Chapter Text
It's funny, how being an immortal seems to drown out the rest of the world. Everything becomes the same.
Stefan juggled his small slide phone in one hand, wandering down the nearly deserted streets of the town he called home. Few people were out at this hour, everyone huddled inside bakeries to get their morning fix for their late morning jobs, conversations carried by the light breeze and straight to his heightened ears. They spoke of gossip, kids, and work, the babble traveling from the mom-and-pop shops littering each sidewalk. What followed was the scent of coffee he was forced to drink each day and crisp cinnamon. His nose shriveled at just how strong the cinnamon was, huffing from the itch.
His girlfriend Elena had just called, she was asking about where he was and how much longer till he arrived. Mystic Falls High School was hosting a car wash. “We’re getting swamped and Caroline’s getting fussy.” Elena’s voice hushed and Stefan couldn’t help but smile, hearing the slave driving blonde barking orders from a distance on her end. Sounds like those who could make it, did. “How long till you’re here?”
But every once in awhile you find someone worth living for. They give a whole new perspective to things you’ve seen and done countless times. And then, wanting them to stick around drowns out all logic. The fact that you’re putting them in danger, just being there.
“A little while. My uncle needed me for something.” More like the other way around. They were keeping an eye on Damon and finally figured out how to handle him.
Damon was reckless, again. Stefan tried saving him. Again. That plan crashed and burned and honestly? He was fed up. So Stefan threw him into the cell and him and his long distant nephew, Zach, finally devised something.
It was rather rushed but once done, Stefan left the Boarding House swiftly. The winds and twigs grazing his body as he had sped through the woods, having to walk the rest of way so as to not get spotted by any threat. The Council was back and he didn’t feel like dying. Stefan finally had something to live for, again.
Well, make that two somethings.
But you justify it. It might end badly or on even terms, you know, but you think it’s worth it. Live in the moment and suffer the truth of eternity later. You’ll be alone. It’s not like that’ll ever disappear.
Stefan’s brisk walk on the pavement grinded to a halt, a suddenly puzzled voice catching his attention. It was immediately recognisable, his brother’s only closest friend. The same young woman who had died from the plummeting buildings of 9/11. Craning his head towards the source, he followed it at a human’s hurried pace. Damon’s slurred and hollowed state carried over the phone way back then, still haunting him to this day. Stefan remembered just how much of an impact this one girl had on his older brother. Then how the hell is she here?
He rounded the corner and pressed his chapped lips, suppressing the millions of questions that threatened to bubble past his throat. There stood Danielle with some young woman beside her, the second woman facing him. Funny how he could even recognise Danielle with her back turned to him. His left hand reached up to run through his gelled hair, brows creasing at the hand pointed at him. Oh wait, it was at the paper fluttering past him.
“Hey, could you catch that?” The unknown woman hollered just as Danielle was turning over her shoulder. A quick stumble into the street and Stefan snatched it roughly, jogging over to them. He was unfazed by their scrutinizing gazes.
“Here you two go.” He kept his posture casual, finding a chance to start up a conversation. Is… The texture felt off, catching his attention. Stefan’s polite, candied smile fell. Is this a napkin? Looking down at the paper, indeed it was. With directions written all over it in pen . “Where are you two headed, are you lost?” Finally, he looked back up at both of their beady blinking brown eyes.
“You’re Paul Wesley….” The accompanying Asian woman spoke dumbfounded with a finger pointed at him. She just blinked again and narrowed her eyes. Clearly, she looked doubtful of herself. Shouldn’t he have a beard? And he looks thinner…
Stefan blinked with a small tilt of his head. ...What? She must have had him confused for someone else. He was about to get a word in when Danielle beat him to it.
Said young woman nudged her best friend in the side, hard. Putting on a wide smile, she extended her right light skinned hand. Her left reached up and carefully readjusted the shoulder strap of her small purse that sat on her right shoulder, next to the spaghetti strap of her floral dress. “Hey, I’m Alex and this is Stella.”
Alex? The name didn’t fit the figure. Trying to keep his disbelief from showing, he gave her a quick look over while he extended a hand to her. He tried to be subtle about it.
He didn’t see the ring Damon had managed to have a witch make her. There was no Lapis Lazuli. Maybe she wears it as a necklace? The notion wasn't that uncommon. He didn’t spot any chain. Either way, she wasn’t combusting, so she had to have some form on Lapis on her person. He brushed the thought aside. As if not having that momento was not enough cause for concern, Danielle also didn’t seem to recognize him. Granted, their last meeting had been in the late 90s, but even before she had recognized him everywhere and always, no matter how bad he looked. Now - no trace of recognition. None. Instead, she just kept looking more contained every second.
Speaking of, she gripped his hand with such assertiveness, he felt like he was making a formal deal. “That’s quite the grip you’ve got there.” He commented, offering a light smile. She mirrored him and hummed softly.
‘Alex’? He rolled the name over again in his head. No. He refused to acknowledge it. Crossed it off in one fell swoop. She had to have amnesia. Maybe seeing Damon would jog her memory? But was it possible? Word had never traveled when he interacted with other vampires. That left it as plausible.
So you hold onto that light. Love, care, and support them. Be it a romantic or platonic relationship, you don't want them gone.
Stefan felt the need to help the woman not only for her own sake but for his brother’s as well. All he needed was an opportunity to speak to her alone about all this and get her out of sight of any enemies. If she started to learn of her abilities out in broad daylight, it would spell trouble for him.
“I’m Stefan, it's nice to meet you.”