Chapter 18
"You'd think you've been in here for a few months instead of a couple of days," Ric said, looking around at the dozen or so flower arrangements that adorned the once drab hospital room.
Gwen hummed in agreement as she zipped up her jacket. After her initial visit, during which Gwen had been completely unconscious, Caroline had decided that the hospital room was too depressing. Using her resourcefulness and new title, she'd manage to get ahold of some of the arrangements from the pageant. When Gwen had woken up and the drugs had worn off, she'd been more than a little surprised to see the mass of flowers surrounding her. Gwen had briefly thought she had still been asleep.
"That's Caroline," she muttered.
She appreciated how much her friend cared, but hated how much of a fuss was being made over her. It was embarrassing. This whole thing was her own fault. She had been stupid to chase after that scream, and even more stupid to think she could manage Stefan on her own.
"I know you said you didn't want to take any home, but what about this one?" he asked, pointing to a colorful bouquet of carnations. "It's not as impersonal as the others."
Gwen eyed the bouquet, which simple yet, and shook her head. "No, Scott shouldn't have brought it. He shouldn't have been here at all."
Ric cleared his throat. It was something he did when he was nervous or about to have a difficult conversation with her. She eyed him with suspicion and waited for him to say something.
"He's not a bad guy, you know."
"I know," she said, a slight edge to her tone. "That wasn't the problem."
"Then what was?"
Gwen groaned. Ric had never shown this much interest in Scott when they'd been dating. Why was he suddenly interested now?
"I don't know. I just didn't like him enough, ok?" she snapped, shoving her phone into her bag.
Ric held up his hands and said, "Ok, dropping it."
Gwen didn't miss his disappointed sigh, though. She couldn't even begin to fathom why Ric was asking about her love life, which was nonexistent. She wondered if Scott had said something to her uncle while she'd been unconscious. Sighing, she realized she might have to have a very awkward conversation with her ex-boyfriend. Just what she needed.
"Can we go home?" She asked, reaching to scratch her neck and pulling her hand away again when her fingers grazed the bandage.
"Yeah, I'll go find the nurse and those discharge papers…. What are you two doing here?"
Gwen glanced up to see Elena and Damon standing in the doorway. A cold pang shot through her, and she dropped her gaze to hide whatever reaction might be visible. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice.
"Sorry to bother you," Elena began as they entered room and Damon closed the door behind them. Elena looked like she had the day they'd shown up at her house asking for help to save Stefan, meaning she was stressed and desperate. Damon, on the other hand, was completely unreadable. "And I'm sorry to ask this, but I — we — need your help, Gwen."
"Help with what?" Ric asked. His response was so fast, Gwen thought he must have been waiting for Elena to finish speaking.
"Um, with Stefan," she said, grimacing apologetically.
"Absolutely not," Ric said, speaking for his niece again. "Gwen, get your bag. We're going."
Elena moved to block his path, still looking at Gwen as she pleaded. "Wait, please, Stefan is going to kill himself. If he can just see her, just see that's she all right and that she forgives him…"
Her words trailed off as her gaze flitted from Ric, who was staring at her as if she'd grown another head, and Gwen, who could only blink in response. She knew Elena would do anything to save Stefan, but this was a pretty big ask, even by Elena's track record. And while Gwen didn't want Stefan to die or even kill himself, but she wasn't sure she was ready to face him — let alone forgive him. It had barely been forty-eight hours; surely, she was allowed some time to process everything.
"Absolutely not. She is not going anywhere near him, especially in his current state. You probably shouldn't be either. Was this your brilliant idea?" Ric asked, pausing his rant to turn his ire to Damon.
Damon, who'd been unusually silent during this exchange, tore his attention from the card in Scott's bouquet. Despite a slight frown, his expression was still unreadable. Gwen would have expected him to have been annoyed as he had been when they'd saved Stefan from the tomb vampires. Now, with his brother threatening to kill himself, he merely appeared bored.
"It was not," Damon replied, tone neutral. "Stefan is not going to kill himself. He's locked in the cellar with no pointy objects or sunlight. He can try to starve himself, but you've seen how that's more painful than anything. Plus, it'll just put us right back to him being controlled by his thirst. Honestly, we just need to wait out his angst."
"Ignore him, he's pretending to not care," Elena said, glaring at Damon.
"I don't care what he's doing. Gwen has risked enough to help Stefan. C'mon, Gwen —"
"I'll go," Gwen said, talking over her uncle. Her stomach tightened at the thought of encountering Stefan again, but she felt she had to for a few reasons. Ric opened his mouth to argue, but Gwen spoke first. "I'm going. You heard them; he's locked up. I'll be fine."
"Gwen, you are not going!" Ric yelled, staring at her in disbelief. He wasn't the only one either. Damon rolled his eyes and almost looked disappointed. Something was going on with him today, and she was beginning to suspect it had nothing to do with Stefan.
"Do you want Stefan to die?" she snapped. Ric frowned. Of course, he didn't. "So I'm going. If telling him I'm fine and that I'm not mad at him stops him from killing himself, then I say it's worth it. C'mon Elena."
Elena didn't hesitate. She quickly made her way toward the door, leaving no time for Ric to protest. Gwen avoided making eye contact with her uncle as she passed, pretending not to see his obvious anger.
"I'll be home soon," she said, looking back over her shoulder.
Ric only grunted in response. She was definitely going to be grounded this time.
While she had been to the boarding house under far worse circumstances, Gwen had never been as nervous as she was now. She had to keep telling herself the brick house wasn't suddenly imposing; it was only her nerves. However, her mind wasn't able to stop the ripple of fear that ran through when the door closed behind her. Gwen folded her arms, hoping they hid how uncomfortable she was.
"This way," Elena said, barely glancing at Gwen as she walked down a dark hallway.
Taking a deep breath, Gwen followed her down the hallway to the cellar stairs. She was relieved to find the cellar had at least been updated with electrical lighting. Oddly, there was more light in the down there than on the main level. Though that wasn't saying much. They came to a stop near a wooden door with iron bars crossing the window at the top.
"He's in there," Elena whispered.
Gwen rolled her eyes; that was obvious. Readying herself, Gwen walked toward the door until she could see Stefan through the barred window. He was sitting on the floor still wearing his suit pants from the night of the pageant and a white undershirt. Even though she knew he could hear them, he hadn't looked up. Instead, he was folded in on himself with his head and arms resting on his knees.
"Hey, Stefan," she said, feeling awkward as she searched for something to say to him. "Uh, I can see the appeal of hanging out down here, but maybe you want to rejoin the rest of us upstairs?"
Stefan had looked up while Gwen was talking, probably more curious than surprised that she was talking to him. He'd looked away as he caught on to their plan. Voice hoarse, he muttered a simple "no" in response to her question. Sighing, Gwen glanced back toward Damon and Elena. Damon offered nothing, but Elena gave her a 'do something' look.
"Unlock the door," she said, biting her lip. This was a bad idea.
"No," Damon said, startling both girls. "You're not going in there."
Gwen met his gaze, waiting for him to elaborate. When he didn't, she decided to work around his stubbornness. She held her hand up to the padlock and concentrated. It took a few seconds longer than she expected, but that didn't stop her satisfied grin when the lock popped open.
"I wasn't asking for your permission," she said, opening the wooden door and stepping inside Stefan's self-made prison.
She heard Damon muttered something as he followed close behind her. Gwen ignored him. She was focused on not losing it at as she faced Stefan. The memory of his teeth sinking into her neck flashed through mind and she froze as her instincts told her run. She cleared her throat, praying she didn't sound as terrified as she felt.
"Listen, I'm fine," she said, stopping six feet away from him. That was close enough. "I'm not saying I'm completely over what happened, but Amber and I are both going to live. You don't really need to lock yourself up or anything."
"No? What about the next time?" he asked with an edge in his tone that set Gwen on high alert. Standing up, he continued his rhetorical interrogation. "What about the next time? What if I kill you next time? Or Ric? Or some stranger? What then?"
Gwen remained silent. Not only because she didn't have a good answer, but because he was only two feet away from her now. She didn't want him so close. He had the same erratic expression he'd had the night of the pageant, and she hadn't missed his gaze flickering to her bandaged neck as he approached.
"Would I deserve to be locked up then? Would I deserve to live?"
Gwen shrugged. "I don't have an answer for you."
"Do you know why?" Stefan asked in a low voice as his eyes darkened. "Because I don't deserve to be saved!"
Thinking he was going to attack, Gwen reacted instinctually. She actually felt as though her body acted on its own as she was suddenly holding her hands out in front of her, each one emitting a raging flame. Stefan shot backward, more than startled, as Damon dragged her out of the room, slamming the door closed.
"Upstairs, now!" he yelled.
For once, Elena and Gwen complied without protest. Elena kept looking over her shoulder as she climbed, biting her lip as if she was thinking of running back down to Stefan. Gwen was happy to let her. All she wanted to do was get as far from the cellar as possible. She began feeling lightheaded when she was about halfway up the stairs. Gripping the railing, she tried to keep going but dropped to a step a few seconds later. Her vision blurred as she held her head in hands, hoping it would stop. She felt someone tug on the sleeve of her jacket and waved them off.
"I'm fine, just give me a minute."
She heard Damon make an unintelligible comment under his breath before he slipped an arm under hers to help her stand and guide her up the remaining stairs.
"Damon, I can do it myself," she complained when he continued to guide her once they were out of the stairwell. He didn't let go until they were in the living room, where he dropped her on the large couch.
"Both of you have lost your minds," he snapped, glaring at them in turn. "He is not going to starve himself. This is classic Martyr Stefan. He'll be back to his normal, animal-blood-drinking, broody self in a couple of days."
"We had to try," Elena said defensively. Turning to Gwen, she asked, "Are you all right? What happened?"
"I'm not sure. I guess I tried to do too much too soon."
"Ya think," Damon muttered. His phone rang, pulling his attention from them. He flipped open his phone and said, "Neither of you move. I'll be right back."
Gwen rolled her eyes as he walked down the hall. "What's wrong with him?"
"I really don't know," Elena said, sighing. "Listen, are you sure you're all right?"
"Yeah," she said, flashing a reassuring smile. "The dizziness has passed. You can head back downstairs if you want. I'll be fine."
"Thank you, and thank you for trying. I … I know it was hard," Elena said.
"Yeah, um, do me a favor though and don't tell my uncle about what happened down there?"
"I won't say anything," Elena promised though she looked confused. "Well, um, I'll be downstairs if you need something."
Alone, Gwen sunk into the leather couch. She hadn't expected the conversation with Stefan to be easy, but she hadn't thought it would go that poorly either. She supposed it could have gone worse. She could have burnt the house down. Gwen was torn between being relieved her magic kicked in and scared off Stefan and concerned that her powers were so tied to her emotions. She should to practice more. When she would find time to do that, Gwen had no idea. But she needed to figure it out. She couldn't risk losing control like that again.
"When I left there were two headstrong girls who never listen to anything I say, and now there's one," Damon quipped as he reentered the room. Gwen rolled her eyes, not in the mood for a lecture from him of all people. "I swear I told you both to stay up here."
"Relax, he's not going to hurt her."
"You're probably right about that. His conscience couldn't handle it," he said, sighing dramatically. Noticing Gwen's distractedness, Damon dropped his theatrics and sat next to her on the couch.
"Are you all right?" he asked, looking her over for injuries. He had thought he had pulled her back from Stefan fast enough. He didn't smell any blood.
"Yes and no," she sighed. "I'm not hurt or anything. I just wanted to help. I thought I could handle seeing him. I mean, it's Stefan. But…"
She trailed off, shaking her head.
"But what?" Damon prompted.
"You saw what," she scoffed. "I was terrified and I lost control."
"You mean you had a normal reaction to being attacked by a vampire?" Damon asked mockingly. "It's about damn time you did something normal. I was starting to question your survival instincts."
"You're not funny," she said, though she couldn't hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.
Damon smiled, tucking a strand of hair back from her face. Gwen dropped her gaze from his, praying she wasn't blushing. "You'll be fine. Stefan will be back to his harmless, vegetarian self soon enough and you'll have nothing to fear."
"Well, let's hope so," she mumbled, still feeling sorry for herself. "What do we do about him in the meantime?"
"You're not going to do anything else except hang out up here."
"Why?" she asked, growing confused. "I might as well go home if we're not going to do anything."
Damon made a face as if he was about to deliver bad news. "Mmm, you can't. All your rides are going to be busy."
"What do you mean?"
Damon stood up from the coach and began walking toward the door. It was better if he could put some distance between them before he told her.
"Well, your uncle and I are running on a little errand, and I don't think Elena is leaving any time soon, so you're stuck here until we get back," he explained casually.
Gwen jumped up from the couch and chased after Damon. "You are not going any where with my uncle, especially alone. I have been through enough without having to keep you two from killing each other all day."
"A, you're not coming with us," Damon said, careful to maintain the distance between them. He did not want to test how far those flames could reach. "And B, we've declared a truce so you have nothing to worry about."
"What could you two possibly — oh my god," she said, pausing for a half second as it dawned on her. Ready to scream, she resumed her chase, doubling her pace. "This has something to do with Isobel, doesn't it? Damon!"
He didn't respond, deciding it was best to not tell her any more.
She caught up to him at the door, and matched his speed as they walked out to the driveway where her uncle's SUV was waiting. A frustrated mix of a groan and scream did escape her then.
"I can't believe this," she snapped, completely indignant. "You are both the stupidest men I have ever met."
"It will be fine, Gwen," Ric said from the driver's seat. "Just stay here until we get back, ok? Or better yet, call Caroline and go to her place."
Ric didn't give her a chance to respond as he reversed quickly. She watched them leave, gritting her teeth and glaring. What was it going to take for Ric to stop looking for Isobel? He wasn't going to get the answers he wanted — not that she could even fathom what answers would make this all aright — and neither was Damon. He can claim revenge and hate all he wants, but he was doing the same thing as Ric. With huff, she turned around to go back inside. If they didn't kill each other, she might.
There wasn't much to do at the boarding house. She flipped through a couple of magazines they had on the coffee table, but they didn't hold her attention for long. Bored, her natural curiosity started to win out over her self control to no snoop, and soon she decided to take a tour of the house. The main floor wasn't that interesting, except for the state-of-the-art kitchen that sat unused. The study, dining room, and two bedrooms were equally unused and void of anything that could be distracting. With only a hint of trepidation, she climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The two unoccupied bedrooms were set up as if they were prepared for visitors, if you ignored the fine layer of dust that had settled on everything. She bypassed them quickly before coming to Stefan's room. Gwen bit her lip as she lingered in the doorway. She shouldn't go through his room. It was wrong. Then again, he really shouldn't have nearly killed her. Gwen figured she would be forgiven if she were caught.
Stefan's room had a mix of sparseness and clutter. The antique furniture was kept to a minimum, but the surfaces where buried in books, journals, and clothes. His bed was a haphazard mess as if he'd just left it. One of the doors on his armoire was slightly ajar. She tapped it lightly with her pointer finger, watching as it swung open. Inside, she found a messy collection of worn leather journals. Gwen picked up the nearest one, letting the book fall open on its own as she held it. The date at the top of the page read June 24, 1892.
At that moment her cell phone rang, startling her enough to drop the journal.
"Shit," she mumbled, bending down to pick up the journal and put it back in the pile. She was so distracted, she didn't even glance at the caller ID.
"Hello?"
"Oh, hey, how are you?"
Gwen's mind went blank as she recognized the voice on the end of the call. Surprise evident, she asked, "Scott? Why are you calling?"
"Well, uh, Matt said you were getting discharged today. I thought I'd call and see how you were…. I came to visit you in the hospital," he added awkwardly.
Putting distance between herself and the journals, Gwen exited Stefan's room to nervously pace the landing. She'd really been hoping to not have to deal with Scott. Their break up had been bad, and they hadn't spoken since. She tapped her fingers on the banister as she tried to think of how she could end this call quickly.
"Yeah, Ric mentioned that. Um, thanks for the flowers. They were really pretty."
"Oh, good, good. I'm glad. I wasn't really sure about them," he rambled.
"You did good," she said. The smile on her lips made her voice softer. He really was a sweet guy. "And I'm doing all right. My neck hurts, obviously, but I'll be fine. Should be back in class tomorrow."
"That great. Listen, I have to go — Dad needs me. But I'm really glad you're doing better."
"Sure, thanks for calling."
Gwen felt odd as she hit the button to end the call. Though it had been a fairly benign call, she couldn't shake the feeling that it had been a mistake to answer. She supposed she would have to wait to see how Scott acted around her on Monday. Gwen was sure she heard he was seeing someone else. Maybe he really was just being nice.
She continued on with her self-guided tour of the house, which meant checking out Damon's room. If she'd felt odd about snooping around Stefan's room, it was nothing to how she felt in regards to doing the same to Damon's. However, all hesitation left her when she spotted the flat screen T.V. mounted on his wall. With Elena still in the basement and no idea when Ric and Damon would be back, she decided to take advantage of this godsend of a distraction. She sat on the edge of Damon's bed and picked up the remote. An afternoon zoned out in front of the T.V. was exactly what she needed.
Gwen hadn't meant to fall asleep. But as she'd watched the television, her eye lids had grown heavier and heavier until she'd given in and curled up at the foot of Damon's bed. She had only intended to sleep for twenty minutes at most. The next thing she knew, she was being gently shaken awake.
"Oh no, what time is it?" she asked, her voice breathy from sleep.
A glance toward the window revealed the answer, causing her to frown. How could she have slept so long? Her furrowed gaze traveled from the window to the person next to her, jumping slightly when she saw it was Damon. She shouldn't have been — it was his room — but for some reason she had expected to see Ric. Damon, oddly, still hadn't responded to her question, which usually would have merited a snarky comment. Instead, he was looking down at her with an odd expression. It wasn't anger; maybe confusion mixed with something else. Gwen wasn't sure, but she suddenly felt awkward about being found in his room.
"Um, sorry," she said, standing up from the bed. "Your room had the only T.V. Where's Ric?"
"Don't worry about it." Damon cleared his throat. "He's at The Grill's bar. It wasn't a great trip; too much self-reflection."
"Great," Gwen muttered. "So how am I getting home? Because, no offense, your house is really boring."
Damon chuckled and pulled out a set of keys from his pocket. "I was sent with the SUV. Ric said he'd walk home when he was ready."
"Thanks." She reached out to take the keys, but he jerked them away at the last second. "What are you doing?"
"I think I'll drive you. C'mon, let's go."
"I can drive myself," Gwen argued as she followed him.
"Maybe, but you've also been asleep for the last several hours after a major surgery. I'm going to say we don't risk it," he said with his usual condescension. "And Stefan's running around trying to find someway to die."
Gwen froze on the third step from the bottom. "He's out? Shouldn't you be out looking for him?"
He stopped and turned back to her.
"Listen, he's not in a frenzy," Damon said, all teasing gone. "He's not going to hurt anyone, and Elena is pretty sure she knows where he's going. There's really nothing I can do or say to help stop him — and I'm not even sure I want to."
He paused and Gwen waited. She wasn't surprised by his words. The animosity between them wasn't a secret, and she was sure they each had complicated feelings toward each other. Damon, however, almost seemed surprised by his admission.
"Anyway," he continued, shaking his head, "what I can do is get you home safely so we avoid any more trips to the hospital. All right?"
Nodding, she descended the remaining stairs. "Let's go."
They took off down the hall, Gwen making an effort to keep pace with Damon. She trusted what he said about Stefan's current goals, but she couldn't stop the fear.
"You really are afraid of him, aren't you?" Damon asked with a hint of surprise.
She sighed. "I guess so."
"He's always been a vampire, you know," he pointed out as they exited the house.
"I know, but he was like vegetarian, harmless vampire," she explained. Damon gave her a look of disgust as he opened the passenger door for her. "I know it's stupid. I never thought he would attack anyone, let alone me."
Damon closed the door, rolling his eyes. Gwen watched as he walked in front of the car to the driver's side. He looked slightly annoyed.
"So," he continued, getting in the car. "What about me? Are you afraid of me?"
Gwen paused, thinking while Damon drove out of the driveway. "Not afraid, no. I do walk around with the knowledge that on a whim you might snap and kill someone."
"And that doesn't scare you?"
"Depends on the target," she admitted, surprising herself. "If it makes you feel better I was afraid of you for quite awhile."
"I'm not sure it does," he said, his voice low. Gwen glanced at him and caught the hint of a frown before shadows hid his features.
"I did see you attack two people," she reminded him, though she took care to keep her tone neutral.
"I suppose that's fair."
"So where's Stefan going?" Gwen asked, thinking it would be best to change subjects.
"Elena's pretty sure he's going to the old quarry," Damon said with a sigh. "And he says I'm dramatic."
"Why the quarry?"
"It's where we completed the transition."
"Oh," she said softly.
Gwen had wondered how the brothers had been turned when she had learned they were vampires. She hadn't thought about it in a while, not since she learned of the whole process. Even if it was something they wanted, it was still painful and violent. Her fingers grazed her bandage as her thoughts turned to Stefan's attack. She stopped her thoughts before they sent her into a spiral. Gwen didn't want to think about all the what ifs or her somewhat miraculous survival. She didn't want to deal with it all.
"So, how did you guys turn anyway?" she asked, sounding calmer than she felt.
Damon was silent. From the faint glow of the dials on the dashboard, she could see his jaw clench. But he didn't seem angry. She wondered if he was thinking about how to tell her what happened or how to tell her to butt out.
"It was the same night they trapped the other in the tomb and burned the church down," he began, his tone so neutral he almost sounded bored. "My father had spiked Stefan's dinner with vervain. He used him as bait to capture Katherine. We were shot when we tried to rescue her. Later we learned our own father had shot us."
"Oh my god," Gwen gasped, a mix of disgust and shock. "That's awful. How could he?"
"We were nothing but traitors and disappointments to him," Damon said matter-of-factly. "It was better to kill us than have us bring shame to the family name."
"Wow," Gwen whispered, still unable to comprehend a father killing both of his children like that.
"Mmhmm. Anyway, Stefan went back to say good-bye or something. They had a fight, Stefan killed our father, and drank his blood. Then he brought me some poor servant girl and convinced me to join him in the eternal afterlife."
His story finished as casually as he started, but Gwen didn't buy it. There was too much betrayal even in his cleaned up version for it not to bother him more.
"I thought you wanted to be a vampire?" she asked, unable to stop herself.
"It was all to be with Katherine," he said with a hint of bitterness. "With her gone, I didn't see the point. But Stefan was convincing and the thirst was strong. It was only after I completed the transition that Emily Bennett told me about the tomb."
"And then it became worth it again."
Damon shrugged. "I had a goal. Now, I have a new one."
"Revenge?" Gwen asked skeptically.
"Passes the time," he quipped.
She hummed. Once again, she did not believe him but didn't feel like arguing. "You know, I think you and Stefan are a lot more alike than either of you realize — or will admit."
"I don't have anything in common with the Vegetarian Vampire," Damon said, sounding offended.
"Sadly, you do," Gwen teased. "No matter how either of you act, you are both tragic romantics."
"You forgot blood-thirsty killers," he joked.
Gwen didn't laugh.
"Yes, that too," she said, more to herself than in response to Damon.
The sat in silence until they reached her driveway. Gwen didn't really want to know the answers to her remaining questions, but he was actually giving her straightforward answers for once and she had to know. She unchecked her seatbelt and turned to face him.
"In all that time, did you never develop real feelings for anyone else?"
He shook his head. "No, it was only her."
"Ok," she said, not surprised by his answer. "Have you considered not wasting any more time on her, and actually doing something that makes you happy for once?"
"Who says revenge doesn't make me happy?" he challenged.
Gwen shook her head. He was so dedicated to playing this role.
"Whatever you say. Can I have the keys?" she asked, holding out her hand. "I need them to get inside."
He removed the keys from the ignition, and dropped them into her open palm. Silently, they both got out of the car. Damon stayed by the front of the SUV while Gwen followed the sidewalk to the front door. Her thoughts were focused on everything Damon had told her. She paused and turned around.
"Something wrong?"
Gwen opened her mouth and closed it again, the question dying. She smiled and shook her head. "No, thanks for the ride. I'll talk to you later."
She turned back toward the house, and reached the front door without stopping again. Still, she could sense Damon watching as climbed the porch steps and unlocked the door. Once she was inside, Gwen glanced out the window and saw he was gone.
The house was silent, which meant Ric hadn't stumbled home yet. She would give another thirty minutes. If he wasn't home by then, she'd take the car to The Grill to get him. For the second time that day, Gwen found herself mindlessly flipping through channels as she waited on her uncle. This time, however, it was only five minutes before her phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Gwen? Are you home?" Ric asked quickly, sounding panicked.
"Yes. Why?"
"Good, stay there. I'll be home in ten minutes. Do not leave the house, got it?"
"Yeah, ok. What's going on?" she asked, her pulse quickening..
"Isobel's in Mystic Falls."
AN: Thank you mercury30, wordspin, and honeybunch132 for your reviews on Chapter 17. Hope you enjoyed this one :)
