💫
Rory's outfit

💫

Rory stood in the parking lot when Stefan drove in and got out the car
"Nice car." She approached him
"Thought it was a waste to leave it in the garage." He said and kissed her

"I didn't know you were coming back today." Rory told him
"You know, I woke up this morning and I was feeling great and I figured it was time for me to get back into things." He said
"Does that mean you're okay now, with all the cravings?" She asked.

"Yeah, I mean the worst part is over so...now all I want to do is just spend as much time with you as possible." He said
"I'm very much okay with that." She kissed him.

"Hey, thank you for helping me get through the rough patch." He said
"No problem, I'd do it any day. We're gonna be late." She said
"Okay, uh, you know what? I'll catch up with you, I'm gonna grab my stuff. I'll be right behind you." Rory nodded.

"Okay."

💫

Rory and Caroline were walking through the parking lot when they saw Bonnie and Elena
"Bonnie! Bonnie! Thank god you're home!" Caroline hugged Bonnie and then Rory
"I know we talked everyday but I missed you." She said.

Bonnie and Rory talked especially after Gram's funeral. They both were close to the woman and loved her dearly, they were there when she passed. They were each other's support system.

"How are you doing?" Rory asked
"Better. Better. You know, glad to be back and trying to keep myself busy." Bonnie said
"Well, I can help with that. Major wardrobe problem. You need to help me pick up the perfect dress for the Founders' court." Caroline said.

"The Founders' court? Did I miss something?" Elena asked
"The Founders' court! You know, Miss Mystic Falls. They announced it today and you and I are both on it." Caroline reminded her
"Oh my god! We signed up for that so long ago...I completely forgot."

"So, are you dropping out then?" Caroline asked
"I can't." Elena shook her head
"No?" She asked.

"Her mom is the one who wanted her to enter." Rory explained and Caroline nodded.

💫

"Sorry I am late I was doing Miss Mystic Falls stuff." Rory said
"You're competing?" Damon asked
"Absolutely not. But I do know the dance like the back of my hand thanks to Caroline." She said.

"Good to know." He said
"So, what are we doing?" She asked
"Each other?" Damon suggested.

"I will leave." Rory threatened
"Fine." He rolled his eyes
"I'm gonna teach you how to drive."

"I know how to drive."
"Safely." He added and she stopped talking
"Let's go." Rory walked out and then into her car.

"Never mind I think I'd be more safe being in a car with John Gilbert." Damon said
"Shut up." Rory slapped his shoulder
"Now, start the car." He said.

"No shit." She said
"Quiet." He told her and she shut up. Damon then leaned over to her
"Good girl."

"Right. Now, drive." He said.

💫

"What did you think?" Rory turned to him to see him holding onto the handle
"It was... good." He cleared his throat
"Really?" She asked with a smile.

"Yep." He nodded.
"Thank you." She wrapped her arms around him then kissed his cheek
"I can't do tomorrow but I will text you when I can." She said and he nodded.

"See you tomorrow."

💫
Rory's outfit

💫

The next day, Rory came downstairs to see Elena and Alaric talking
"I heard you're driving." Rory said
"Yeah I am. Let me get that for you." He then took the dress from Elena
"Thanks."

"How...how is Stefan?" Alaric asked Rory
"What do you mean?" She asked
"You know, he seems on edge." He said.

"He went through a lot, he was in bad shape for a while but he's bouncing back now. Besides if anything had change he would tell me." She said and he nodded
"Alaric. Hey buddy, what are you doing here?" John asked as he arrived.

"I'm the chauffeur." He said
"I thought I was driving." John voiced his thought
"No need, we're going with Ric." Jenna walked down stairs. 

"So now you can do what everyone wanted you to do. Fuck off." Rory smiled at him
"Are we ready?" Elena asked and they all nodded
"Jeremy can ride with you." Jenna said and they all left John standing there.

💫

"You look amazing." Rory said while doing Caroline's hair
"Really?" She asked
"Absolutely." She nodded.

"Thank you for helping me with this."
"No problem."
"I'll help you with your zipper when you've got the dress on, okay?" Caroline nodded and went to change.

"Hey, how's everything with Caroline?" Elena asked
"It's good. Her hair will look amazing if I do say so myself which I do." Rory flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Rory!"
"Duty calls." Rory then left
"It looks amazing." She said as she saw her dress then zipped it up.

"Thank you." Caroline hugged Rory.

💫

Rory sat in a room quickly putting in her earrings when Damon walked in
"Hey." She turned to him and stood up. Damon stood there for a few seconds just looking at her, he was completely enticed by her. The way her hair fell down below her shoulders, the way her dress reached just below her knees which led everyone to see her heels.

He then turned his head before clearing his throat and talking to her
"We need to talk." He said
"Yes?" She asked
"Normally I would have a completely different outlook of what I'm about to tell you but since it could really inconvenience me, I'll squeal." He said.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked
"Stefan's still drinking human blood." He said
"What?" She asked.

"Yeah, a month ago I would have rejoiced but with the council back on the alert, it is not a good time for Stefan to fly off the handle." Damon said
"I know he's been a little edgy but he said that was normal." She said
"He has a fridge full of stolen blood bank contraband in the house." He added.

"Oh my god." She sat down
"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 to control it and now it's controlling him instead." Damon explained.

"I can't believe this. I mean, I would of helped him or tried but he didn't tell me."
"Stefan on human blood Rory; he'll do anything, he'll say anything or not say anything because he's not gonna want to stop. Trust me." Just then Stefan entered the room.

"What's going on in here?" He asked
"I was just filling Rory on your extra-curricular activities." Damon said
"What are you talking about?" He laughed off.

"I know about the blood." Rory sighed
"I'm uh - I'll be downstairs, drinking." Damon left
"I was going to tell you." He said.

"When?" She asked
"I'm fine. I'm fine, the blood, it doesn't change anything." He said
"Well considering the lying. It's definitely changing something."
"Why? Because I kept it a secret from you? Come on Rory, look, giving the way you're reacting right now, can you really blame me for doing that?" He asked.

"Are you hearing yourself right now? You've been stealing blood and lying and you say that everything's fine? Everything's not fine, Stefan! I had to hear it from fucking Damon of all people?" She asked.

"So what - so you and Damon all of a sudden have everything figured out then?" He asked
"It's not about Damon. It's about what's happening to you." She shot back
"I know and I'm telling you that I'm fine. I'm fine. Please, come on. Rory I thought you...I thought you believed in me." Stefan said.

"It's not about not believing in you, it's about you lying and me having to have Damon tell me than you."
"What is this obsession with Damon? I bet you're so fucking happy about being soulmates with Damon so you could finally admit you liked him." Stefan said
"You know what?" Rory stood up and walked to him.

"Fuck you." She walked past him and out the door.

💫

"Damon?" Damon heard Rory call out and he walked to the bottom of the stairs
"Present." He said and Rory walked down the stairs as he smiled at her
"I need a drink." She shook her head.

"No. Come with me." He held out his hand and she took it. He then led her into a room
"Now is not the time. The pageant is about to start." She shook her head
"Oh I know but you need to relax." He said.

"I'm not having sex with you."
"Not what I was talking about. That's plan B." He said
"Then what?" And the music started.

"You said you knew this dance off my heart. Prove it."
"Yes I only know the male part of the dance." She corrected
"I'm sure you'll learn it quick."

"Rory Sommers." He held out his hand
"Damon Salvatore." She accepted it and they began to dance
"This is awful." She laughed.

"Don't be a downer." He said
"This is why I would never compete." She said
"Oh please, the girls this year are lucky you didn't compete." He said and she rolled her eyes.

💫

After the dance Rory went to stand to hear the winner as Damon went to find Stefan
"Before I crown the winner, I'd like to offer a personal thank you to all of these young ladies for their efforts to better our community." Mayor Lockwood said.

"So, without further a due it is my honour to announce our very own Miss Mystic Falls, Miss Caroline Forbes!" He announce and everyone applauded as Caroline received her sash.

💫

Everyone was talking when Rory went up to Damon
"What is it, did you find him?" She asked
"There were signs of a struggle in the upstairs bathroom." He said.

"There was blood and that Amber girl is missing." He added
"Oh my god." She gulped
"Let's just find him, okay? Let's get your coat come on." He said and they both walked out of there.

💫

Rory and Damon were looking for Stefan when they see him biting Amber's neck 
"Stefan!" Stefan released Amber and turned to them as blood spilled out his mouth
"Stefan, come on get control. It's okay, come on. Breath through it man." Damon approached his brother but Stefan threw him against a tree.

"Stefan stop it!" Rory shouted then all of a sudden Stefan held his head in pain and Rory turned to see Bonnie and she knew exactly what was happening. It all stopped and Stefan looked at Rory then at Damon
"It's okay. Stefan." He said but then Stefan ran away leaving them standing there with Amber on the ground.

💫

The police arrived and Liz Forbes walked to them
"She doesn't remember what happened." She said
"It's a good thing the girls got here when they did, she lost a lot of blood." Damon said.

"You didn't see anything?" She asked the girls
"No, we just found her and then called Damon." Rory said
"Is she gonna be okay?" Bonnie asked.

"It looks like it yeah. Why don't you girls get back to the party? Damon and I can take it from here." Liz said and they both nodded
"Okay." Then they left.

💫

Stefan entered his room when he saw Rory there
"You shouldn't be here." He shook his head
"I know." She said
"Now you know." He nodded.

"You weren't in the best mindset." She said
"Oh, it was absolutely me. A monster, a predator, that's who I am Rory." He said
"That's what the blood without a certain amount of control makes you." She corrected.

"The blood brings out what's inside of me and if you think any differently then you're an idiot." He said
"Fine, then I'm an idiot. But I'm not leaving." She stayed put
"I wanted to drain every ounce of blood from that girl's body." He said.

"That's what the blood did."
"It's who I am Rory." He repeated
"No, you're not going to scare me off." She said.

"Why would you risk it? Why would you come here?" He asked
"Because I did this, this is my fault; I'm the one who made you drink the blood." She said
"All you did was expose me to who I really am." He said.

"I can support you." She said
"Stop saying that!" He shouted and she walked to him

"Don't get any closer to me." He said.

"I'm not gonna let anything bad happen to you." She said
"Stop." He told her
"Stefan, I'm not gonna give up on you! I believe in you!" She shouted.

"Stop!" He pushed her against the wall then slammed his fist into the wall
"Stop!" He shouted and she looked up at him. Her throat started to close up since she had always had issues with authority and shouting.

"I'm so sorry." He let her go after he saw her expression and Rory gulped
"It's okay. It's okay." She brushed off, she wanted to help him. Stefan put his head on her shoulder as held tightly
"I don't know what's happening to me." Rory felt tear drops on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Stefan. Its okay. You're gonna be okay." She said a
"Which is why I am so sorry." She then took a small syringe with vervain and stabs him with it and he falls to the ground.

"Sure you want to do this?" Rory lifted her head to Damon and she reluctantly nodded
"I'm sure." She quietly said and Damon carried Stefan to a cell in the basement
"You don't have to be here." He said as she looked around the dark room.

"There's no guarantee it's going to work." Damon said
"It has to." She looked up at him
"Coming?" He asked and she shook her head.

"I'm gonna stay here." Rory slid down the wall facing the cell as tears clouded her eyes. Damon then sat down next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder as tears fell down her face.

💫
Rory's Outfit

💫

Damon looked at an object in his hand when Rory entered the room
"Did you ever figure out what that is?" Rory sat next to him
"Nope. Whatever it is, it doesn't work." He said.

"Pearl didn't say anything else about it?" Rory asked
"She thought she was stealing his vampire compass, but that was a pocket watch. That Johnathan Gilbert was a crazy scientist. Have you spoken to him lately?" Damon looked at her.

"I've been avoiding him because I can't stand him, actually. That, and I've been here most nights." She said
"So, you'll be here again tonight?" He asked
"Is that a problem?" She crossed her arms.

"Yes. You're a complete nuisance." He told her and she laughed
"Yes I am because you must hate seeing me everyday."
"That's because I don't get a kiss."

"And guess what." Rory leaned closer to him
"What?" He asked as she leaned in more, their lips nearly touching
"You're not gonna." She pulled away from him and stood up.

"See you later." She waved and he groaned while waving back.

💫

Rory was walking into her room putting clothes in a bag when she called Damon
"What?" He asked
"Rude." She pouted.

"Fine, what my beautiful soulmate?" He asked
"You think I'm beautiful?" Rory asked with a smile
"Rory..."
"Fine, I'm just grabbing some clothes, and then I'll be right over. How's Stefan?" She asked.

"Extra broody. Hold on." Seconds later he comes back
"He won't eat anything." He said
"He has to eat what's his favourite...Kind of, um..." She didn't know how to put it into words.

"His favourite kind of what?" He asked
"Type of animal blood that he prefers?" She whispered down the phone
"Ew. Gross." He grimaced.

"Your joking doesn't help." She opened her closet door
"Helps me. Now, hurry up. I can't baby-sit all night. I have things to do." He said
"I would say, 'drop dead,' but I think fuck off will work." Damon gave a fake laugh.

"Stefan likes...Puppy blood...Little golden retriever puppies with cute, floppy ears. That's his favourite." Rory scoffed
"Asshole." She said before hanging up the phone then closed her closet to see John.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" She checked her pulse.

"Sorry." He said
"John." She then walked past him
"I thought we could talk. We haven't had a chance to catch up." He said.

"I'm actually just heading out and you never have time to 'catch up' any other time you visit." She walked downstairs
"Well, it won't take long." He promised
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked rolling her eyes.

"Well...I know you know." He said
"Know what? You're a prick?" She asked
"It's really silly to keep pretending. What do you think your mother would say. If she knew you were dating a vampire?" He said walking closer to her.

"I'm not. I'm fucking them. Both of them." She gave a fake gasp before leaving.

💫

Rory went down to the basement and saw Stefan
"How you feelin'? Damon says you need to drink that. You need it, Stefan. Can't survive without it." She told him
"I don't want to survive." He said.

"What?" She asked
"I'm sorry, Rory. No more. After what I've done, it has to end. I just want it over." He said and Rory nodded then went to the living room
"He's just being dramatic. He's not gonna starve himself." Damon said.

"Why would he say that?" She asked
"He feels bad about hurting that girl. It's a very typical Stefan martyr stuff. It will pass." Damon brushed off
"Will it? Because he seemed to be in a lot of pain. Every time I look at him my heart aches literally." She said.

"Yeah. Well, that will pass, too, once he eats." Damon said only trying to focus on the first part
"I didn't mean physical pain." She said
"I know what you meant. Look, are you gonna be okay here if I have to run out? I have to go to an errand with the teacher." Damon said.

"The teacher? Alaric? Are you two friends now?" She asked with a teasing smile
"I don't have any friends, Rory." He said
"Right." She nodded.

"You should, um, you should stay up here. You shouldn't be down there by yourself." Damon advised
"I'll be fine." She said and he turned to her.

"You know...You're very trusting of him, given the circumstances." He said
"So are you. Otherwise, you wouldn't be leaving." She told him and he kissed her head
"I won't be long."

💫

Rory then walked back down to the basement
"You know, Damon hasn't fed me vervain in a while. I could be at those bars in a flash, and you'd be dead." Stefan said
"Yeah, you could. But you won't." She said
"Please just go away. I don't want you here." He told her.

"Here goes nothing." She whispered and entered the cell
"What are you doing? Get out of here." He told her
"No." She just stood there.

"You're taking a stupid risk. I could hurt you." He said and she picked up the bottle of blood
"Then I'm stupid. You need to drink this." She held it out
"Rory, get out of here, or you'll regret it." He threatened.

"Drink." She told him
"I said get out!" He shouted as he knocked out the bottle of blood out of her hand
"No!" She shouted back.

Rory then sat down facing him
"Talk to me, Stefan. Why are you doing this?" She asked
"I'm making the decision I should have made years ago." He told her.

"What are you talking about?" She asked
"You have to feed in order to complete the transition." He said
"I know that." She nodded.

"It was a choice I shouldn't have made."

💫

Rory listened to him talk when he then looked up at her then down at the floor
"How can you even look at me right now?" He asked her
"Because I'm in love with you." Stefan looked up at her.

"It physically hurts to see you like this but you need to be able to talk about these things, Stefan. I need to hear them. Come upstairs. We can talk about it more, and we'll keep talking as long as you need." She told him
"You're so sure I'm ready?" He asked her and and she placed his ring next to him.

"And when you feel the same way...I'll be upstairs." She then left the cell.

💫

Rory sat on the couch when Damon walked in
"Ugh. God. You're still here?" He asked her
"Were you expecting anything else?" She asked.

"No." He picked up her legs then sat down on the couch and placed her legs over his lap
"So, how was the 'errand'?" She asked
"Futile. Although, I think I witnessed the teacher having an existential crisis. Has Stefan eaten yet?" Damon asked.

"I thought you didn't care." She said
"Chalk it up to morbid curiosity." He told her
"I think he's getting there. But he's got a lot of guilt that he has to deal with. And it doesn't help that you've spent the last 145 years punishing him for Katherine getting caught." She whispered.

"This is my fault now?" He asked her
"No, it's no one's fault, Damon. I'm just...saying you're not exactly innocent. According to him you've made it your life's mission to make him miserable." She said.

"Let me ask you a question. In all this important soul-searching and cleansing of the demons of Stefan's past, did you ever manage to get the rest of the story?" He asked
"He said there was more." She said
"Yeah. That's an understatement." He muttered.

"Then tell me."

💫

"From the moment Stefan had his first taste of human blood, he was a different person. I suppose I should thank him. It's been a hell of a ride." He told her
"Oh, my God. He said he wanted to die. That's why he won't feed. Now I understand why." She said.

"His choice. If he's stupid enough to make it, so be it." Damon said
"Don't do that. Okay? Don't pretend like you don't care." She told him and then stood up
"Where are you going?" He asked her but she went downstairs to see his ring still there.

💫

Rory walked to the quarry when she saw Stefan
"Stefan. Damon told me the rest of the story. I thought I might find you here." She told him
"I should have died that night, just like I had chosen. I should have let Damon die, too." He said.

"But you didn't. And if you die now, it's not gonna change what happened." She said
"Every single person that's been hurt...Every single life that's been lost, it's because of me." He told her.

"Stefan, we can't change the past. I know that. But Stefan, when I told you in the cellar that I was in love with you. I mean it. Being without you hurts me physically, I didn't need the soulmate thing to truly love you. It added to it, it made me not be afraid to let someone in my life for them to leave. I love you so much." She said.

"I made a choice, Rory. Because of that choice, a lot of people were hurt." He said
"You also made a choice to stop, to reject the person that the blood made you. You made a choice to be good, Stefan." She said
"No. Please don't do that." He told her.

"That's the person who I'm lucky to spend the rest of my life with." She said
"Please. Don't make this all okay." He shook his head
"That's the person who saved my life."

"You don't understand, Rory." He said
"Then make me understand." She told him.

"It hurts me. It hurts me, knowing what I've done, and that pain...That pain is with me all the time. And every day, I think that if I just...If I just give myself over to the blood, I can make that pain stop. It would be that easy, and every day, I fight that. And I am so terrified that one day, I'm not gonna want to fight that anymore, Rory. And the next time I hurt somebody...It could be you." He said.

"There will be no next time."
"You don't know that." He shook his head
"Maybe I don't. But what I do know. Is that you can take this, throw it in the quarry, and let the sun rise. Or you could take this ring and put it on and keep fighting." She gave him his ring.

"It's your choice." She turned and started to walk
"Rory." She turned around and Stefan put his ring on and kissed her
"I love you too."

💫

Rory and Stefan walked into the living room to see Damon
"Little boy lost." He said and Rory looked between them
"I'll be upstairs, okay?" She said.

"Okay." Stefan nodded and she turned to Damon
"Good night, Damon." She then walked upstairs and sat on Stefan's bed with a sigh.

Then a smile spread onto her face. She was in love.

Stefan then joined her upstairs and sat on the bed
"How is he?" Rory asked
"He'll be fine." He sighed then he turned to her and kissed her.

"I want to complete the bond." She said and he looked at her
"I know it might be hard with the blood but..."

"It's alright, I'll be okay." He reassured her then he kissed her. He kissed down her neck and Rory let out a moan.

"Are you sure?" He asked
"Yes." She let out breathlessly and he started to kiss her more. He pulled away and bit his wrist making it bleed then continued to kiss her neck while holding up his wrist.

Rory felt a sharp pierce on her neck but it wasn't sore, it felt euphoric. She then held onto his wrist and drank his blood.

Their bodies heated up as they drank each other's blood as pleasure consumed them.

They both pulled away breathlessly and then kissed each other, once they pulled away Rory looked at her left wrist to see the mark she saw in her dream.

S.S

"Was this the one in your dream?" Stefan asked as he touched it lightly,
"Yes." She smiled up at him.

"I love you."

"I love you too."