Hello, my lovely readers. It's that time again. Time for more thrills and chills. On with the show…

Warning: Possible character death…

Chapter 8: Things I Wish I Hadn't Done

Stefan Salvatore felt happy. Tonight was going to be a big night. Tonight he was going to tell Rebekah Mikaelson how he felt about her. Yes, she had a boyfriend, and had a thing for his brother, but tonight, all of that was going to change. He had a plan. Stefan would take Rebekah aside and show her how much more charming and funny he could be than other guys she knew. Who cares that there might be a serial killer on the loose tonight. Stefan didn't really believe the urban legend anyway.

Poking his head into his older brother's room, he caught Damon typing away on his phone, oblivious to the world. Stefan rolled his eyes. He figured that Damon was sending some sappy text to Elena. Man, his brother needed to stop acting like an old married dude. "Damon, there's going to be a party at The Falls and we have to go!" he cried to his older brother who looked up at him and rolled his eyes.

It took some convincing. Of course, Stefan knew the best way to get Damon to do anything would be to take something he cared about. In this instance, it was his car keys. Damon loved that car like it lived and breathed. Running down the stairs of their home, Stefan felt like the night held a million possibilities. He heard Damon chasing after him as he flung the front door open. "Maybe you'll get lucky and the Halloween Serial Killer will get me!" he joked. He ignored Damon's retort before opening the passenger side door and hopping inside.

Throwing the keys to Damon, Stefan smiled when his brother got in. He knew that Damon wanted to go to the party as much as he did. The Salvatore brothers did not hide under their beds when there was a party raging on the other side of town. Besides, Stefan figured that in spite of all of her moaning and groaning and warning everyone, Elena went to the party. Therefore, Damon should be there.

Stefan turned on the radio and flipped the switch until he found an old Bon Jovi song playing. "It's my life," he sang.

"My heart is like an open highway. I should have done it my way." Damon sang along with Stefan, earning a grin from the younger brother. It felt great. Just the two of them, on the road. No worries. Their whole lives ahead of them.

Soon they got to the party and ran into Klaus Mikaelson. This gave Stefan the perfect opportunity to slip away when he spotted Klaus' younger sister. "Rebekah!" he called, grabbing her from behind and causing her to shriek.

"Stefan bloody Salvatore!" Rebekah yelled, slapping him on the shoulder with a laugh. "How the hell are you?" she asked him loudly enough for him to be able to hear her over all of the shouting.

"Good. I'm good. How are you?" Stefan replied, grinning at her. "And you, you look very good," he looked her over while Rebekah smirked back at him.

"What a high compliment," Rebekah replied with a smirk. "What are you? A junior in high school now?

"Senior. I'm a senior. I'm actually nineteen but I got sick when I was a kid and nearly died so my father held me back from going to school. It's not that much fun being older than most of the kids," Stefan told Rebekah who looked amused. Trying to figure out something to impress her with, Stefan looked around, spotting a keg. "Are you thirsty?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm quite parched," Rebekah told him with a smile.

Stefan grinned. "Well then, I will go get us a cup of whatever is on tap," he walked over to get a cup of beer and ran into Tyler Lockwood who was slightly tipsy.

"Hey, Stefan! What's up? Trying to get in Rebekah's pants tonight under the full moon?" he howled at the moon and then let out a laugh.

"What's this about?" Kol inquired, coming over and throwing an arm around Tyler's shoulder. "Oh, yes, Bekah's being a strumpet, again, I see. You should be careful. Her new boyfriend could split you in half. He plays football and bench presses men twice your size, mate."

Gulping, Stefan forced himself to grin. "What he doesn't know, he can't kill me for," he told the two.

Kol looked at Tyler and then began to laugh. "Cheers to that!" Kol knocked his empty cup against Stefan's and then stumbled off with Tyler.

Returning to Rebekah's side after filling the cup, he handed it to her. "Here, my queen."

Rebekah grinned before taking a long sip. She handed it back to Stefan while looking around at the others. "This party is a bit dull. Wouldn't you say?" she quipped while Stefan took a sip of the beer which was a little flat.

"Yup," Stefan nodded. He gave the cup back to Rebekah. "Why don't we go for a little walk?"

Rebekah's eyebrows shot up. "Really? You want to go walking in the woods? I'm not sure my footwear is appropriate for that." She looked down at boots that were more stylish than they were practical.

"It's okay. I won't let you get hurt," Stefan told her, holding out a hand.

Rebekah smiled, taking his hand and allowing him to direct her through the trees. He stopped only a couple of feet inwards before turning to Rebekah. "How's this?" he asked her.

"Better," Rebekah nodded with a smile. "This is much better." She stared at Stefan for a long moment and he figured that if he was going to make a move, now was better than never.

"Rebekah, I really like you. I think I did ever since your family moved to town and I never had the courage to tell you. I wish I had. And now you're here and –" Stefan stopped talking when Rebekah placed her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up and kiss me," she whispered, moving her hand and staring at his lips.

"Okay," Stefan placed his hand on the back of Rebekah's neck and pulled her toward him. Pressing his lips to hers, he smiled. This was way better than what he had expected and he had had pretty high expectations.

"Mm," Rebekah moaned into his mouth while he pulled her against him and then backed her up against a tree, running his hands over her body. If he had to die, let it be now, before life got in the way because he wanted to die a happy man.

Pulling away, Stefan smiled down at Rebekah, pressing his forehead to hers and breathing her in when a scream cut through the night. "Help me! Somebody help me!"

"Let's go see what all the fuss is about," Stefan heard himself say but he didn't want to leave this spot even as his feet moved forward, farther into a woods. The screaming got louder. When they found the source of the noise, Stefan felt the beer moving back upward and he leaned over and vomited. Rebekah said something but he waved her off. Hayley needed her more than he did.

When the nausea quelled, Stefan turned away from the scene and walked as far away as he could get, becoming lost in the woods. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, looking for anything familiar, but all he saw were trees, lots and lots of trees. It wasn't until he felt a something sharp slice through his side that Stefan became aware that he wasn't alone.

The cold, sharp steal moved out from between his ribs and Stefan whirled around to find a young woman in a hoodie with a knife. "Silas!" she growled and Stefan did not have time to disagree when she moved to stab him again. They fell to the ground while he held her wrists, trying to stop her from stabbing him again.

The hooded figure kicked Stefan between the legs and he let go of her wrists, his hands, reflexively, moving downward when she stabbed him, again, in the stomach this time, making him moan in pain. She moved to stab him in the heart when she toppled over with a shriek of fury. "You'll pay for that!"

Rebekah stood over them with a branch and a look of rage. Stefan felt his eyes opening and closing when Damon came running toward him. His eyes still flickered open and closed when Elena, Caroline and Bonnie arrived.

Stefan must have passed out at some point because he woke up again in a hospital bed with a blonde woman checking his vitals. "Hello, Stefan, you were very lucky that your friends found you," the doctor said, patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we're going to take good care of you. Now, you take a nap while Dr. O'Connell checks up on your other friends."

"My other friends?" Stefan mumbled, feeling confused while the doctor adjusted the medicine dripping into the tube in his right arm. Closing his eyes, Stefan went back to sleep.

Stefan did not wake until he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. "Stefan!" Damon's voice called to him through the fog and Stefan felt confused. His eyes opened slowly to take in the sight of Damon and Klaus, standing over him with looks of concern.

"Hey, baby brother," Damon said, pressing a hand to Stefan's forehead.

"Hey," Stefan replied. He wondered what was going on and why Klaus was trying to take his blankets off. He felt nice and warm and comfortable. He wanted to ask where Rebekah was but that felt like a million years ago.

"It's time to go," Damon stated and Stefan still felt confused.

"Go where?" Stefan looked from Damon to Klaus who was shoving the bedclothes out of the way and muttering something about the hospital gown that Stefan was wearing. This felt like a dream.

No one bothered to answer Stefan when Klaus and Damon each took one of his arms and threw them around their shoulders. "Come on. Come on," Elijah Mikaelson muttered at the elevator doors. Stefan took in the sight of Hayley Marshall standing beside him with Elena coming to stand beside Damon.

"Are you okay, Stefan?" she asked him and he shrugged. He felt doped up and everything felt cool to him. Although he really wished they would let him go back to bed. He felt so tired.

The elevator doors swung open and the group entered with a collective sigh of relief. Their relief was short-lived when the doors reopened to reveal some unhappy looking security guards, orderlies and Dr. O'Connell. Everyone began to shout when they were taken off of the elevator. Stefan watched as Klaus and Caroline had handcuffs slapped on their wrists and they were taken back onto the elevator. Dr. O'Connell waited with Stefan while Damon and Elena argued with the security guards.

"You can't do this!" Damon shouted.

Stefan wanted to help his brother but he felt so damned tired. "Damon," he muttered.

"Don't worry about him," Dr. O'Connell instructed Stefan when the elevator doors swung back open. "You'll be together again, soon." Something about her words did not make Stefan feel comforted as his brother was led away in handcuffs.

"Stefan!" Damon shouted, trying to get to Stefan when the doors closed.

Back upstairs, Dr. O'Connell and an orderly placed Stefan back in his bed. "Now, rest. We'll talk later," she reassured him.

Later came and went and Stefan slept. He only woke up when he found that someone was placing him in a wheelchair. "What's going on?" he asked the orderly.

"Got your transfer orders. You're going up to Psych," the man replied, strapping Stefan's wrists to the chair.

"What are you talking about? I was attacked in the woods," Stefan protested, trying to free himself from the restraints but he was not able to because he didn't have the strength.

"Look, Silas, my man, I don't give a shit how many people's throats you slit. You know, I'm kind of a fan of Manson's work, but I need this job and, you know, it's the way of the world. So just chill. The drugs aren't so bad and I'll help you hide them," the orderly told Stefan who wondered what kind of hell he was stuck in.

"What time is it?" Stefan asked the orderly.

"Uh. Doesn't matter. It's the same time it always is when you're up on Psych. You'll get used to it before they transfer you over to the county," the orderly told him and Stefan felt like he would vomit again.

"You've got the wrong guy," Stefan protested weakly. He wished he had stayed at home. He and Damon could be watching a marathon of slasher flicks rather than living in a nightmare. How long could this day go on?

"Can I at least make a phone call?" Stefan asked.

The orderly laughed. "This isn't lock-up, man. You've watched too many cop shows. You don't get one phone call when you've been tried and convicted."

Stefan fell back into the wheelchair and watched the elevator doors open and close on his life. They left the elevator, minutes later, to enter a lobby with no one there. The orderly slid a card key through and wheeled Stefan inside.

They walked down the hall and Stefan noticed Klaus laying on a bed. He did not stir when Stefan shouted to him. "Klaus!" Moving onward, Stefan saw Caroline, lying on a bed with a gag in her mouth. There were tears on her cheeks and her skin was red. "Caroline!" Stefan shouted and Caroline jerked, trying to free herself.

"What are you people doing to my friends?" Stefan shouted, feeling angry as he jerked in his chair. He turned just enough to see the man who had been wheeling him and felt sick to his stomach.

"Hello, Stefan," the orderly greeted him. "Never thought you'd see me again, now did you?"

Honestly, Stefan had been hoping that he would never see Brady, a boy who was three older than him, and who liked to pick on the younger kids when they were little, ever again. "I heard you went to juvie after you set your ex's car on fire," Stefan replied.

"Yeah. I did. And you know, people don't really care who takes care of the mentally ill, as long as they keep them quiet," Brady replied. "And I'm really good at keeping the looneys quiet. Except Katherine. Damn, that girl does not like to be quiet and I have no problem with that."

"You're a sick, sick man," Stefan replied.

"You have no idea," Brady retorted before wheeling him into a room and taking his restraints off. "You try anything, I will rip you a new hole where they sewed you up. Got me?"

"Yeah," Stefan muttered while Brady dropped onto a bed and then strapped him down.

"I'll tell Cami that you're up here," Brady said. Stefan could hear him whistling down the hall.

After a long time of lying on his back, Stefan heard the door open and Dr. O'Connell entered. "Hello, Stefan, good to see you're awake and alert. I'm going to give you something that will help with your healing. Alright?" Tapping a vein, she did not wait for an answer before piercing his skin with a needle.

"Ouch," Stefan hissed. "You're not very good with that," he told her.

"No pain, no gain," Cami said cheerfully before turning to leave.

"You're one of them, aren't you?" Stefan called after her.

"One of what?" Dr. O'Connell asked in a bored tone as she turned to look down at Stefan.

"You're one of the killers," Stefan stated, watching her carefully.

"I guess you could say that I am. But, really, I think of it more as helping you out of your mortal coil. You see, we're all trapped here, on this plane of existence. Or maybe I just hate guys. Who knows?" the doctor let out a laugh. "I'll be back later to check and see how you're feeling."

Lying back, Stefan tried to think of a way out of here but he could not think of anything. It looked like he was trapped until either Dr. O'Connell killed him or Damon found a way out to save his ass.

When the door opened again after what felt like an eternity, Stefan expected to see Dr. O' Connell, Brady, or the woman who thought he was Silas, whoever the hell that was. But he felt shocked to see Olivia Parker making her way around his bedside to release him from his restraints. "Hey!" she greeted him while watching the door. "You okay?" she asked when he could sit up.

"You really want an answer to that?" Stefan quipped while he leaned over to help her free his ankles. Soon she helped him off the bed and placed him in a wheelchair. "Tell me you're with Damon."

"Sorry," Liv shook her head. "Tyler's outside, keeping watch. Tyler and I found Klaus first. They're waiting for us."

"What about Caroline?" Stefan asked, remembering seeing her earlier.

"Caroline's up here?" Liv's eyes widened. "We didn't see her and we looked all over the place before we found the two of you." Stefan felt sick as they went past the room that Caroline had been in. There was no one there now.

Tyler and Klaus entered the elevator while Liv wheeled Stefan inside. They went downstairs and through the empty lobby. Exiting the building, Stefan had never been so happy to see Bonnie Bennett and Kol Mikaelson in his entire life. He just wished that Damon was with them and Rebekah. Where was Rebekah?

No one gave Stefan the opportunity to ask his question as they bid a hasty retreat from the hospital and Liv and Tyler decided to stay there to keep an eye on Kai. Finally Stefan got to get a word in.

"Can I use your phone?" he asked anyone who had one.

When Stefan got through to Damon, he felt happy that his brother was alive but also scared because it looked like the killers had him and Elena. "Stefan, stay away from me," Damon growled into the phone and Stefan wondered what had gotten into him. When a voice invited them to another party at the Grill, Stefan tried to concentrate even when the dial tone signaled the end of the call. His vision began to blur and he felt his throat constricting.

"Klaus, what's going on back there?" Bonnie called and Stefan wondered what was going on as the lights began to dim.

"Stefan, mate, wake up!" Kol shouted.

"His pulse is fading!" Klaus yelled and Stefan felt someone begin pressing their mouth to his and his chest moving up and down with the pressure of someone else's hands pushing up and down. "Stefan, you're not going to die. Not after all of this. Wake the bloody hell up!"

Stefan tried to open his eyes. He tried to fight, but he wanted to sleep. This day had been too much. He wished Rebekah were there to hold his hand. He wished she would kiss him good night. He wished that he could tell Damon that he loved him, as corny as that sounded. He wished he had never gone to that stupid party. He wished a lot of things as he felt his body slipping away and then nothing at all.

Thank you for reading, faving, following and reviewing.

Peace,

Jessica