"I'm sorry, Elena, I know I shouldn't have," Bonnie said pleadingly.
"Then why did you?" Elena demanded.
"He just seemed so earnest, and I got to thinking, you basically wrote him off just because his brother once mistook you for their ex…but then I touched him, and I swear, I got this awful feeling. Like, bad bad."
"All the more reason not to date him," Elena concluded. "You know, I might be starting to believe in this witchy stuff. I swear, Stefan and Damon both keep appearing and disappearing out of absolutely nowhere. Either that, or I'm going completely crazy."
"Well, if you're going crazy, then so am I," Bonnie replied. She tried to smile, though she didn't quite manage it. "Let's be crazy together?"
"Sounds like a plan…oh." Elena trailed off as Stefan walked up to them.
"You haven't been answering my calls," Stefan said, sounding hurt.
"Most people would take that as a hint," Elena said bitingly.
"Look, Katherine was a long time ago," Stefan said pleadingly. "I'm over her, I swear. I like you for you. Can't you at least give us a chance before deciding that you know my feelings better than I do?"
"Can't you respect it when a girl says no?" Bonnie snapped.
Elena narrowed her eyes. "You know what? Dinner, my house, 8:00. You, me and Bonnie. You get one night to win us both over."
Stefan smiled. "Great. I'll see you then." At that moment, a football came flying at them. Stefan suddenly whirled around and caught it in an impressive display of reflexes. Then he threw the ball back at Tyler. Tyler caught the ball, but was nearly bowled over from the force of Stefan's throw.
"Wow," Elena said, impressed in spite of herself. "That was insane. You should join the team."
"I, uh, don't know about that," Stefan said bashfully.
Elena shrugged. "Our team sucks, they could use you. Think about it. Come on, Bonnie." She slung an arm around her friend's shoulder and steered her into the school.
"What are you playing at?" Bonnie hissed once they were through the doors.
"You're getting bad mojo, I'm seeing things that don't make sense. Either we're already crazy, or we're going to be if we don't get to the bottom of it."
"How exactly is dinner going to help?" Bonnie challenged.
"I don't know, observe and learn? Ask pointed questions? Set up a hidden camera by the door to see if he appears out of thin air?"
"You're reaching," Bonnie said flatly.
"Fine, don't come," Elena sighed. "He'll probably be happier to be alone with me anyway."
"Oh, no. I am not leaving you alone with a guy who's desperate to date you when I know you don't wanna date him. I'll be there."
Bonnie was elated to see Elena return to cheerleading, but concerned by Caroline's prolonged absence. Caroline was not one to be late to cheer practice. And then, at last, a blue classic Camaro pulled up, driven by a familiar leather-clad figure. Caroline kissed the driver and hopped out, a scarf around her neck.
"Oh my god," Bonnie murmured. "That must be the mystery guy from the Grill."
Elena scoffed. "'Mystery guy' is right. That's Damon."
Bonnie whirled to stare at Elena. "Wait. So, she was practically planning your wedding with Damon, and then she gets together with him the first chance she gets?"
"Well, I did basically say I refused to date either brother what with the whole Katherine thing," Elena mused, frowning. "She probably took that as a green light."
Caroline waltzed up behind Bonnie. "I got the other brother, hope you don't mind," she said airily. Elena and Bonnie shared a look that was simultaneously bemused and worried.
Elena was unable to rig any sort of hidden camera at the door, so she resorted to constantly looking out the window. It didn't calm either girl's nerves when they discovered that Bonnie had somehow developed a freakish knowledge of Elena's kitchen. Then the doorbell rang, and they nearly jumped out of their skin.
Five minutes later, they were eating in incredibly awkward silence. Elena finally decided to break the ice. "So, Stefan…that was an amazing catch, earlier. Where'd you learn to play like that?"
"Oh. Um." Stefan avoided both their gazes. "My brother taught me, actually. Back in better days…"
"I saw you on the field earlier," Elena prodded. "Did Tanner let you on the team?"
"Yeah. Guess I must have done something right."
Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "You basically humiliated him in class and then he let you on the team? Either you're freaky good, or you have freaky powers of persuasion."
"Um." Stefan looked even more awkward at that.
Elena decided to change the subject. "Did you know Bonnie comes from this long line of witches? It's really cool."
"'Cool' isn't the word I'd use," Bonnie muttered.
Stefan seemed to perk up. "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."
"My family came by way of Salem," Bonnie informed him, somewhat curtly.
"Really?" Stefan said, fascinated. "Salem witches?"
"You know any Salem witches?" Elena suggested, watching him curiously.
"Well, they all died centuries ago, so I'm gonna have to say no," Stefan said with a small laugh. "But I do like the story. Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and non-conformity."
"Yeah, they are," Bonnie agreed, beginning to thaw.
At that moment, the doorbell rang again and Elena frowned. "I wonder who that could be." She got up and went to answer the door.
"Surprise!" Caroline said, holding out a cake. "Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert."
"Hope you don't mind," Damon added, standing right behind Caroline. Caroline happily entered the house and handed the cake to Elena.
Stefan walked up and frowned at his brother, clearly displeased to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for Elena to invite me in," Damon said casually.
"Uh, sure, come…"
"No, no, no," Stefan said quickly, cutting Elena off. "He can't, uh…he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" It didn't really sound like a question.
Elena raised her eyebrows. "How about Damon speaks for himself?"
"I've got all night," Damon responded, smirking.
"Then by all means, come in and join us," Elena replied. Damon flashed another smirk at his brother as he entered the house. Elena turned to Stefan and spoke in an undertone. "Starting the Cold War every time you see your brother? Not helping your case."
"You have a beautiful home, Elena," Damon commented, shooting Stefan a look as if he'd won some kind of victory. Stefan looked unnerved. Elena frowned at the pair of them, wondering if she'd become the rope in some kind of tug-of-war.
"Good behavior, both of you," Elena warned. "This is a no-sibling-drama zone."
"Of course," Damon agreed readily. Stefan merely continued to look unhappy.
Ten minutes later, they were all sitting in the living room discussing football and cheerleading. Then Caroline made an insensitive comment about Elena's parents, and the conversation took a darker turn.
"I'm sorry, Elena, I know what it's like to lose both your parents," Damon said sympathetically. "In fact, Stefan and I have watched almost every single person we've ever cared about die."
"We don't need to…get into that, right now, Damon," Stefan said stiffly.
"Oh, you know what, Stef, you're right, I'm sorry," Damon replied, not sounding particularly sorry. "The last thing I wanted to do was bring her up."
Elena cleared her throat. "Ahem. No sibling drama."
Damon held up his hands. "My apologies. No drama." He grabbed a glass from the end table and stood up. "I'll just…clear this away." He headed to the kitchen.
Elena followed him. "Hey, you're a guest, you don't need to do dishes."
"Can't a guy help out?" Damon said casually. Elena tried to take the glass from him, but ended up dropping it. Damon caught it, his reflexes as impressive as Stefan's.
Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "Nice save."
"You look like you've just caught on to my secret superpower of cup-saving," Damon replied, amused.
Elena turned to the sink to wash the cup, keeping an eye on his reflection in the window. "Nah. I think if you had a secret superpower, it would be teleporting."
Whatever reaction she'd been hoping for, she didn't get it. Damon simply looked surprised and confused. "What makes you say that?"
"No reason." Elena turned off the water and turned back to him. "Earlier, did you mean…Katherine?"
"Mhm," Damon confirmed, taking the cup from her and putting it in the dishwasher.
"How did she die?"
Damon grimaced. "In a fire. Tragic fire."
"This past summer?" Elena suggested. Perhaps that explained the change in his behavior.
"Mm. Seems like it was yesterday."
"Do…do you think Stefan is really over her?"
Damon quirked an eyebrow. "Worried you're his rebound girl?"
"Not gonna happen," Elena said firmly. "The more he refuses to take a hint, the more it seems like he just wants me to be his replacement Katherine."
"You mean, you and he aren't riding off into the sunset together?" Damon asked, sounding surprised.
"Nope. I have more self-respect than that. I want a guy who likes me for me, not just because I really remind him of someone."
Damon gave her a very odd look. "Right. Good for you." He sat down at the island. "I'd quit cheerleading if I were you."
He went on to explain that he'd noticed how miserable Elena was at practice. And yet, the more they talked, the more she suspected that he was still thinking about Katherine. It occurred to her that she'd never actually offered her condolences.
"I'm sorry," Elena said quietly. When Damon looked confused, she elaborated. "About Katherine. You lost her, too."
Damon seemed stunned, as if he had no idea how to react to sympathy. Much the same way he'd looked when she'd asked him what he wanted out of life. She wondered what his life was like, for him to be so affected by the slightest gestures of kindness.
"Hey," Bonnie said, walking into the kitchen and ending the moment. "Need some help?"
At the end of the night, Stefan was the last to leave. "So, I, uh…know the night didn't go exactly according to plan," he said awkwardly.
Elena privately had to agree—she still couldn't decide if she was imagining things or not. But she didn't want him knowing what the real plan had been. "So, tell me…if you don't like me because I look like Katherine, why do you like me?"
Stefan smiled. "You're kind and selfless and caring and everything Katherine wasn't."
His words had the opposite of their intended effect, and Elena scowled. "I see. Let me know when you can describe me without comparing me to your ex."
"Elena, I didn't mean…"
"Good night, Stefan," Elena said firmly, opening the door for him. He reluctantly left.
A few days later, Elena opened her locker and found a necklace inside, along with a note from a 'secret admirer'. "Does he think he's being subtle?" Elena grumbled to Bonnie.
"Threaten him with Caroline's mother," Bonnie suggested.
"I just might. Hasn't he gotten the memo that no means no?"
"Pretty necklace, though," Bonnie mused. "Looks antique. Maybe you should donate it to the historical society."
"If you want it, you can have it," Elena shrugged, handing it to Bonnie.
Bonnie took it. "Mm. Smells like rose, too. Almost makes me wish I had a stalker of my own."
Later that day, Stefan noticed Bonnie wearing the necklace, and he frowned. "Where did you get that?"
"Secret admirer," Bonnie said innocently. "Why? Did you see who gave it to me?"
"No, I just…it's pretty." Stefan paused, looking at Elena. "I don't know, I was just thinking it would go nicely with your bracelet."
"Seriously?" Elena said, holding up her wrist. "I dunno, I don't think they match at all."
"Hm." Stefan reached for Elena's bracelet as if to get a better look, then suddenly there was a strange sizzling sound and he jerked away. "You know what, you're right. The bracelet is all you need." He hurriedly walked away, clutching his hand and looking bizarrely relieved.
Elena and Bonnie shared a look. "Is it just me, or did my bracelet just burn him?"
"Didn't your dad give that to you?" Bonnie recalled. "Maybe he's using it to protect you from stalkers beyond the grave."
Bonnie had been mostly joking, but Elena took the idea seriously. "When I was younger, he used to tell me it was a magic bracelet that would protect me from all the things that go bump in the night," she mused. "Looks like we've got another point for the something-weird-is-going-on column."
Bonnie smiled. "Go, bracelet."
As Coach Tanner gave the opening pep talk for the first football game of the year, Elena determinedly ignored Caroline's glares (Elena had taken Damon's advice and quit cheerleading) and Stefan's longing looks. After the pep talk, Elena started to head toward the bleachers, only to get distracted by a commotion. To her horror, she arrived just in time to see Stefan pull Tyler off a battered-looking Jeremy. Jeremy, however, didn't let it go at that. He grabbed a broken bottle and lunged at Tyler, only for Stefan to catch the blow on his hand.
"What the hell, Jeremy?!" Elena cried, shoving her brother away from the two football players. To her increasing concern, she noticed that he smelled like beer. "Put your head up, you're bleeding."
"I'm fine!" Jeremy insisted, pushing her away.
Elena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you smell fine."
"Just stop, okay?" Jeremy snapped. He walked away, sharing a look with Vicki. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had prompted the fight with Tyler.
Elena sighed, then noticed that Stefan had blood all over his hand. She debated whether she should check on him—she didn't want to encourage him, but then again, he had just protected her brother. She supposed she owed him for that. "Is your hand okay?"
"It's fine," Stefan said quickly, pulling his hand away.
Elena grabbed his hand anyway. "Is it deep? How bad is it…" She trailed off, seeing that the blood was mostly gone and there was no injury whatsoever.
"He missed," Stefan said reassuringly. "It's not my blood." He wiped the rest of it off on his pants. "See? It's fine."
"Right," Elena said nervously, backing away. She could have sworn the glass cut his hand. She turned around and went in search of Bonnie, trying not to look like she was running away.
"Hey!" Bonnie called, spotting Elena. "Where have you been?"
"Watching Stefan cut his hand and heal in about sixty seconds," Elena answered in an undertone. "He said it wasn't his blood, but I know what I saw."
Bonnie's eyes widened. "Oh my god."
"Have you considered touching him again?" Elena suggested. "See if you can get any more witchy visions?"
Bonnie shuddered. "I'd really rather not. When I touched him that first time…it vibrated through me, and it was cold and it…it was death. It was what I imagine death to be like."
Elena shivered. "I have a creepy death stalker. Wonderful. I think I'm gonna grab my jacket…scream if you see Stefan headed my way?"
"Sure," Bonnie agreed.
Elena had just shut her trunk when she turned around and found Damon right behind her, again appearing out of seemingly nowhere. He claimed to be hiding from Caroline, and made some rather unpleasant remarks that made Elena feel obligated to defend her friend. "Caroline does have some really annoying traits, but we've been friends since the first grade and that means something to me."
"Duly noted," Damon responded. "I'm sorry if I make you uncomfortable. That's not my intention."
"Yeah, well, you and your brother are both doing a pretty good job of it," Elena snapped, irritated. "What happened to the 'mysterious stranger who has all the answers'? I liked that guy."
Damon's jaw dropped, and he stared at her in shock. It took a few moments for him to find his voice. "You remember that?"
"Uh, yeah," Elena said slowly, giving him a strange look. "You were pretty memorable."
"Wow, I…thought you would have forgotten me within a week," Damon continued, still sounding gobsmacked.
"Well, I didn't forget, and clearly, neither did you. But lately, I feel like I'm stuck in a tug-of-war between you and your brother, and I'm sick of it. I am not Katherine." Elena stormed away.
Damon stayed where he was, watching her go. No, she certainly wasn't Katherine, he'd figured that out in about thirty seconds. And, apparently, she'd been on vervain. As the daughter of a founding family, he presumed that must have been her parents' doing. He supposed he should probably figure out if she was still on vervain or if that had ended with her parents, but…he found that he no longer had any real desire to manipulate Elena Gilbert. She'd already done what he wanted her to do—she'd dropped Stefan like a hot potato—and she'd liked him back when they first met and he wasn't putting on any sort of act. Far from wanting to compel her, Damon found himself wanting to build something real with her. It had been a long time since he'd done that. It should have felt wrong, meeting a girl with Katherine's face but none of her personality…and yet, it felt strangely right.
Stefan had just finished making peace with Matt Donovan when he heard sarcastic clapping from a shadowy part of the nearby parking lot. "Isn't that nice?" Damon mocked. "Stefan joins a team and makes a friend. It's all so 'rah rah, go team, yeah!'"
"Not tonight," Stefan sighed. "I'm done with you." He turned around to go back to the field, but Damon vamp-sped in front of him.
"And from what I hear, Elena is thoroughly done with you. Wasn't she the whole reason you came back to Mystic Falls? Oof, what are you gonna do now?"
"She's on vervain, Damon," Stefan snapped. It was a small victory, and not even his doing, but it was better than nothing. "So whatever game you're trying to play, leave her out of it." He brushed past his brother to walk away.
"Well, you know, I could just seduce her the old-fashioned way," Damon called after him. "Or I could just…eat her."
Stefan stopped and turned around, thinking hard. Elena looked like Katherine. And Damon, for all his flaws, had loved Katherine. If Damon had so much as a spark of humanity left to be found, Stefan was sure that Elena was the key. So he called his brother's bluff.
And Tanner paid the price.
After Tanner's body had been taken away, Bonnie came to find Elena. Shaking with terror, she explained her vision of the numbers and how it had been realized.
"Do you really think it's an animal attacking people?" Elena said suddenly. "What if…what if it's Stefan? Or Damon? Or both of them?"
"You need to stay far away from Stefan," Bonnie decided. "He could be targeting you."
"Yeah," Elena agreed shakily. "Avoid him. No problem. Not like we share classes or anything…"
"Or, don't be alone with him," Bonnie amended. "We'll figure this out." She walked Elena to her car, keeping an eye out for Stefan.
Damon leaped through Elena's open window and looked down at the sleeping girl. He'd hoped that, in sleep, her differences from Katherine would be less apparent and he'd be able to pretend that he was finally reunited with his lost love. But she looked so…vulnerable. So unguarded, so innocent. No, she was not Katherine. And no matter what Damon said to rile up his brother, he would never, ever, harm her.