Cursed Blood and Bound Fates

Chapter 13

A week had passed since Stefan had drunk the glass of human blood Damon had left for him and Renfri was still uncertain of what to think. Stefan insisted that he had only slipped up and was back on the animal diet, though Damon always eyed him skeptically when he said it, making Renfri uncertain as well. He was acting happier, more positive, and smiling more, so she silently hoped for the best, whether he chose to drink animal or human blood.

She sat in the school parking lot, having just pulled in and was gathering her things when she saw Stefan's cherry red vintage Porsche roar into the lot, drawing everyone's eyes. He parked in the row across from her and a few spaces down, getting out of the sports car with dark shades and an easy smile, making the nearby girls eye him with renewed interest. She watched him greet Elena with a kiss. She was too far to hear the conversation but watched from the driver's seat as he indicated for her to go ahead. He watched her walk away before glancing around then opening the car's trunk to grab his bag. Before he closed it, she caught a glimpse of a pile of clear plastic bags with tubes attached, tinted with the remnants of a red liquid.

Blood bags. He was lying about the animal diet.

As he closed the trunk, he looked up and met her gaze, pausing in surprise. She stared back for a few moments, revealing nothing with her face, before turning to finish gathering her things and getting out of the car. Stefan avoided eye contact and walked ahead of her towards the doors and she followed at a slow pace as they both headed for history.

As she sat behind Elena in her usual seat, she got her materials out along with her phone and sent a text to Damon.

Stefan's returned to school and is a little too cheerful. The trunk full of empty blood bags might explain that. How concerned should I be?

Bonnie walked in just as the bell rang, surprising Renfri and Elena, though they were barely acknowledged as she glanced at them in passing while the dark skinned girl made her way to her seat. Stefan was ignored completely. Alaric introduced the focus of the next few lessons (the local history of the founders) with heavy sarcasm since he was forced to teach it in place of standard curriculum like World History. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she peaked under her desk while Alaric was still lecturing.

I'm not surprised, I'll check in on him after school. Apparently, someone stole from the hospital's blood bank and compelled the guards. It could have been the tombs vamps, but it also could have been Stefan. The council caught on, so now they're putting them on vervain. Uncle John volunteered to work with me on it, so that'll be fun.

Renfri sighed and sent him a sarcastic 'good luck' text before she tucked her phone back into her pocket, stealing a glance at Stefan a few rows over. He seemed as cool as a cucumber, which was odd for him. Damon did say that Stefan on human blood was a different person, but that had her wondering how long he was going to pretend like he was still on animal blood with Elena. She wasn't about to snitch and get involved in their relationship drama unless he seemed like he was losing control and was unsafe to be around. Stefan seemed to be functioning alright at the moment, but Renfri wasn't sure how long it would last; it didn't seem like he was moderating the amount of human blood he was having, based on the large stack of empty bags in his trunk.

The rest of the day was mediocre, the only thing that stood out was the awkward nature of the brief interactions between Bonnie, Renfri, and Elena. Elena seemed confused and concerned, especially by the witch's refusal to speak to Stefan, despite the conversation Renfri's already had with her not long after Sheila Bennett had died and been buried. She would probably need a reminder that Bonnie wouldn't be feeling very friendly towards the vampires and the people helping them who had basically forced the witches into doing the spell that killed her grandmother, but Elena keeps forgetting that others don't see Stefan through rose colored glasses like she does. When it comes out that he's been drinking human blood, it's going to be messy.

At the end of school, her eyes caught site of Caroline hurrying towards Elena and Bonnie on the grass by the parking lot. Renfri followed her over just as the blonde was hugging the witch in excitement.

"Thank god you're home! I know we talked everyday, but I missed you. How are you doing, are you better?" the cheerleader exclaimed, letting go of the girl and clasping her hands together.

Renfri came up behind her bubbly friend and nudged her, "Care, nobody's 'better' only weeks after a losing someone. Ask a more sensible question, please."

The girl's face fell a little, "You're right, sorry," she turned back to Bonnie, "I meant 'How are you doing?'"

Bonnie gave a meek little smile, "It's a little better, you know, glad to be back and, um, trying to keep myself busy."

"I can help with that. Major wardrobe confab needed asap. You need to help me pick the perfect dress for the founder's court," the blonde said, unable to stand still from her eagerness.

Renfri sighed in exasperation while Elena looked puzzled and asked, "The founder's court, did I miss something?"

Caroline looked affronted, "The founder's court…you know, Miss Mystic Falls?" It finally clicked for the brunette and she started to nod as Caroline continued, "They announced it today and you, Renfri, and I are on it."

Renfri's eyebrows raised in surprise, "I'm on it? I only applied because Elena's mom said it would be fun and look interesting on college applications, and Uncle Zach said it would look good for a Salvatore to apply again after so many years without one. I didn't really think I would be accepted since I've only been here for two years, unlike the rest of you."

"Oh my god, we signed up so long ago I completely forgot," Elena said quietly.

Caroline nodded then did a double take, "Wait, so does that mean you guys are dropping out?"

Elena cringed a bit and shook her head, "I can't."

"No? Why not?" the blonde asked, no doubt hoping for less competition.

Bonnie answered for her, "Her mom was the one who wanted her to enter." The girls looked somber for a second, glancing at each other awkwardly.

"Well, I might as well do it with you guys, it could be fun. I kind of like dressing up all fancy once in a while, and it's not like I will actually win anyway, I'll leave that to the OG queens of Mystic Falls," Renfri declared, making the girls giggle and breaking the tension.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri went home soon after, not having practice that day since the month of events leading up to Founder's Day meant that sports were pushed to the back burner and practices were reduced, in true small town style. As she arrived back at the boarding house, seeing Stefan walking in the front door as she pulled in, she followed after him. Ash greeted her happily as she walked in and she gave him a pat, eyes tracking Stefan down the hallway. He dropped his school bag on a chair just as Damon popped his head around the corner behind him.

"How's school?"

Stefan turned to him briefly, "Fine, same old same old, nothing new," then continued on his way. Renfri had left her things by the entryway and was trailing behind Stefan as well, staying just behind the oldest Salvatore with Ash following cheerfully behind her.

"No stories to bring home?" Damon teased.

Renfri raised a hand casually, "I'm apparently on the founder's court for Miss Mystic Falls and now I have to find an escort, so there's that."

Damon waved a hand at her, "See, no fun little stories or bits of news, Stef?"

"You're making small talk, why?" the green-eyed man said bluntly.

"You seem awfully chipper lately, less doom and gloom, a little more pep in your step," Damon answered, bouncing a bit on his own feet mockingly.

"It's creeping me out, honestly, it's not like you," Renfri added, her arms crossed as she watched him.

He glanced at her before returning his gaze to his brother, "And you guys think it's because I drank human blood again."

"I mean, I don't want to brag, but I would definitely take responsibility for this new and improved you," Damon shrugged and gave a little smirk.

"Right, well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm clean," Stefan replied and began to walk away.

Renfri snorted, "Uh huh, sure you are."

"Yeah, not possible," Damon added.

"Not only is it possible, but it is quite true," Stefan retorted, only making the two raise their eyebrows at him disbelievingly.

Damon squinted at him, "Stefan, let's be serious for a second. You spent the last century and a half being the poster child for Prozac, and now you expect me to believe that this new you has nothing to do with human blood?"

The younger brother shook his head, "Nothing, I'm clean."

Damon watched him critically and accused, "You're lying."

"And terribly, I might add," Renfri commented dryly, eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

Stefan just shrugged, "Believe what you want," and continued down the hall. Renfri had noticed that throughout the conversation he barely stopped moving and seemed eager to go somewhere. They let him go but her eyes narrowed after him.

"How much you want to bet that he's getting more blood from his stash?" she asked quietly.

"No need to bet, we'd both win." He paused and listened before saying, "Let's find out. Why don't you go play with Fido and I'll come get you when he's been caught red-handed." She shrugged her shoulders and led Ash out to the side yard and sat on the terrace steps watching him roam around and investigating interesting smells. A few minutes later, she felt a breeze then arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up, startling her. She held in a gasp as her and Damon reappeared in the cellar, just outside one of the storage rooms. He let her go and stepped around the corner and into the doorway, his arms crossed with Renfri a step behind him.

"Well well, he's a liar and a thief."

Stefan stood leaning over a large freezer chest which he held open, filled to the brim with blood bags, one held in his hand as he stiffened and turned toward the two. He tried to remain casual, like nothing was wrong.

"So, when were you going to share?" Damon asked.

Stefan looked at him and gestured to the bags, "Go ahead, help yourself."

Renfri scoffed, "Seriously?"

"No, I mean the fact that you're a closet blood junkie," Damon accused.

"So I'm drinking blood again, you're the one that shoved it on me, what's your problem? I have it under control," he nodded at the freezer, like the fact that he was drinking from a bag meant he was in control.

"You robbed a hospital," he said bluntly.

"What's your point?"

"The point, Stefan," Renfri interjected, "is that you've been lying about drinking human blood, and you're clearly don't have much control." Renfri jabbed a finger in his direction irritatedly, "Don't act like you've done nothing wrong. The sensible way to transition to human blood would be to start in small amounts and slowly introduce it as you wean yourself off of animal blood. You went straight to binge drinking, I highly doubt you've got it 'under control.'"

"Also, keep in mind that we are trying to keep a low profile," Damon added, walking up close to his brother, "Why don't you just walk up to Sheriff Forbes and ask her to tap a vein."

"Have my actions negatively impacted you?" Stefan asked mockingly, "oh, I can't even imagine what that must feel like."

"Are you kidding me? This isn't about him, Stefan, this is about you," Renfri fumed, "You're the one bringing suspicion down on us because you couldn't resist robbing a hospital blood bank dry. You couldn't even have been bothered to go to one further away, you had to steal from the local one and be sloppy about it. So now, they think it's someone who's in town. Congrats, if they figure out you're vampires and come after us, it's your fault. Oh, and by the way, how does Elena feel about the new you?"

Stefan's brow drew in and he pressed his lips together, avoiding her eyes, "Nothing's changed, I'm still the same person."

Damon sneered, "Clearly."

Stefan looked back up at them, "Elena doesn't need to know anything yet, you're not going to tell her." Ren scoffed and gritted her teeth at his order. She knew she needed to calm down, she was letting her temper get the best of her, so she let Damon respond as she took deep, angry breaths.

"You've been off the human stuff for years, Stefan. If you're having trouble controlling—"

"I'm not having trouble with anything—"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Damon snapped, narrowing his eyes, "I know what it's like. That Jekyll and Hyde feeling; there's that switch, sometimes it goes off and you snap? Right now is not a good time for us to be worrying about you snapping. Not with the council on alert and especially not with Renfri living in the same house."

Stefan flinched at that last statement and it spurred him to retort, "I know that it pains you to see this, but I'm fine, okay, I'm fine." He snatched up another blood bag from the freezer and leaned into Damon's face, "So please, do me a favor, and back off." He let the lid fall shut and walked past them both, leaving them to stew in the aftermath of the confrontation. Damon looked irritated while Renfri stood stiffly, her blood boiling.

"I'm gonna go take a hot shower. He's pissing me off and I need to calm down," she grumbled and headed upstairs.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri was settled in her room, lying on her stomach in leggings and a hoodie, feeling fresh after her shower. She kicked her feet in the air as the music played through her earbuds while she worked on her pre-calculus homework. She paused her music and glanced at her phone when it vibrated, lighting the screen up. When she saw the name, she pulled her earbuds out and answered the phone.

"Hey Tyler, what's up?"

"Hey Ren…are you—uh, are you free?"

Renfri's brows furrowed when she heard the hesitation and nerves in his normally confident voice, so she spoke carefully.

"Yeah, just doing a bit of homework…So, are you taking me up on my offer?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Yeah."

Renfri's concern grew and she rolled over to sit up, "Where do you want to meet?"

"The Falls?"

She smiled to herself, she hadn't been there in a while, "Sure, see you soon." She hung up and grabbed a pair of black lace-up boots to put on, along with a dark red winter coat. She made her way downstairs and called for Ash; he quickly appeared and barked in excitement when he saw she was getting his leash from the hook by the front door.

"I'm heading out to meet a friend, I'll be back in a little while!" she called out so Damon and Stefan wouldn't worry that she was gone unexpectedly. It wasn't dark yet, but the sun had begun to sink towards the horizon. Renfri drove her and Ash out to the Falls, parking by the path that led up to the little walking bridge that crossed in front of it. She spotted Tyler on the bridge, leaning against the railing as she let Ash out of the back seat.

"Hey, Tyler," she called, drawing his attention as the two came closer. He smiled a little when he saw the dog beside her.

"Hey, I see you brought your furry little friend," he said, crouching down to say hello and give the dog some pets as its tail wagged.

She nodded, "Yup, he's always good company when you need it, aren't you buddy?" The dog barked happily when she turned to address him in a sweet voice, making Tyler chuckle. She lifted her eyes to his face, noticing the stressed lines of his face.

"So, what happened?" She asked gently.

He shook his head, "The same old shit. He comes home mad about something from work, he starts in on my mom and when she just placates him, he takes it out on me."

Renfri nodded and moved to put her arms on the railing, letting their shoulders touch, "Did he hit you?"

He shook his head and said bitterly, "I didn't give him the chance. I could tell he was winding himself up and walked out when he started in on me for making a scene the other day at the kick-off and making him look bad in front of the town council, potential donors, etcetera. He looked like he was about to take a swing at me, so I ducked out. My mom will text me when he's calmed down."

Renfri sighed, "Good, I'm glad you got out of there, and at least your mom is looking out for you in some way."

He looked sideways at her before his eyes went to his hands clasped together over the railing, "She doesn't know that he's hit me, he never does it in front of her and I haven't told her."

Renfri's eyebrows went up, "Why haven't you told her? She could help more if she knew, maybe do something about—"

He was shaking his head before she even finished, "No. I don't want her to try to confront him or anything, it could just make it worse, or he might start hitting her, and I don't want that." Renfri watched him carefully but reluctantly let it go.

"Okay, if that's what you want. But promise me you'll keep coming to me if he does something or just to avoid anything happening, alright?"

He nodded and looked at her gratefully, "Alright…thanks, Ren."

She patted him on the back with a cheery smile, "No problem. On a completely unrelated note, do you want to be my escort for Miss Mystic Falls?"

Tyler choked a bit in surprise before he burst out laughing, "You're doing that stupid pageant? You don't strike me as the type, that's more Caroline's thing, isn't it?"

She nodded dramatically, "Oh yeah, it's definitely more Care's thing, but I signed up a while ago with Elena, who was doing it for her mom, and now I've got to stick through it for my girls. Who knows, it could be fun, you just have to not give a damn about winning then it's completely stress free!"

He chuckled, "You've got the right idea, most of those girls are high maintenance princesses from the founding families who are always dressed to the nines, but that's not exactly your style, is it Salvatore?"

He grinned at her and she grinned back, "So you've got me pegged, huh, Lockwood?" She turned to him and put a hand on her hip challengingly, "So you don't think I can dress up well like those other girls?"

He quickly backpedaled, waving his hands in surrender, "Oh, you definitely can put up a fight in that department. I've seen you dress up for the school dances, you've got the looks, you just don't seem to, uh, care as much about being all..fancy, or always looking your best. It's kind of refreshing, actually."

She laughed as he stumbled through his explanation, "Yeah, I'm definitely a bit more laid back when it comes to my fashion sense, I go more for comfort and casual styles, but I still enjoy dressing up once in a while when we go out. I'm not of the mind that 'beauty is pain' and all that crap, I'm happy as I am and I work hard to feel good about my body, so I'll wear what I want." She shrugged and smirked at him, "So, Tyler, are you gonna go with me and make this a little bit more fun or what?"

The dark-haired teen gave her a smug look, "Okay, I guess I can help you out, it seems like you need it. You don't really have any other guys you can ask, do you?"

She swatted his arm for his teasing, "Shut up, I don't care for most high school boys, they're ignorant, so sue me for not making friends with a bunch of them. Some of the track team guys are alright, and you and Matt are pretty chill, when you're not being a stereotypical douchebag jock."

He snorted, "Yeah, alright, I get it. You're just mad I'm right."

She shoved him playfully as they laughed and Ash barked at the two curiously.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri was in the kitchen a few days later when she heard the doorbell ring, having just gotten back from her Miss Mystic interview and had brought home lunch, pulling the to-go containers from the bag and calling out for Damon to get it. She plated the sandwiches and fries and carried them out to the den, one for her and one for Damon (none for Stefan, the lying asshole).

"Who was it?" she called out, coming down the hall only to see John Gilbert standing there with Damon looking down on him from the step leading into the den.

"Why the fuck is he in here?" she asked, turning to Damon and disregarding the man standing in front of her.

"Hello to you too, Renfri," the blonde man said dryly, but was ignored.

"He just barged in, asking about where to find vampires," Damon replied, arms crossed.

She raised an eyebrow as she walked over and handed him his plate of food, "And why didn't you throw him out on his ass?"

He shrugged, "I'm curious," then turned to the man, "So, why the act, John? I mean, you obviously don't care about catching vampires, you're here talking to me."

The man shifted his weight to one side, "Actually, I care very much."

Damon popped a fry into his mouth, "What does Isabel have to say about that? I mean, considering that she is one." Renfri elected to treat the man's presence as a mere inconvenience and went to sit on one of the couches, placing her plate on a side table. Damon put his plate on the little table opposite of hers as John spoke.

"Isabel and I share a mutual interest," Damon hummed and John continued, "Johnathon Gilbert had an invention that was stolen by a vampire, that vampire was then burned alive in Fell's Church, or so Johnathon thought, and the invention was lost forever." Damon moved to stand by his niece, in the center of the room as the man went on, "But then the vampires weren't killed, were they? They were trapped and now they're free, thanks to you, which means the invention is retrievable."

"Are you ever going to tell us what this invention is?" Renfri inquired and took a bite of her sandwich.

John glanced at her then Damon, "The only thing that matters is that I want it back and you're going to help me if you want your secrets safe."

"I mean, why bring us into it, John, I mean, I don't know what you're talking about, much less who has it," the vampire drawled.

"Oh come on, Damon, you were around back then. You know who these people are, what they look like. He was friendly with a woman who turned out to be a vampire, her name was Pearl." Damon's eyes narrowed and Renfri glanced at him when she recognized the woman's name, so John asked, "Does that ring a bell?" Damon stayed silent for a few moments, considering it as he maintained eye contact with the human, before he lifted his chin.

"I'm not playing anymore, get out," he nodded to the door and moved for the entrance, pointing to it, "get out."

John's face hardened as Renfri grinned in satisfaction, "I beg your pardon?"

Damon turned to face him, "You know, I only entertained this whole blackmail scheme of yours because I thought that you and Isabel could have led me to Katherine," Renfri rolled her eyes with a sigh, "but now I know you have no idea where Katherine is, because if you did, you would know that Katherine and Pearl were best friends." John's face was stiff and tight in his determination not to reveal weakness. "See, you don't know everything, do you, John."

The Gilbert man strode forward in an attempt to be intimidating, "I'll tell the entire council what you are, including your little descendant's sympathy for vampires."

Damon prowled forward, a sadistic grin on his face, "Go for it, I'll kill every last one of them then sever your hand, pull your ring off, and I'll kill you too. Do you understand that?"

John stood there stiffly for a few moments, and while he hesitated, Renfri lifted her hand to her mouth and let out a loud, sharp whistle. They heard a bark and Ash came running through the dog flap. When the Dutch Shephard saw the strange man standing in their home, he let out a low, threatening growl, his teeth bared.

"Warten," she ordered Ash, making him pause, and turned to the man. "If you don't get out of our goddamn house, you'll either have the pleasure of being mauled by my dog or Damon will do the honors," she clapped her hands together, "So, what'll it be?" Her tone was pleasant, a smile on her face, but her hazel eyes were bright with the threat of violence. John glanced stoically between the large, snarling dog and the vampire who flashed him a toothy grin, then the door.

When the man took too long in his decision, Renfri whispered, "Bellen." The silver brindle hound immediately broke out into loud, deep barks as it stepped towards the man, making him flinch.

"You're making a mistake," he told them and made for the door. Once the door shut behind him, Renfri quieted Ash and called him over to give him praise and cuddles.

"Boooo," she muttered, making her uncle quirk an eyebrow in her direction, "I wanted him to stay, that'd give me an excuse to sic Ash on him."

Damon smirked, "Well, I'm sure that's not the last time we'll see him, unfortunately. Maybe you'll get another chance."

She chuckled and sat up a little straighter, still rubbing the dog's side, "So what's this device, do you think? Something to use against vampires?"

He shook his head, "Probably. If it was Johnathon Gilbert's, like the compass, then it's nothing good for us. He did say he cared about catching vampires."

The redhead tipped her head to the side consideringly, "Another thing, why is Isabel working with John to get the invention? What interest would she have in it if it might be used against vampires and she is one?"

Damon sighed, "I don't know, we'll just have to try to keep them from getting it. It'll definitely be bad news for us if they get their hands on it."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Attending the dance practice with Tyler had been an ordeal. They were able to follow the steps easily, it's not like it was hard to remember, but they just couldn't keep their faces straight as Carol Lockwood gave her instructions to 'flirt with your eyes,' one of them would end up busting out in laughter when the other made an exaggerated attempt to follow the directions. When Tyler's mom admonished Stefan for spinning Elena in a circle, telling them that that part was about 'the intimacy of a near touch,' Renfri couldn't help but snort, drawing disapproving eyes. She turned her head away and tried to smother a grin unsuccessfully.

When Carol turned away to begin the music again, she slapped Tyler for snickering at her and he was quick to retort, "No touching!" Renfri wasn't worried about doing the dance, she was more concerned that they would ruin it for the others because the two just couldn't take it seriously and might start giggling like children in the middle of the dance floor. Renfri and Tyler made it through the practice, finally able to get through the dance twice without laughing aloud, though not without immense effort on their parts.

On the day of the pageant the weather was perfect; sunny and warm for a February day, but just a hint of chill in the air. Renfri was in the preparation room with all the other contestants, sitting at a vanity table and applying her makeup in front of the mirror. Her long hair was pulled back from her face in a high dutch fishtail braid that trailed down the center of her back, stopping at the base of her shoulder blades. A few stray locks framed her face elegantly, balancing the look. Renfri shifted her head back and forth, examining her eyeshadow as her copper braid swung with her head. Satisfied, she finished with a few layers of mascara.

"Don't you look as pretty as a picture."

Renfri turned in her chair to see Damon coming up behind her with a playful little smirk.

"I do look good, don't I?" she replied smugly, striking a dramatic pose with her hands framing her face, then laughed as Elena and Jenna giggled beside her at her unserious behavior. Damon rolled his eyes and stepped forward, reaching over to give her braid a gentle tug.

"There's a difference between confidence and arrogance, little girl," he teased.

She snorted and swatted at his hand, "Look in the mirror before opening your mouth, buddy."

He stepped back and eyed her then quirked his lips up, "You do look beautiful though, Red."

She smiled at his genuine compliment, "Thanks, Damon."

He tipped his chin up in acknowledgement as Elena stood from her chair and headed for the dressing room.

"Okay, I should go put my dress on," she stated and pointed at the curling iron in her aunt's hands, "be careful with that thing, don't hurt anybody." Jenna giggled as she began to clean up the makeup counter. Elena paused and turned back to Renfri, pointing an accusing and teasing stare at her friend, "Oh, and you and Tyler better not giggle like five year olds throughout the dance, don't you dare ruin this for us."

Renfri snorted, "Hey, it's not our fault that Carol made it so weird, telling us to 'flirt with your eyes,'" she snickered, making Damon roll his eyes at her childishness. Elena shook her head with a smile and headed out.

The oldest Salvatore watched the brunette go, then pulled his niece aside.

"I saw Anna a few minutes ago, she's going to look into if her mother has the invention John was talking about."

"Okay, that's good, maybe we'll get an answer soon then, they do owe us for what happened with the tomb vampires," the teenager replied thoughtfully.

He nodded and continued, "There's something else; we need to tell Elena about Stefan, she needs to know he's on human blood."

Renfri nodded in agreement, "Especially that he's been lying about it, he's not going to be able to resist from feeding from someone for long, is he?"

His face was grim as he shook his head, "Not likely, he's been even more on edge since we confronted him, I'm worried he's going to lose it, and with all these founder events and having a presence on the council, we can't afford for that to happen right now."

The redhead sighed, "I know. I didn't want to get involved with that, but it's getting to the point where she needs to be aware of his condition, especially if it's not safe for her to be alone with him."

Damon nodded, "Let's go, the sooner the better." He grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall with him to the dressing room. A blonde girl hurried past them looking harried and they both slipped through the door and closed it behind them. As the door clicked shut, Elena whirled around, seeing them in the mirror.

"Hey, Damon, you can't be back here," she said, turning towards him. Renfri moved over to her black strapless gown with a thigh high slit that was hanging from the changing screen in the far corner.

"We need to talk," she stated, grabbing the hanger and moving it to the other side of the screen so she was behind it and out of sight.

As she began to change, Elena asked, "Does it have to be right now?" and lifted the blue dress in her hands.

"Normally, I would have a completely different outlook on what I'm about to tell you, but since it really inconveniences me, I'll squeal," he answered.

Elena looked at him questioningly, "What are you talking about?"

Renfri stepped out from the screen in her black gown as Damon told Elena, "Stefan's still drinking human blood."

The brunette stared at him in shock, "What?"

"It's true, Elena," Renfri confirmed, stepping up to the girl, arms crossed.

Damon nodded, "Yeah, a month ago I would have rejoiced, but with the council back on alert, now is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle."

"I know he's been a little edgy, but he said that was normal," Elena replied.

"Elena, he has a fridge in the basement full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house," Renfri stated bluntly.

The teenager's mouth gaped open and she moved to sit down on a chaise, "Oh my god."

Damon continued to explain, "He has no idea what normal is, his entire existence isn't normal. Normal to a vampire is drinking human blood, but he spent all this time fighting it when he should have been learning how to control it, and now it's controlling him instead."

Elena stammered in disbelief, "I–I can't believe this, I mean, it's Stefan we're talking about here."

Renfri shook her head, tucking her feet into her black heels and moving over to sit beside her friend, "Stefan on human blood is a different person; he's not in control, like an addict."

"He'll do anything, he'll say anything, because he's not going to want to stop, trust me," Damon added in a low voice, his face serious. Elena's face became increasingly worried as he spoke. Anxiety filled her so she got up and began pacing back and forth.

"This is all my fault, I'm the one who fed him the blood in the first place," she stated.

The door swung open just then, revealing Stefan. He paused with his hand still on the door and Damon stiffened without turning when Elena's eyes landed on his younger brother.

Renfri turned to Stefan as he asked, "Uh, what's going on in here?"

Damon reluctantly turned towards his brother, "Just…filling in Elena on your extracurricular activities…"

Stefan looked between the two, gave a small shake of his head, and scoffed, "What are you talking about?"

"I know about the blood, Stefan," Elena said immediately, looking at him accusingly. Tension filled the air as the couple stared at each other. Renfri glanced between them awkwardly and stood, moving around the couch and towards the door as Damon spoke.

"We'll just be going. I'll be downstairs…drinking." The two walked out, leaving the couple to talk.

Ren turned to her uncle, "Should we leave her alone with him, is it safe? If he gets worked up because he got found out, he could lose control."

Damon pressed his lips together, "He won't hurt her, he cares about her too much, he would direct his hunger elsewhere first. He's not too far gone, but he's teetering on the edge."

Renfri nodded hesitantly, "Alright, just try to keep tabs on him, there are a lot of eyes here today."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri strode down the stairs, one hand on the railing, and stopped at the bottom to take Tyler's outstretched hand.

"My lady," he murmured teasingly and she struggled to restrain a snort.

"Shut up," she whispered, her lips twitching up. They walked out to the dance floor in the courtyard. As they stood across from each other, waiting for the last few couples, Renfri noted that the blonde girl, Amber, and her escort were called but didn't show. Then came Caroline in her light green dress and the boy who filled in because Matt couldn't get out of work. Elena was finally called and when Renfri glanced behind Caroline to see her and Stefan, she was surprised and concerned to see Damon holding her hand instead as they joined them in the lineup.

Damon made eye contact with her briefly as they took their places, so she mouthed, "Where's Stefan?" He shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

As they bowed to their partners and the music started, she heard Elena whisper, "What do we do?"

Damon quietly replied, "Right now, we just have to get through this." Renfri's lips thinned, her jovial mood from earlier gone. As they began their first turn with their hands up, Tyler murmured, "What's wrong?"

She glanced up at him and replied, "Stefan's gone and we don't know where he went, Damon had to cover for him and dance with Elena."

"Do you think he's okay?" Tyler asked, turning the other way in another circle.

"Maybe, he's been having…problems lately, so he might have just needed to get away for a bit. I'll find him later." She gave him a small grin, "Let's just get through this ridiculous dance, Lockwood." He smirked in return as they moved through the steps.

As soon as the dance was over and the couples moved off the dance floor, the contestants were to move towards the stage and wait a few minutes while the judges deliberated before announcing the winner. Renfri, knowing she wouldn't win, decided to slip away and search for her younger uncle. She quickly went up to the dressing room and found her coat and phone. As she made her way outside and moved down the driveway and towards the parking lot by the treeline. As she walked, she noticed the sun sinking lower in the sky, just touching the horizon. She began to walk down the road that connected to the driveway, following the line of cars on each side of the road. She kept her eye out for Stefan's Porsche, and before long she saw the cherry red vehicle parked on the side of the road amongst the vehicles. She saw two figures a few hundred yards away, standing by the brightly colored car.

She increased her pace as she saw the taller figure close in on the shorter one, holding their face between their hands. Renfri got close enough to identify the two as Stefan and Amber, the missing contestant. He was muttering something quietly and staring at her intently, one hand's finger stroking the side of her neck as she stared back. She must have been compelled to stay calm and compliant, since she stood still as he leaned down and bit into her neck.

Renfri gasped and shouted, "STEFAN!"

The vampire pulled back from the girl's neck and whipped around, the whites of his eyes turned blood red and the dark veins under his eyes pulsing. His fangs were extended and a few drops of blood glistened on his bottom lip.

"Renfri?" he grunted in surprise.

"Stefan, what are you doing? You can barely handle blood bags, feeding from people is dangerous, you could kill them!"

He groaned as his face changed back to normal and ran his fingers through his hair, "Ah, god, I can't do this, I shouldn't do this."

The compelled girl put her hand to the wound on her neck and pulled it away, showing the blood covering it, "It's okay, just not so hard next time."

Ren looked at her with concern, "Stefan, you need to compel her to forget everything and go take care of her wound. If you feed from her again, you're likely to kill her; you're not ready for this kind of feeding." He growled in frustration this time, but stepped back toward the girl and put his hand on her cheek as he began to compel her.

"Go back inside and bandage your wound, keep it covered. Forget what happened and that you saw anyone out here." The girl's pupils contracted and she repeated the directions back to him dully. She blinked then started walking away towards the building with a hand over her neck.

Renfri sighed in relief as she watched the girl leave, glad she was now out of danger. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket, sending a quick text to Damon of their location and that Stefan had fed from a girl but she convinced him to stop. She turned back to her younger uncle to see him holding his head as if he had a major headache.

"Stefan, just stay calm. Damon's coming, he'll help you. Just breathe and think about something else," she urged as he paced back and forth. At this point, the sun was down and dark had fallen. Renfri could see her breath fogging in front of her as she inhaled and exhaled shallowly, nervous at the vampire's unstable behavior. She shuffled back a bit, away from him, and he paused to look at her.

"No. No, no, no, don't be afraid of me," Stefan pleaded, grabbing her arms tightly and making her inhale sharply.

"Stefan, it's alright, just let me go," she said breathlessly, he didn't seem in control and might accidentally hurt her. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

The green-eyed young man let out a throaty chuckle and muttered, "Of course you're afraid of me, I bit that girl. I'm supposed to be the good brother, not the bad one." Renfri frowned at that remark but didn't comment on it. Stefan let out a sigh, seeming to sniff back tears, and let his head drop to rest on her shoulder. Renfri held her breath for a moment, very unsure of having his mouth near her vulnerable throat.

"Stefan, let go of me."

"I won't hurt you, I don't want to hurt you," he mumbled, then took a deep long breath and sighed, "I don't want to, but I can't stop."

The redhead began to shake and push against his chest, "Stefan! Stefan, let go!"

In the next second, she was shoved against a tree, the bark digging into her back through her coat as he buried his face into her neck, breathing in her scent.

"I'm sorry," he said in a rough voice, the veins under his eyes returning, "I need it."

"No, Stefan, no—"

Teeth broke through the skin on her neck, spilling blood as she thrashed in his grasp. She yelled at the pain of having her flesh torn into, his teeth digging in as he greedily gulped down the blood that flowed freely. She sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks as he held her arms in an iron grip even as she struggled against him, fists pounding his chest. The vampire finally pulled his head back, tilting his chin up as he took large gulps of air, red dripping from his lips.

"Uncle Stefan, please stop," she choked out, leaning back against the tree unsteadily and her knees weak from the loss of blood as he lowered his head again. He growled, teeth bared in an animalistic snarl as he bit her again. This time, he clamped his teeth down even harder than before, making her scream.

"AAAAAAAAGGHHH!"

"Renfri!"

"Stefan, stop!"

The redhead was suddenly released and she collapsed to the ground against the tree, her legs no longer able to support her in her weakened state. She blinked the tears away and looked up to see Damon had pulled his brother off of her and thrown him several yards away. Elena stood not far off, clutching her coat closed at her chest with a distraught look on her face as a worried Bonnie came up behind her. Stefan was on his feet again, looking around in bewilderment, blood now covering his mouth and spilling down his chin.

"Ugh, Uncle Damon," Renfri managed before she coughed. Her neck was torn up and bleeding, her arms were sore where he'd held her, and she was lightheaded from the bloodloss. She tried to sit up but couldn't go further than her elbows and her arms shook just doing that.

"Ren, lie still and put pressure on your wound to stop the bleeding," he told her in a hushed voice. He took a few steps closer to his brother, "Stefan, come on, get control of it." Stefan's dark eyes were fixed on Elena, who was watching him with disgust and shock on her face. Damon took a few more steps closer, but when he got within arms reach, the out of control vampire flinched at the proximity and tossed him against a tree, making the girls all gasp and startle. Renfri watched from the ground with a hand on her bloody flesh and her head resting on her arm as Damon jumped to his feet again, hands up in a non-threatening stance. Before he could make another move, Stefan began to groan and clutch at his head, leaning over as if in pain. They all looked around and noticed that the young Bennet witch had stepped forward and was staring at the vampire intensely.

She was casting a spell on Stefan.

After about ten seconds of maintaining the spell, she released him from it and he steadied himself before standing up a bit straighter. He looked around in bewilderment, the gore still hanging from his gaping mouth. He took a shaky step towards Damon and looked to his brother, who took a hesitant step towards him as well.

"It's okay," the oldest Salvatore said in a hushed voice, but Stefan retreated, turning his head to look at Elena then the bleeding Renfri on the ground in horror.

His breath stuttered and he stumbled backwards. His face twisted up as his eyes filled with tears and guilt.

"Stefan," Damon called, but it was in vain. Stefan turned and fled, disappearing into the dark woods in an instant. With the unstable vampire gone, Damon rushed over to his injured niece along with Elena, Bonnie following after. The two crouched down while the witch stood back and watched in concern.

"Oh my god, Renfri! Are you okay?" Elena asked, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder as Damon gently sat her up against the tree trunk and brushed her hair back from her throat.

"Hey," her uncle murmured, "you're okay, I've got you, Red. Just move your hand so I can check your neck." The witch looked on with some surprise at how the vampire interacted with his hurt niece. He lightly pushed her hand aside from the bite mark gouged into her neck, it was still weeping warm liquid. He pushed her hand back into place and put his own over it. The teenager couldn't help but whimper at the pressure on her wound and more tears welled up in her eyes.

She felt completely overwhelmed and pain pulsed through her body in multiple places. She let her forehead drop forward against her uncle's chest and let out a sob as tears began flowing down her face again. He wrapped his other arm around her as she fisted the cloth of his suit jacket in her hand tightly.

"I–I was s–so scared, he–he bit me," Renfri choked out between wet, shaky breaths. Elena's face twisted up and she hugged the girl from her other side as well, murmuring reassurances.

"It's okay now, you'll be okay," the brunette whispered to the distraught girl.

Renfri lifted her head a little, "I got the girl away–Amber–he fed from her, but I–I got him to make her forget and go back."

Damon nodded at her and murmured, "You did good, little Red. But don't you dare go off after a rogue vampire like that again, I was worried when I got your text after seeing the broken mirror and blood in the bathroom." He rubbed her back before leaning back a little and pulling his phone out, which was vibrating. He checked it and tapped out a message before putting it back in his pocket.

"One of the deputies found that Amber girl in a bathroom looking for bandages and saw the bite mark." The four of them looked at each other, concern marring their expressions.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Renfri sat in Damon's Camaro as he drove them home. Her neck was covered in a thick bandage taped to her neck and she was given more to continue to use over the next week or so. The sheriff had called an ambulance after finding Amber and Damon had come up with the story that Elena and Bonnie had found Renfri collapsed by the edge of the woods and barely conscious. She'd had to pretend she didn't remember anything and was just upset about the painful wound, the blood spilled down her neck, and waking up in the woods without knowing why.

She had been taken to the ER after the paramedics determined that she might need some stitches to help close up the wound since parts of the damaged area had deep and wide punctures. Once there, a doctor cleaned up her wound and gave her seven stitches as she sat stiffly, trying not to panic at the feeling of the needle tugging at her numbed and ragged skin. Damon had followed the ambulance there and came into the exam room with her bags from the pageant once they were done, she was relieved to be able to change back into her jeans and long sleeved cotton shirt. The amount of blood lost wasn't life-threatening, but it was quite a lot and she got lightheaded when she tried to walk on her own. She was told to rest and drink lots of fluids over the next few days and eat foods with plenty of iron and vitamins C and B. She felt embarrassed when they wheeled her out to the exit but sucked it up until Damon helped her into his car.

They were now on the way home and they had a plan to deal with Stefan, though the redhead was extremely nervous, if she was honest about it. Before she could dwell on it further, they pulled up to the boarding house and parked. Damon grabbed her bags and helped her out of the car, letting her lean on him as she walked with his arm around her waist for extra support. Damon paused when they were only a few yards away from the front door and she looked up.

"Alright, now this is just getting weird," he commented.

Anna stood under the eaves of the entrance, her heels clicking as she moved forward a bit, "We're here to talk." The next second, her mother stepped out from the shadows of a brick pillar and joined them, her long silky hair flowing free and hands tucked into a black trench coat.

"I'm not in the mood. As you can see, today has been a no good, very bad day," he tilted his head at his niece whose white bandaged neck stood out starkly.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," Pearl said, nodding towards the red-haired teenager, who raised her eyebrows in surprise, "but Annabelle tells me you're looking for something I took from Johnathon Gilbert." Damon walked them forward, shifting his hold on her from her waist to her shoulder as he approached them warily.

"I'm listening."

The woman produced a little pouch from her pocket and handed it to him. As he tipped what at first looked like a little silver pocket watch into his hand, Renfri asked, "What is it?"

When he turned it over, it had a smaller little circle of a yellowed metal with a rough surface in the center, what looked like the shape of a gear was carved into it.

"Jonathon was passionate about his inventions. He confided in me that he had created a detection device meant to track down the town's vampire element," she explained.

"It was a pocketwatch," Damon told her.

She gave a mild smile, "That's what it turned out to be, yes, but that's not what I stole. I discovered my mistake when I saw the watch in Jonathon's hand the night they took us, it's dial pointed at me."

Damon examined it further and looked up questioningly, "So what is it?"

Pearl shook her head, "I have no idea, but now it's yours."

Her uncle eyed the older vampire, "What's the catch?"

Pearl smiled again, a little more genuinely, "There's no catch. My daughter wants to stay here, I want to stay here. You refuse to trust us and for good reason; consider this an apology." Damon's eyes flicked between the two critically before he gave the barest of nods and led Renfri to the front door.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Stefan paced back and forth in his bedroom, his face now clean of his niece's blood. He wrestled his suit jacket off along with his button up shirt, leaving him in his white undershirt. He ran his hands through his hair and wrung anxiously at his neck before he froze in place. He slowly lowered his hands and spoke to the person who was now standing in his doorway behind him.

"You shouldn't be here."

"I know," Elena responded.

Stefan moved further from the girl and muttered, "Now you know."

"That wasn't you," she tried to reason.

He gave a miserable chuckle, "Oh, it was absolutely me. A monster, a predator, it's who I am Elena."

Another person stepped up and into the doorway hesitantly, "It's what the blood makes you, Uncle Stefan, not who you are as a person."

The vampire stiffened then slowly turned to look at his niece standing at the entrance of his room, just behind his girlfriend, looking scared but determined.

"Renfri," he whispered, tears welled into his eyes as he saw the bandage covering the side of her neck, "I—I'm so sorry."

She nodded minutely in acknowledgement, "I understand, Stefan, but I'm not ready to forgive you. You need to get better before I can even begin to trust you again and be around you."

Elena nodded as well, taking a small step toward him, "We can help you, Stefan, let us help you."

He grimaced, "I can't get better, you can't help me, I'll only hurt you. The blood brings out what's inside of me and if you think any differently then you're an idiot." He spat the words out harshly at the end and turned away, back to pacing like a caged animal.

Elena looked affronted for a second before she said, "I know this isn't you, Stefan."

"I wanted to drain every last drop of blood from her body," he cut in, pointing at his injured niece, who jumped a little.

Elena shook her head, "No."

He nodded, "It's who I am, Elena."

The girl continued to deny it, "No, you can't scare me off."

Renfri spoke up again, "It's not who you are, it's what you are that drives you to want that. Separate the person from the monster, Stefan, because they are not the same."

Stefan turned to eye the two of them, "Why would you risk it? Why would you come here when I've already hurt someone I care about." He looked away and shook his head in shame.

"Because I did this," Elena stated, "this is my fault, I'm the one who made you drink the blood."

"All you did was expose me to who I really am," he retorted, gripping the back of his head with both hands.

"It's not your fault, Elena, it's Stefan's."

They both paused and shifted to face the red-haired girl still standing in the doorway in surprise, she hadn't taken a single step past the frame yet.

"It's Stefan's fault for not learning to feed from humans properly from the beginning. Lexi shouldn't have introduced you to the animal diet as a reasonable substitute because it's really just a band-aid that keeps falling off because it's been on too long." She locked eyes with her uncle, "There's no reason you couldn't have gotten it under control at some point over the last 145 years. Sure, it might be more difficult for you than most other vampires, but if you had been willing to stick it out and try, I'm sure Lexi would have supported you and stopped you when she needed to. Trying is the only way, all you've been doing is running away from it for a century and a half." She raised an eyebrow challengingly at him as his lip began to curl in frustration, a low growl building up in his chest, "Are you going to continue to be a coward or actually listen to Damon and I and try it our way? This isn't who you are, you—"

He flashed over to her, slamming his hand on the doorframe, "STOP IT, stop saying that!" She startled so hard that she stumbled back and would have fell backwards down the handful of steps that led to his room if his hand hadn't snatched her wrist.

Her free hand grasped onto the little railing and she took shaky, shallow breaths as she steadied herself, "Let go."

His eyes widened and he stepped backwards in horror at the fear in her eyes as he released her, "I—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He cringed back and Elena moved over to him.

He shook his head, "Don't get any closer to me."

"I'm not going to let this happen to you."

"Stop," he protested again.

"We're not gonna give up on you, we believe in you," the brunette persisted.

Stefan got in her face and she backed into the wall behind her as he shouted, "STOP, stop, just stop!" and slammed his hand into the wood beside her face. She gasped and stood shaking, trapped between the cage of his arms against the paneling as Renfri's heart raced while she took a reflexive step forward, wanting to pull the girl away from the explosive vampire.

Stefan breathed heavily before shock registered on his face and he shrank back a bit as he whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Elena replied shakily and nodded, almost jumping as he buried his face into the hair draped over her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her thin waist.

"I don't know what's happening to me," he groaned into her shoulder tearfully.

"It's okay," Elena murmured again and carded her fingers through his hair comfortingly, glancing over to Renfri. The redhead had silently taken a few steps toward the couple and, with Stefan distracted, Renfri lunged forward to stab a vervain dart into his lower back. Stefan stiffened and she retreated quickly once the whole thing had been emptied into him.

The vampire's arms pulled back and thunked heavily onto the the wood paneling on either side of the teenager again, making Renfri panic, thinking it wasn't enough vervain and they had just pissed him off. But then, he leaned back and he blinked dazedly once before slumping to the floor.

Renfri moved backwards and sat on the edge of Stefan's bed, releasing a huge sigh of relief just as Damon stepped out of the shadows and entered the room. He looked down at his brother then his shaky niece and the girl breathing heavily against the wall.

"So, how do you want to do this?" he asked them.

Elena swallowed, "Let's put him in the basement."

Renfri nodded, "Starve him for a few days, let the blood leave his system so he's not all juiced up, then get him back on animal blood. It'll be his choice if he's willing to try human blood in small increments, and I mean small, and gradually build up his self-control that way. Otherwise, it's back to the bunny diet."

Elen nodded and Damon shrugged, "If you two are sure."

After Damon had carried Stefan down into one of the cells, placed him on a cot, removed his daylight ring, and locked the door, he turned to the two girls.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work."

Elena shook her head, "It has to."

Damon just nodded and Renfri added, "No offense, but I'm gonna let you guys deal with this for now, I need some distance." She sighed and leaned against her older uncle, "I'm pretty sure I'm fuckin' traumatized now." Damon wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze before letting her move towards the stairs. He turned that way as well but paused when Elena didn't follow.

"You coming?"

The teenager shook her head, "I'm going to stay here," and slid down to sit on the cement floor with her arms wrapped around her legs. Damon paused for a moment before moving to sit across from her in the dark hall as well. Renfri had paused to watch the interaction further down the hall, then continued on her way once she realized her uncle wouldn't be following.

She made her way upstairs to the second floor and entered her bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her. Ash leaped at her instantly, tail wagging and nose sniffing curiously. She kneeled down to him and he nosed the bandage on her neck gently before backing off a bit. She scratched at his neck scruff before getting up and moving to the bathroom. After completing her nightly routine, she collapsed onto her bed and crawled her way under the covers, Ash jumping up to lay down against her back once she settled. Before she put her phone in sleep mode, she sent a quick text to Bonnie, thanking her for her help in stopping Stefan from hurting her further. She got a short reply saying that she was glad that Ren was okay now and she'd see her in school. She also responded to a text from Tyler asking if she was okay, he'd heard she'd been taken to the emergency room. She reassured him she was okay, just had a bit of an accident and might stay home for a couple days to rest.

As Renfri finally let her body relax, more tears made wet tracks down her cheeks and her breath hitched as she let her emotions flow in her solitude, her only comfort being the furry companion pressed against her body.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

**Please review, it's much appreciated!