As they were waiting to be seated Mary leaned over and whispered to Bonnie,
"Nice hair, meant to tell you this morning, but the waffles interrupted
me." She smiled a knowing smile just as the hostess returned to show them
to their seat.
Bonnie tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I just feel better with it this way. It's longer now and I can do more stuff with it. Never again will I put 'that' much stress on my hair." Taking a long sip of her coke she looked around. She could barely see Matt on the other side of the restaurant watching the TV that the IHOP owner had put in before the summer.
The girls ordered their drinks and the hostess rushed off. "You know," Mary said, sounding very sober, "I have been meaning to talk to you about...things." Mary had an odd look in her eyes, she seemed worried.
"What do you mean things? Is something wrong with mom, or dad? Grandma?" Bonnie's thoughts were in a whirlwind. There was something definitely wrong. Mary was keeping something important from her. "What's going on Mar? You're scaring me."
"No, our family is fine." Her smile was sincere. "I know you have been... dabbling in things. There's some things you don't quite understand that I could help you with."
Mary paused as the waitress returned with their food. She sipped at her coffee. "I know about your friends too. I dream about these things from time to time." She put her hand over her sister's. "They play with powers greater than they are... I am worried for you little sis."
Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise and she looked away from her sister. "I don't know what you're talking about. What things? The only friends I have now are Meredith and Matt. Stefan's gone and Elena's... well... Hey speaking of Matt there he is! You want me to ask him to join us?" She knew he attempt to change the subject was probably not going to work. Her sister knew her a little to well to not notice the shakiness in her voice. Turning back to her sister Bonnie gave her a pleading look. "You can't tell mom or anyone. Elena's alive Mary. She's come back. Don't ask me how but the powers that be decided to give her another chance at life." Stopping suddenly she gave her sister a curious look. "What do you mean you can help me?"
With a chuckle Mary pulled a thick book out of her shoulder bag. "Gram-gram gave this to me long before she passed. She wasn't sure you were ready for it yet. I made a copy for you; I know you're ready to see it now." She produced an almost identical book from her bag. The only apparent difference in the books is that the first had an M inscribed on it and the second had a B.
"Our great-grandmother got this from her mother. It's been passed down through the family. Gram-gram never told me why it stopped with her though. I've beat my brains over it for years and talked to friend who knew things. So, I'm pretty well versed."
Mary absent-mindedly played with the medallion at her neck and smiled.
Taking the book in her hands she ran her fingertips over the cover, tracing the B. "I don't believe this. I always figured you thought I was silly with my little palm readings and stuff. I know mom dabbled a bit when she was younger but I had no idea you were interested in this." A thought suddenly dawned on her. "You knew didn't you... that Stefan was a vampire when you helped him last winter? And yet you still insisted he go to the hospital." Shaking her head in amazement Bonnie opened the book and flipped through it. Her mind was reeling from the whole conversation; she couldn't believe her sister could have kept something so interesting and so completely awesome from her. Closing the book she sat it aside and once more glanced at Mary's necklace. "So what is up with the new jewelry anyhow? What's its significance?"
"It's the secret to my power." Mary giggled for a moment. "No, really it's a talisman for safety. To ward off negative entities. Julia gave it to me years ago."
"But why keep this from me?"
Mary looked almost sad, "Because you weren't ready yet Bonnie. Not ready to have your reality pulled right out from under your feet. I love you too much to upset you, so I waited for the right time."
Mary sipped at her coffee for a few moments. "He wouldn't have gone anyway."
"What?"
"I suggested he go to the hospital, because it would be what any sane nurse would tell someone in his condition. Besides, I knew he wouldn't go." Her eyes glittered as she chuckled, "The first time I dreamed of him, he was on a stone wall. Or rather, he was part of it. That told me he was stubborn. Whether or not the doctors could have helped him, he would not have gone. I think it may run in his family." She shot Bonnie a meaningful glance then waved to the waitress.
"Can I get you something?" the tall, lanky woman with wiry hair asked.
"Some more coffee please. Oh, and the check."
Mary's smile was so sweet, and so honest. She never took anything for granted. The one thing their father taught the girls was if you get it, you get it honest. So simple and pure an answer. Almost innocent.
Bonnie watched as her sister paid the check and stood up. "Excuse me for a minute I'm going to say hi to Matt before we leave." Straightening her shoulders Bonnie sauntered over to Matt and gave him a cheerful smile before plopping down in front of him. She must have surprised him for he began to choke on the piece of toast he just swallowed. Bonnie quickly pushed his glass of tea towards him and waited patiently as he took a long drink from it and thanked her. "Geez Matt it's nothing to get all choked up about." she teased him and smiled. "So what did you do with yourself last night after you dropped Caro off at her house?" Matt raised a questioning brow wondering why exactly was she interested.
Bonnie picked up the saltshaker and began to toy with it. Matt quickly grabbed it away from her. "I remember when we were just freshmen and a certain carrot top decided to put salt in my tea," he said good-naturedly with a smirk as a mock pout appeared on Bonnie's face. "I went to the cemetery and then home. But I did stop by the boarding house before going to the cemetery... but of course you know that. You were outside with Damon." he said softly and looked away. Bonnie studied his face, trying to discern his thoughts. "Oh yeah. I saw you pull off. I wondered why you didn't stop by." That was of course a fib. Matt had been the farthest thing from her mind at that moment.
Now as she looked at him she saw the circles under his eyes and reached over the table, placing her hand on his. "Matt, you know that if you ever want to talk to anyone I'm just a phone call or five minute drive away." Matt looked back at Bonnie; his eyes seemed to search hers for a moment before he pulled his hand away. "Yeah I know." he replied somewhat gruffly standing up. "I've got to go do some last minute school things before college starts up in the fall. Are you going to register?" Bonnie watched him search in his pocket for his wallet before standing up. "Yeah. I was thinking about it. Maybe take a psychology class and maybe even beginner's French." Bonnie noticed that Mary was ready to leave. "Well I guess I'll talk to you later." Stepping forward she quickly embraced him then walked off.
Matt watched her walk away resisting the urge to go after her and apologize for being so short. 'She was just trying to comfort you Honeycutt. Geez you're turning out to be a real Prince Charming.' he scolded himself. He had wanted nothing better than to hug her back but he couldn't. 'It's that whole not getting hurt thing again.' he reminded himself. 'It's just better to not get involved that way no one gets hurt, right?' Dropping the money onto the table he walked toward the exit, glancing over at Bonnie and Mary. They seemed to be getting along pretty well. It was good that Bonnie could be close to her sisters. Family was an important thing.
Bonnie made her way back to Mary, grabbed her bag and snatched the keys gently out of her sister's hands. "I'm driving now. I figured we could go to the college. Register me in a couple of classes then go shopping for school supplies. Shopping is always a good way to bond. Don't ya think?" she asked cheerfully as they headed toward the door.
Elena opened her eyes slowly, watching Stefan leave the boarding house room, confusion evident in her blue eyes. "What in the world..." she said softly, listening to his footsteps on the stairs, then the door shutting behind him.
She sat up in the bed, drawing her legs into a cross-legged position, steepling her fingers underneath her chin. She was tired and cold. And now she was abandoned, not only by Stefan, but by everyone else who obviously had something better to do.
And, no matter how tired she was, Elena couldn't seem to sleep. She felt vaguely restless. Glancing towards the window, she had the urge to go for another walk, since her earlier one had been cut short, but squelched the desire. *Interesting things happen in the dark... sometimes, * she thought, with a roll of her eyes.
Meredith sighed deeply and walked away from the window. She flopped down onto her bed and rolled over. Staring at the ceiling, she wondered if she should call Bonnie now. *I'm going crazy just sitting here waiting for the stupid phone to ring. (She glares at the phone.) Okay, and now I'm blaming the phone for not ringing. *
She rolls across the bed to her nightstand and tries to grab the phone...but misses and lands on the floor. She jumps up and quickly looks around the room. *Well, I guess it's a good thing nobody saw that...I'm supposed to be cool, aloof, and mysterious. * Chuckling to herself, she grabs the phone and dials Bonnie's number. It rings and rings. And then rings some more. Finally the answering machine picks up. "Please leave a message after the beep."
"Bon, this is Meredith. Um...you're obviously not there, and that's why I'm leaving the message. *Well, duh, Mer! Why else would you be leaving the message? * Well, anyway. Call me back when you get home, kay? We can go do something. Well, bye."
*Gosh, Mer, that was slick. *
She picks up the phone again and dials Matt's number. Nobody picks up, so she leaves another message. "This is Meredith. Uh...call me back when you get home...I'm driving myself crazy just sitting here by myself! Bye."
*Maybe I shouldn't sit by myself any more. I seem to turn into a rambling idiot. * She sits back down and stares at the ceiling.
Matt pulled his truck out of the IHOP drive way and headed back home. Parking in the driveway he noticed that nobody else was home. Getting out of the truck he shut the door and headed for the mailbox and paper box. Matt grabbed the newspaper and mail and headed inside quickly going through the pile as he walked. 'Bills... Bills... more Bills.' he thought bitterly. 'Are my parents ever going to get ahead?' He had already realized, when he applied at the college, that he was going to have to get a night job to help pay for his schooling. His scholarship wasn't going to pay for everything. As he passed by the phone in the hallway he noticed that the answering machine was blinking. Dropping the mail and paper on the table he pushed the play button and waited as Meredith's voice played through the speakers of the machine.
"This is Meredith. Uh...call me back when you get home...I'm driving myself crazy just sitting here by myself! Bye."
Matt smiled and deleted the message. It was the only one on there. Turning back toward the door Matt headed out once more, locking the door on his way out he made his way toward the truck. Getting back in he started it up; backed out the drive, and making a left out the drive he headed towards Meredith's house. Five minutes later he parked his car in her driveway, got out and walked to the door, giving it a couple of short raps and waited for someone to answer.
Stefan raised his head from his hands quickly, startled by Damon's sudden presence. "I should have known even THINKING of you would draw you here", said Stefan, trying to pull himself to his feet. He knew it was better to stand face to face with Damon than to have his older brother look down on him like he would a small child. "Where have you been? Luring innocent virgins into your bed again?"
Stefan looked into Damon's eyes knowing that his words would spark anger in his Brother, but he didn't care. It felt good to be angry...felt good to let out his frustrations of the last couple of days.
Stefan continued to stare into Damon's eyes, waiting for his answer. 'Come on I dare you, Brother. Try me,' his look seemed to say.
Damon raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise at his brother. Was Stefan taunting him? "I don't have to lure them," he answered, a hint of amusement evident in his voice. "They come to me of there own free will." He paused. "You should know that Stefan."
With a glance over his shoulder towards the direction of the boarding house, he added, "a little soon to be leaving the darling Elena alone isn't it?"
He looked down at the rabbit carcasses lying near Stefan's feet. "Couldn't find anything more tasteful?" He asked, turning back to Stefan. "Surely there's something more appetizing lying around. Why I could name at least three right off the top of my head." He held up one finger.
Stefan listened as his brother spoke. He felt the fury building inside of him with each word Damon said. Somewhere inside his mind he knew this was dangerous, that he was nowhere near as powerful as Damon. But, there were emotions that were building inside of him that he could not ignore.
"First there's Meredith. Not too soft, not too hard. I'm sure she'd put up a bit of a fight, but isn't that half the fun of it?"
'I want to hurt him...' Stefan thought, his breath quickening.
He held up a second finger. "Then there is always sweet little Bonnie." Damon winked at Stefan. "You'd be surprised how hot that little spit-fire can be."
'I want to break that arrogant face. Make him hurt...' thought Stefan.
"And last, but definitely not least, well, I don't have to tell you that one do I?" Damon chuckled merciless. "We both know just how tempting Elena can be, don't we." He stepped towards Stefan, daring him, challenging him.
'Make him SUFFER as much as I do!!!' Stefan felt something snap and stepped forward to meet face to face with Damon.
"You don't know what you are getting yourself into, brother." Stefan spat in Damon's face. "You don't intimidate me, NOT anymore. And as for Elena, she is wise to your ways. She knows about your deception and the petty games you play", Stefan's voice became louder and louder as he continued. "You would be wise to stay away from her and leave this town FOREVER, if you knew was good for you. Because I swear to God Damon; if you so much as step into the same room as her, I will hunt you down and kill you. You hear me? I WILL kill you!!!"
He pushed Damon backwards as he said this last word and watched him fall to the ground. "Consider this your warning!!!" he said as turned to walk away.
Damon looked at his brother incredulously. "I know you just didn't do that." He sneered, regaining his composure. He jumped to his feet; the damp leaves falling off of his clothes back to the forest floor.
He rushed at Stefan, grabbing him behind the neck, and pushing him face first against a tree. "We've been here before, little brother. Remember. The last time I broke your arm, but I can do far worse to you, and you know it."
He loosened his grip slightly. Not letting go, but giving Stefan a little room to move. He sniffed in the air. "Rabbit blood coursing through you isn't going to do you much good. Not when I have life rushing through mine." He retightened his grip on Stefan's neck. Giving him little room to breathe.
"I could kill you right now, and leave you here to rot. Elena wouldn't come looking for you. She wouldn't give you a second thought."
He let go of Stefan, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Let that be a little lesson to you, little brother. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
Bonnie tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I just feel better with it this way. It's longer now and I can do more stuff with it. Never again will I put 'that' much stress on my hair." Taking a long sip of her coke she looked around. She could barely see Matt on the other side of the restaurant watching the TV that the IHOP owner had put in before the summer.
The girls ordered their drinks and the hostess rushed off. "You know," Mary said, sounding very sober, "I have been meaning to talk to you about...things." Mary had an odd look in her eyes, she seemed worried.
"What do you mean things? Is something wrong with mom, or dad? Grandma?" Bonnie's thoughts were in a whirlwind. There was something definitely wrong. Mary was keeping something important from her. "What's going on Mar? You're scaring me."
"No, our family is fine." Her smile was sincere. "I know you have been... dabbling in things. There's some things you don't quite understand that I could help you with."
Mary paused as the waitress returned with their food. She sipped at her coffee. "I know about your friends too. I dream about these things from time to time." She put her hand over her sister's. "They play with powers greater than they are... I am worried for you little sis."
Bonnie's eyes widened in surprise and she looked away from her sister. "I don't know what you're talking about. What things? The only friends I have now are Meredith and Matt. Stefan's gone and Elena's... well... Hey speaking of Matt there he is! You want me to ask him to join us?" She knew he attempt to change the subject was probably not going to work. Her sister knew her a little to well to not notice the shakiness in her voice. Turning back to her sister Bonnie gave her a pleading look. "You can't tell mom or anyone. Elena's alive Mary. She's come back. Don't ask me how but the powers that be decided to give her another chance at life." Stopping suddenly she gave her sister a curious look. "What do you mean you can help me?"
With a chuckle Mary pulled a thick book out of her shoulder bag. "Gram-gram gave this to me long before she passed. She wasn't sure you were ready for it yet. I made a copy for you; I know you're ready to see it now." She produced an almost identical book from her bag. The only apparent difference in the books is that the first had an M inscribed on it and the second had a B.
"Our great-grandmother got this from her mother. It's been passed down through the family. Gram-gram never told me why it stopped with her though. I've beat my brains over it for years and talked to friend who knew things. So, I'm pretty well versed."
Mary absent-mindedly played with the medallion at her neck and smiled.
Taking the book in her hands she ran her fingertips over the cover, tracing the B. "I don't believe this. I always figured you thought I was silly with my little palm readings and stuff. I know mom dabbled a bit when she was younger but I had no idea you were interested in this." A thought suddenly dawned on her. "You knew didn't you... that Stefan was a vampire when you helped him last winter? And yet you still insisted he go to the hospital." Shaking her head in amazement Bonnie opened the book and flipped through it. Her mind was reeling from the whole conversation; she couldn't believe her sister could have kept something so interesting and so completely awesome from her. Closing the book she sat it aside and once more glanced at Mary's necklace. "So what is up with the new jewelry anyhow? What's its significance?"
"It's the secret to my power." Mary giggled for a moment. "No, really it's a talisman for safety. To ward off negative entities. Julia gave it to me years ago."
"But why keep this from me?"
Mary looked almost sad, "Because you weren't ready yet Bonnie. Not ready to have your reality pulled right out from under your feet. I love you too much to upset you, so I waited for the right time."
Mary sipped at her coffee for a few moments. "He wouldn't have gone anyway."
"What?"
"I suggested he go to the hospital, because it would be what any sane nurse would tell someone in his condition. Besides, I knew he wouldn't go." Her eyes glittered as she chuckled, "The first time I dreamed of him, he was on a stone wall. Or rather, he was part of it. That told me he was stubborn. Whether or not the doctors could have helped him, he would not have gone. I think it may run in his family." She shot Bonnie a meaningful glance then waved to the waitress.
"Can I get you something?" the tall, lanky woman with wiry hair asked.
"Some more coffee please. Oh, and the check."
Mary's smile was so sweet, and so honest. She never took anything for granted. The one thing their father taught the girls was if you get it, you get it honest. So simple and pure an answer. Almost innocent.
Bonnie watched as her sister paid the check and stood up. "Excuse me for a minute I'm going to say hi to Matt before we leave." Straightening her shoulders Bonnie sauntered over to Matt and gave him a cheerful smile before plopping down in front of him. She must have surprised him for he began to choke on the piece of toast he just swallowed. Bonnie quickly pushed his glass of tea towards him and waited patiently as he took a long drink from it and thanked her. "Geez Matt it's nothing to get all choked up about." she teased him and smiled. "So what did you do with yourself last night after you dropped Caro off at her house?" Matt raised a questioning brow wondering why exactly was she interested.
Bonnie picked up the saltshaker and began to toy with it. Matt quickly grabbed it away from her. "I remember when we were just freshmen and a certain carrot top decided to put salt in my tea," he said good-naturedly with a smirk as a mock pout appeared on Bonnie's face. "I went to the cemetery and then home. But I did stop by the boarding house before going to the cemetery... but of course you know that. You were outside with Damon." he said softly and looked away. Bonnie studied his face, trying to discern his thoughts. "Oh yeah. I saw you pull off. I wondered why you didn't stop by." That was of course a fib. Matt had been the farthest thing from her mind at that moment.
Now as she looked at him she saw the circles under his eyes and reached over the table, placing her hand on his. "Matt, you know that if you ever want to talk to anyone I'm just a phone call or five minute drive away." Matt looked back at Bonnie; his eyes seemed to search hers for a moment before he pulled his hand away. "Yeah I know." he replied somewhat gruffly standing up. "I've got to go do some last minute school things before college starts up in the fall. Are you going to register?" Bonnie watched him search in his pocket for his wallet before standing up. "Yeah. I was thinking about it. Maybe take a psychology class and maybe even beginner's French." Bonnie noticed that Mary was ready to leave. "Well I guess I'll talk to you later." Stepping forward she quickly embraced him then walked off.
Matt watched her walk away resisting the urge to go after her and apologize for being so short. 'She was just trying to comfort you Honeycutt. Geez you're turning out to be a real Prince Charming.' he scolded himself. He had wanted nothing better than to hug her back but he couldn't. 'It's that whole not getting hurt thing again.' he reminded himself. 'It's just better to not get involved that way no one gets hurt, right?' Dropping the money onto the table he walked toward the exit, glancing over at Bonnie and Mary. They seemed to be getting along pretty well. It was good that Bonnie could be close to her sisters. Family was an important thing.
Bonnie made her way back to Mary, grabbed her bag and snatched the keys gently out of her sister's hands. "I'm driving now. I figured we could go to the college. Register me in a couple of classes then go shopping for school supplies. Shopping is always a good way to bond. Don't ya think?" she asked cheerfully as they headed toward the door.
Elena opened her eyes slowly, watching Stefan leave the boarding house room, confusion evident in her blue eyes. "What in the world..." she said softly, listening to his footsteps on the stairs, then the door shutting behind him.
She sat up in the bed, drawing her legs into a cross-legged position, steepling her fingers underneath her chin. She was tired and cold. And now she was abandoned, not only by Stefan, but by everyone else who obviously had something better to do.
And, no matter how tired she was, Elena couldn't seem to sleep. She felt vaguely restless. Glancing towards the window, she had the urge to go for another walk, since her earlier one had been cut short, but squelched the desire. *Interesting things happen in the dark... sometimes, * she thought, with a roll of her eyes.
Meredith sighed deeply and walked away from the window. She flopped down onto her bed and rolled over. Staring at the ceiling, she wondered if she should call Bonnie now. *I'm going crazy just sitting here waiting for the stupid phone to ring. (She glares at the phone.) Okay, and now I'm blaming the phone for not ringing. *
She rolls across the bed to her nightstand and tries to grab the phone...but misses and lands on the floor. She jumps up and quickly looks around the room. *Well, I guess it's a good thing nobody saw that...I'm supposed to be cool, aloof, and mysterious. * Chuckling to herself, she grabs the phone and dials Bonnie's number. It rings and rings. And then rings some more. Finally the answering machine picks up. "Please leave a message after the beep."
"Bon, this is Meredith. Um...you're obviously not there, and that's why I'm leaving the message. *Well, duh, Mer! Why else would you be leaving the message? * Well, anyway. Call me back when you get home, kay? We can go do something. Well, bye."
*Gosh, Mer, that was slick. *
She picks up the phone again and dials Matt's number. Nobody picks up, so she leaves another message. "This is Meredith. Uh...call me back when you get home...I'm driving myself crazy just sitting here by myself! Bye."
*Maybe I shouldn't sit by myself any more. I seem to turn into a rambling idiot. * She sits back down and stares at the ceiling.
Matt pulled his truck out of the IHOP drive way and headed back home. Parking in the driveway he noticed that nobody else was home. Getting out of the truck he shut the door and headed for the mailbox and paper box. Matt grabbed the newspaper and mail and headed inside quickly going through the pile as he walked. 'Bills... Bills... more Bills.' he thought bitterly. 'Are my parents ever going to get ahead?' He had already realized, when he applied at the college, that he was going to have to get a night job to help pay for his schooling. His scholarship wasn't going to pay for everything. As he passed by the phone in the hallway he noticed that the answering machine was blinking. Dropping the mail and paper on the table he pushed the play button and waited as Meredith's voice played through the speakers of the machine.
"This is Meredith. Uh...call me back when you get home...I'm driving myself crazy just sitting here by myself! Bye."
Matt smiled and deleted the message. It was the only one on there. Turning back toward the door Matt headed out once more, locking the door on his way out he made his way toward the truck. Getting back in he started it up; backed out the drive, and making a left out the drive he headed towards Meredith's house. Five minutes later he parked his car in her driveway, got out and walked to the door, giving it a couple of short raps and waited for someone to answer.
Stefan raised his head from his hands quickly, startled by Damon's sudden presence. "I should have known even THINKING of you would draw you here", said Stefan, trying to pull himself to his feet. He knew it was better to stand face to face with Damon than to have his older brother look down on him like he would a small child. "Where have you been? Luring innocent virgins into your bed again?"
Stefan looked into Damon's eyes knowing that his words would spark anger in his Brother, but he didn't care. It felt good to be angry...felt good to let out his frustrations of the last couple of days.
Stefan continued to stare into Damon's eyes, waiting for his answer. 'Come on I dare you, Brother. Try me,' his look seemed to say.
Damon raised his eyebrow slightly in surprise at his brother. Was Stefan taunting him? "I don't have to lure them," he answered, a hint of amusement evident in his voice. "They come to me of there own free will." He paused. "You should know that Stefan."
With a glance over his shoulder towards the direction of the boarding house, he added, "a little soon to be leaving the darling Elena alone isn't it?"
He looked down at the rabbit carcasses lying near Stefan's feet. "Couldn't find anything more tasteful?" He asked, turning back to Stefan. "Surely there's something more appetizing lying around. Why I could name at least three right off the top of my head." He held up one finger.
Stefan listened as his brother spoke. He felt the fury building inside of him with each word Damon said. Somewhere inside his mind he knew this was dangerous, that he was nowhere near as powerful as Damon. But, there were emotions that were building inside of him that he could not ignore.
"First there's Meredith. Not too soft, not too hard. I'm sure she'd put up a bit of a fight, but isn't that half the fun of it?"
'I want to hurt him...' Stefan thought, his breath quickening.
He held up a second finger. "Then there is always sweet little Bonnie." Damon winked at Stefan. "You'd be surprised how hot that little spit-fire can be."
'I want to break that arrogant face. Make him hurt...' thought Stefan.
"And last, but definitely not least, well, I don't have to tell you that one do I?" Damon chuckled merciless. "We both know just how tempting Elena can be, don't we." He stepped towards Stefan, daring him, challenging him.
'Make him SUFFER as much as I do!!!' Stefan felt something snap and stepped forward to meet face to face with Damon.
"You don't know what you are getting yourself into, brother." Stefan spat in Damon's face. "You don't intimidate me, NOT anymore. And as for Elena, she is wise to your ways. She knows about your deception and the petty games you play", Stefan's voice became louder and louder as he continued. "You would be wise to stay away from her and leave this town FOREVER, if you knew was good for you. Because I swear to God Damon; if you so much as step into the same room as her, I will hunt you down and kill you. You hear me? I WILL kill you!!!"
He pushed Damon backwards as he said this last word and watched him fall to the ground. "Consider this your warning!!!" he said as turned to walk away.
Damon looked at his brother incredulously. "I know you just didn't do that." He sneered, regaining his composure. He jumped to his feet; the damp leaves falling off of his clothes back to the forest floor.
He rushed at Stefan, grabbing him behind the neck, and pushing him face first against a tree. "We've been here before, little brother. Remember. The last time I broke your arm, but I can do far worse to you, and you know it."
He loosened his grip slightly. Not letting go, but giving Stefan a little room to move. He sniffed in the air. "Rabbit blood coursing through you isn't going to do you much good. Not when I have life rushing through mine." He retightened his grip on Stefan's neck. Giving him little room to breathe.
"I could kill you right now, and leave you here to rot. Elena wouldn't come looking for you. She wouldn't give you a second thought."
He let go of Stefan, stepping back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Let that be a little lesson to you, little brother. Next time, you won't be so lucky."
