Chapter Twenty-Two: Cristian Balescu

Three and a half years ago

Mystic Falls, VA

New Year's Day, 4:40pm

Cristian sat at the counter in Damon's bar drinking a warm bottle of beer, regretting the way he'd handled everything the night before. With no security alarm to worry about, it hadn't taken much magic to unlock the door and let himself in. It had taken significantly more magic, however, to do what he needed to do to start making things right.

He thought about Stefanie. His future happiness was going to start and end with her, he was sure of that. He just couldn't take feeling so weak at the hands of his family, knowing he was forever disappointing them. So, yes, last night he was angry that he had to upset his family again to get Stefanie the spell. Yes, he was angry that she had put his future with her in jeopardy, not seeming to care about it as much as he did. But then he understood that he'd handled it the wrong way. He needed to show her that he was prepared to be completely committed to her. She just had to give that same commitment back to him.

The electricity was off, but there was still daylight remaining, so he wasn't expecting Stef to arrive until after dark. She hadn't replied to his message but he knew she would show up, mainly because he had told her that if she didn't come to him then he would go to her.

The white-gold ring sat on the counter, an oval lapis lazuli stone set between two pear-shaped diamonds. It could serve as both a daylight ring as well as a promise ring. No vampire wanted to remain confined to the darkness; he knew she would have to accept it.

So it was a surprise to him when Stefanie walked into the bar before the sun had gone down.

"You're early," he observed despondently as she sat down on the stool beside him. When she didn't reply, he looked down at her bare hands resting on the counter. "No daylight ring?"

Stef pulled a necklace out from underneath her high-collared shirt, the pendant a small, round lapis lazuli stone loosely caged within silver. "I don't want my family to suspect anything."

It made sense to have it hidden, but still, it wasn't suitable. "It's too fragile. Here, take this." He pushed the ring across the counter until it was in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked.

He took another swig of his drink. He needed the courage. "It could be a daylight ring, if you want it to be, but mostly it's a promise ring."

"A promise ring?" She was surprised. It seemed like yesterday he wasn't prepared to promise her anything in her current vampire form.

"A promise that once you become a witch – or a human, I don't care – then we will start a future together. Properly this time, no games."

As far as Stef was concerned, Cristian was the only one who had been playing games. She slid the ring back to him. "Your promises only ever come with conditions. I'm not interested in living up to your expectations of me anymore."

He chuckled. "You don't understand what this has done to me." Turning his face towards her, he looked at her head-on.

Stef gasped softly at the bruising. "Oh my god, Cristian, what happened?" She almost put her hand up to stroke his face, but then withdrew, thinking better of it. They weren't together anymore, she had to remind herself of that.

"My father happened," he said, facing forward again, staring at the bottle of bourbon behind the counter, wondering if he needed something stronger. No, he decided, he wasn't here to drown his sorrows.

"Because of me?" Stef asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Because of you," Cristian confirmed, a sharper edge to his voice than he intended. He took another mouthful of beer. Maybe he didn't want to drown his sorrows, but he certainly needed to drown his bitterness. Swallowing, he placed the bottle back down. "But you're worth it," he added. "You're worth it to me, even if you will ruin me."

Stef didn't know how to respond to that. One minute he behaved like he hated her, the next he behaved like she was his whole world. She decided to change the subject. "Do you want to go somewhere else? I don't think the structure of this bar is very stable right now after the fire."

"Oh, I fixed it," Cristian casually informed her.

Her eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "You fixed it?"

A slight smirk appeared on Cristian's lips as he stood up. "Come, I'll show you." He held his hand out for her to take, but when she didn't take it, he just chuckled and took it anyway, pulling her into the dark hallway, towards the cellar.

"Cristian, it's too dark down there!" she protested.

He stopped in the middle of the hallway, turning to her. "When are you going to learn that there's no limit to what you can do now?" He leaned forward, whispering a spell into her ear.

Stef bit her lip. She didn't want to smile but she couldn't help herself. "You're teaching me spells?"

Her smile consumed him. "I'm doing more than that for you, my beautiful ruin, just wait and see."

Stef saw a spark of the way Cristian used to be within his eyes. There was once a time when he would feed off the excitement of making her happy, but that was during their long and wonderful summer when it was just the two of them. By the time they had returned to school, he had changed. He was thrust back in an environment where he was expected to compete, succeed, overcome, and impress others; and not just his peers, but his superiors, and most particularly, his father. Losing was not in Cristian's vocabulary. Being second best was never an option. Just as Cristian struggled to keep up with his father's expectations of him, Stef struggled to keep up with Cristian's expectations of her. They were never the same since.

So for a moment – just for a moment – Stef wanted those old feelings back again. She held out her palm. "Post tenebras spero lucem," she whispered anxiously.

Although she expected it, Stef still gasped when a bright orb of light appeared in her hand. Cristian smiled at her excitement and guided her towards the cellar. With Stef shining the way in front of them, he opened the door. Stef looked down, expecting fragile embers where the wooden stairs should be.

"You..." There was no other way to describe it than by repeating Cristian's words. "You fixed it." She cautiously placed a foot on the first wooden step, expecting it to give way as she gripped the door frame with her free hand for support. It was solid. Her second foot came down. It remained solid. She shot an elated smile back at Cristian, then confidently continued down the rest of the steps.

Everything in the cellar looked exactly how it did before the fire, she couldn't believe it. She placed the orb light down on a crate along the edge of the room, taking in every detail. "Cristian, the amount of magic needed to repair all of this would –"

"Completely drain me?" Cristian chuckled. "It did, but it was worth it. Look!" He led her to a crate where there were a stack of over a dozen leather scrapbooks, picking up one and showing her inside. "I copied all of the spells I've been taught since I was a child. It's all yours. Here, take it." He handed one of the books to her and she flicked through the pages in fascination and awe. He pointed towards a leather binder tied together with string. "This is blank. I thought you could use it to create your own spells by modifying the ones you learn. You've always said you wanted to do good in the world, so this is your chance to – I don't know – save the turtles, or whatever."

Stef picked up each book one after the other, her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to say; she was overwhelmed by the generosity. Cristian had never done anything like this for her before.

"It's everything you need to know to become part of the High Coven," he finished.

And there it was.

Stef placed the book she was holding back on the pile, trying to conceal her eye roll. Cristian wasn't doing this for her – he was doing this to get back with her.

"Cristian..." she groaned, not wanting to revisit this conversation again.

"I know how you feel now," he reassured, looking into her eyes as he took her by the shoulders, "but that will change once you've been cured of this disease."

She swiped at his arms, backing away and snapping at him, "Stop calling my vampirism a 'disease'!"

Suddenly Cristian's composure was lost. "What am I meant to call something that has caused you to leave me?!" he shouted. "What am I meant to call something that transforms my girlfriend into a monster?! You may not consider it to be your curse, Stefanie, but it is mine!"

"None of this makes any difference, Cristian! You treated me badly. Lyle told me that you cheated on me –"

Cristian threw his head back. "Oh, fucking Lyle," he laughed. "Do you understand the concept of male bravado? Locker room talk? Do you think any of that is real?" He shook his head, taking a deep breath. He wouldn't allow her to believe Lyle over him. "When do you think I fell in love with you, Stefanie? Our happy summer together? Not even close. I wasn't use to that kind of happiness. I wanted rid of you the moment the summer was over." Noticing Stefanie's jaw twitch in annoyance, he approached her softly, a flicker of sadness suddenly appearing within his eyes. "But you stayed. I treated you badly and you stayed. My loyal, compassionate, forgiving Stefanie, offering me the kind of unconditional love that nobody else has. All I wanted was for you to be challenged to become a better version of yourself. Is that so bad?" He sighed, studying her, feeling that she still didn't believe him. He was determined that she would. He took her by the chin, lifting it to make eye contact with her. "Go ahead, compel me and ask me if I've ever cheated on you. I've got nothing to hide."

Stef held her gaze with him, already knowing he was telling the truth.

"Better still," he continued, moving closer, angling closer, until his lips aligned with hers, "compel me and ask me if I'm not still insanely, painfully in love with you, even while I now despise you for what you are."

Her heart raced, her breathing heavy. He was terrifyingly close to her.

"Compel me and ask me if I'm not proud of you for not giving yourself to me before I fell deeply in love with you. For driving me insane, becoming my ruin, making me claw at my own skin just waiting for the time to be... absolutely... perfect." Cristian grabbed her behind the neck, pulling her closer, their lips almost touching. "Ask me if I still want you even though I hate what you are."

As Cristian grazed his lips lightly against hers, Stef forced her face to transition, her vampire features startling him into releasing her, causing him to sneer at her with a frustrated look of loathing as he stepped away.

"Obviously not," she stated matter-of-factly, transitioning back and cocking her head.

"You will be the death of me, Stefanie Salvatore," Cristian growled. "But before you are, I will find out the name of the vampire who turned you and they will pay."

Stef's tone remained light, disinterested in Cristian's self-pitying anguish. "Well, when you do, let me know, since I have no idea which vampire fed me their blood."

"Stefanie?!" a voice called from the top of the stairs.

Stef shot a confused look at Cristian. That was Raid's voice.

"I messaged Adam for them to meet us here," Cristian explained.

"Why?!" Stef snapped. She was not expecting this.

"Because until I find this vampire, those two need protecting, and I'm going to tell you exactly how that's going to be done."

Raid and Adam came down the stairs completely distracted by the sudden repairs in the cellar. There was no evidence of a fire ever taking place in that room last night. With exclamations of amazement, they circled around the entire space, almost convincing themselves that the events last night did not happen. Finally, Raid stopped a few feet from Stef, an explanation finally dawning on him.

"Did you do this?" he asked her.

Before she could answer, Cristian slapped him on the back and led him further into the room where Adam was standing, declaring, "Of course she did! You have created a magnificent witch with your contribution to the spell."

Raid shot a confused look over his shoulder at Stef while he was being led away. He hadn't fed Stef his blood for the spell, why did Cristian think he had? But, catching his eye, Stef made a zipping gesture over her mouth, so he remained silent on the matter.

Cristian stopped when he reached Adam and turned to speak to them both. "But you know the whole purpose of this spell was to rid her of her vampirism, so I can't risk anything happening to you both in the meantime."

Adam smirked. "Well, we've managed to survive this far in life, so I think we'll be okay."

"That's because my father did not want you dead until now," Cristian declared flatly. "You see, Stefanie is now a vampire that can compel witches. If my father kills you both, that ability goes away. Of course, that will result in her becoming a permanent vampire, one without her humanity, no less. I'm sure none of us want that for her." Cristian stopped himself sniggering by pointing a finger in the air, indicating an afterthought. "Actually, perhaps you won't care... since you'll both be dead."

"Why would he kill them, when he could come directly for me?" Stef asked.

"Because I have lied to my father and told him that I am the witch who participated in the spell. If he kills you, everyone who took part in the ritual will also die. As far as he knows, this would include me," Cristian explained. "I need you to stay and be safe, Stefanie. I need these two," he pointed towards Raid and Adam, "to leave and be safe."

"I'll protect them," Stef announced. "I can compel Dimitri not to harm them."

"That would be an excellent idea, my little ruin, if it weren't for the fact that the entire Coven agrees with him. They are spreading word that witches should not venture out alone. Since, unlike humans, you can only compel one witch at a time, if you attempt to compel one, the other will disarm you with a nasty aneurysm spell. You will not catch my father alone. Besides, how are you going to protect them once you go to college?"

"I won't go," she stated.

"That's very noble of you, ruining your whole future just to play guardian angel to them," Cristian said. "But there is an easier option: compelling them to leave this town and forget everything."

"What?! No!" Raid shouted. "She's not going to do that!"

"I will keep them safe!" Stef insisted, almost hysterically.

Cristian laughed to himself, walking around the Vaziris towards the nearby crates.

"I'm not leaving," Adam maintained. "If Stef is powerful enough to reverse all the damage to this room, then she's powerful enough to make sure nothing harms us."

"You really think an inexperienced, undisciplined vampire is going to be your best protector?" Cristian said, picking up a box cutter and sliding out the blade just long enough for it to draw blood. "Let's see about that." He charged towards Raid, grabbing him by the hand, slicing along his arm, just as Stef sped forward, putting all her force into Cristian, causing him to crash to the floor while she landed on top of him, keeping him pinned.

"I told you I would protect them!" she screamed down at him, her bloodshot eyes enraged and fangs bared.

But then the smell gripped her.

In her vampire state, it was impossible to ignore.

She stood up slowly, her eyes drawn to the blood. She couldn't even see how Raid or Adam were reacting to the injury, all her focus was on the blood leaving Raid's veins and dripping to the floor. She couldn't hear the voices surrounding her as her own blood pounded in her ears. The taste of Raid came screaming back to her, the feeling of his blood satisfying her, fulfilling her every need. A hunger she never knew she had ripped through her body. She felt her facial features tighten more fiercely into the monster that Cristian described.

It was no use, she couldn't resist it. She had fed on him before. What was one more taste?

Her eyes briefly met Raid's.

He instantly knew. "Stef, don't," he whispered, realizing this was a trap Cristian had set. She needed to fight it.

Except she couldn't.

Before Raid even felt himself move, Stef had him pinned to the wall on the other side of the room, her fangs ready to drive into his neck. He was helpless against her.

Then suddenly she collapsed to the ground, grasping her head and screaming in pain, as Cristian inflicted the aneurysm spell on her.

"Stop hurting her!" Raid demanded.

Cristian ignored him, his spell now causing Stef to crumple to the ground in pain, her vampire features retreating. He approached her with the box cutter. "The moment I cut you, you will feed Raid your blood to heal him. Any delay and you will heal before you get the chance to heal him, and I will not stop you this time if you attack him again. Do you understand, Stefanie? Do you understand how dangerous you are?"

"Yes!" she screamed, clasping her head between her hands.

Cristian crouched beside her, pulling away one of her palms and slicing it. He stopped the spell.

Stef wasted no time. Her hand was instantly against Raid's mouth, her blood entering his system, his wound starting to heal, the smell of his blood becoming weaker. But her face was still contorted in pain – pain at what she had nearly done to him. Cristian was right. She couldn't protect them. She couldn't even protect them from herself.

Stepping back, her eyes filled with tears, accepting what she had to do. "You're right," she finally said to Cristian. "I'll do it."

"No, Stef, you can't!" Adam yelled. He attempted to surge forward to stop her as her eyes fixed on Raid's, but Cristian charged into him, pushing him back against the wall.

Raid didn't look away from her. He knew Stef. She didn't control others. She wouldn't send him away, he was sure of it. "You're not going to do this Stef," he told her, a final plea for her to realize what she was doing.

He was relieved when Stef broke eye contact, until he saw that she was only wiping away her tears. Her focus resumed on him.

"Goodbye, Raid," she whispered.

Then she began the compulsion.