Chapter 3

First Meeting

When Blair went downstairs to have breakfast the next morning, Elena returned home.

"Hey," Blair greeted her sister. "How's Bonnie? Care said she's going to pull through."

Elena sent her a tired but relieved smile. "Yes, she's going to be fine. She lost a lot of blood so they had to do a transfusion and they're keeping her under observation for another day yet. She's going to be discharged tomorrow."

Blair smiled back. "That's great."

"Are you going to visit her in the hospital?" Elena asked her. "I'm sure she would be glad to see you."

"Yeah, I'll go with Caroline after lunch. I don't have afternoon classes today and cheer tryouts aren't until 4pm."

"Good," Elena said. "Do you need me to be there?"

You didn't show up once for summer practice, why start now?

Blair refrained from voicing her thoughts aloud. Instead, she answered, "no, don't worry about it. As long as you come Saturday for the first real practice of the season, you're good."

Elena nodded. "Okay. Well, I have to get ready for school. See you later?"

"Yeah." Blair walked to the kitchen, while Elena went up the stairs, headed to her room.

This was the first, normal conversation they had since before her parents' death. Blair smiled. Elena could be a real pain in the ass—all judgement and smothering worry, with a Mother Teresa complex a mile wide—but she was still her sister. They would return to bicker soon, but for now, she could enjoy this moment of ceasefire between them.

"Lots of girls signed up for tryouts this year," Caroline said, her blue eyes focused on her reflection. She smeared bright pink lipgloss on her lips, smacking them once; she gave her glossy blonde hair three quick brushes and slammed the locker closed.

"Good. Hopefully one or two of them will be tolerable." Blair leaned against her own locker before first period. She stole a glance at Tyler and wished she didn't. He stood with one foot propped against the wall, Vicki clinging to his side like an octopus.

Tyler smirked when he saw her watching. He grabbed Vicki by the ass and kissed her. The make out session was so aggressive, it looked like he was eating her face. Someone shouted 'get a room' and someone else snickered but it didn't deter them.

Blair grimaced. He couldn't be any more obvious in his attempt to make her jealous—Blair told herself he wasn't succeeding. She turned her back on them to concentrate on Caroline who was still talking. Fuck Tyler. She had more important things to worry about.

Blair showed up earlier for Tanner's class—not an unusual event, but that day she had something particular she needed to discuss with him.

Yesterday she'd prepared a short outline for her history project she wished to show him.

It was an excuse, however. Her intent was another. She needed information on the Salvatore Family. After discovering that Stefan Salvatore was a vampire, she was curious. All she knew about the Salvatore Family was that they were one of the Founding Families of Mystic Falls and that in the 1860's, the head of the family was Giuseppe Salvatore—he had signed his name in the Registry and everything.

She also knew Giuseppe had two sons. Stefan and Damon Salvatore, who, according to Jonathan Gilberts' journals, had been turned into vampires by Katherine Pierce, who had died in a fire in 1864. But there was no mention of either of them after 1865. Nor how Stefan could walk in the sun. Vampires burned in the sun, as far as she knew. What was his secret?

She was hoping to borrow the Salvatore journals but she couldn't very well ask Stefan, not after yesterday. Hence, why she needed Mr. Tanner.

"Good morning, Mr. Tanner," Blair greeted him when she entered the classroom. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"For you, always, Blair," Mr. Tanner said, a smile on his face.

Blair smiled back but she hadn't forgotten how he'd treated Elena yesterday. She wondered how she could punish him; perhaps with a 'Basic Instinct' move— she always sat in the first row; it wouldn't be difficult. She smirked at the idea of the always-put-together, stern, impassive Mr. Tanner getting an erection in the middle of class, how humiliating that would be.

Then she thought better of it. He would probably see that as permission to hit on her. It was one thing to tease him, another, different one was making him think she wanted his attentions.

She approached his desk, his gaze a physical touch on her skin. His eyes fondled her legs, rising to her hips, her belly, to stop on her boobs—he had a real fascination with those.

"I wanted to show you the short outline I finished yesterday," Blair said, stopping at his desk. "See if you have some pointers for me." She retrieved the sheets she printed that morning and leaned on the desk to hand them to him. His view of her cleavage was better from that angle.

She had to admit, watching him drool over her was a great ego boost. It was a balm for her shaken confidence, after Stefan's rejection yesterday and Tyler's behavior in general.

"As an initial outline, this is already well thought-out and detailed," Tanner said, his eyes shifting away from her tits to read the printed paper.

"Yeah?" Blair walked around the desk to stand next to him. "Because I'm not sure about this part." She pointed at a passage in the sheets he was holding, her body bent in his direction, a hand on the back of his chair for support. From that position her boobs were practically in his face.

"Y-Yes, some parts need work," Tanner said, swallowing visibly. He adjusted his cravat, a gesture that made him regain some self-control. "The details can be settled later, however, once you have more material to work on. Have you made a decision on what sources you will use?" Tanner made a visible effort to shift his gaze away from her tits to look her in the eye instead.

Blair pretended to ponder over the question. "There are the historical archives, so there's one. But that's just the typical public information, that you would find in every history book. I want to create something a little more…personal, unique, you know? So, I was thinking of using the info in those more as a general overview."

Tanner nodded. "What about the Founding Families' journals? I know you possess some of them."

Blair bit her lower lip before pushing a lock of hair behind her ear, the picture of nervousness. "Well, I thought about it. There's Meredith Fell, who was my father's protégé and I know she owns some. I think she'd be willing to lend them to me. And there's also Logan Fell. He used to date my aunt, and I've known him since I was a child. I think I might be able to convince him to let me borrow them.

"There shouldn't be much of a problem with the Gilbert journals. Most of the them belonged to my father; some are at the Lake House but retrieving them shouldn't be a problem. Uncle John owns a few of them but he's out of town, though I could probably convince him to let me use them if I explain what I need them for.

"About the Forbes journals, Liz has them since when Bill Forbes left town, he didn't bring them with him. Hopefully, it won't be hard to convince her to help me.

"Then there's the Lockwoods. This one could be awkward but Carol loves me, I think she can convince her husband to let me borrow them."

"The real problem, I fear, will be in getting the Salvatore journals. I don't really know Zach Salvatore. There's Stefan, sure, but I've only known him for a few days. Perhaps, I could ask him to convince his uncle. Asking him would be less uncomfortable because he's my age. Though, I don't think I'll have much luck." Blair feigned a disappointed pout. "I'm afraid I'll have to make do without the perspective of one of the Founding Families. It's such a shame though."

"Absolutely not!" Mr. Tanner said, sounding scandalized at the very idea. "I will talk to Stefan Salvatore. Leave this to me."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Tanner," Blair said, her tone as sweet as whipped cream.

The bell chose that moment to ring and Blair went to sit at her desk. Before doing so, though, she decided to reward him—or punish him, she wasn't sure.

She bent to retrieve her bag from the ground next to the teacher's desk, her back to him, knowing her already short skirt would rise up even more in that position and that he would, therefore, get a very nice view of her ass and her red thong. It wasn't a 'Basic Instinct' move but she heard him making a strangled sound deep in his throat all the same.

The class filled out in minutes and Blair waved to Caroline from where she sat. Elena entered the classroom, then Donovan—who made puppy eyes at Elena, who ignored him—and then, finally, Stefan.

Blair watched him but she didn't try to catch his attention. Stefan, for his part, avoided looking at her. Blair suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and, instead, prepared to listen to Tanner's lecture for the day. Tanner was still sitting at his desk, looking flushed, and there, it seemed, he intended to remain.

Blair bent to retrieve her book, notebook and pen from her bag—an excuse to hide the smirk gracing her lips.

When all seats were occupied, Tanner cleared his throat and began his lecture.

Blair watched Elena and Stefan exchanging glances, smiling at each other. They weren't even trying to hide it.

"Are we bothering you, Mr. Salvatore? Ms. Gilbert?" Tanner said, clearly noting Elena and Stefan's lack of attention.

Blair clenched her fists under the table. She shouldn't feel this irritated, she knew, but she couldn't help it. Stefan preferring Elena to her stung. She had offered herself to him and he had walked away. She knew he desired her but he regretted it, returning to Elena like a repentant puppy.

She also knew she should be thanking her lucky stars that Stefan walked away from her yesterday. She might have easily become vampire food. But her fascination with vampires hadn't decreased at all after yesterday, it only grew.

If it weren't for the fact that she would hurt herself and Elena in the process, Blair would tell her all about hertrystwith Stefan; that would show him. He was behaving like she didn't exist.

And Tyler…Ew! How could he still be with Vicki Donovan? She couldn't be that great a fuck, right? (She did have a lot of practice though, so maybe she was…). And, what was worse, people were whispering about her now. The whole town knew about her supposedly being cheated on and then dumped because of Vicki Donovan. It was so humiliating.

At least no one had seen her with Stefan. How worse would it be for her if people knew? The second choice, not once but twice. She was always the first choice—always.

She needed a new boyfriend/fuckboy asap! She needed to fix her reputation. This couldn't stand.

The bell rang and Blair was dismayed to notice she missed Tanner's entire lecture. What the hell was happening to her?

Get a grip, Blair! You can't let boys, of all things, distract you from what is really important. Harvard, remember?

Blair shook her head and left the classroom without looking at anyone, not even Caroline. She needed a few minutes to herself, to decompress.

Stefan and Elena left Mr. Tanner's classroom together. He hadn't gotten the chance to spend a lot of time with her yet—not as much as he might have wanted to anyway—and he intended to remedy that. Stefan had stayed in Mystic Falls for Elena Gilbert, after all. She was the only reason he was risking exposure, putting himself in danger. For her.

Whatever that thing with Blair had been, it was a mistake and it would never be repeated. He had compelled her anyway and—beside Damon, who would use the information to torment him and lord it over his head but wouldn't really say anything to anyone—no one would ever know about it.

It was better to ignore her, for now. He would get to know her better later on, as Elena's sister and only as that. If he wanted to remain in Elena's life, he needed to make an effort with those important to her, those she loved.

Reason why he asked Elena how Bonnie was doing, even though he hated being reminded of Damon's actions.

"They're keeping her overnight to make sure there's no infection," Elena answered. "But she should be able to come home tomorrow."

Stefan smiled. "That's good news."

Elena sent him that shy smile he loved, shifting a lock of hair behind her ear with her hand. "Yeah."

"Did she say what kind of animal was that attacked her?" Stefan asked, hoping he sounded casual enough.

"She said it was a vampire," Elena said, a nervous laugh leaving her lips.

Stefan froze. "What?"

"Yeah, she woke last night and muttered 'vampire', then passed out again." Though Elena shrugged, her face showed more confusion than disinterest. Was she suspicious?

Stefan pretended disbelief, though inside he was freaking out. "Is it a little weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I know. But she was probably high on pain killers, so…"

"Yeah, that must be it." Stefan tried to mask his relief. "Well, send Bonnie my best wishes as soon as you see her, please."

Elena sent him another shy smile, her beautiful brown eyes shining. "Yes, thank you, Stefan. I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

Stefan nodded back at her. He needed to pay Bonnie a visit at the hospital as soon as he could get away. He wasn't happy at the idea of compelling her but it was necessary. He couldn't allow her to tell the whole town that a vampire had attacked her.

Stefan sat alone on a wooden lunch table in the school courtyard. He was contemplating if he should sneak out right now.

"Hey, Stefan. I need to ask you something," Blair called out from behind him.

Stefan sighed, realizing he couldn't ignore her in a such a public place. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her at the moment but he turned around all the same. "Now it's not a good time, Blair."

He couldn't stop himself from checking her out, hoping he wasn't being too obvious. She was wearing a crop red top that showed off her generous bosom, her slim waist and her flat stomach, and a short, black skirt and high heels that made her long, toned legs stand out. Her skin looked soft and smooth, it almost glowed—Stefan tried not to focus too much on the blood he could see running through the veins of her neck (and what a beautiful neck it was), but it was difficult, with the delicious smell of her blood reaching his nostrils. Still, her best asset was her face, especially her eyes; they were so green they looked like emerald gems, especially now in the daylight. She was incredibly beautiful and sexy—and she knew it. Her allure was magnetic, like trying to resist the force of gravity.

Stefan mentally shook his head and forced himself out of his Blair-induced-trance.

"It'll only take a minute," Blair replied, not seeming deterred in the least.

"Listen, I'm flattered by your attention but, as I've already told you, I'm not interested. I like Elena." Stefan decided than being blunt was the best option. Girls like Blair weren't used to rejection.

Blair widened her eyes then laughed at him,actually laughed. Stefan couldn't help but feel a little offended.

"Relax, Stefan. I'm not trying to hit on you. Ego much? I'm not a stalker. You like Elena, I got the message the first time. I just wanted to let you know that Mr. Tanner is probably going to ask you something on my behalf. You see, I'm doing a project about Mystic Falls during the Civil War and, since you're part of one of the Founding Families, I figured you—or your uncle, at least—might have the Salvatore journals. I wanted to ask your uncle if I could borrow them. Be warned, even if you say no to me, Mr. Tanner would probably force you to give them to me anyway, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?"

Now Stefan felt panicked for a completely different reason. She wanted to borrow the Salvatore journals, as in his father's, Giuseppe Salvatore's, journals? The ones in which his father recounted how he had killed his own children? No, he couldn't let her have them. What if she figured out about him and Damon?

"I'm sorry, Blair, but I don't think my uncle will let you borrow them."

Blair smiled sweetly at him. "Well, I figured you were going to say that but I'm still going to try. I'm going to go by the Boarding House this afternoon and talk to him. This conversation was just to give you a heads-up. You know, for courtesy's sake. Bye, Stefan!" She actually waved at him before she turned around and walked away.

"No, Blair…wait!" Stefan tried to call out to her but she ignored him. Stefan cursed. Yet another problem he had to solve, somehow. Perhaps he would be forced to compel Blair once again, and Mr. Tanner as well, if he'd proved as insistent as Blair thought he might.

Blair and Caroline went to visit Bonnie at the hospital soon after lunch. They joined Elena who was sitting next to Bonnie's bed. She was awake, sitting upright and propped up by pillows; she was chatting and eating fruit jelly, looking cheerful all things considered. Her complexion was a little grey, she had deep shadows under her eyes and her neck wound was covered by a pristine white bandage, in stark contrast with her dark skin. She was alive and she would recover soon, that was all that mattered.

Whenever she would look at Bonnie, Blair felt nauseous. This could have happened to her. She might have been the one attacked in the woods, either by Stefan or the vampire who attacked Bonnie.

She didn't like the sense of powerlessness the thought evoked in her. She needed to find some kind of spell in order to defend herself against vampires. She might not have the power of a normal witch but she wasn't completely useless.

Caroline waved a hand in the air—the one not holding the plastic teaspoon she was eating her red jelly with. "So, you and Stefan?" She asked Elena. "Have you done it yet? Did you even kiss?"

Elena shook her head. "No, we didn't kiss yet. And no, we definitely didn't do it yet. I met him only three days ago. It's too soon."

Blair shrugged. "Too soon for what? Why wait if you like him? It's not like you're a virgin anymore. I would have done it already if I was in your place. I bet he wants to. And, if he doesn't, he's a eunuch."

Elena rolled her eyes at Blair. "I know you would have, Blair. But for some of us sex is a big deal."

Blair smirked, not the least bit offended. "Hey, careful there with the slut-shaming. It's a big deal for me too, you know? If I don't get orgasms, I'm out of there. Better if you know it as soon as possible, it's what I always say."

They all laughed at her comeback, even Elena.

Caroline wasn't done, though. "Seriously, what is with the blockage? Just jump his bones already! Ok? it's easy! Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound." Elena shook her head.

"No, really, Care is right," Blair intervened. "I think you're not desperate to jump his bones because you don't really know what you're missing. Matt wasn't that great in the sack, was he? You can tell me."

Elena blushed. "Shut up. It's not that. It was nice with him. I enjoyed it. It's just that there wasn't any spark. But that wasn't his fault. With Stefan…I want to make sure."

Blair raised her hands in surrender. "Ok, fine. I'm not going to pressure you to have sex if you're not ready. I still believe you don't really know what you're missing, though. Hopefully you'll find out with Stefan. Still, be careful on waiting too long. Stefan might get bored, otherwise, and go look for someone else. You can never be too sure with these teenage boys."

Elena looked offended. "Stefan's not like that."

Blair rolled her eyes. "Every boy—every man—is like that. Unless they're asexual, of course, but that's another story. They want sex, Elena. All of them. Even the 'nice guys' like Stefan. Trust me."

Elena huffed but she looked pensive all the same. A moment later, she sprang from the ugly-brown plastic chair she was sitting on.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"Caroline's right," Elena said. "And so is Blair. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying I was going to do."

"So you're going to him now?" Caroline asked.

"Yes." Elena replied, determination in her eyes.

Blair got up too. "Mind giving me a ride to the Salvatore Boarding House? I need to talk to Zach Salvatore about my history project."

Elena looked uncertain but she nodded anyway. "Bye Bonnie. Get well soon," Blair said, before turning to Caroline. "See you later at cheer tryouts, Care."

"Okay, bye!" Caroline answered with a vivacious wave.

Elena said her goodbyes as well and then they sat in Elena's car, heading towards the Salvatore Boarding House.

Elena parked in the driveway of the Boarding House and they got out of the car, mesmerized by the building in front of them. It was huge. A red bricked, two-story mansion, that extended for several hundred square meters, surrounded by woods on all sides.

Blair had never been there before. Zach Salvatore was a man who kept to himself, most of the time. She had lived in Mystic Falls all her life and she must have exchanged two words with him in all that time—'good morning' and 'goodbye', that one time she bumped into him at the local supermarket. That was it.

Elena walked to the front door and knocked but the door was already open. She exchanged a look with Blair who shrugged her shoulders and made her way inside. Elena followed behind her.

"Stefan? Stefan?" Elena called out, but there was no answer.

Blair looked around at the long corridor whose walls were covered in wood panels and the furniture made in dark wood. There was also a large wooden staircase that led to the higher floor. It was really beautiful. Dark and a little forbidding, but beautiful.

A crow flew from inside the house to the still open front door, making both Elena and Blair duck.

Really? Another crow? Blair couldn't help but think. Why were there so many crows all of a sudden?

Elena and Blair had whirled around to follow the path of the crow so when they turned back around again, they found a man just standing there like he had always been there. Elena almost bumped into him.

Blair recognized him immediately from the night before at the Grill. The man—vampire, if her suspicions were correct—had known her name. And what was he doing here? Was she right? Was this guy Damon Salvatore? Stefan's brother from 1864?

"I...I'm sorry for barging in," Elena stuttered. "The door was...open." She turned around and pointed to the door to demonstrate her point but the door was now closed, somehow. How?

The man didn't look surprised, by either the door or their presence there.

"You must be Elena," the blue-eyed man said, before introducing himself. "I'm Damon, Stefan's brother."

Shit. I was right. He really is Stefan's brother. They don't look anything alike though. Blair's thoughts were racing a mile a minute, and she couldn't help but notice that they were now in a house with a vampire that had, one, attacked Bonnie just last night (she was sure it was him at this point), and, two, was most likely the one responsible for all the other 'animal attacks' of the last few days.

Blair had the sudden urge to scream at Elena to run but she refrained. How was she supposed to explain it to Elena, if she did? Most importantly, even if she were to warn Elena about Damon and what he really was, Damon wouldn't let them leave this house alive. Better to make sure Elena remained as oblivious as possible.

"He didn't tell me he had a brother," Elena answered.

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag," the vampire replied.

It seemed like he was about to add something else, but Blair interjected, "actually, he did." Better he focused his attention on her and not Elena.

Damon and Elena turned to look at her.

"He said he had a sibling he didn't talk to," Blair continued, ignoring the feeling of awkwardness in the pit of her stomach. Or was it fear? She couldn't tell.

"Right," Elena muttered.

"I'm sorry, I haven't had the pleasure, Miss…?" Damon asked, turning his attention to her. If Blair didn't know any better, she would have bought this gentleman-like act.

"Blair Gilbert." She extended her hand with a polite smile, deciding to play along. "And the pleasure is all yours."

Damon smirked and took her hand, his touch cool against her skin. His eyes—startlingly blue and far too knowing—locked with hers. "You're right. Anyone lucky enough to meet you would feel the same way."

"Smooth-talker, huh?," Blair asked with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you're Stefan's brother?"

"What can I say? I inherited our mother's charm and good looks, and he inherited our father's broodiness."

"Might have to work on the charm a bit more. It's not as effective as you think it is."

Damon was openly grinning now. "I never had any complaints before. And really, if my charm fails, I can always rely on my good looks."

"Then I'm afraid you're doomed."

"That sharp tongue of yours must be getting you in a lot of trouble."

Blair smirked and showed him the sharp tongue in question, licking her lips suggestively. "I never had any complaints…about my tongue or the way I use it."

Damon laughed, looking genuinely amused. "Oh, I like you." He said with a finger pointed in her direction.

Blair was amused as well, despite herself. It wasn't everyday a man could keep up with her banter. He was quick-witted as well as charming and good-looking. She bet he had no problem enticing prey without the use of compulsion.

Elena looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry to interrupt," she interjected. "But I was hoping to see Stefan?"

Damon's gaze never left Blair's face even as he answers Elena's question. "Stefan is not here at the moment. But, please, come. Let's not just stand here in the hallway. I'm sure Stefan will be along any second." Then he addressed Blair again. "So, Blair Gilbert, what brings you to the Salvatore boarding house? Looking for Stefan as well, or just curious about old architecture?"

"I'm the chauffeur," Blair quipped, gesturing toward Elena. "Though I have to admit, the house is impressive."

"I'd be happy to give you a private tour sometime." His voice dropped lower, the invitation unmistakable. "Did you know there are seven bedrooms in this house? Some haven't been open in decades. All are still fully furnished though."

"Are they? Fascinating. And they all have original furniture from the 1900's?"

"Yes, especially the wardrobes and bed-frames. I'm afraid they don't have mattresses anymore though. Only Stefan's, Uncle Zach's and mine's do."

"Huh…pity. What's good a bed without a mattress?"

"Yes, not exactly functional. If you want to be a guest here, I'm afraid you'll have to sleep in my bed."

"Or Stefan's."

"I don't think your sister would approve."

"There's always your uncle's."

"I wouldn't recommend it. His mattress is notoriously old and saggy."

"Can't be older than a century and a half."

"Well, no. But how old youlookis more important than how old you really are."

Blair grinned. Okay, this is fun. Who knew homicidal vampires could actually be fun? Well, psychopaths could be fun too, she supposed. So, why not vampires?

"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena asked in awe when they entered the parlor. Elena was right to be in awe, it looked amazing. It was practically as big as the entire second floor of the Gilbert house, all antique furniture, a stone fireplace, and tall windows that brightened the room considerably, in contrast with the hallway they were in before.

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction." Damon replied. "It's a little kitschy for my taste."

"I disagree," Blair said. "This room has a lot of history. The entire building does. More than a century of it, in fact. It was built in 1914, wasn't it? After the original Salvatore manor was destroyed in a fire, I believe."

Damon raised both eyebrows, looking impressed. "Huh, beautyandbrain. Lethal combination. Please, tell me you're not actually here to see my brother."

"No. Though I have an ulterior motive. I'm here to see your uncle, Zach? Is he here?"

"I'm sorry, no. He's not here. But perhaps I can help you with whatever you needed from him?"

Blair sent him a fake innocent look, batting her eyelashes and dripping her voice with honey. "You might. I was hoping to borrow the Salvatores' journals from the 1860's? I'm doing a history project about Mystic Falls during the American Civil War and those journals would be extremely useful."

"The Salvatore journals, huh?" He sent her a suspicious glare. "Let me see what I can do." Then he turned his attention back to Elena, effectively dismissing her.

Blair couldn't say she was particularly bothered by it. Chatting with him had been fun, in a bizarre way, but she was glad it was over. He was strangely—or perhaps not so strangely—unnerving.

"I see why my brother's so smitten," Damon was saying to Elena. Blair must have missed some of their conversation. "It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

"The last one?" Elena asked, a tremble in her voice.

"Yeah. Katherine, his girlfriend?" At Elena's blank look, Damon turned surprised. "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet." He pretended to be embarrassed about bringing the subject up but he was clearly faking. Did he want to cause trouble between Stefan and Elena? Why?

"Nope," Elena said, pretending she wasn't upset but not fooling anyone.

"Oops. Well, I'm sure it'll come up now. Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end." He was clearly needling her. Why would he want to cause trouble between Elena and Stefan? Why would he care?

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end," Elena said, clearly offended at Damon's fatalist look.

"Well, of course they are, Elena," Blair interjected. "We're humans. Everything in our lives has an expiration date. Why would relationships be any different? If you want eternal love, maybe you should date a vampire."

Elena scoffed. "Very funny, Blair."

"Yes, very funny, Blair. Everyone knows vampires don't exist. Hello, Stefan." Damon had said all in the same breath so it took a full second for the words to register. When they did Elena and Blair turned to the door. Stefan hadn't made a sound and Damon's back was facing the entrance. Damon wasn't trying very hard to hide the fact that he was a vampire, was he?

"Elena," Stefan said to her, ignoring Blair completely. Blair raised her eyes to the ceiling. Could he be any more obvious? "I didn't know you were coming over."

Elena looked uncomfortable."I know. I should have called, I just..."

"Oh, don't be silly," Damon interjected. He was enjoying the tense atmosphere, it was obvious. He seemed to thrive in chaos, but that was, in all likelihood, not all that strange for a vampire. Or maybe it was simply a brotherly rivalry thing, maybe it had nothing to do with the two of them being vampires. "You're welcome any time. Isn't she, Stefan? You know, I should break out the family photo albums or some home movies. But...I have to warn you. He wasn't always such a looker."

Elena smiled at him, the smile Blair recognized as her Elena 'this is awkward but I still have to be polite' smile.

"Thank you for stopping by, Elena. Nice to see you," Stefan said, as still as a statue and with a lack of expression to match.

Elena looked between Stefan and Damon, visibly uncomfortable. "Yeah, I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Damon."

"Great meeting you, too, Elena." Damon kissed the back of Elena's hand like gentlemen used to do in the past.

"Stefan? Stefan?" Elena called out to Stefan, who was blocking her way. Stefan moved aside but his eyes didn't leave Damon's form for a second. Blair made to leave as well—since both brothers had decided to ignore her presence there—but Damon's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"And Blair…" Damon turned to look at her, a smirk on his lips again. His so-very-blue eyes bored into hers, seemingly trying to convey some kind of message. "Forgive my brother's rudeness. I'm afraid he still hasn't learnt how to behave around women. Especially beautiful ones. You're welcome any time as well. Isn't she, Stefan?"

Stefan glared at Damon and didn't bother to answer.

Blair grinned. "I'm not sure Stefan would agree. He doesn't like me much. But thanks for the offer all the same, Damon."

"He doesn't like you?" Damon asked her, sounding scandalized at the very thought. Blair almost chuckled again. He could be so theatrical. "Well, that is news to me. In fact, I thought he liked youa great deal." There was a clear innuendo there that Blair didn't miss. Did he see them that night? "But perhaps I was mistaken."

Blair shrugged. "Well, your brother can be confusing. Who knows what he really thinks. But, I should go. Let me know about the journals, then."

"Will do," Damon said, taking Blair's hand as well but, unlike what he had done with Elena, he didn't kiss its back but he decided to put his lips on her wrist, right over her pulse. Blair shivered, despite herself, uncertain whether it was because of fear or arousal—or perhaps both. Damon smirked, having clearly heard her heart skipping a beat.

"I will see you soon, Blair, I'm sure," He added as a farewell. Almost the same words he had used yesterday night at the Grill. Was it a threat or an invitation?

Blair nodded and left the two brothers behind, joining Elena outside.

"Great gal, Elena. Whoo. She's got spunk," Damon said, just to irritate Stefan. "And Blair…huh…that girl is really the whole package. Hot, witty, smart. No wonder you're so conflicted. I would be too."

Damon could definitely understand Stefan's fascination now that he had met Blair properly, and it certainly explained his uncharacteristic behaviour. That girl was something else. He would certainly enjoy playing with her.

"I'm not conflicted," Stefan said through gritted teeth. He pronounced the word as if it had left a bad taste in his mouth. He looked constipated, the poor guy. The animal diet didn't suit him in the least.

"Sure, you are. It's okay to admit it, Stefan. It's just the two of us." Damon peered at Stefan's face, noticing he looked even broodier than usual. "You look pooped, brother. What is it? Did you over-exert yourself? Found a bad batch of Bambi blood? Oh, no…let me guess…hospital."

Stefan glared at him. "Someone had to clean up your mess."

Damon sent him a smirk. "Well, were you successful? Did the powers of persuasion work? Remember, if you don't feed properly, none of those little tricks work right."

Stefan ignored his question. Instead, he asked, "how long was Elena here?"

"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past? But, perhaps, it won't be like last time. I predict a love square in our future, instead of the old, boring, love triangle. Wouldn't that be a thing?"

Stefan glared. "I told you to leave Elena out of this. And, for the last time, I have no interest in Blair."

Damon shrugged. "Okay, so you won't mind if I have her for myself. She might be a fun distraction. She looks like the kind of girl who can show a man a good time. After all, if you can play the 'high-school human' game, perhaps I can too. Find myself a human girlfriend, as well…"

"I'm not playing any games."

Damon scoffed at Stefan's predictable reply. He was so deep in denial, it would be funny if it weren't so pitiable. "Of course, you are. We both know the closest you'll ever get to humanity is when you rip it open and feed on it."

Stefan ignored everything Damon had just said—which was also predictable—and asked, instead, "what kind of game are you playing, Damon?"

Damon shrugged again, sending him another smirk. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?"