𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙊𝙉𝙀
ミ★ ( lion and the lamb, act two ) ★彡

Hazel was at home with Elena and Jenna, helping their aunt set up for one of her infamous barbecues that she would hold every year. It wasn't for any special occasion besides wanting the people closest to her getting together, but Hazel enjoyed it regardless because even before the crash, it was an opportunity for the twins and Jeremy to see their aunt who was usually too busy with getting a thesis or an assignment done for her degree. Hazel was glad that Jenna was still keeping the tradition up despite missing two very important people in their lives.

Hazel poured a bag of chips into a bowl. Her favourite barbecue flavour that she hoped she could somehow hide throughout the day so no one else could have any, "Thanks for letting me invite Caroline." She tells Jenna, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, who was setting the table, "She could use a day of distraction." Caroline had officially broken it off with Matt a few nights prior because she didn't believe she could hone in the power to not hurt him again. That, and she saw the normal life he could have without her in it. Even if it meant letting Aimee freaking Bradley have him.

"Well, she's not the plus one I'm worried about." Jenna responds as she walks next to Hazel, looking directly at Elena, "Why is Damon coming?" She questions the younger twin, almost seething out his name. It's clear she doesn't like Damon Salvatore, and honestly, Hazel can't blame her because she feels the same.

Elena purses her lips, "Because Alaric is a pity taker." She answers and both Jenna and Hazel scowl, "Come on, be nice." She responds, grabbing a grape and putting it in her mouth.

"I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you." Jenna replies and Hazel hums in agreement.

The twins shared a pointed look at each other momentarily, dropping it when Mason walks into the room with a wide grin and shot glasses in his hands, "Good news! I found the shot glasses!" He says happily and Jenna laughs.

Hazel purses her lips and puts on a fake smile, "That would be our exit." She says, grabbing Elena's hand and the bowl of chips and walking outside of the house, passing by Damon and Alaric on the way out, hearing that the adults were having fun greeting each other and doing shots in the kitchen.

The twins were on the porch swing, waiting for the food to be ready, when Hazel pulls out her phone to call Stefan. She hadn't heard from him all day and they had spent the night apart, and she was getting concerned, because silence often meant bad news. He was supposed to be here—well, not really because he had never responded to say that he was coming. But, a response would be nice instead of being left in the dark. He doesn't answer her call again so she leaves a message, "Hey. Just checking in. Did you get my message about Jenna's barbecue? Call me when you can."

She ends the message and Elena gives her a sympathetic smile, "Still hasn't gotten in touch?" She asks, and Hazel shakes her head. Elena can only place her hand over hers comfortingly.

Caroline then walks out from inside the house and sits down with them. She had arrived a while ago and was acting slightly... off. Hazel was chalking it up to being down from the breakup, but it was bugging her in a way; Caroline doesn't normally act like this after a breakup. She's not normally this bitchy. Caroline grabs the bowl of chips and places it in her lap, "Is that Stefan?"

"Yeah, he hasn't called me back." Hazel nods. She the lets out an exhale and a small face of ridicule at herself. She's driving herself crazy with paranoia, but with their track record, she feels stupid not to, "I'm trying to decide if I should be worried."

"I'm sure he's fine." Caroline assures as she eats the chips and Hazel nods her head. She's right, Stefan is probably fine and is probably just busy, "God! I cannot stop eating." Caroline groans, letting out a small giggle and Hazel sends her an empathetic glance. She's always keeping in touch with her to see how she had been handling the transition, "Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. Well, I think it's horrible, just... fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day."

Hazel nods in understanding, "I know. I'm sorry you're going through that, Care. Stefan really hates that part of himself, too." She says, trying to relate to what Caroline was saying. He usually has a cup of coffee or a bourbon to help sublimate his cravings instead of a bag of chips, but it's all the same.

"Yeah, and he hates that you're a constant temptation." Caroline blurts out while she continues to shovel chips in her mouth.

     Constant?

Elena watches as Hazel's face falls, "He said that?" The younger twin asks.

Caroline nods and hums, "The desire to rip out her jugular every time he's with her?" She clarifies to Elena, turning to look directly at Hazel as if she hadn't basically stabbed her in her heart, "Trust me, it's there. It's why I had to break up with Matt." Hazel can only sink into her seat as if she was trying to make herself smaller from Caroline's blasé comment. She didn't know that. He never said that to her, or even implied it. She can't help but think if he did think that way about her, she had only made it worse by feeding him her blood to make him get better.

Alaric arrives, oblivious to the conversation that was just had between the girls, "Hey! Food's ready, come get it." He announces, not hanging around and walking back inside.

Caroline stands up almost immediately, "Finally. I'm starving." She says, going inside.

Hazel was still stuck in her chair and Elena was sat with her, both still in shock with what was just said. Elena could only ask, "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know." Hazel mumbles quietly, walking inside in a daze.

Lunch went by very slowly, and afterwards, they wanted to play a very bad—and somewhat targeted game of Pictionary; where Damon had drawn every stereotypical wolf topic he could think of. One being a horrendous wolf with a tutu that provided a small amount of distraction for the time, knowing that he was trying to send a message to Mason every time it was his turn. Now, Hazel is no artist; she could barely draw a stick figure, but even she could tell they were awful pictures.

The adults were now in the dining room having dessert; which was normally Hazel's favourite apple pie from the Grill, but she had no appetite for dessert. In fact, she barely had an appetite for lunch. Caroline, Elena and Hazel were in the living room, cleaning up after the game of Pictionary. Hazel had been quiet throughout lunch and the game, as Caroline's words clung deep to her heart and mind. She couldn't stop thinking about what she said. She turns to her sister and Caroline, "Would I be the worst friend in the world if I abandoned you guys and went to Stefan's?"

Caroline was putting the markers in the box when she stood up straighter in alarm, "You want to leave?"

"It's just that he hasn't gotten back to me and I'm starting to get this bad feeling..." Hazel explains anxiously. If there's anything she's learnt since dating Stefan, it's to trust her gut feelings.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Hazel." Caroline says.

"Damon's got it under control here." Hazel points out, peeking out to the dining room to see the adults all still drinking and eating the pie that looked strangely destroyed, "And I want nothing more than to get out from being under the same roof as Damon."

"Take it from me, there's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend." Caroline advises with a laugh.

Elena looks at her with confusion, wondering why Caroline was acting strangely with Hazel considering she is usually supportive. Hazel deflates again, "I'm not being clingy, I'm just concerned." She turns to Elena for assistance, "You understand me, right?"

Elena nods. She understands where Hazel was coming from, "Fine." Caroline gives up, offering instead, "How about I drive you?"

With the nightmares that have ramped up, Hazel doesn't want to drive as much. She nods, "Yeah, okay, that'll be great, thanks."

"I'm coming with." Elena decides as well and the twins walk outside towards Caroline's car and get inside.

The blonde gets inside the driver's side and starts the car, pulling out the Gilbert's driveway and towards the boarding house. Hazel was in the passenger seat, her hand gripping the handle for dear life. Her anxiety of being in the car is manifesting itself into car sickness. She swallows and turns to Caroline, "Thanks for this, I appreciate it."

"Here we come, to the rescue..." Caroline mutters bitterly.

"Why are you being so snippy?" Elena questions from the backseat.

"That's my own drama." Caroline answers before looking briefly at Hazel, "I'm sure that you two will beat the odds—not that there is any study to pull odds from. What is the ratio of success for vampire-human couplings? Well, I'm guessing nil."

Hazel's heart pangs. She isn't sure what she's done for Caroline to act like this. They've rarely fought, and when they did, it was never cold and so personal. Caroline just knows what to say to hurt her. Is it because she is projecting from her breakup with Matt? She has no clue, but it hurts either way. All she does is look out the window, tears brimming her eyes, "Okay, Caroline."

"Sorry." Caroline mutters guiltily. An awkward silence fills the car, and Caroline is avoiding Elena's dagger filled glare in the rearview mirror while Hazel silently cried, looking out the window. Suddenly, the tire bursts and the car swerves, causing Hazel to let out a gasp of fear, grabbing onto anything she could to brace for impact. It might've been dramatic, but this is what she feared the most, "Oh, crap." She says, pulling to the side of the road while Elena checked on her sister.

It was nighttime and the girls were still waiting for the tow truck that Caroline had apparently called. Elena was worried about Hazel. She was still sat in the passenger seat, not speaking to anyone while Elena and Caroline were outside. She looked as if she had completely shut down, exactly how she did after the accident—and the fact that the tyre blew and the car swerved, really didn't help. Elena could just imagine what she was remembering while she was silent, "Are you sure the tow's coming?" Elena asks as she walks over towards Caroline after checking to see if she could see the tow truck approaching, "We've been waiting forever."

"I know, it's weird. They said they'd be here by now." Caroline fiddles with her phone.

Elena reaches for her phone, "Yeah. I'm just gonna call Jenna."

"No!" Caroline stops her, "Just... let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my agro voice." She suggests.

Elena sighs and walks over to Hazel, knocking on the car to get her attention, "We can just walk from here if you want."

Hazel only silently nods and gets out of the car, but Caroline stands in front of them, "I can't just leave my car."

"We'll come back for it." Elena states.

"Just give me a minute, Elena." Caroline pleads as she types in a number.

"Caroline, what part of 'Hazel has a bad feeling and is worried about Stefan' didn't sink in?" Elena snaps protectively, pointing back at her sister.

"What's the rush?" Caroline asks curtly, "Why are you hurrying to get her to a relationship that will never work?"

Elena only blinks while Hazel scoffs, shaking her head. She doesn't have the energy to argue with her after what's been said, she just wants to check on Stefan and get that over with so she can just cry it out. Hazel decides she is going to walk to Stefan's, with or without them. Elena tries to grab her, but she shrugs her off, "Just... don't. Please. I want to be alone right now." She says quietly to her sister, "The walk will help me clear my head."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Elena asks.

Hazel shakes her head, "No, I just need a minute."

"Hazel—" Caroline starts.

"Just stop it, Caroline." Hazel snaps, holding up her hand, "I've had enough. I'm done. Whatever you have to say, just keep it to yourself." She says, turning around and walking away.

Elena lets out an angry exhale at Caroline, with narrow eyes, "Okay, look. I know that you're upset over Matt but will you stop projecting it onto Hazel and Stefan, please?" She asks, pointing in Hazel's direction, "She's supposed to be your best friend and you've done nothing but take jabs at her all day."

"I'm not projecting anything!" Caroline exclaims, "Hazel's human, he's a vampire. She's gonna be seventy and in diapers, and he's still gonna be smoking hot and... she will never have his children, Elena! And she is way too maternal to not have children!"

Elena's eyes can only widen in disbelief, "Where is this coming from?" She asks, "Because if she isn't concerned about all of that, then you shouldn't be reminding her of that every chance you get to push her out of a relationship she wants."

"I'm just trying to be her friend."

"Okay, well, do me a favor and stop trying." Elena snaps as the tow truck arrives.

Hazel enters the Salvatore Boarding House after her walk, her mind a little clearer and pieced together that Caroline was projecting her problems and insecurities onto her from the breakup. She just unfortunately knows what to say to make it hurt and upset her—which she will most definitely have a talk with her about when she sees her next and they have both calmed down from being so heated, "Hello?" She calls out, "Stefan?" She calls as she enters the living room. She hears someone approaching and she calls out again, "Stefan?"

She turns around and lets out a gasp of fright when she sees a face identical to hers. Her mind wants to tell her that it was Elena, and that she had caught up to her after she had left them at Caroline's car, but she could see the differences in her hair and outfit. This wasn't Elena, this was Katherine.

It was like looking in a mirror. Her head was tilted to the side and a smirk played on her lips like she had all the answers and held all the cards, and she most likely did. Hazel's heartbeat quickens and she feels weak at the knees, "You must be Hazel." She says, her eyes taking every detail about her in.

"How—how is this possible?" Hazel stammers, her voice barely above a whisper. She's so scared yet so intrigued as Katherine steps closer towards her like a lion stalking its prey; ready to attack at any second, Hazel takes a ghost of a step back, "How do we look exactly alike?"

Katherine doesn't answer but looks at her from top to bottom; she realises that Hazel is genuinely unsure of their lineage. They're face to face and so close, and Hazel is afraid to breathe too loudly. Katherine touches her neck with one finger as she speaks and walks behind her, "You're asking the wrong questions."

"Hazel!?" Stefan yells and she turns her head to look at him with her eyes wide and scared out of her mind. When she looks around, Katherine isn't there anymore. She lets out a pant of relief, and he takes a step towards her, checking for any wounds, "Are you okay?"

Hazel's chest rises and falls quickly, an anxiety attack creeping onto her as she pants. She shakes her head, "Not really." She answers. She then notices that he was bleeding, "Are you okay?"

"Not really." He answers before pulling her into a tight embrace and Hazel can let herself cry.

Hazel and Stefan arrive to the Grill later. Stefan had explained everything that had happened while Katherine was there and she gave him a rundown of the fight that she had with Caroline. Stefan had a hunch that Katherine was making Caroline work for her, and Caroline was only complying because she was scared of her. It was time to test that theory, so Hazel texted her best friend to meet her at the Grill to talk. As they walk in, Hazel spots Caroline immediately. She's sat at their usual booth alone with a sad frown on her face.

     Hazel excused herself and walks over to her, Stefan going to another table while she talks with Caroline. Caroline perks up when she sees Hazel approach, "Hazel."

      "Hey." She says quietly as she slides into the seat across from her.

      The two stare at each other awkwardly before Caroline breaks first, placing her head in her hands in shame, "Oh, my God. I am so sorry about earlier today. I don't—I don't know what came over me."

      Hazel lets out an exhale, "I get you were just trying to look out for me, but it just was hard for me to hear, you know? And I was confused where this sudden change of heart came from when you used to be so supportive of us."

      Caroline's puppy dog eyes appeared, "So... you're not mad at me?"

      The Gilbert girl shakes her head with a small smile on her face to say that they were fine, "You were just being a good friend... in your own way."

      Relief crosses Caroline's face at her friend's acceptance of her apology and she lets out a huff, "My own head-case, horrible way. Hazel... I really am sorry."

      Hazel offers her one last smile and nods, "I better get back to Stefan. Thanks for meeting me. I'll talk to you later." She says.

      The two say their goodbyes before Hazel climbs out of the booth and rejoins Stefan at the table he picked for them. He had a menu in hand while another was laid perfectly on the table in front of where she would sit. She picks up the laminated paper to begin to inspect it, even though she knew what she was going to order anyway—which was her usual; a bolognese pasta and a soda. As much as she wants a milkshake; it didn't go well with pasta, "I'm starving." He comments.

      The doppelgänger purses her lips in a slightly snippy manner, her eyes skimming over the menu, "Well, spending the day with your jealous ex that looks exactly like me will do that to you."

      Stefan lets out an exhausted sigh, running a hand over his face as if he had been catching her snarky comments all evening, "Listen, I know you're upset but—"

      Hazel puts her menu down harshly, "There is no buts. I shouldn't even be here with you right now. We have to take her seriously, Stefan."

      "Today, was all about the lengths she would go to." Stefan dismisses, "If she was going to hurt you, she would have. You were standing right in front of her."

      Hazel lets out a scoff as she crosses her arms, "I probably caught her off guard. It doesn't mean that I'm safe." She argues, "If she was trying so hard to keep you from me all day to just talk to you, who's to say that she won't go further to get me out of the picture?"

     Stefan shakes his head in denial, "I'm not afraid of her. I can protect you."

      "Well, if you've taught me anything about her; you should be."

       "If Katherine had her way, we'd be breaking up right now."

        Hazel lets out a sarcastic chuckle, "Oh, like Katherine isn't used to getting her way already? She told you she doesn't want you to be with me or she'll kill the people that I love."

       Stefan blinks in shock, "You're not... you're not saying that we should do what she says?" He asks, "You want to break up again?"

       "She's sadistic and dangerous, okay? I can't just ignore that. I can't ignore that she will hurt people that can't defend themselves against her because we're together. That's not fair."

       "Why are you giving her so much power over our relationship?" He asks, "I love you, and I will do anything to protect you and your family." He says and Hazel just stares at him sadly because she doesn't believe that entirely. She's older; stronger and has a thirst for control. She's not lying when she says she can't completely ignore what she's threatened him with if they stay together. Stefan lets out a sigh, "This is what she wants; she wants us to fight. She wants to get between us."

       Hazel lets out a sigh herself, "Yeah, well, I think she already has, Stefan." She admits before grabbing her bag and leaving the restaurant to go home, completely aware that Caroline had been listening to their conversation the whole time.

When Hazel reaches her bedroom, she sees Stefan already there. Her frown is still on her face from when she left the Grill because the fight didn't feel fake anymore, and that's probably why she was able to get through it and pass it off as realistic—because there's a part of her that believed what was being said; she is scared of Katherine, and if Katherine wants Stefan, that means Hazel and everyone she loves is in danger. Stefan notices her expression and exhales in concern, "Are you okay?"

Hazel can only shrug. She doesn't know how to answer the question. She's unsure of if she's okay or not. Stefan pulls her into his embrace, her face slightly squished into his chest, "I hated that fight." Was all she could say. It's the truth. She did hate fighting with him, especially over his jealous ex-girlfriend.

"I know, me too. It felt too real." Stefan whispers as he presses a comforting kiss to her head. Hazel doesn't respond. She thinks there's a part of it that was real from her part. He pulls away, "Did you see Caroline?"

She nods, "Yeah." She exhales, running a hand through her hair sadly, "I think we were right. Katherine got to her. She was hanging on to every single word from our fight."

He nods in agreement, "It won't be long before Katherine gets a play by play."

Hazel only walks toward her bed and sits down on the edge of it, picking off the pilled wool on it, an evident frown on her face again, "I wish I was wrong, but I know Caroline too well." She says. She didn't want to believe it at first; Caroline wouldn't betray her, but after how she was acting today, it was a different Caroline compared to the one she knew. Hazel doesn't blame her, she knows she wouldn't do it willingly and that Katherine must've threatened her, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less, "It was so obvious that something was up today."

Stefan sits beside her and she sighs, "You're not wrong. It's pure Katherine. She's always finding somebody to do her dirty work."

Hazel finally looks up at him, "What are we going to do?" She can't help but ask, "I can't let the people I love get hurt because I'm being selfish by being with you."

Stefan takes a moment to think of options. After a bit, he licks his lips and answers, "We keep this facade up—that we're fighting and we tell no one; even Elena and Damon. The only way Katherine is gonna believe that we're rocky, is if everybody believes it. That's the best way to make her think she's getting what she wants."

Another sighs escapes her lips and she looks away to shake her head in disbelief, "All this... just to get you back."

Stefan gently grabs her chin and makes her look at him, seeing her sad eyes, "I know it might seem that way, but it's not why she's here, okay?" He reassures her. After the conversation they had, he doesn't believe it's simply just him that bright her back to Mystic Falls, "No matter what she says, I know her. Katherine doesn't care about anybody but herself, she never has. She's incapable of love. She's here for another reason."