Thoughts - 'Single quotes'


When Stefan said he'll be out of town, he wasn't exactly being accurate. He was traveling to an entirely different continent to get rid of one of his weaknesses. He was traveling to China, Tibet to be exact. And it was there, where he was able to uncover the secrets behind how one of his vampiric abilities worked. All in all, the trip couldn't have gone any better. This also solidified his choice of being a siphoner, as Stefan gained a newfound understanding of how broken his abilities were as a hybrid.

Time skip - 1983, Chicago


"Where have you been, Katherine? It's so good to see you again.", a woman said excitedly seeing Katherine.

"Just traveling. How's the neighborhood Joanna? See anyone you shouldn't?", enquired Katherine.

"No, none of the people nor the names you asked us to look out for. Will you be staying for a while?"

"That's good. I might just stay a while", replied Katherine with her signature smile.

Unknown to her, someone was keeping a close watch. A teen-like figure just got her suspicions confirmed regarding Katherine escaping the tomb. With gritted teeth she walked away. Stefan, in the meanwhile, was quietly observing the observer, with a balaclava covering his face, and a camera in his hand.

'The look on Damon's face is going to be epic', thought Stefan, seemingly looking forward to the day.

Scene break - NYC


"The Bar should be nearby"

After collecting some photographic evidence, Stefan decided to travel to New York to get some more evidence from Will Davis, a Bar owner, and fake identities supplier, who Damon used to work for. Why, some may ask? I was bored, would be Stefan's answer to that.

'Ah, Old Town Bar, what a creative name choice', thought Stefan, rolling his eyes.

"You'll need to show some ID before I let you through kiddo", a tough looking vampire said, bringing Stefan out of his musings.

"Huh, is that so? And why should I show my ID to a guy whose face looks like it's covered in shit? Oh, sorry, it appears that it's just how you look", replied Stefan sassily, with a creepy smile growing on his face. This threw the vampire off, because whatever he was expecting, Stefan's reply was definitely not it.

"What did you just say?", asked the now raged vampire, who looked like he'd tear Stefan's head out at a moment's notice.

"I said your face looks like shit. Didn't know you had bad hearing too", said Stefan, enunciating every word. This just pissed the vampire off further, and his rage knew no bounds. As soon as the vampire was about to pounce, Stefan spoke once more.

"You'll let me in without uttering another word", compelled Stefan.

The vampire made way, with his lips seemingly sealed shut. Shock was clearly written on his face, which was morphing into terror with every passing second.

"Now just stay there like an obedient child till I come back out", said Stefan in a tone that implied he was disciplining a child.

From his trip to Tibet, Stefan did not just uncover how to resist compulsion. From studying the intricacies of resisting it, he also managed to figure out how exactly compulsion works. You see, compulsion is just a higher form of hypnotism, where a command is directly delivered to the subconscious of the victim. This then makes them believe it was their own thought/idea. And a command coming from the subconscious mind is extremely difficult to resist, thereby making the victim follow the order to the 'r' because the body just acts on the command. The subconscious also controls the memory, thereby allowing the Vampire control over what the victim remembers. But the memory can't truly be erased, and resurfaces when the compulsion is removed.

For vampires the process of compulsion is easier due to their ability to enter the victims mind. And as the art hasn't been mastered by most (according to the show, all) of the vampires, they need the victim to look into their eyes to compel them. Although there is a barrier that protects the subconscious, in case of most humans, it is too weak to make a difference.

Supernatural beings such as Vampires, Witches, Werewolves (triggered) and Hunters have a stronger mental barrier to their subconscious, which renders any simple attempts at manipulation useless. Originals are able to compel other vampires because of skill differences (specifically towards a vampire). They are instinctually way better at the art compared to regular vampires, making it easier for them to forgo a vampire's natural subconscious barrier, allowing compulsion. But they can't compel other supernatural beings. Silas is able to compel every being because he is a master at the art, and doesn't need any connection whatsoever with the victim to compel them. Similar discrepancy can be seen when Sage is able to slip into Rebekah's mind, due to being a competent user of the ability.

Understanding all of this led to Stefan spending a lot of time practicing the art of dream manipulation and subconscious alteration, becoming a skilled user. Being a siphoner helped in enhancing his abilities. So from his estimates, Stefan can now compel any vampires under a 100 years old, novice witches, and basically all werewolves. He still has a long way to go before he'll be able to compel an Original, but that's great progress considering it has only been 5 years.

Entering the bar, Stefan saw Will handling a bunch of documents, and made a beeline towards him.

"This area is off limits", seemingly sensing Stefan, Will offhandedly commented.

"I am not here for the booze. I am here on behalf of Katherine". The instant reaction her name drew amused Stefan, wondering how Katherine made this connection.

"Who?". Will tried to speak coolly, but the nervousness in his voice was obvious for Stefan.

"Katherine, your regular client, should I spell it out for you?", replied Stefan, finding enjoyment in the fellow vampire's predicament.

"I don't know what you are talking about. So get out before I have to use force"

"I'd like to see how you forcefully throw me out in front of humans", replied a now grinning Stefan.

There were a few humans in the bar, chatting away, enjoying drinks. Stefan intentionally kept things quiet so as to not garner any attention.

Finding things amiss, Will decided to just kill the intruding vampire, and compel the guests to forget things. But things didn't go as he expected. Although he managed to zoom in front of Stefan, his attempt at extracting Stefan's heart didn't go as planned. He saw his hand being held millimeters from Stefan's chest. So seeing his attack fail spectacularly had him looking up, which was a mistake he'd come to regret. What he saw had him terrified, and he began sweating bullets.

Now Will isn't exactly a newbie Vampire. In his 324 year long life, he had never experienced true terror. He was a calm guy, who kept to himself, but took immense pride in his abilities. He quickly garnered his name in the circle of ancient Vampires (relative to him) due to his resourcefulness. This also led him into conflict with some others, but he never backed down. Even Katherine, the oldest Vampire he has dealings with has never scared him to this extent. And rightfully so, because Stefan was currently sporting his true face, with a maniacal expression, while using magic subtly to make him appear as the embodiment of death.

"Now now, that was really uncalled for. Guess we will not be having a civil conversation", the expression on Will's face almost made Stefan breakout in giggles and screw up the entire act, but he held on.

Before he could try and break free, Stefan began siphoning from him, at a rate visible to the naked eye. In just a few seconds, he looked like he was about to desicate. He had already placed a 'notice me not' spell near his vicinity, yeah, that is what he calls it. Seemingly content at the absorption, Stefan started his compulsion.

The terms were quite straightforward. Will was to provide him with a copy of all the identities he prepared for Katherine over the years, and any and all information he had on her. And forget anything like this happened in the first place of course. All he would remember is that he was going through his usual work and was suddenly feeling famished.

With the amount of evidence Stefan had, it would be a cake walk to convince Damon regarding the continued existence outside the tomb of one Katherine Pierce. Whether he does that remains to be seen.

On his way out, he decided to kick John for the fun of it, before compelling him to forget the encounter. The euphoria of power that Stefan got after siphoning Will was addictive. And Stefan wanted to siphon more power. He would need it for the ritual he had planned. And being in New York, he knew just the place to visit.

Scene Break - Nandi's Special


Entering the herbal remedy shop, Stefan saw Valerie, looking older than he expected her to be. But after giving it some thought, he found it reasonable. In the show, Damon consulted Valerie in the 1940's, this being the 80's the witch was bound to have aged. Her daughter Nandi, whom the store name was based on, was nowhere to be seen. Stefan could sense the immense power garnered from the sacrifice of the 12 humans though, from a locket of all things, so he seemed to have chosen the correct place to visit.

"Vampires are no longer welcome in my shop. Please leave", the witch spoke resolutely, sensing his presence, with a hint of sorrow at the mention of Vampire in her voice.

"This is getting old real quick", complained Stefan at everyone sensing his arrival.

'Looks like she regretted having Damon kill 12 people so that she could use the power from Expression. And according to what I remember from the show, it was her daughter running the store, whom she loved. So possible cause could just be her daughter Nandi', thought Stefan.

"I am not here to cause any trouble. I heard from my brother, Damon Salvatore, that you were supposed to help him with breaking his sire bond", said Stefan pointedly.

"And from your wording I assume the gig is finally up?", seeing Stefan nod in approval she continued. "Sigh, I truly regret what happened that day, and I suffer the consequences even now". She spoke with a pained expression, confirming a few of Stefan's theories.

"I cannot give you what you are looking for, as I do not possess it"

"I know that you can't break a sire bond. I am here for the magic you garnered through Expression"

"Why do you think I haven't used it up yet?", said Valerie with a composed expression, while showing enough doubt in her voice.

'She is pretty good at controlling her emotions, a novice would have stuttered. Experience.', mused Stefan.

"I have the help of a witch. And before you send a million questions my way, let me remind you, this is something you owe us".

Stefan spoke while putting a bit of compulsion behind his words. Although he cannot truly compel an experienced witch, yet, and definitely not one who has dabbled into Expression. But putting compulsion behind his words still increases the odds of him getting what he wants. And sure enough, the effect could be seen on her face. Valerie's own guilt and loss of the bond with her daughter was helping Stefan.

"Fine. But do warn the witch regarding the consequences of using such dark magic", said Valerie relentingly, adding a "please" when she saw the unchanging expression of Stefan.

"I will", nodded Stefan.

Although he was hoping for an escalation, so he could test his abilities against a witch, he couldn't complain now that it has been resolved peacefully. Taking the talisman, he promptly left the store, on his way back to the hotel he was staying in.

"What a long day this has been. I deserve some rest"


Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting this. I was not satisfied with the last 2 attempts I made at this chapter, and was busy with my office work. In an unexpected inspiration, I decided to go through this part first. Some things might look like they need explanation, and I assure you they'll get uncovered in due time. Thank you for all the positive reviews, they instill confidence in me to keep writing. Keep em coming.

The initial part of the story is lacking interactions, as it is just setting things up for season 1, but it was making things boring, so I attempted some interaction based exposition. Do let me know if that works out. See ya!