Chapter Two

Hello! Thank you for your lovely reviews and for following and favouriting (not that that's a word). Here is the second chapter of Rings and I promise I'll update more often now. For those that are following I'm Gonna Be Strong, I am sorry but writer's block for that just won't give. I'll try again soon, though :)

Disclaimer – I do not own the Vampire Diaries but I do own Teagan.

"Dance with me."

The request came two weeks after Teagan had almost separated Stefan's hand from his arm, early in the night. She was in a red dress and staring up at the vampire she'd steadily ignored for just over a week. Over the last three days, he'd slowly been working his way back under her skin, much to Rebekah's delight and Nik's amusement.

Nik had decided he liked Stefan, especially after the younger vampire's behaviour with Liam and Lila Grant. Teagan had been stubborn up until her big brother practically ordered her to give the boy some attention, and she didn't particularly regret it. He was exciting, charming and a divine dancer when he wanted to be. She really enjoyed his company and it was nice that another person could make her smile with a simple glance.

"That is no way to treat a lady, Mr Salvatore," she teased, idly sipping her drink then licking her lips, looking directly into his lovely green eyes. He smirked at her and held out his hand.

"Would you do me the honour of dancing with me, Teagan?" he asked properly and she nodded calmly, taking the hand and allowing him to help her out of her seat. Slowly, he pressed his chest into her and slipped an arm behind her back. His other hand held her left one as he swayed them gently to the lilting music. She settled her right hand on his shoulder.

"You get along swimmingly with my brother," she pointed out, making idle chit-chat. He smiled and shrugged, moving his arm so it wrapped entirely around her back and their hips pressed intimately together.

"Are we really going to talk about your brother? I'd much rather talk about you," he replied, dancing them around in a circle. She smirked, yet shook her head.

"There isn't much interesting about me, Stefan." That was what she believed was the truth. Nearly six hundred years and she'd spent most of them running with her family. Elijah had split off after the disaster that was New Orleans, Kol had been daggered shortly before that and she'd never even met Finn. There were brief flings, various killing sprees and plenty of family disputes – but nothing interesting.

"On the contrary, you're very interesting to me," Stefan argued, causing Teagan to look up at him through her eyelashes. He looked straight back, honesty shining from his pores and she was genuinely surprised. Showing an interest in her wasn't common. As Nik had pointed out two weeks previously, Teagan was not usually first choice. "Tell me about your family," he urged, contradicting his earlier statement, and she knew he wasn't referring to Rebekah and Nik.

"I never met Finn, he was daggered before Nik turned me, but apparently he isn't very fun. Elijah and I got along alright, though I am a little too overzealous for his tastes. Nik and I have large arguments every few years but we're very attached and I would follow him anywhere. Rebekah and I are joined at the hip mostly, we both like having another girl around." Teagan then smiled brightly at the thought of her final sibling.

"What are you thinking about?" Stefan probed quietly, voice husky as their eyes settled on one another's.

"Kol and I were devious together. Whenever we were around each other, chaos would result and I believe that is where most of Elijah's disapproval lay. We both loved to play our little games," she informed him, affection shining from her eyes as she thought of Kol. They were like evil twins that enjoyed mayhem and Elijah was often left to clean up their messes.

Stefan twirled her out then brought her back in, her back pressed against his chest. Her head was slightly to the side as Stefan's breath fanned against her ear, fingers dancing across her stomach. Her eyes slipped closed and a small smile tugged at her lips.

"Am I another game?" he whispered into her ear, delightful thrills spreading across every inch of skin. Stefan continued swaying them both, lips brushing her earlobe and the world becoming nothing more than a blur to them both.

"You stopped being a game the second I placed my hand on your chest," Teagan told him breathlessly, head turning enough to look him in the eye. Her breathing was heavy and her eyes were close to sliding shut, but she saw the grin on Stefan's face very clearly.

For long minutes, they stayed like that, unconsciously still moving to the music swirling through the air. Other sounds – laughter, voices, glasses clinking – became unnoticed as hazel stared at green. In a blur, Stefan whipped Teagan around so their chests were once again connected and their faces were centimetres apart, breath mingling. She was warm, bordering on hot which would lead to burning as Stefan held her there. Practically paralysed with desire, Teagan did not move.

Abruptly, his lips descended on hers. His hands latched onto her waist and hers dug into his shoulders, their hips still moving to the beat of the music. Hot breath intensified the heat they felt as both gasped between kisses and Teagan felt his fangs come through his gums. She gasped as they caught her bottom lip and they pulled away. Stefan, with red eyes, stared at the spot of blood before licking it, causing Teagan's eyes to roll back in her head.

"We should go somewhere more private," he suggested before leading the way out of the speakeasy. Teagan's normally controlled demeanour was shattered by the need to be with Stefan and she honestly didn't care.

Neither of them paid attention to the apartment they ended up in, though Teagan suspected it was Stefan's, as they spun over to the bed. A table and lamp smashed to pieces in their haste but they didn't pay the items any mind as Stefan threw Teagan on top of the bed sheets and hovered over her. Both spared only a second of staring before Stefan's lips crashed against hers and they tangled their tongues immediately. Clothes were torn off and skin rubbed erotically as moans filled the room, fangs drew blood and they gripped one another tightly.

Hours later, Teagan lay sprawled across Stefan. Her left leg was between both of his and her hair was fanned across the space behind her. His fingers danced up and down the smooth skin of her back as she drew invisible pictures on his firmly chiselled chest. There were patches of dried blood where she'd gotten a little rough, but he definitely didn't seem to mind. She certainly hadn't cared when he'd sunk his teeth into her shoulder.

"Tell me about your rings," he said, though a question could be heard in his voice. Teagan looked at her left hand, adorned with multiple rings. Her index finger held both her delicate daylight ring and a ruby band that Nik had gifted her with three centuries previously. The middle finger held her favourite, a large, obnoxious piece of jewellery with a large sapphire on a silver band. Her pinkie had a tiny little gold ring.

"I picked them all up over the centuries. Some were gifts, others I stole but each has its own story. I hardly take them off," she replied, turning her attention back to Stefan. His eyes, previously on the large sapphire, flickered to her hazel ones.

"So, if you ever take them off-?"

"I'm either washing my hands or something went wrong," she answered the unfinished question. There were only two incidents she could remember having removed the jewellery. One had been when Kol was daggered and she didn't speak to Nik for a solid three months, just before they came to Chicago. The other had been in 1549, when she had accidentally killed a young girl of five years old on a rampage with Kol. Teagan had no particular preference in victims, but she never killed children. She'd scrubbed her hands for two hours in a river before Kol found her and stopped her peeling the skin off.

"I think your sister's been trying to set me up with you since the beginning," Stefan informed her and Teagan raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Really? Whatever gave you that impression?" she queried, shifting so her forearms held her up and her medium length hair fell around them. Stefan smirked at her, tucking some of it behind her ear.

"She mentioned you a lot – good and bad things. Then I insulted you, and I heard nothing else except orders to apologise for days." Teagan smirked at her sister's behaviour before pressing a slow, seductive kiss to the corner of Stefan's mouth.

"I still haven't forgiven you for that atrocious behaviour. You really upset me, Stefan," she pouted playfully. Stefan pushed himself up into sitting position and Teagan moved so she straddled him, their naked bodies pressed intimately together. He teasingly bit her pouting lip before grinning. That beautiful smile of his made Teagan very grateful that Stefan had not turned his humanity off. Granted, that made him a tiny bit psychotic but she was well used to that kind of behaviour. She enjoyed it.

"I should find a way to make it up to you, then, shouldn't I?" he asked lowly, pressing a brief kiss to her lips then dragging his mouth over her neck and nibbling at her collarbone. She let her head fall back to give him more access.

"Oh yes, that is a large priority. But we're going to play by my rules," she responded, pushing his head up so their lips brushed but didn't fully connect. "You may not be a game to me, but that doesn't mean we can't play."

Laughter filled the room as he flipped her over and tickled her mercilessly.

XXX

Stefan observed Teagan with unconcealed interest. She was beautiful, but the dangerous kind of beauty. If someone looked closely enough, they could tell she was deadly. Her red locks were rich in colour and her eyes – those gorgeous hazel eyes – always sparkled with mischief or dark glee. Her body was tall, lean with faint muscle and sharp points. She always held herself with regal posturing and it wasn't uncommon to see a smirk on those enticing lips of hers.

It hadn't taken long to figure out that he more than enjoyed her presence. He knew he was a monster and would have likely turned his humanity off sooner or later – but Teagan did not give a damn about that. She embraced his life and he embraced hers, though she also knew when enough was enough. There was a level of control in Teagan that Stefan lacked, but it created a nice balance.

"You know, Stefan, it's a rare sight to see someone watching my youngest sister with such affection. She doesn't normally gain such attention, due to her hard shell," Klaus observed as he sat next to Stefan at the bar. It had been two months since the first time Teagan and Stefan had shared a bed and he couldn't hold his true feelings back for much longer.

"She certainly has my attention," Stefan said as he watched Teagan subtly feed on a man in the corner of the booth she and Rebekah were guarding. It was an erotic sight, watching the red headed vampire drink deeply.

"Teagan isn't used to being second choice, Stefan, so I'm going to warn you now: she's either very attached or not interested," Klaus informed him and Stefan finally looked at the man he considered a close friend. The blond was staring at him knowingly. "But we both know it's the former. She's falling in love with you, and you with her."

"Is that a bad thing?" he questioned, wondering why Klaus was bothering to tell him the information. The Original vampire raised an eyebrow, as though he expected Stefan to know the answer.

"I want them to be happy, and you can make Teagan happy. But the three of us live dangerous lives and you should know that she isn't entirely reliable because of that," he finally said but Stefan had already guessed as much.

"Some people are worth the risk," he replied quietly, eyes shifting back to Teagan, who had compelled her meal to leave and was talking with Rebekah. Her hazel eyes briefly settled on his and she gave him a tiny smirk before going back to her sister and laughing, lighting up her entire face.

"I am warning you right now: she is my sister and you will not hurt her. The time may come where she has to leave you, but in no way are you to hurt her," Klaus growled and Stefan nodded to acknowledge that he both heard and understood. Why would he hurt such an exquisite woman? Sure, she was not what most would deem 'perfect', with her love of violence and her short temper – but she was magnificent to him.

"Wouldn't dream of it." With that, he polished off his drink and moved through the dancing guests with ease, ending up at Teagan and Rebekah's booth with Klaus right behind him. Stefan escorted the younger woman to the dance floor, whilst her two siblings watched with small smiles. "You are stunning," he stated easily, as though it was second nature to flatter her. As it was, he didn't do it nearly as often as he should have.

"I do enjoy your compliments, Stefan. They make me feel fluffy inside," she told him, her usual sarcasm present only out of habit, rather than consternation. He smirked at her and brought her closer so her head was pressed against his neck and his lips were at her temple. She was rather tall, only half a head shorter than him. "Would you tell me something?" she questioned, the fleeting feeling of her lips on his neck was enough to get him to swallow thickly.

"It depends on the something," he answered honestly. Whilst Teagan was in no way judgemental of the things he'd done in his past, he didn't want her to know of the terror he'd caused. He wasn't even sure if she was fully aware that he tore people apart most of the time, as they never hunted together.

"Were you ever in love?" she asked and his mind immediately spiralled into memories of Katherine. He had been so very stupid to fall for her manipulation, her lies and her in general. What had been love had turned to loathing – but he would tell Teagan nonetheless.

"Her name was Katherine Pierce. She was beautiful, intriguing and a vampire." Teagan slowly pulled out from her spot nestled against Stefan's neck to look at him with interest. "She manipulated me, along with my brother Damon, and then she died in a fire our town council made to destroy her and the other vampires in town."

Teagan's interest turned to horror as her hazel eyes went wide and her mouth twisted into a grimace. Stefan was deeply surprised when she pulled back from him and immediately scanned the room, eyes landing on Klaus, who was speaking with Rebekah. Without explaining herself, she pulled him over to her siblings, who looked up. Rebekah looked concerned at the muted horror on Teagan's face as the red head sat down, whilst Klaus' eyes darted between his youngest sister and Stefan.

"What's going on?" he asked slowly, voice edging on threatening. Stefan schooled his features to look unconcerned as Teagan's expression turned furious.

"He loved her! Stefan loved Katerina," she snarled and the looks on both Rebekah and Klaus' faces were enough to push Stefan to look bewildered. How did Teagan know Katherine's real name? And why did it matter so much?

"Is that true?" Stefan opened his mouth. "Don't ask questions, Stefan, just answer that." Klaus' expression was verging on dark, though there was a hint of hope that Teagan was just being dramatic or silly.

"Yes, it's true." There was no point in lying, not when Teagan knew the truth. What Stefan really wanted to understand was, well, everything. Rebekah cleared her throat pointedly whilst Teagan glowered at the table like it had personally offended her.

"Teagan, sweetheart, it's in the past. We've all done ridiculous things that can't be taken back," Klaus soothed but Teagan simply raised a challenging eyebrow. Her natural rage was so pure that it shone from her skin. "I think you should explain to the lad, instead of just letting him stew. Come now, Teagan." Everyone heard the hidden order and Teagan, who would only take orders from her big brother, stood up and took Stefan's hand, leading him away and into a back room.

"Katerina Petrova appeared when I was nearly two hundred years old. To cut a long story short, she betrayed my family and hurt Elijah – and I will never forgive her. We've been looking for her ever since," she explained, venom oozing from her words like thick blood from a clotting wound. Stefan, finally understanding her reaction, slowly approached and used his index finger to tilt her chin up, smiling softly.

"I loathe her, Teagan. She used me and destroyed my relationship with my brother, I no longer care what happens to her. I promise," he told her sincerely and watching her eyes close as the fury fell from her face. There was just sadness, the kind that Stefan knew to associate with her fear of being second choice.

"If you loved her once, you could love her again. I've met people like Katerina Petrova before, and she will not go away." The insecurity in her voice was well masked by the casual air she held, and only audible to the trained ears of those that knew her well.

"I will never love her again, Teagan, I swear. You are who I want, you are better for me than she could ever be, and you don't manipulate me to do your bidding." Teagan's face transformed to hold her signature smirk, after a brief flash of acceptance.

"Well, I do have my ways," she responded mischievously. Stefan smirked daringly and latched his hands onto her waist, pulling her forward sharply. Teagan's leg slid around the back of his and stroked teasingly whilst her fingers dug into his hair. "Will you play a game with me, Stefan?" she asked huskily, licking his lips and making him shudder pleasurably.

"I thought I'd already won?" he questioned teasingly, playing along just like she wanted him to, though there were no lies in his words. He had won – he had Teagan. At least, until he apparently inevitably lost her.

Just a quick note: anything from Teagan's perspective will be in first person from the next chapter because I liked it better. Anyway, let me know your thoughts and I hope you all are having/have had/will have a wonderful day. Love, Bianca :) x