[1x08; 162 Candles]
"I don't want to talk to you," Lucy declared as she stumbled out of her bathroom an hour after her altercation with the Salvatore brothers and Elena. She spent most of the time standing under the hot spray of her shower, letting the blood and tears wash away from her skin. After she stepped out of the shower, she diligently cleaned and disinfected her neck where Vicki bit into it.
Her exhausted, red-rimmed eyes fell upon Stefan where he was sitting on her bed, waiting for her. He stood up at her words and nervously hovered a few feet away from her as she climbed into her bed, situating herself under the thin comforter.
"You don't have to talk if you don't want to," he assured her. "I just wanted to apologize."
Lucy raised her eyebrows, surprised. She knew Stefan would eventually apologize—that's the kind of guy he was—but she didn't expect it so soon.
"You were right," Stefan admitted regretfully. "I didn't like when Katherine compelled me. I should have said something. I should have supported you and I'm sorry."
Lucy bit her lip, thoughtful. Stefan sounded sincere, which was more than she was going to get from Elena. Stefan didn't even do the compelling and yeah, he didn't support her when she spoke up in Jeremy's defense, but what did she expect him to do? Disagree with the girl he loved when they were already on the fence?
"I forgive you," Lucy sighed, her lips quirking when Stefan's tense shoulders slumped in relief. "But I don't want Jeremy compelled again. I mean it, Stefan."
Stefan nodded, silently agreeing with her. Jeremy didn't deserve to have his head messed with. "I'll tell Damon," he told her. "By the way, Elena got a call from Matt and we're supposed to be questioned by Sheriff Forbes tomorrow about Vicki."
"Great," she groaned. She was a horrible liar and there was no way she would be able to convince Liz that she was telling the truth about Vicki leaving town. It was Liz, after all. She had grown up around the Forbes household and her best friend's mom witnessed her terrible lying skills first hand.
Stefan chuckled, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. "I'll pick you up early, we'll go over the story."
Lucy nodded sleepily and Stefan smiled in response. He slowly walked over to her open window, curtains flapping in the light breeze. "Goodnight, Luce. Sleep well."
"Night, Broody," Lucy sighed, snuggling into her pillow. "Happy birthday."
"Lucy, you're here because Matt Donovan claimed that you were one of the last people he saw with Vicki last night," Liz Forbes, sheriff of Mystic Falls, told the brunette in front of her. She held a hand over a clean sheet of paper, pen cocked and ready to record Lucy's words. "You're not in trouble. I just want to ask you some questions."
Lucy smiled politely. "Of course."
"All right," Liz stated, beginning the interview. "Did you know that Vicki was going to leave town?"
"No," Lucy said, going over what she and Stefan rehearsed on the way to City Hall. "Jeremy told me."
"Do you know if she told Matt where she was going?"
"Not that I know of."
"Okay," Liz scribbled something on her notebook. "What was Vicki's behavior like those last few days before she left?"
Lucy shrugged, frowning. "She seemed off to me. Like she was coming down from a huge high."
"Any signs of aggression or violence?" Liz prodded further.
"None that I saw," Lucy lied, thinking of her neck. It had taken a heavy layer of concealer to cover up the bite mark Vicki had given her. Even then she decided to wear a scarf around her neck; she was thankful for the cool fall temperatures finally coming in so the accessory wouldn't look out of place.
"So you believe that Vicki has really left town?"
"Yes," Lucy nodded.
She felt so guilty for lying to Matt and Jeremy about Vicki's whereabouts. They both loved her so much and she was dead, probably buried out in the woods. They would never know, they would never get that closure and it was heartbreaking.
"All right," Liz wrote down her final assessment and stood up, giving Lucy a kind smile. "Thanks for coming in, Lucy."
"It's no problem, Liz," Lucy stood from her seat and allowed Liz to escort her out of the office. "Will you let me know if you find anything on Vicki?"
"Of course, honey," Liz nodded, opening her office door and allowing Lucy to step through. "Have a good day."
"You too," Lucy pulled her phone from her purse and typed a quick message to Jenna that she was done. Since Lucy was the last to be questioned, Jenna, Jeremy, and Elena had already headed to the car to wait for her.
Once Liz waved her off, Lucy traveled through City Hall, politely waving at some of the deputies and government workers she knew from various town parties and activities. She pushed out of the building and hurried down the small set of stairs, stopping in her tracks when she saw Stefan and Elena conversing next to the car Stefan was borrowing from his dead nephew.
They stopped talking as she approached, both of them looking upset at one another.
"I'll tell Jenna you'll be a minute," Elena sighed, giving Lucy a sad look.
Lucy didn't reply. She was still not happy with Elena about the whole compel-Jeremy situation. She wasn't happy with Stefan, either, but at least he apologized. Elena didn't bother.
When Elena was out of hearing distance, she turned to Stefan. "Everything okay?"
"It's fine," he shrugged. His eyebrows raised as he asked, "How'd it go?"
"I think Liz believed me," Lucy said, relieved. "I'm surprised. She once caught me and Caroline lying after we snuck out together. We were grounded for two weeks."
"Ouch," Stefan snorted, amused. "I can't believe you snuck out. I didn't think you were a rule-breaker."
"Well, I am," Lucy stated defiantly. "I break rules all the time."
Stefan scoffed teasingly. He was only disagreeing to get a rise out of her. "Sure you do, Goofy."
"I do!" she scowled at him, only for her to relax when she saw the plain amusement on his face. She decided to do a little teasing of her own. "Wow, okay. We're not friends anymore."
"Aw, but it's my birthday," Stefan complained, playing along. "You can't friend-dump me today. A guy only turns one hundred and sixty-two once."
"Wow, you're old."
"That's it, I'm not letting you meet Lexi."
"No, no, no!" Lucy said hurriedly. She so desperately wanted to meet the woman who Stefan called his best friend. She heard a lot of stories about Lexi and, fortunately, the vampire arrived in town today for Stefan's birthday. "I'll be good, I swear! No jokes about you being an old, creepy man."
"Well, now you're really not going to meet her," Stefan smirked.
"Stefan!"
"Say I'm not creepy," he laughed at the childish pout she gave him. "Come on, Luce. Say it."
Lucy sighed. "Fine, you're not creepy."
"I know I'm not," he grinned.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she glanced over at Jenna's car, seeing that her family was growing impatient. She turned back to Stefan and said, "I'll be over at six or so. Does Lexi like pizza?"
"Yes."
"Great!" Lucy exclaimed, already turning to walk to Jenna's car. "See you soon!"
Lucy sliced up the two homemade pizzas she cooked, placing them into three separate containers—one for her, one for Stefan, and one for Lexi. She gathered the containers and gently placed them into a tote bag, along with Stefan's neatly wrapped birthday gift. She started to clean up the mess she made in the kitchen while she waited for Jenna to come downstairs and give her a ride to the Boarding House.
Jeremy wandered downstairs while Lucy was finishing up, setting many notebooks and textbooks on the dining table. He sat down and quietly got to work, stressing over how much work he had to do. He was so behind in his classes. Lucy quickly finished cleaning and walked over to the living room, giving Jeremy a pat on the shoulder as she passed. She plopped down on the couch and smiled slightly when Jenna and Elena slumped down on either side of her.
"You guys are wallowing," Jenna declared, looking at her nieces.
Lucy frowned. "I'm not wallowing. I have nothing to wallow over."
"Well, I am," Elena sighed. "And so are you, Jenna."
"My wallow is legitimate," Jenna defended herself. "I was dumped."
"Stefan had a girl over," Elena countered, remembering the gorgeous blonde she encountered when she went to speak to Stefan—the blonde who was only in a towel.
"Well, Logan's a jerk," Lucy stated matter-of-factly. "And Lexi is Stefan's best friend."
"Logan sent me a brush-off email, saying, 'I'm leaving town, see ya.'"
"Stefan didn't even tell me about this so-called Lexi."
Lucy rolled her eyes; Jenna and Elena needed to pull themselves together. It was really bringing her down and she was in a good mood. She loved birthdays, no matter if it was hers or her friends'.
"Hey, wanna keep it down over there?" Jeremy called from the dining room.
Jenna shifted around on the couch so she was able to look back at Jeremy. "Why, what are you doing?"
"Homework."
Lucy furrowed her eyebrows and turned around as well, exchanging mystified looks with her aunt and sister. Jeremy didn't pay attention to their disbelief; he kept on solving his math equations.
"Since when do you do homework?" Elena wondered, looking at Jeremy with narrowed eyes.
"I gotta finish this," Jeremy's voice was stressed, which was a first when it came to anything that had to do with school—he usually didn't care enough. "I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow, so…"
Lucy was understandably confused. Jeremy had been blowing off school since their mom and dad died and now, all of a sudden, he cared? The timing was a little suspicious; Damon had compelled his memories away the previous night. What if the older Salvatore did more than he was asked?
"What do you think?" Elena looked over at Lucy and Jenna. "Alien?"
"Some sort of replicant," Jenna disagreed, studying Jeremy closely.
Jeremy looked up from his work, giving them an annoyed look. "He can hear you."
"Okay," Lucy sighed, checking her watch. She hopped to her feet and pulled on Jenna's hand. "I need you to drive me to Stefan's house."
Twenty minutes later, after Elena almost threw a fit about Lucy going to Stefan's house without her and Caroline called to inform her about a party she was throwing at the Grill, Lucy was finally dropped off at the Salvatore Boarding House by Jenna. She thanked her aunt and rushed up to the door, ringing the bell.
The door opened, revealing the smug face of Damon Salvatore.
"Oh, it's you," Lucy sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Ouch," Damon smirked, shifting out of the way so she could enter the house. "Tell me how you really feel, Twitch. Get it? Teen witch?"
Lucy narrowed her eyes at him as he chuckled to himself, proud of the nickname he gave her.
"Fine, Dracula," she hit him back with an equally ridiculous nickname. "You need a haircut and having three buttons undone isn't in style anymore unless you're a pervert waiting to lure young girls in your trap," she gestured to his shirt, giving him a judgmental look.
Damon narrowed his eyes and quickly buttoned his shirt. "I was distracted."
"Hmm," she smiled fakely. "I'm sure you were, sweetie."
Damon rolled his eyes, secretly admiring Lucy's spunk, and gestured to the living room. "Stefan and his guest are through there, pinning the tail on the donkey."
Lucy gave him a sickly-sweet smile that he saw right through. "Thanks, bud."
She left the vampire's presence and headed straight into the living room. Stefan and Lexi were waiting for her, chuckling quietly at the bewildered look on Damon's face as Lucy walked past him. It was nice watching someone put Damon in his place, especially without violence.
Lucy's smile turned genuine as she spotted her friend and the blonde vampire next to him. Lexi looked to be a few years older than Stefan with a slim body and a kind smile. Her long blonde hair made Lucy envious that she couldn't tolerate longer hair because the style looked great on the vampire.
"Hi," she greeted Lexi excitedly, setting down the bag of food and completely ignoring Stefan. "You must be Lexi. I'm Lucy, I've been dying to meet you."
She held out her hand for Lexi to shake, mentally steeling herself so she wouldn't accidently siphon from her. Lexi gently pushed her hand out of the way and, with a friendly smile, pulled Lucy into a hug.
"I'm a hugger," Lexi told Lucy as she pulled out of the tight embrace. "And it's great to meet you. Stefan's told me all about my replacement."
Lucy scoffed. "I don't think I could replace you. I mean, I just met you and I like you better than Stefan."
"What a coincidence," Lexi laughed. "I like you better than Stefan, too!"
"All right, Stefan is right here," Stefan objected loudly. "And this was a mistake. Lucy, you can go home now. Bye."
"Shush, Stef, be nice," Lexi reprimanded him, causing Lucy to send him a smug smile behind the older vampire's back. He playfully narrowed his eyes at her in return.
"Yeah, don't you want your present?" Lucy raised her eyebrows at him. "And homemade pizza?"
Stefan pretended to think for a second before sighing, a happy smile on his face. "You had me at homemade pizza and presents."
Lucy beamed and walked back over to her bag, pulling Stefan's present from it. She handed the small parcel over to him and shyly turned away and pulled the food out of the bag as he ripped off the colorful paper.
Stefan felt grateful as he read the brand name on the velvety box within the paper. He opened the box and grinned when he saw the expensive watch snuggled within—with a navy-blue face and leather band, it had a classic yet attractive design that he really liked.
"I know it's not a friendship bracelet, per se, but…" Lucy shrugged. By the look on his face, she counted the gift as a win.
"This is great, Luce," Stefan handed the watch to Lexi to look at and shuffled over to Lucy, wrapping his arms around her. "Thank you so much. I love it."
Lucy smiled into Stefan's shoulder and squeezed him slightly before pulling away. Her stomach was feeling weird, like she had just gone down a huge hill on a rollercoaster.
"Happy birthday, Stefan."
"I honestly can't believe you convinced Stefan to go to a party," Lucy laughed as she and Lexi walked into the Mystic Grill. Stefan wanted to stop by to see Elena beforehand to clear up any confusion about Lexi, so Lucy and Lexi decided to go ahead of him.
"The trick is to remind him how much fun he could have," Lexi advised with a smile. She chuckled and added, "All I have to do is remind him about the time he jumped into the Trevi Fountain naked and he usually gives in. Granted, it might just be to shut me up."
Lucy's eyes widened in astonishment. Stefan Salvatore, jumping naked into a historic fountain? On his own accord? She couldn't even imagine it.
"Stefan really did that?" she asked, amazed.
Lexi nodded with a grin. "We also got drunk on the torch of the Statue of Liberty."
"Wow," Lucy breathed. She knew that Stefan felt comfortable around her, but she wished their friendship could be at the level he and Lexi were at. She adored Stefan and wanted to see all sides of him. She guessed that came with time.
Lexi observed the expression on Lucy's face and smiled to herself. Stefan loved Elena and Lexi was so happy for him, but she was glad he had Lucy too. There was something special about their relationship that he and the older Gilbert didn't seem to have. Then again, she hadn't exactly seen Stefan and Elena together yet.
"This place is nice," Lexi complimented, looking around the Grill. There were many kids around Lucy's age crowded around tables, talking, drinking, and eating together. "Looks like a good turnout."
"Caroline has that effect," Lucy stated proudly, looking around the restaurant for her best friend.
She spotted Caroline across the restaurant, standing next to Damon. Damon didn't look pleased with the blonde but when his eyes met Lucy's, his expression changed into his usual smirk. He excused himself from Caroline and started approaching Lucy and Lexi.
"Incoming," Lucy sighed to Lexi, rolling her eyes in Damon's direction.
Lexi snorted. "Lovely."
"Where's my brother?" Damon greeted them, looking behind them for Stefan.
"He said he'd meet us here," Lexi informed him.
Damon nodded. "Buy you guys a-"
Damon didn't get to finish his offer as Lexi grabbed Lucy's hand and dragged her away from the raven-haired vampire. Lexi ushered Lucy to the bar and quickly ordered them drinks, compelling the bartender so he wouldn't check their IDs.
"So I'm guessing that you're not a fan of Damon, either," Lucy said, looking over at the blonde. She sensed the same hostility from the older vampire that Stefan held for his brother.
"You'd be guessing right," Lexi confirmed, giving the bartender a charming smile as he handed her a sangria and martini. She handed the sangria to Lucy and added, "We slept together once."
Lucy gasped, completely surprised. "Really?"
"Yep," Lexi took a heavy sip of her drink, looking regretful. "And then he left me to burn on the roof of a bar."
"Damn," Lucy narrowed her eyes and looked at Damon where he was sitting at the other end of the bar, flirting with one of the waitresses. "What a dick."
Lexi laughed. "You got that right. There was one time…"
Lucy listened intently to Lexi as she recalled what happened to Damon and Stefan in New Orleans during the 1940s with a girl Damon had changed. Somehow the story turned into the one about Stefan jumping into the Trevi Fountain, which Lucy enjoyed immensely. It sounded like Lexi and Stefan had a lot of fun through the years.
Lucy was sipping down the last of her sangria when Caroline approached her and Lexi, a bright smile adorning her face.
"Hey!" she pulled Lucy into a tight hug; Lucy gladly returned it. "I'm glad you came. Who's your friend?"
"Oh!" Lucy pulled away from Caroline and gestured to Lexi, who was smiling politely. "Lexi, this is Caroline, my best friend."
"Nice to meet you," Lexi hugged Caroline, surprising the younger blonde. "Do you want a drink? I was just getting me and Lucy another one."
"Uh, sure. Thanks," Caroline agreed as Lexi turned to the bar. "So, are you new in town?"
"She's Stefan's best friend," Lucy told Caroline, her eyebrows raised.
"Wow, I didn't know Stefan had so many friends," Caroline joked making Lexi laugh.
"Oh, he doesn't."
"Why are you guys so obsessed with the amount of friends I have?" Stefan's voice came from behind Lucy and Lexi.
Caroline snickered as Lucy's eyes widened, though Lexi just faced her friend with a smirk.
"Because it's a real concern, Stefan," she chided, handing him a drink. "You brood too much and you need someone to balance you out."
Lucy laughed at Lexi's words and pulled her tequila sunrise off the bar, taking a sip. The alcohol stung her throat but the orange juice soothed it, making it a tasty combination.
"Hey, let's dance!" Lexi suggested as a new song played over the speakers.
"No, no, no," Stefan refused immediately.
"Come on, Broody!" Lucy pouted, her head feeling a good kind of fuzzy.
Stefan rolled his eyes but ultimately agreed, "Fine."
After Caroline excused herself, wanting to speak with Bonnie, Lucy and Lexi dragged Stefan onto the dance floor. The space was crowded with dancing teenagers but Lucy thrived in an environment like this—dancing with her friends was so fun to her.
Lucy and Lexi immediately started dancing to the beat, jumping up and down and twisting their hips. Stefan stood next to them awkwardly, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there on the dance floor.
"Okay, we're gonna need a little more foot movement!" Lexi scolded Stefan, bopping her head to the beat.
"Yeah, I'm not really interested in making a fool of myself," Stefan replied, looking around the bar.
"Come on," Lucy breathed, beaming. She took his hands and tried to force him to dance, meeting much resistance. "You're not that bad!"
Stefan sighed and took Lucy's hand, twirling her around. "Do me a favor and tell me if you see Damon with a camera phone."
Lexi agreed and watched with a smile as Stefan and Lucy danced goofily together. The smile on Stefan's face was blinding and Lexi realized that she hadn't seen him so happy in a long time. It seemed like the Gilbert sisters were a good thing in his life.
Lucy dried her hands on a paper towel and threw it in the trash before walking out of the bathroom. She had left Stefan and Lexi at the pool tables to find Caroline and Bonnie but she was distracted by her need for the bathroom. Having taken care of that problem, she was free to find her friends.
She found Caroline and Bonnie happened to be beside her. Unfortunately, it looked like they were arguing. Before she could even start to walk over to them, Damon stepped in front of her, a cocky smirk on his face.
"Having fun at my party?" he asked, handing her a glass of clear liquid. To her surprise, it was water, which was actually exactly what she needed.
"Your party?" Lucy asked after she swallowed the cold water. "Caroline planned this."
"No, I asked Caroline to throw Stefan a party," Damon corrected her.
"You're supposed to be staying away from Caroline," she reminded him, eyebrows furrowed unhappily.
"Relax, I'm not starting that again," Damon rolled his eyes. "This is me simply being a better brother."
Lucy didn't believe Damon, but his words did remind her of something. "Speaking of brothers, what did you do to mine?"
"Pardon?"
"I know you compelled his memories away," Lucy acknowledged. "But he's not...he's acting weird. He was doing homework today and he didn't even do homework before our mom and dad died."
"Oh," Damon raised his chin in recognition. Elena had just asked him the same thing, so he wasn't surprised Lucy was wondering about Jeremy as well. "I took away his suffering. You're welcome."
Damon walked away before Lucy could respond. She sighed and reluctantly admitted to herself that she was glad Jeremy didn't have to suffer through his grief. Was it the best thing for him? No, but she just wanted him to be okay.
Noticing that Bonnie and Caroline had split up, Lucy made her way back to the pool table. Lexi wasn't there, but Stefan was playing around, shooting his assigned striped balls into the various pockets around the table.
"Where's Lexi?" she wondered, picking up a discarded stick and wandering over to Stefan's side.
"Well," Stefan paused, shooting another ball into a side pocket. "She was getting us shots but she's talking to Elena now."
"Really?" Lucy perked up, her eyes wandering to find Lexi and her sister. She found them at the bar, Lexi throwing back at shot before speaking to Elena. "Is she hyping you up?"
Stefan grinned at the smile on Lucy's face. "You could say that."
"Good," Lucy took her turn, sloppily aiming her stick at one of the solid balls. It was no surprise that she ended up missing the shot. "You and Elena mope way to much without each other."
"Um…"
"It's not a bad thing," Lucy assured him with a wink. "That just shows you how much you like each other, right?"
Stefan nodded, relieved. "Right."
"Come on, it's your turn."
It was only two turns later, when Stefan was taking his last shot, that Lexi came back to them. She gave Stefan a guilty smile and declared, "Yep, I drank yours. Sorry."
Stefan smiled fondly at her; he was so lucky that he met her all those years ago. Lexi was one of the only good things that his vampirism brought him.
"Thank you."
"You weren't supposed to be listening," Lexi scolded him lightly. When Stefan continued to smile at her, she sighed, "I was feeling epic...Whatever…"
Another hour passed and, after Elena joined Stefan at the pool tables, Lucy gave them some privacy. She spent that time with Bonnie, quietly discussing the ugly brown jewel that Caroline had given her to wear for her Halloween costume.
In a weird twist of events, the jewel turned out to be a talisman of one of Bonnie's ancestors. It belonged to her great-great-grandmother, Emily, who was a powerful witch who lived in Mystic Falls during the Civil War. Even weirder was the fact that it was Damon who have the jewel to Caroline.
Unfortunately, Damon wanted the talisman back. He had tried to rip it off Bonnie's neck the night before and now he had Caroline trying to do the same. It puzzled both girls; why would Damon want the talisman so much?
Lucy was about to ask Bonnie about what Grams had to say about the situation when she spotted Liz leading a weakened Lexi out of the Grill. Her heart practically leapt into overdrive and she hurriedly stood up—something bad was going to happen to Lexi.
"Bonnie, I'll be right back," she threw over her shoulder as she hurried after the police officers.
She was stopped at the door by two deputies.
"Can't go out this way," one of them told her.
"Would you just move!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Ma'am-"
"Hey, hey," Stefan came up behind her, wrapping his hand around her wrist. "Excuse us," he tried to go out the door, but the same deputy spoke again.
"You can't go out this way."
Stefan didn't bother to waste time arguing; he had to get to Lexi before something bad happened. He swiftly turned around and found another exit, heading straight to the door. Lucy and Elena followed him, both worried.
The three of them exited the Grill and ran around the building, trying to find Lexi. When the sound of gun shots went off, they quickened their pace. Just as they went to run around the corner, Stefan stopped, shocked at what he was seeing.
Damon had ran in between Sheriff Forbes and Lexi, sticking a wooden stake in Lexi's chest, piercing her heart. Stefan gasped in shock, stopping Lucy and Elena in their tracks. Lucy peaked around him, tears wetting her eyes at the sight of Lexi's rapidly-graying body.
"Oh, my God," Stefan whispered, his voice filled with grief and anger.
Lexi fell to the ground, dark veins popping up all over her body. Lucy covered her mouth with one hand and grabbed Stefan's with the other as Damon picked her up and put her in the back of Liz' cruiser.
"I'm gonna fucking kill him," Stefan growled furiously as Damon and Liz entered the Grill. The veins under his eyes visibly flared, his eyes tinting red.
He ripped his hand away from Lucy's and stormed away from the restaurant, hoping to catch Damon at home. Lucy's watery eyes fell away from the spot where Lexi had laid and followed his form worriedly.
Yeah, Stefan deserved to kill Damon, but would he be able to? Not only was Damon stronger than him, but he was still Stefan's brother.
"Stefan!" Elena called, rushing after him; Lucy followed them both. "Stefan!"
Elena quickened her pace and grabbed Stefan's arm, turning him to face her.
"He killed her!" Stefan sneered, tears falling from his eyes. "He killed Zach, he killed Tanner, he turned Vicki. I have to kill him!"
"No, you can't do that," Elena objected.
Stefan reared back, astonished by her words. "Why are you trying to save him?" he asked harshly. "Elena, he's never gonna change. Don't you see that? He's not gonna change."
"I'm not trying to save him," Elena denied. "I'm trying to save you. You have no idea what this will do to you. Please, Stefan…"
"Stefan…" Lucy spoke up. When Stefan's eyes went to her, she tried to silently show him that whatever he did, she would support him. Deep down she knew Stefan wouldn't kill Damon, but that was his choice and his choice only. She wasn't going to interfere.
"Everywhere I go, pain and death follow," Stefan said quietly, his face showing his acceptance of his situation; Damon would never give up his obsession with destroying his life. "Damon follows me. No more."
When he went to walk off, Elena quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Stefan, please," she begged. "Please just talk to me. Let me be here for you. Talk to me."
"No," Stefan shook his head and released Elena's hold on him. "You were right to stay away from me."
When Stefan walked away, this time Elena didn't stop him. Lucy approached Elena, coming to a stop by her side.
"He won't do it," she whispered. "Even if Damon does deserve it."
Elena sighed and shook her head, giving her sister a sad smile. "Come on, I'll take you home."
"Home sounds nice."
Lucy allowed Elena to fuss over her as she drove both of them home. She wasn't annoyed by Elena's disapproval of her drinking or what she said about Damon—she didn't care about that right now. All she knew was if something happened to Elena like what happened to Lexi, she would go out of her mind.