Chapter 7

Stefan walked with Bonnie to the kitchen. He and Elena had stopped by to hang out just as Bonnie got back with Nadia. Once the got settled in and started the movie, Bonnie had asked for him to help her with the snacks. It seemed that she had something on her mind, but did not want to speak up about it. It was almost as if she had gone transparent.

She handed him a bag of oranges and a pearing knife. "Start wedging." She chuckled, "You know when I was a little kid I used to use a butter knife to peel a tiny bit of the peel off. Then I'd squeeze the orange a bit and put in a straw, just like on the tropicana comercials. I'd drink from the orange like that. In some weird way the juice tasted better that way." She smiled and began mixing some instant sweet tea in a large blue pitcher.

He could sense that her nerves were tightly wound. "What's going on? What's bothering you?" He set a half sliced orange down on the cutting board.

Bonnie's eyes widened, "Oh." She looked down at the pitcher and continued stirring the tea. "Somebody died at the cemetary."

"What? When?" Suddenly Stefan was overcome by a sickening sense of deja vou.

"Nadia saw it on the news; I don't know if she saw the whole report or not. I listened to it on the radio when I went to pick her up. They found him face down in the road. They think he was mugged then hit by a passing car, but..." Her face was fretted with worry.

"But what?"

"But what would a drifter have, that someone would want to kill him for?"

"What are you saying?"

She couldn't look at Stefan when she spoke next, "He was mad last night. Do you know where he went after the party? I don't mean to be so harsh, but...well..."

Stefan shook his head and began slicing the oranges again, "So this is where you're going?" He could already hear her apologies before they left her mouth, "It's ok. I understand and no I don't know where he went. He blocked me out from the moment he walked out the door." He started dropping several orange wedges into a large bowl. "I tried to find him, but he just didn't want to be found. He gets that way. He's always been that way."

Bonnie nodded as she began to gather four glasses and a tray together. She took the bowl of orange wedges and placed it on the tray with the glasses. "I really hate to say it, but maybe you should find him and ask where he was." She continued to look down. For some reason, saying that made her feel so awful.

Stefan picked up the pitcher and nodded, "I'll look into it." His tone didn't sound hurt, because he wasn't. "Let's get to the movie, before they think we fell off the face of the planet." He half smiled and shrugged towards the door.

He could feel how unsure she was when she followed him back to the living room. He filled the cups with tea and passed them out. He even had a glass for himself, so not to look odd. He set the pitcher on the coffee table and took the tray from Bonnie, allowing her to sit down in the reclyiner next to Nadia who was sitting on the couch. He handed the girls a bowl each so they could get their own orange wedges. Once everyone had everything he took his seat next to Elena.

'Oddly appropriate, the love seat,' he thought with a chuckle as he sat next to Elena on the love seat. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. Bonnie had picked Roller Ball for the movie. They were only a few minutes into the movie. He and Elena hadn't seen it yet, so he was willing to give it a shot. How bad could it be?

His thoughts drifted back to Elena when the scent of her strawberrry shampoo crossed his nose. She had changed slightly after everything that had happened, but she was still Elena. He had proposed to her shortly after her 'return'. They were to marry once she finished college. Her aunt was so exstatic about the engagement. Stefan was welcomed into the family with open arms. He felt like he belonged once again. Everything was right with the world.

**********************Ok, so it's a short chapter. Sorry peoples. What do you think so far? Let me know. E-mail me or what not. Thanks for readin'. :)