Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Last Time: As his eyes returned to normal, he wiped the blood from his face. His brother was such an idiot. A small chuckle escaped him as he thought of the fact that Damon had released him after falling for his act. Oh poor me. I don't want to drink anything. I just want it to end. I don't think I can continue after all that I have done. Damon, the older, "smarter" brother had been fooled. And now Stefan was free and ready to embrace the side of himself that he kept hidden and caged up. He was ready to be a true vampire, he thought as he headed back the Boarding House.
Now: Stefan reached the front door of the house with a rather smug feeling. He thought his masquerade as a kitten killer to be quite ingenious, when really he was out feasting on the warm, addictive, powerful substance that was natural for him to consume: human blood.
When he entered the house, he looked around. There was still no sign of Damon, which was just fine by him, though he was a little surprised that Damon wasn't there watching his every move. But just as he expected, Elena was waiting for him in the main living room, sitting on the oversized couch. She hadn't noticed him enter and he relished in the idea that he was able to sneak up on her; it aroused something deep within him. He looked at her and studied her as she sat ignorant of his presence. He smiled as he noted the worried crease in her brow that she often got when she was deep in thought. She was sitting hunched over, her elbows resting on her knees with her hands clasped together. She only got like this when she was concerned about something. He truly was the dominate person in her life if his slight absence put her in this worried state. I could use this to my advantage later, he thought as he glimpsed the curve of her waist and her shirt that had shifted up her back slightly, exposing some skin above her pant line. His mouth grew wet and hungry at the images in his head.
Later, he promised himself. Later I would make Elena mine once and for all.
But later is not now, and as every good predator knows, you have to wait until the time is right to strike. So instead, he silently grabbed her jacket and crept up behind her. Only when he was directly behind her did he make a sound. "Are you ready to head out? You must be starved." He spoke the last word slower than the rest and he gave it a seductive edge.
Elena jumped up and gasped at the sudden voice behind her. She realized it was only Stefan moments later but that did nothing to calm her nerves. She knew he could hear her heart, and when she turned and looked at him, she got the distant feeling that he liked the sound. "Um, yeah, I am pretty hungry. Let me grab my jacket and we can get going."
Before her brain was even able to send the commands to her body to stand, Stefan was in front of her, holding her jacket in an outstretched hand. Elena gave a nervous laugh. "Right, vampire boyfriend. Nearly forgot about that," she teased, trying to lessen the tension that only she apparently felt.
Elena took the jacket attentively, not quite sure how to react to the very un-Stefan-like display of his vampire side. She put on her jacket slowly, staring at Stefan the whole time, trying to figure out what has gotten into him. She came up with nothing that fit. Could he be starting to embrace his "darker side"?
Elena quickly released the idea as ludicrous. This was Stefan she was talking about. The vampire who hated his nature and spent his eternal life brooding and being tortured for the things he has done in his past. It was silly to think that he would all of a sudden want to be what he had once hated.
Stefan noticed her looking at him suspiciously. Somehow he had forgotten how perceptive she could be. He mentally slapped himself for being so careless with his speed around her. Of course it would seem odd to her if he "randomly" started liking his powerful side. And if Elena was able to pick up on this, than he would have to be extra cautious around Damon. If Damon noticed, it could be dangerous. Damon was strong enough to lock him up again and heartless enough to kill him if the whim fit. Act casual he thought to himself. No one has even really noticed anything.
So he just shrugged off the awkward moment and led Elena to the door, one hand on the small of her back. They walked in silence, neither of them knowing what to say. He did however notice the tension in her back as he led Elena towards the entrance. Why were his touches making her tense up and cause and expression on her face that almost resembled a cringe? He had noticed her reluctance to kiss him when he first saw her. He had expected her to jump up and down with joy at the release of her precious boyfriend. Something was off about her. Something must have happened while he was locked up. But what? His answer came to him when he opened the front door. There, standing against the door frame, blocking his exit was Damon. Almost immediately he felt Elena relax a little.
Damon. He was not going to allow history to repeat itself. Elena was his. And no one else was going to have her but him. He felt his anger growing inside of him, like an uncontrollable tidal wave. When Elena wasn't around he was going to have a little chat with his brother. At this point he would not resort to violence. Damon would easily win. Even with Stefan drinking the human stuff again, Damon was still the stranger brother of the two. Always has been.
"Damon. Elena and I were just about to head out for a… bite to eat. Would you mind moving aside?" Stefan asked Damon, ever so politely. Every moment that he was near, Stefan ran the risk of loosing control. Especially after seeing the way Damon looked at Elena. It was brief, but he saw it none the less. He could have sworn that he saw emotion in Damon's face. An emotion other than anger and indifference, but he couldn't quite place what it was. He didn't like it.
Stefan was about to push past Damon when he spoke. "You are not going anywhere. Not right now and not for the next couple days. The temptation out there is too big and I do not want to clean up another one of your messes. You are staying in the house," he said in a bored tone of voice. Typical Damon, only thinking about himself, he didn't want the council on his tail. Damon obviously didn't know that Stefan had already been out on a little adventure, and hopefully Elena wouldn't say anything. It would not be in her best interest if she did.
"I just wanted to take Elena out for breakfast, to celebrate my release." Stefan tried using Elena to soften his brother up a little. There was no way he could stay cooped up for days without a fresh human to keep him "company".
"Well if its breakfast the lady wants then breakfast she shall have." Damon said in his usual sarcastic tone. Stefan was pleased that Damon was letting him out. He began to move to the doorway, when an arm shot across the opening. "I never said you could leave the house little brother. I merely said that you and Elena could have breakfast." Damon said in a slightly mocking tone directed at Stefan. When he turned to Elena, both his expression and voice became softer. "If breakfast is in order then I will make some for you too. Okay?"
Elena smiled at the thought at seeing Damon in the kitchen again. It always made him seem more humble and a tad more approachable. She remembered when he was at her house and helped her do the dishes. She remembered joking around with him. She remembered his genuine smile and the room being filled with both of their laughter. She became a little excited to repeat the experience.
She then remembered earlier this morning when he just left her with Stefan and all her anger came bubbling back to the surface. "I'll help," she quickly put in and turned to Stefan before he could volunteer too. "And Stefan can set the table in the dinning room and get everything else ready, right Stefan?"
Annoyed at Elena's willingness to be alone with his brother, Stefan judgingly agreed with Elena, glaring at Damon the entire time. No use arguing he thought. The old wimpy Stefan would have done whatever he was asked to.
When Elena and Damon were in the kitchen and she was sure that Stefan had set about his task, Elena walked over to the blender and the sink, turning them both on.
"Damon, we need to talk."