Eat Your Heart Out

It was quite late when we pulled back into Mystic Falls. Newbie never caught back up, which was one thing to be grateful for.

Kris started to talk within a couple hours of being awake – but the conversation was a bit uncomfortable. She wasn’t kidding about the questions.

“So we take it slow, I got that. But I sure as hell am not doing a ‘group date’.”

“Then it’s very public areas.”

“Fine. I don’t know why you’re worried. Your jewelry is covered in vervain.”

That got me a heavy glare.

“And you ask my brothers for permission.”

“Hell, you really don’t want this date to happen.”

“I told you before; I’m not lying to them anymore. It’s very tiring to make stories work together.”

I sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t change her mind on this part. “Alright, but we are going to wait until they calm down.”

“Calm down from what?”

“Oh, I don’t know. That you’ve been missing for a week and then all of a sudden I bring you home.”

She got really quiet. “Do you really think that they will be that mad?”

I looked over at her, eyebrow raised.

“Shit,” she hissed, burying her face in her arms.

“Hey, you’re the one who took off.”

“I needed air.”

“For what?”

She glared at me, halfway shouting the next part. “My brothers just told me that you were the original one that had attacked me at the Chicago station. Not only did I just get that my brothers had been lying to me for years, but I find out that the guy I started to fall for originally tried to kill me!”

There it was. I knew somehow this topic would be brought up. “I didn’t try to kill you.”

“Really? Because I have a fuzzy memory of drinking something and someone walking away. My brothers said they saw you walking away from my unconscious body.”

“I didn’t try to kill you. You were bleeding, a lot, and ran into me. I may be heartless, but I can’t kill a kid. There’s something wrong with that. So I healed you. I fed you my blood, then left. Besides, a kid would have been like…an afternoon snack, not a meal.”

She was silent for a moment. “How do I know you aren’t lying?”

I locked my jaw. After all this and she still doesn’t trust me. “Go ask Jeremiah. He likes to brag about it.”

She fell silent as I pulled up in my driveway. Her eyes locked on her house, and I hear her heartbeat jump up.

“Can I –“

“Nope, you need to go talk to them.”

“It’s really late.”

“It’s not like they sleep.”

“D-“

“Nope,” I replied, getting out of the car and grabbing her bag.

She climbed out slowly, walking to my side, but then she didn’t move.

“Go,” I said nudging her forward.

Slowly she walked to her house. She took out her key and unlocked her door – which I’m sure alerted her brothers. By the time it was fully opened, both were in front of her. The two of them sandwiched her in between them like she would take off at any second.

I set the pack down in front of the door and turned to leave. I’m sure that there was plenty of family bonding that would soon be happening that I did not need to be a part of.

I walked inside my own house, pouring a glass of scotch.

“You’re home.”

“I am.”

“Where’s Kris?”

“With her brothers for a conversation I am not needed for.”

I could almost feel my brother’s relief that I hadn’t told him I found her corpse or something.

“Did anything happen at the ball?” I said turning to face him.

He shook his head. “He’s been quiet this whole time. Almost like he knew she was gone.”

“Of course he knew.” I replied taking a sip. “It’s a small town, you know who leaves.”

I could feel his eyes on me, so I turned to look at him. His arms were crossed and his eyes furrowed, in a very normal Stefan pose.

“What?”

“I’m surprised that you aren’t over there with her.”

“There are things that need to be talked about that do not include me.”

“Like what?”

“Like why her brothers have been lying to her for so long –“ I held up my hand before he could interrupt me. “There is a lot of things that were revealed, and I have to wait for the waters to calm before I can even talk to her. You know I don’t do this emotional shit well.”

A heavy sigh slipped from him. “Well, at least she’s safe. He can’t get in the house.”

I finished the last of my drink and began to pour another one. “She’s not safe until we catch that dirty bastard.”