What no one was expecting was for Elena Gilbert to follow right after Athena.
"Why are you-"
"For you," Elena says simply. "Because I can see what is really going on."
Athena seems to sink into the shadows behind her, as if her legs have just given out. "You do?" She sounds breathless, surprised and frightened.
"I do," Elena says soothingly. "And I want you to know this is a safe space to talk about things." For a moment, Athena looks relieved, which quickly disappears when Elena keeps speaking. "So, there's no need to keep up with whatever you have planned."
Athena's previously relaxed expression gives way to a confused frown. "Wait, what?"
"I know what's going on," Elena repeats, and her gold eyes turn on her, still clouded with confusion.
"Do you really?" she asks, hesitant. "Because you're not exactly reacting the way I thought you would. And, how on earth did you find out, anyway?"
"You aren't as good as hiding as you like to think you are," Elena says, a little smug.
For a moment Athena's eyes flash with something dark and Elena's smirk falters.
"I don't think-"
"You need to stop," the Gilbert girl snaps harshly. "You need to leave Caroline alone and stop dragging her into your issues. It's what you do, isn't it? Manipulate and hurt people. Because I remember last year, I remember what kind of person you are even if everyone else would rather forget."
"Is-is that what you think I'm hiding, is that what you all think?" Her voice was abnormally small, and then the tapping against her thigh started again. She looked behind Elena at Bonnie, Caroline, Stefan, and Damon.
"Come on, Athena," Elena says. "You have to admit your sudden interest in all this other shit is a little weird. What else are we supposed to think?"
"What else are you supposed to think?" she echoes softly, sounding like a child. "This is why you wanted me here, then?" She looks at Stefan, the man who brought her. Her eyes harden. She won't make that mistake again.
And she just stares.
The reaction they expect doesn't come.
She just adjusts her jaw, her eyes darkening as she works through everything that's been said.
They're all just waiting.
Waiting.
Her hackles don't rise, she doesn't deny anything and she definitely doesn't lash out.
In fact, she says nothing for the longest time, just looking at each of them in turn
"I see," Athena eventually says as she gracefully straightens and, for the first time this year, the group is awarded with the cold exterior they came to expect from the Athena Medici of old.
It sends a ripple of anxiety through all of them.
And, suddenly, Stefan knows they've been wrong about their assumptions from the very beginning, because it's in this moment Stefan realises Athena isn't calm at all.
Not even close.
She's a ticking time-bomb just waiting to go off.
Caroline steps forward as well. "Athena," she whispers, sounding defeated.
"It's okay, Care," she says, her expression dangerously passive. "They were just looking out for you. I can't fault them that. I mean, I am a raging bitch most of the time, cruel and calculating and manipulative. It's expected that they'd be wary."
"Athena," she says again, stepping towards her.
She steps back, shaking her head. "I - I tried, you know," she whispers.
"I know," she says, stepping towards her, only for her to move away again. "Athena, please."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but there's nothing sinister going on here. I'm actually more insulted for Caroline; that you would think I would need some ruse to want to hurt her when she- God. For the first time in my life, I'm doing things for myself and I had no idea it bothered you all so much that I was finally being nice; that I was finally figuring out how to be happy. But, no worries, all right? You no longer need to worry about that."
It's a thinly-veiled threat but Stefan knows exactly what she's saying without her actually saying the words.
Athena looks at Caroline, smiling sadly. "See you tomorrow?"
"Of course," she chokes out, wanting desperately to make this all better but unsure how to do that.
She doesn't say anything else as she spins on her heel and leaves towards the darkness without once looking back.
When Athena is out of sight, Caroline rounds on them, looking accusatory and hurt. "Seriously?" she shrieks. "Are you actually kidding me right now? Whose stupid idea was this?"
Trust Elena not to own up to her stupid idea.
"You guys have no idea what you've done," she says hauntingly. "You have no idea." With that, she stalks out towards the sidewalk walking the opposite way home.
Damon just stares after Athena. That broken girl, in so many ways ruined. And then he looks at Elena. Elena Gilbert has known pain, no one can question that, but she doesn't understand Athena. So she hurts her.
Elena reminds him of a naive and absentminded toddler.
And by looking at Stefan's face, the other Salvatore brother agrees.
Damon doesn't know why he went to the Medici mansion.
Doesn't even consider it a bad idea until he rings the doorbell.
"Hello," a voice says, and Damon sets eyes on a man he's seen only a handful of times but never actually met.
His upbringing sends Damon forward. "Is Athena here?"
There's a small beat of nothing before recognition hits and the man smiles widely, channelling his niece in some cosmos way. And then the smile dims considerably, but he holds it in place as best as he can. "Actually, no," he says, his brow creasing. "She tore in here a few minutes ago, raced upstairs to change into her running gear, and shot right back out. She's probably running past the park as we speak."
Damon reads his facial expression for what it is. "You look...concerned," he points out.
The man forces a wider smile. "I'm sure it's nothing," he dismisses.
And Damon can nearly feel the lie.
"Will she be gone long?" he asks. "I don't mind waiting."
David Medici regards him carefully, as if he's making a decision about him. "I don't know how long she'll be," he confesses, sounding oddly despondent.
Damon gives a short nod, turns and leaves.
"I'm not here to apologize," they're the first words to shatter the thick silence lingering in the air. The first words to make Damon's presence known.
They send chills down her spine in a way she can't seem to explain to herself, settling deep in her stomach before her heart drops to its snowy depths. She thinks even the planets hanging above her shiver from the disturbance.
"Are you ever?" She hates the way it rolls off her tongue with a familiar bitterness. One always associated with Damon, and herself, and them. Like an all-encompassing poison she'll never be able to find the cure for. She thinks it's always a cry for help that she strangles before it leaves her mouth, and instead lets it fall out a mangled mess of acid spewed on whoever is unlucky enough to be a witness.
"Sometimes. When I think it needs to be done," and now Damon's moving closer. He's slowly making his way toward his destination, towards her.
She's sweaty from her run, hair sticking to her forehead and her skin glistening over defined muscles.
"Your friends are assholes."
"They aren't my friends."
"Figured as much."
He sits down on one side of the bench, soon enough she sits down too. And somehow Damon's attentive gaze hurts more than anything else.
She looks up at the sky and thinks of Mars. She would like to live there. Seems fun. The God of war after all, and how fitting is that.
The tapping on her thigh starts again.
"Why are you here, then?" She wonders if she'll be able to contribute anything more than questions to this conversation. All of the bite from their encounter in the ealier was drained from her body.
"I don't know. I was hungry, figured you would be easy prey."
Athena just nods in acceptance.
"And I was worried about you, I guess," the words are low and rushed. Like he has to physically push them out of his mouth.
He looks at her.
"Why are you so scared?"
"What?" She's out of breath when it tumbles out of her mouth, nothing more than a wobbly whisper. Nothing like the venomous tone she was trying to conjure.
"Everything you said before it. You tried to sound like a bitch, but you just sounded scared." And Damon almost sounds remorseful, apologetic. Athena's heard almost all of Damon's colourful vocabulary and attitudes, but she's never heard this. Not directed at her at least. Maybe Elena. But not her.
"I'm not scared of you," it's supposed to be denial but if you listen hard enough you can hear the confession behind her trembling voice. It's a lie that leaves a sour taste in both of their mouths. "And it's ridiculous that you think that."
"I know," Damon nods, "I think you're scared of everything else." There's a softness in his eyes that she thinks Elena may have left it there.
And Damon feels...odd.
He doesn't know why he went after her. Doesn't know why he wanted to rip Elena's throat out. Doesn't know why the vampire side of him wants to claim Athena forever when Katherine is waiting for him.
But he can't resent her.
Not for long, anyway.
Athena doesn't mean to let the wetness spill from her eyes, the way her secrets are threatening to spill from her mouth. She's been doing so good at keeping it together but it's like Mystic Falls is just this cesspool of trauma and everything she's spent the last six months trying to separate herself from comes back.
"I was a horrible person." She says it without her voice trembling and it's enough to stop the ground from splitting open and swallowing her whole. "I was always so angry, all the time, no matter how many runs I went on. No matter how many times I played piano, or painted, or did anything. I was just angry. And it came out in bad ways."
Damon doesn't know what to say so he doesn't say anything.
"I was cruel to people too. And manipulative." She leans her head back. "The old me and Katherine could of been twins with how desensitized I was to the people around me."
She laughs, a hollow sound.
"Still am, honestly." She says. "I wouldn't even care if you ripped half this town apart and had it rain blood. Because I only really care about the people I love. Not much else."
"That's not a bad thing."
"You think?"
And yes, she's vicious. She's manipulative and often mean, but she doesn't want to be.
"Yeah."
There's a silence.
"I think you need to drink."
And then Athena laughs, there's still that same old darkness in her eyes, but at least she's smiling.
"As long as it isn't blood, I'm game." She even looks a little michevious when she tilts her head. "Bet I could out drink you."
"Impossible."
The park lights are brash and bright, and Athena isn't particularly fond of how bright it is, exposing her sharp features, sweaty skin, terribly aware of the way Damon's sneaking glances at her.
"I guess we'll see, won't we?"
"I guess we will."
And they do see.
If Stefan expects anything to be different about Athena following the confusion that was Friday night; he's severely mistaken. Maybe she is a better actor than he initially gives her credit for, but it's as if nothing is wrong.
Unless, well, you're looking close enough.
There's something in the way Athena won't meet his gaze or even talk directly to him. Refuses to even be alone with him.
It shouldn't hurt him as much as it does.
And it shouldn't be used as an excuse to avoid being with Elena, but it is.
They clash a lot.
As the days go on.
Stefan says things, and Athena says other things.
Stefan isn't even sure why he pushes so hard.
He knows he isn't the most learned (read: healthy) person when it comes to bottled emotions, but the girl is refusing to talk to anyone about it. It irritates and infuriates him, and that's why he thinks he needles and pokes as much as he does.
Stefan wants to get a rise out of Athena. He wants them to fight and attack and talk. It's not healthy, what Athena's doing, and Stefan isn't sure how he's supposed to help her (why he even wants to help her) when Athena blatantly avoids helping herself.
When Stefan finally gets any insight on Athena it comes in the form of Caroline.
"You two had another fight today, didn't you?" Caroline slides up to him by the bar, her eyes rather attentive and looking nothing like the airhead blonde he believed her to be.
"What."
She resists the urge to roll her eyes. "You and Athena," she says. "You fought."
"We did."
"Why?"
"It's nothing," he dismisses.
"Oh, I'm sure of that," she says, chuckling. "Most of your fights usually are."
Stefan doesn't respond because he gets the feeling there's something else more important that she wants to discuss with him, so he waits, and he's not disappointed.
"Does - does she talk to you?" she asks, her voice quiet, as if she's worried Athena will somehow hear her.
"What do you mean?"
Caroline straightens her spine, "I know you know what I'm talking about, Stefan," she says. "There's something she's constantly fighting, and she never talks to me about it. All she does is discuss school and other students. She goes on runs all the time, and - " her voice catches. "It's in her eyes, isn't it?"
Stefan's feet dig into the floor, and his chest tighens. "It is, yeah."
"She's deeply unhappy."
"She is, yeah."
Caroline breathes out slowly. "But, when you two fight, she comes alive."
Stefan chuckles darkly. "We do what we have to."
"All I want to do is help her," Caroline says. "I want to make it better but I don't know how to do that when she won't even talk to me."
"She will," Stefan says. "I don't know when or how or why, but she will."
"I just hate to think about what might have to happen again for her to resort to that."
And, well, she's not the only one.
They are studying at the Salvatore boarding house.
Stefan, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline.
Damon is out, probably compelling college sorority girls, and the only sound is the scrapping of pencils against paper and a question every so often tossed around the group.
When the knock on the door comes, Stefan instantly tenses, and then relaxes when Athena opens the door without waiting for a response. If she's surprised to see all of them on the floor, she doesn't show it. In fact, she grins at Caroline as she moves into the room, her hair slightly damp and her body hidden by sweatpants and a pale blue t-shirt.
She doesn't acknowledge Elena at all.
"Well, aren't you a sight?" she says, dropping onto the carpet on Stefan's left side. "Panicking about tomorrow?"
Caroline shoots her a glare. "Not all of us are AP geniuses," she grumbles, and Athena's grin grows. "Stop that."
Athena chuckles because she can't help it.
"What can I do to help?" she asks, though her eyes remain on only Caroline. She doesn't trust herself to look at Elena or Stefan or even Bonnie, even if she desperately wants to.
Caroline shifts closer but not close enough to make her uncomfortable.
As expected, Athena figures out the problem easily and all of them settle in to complete the paper.
Athena ends up borrowing one of Stefan's mechanical pencils and she keeps it tucked behind her ear whenever she's not using it, hidden in dark locks. Stefan finds himself staring at it a little too often, and he's just glad Elena and Bonnie are too preoccupied with the work they're doing to notice. He wouldn't even know how to explain his observation of the perfect curve of Athena's ear.
When Athena lets out her first yawn, Stefan has to force himself not to stupidly blurt out how adorable she is. He bites his tongue as the girl stretches, her arms high in the air and her sock-covered toes curling. Stefan could probably stare at her forever.
Bonnie and Elena left about two hours ago, Elena had tried to get him alone but he managed to avoid going. He needed time to think about how to handle her, to lightly let her down.
"Time for bed?" Caroline questions.
Athena's eyes are slightly glassy when she nods her head. It's doubtful she's going to get much sleep, but she's still going to try. "I think so. Any last questions?"
"Just one," Stefan says, sliding his book towards her, he understands already to be truthful, math is a subject that just got easier over the years (for him anyway) but he wanted her to talk to him, because studying and fighting are the only times she focuses all her attention on him.
Athena leans forward, absently resting her elbows on the tops of her thighs... and winces. It's a minimal reaction but Stefan sees it. He sees it and he just knows.
Stefan takes his book back. "Actually, you know what, it's okay," he says. "It's getting late, anyway. If I don't know it by now, it's unlikely I'll figure it out anyway."
Athena chuckles nervously. "Yeah," she says, rising to her feet. "Good luck tomorrow, guys. Goodnight."
"Wait are you walking?" Caroline asks, heading outside.
"Yeah," Athena says quietly. "I've been walking pretty much everywhere lately."
"It's dark," Caroline points out her lips pressed into a line. "I'll give you a ride."
"No," Stefan cuts in. "It'll be faster if I do it. You two live in opposite directions."
Caroline smiles widely, whereas Athena practically jumps at the idea of being alone with him.
"Are you sure-"
"Yes."
Caroline seems to not need anymore convincing because with one final wave she is out the door.
Stefan takes Athena's hand and walks her to his room. His eyes darkening with every step. Until they are nearly black.
"Stefan-"
He closes the door behind her.
"Are you going to show me, or am I going to have to see for myself?"
Athena's eyes bug out. "What," she squeaks.
"Show me."
"No."
Stefan sighs. "Athena, please."
She shakes her head. "I can't do that. I can't."
"You can," he presses. "It's just me, okay? Let me see. Please."
She closes her eyes as she bites the inside of her cheek until she draws blood. She doesn't give a verbal response; just nods.
Stefan takes the cue and reaches for the waistband of Athena's sweatpants. A tiny part of his brain registers how sexual this could be, but his eyes are laser-focused on seeing what he knows is there. Slowly, he pulls down, and Athena lifts herself up to allow her to slide the pants down.
Even though Stefan knows what's coming, he can't help the gasp he lets out at the sight of darkly bruised skin and ugly red streaks marring the perfect flesh of the uppermost part of her thighs.
Athena keeps her eyes closed, refusing to acknowledge anything about this moment.
With the gentlest fingers, Stefan traces the lines. "I'm sorry," he whispers, unsure what he's even apologising for. "I'm so sorry you hurt the way you do." All he wants to do is make it better, but he doesn't know how. "Don't move," he says, and then gets up. He walks dazedly across the large corridor to his own bedroom to get a first aid kit Zach kept around.
When he gets back to the room, Athena is curled into a ball on her side, her body trembling, and Stefan chokes back a broken sound.
"Baby," he immediately says. "Stretch out for me, okay? I need to make sure these are clean. Can you do that?"
It takes a bit of coaxing but Athena eventually relents, and Stefan grabs a hold of her hand. As carefully as he can, Stefan wets a cotton ball with disinfectant and carefully wipes at the marks on Athena's thighs.
And on her stomach.
It's an accident that he sees them at all, Athena's t-shirt riding up.
When he's finished, Stefan redresses her and covers her in a light blanket. He stays kneeling at the edge of the bed as Athena stares at him with those same haunted eyes that hold nightmares. "You have to stop," he says.
"I know."
"I know you know," he murmurs. "You need to stop."
"I'm trying."
Stefan closes his eyes, his hand automatically reaching out to touch Athena's cheek. "Get some sleep," he says. "We'll talk more tomorrow."
They don't.
It isn't as if Stefan doesn't try.
He does.
Every day.
It's a feat in itself to get Athena alone and, even then, the girl acts aloof and guarded. She makes it very clear to Stefan that she doesn't want to talk about it.
At all.
And as the days go on things keep happening.
The founders party comes and goes (Stefan had tried to ask Athena but she blew him off and he ended up going with Elena), Elena finding out about vampires. Vicki being turned and then killed. Jeremy being compelled. It all just goes on. And he gets so caught up in the mess and the drama...and Athena just doesn't. She just avoids and keeps going as if nothing has happened.
And Stefan has to accept that Athena won't talk to him.
He doesn't.
He can't.
He's determined to talk to Athena, and the witch is determined not to.
So, they fight.
Endlessly.
It goes on and on, Stefan pushing and Athena pushing right back.
Both of them hurting.
"Why do you look like you haven't slept in five hundred days?" Caroline asks, dropping into the seat beside her friend at breakfast in the cafeteria.
Athena rubs her eyes of sleep, her heart jumping. "Probably because I haven't."
"What's up with you?"
"Oh, so many things," she mutters, her eyes automatically flicking Stefan's way, he sits with Elena, always with Elena (talk about couple goals). She can't even be mad at him because, frankly, Athena believes she too would have pushed for conversation. Then: "Do I actually have to drag you to choir practice today or are you going to come willingly?"
Caroline scoffs. "I still don't know why you signed me up for that shit," she says, showing her irritation. "I can't even sing."
"Liar," Athena accuses. "Just come to one practice, okay? It's fun."
"I highly doubt that."
"Please," Athena says, batting her tired eyelashes. "If you don't like it, you can quit."
She groans, as if this is a huge self-sacrifice. "If I must," she says; "and don't think I'm going to forget you said that."
"I won't," she says.
"Why the sudden interest in choir anyway?" Caroline asks. "If I recall correctly, you weren't in it last year. And I get the classical music thing because I mean no one can play a piano like you and if I have to make up a club for you to teach me how to play so be it. But Choir? You never seemed big on singing."
Athena presses her lips together, trying to determine the best way to explain herself. "I stopped singing," she eventually says. "After… everything that happened, I stopped singing, and I spent part of the summer trying to get back to it. It's something I love, and I hated that it was something else that was taken away from me."
Caroline merely nods.
"I love to sing," she says. "And dance. I've always loved it, and I'm allowing myself to enjoy it again. Surprisingly our school has a great Cultural program, and I have great, great plans."
Caroline eyes her thoughtfully. "You got really menacing there, for a second," she says, hit, once more, by the feeling that she doesn't know Athena at all.
"Plans, Carebear," she almost sings. "I have so many plans."
In terms of extracurriculars, Athena's are heavily culturally-based. However, she has to participate in at least two sessions of physical activity a week, which she easily does by signing up for another dance class along with cheerleading and cross country, her body has to stay the way she wants it.
(And if that means waking up at four a.m to run five miles and then cheerleading practice after school everuday and then dance after that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so be it.)
On Mondays, Athena sings with the large school choir. It consists of both boys and girls, all their voices blending together at the hands of their choir director, James. He's young and obviously talented, and it's no secret to any of them that he likes Athena's voice. It's big and bold and smooth and caressing, and it's easy to fall in love with it.
Stefan isn't in choir.
He doesn't do anything in regards to extracurriculars.
Until one day he walks past the room and hears her.
Athena's voice steals something from him.
That's what she is.
Athena Medici is a thief, just taking and taking: his heart, his thoughts, and now a piece of his soul.
"Athena?"
She freezes mid-step, schools her features and turns to look at Stefan. "Hey," she says; "what's up?"
Without spooking the girl, he takes a slow step forward. "I just wanted to say thank you."
Athena frowns. "For what?"
"All your help for that Calculus test," he says. "I got my mark back. Apparently, I'm not as hopeless as I initially feared."
At the sound of that, Athena's mouth tilts upwards into an easy smile. "I'm glad to hear that," she says, relaxing slightly. "And, you're welcome. I'm glad I could help."
"You're actually a really good tutor."
Athena arches an eyebrow. "Try not to sound so surprised," she comments.
"No, I just mean - uh - I don't even know what I mean." He sighs. "You're just good at it," he finishes lamely.
"Thank you."
Stefan knows he shouldn't push. They're having their first, easy conversation since that night a little over two weeks ago, and he would do well to enjoy this moment. But, alas, Stefan is Stefan and he doesn't heed his own warning.
All he has to say is 'Athena' in that voice, and the ease of Athena's demeanour instantly vanishes. She tenses, her face twisting into something passive, and she begins her escape.
"I should go," she immediately says, and Stefan wants to kick himself.
Stefan steps forward. "Okay," he says; "I know you don't want to talk about it, and I'm definitely not going to force you, but answer me this: have you stopped?"
Athena's eyes narrow, growing noticeably harder.
"Tell me you've stopped," Stefan forces out, his hands twitching at his sides to stop himself from reaching out. Now that he knows what Athena's skin feels like under his fingertips, close proximity is exponentially more dangerous, because all he wants to do is touch. "Please."
Athena falters at the sincerity in his voice. "I have stopped," she says, almost conspiratorially.
Stefan can see the truth in her eyes, but there's something else there, as well. She might have stopped this, but that isn't to say she hasn't found other ways to hurt herself.
Sometimes, people are entirely too good at that.
"Why do you care so much?" Athena suddenly asks, surprising them both.
"I just do."
"But, why?"
Stefan sighs. "I don't know what to tell you," he confesses, somewhat truthfully. "It's for any number of reasons that you may or may not believe, but I do care, Athena, and I don't want to see you in pain."
Athena swallows audibly. "Who are you?"
"Still don't know anything about me, do you?"
"I'm trying," she replies, which they both know isn't a response to Stefan's question.
And, the thing is, she definitely is trying, and he can't help feeling slightly smug that maybe, somehow, in his little fantasy, that, one day, Athena won't have to try so hard anymore.
Athena and Stefan's biggest fight occurs a little over a week before she intends to open the tomb for Damon.
Everything has changed in so little time.
Elena wants him but hates him for being who he is, Damon only wants the tomb open for Katherine, Bonnie despises all things Salavatore, and Athena is just Athena. Unattached. Unbothered. Athena.
It happens as he comes home one day to see Damon and her talking about the best way to go about it.
Elena is with him, attached as she always is these days. They are no closer to being in a relationship, but everyone around them assumes they are. Elena wants. Stefan isn't sure.
All he knows is he doesn't like what he sees in front of him.
Athena and Damon dancing around each other with smiles and laughter and teasing, and Stefan knows, just knows that they've been having these little meetings for much longer than today.
Perhaps it's the jealousy.
Or just plain anger at being ignored by Athena while she goes off to dance and drink with Damon.
It's the end of a long day, and he's irritable and exhausted. It's a heady combination, and he can feel something sparking as he stands and listens to Athena run through her plans in that infuriatingly efficient way she always does. She's always so put together, hiding who she is, and it annoys Stefan to no end.
He doesn't know how or why it even starts, but it does.
He thinks he makes a comment about Athena's controlling nature under his breath that Athena must hear because she stops speaking mid-word. Her eyes flick Stefan's way for a moment, before she clears her throat and continues to go over something with Damon.
For a moment, Athena isn't sure what to say. She thinks it would do them well to ignore the comment about control completely, but it's just hanging in the air between them and Athena feels off-balance.
"Do you know I have a bunker on another property in case there is a Zombie Apocalypse?" Damon suddenly says, completely off topic, and Athena turns incredulous eyes on him. "Oh, I'm very prepared."
Athena's eyes narrow. "And your brother calls me the anal one," she says, letting her irritation show.
Stefan sighs. "Yeah, about that," he says, intending to apologise... and then just not doing it.
He knows Athena overcorrects to make up for some insecurity she has based on who she is, and Stefan, well, he pushes.
And, true to form, Athena pushes right back, saying hurtful words she won't even remember saying... right in front of Elena and Damon.
Neither of them seems to care and it quickly explodes into something ugly; something neither of them is particularly proud of. They're quick, well-placed jabs that end with Stefan (more so the ripper than him, but overall as much as he would like to pretend they aren't one in the same...the ripper and Stefan are.) calling Athena a heartless girl who has too many control issues to have any real friends. It's a low blow and Athena looks particularly stricken by the words, and the guilt immediately slams into Stefan.
The Salavtore blinks rapidly, the apology on the tip of his tongue...
Athena steps back, schooling her features. She ignores the gaping mouth and wide eyes of Elena, and turns to Damon "Can you handle this?" she asks, her tone clipped.
Swallowing audibly, he just nods.
And then Athena walks out, her head high. It's not that she's fleeing or escaping. She's merely walking out, and then all eyes are on Stefan.
Well, of course.
His mind is spinning and he's suddenly exhausted. They've never fought that way before. He's never attacked Athena like that, never wanted to.
It's just... everything.
This fight hurts in ways the others never have because, this time, it wasn't even a little bit about the challenge or pushing her to be better. No, it's none of that at all. In fact, it probably isn't even about Athena in any way.
It's about Stefan.
"Athena."
Athena swallows nervously, her heart stuttering in her chest. "You wanted to talk to me."
Caroline looks up from the document in front of her and offers her a warm smile as she settles into a chair opposite. "Yeah, Elena has been telling everyone at school...about what happened," she says, her voice gentle.
Almost as if it's a habit, Athena glances over her shoulder at the door to her room... that is still open.
Okay.
She's fine.
"Are you referring to the disagreement I had with Stefan?" she asks carefully.
"I am."
Athena deflates slightly. "I know I assured you everything would be... fine," she says. "And, I suppose, for the most part, it is. We just caught each other on a rough day. It manifested in an ugly way. It probably won't happen again."
"It probably will."
"No," she argues softly. "We'll definitely fight, sure, because we're both stubborn and determined and passionate, but it will never be like that again."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because," she says. "For all I've ever done in my life, I've never wanted to hurt, and I intend never to do that to Stefan ever again."
It's not the response Caroline's expecting and, for the longest time, she's not sure what to make of it. "Well, okay," she finally says. "So does that mean...some part of you cares for Stefan?"
"He's my friend. I care about all of my friends."
Slowly, Athena rises to her feet. "I have to go on a run," she says, and then starts to walk out. She's almost to the door when Caroline calls out for her and she spins to face her.
"Do you hurt still?" she asks, her gaze meeting Caroline's.
Athena smiles sadly. "Always."
"Something is wrong with me," Stefan declares, he's rubbing his face as he lets Lexi in. She closes the door behind her but makes no move any further into the room.
"And you've just now figured that out," Lexi teases, barely looking away from her phone screen.
"Shut up," he mutters. "I need your help."
At this, Lexi does look up, her blue eyes searching. "What's wrong?" she asks.
"Athena isn't talking to me."
Lexi frowns. "I thought she never talked to you, anyway."
"No, she used to talk to me, sort of," he explains. "It wasn't anything profound and it was mainly to do with superficial things or schoolwork, but it's different now. Now, she says nothing. Nothing, Lexi. Not even a hello, how are you. I may as well not even exist."
"Well, can you blame her?" Lexi says, offering no sympathy. "You did say some asshole things."
Stefan bristles. "She did too."
"As a response to feeling attacked," she clarifies. " From what you told me we both know she was always going to do that."
"So, what is she doing now, oh ye God of all things Athena Medici?"
Lexi rolls her eyes in a very Damon-like way. "She's protecting herself," she says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world. "She's doing it the only way she knows how."
Stefan lets out a long-suffering groan. "But I haven't talked to her in days. Surely, she's forgiven me by now."
"Have you even said you're sorry?"
Stefan drops his gaze.
Lexi chuckles. "Something is wrong with you."
Stefan shakes his head. "That isn't meant to be funny," he says. "I honestly do feel as if something is wrong with me. I feel sick and unsettled and why isn't she talking to me?" He sounds miserable, and Lexi's eyebrows rise in quiet understanding.
Oh.
"Why does she continually do this to me?" he asks, his voice catching.
Maybe it's meant to be a rhetorical question, but Lexi still answers, saying the one thing to send Stefan into even more of a tailspin.
"Maybe she likes you."
It's absurd, of course, because no.
Just, no.
There's no way.
"Lexi, you have to stop saying things like that," he says, pressing his palms against the door. "Athena does not like me. Neither does she like Brett, David, Greg or any other boy who stares at her all the damn time." Stefan sighs. "You've been wrong before, and you're wrong about this too."
Lexi twists in her chair to look at Stefan with knowing, insightful eyes. It's terrifying, and Stefan feels as if he's two feet tall. "Maybe I am," she finally says, relenting. "But, I will tell you this, Stef: there's a reason you get under her skin the way you do."
"Well, obviously," he scoffs. "I'm the only one who actually challenges her."
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you the only one to push and challenge her?" Lexi questions, sounding entirely too calm about this entire thing.
"Because she needs me to."
"Oh, come now, we both know that's not it."
Stefan shakes his head. "It can't be anything else," he argues. "It's not as if I actually enjoy doing it."
"Tisk, tisk, Stefan," Lexi says, giving him a skeptical look. "Let's not start lying now. You call me and talk about how frustrating she is-"
The air in his lungs tightens and he sags against the door. "Okay, so, maybe I do enjoy it a little," he confesses quietly. "I like the challenge. I've always liked the challenge."
"So, this is about the challenge, and not about Athena?"
"Exactly."
"Okay."
Stefan does a double take. "Okay?"
"Was there something else?"
Stefan growls in annoyance as he pushes off the door and moves towards his friend. "You're supposed to be helping me," he says. "Why aren't you helping me?"
"There's only so much I can do when you're refusing to help yourself," she says. "I don't know what else you want me to tell you."
Stefan throws himself on the bed, his forearm coming to rest over his eyes. "I miss her," he confesses, whispering the words into the air. "I don't even know what I could possibly even miss about her, but I do. I miss all of her."
Lexi looks on with sympathy. "Then I suggest you talk to her," she says. "Say you're sorry, talk it out, and maybe you'll both come out better for it."
Stefan groans. "What if she hates me?" he asks. "I mean, I called her heartless and of course Elena told people. That kid, Jacob, even wrote an article about it in the school paper."
"All the more reason to talk to Athena."
"Is that all you have for me?"
"Short of suggesting that you're the one who probably likes her, yeah, that's all I have."
Stefan freezes, suddenly grateful his face is half-hidden by his arm. Did she - did she just say that? Stefan isn't even sure how he's supposed to recover from that... accusation. Does Lexi expect a response? Because, honestly, Stefan doesn't think he has one.
Still, he attempts to gather himself, sits up and looks at his friend. He's just about to speak when Lexi raises her hand to silence him.
"Don't," she warns. "Don't call it absurd or ridiculous. Whatever your thoughts on the matter, don't insult us both by denying it."
Stefan's shoulders slump. "When did you get so smart?"
"I've always been smart," she says easily; "you just weren't paying attention. And by the way why does that Elena girl look like Katherine?"