign and then they drove off. The entire way was spent in silence as he took the now sleeping girl to his house, Ana looked exhausted and he assumed from the nightmare he had seen last time that they had again plagued her dreams, it was clear she hadn't slept properly.
When he got there he made his way to his room and placed Ana on his bed, taking off her shoes and coat before pulling the covers over her. He sighed as he looked concerned at her exhausted face, he then kissed her forehead before he vamp sped downstairs and grabbed her crutches from the car and sped back upstairs as he laid them on the floor next to his bed. It was when he looked up that he actually noticed Damon sitting at his desk and reading his diary.
"How were tryouts? Did you make the team? Very Emerson, the way you reveal your soul with so many...adjectives." Damon said before the diary was ripped away from him as he looked at the girl curiously, he had seen his brother's affection for the girl as he kissed her forehead before he went and got her crutches. It was clear he cared a lot about her, in what way though? Was it brotherly affection or was it love, though as he thought about the last option, he immediately felt that same feeling he had felt yesterday seeing Anastasia in that guy's arms and again, he pushed it away, he didn't have time for meaningless feelings as he asked, "Now brother, do tell me why she's here?"
"She doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go considering her father…Let's just say it's not safe for her at her home right now." Stefan explained.
"Why not? And where's the kid?" Damon asked confused, where Anastasia was, Liana was right behind her, so where was the adorable kid now?
"None of your business Damon. What on earth are you doing here?" Stefan asked him annoyed.
"I've come to apologize. I've been doing some thinking, some soul searching, and...I want us to start over. We need to put the past behind us. You're my little brother, and if you want to live a normal, happy human life, then I want that for you. Maybe I can do it, too. That I can learn to be a non-living living person. Maybe there's hope for both of us." Damon said as he tries to keep a straight face but he couldn't help but laugh out loud at the slightly hopeful look on Stefan's face before he stopped as they both turned to Anastasia who whimpered in her sleep as she moved slightly with a furrowed brow, it was clear that she was in the midst of a nightmare
"You know, it doesn't have to be this way, Damon." Stefan whispered so he didn't wake Ana.
"Of course it doesn't. I saw Elena today, BTW. That means "by the way." She was at cheerleading practice. She looked so perky in her little short shorts. You know I bet Anastasia would look smokin' hot if she'd wear them." Damon said just as Stefan got a pissed of expression on his face and he continued, "Just...simmer down, I didn't even go near your precious Elena and from what we heard yesterday, Anastasia can look after herself and besides, I've got my own cheerleader now. Ooh, that reminds me...I gotta run. I have a date. Sweaty palms. Wish me luck." Damon said as he took one last glance at the beautiful girl on his brother's bed before he left.
Just as he did, Anastasia had woken up from the nightmare a few minutes later, she was pretty shaken up and didn't tell Stefan what she saw though it was clear it was something bad. He wanted to take her mind off it so he asked her to go with him to Elena's house and Anastasia agreed because she really wanted to see Bonnie again and get her mind off what happened these past 2 days.
[At Gilbert Residence]
Elena and Bonnie were preparing dinner in the kitchen as Bonnie talked about what was going on with her, "You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."
"Oh, come on. That commercial's on a constant loop." Elena said dismissively.
"Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers. 3 numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?" Bonnie asked her friend, those numbers have been stuck in her head all day and it was beginning to grate on her nerves.
"Maybe we should play the lottery. Have you talked to your Grams?" Elena asked her, she didn't believe in magic at all but her friend was truly freaked out so maybe her Grams might shed some light on her situation.
"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?" Bonnie asked, it was unbelievable anyway, magic wasn't real.
"I don't want to be a witch." Elena said with a slight grimace on her face before she pours the to-go food into a bowl.
"And putting it in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody." Bonnie said to her friend, it was well known that Elena couldn't cook at all, she was pretty sure she even managed to ruin the simple act of boiling water once.
"Ok, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons?" Elena asked as she looked around her kitchen.
"Middle drawer on your left." Bonnie responded automatically as Elena looked at her a little weirdly before pulling open that draw to see the serving spoons.
"Ok, so you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times.:" Elena said not wanting to believe in any sort of supernatural, it was just coincidence.
"Yeah, that's it." Bonnie said disbelievingly just as the doorbell rings.
"Ok, he's here. Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving self." Elena said hopeful that this would go the way she wanted before she left to open the door.
"Birthday candles." Bonnie said before opening a draw and seeing them there, that was not normal. Elena had opened the door expecting to see Stefan but she hadn't thought that Anastasia would be there too. She was walking in the house with crutches, with Stefan beside her clearly having invited her here, she was a little frustrated that Anastasia was here because she had hoped this would be just time for him and Bonnie to talk and for them to become friends, she didn't want Anastasia to ruin anything but she invited them in anyway.
Bonnie walked into the room reluctantly, she did not want to see Stefan but for her friend she would, but as she walked into the living room, she saw Anastasia and quickly led her to one of the chairs so she could sit down, she had forgotten that Anastasia had gotten hurt and she had been so concerned that she had completely forgotten about Stefan.
[The Dining Room.]
All of them then sat in the room to eat together, it was slightly awkward but Anastasia's presence actually eased it and it wasn't as uncomfortable as Bonnie thought it'd be but she still wasn't anywhere close to being ok with Stefan. Anastasia was thinking about going upstairs to check on Liana but she knew with her leg that would be a bad idea but she was relieved that she could hear her baby's soft breathing from upstairs which told her she was still sleeping.
"Did Tanner give you a hard time today?" Elena asked Stefan quickly before Anastasia could say something else, she had wanted Stefan and Bonnie to bond but Anastasia wasn't making it easy. She kept on talking to each of them about random things, and it was annoying her because they were laughing and talking, not to each other, but to her. They weren't even paying any attention to her when she was the one who organised this dinner, Anastasia was taking over everything.
"Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right." Stefan said a little sad that his conversation with Anastasia was interrupted, it was fun and freeing to talk to her, but Elena had asked him a question so he had to answer. He did notice Ana flinch after Elena's question and he wondered what was wrong, Elena had mentioned Tanner, that had to be the only reason she could have flinched. Did Tanner do something to her?
"You're on the team? That's wonderful. I know how much you like football." Anastasia said as he smiled at her, from their talks, she knew that Stefan really liked football so she was happy for him. She didn't notice Elena's aggravated look at her though.
"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and..." Elena said trying to pitch in, she had only managed to catch Stefan's attention for a few seconds before Anastasia stole it again and it was annoying her.
"Yeah, I heard." Bonnie interrupted coldly, despite the friendly manner Stefan had with them, especially Anastasia, she was still wary of him though she could see the way he and Anastasia talked, their friendly banter with each other, it was amusing to watch and she could see how much he seemed to care about her and vice versa but she still couldn't bring herself to trust him. The feeling that coursed through her body was unlike anything she's ever felt before, it felt like death.
"Wait, what happened?" Anastasia asked curious.
"Tyler threw a ball at me and I just caught it, no big deal." Stefan said as he shrugged.
"It is a big deal, you weren't even facing him and yet you caught it and then threw it back at him with perfect aim." Elena gushed.
"Wow. Well done Steffie." Anastasia praised him as she shifted in the chair slightly uncomfortably, her hip was beginning to ache on the uncomfortable chair.
"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Elena asked him, looking on jealously at the smiles they gave each other, why couldn't Anastasia just back off, Stefan was her boyfriend.
"Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad." Bonnie said bluntly as she moved the food around on her plate, not really hungry.
"No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." Elena said frustrated that Bonnie wasn't even trying.
"Cool isn't the word I'd use." Bonnie said rolling her eyes as she stared at her plate.
"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800s." Stefan said as he again wondered why Bonnie seemed to dislike him so much.
"My family came by way of Salem." Bonnie corrected him.
"Really? Salem witches?" Stefan asked her honestly curious.
"Yeah." Bonnie agreed as she looked up at him.
"I would say that's pretty cool." Stefan said seriously, he had met a few Salem witches and they were really powerful.
"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked thinking that he was just saying that to get on her good side.
"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity." Stefan replied.
"Yeah, they are." Bonnie said as she looked at him in a new light, he clearly knew what he was saying, he wasn't just agreeing with her. Just as she replied, the doorbell rang.
"I wonder who that could be." Elena said as she got up to open the door, only to see Damon and Caroline on the other side.
"Surprise! Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert." Caroline said being her usual perky self.
"Oh." Elena said not expecting her to be here especially with Stefan's brother.
"Hope you don't mind." Damon spoke up as Caroline walked inside with the cake in her hands as she handed it to Elena.
"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked his brother trying to control his anger at the sight of him here.
"Waiting for Elena to invite me in." Damon said with his usual smirk in place as he took a step to the entrance of the door.
"Oh, yeah, you can..." Elena agreed before Stefan cut her off.
"No, no, no. He can't, uh...he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" Stefan said not knowing what to do to get him out of here, if he got invited in, who knows what he'd do?
"Get in here." Caroline said looking at them all confused.
"We're just...finishing up." Stefan said trying to make an excuse for him to go but it clearly wasn't working.
"It's fine. Just come on in." Elena said and Damon smirked as he walked past his brother before he looked around and said, "You have a beautiful home, Elena."
"Thank you." Elena said and as he walked away she turned to Stefan confused about why he had clearly wanted his brother to leave.
"Oh my God Annie!" Caroline squealed as she saw Anastasia sitting in the room with Bonnie, she immediately went over and hugged her.
"Hey Carebear." Anastasia said happy to see her friend as she hugged her back.
"How are you? Are you alright? Is your leg okay?" Caroline fired question after question in concern for her.
"I'm fine, no need to worry." Anastasia replied reassuringly and thankfully she calmed down, and she wasn't being entirely untruthful, her hip felt better than before since she had rested it more but it still hurt.
"Anastasia." Damon greeted with a smirk on his face.
"Damon." Anastasia said as she turned to face with him slight weariness in her eyes.
As everyone began moving to the living room, Anastasia used the table to help her up before she winced as her hip throbbed slightly, clearly it didn't appreciate sitting on such an uncomfortable chair for that long.
"Are you alright?" Stefan immediately asked as he saw her wince.
"Yep. Just peachy." Anastasia replied as she took a step forward before wobbling slightly and Damon grabbed her arms to steady her. She gasped slightly at the contact but it helped as she stood up straight, before ripping her arms out of his hold, she still wasn't used to letting any man touch her, though she was getting used to Ryan, despite their time apart, she trusted him just as she did before.
"Thanks." Anastasia said confused about why he had helped her before she walked, slower than normal because of her hip, towards the living room with the others. Both the brothers walked as little closer to her just in case she fell, they were surprised that she had forwent the crutches, not that they could blame her, they looked like a misery to walk in after all. She stopped outside the room when she heard her phone buzzing and she took it out her pocket only to see Ryan calling her. She motioned for the brothers to go inside the room and they did so, though they couldn't help but listen in on the conversation as the others were having a conversation of their own.
"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team. Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it." Caroline said to Stefan as she sat on the arm of the couch Damon was sitting on, though they were both a little distracted listening to the conversation outside the room.
"That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." Damon said and Stefan understood the mockery of his words though he couldn't care less when he heard Anastasia's next words, he noticed his brother had froze too, meaning he had heard what she said and he had not misheard, Tanner had tried to touch her? God, he was going to kill him.
"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines." Caroline said bluntly.
"I'll work with her. She'll get it." Bonnie defended her friend.
"I guess we can put her in the back." Caroline said as Elena looked slightly embarrassed.
"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena." Damon commented as Elena drank from her cup, though he could hardly care, he was too busy listening in on the conversation between Anastasia and the guy he had recognised as the man from last night that had helped Anastasia.
"Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. She used to be way more fun." Caroline said before she caught the looks on her friend's faces and said, "And I say that with complete sensitivity."
"I'm sorry, Elena. I know what it's like to lose both your parents. In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die." Damon said insincerely.
"We don't need to get into that right now, Damon." Stefan said annoyed at his brother whilst also being confused about what he was hearing outside.
"Oh, you know what, you're right, Stef. I'm sorry. The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up. Mmm." Damon said smirking at him before it dropped slightly when he heard the end of the conversation before Anastasia came in the room.
"Hey Ry, miss me already?" Anastasia teased as she answered the call.
"Ana I need to talk to you." Ryan said forgoing any small talk.
"What is it Ry?" Anastasia asked concerned, he sounded serious.
"The teacher, Mr Tanner, was it?" Ryan asked her, just to make sure.
"Yeah, that's his name." Anastasia said as the brothers furrowed their brow slightly in confusion as the chatter went on in the room.
"Well I talked to the Sheriff last night about what happened and she said she honestly can't do anything without your statement, a witness or any evidence whatsoever." Ryan said as he sighed helplessly.
"Statement? As in written or verbal?" Anastasia asked him.
"Verbal." Ryan answered.
"How many people would know about what happened?" Anastasia asked, she really didn't want anyone to know, it was why she had stopped Jenna from reporting but she couldn't help but think what if he were to do this to someone else.
"The Sheriff and the council I think so that they can get him sentenced and behind bars for however long he should be, but if it was just temporary, then you just have to tell the Sheriff and then for safety precautions, he would be sent to jail." Ryan informed her.
"Then leave it Ry." Anastasia sighed disappointed, she couldn't say what happened to that many people and getting Mr Tanner behind bars temporarily would only anger the man further and when he comes out, she had no idea what he could do to her.
"Leave it? I'm not going to leave it, the man tried to rape you." Ryan said scandalised causing the brothers to freeze in place.
"He didn't Ry, he just tried to touch me, he didn't actually get far though." Anastasia said and the brothers were relieved that he hadn't gone that far, though for once they both had the same thought, they wanted to rip the man's head off.
"But if you didn't have a black belt in karate, then who knows how far he would have gone." Ryan said and the brothers were now shocked to hear that, getting a black belt was a very hard thing to do after all.
"Look Ry I-I can't tell that many people, okay?" Anastasia said, she knew exactly what would happen if she did.
"Ana, I will be right by your side through it all, you just have to explain." Ryan said trying to comfort her.
"I can't Ry." Anastasia said firmly.
"Why not? You work with him Ana, unless you quit your job or something, you're going to see him again, but with a few words, he'll be out of your life." Ryan said confused as to why she wouldn't want to do this.
"Ry, you don't understand. I can't tell them, I…" Anastasia said not knowing how to explain to him what the problem was.
"Ana what's the problem? I don't understand, you'll just have to say what happened and then he could go to jail, isn't that better than seeing him every day of your life, for all we know he could actually hurt you the next time." Ryan said and the brothers were in agreement.
"Leave it Ry, just forget I said anything." Anastasia said as she held the bridge of her nose, the brothers were confused now, why would she be so against doing that.
"I can't just forget Ana. I want to live in peace knowing that my best friend is okay and I can't do that knowing that he's still out there with the potential of hurting you, he could actually do what he clearly wanted to do, do you understand that?" Ryan asked his friend exasperated with her stubbornness.
"I understand perfectly Ry and it's not like this would be the first time." Anastasia snapped into the phone before she gasped as she realised what she said, her hand coming up instinctually to cover her mouth as both the brothers and Ryan became silent. The brothers hadn't realised exactly how far the abuse went but now they knew for a fact that she had been raped, it was clear from what she said and the way she had gasped afterwards that she hadn't meant to say that, which made it all the more true. No wonder she was afraid of men.
"What did you say?" They heard the guy breathe out on the other end.
"I-I uh… nothing, nothing, just…nothing." Anastasia said before she cut the call and put it back in her pocket, they could hear her swallow, her breathing rate increase slightly as her heart pounded in her chest and Stefan was so close to getting up to see if she was okay but she came back in the room looking like nothing had happened.
[The Living Room]
Anastasia entered the living room after the conversation, all the while dreaded the next time she'd see Ryan, he'd want answers, answers she didn't want to provide. But when she entered, her eyes caught Stefan's as he looked at her concerned, and she would have thought it was because of her hip but the depth of concern in his eyes made her stop still as she realised he could hear the entire conversation, her eyes turned to Damon who looked at her with something undecipherable in his eyes and she knew then that the brothers had heard everything. She couldn't even think on it much before she heard Caroline ask, "Hey Annie, where were you?"
"Oh, I um…I had a call from Ry." Anastasia said absentmindedly as she sat down as far from the brothers as possible, she didn't even look at them.
"Ry as in Ryan that hot friend of yours that nearly ran us both over the yesterday." Caroline said bluntly.
"Wait what? He was the one who hit you with the car?" Stefan said, he felt a flurry of emotions right now, anger and horror after the conversation he'd just heard and now shock and concern at finding out just who exactly had hit her with the car.
"Yeah but it was an accident." Anastasia said and just as they were going to say something the doorbell rang, Elena got up to open the door and then they all heard, "Where is Ana?"
"Shit." Anastasia said under her breath.
"Uh… she's here." They heard Elena reply before Anastasia saw Ryan storming into the room making a beeline towards her, he had no idea where she was at this time so instead he had tracked the call, pretty extreme he knew but sue him he worked in the army, what did she expect, he was thankful he was already close by so it didn't take him long to get here.
"We need to talk." Ryan said to her seriously.
"No we don't." Anastasia said firmly, she refused to talk with him right now, she knew what he wanted to know but she couldn't say it right now, she hadn't told anyone, it was part of her life she was trying very hard to forget.
"Yes we do." Ryan said his tone of voice telling her that he wouldn't budge on this.
"Do you want me to say 'no we don't' so that we can have a five year old conversation." Anastasia snarked back to him as the others smiled in slight amusement though they were confused about what was going on, except the brothers though, who had heard everything.
"Anastasia this is not the time for jokes, just tell me that what you said on the phone, is it true, did he…" Ryan was about to ask her forgetting about the people around them before Anastasia quickly stood up and slapped her hand over his mouth. He looked confused for a second before he realised the audience they had and immediately calmed down so Anastasia removed her hand as she slowly sat back down, though she was thankful that her hip was hurting less than before.
"Sorry Ana." Ryan said apologetically.
"Look Ry can you just drop it, for now at least, we can talk later." Anastasia suggested.
"Fine I'll drop it but we will talk later, you understand?" Ryan asked her and they looked at each other for a moment before Anastasia sighed and nodded her head, he smiled slightly as he kissed her forehead before he turned to leave.
