Reunions and Relapses

Yanking the door open, I crossed my arms and glared. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Good to see you too" he chuckled, bounding up the porch steps to greet me.

He seemed so happy that I couldn't help but unravel my arms and embrace him. Having him tighten his arms reminded me of home. We hadn't seen each other since the very pathetic attempt at a funeral.

It had only been us.

Saying goodbye to Lexi had taken quite a toll on each of us. After moping in the cemetery we decided to complete her tradition to honour her; listening to 80s rock and doing shots until the other passes out. We ended up drinking the entire bar and the next day, we parted ways.

"Get your ass in here before someone sees you" I whispered, suddenly aware of how public we were. Taking a fistful of his shirt, I pulled him into the house and hastily shut the door behind him.

Stefan eyed me for a small second, studying me quietly. "So, you're still pretending to be human?" he guessed, understanding my wariness.

"And where did I get that bright idea?" I retorted and led him into the kitchen.

Once we were sat down, his knotted fingers rested onto the counter. "How's it going for you?" he asked.

"Well, I get to hang around with mindless girls who's heads revolve around make-up, fashion and then horny seventeen year olds" I listed, intentionally missing out the small detail of the Cold Ones.

He smiled and shook his head. "Classic high school. How is Charlie?"

"He's dating again" I shrugged.

Stefan nodded, "Well that's good"

"Yes, I am very proud that my great great great times infinity grandson is getting some" I teased, causing him to chuckle.

"Don't be crass" he rolled his eyes as I stepped off the stool and took out two of Charlie's beers. I was more of a scotch or whiskey or gin and occasionally tequila, but this was all he had. "And your secret…?" Stefan urged. I remained quiet, occupying myself with opening the tops. However, my silence was enough to set him off. "What happened?" he screeched in alarm.

"I was…" I paused and glanced at him. He waited expectantly and I knew I could trust him. "I was far too close to having the Volturi catch me" I revealed and remained unsurprised when his hand gripped my arm, pulling me to him.

"What?" he demanded.

Slowly, I drew my hand away from him and took a step back. My head bowed again. "I kinda sorta dated a Cold One"

"Are you insane?!" Stefan shouted and forced me to look him again. "Well obviously you are if you would jeopardise yourself like that" he carped, pushing me to the edge as I finally erupted.

Placing a hand on his shoulder, I silenced him when slipping my fingers through his hair and yanking his head back. "Didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?" I barked and roughly released him.

"Okay I'm sorry" he relented, rubbing the back of his head to relieve the pain. "…but Jesus, Bella?"

"I know, I know" I reasoned and gestured for us to take our seats again. The cold glass now at my lips as I drew in a sip. It was tangy but mild…

"Dated?" he recalled my previous words. "I hope it's over"

My mind flashed back to the past two weeks and the relentless phone calls and presents. "We're getting there" I promised feebly and took another gulp, while his beer remained untouched. I became frustrated with his judgemental stare. "And if we're judging people based on their exes then you should get the hell out of my house"

"Touche" he said and gave into another smile.

I waved my hand towards the full beer bottle. "Would you like a puppy instead?" I taunted, fighting off the smirk.

His head dropped in shame before deciding that he would in fact need a drink. "You're never going to let me live that down" he groaned.

"You sank your teeth into my beloved Baxter" I exclaimed, remembering the adorable brown eyes belonging to the Golden Retriever. He had been a stray animal found in the Londo0n streets.

Stefan's embarrassment showed. "It was a relapse" he argued but we both knew he was already forgiven. Yes, during his rehabilitation, he had tried to munch on poor Baxter but thankfully I had been there to stop him. My laughter subdued as I noted his change in demeanour. "Speaking of relapses…"

"This isn't just an 'I was in the neighbourhood' kinda thing is it?" I guessed but it was confirmed with him shaking his head. I should've known he wanted something. "What is it?" I sighed tiredly.

"Damon"

A/N: Thoughts on their relationship?

Thank you for the reviews. I'm glad that you're loving the story. As it's short chapters, I will try to update every day or every two days.