CHAPTER FOURTEEN
LOCKED IN

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     "You did what?"

It had been a few days since Rowan had came out to Caroline in the middle of the woods, and she had seen very little of Elena since, avoiding her as she tried to figure out what exactly she felt for the brunette girl. Caroline, on the other hand, Rowan had seen a lot of, simply because the blonde girl was eager to offer up her expertise when it came to feelings and getting people together. She had been dividing her attention between Rowan and Tyler, trying to help them both as much as she could. Rowan, she claimed, was the easiest one to help, because at least her problem was something Caroline had dealt with before. The same couldn't be said about Tyler.

Rowan and Caroline were at the Grill now, enjoying lunch with Bonnie, who had been over at Elena's. Bonnie had been busy with the moonstone the past few days, trying to figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone to make it useless. She had also been busy keeping an eye on Elena. The doppelgänger had turned full sacrificial lamb after talking to Katherine, apparently convinced that it was hopeless to try and save her, and that everyone who tried was doomed. That was another reason why Rowan was avoiding her. She was afraid she would say something she'd regret if she saw Elena's face. Elena turning herself over to the Originals, with no regard for what that would do to the people she claimed to be protecting, hadn't pleased her in the slightest. She was just lucky that Damon had stopped Elena before she could go through with it.

Still, no matter how angry she was about it, Rowan didn't think locking her inside her own home was a very good solution.

"I locked Elena inside of her house," Bonnie said casually, like she was speaking about the weather. She speared a cherry tomato with her fork, completely ignoring Caroline's look of disbelief and Rowan's look of anger. Bonnie knew fully well her decision was controversial, and she also knew fully well who would support it and who wouldn't. She'd been ready for the argument with Rowan before she even left Elena's house. She glanced up from her salad to meet Rowan's angry glare. "It's temporary, Rowan. Don't look at me like that."

"I'll look at you however the fuck I want," was Rowan's immediate response. Bonnie just rolled her eyes, used to Rowan's venom, and took a sip of her sweet tea. Rowan looked at Caroline incredulously, hoping to have some backup in defending Elena's right to, at least, leave her house. She didn't receive any, mainly because Caroline was too busy scarfing down a cheeseburger. Rowan had been trying to bury her own cravings for blood by eating food too, and while it did work to some extent, Rowan didn't think it worked as well for her as it did for Caroline. Caroline was naturally good at controlling her, the food just helped her. Rowan couldn't say the same.

"After what Elena tried to do," Bonnie continued, making Rowan pull her gaze away from Caroline, "it's obvious that she's on some type of martyr mission. We can't let her try it again." Rowan pursed her lips. She couldn't say she disagreed on Bonnie's last point, it was just the way they were doing it that she had a problem with.

"And you did this right after Stefan got locked up inside of the tomb with Katherine," Rowan pointed out. "You knew he wouldn't let you do it." Bonnie's mouth twisted. Rowan had been alone inside of the boarding house the entire day yesterday, so she wasn't there when they all decided to go to the tomb and get the moonstone out. The only problem was that Jeremy decided to go alone, and Stefan ended up having to save him. He was stuck in there with Katherine, and every time Rowan remembered it, she felt sick.

"Stefan getting locked inside the tomb was what gave me the idea," Bonnie admitted, having the decency to look sheepish. Rowan arched an eyebrow at her.

"This isn't right," Rowan said bluntly, watching as Bonnie sighed softly and looked down at her plate. "I don't like what she tried to do either, but making sure she's never alone is much less extreme than making her own damn house a prison." Bonnie grimaced.

"It's temporary," Bonnie reminded. Rowan remained unimpressed.

"Fine." Rowan flashed her an acidic smile. "A temporary prison." Bonnie stared at her in exasperation, clearly wanting Rowan to understand but not knowing how to get her to. Caroline glanced between them both, face unreadable, before she swallowed the last bit of her food and clapped her hands together. The abrupt sound made both Rowan and Bonnie jump. Bonnie went back to eating her food while Rowan slumped back in her chair and started eating the fries off Caroline's plate. She had downed a salad halfway through their lunch and had been waiting for dessert ever since.

"Well, it doesn't seem like this conversation is ending anytime soon, so I'm going to go get some peach cobbler." Caroline pushed herself away from the table, then paused and glanced between Bonnie and Rowan. "Cheesecake and strawberry ice cream, right?" She looked at Rowan as she said that, since Bonnie always got a chocolate milkshake no matter where she was. Rowan nodded and watched Caroline skip toward the bar, where she could see Matt wiping the counter.

"Bonnie," Rowan sighed, pulling her gaze back toward her friend. "You know this isn't the right way to go about this." Bonnie was silent for a moment, chewing the last bit of her food slowly, before she let out a small sigh.

"Yeah, I do know that," Bonnie admitted. "But I gave her a chance to get some self-preservation—you know, like a normal person—and she didn't take it. The second I left the room, she tried to take the moonstone and leave the house, only she didn't know the barrier was in place, so I caught her. It was a test and she failed. We can't risk her taking any chance possible to slip away, and I'm not comfortable giving her the option. If she hates me for it, fine, but at least she won't be handing herself over to an ancient evil being." Rowan scowled and slumped back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. She was relieved when Caroline appeared with their food, and judging from the look on her face, so was Bonnie.

After she gave Bonnie her chocolate milkshake and Rowan her cheesecake and ice cream, Caroline flopped down in her chair and released a small groan as she sank her fork into her piece of pie. Rowan and Bonnie forgot their small fight for a moment and met each other's gaze, both smiling at the sounds Caroline was making.

"Let's change the subject to something more..." Caroline started, waving her fork around the air. "...present." Rowan eyed the piece of pie still on the fork warily. She was wearing a white top. If the bite of pie went flying, she would be ready. "There's a full moon tonight." Bonnie brightened at that—after hearing her ramble excitedly about witchcraft for a while now, Rowan knew it was witch thing—but Rowan was a bit confused as to why Caroline had mentioned it. She shot her friend a puzzled look as she sank her spoon into the small bowl of strawberry ice cream.

"So?" she asked flatly, spooning the treat into her mouth. Caroline raised her eyebrows in disbelief. It made Rowan feel like she was missing something vital. Maybe she was, but in her defense, she had been a little bit preoccupied with her own problems, her own feelings.

"So," Caroline said, "that means Tyler is going to turn into a four-legged furry friend with a snout tonight." Rowan nearly dropped her spoon. She had completely forgotten that Tyler had triggered his werewolf curse, and she felt completely awful about it. Caroline, sensing where her thoughts were going, reached over and patted the top of her hand. Rowan let her, needing the small bit of comfort. "Don't worry, I've been helping him through it. I'm going to be with him the entire night—or I'm going to try to be—so you don't need to worry about it."

"I wish I could help," Rowan mumbled. She had finished off the ice cream, so she turned her attention to the cheesecake.

"You can't," Caroline said, though she certainly didn't need to. "I'm the only vampire he knows about, and we need to keep it that way." Rowan grumbled under her breath again. Bonnie smiled when she did. The three of them finished off their desserts in silence, and it wasn't until Bonnie was sucking the last bit of her milkshake through her straw that Caroline spoke again, voice bright and cheerful. "What are you two doing today?"

"I'm going to focus on the moonstone," Bonnie said with a shrug. "I need to figure out a way to remove the spell from the stone as fast as possible. The sooner it becomes absolutely useless, the better. I'm thinking I can do it tonight, if I draw from the full moon. What about you?" Bonnie looked at Rowan then. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm probably going to go keep Elena company," she admitted, ignoring the way Caroline laughed softly. "I can't imagine she's very happy with everyone right now, and I'm the only one who wasn't in on it." Caroline laughed again, louder this time, and Rowan couldn't pretend like she didn't hear it anymore.

"Cute," Caroline teased. Rowan glared at her, reaching over to smack Caroline's arm. Across the table, Bonnie stared in disbelief. Rowan and Caroline never acted playful with each other before.

"When did you two get so close?" Bonnie demanded, raising her eyebrows. Rowan shrugged.

"Don't know," Caroline said. "Just happened." Rowan rolled her eyes.

"I told her something and now she's being unbearable." Caroline turned in her direction just to make sure Rowan saw her scrunch her nose. Rowan snorted, then looked at Bonnie thoughtfully, tilting her head to the side. "Maybe if I told you, she'll stop."

"I will never stop," Caroline declared, and Rowan sighed because she knew Caroline was telling the truth. "I'm way too shameless."

"I'm a lesbian," Rowan said. Each time she said the words out loud, she felt both anxious and free, like she could breathe a little easier. Her shoulders didn't feel so heavy and her chest didn't feel too tight. It was a nice feeling.

"And she loves Elena," Caroline added. Rowan whipped her head around to glare heatedly at her, ignoring the way her cheeks grew hot.

"I do not love Elena," she sputtered.

"Okay!" Caroline said immediately, in a way that made it clear she didn't believe a word coming out of Rowan's mouth. Rowan scowled at her, though it quickly turned into a pout. Caroline technically wasn't wrong. Rowan did love Elena. Whether she was in love with Elena was a bridge she was too afraid to cross. She took a moment to push the thought away, then looked over at Bonnie. She didn't look as shocked as Rowan thought she would. In fact, she looked bewildered.

"Wait." Bonnie blinked rapidly, eyes growing wide. "Wait, that was a secret?" Rowan paused at that, eyebrows shooting up to her hairline, while Caroline frowned. Bonnie glanced between the two of them. "I thought it was one of those things where everyone knew but no one talked about it." Rowan had no idea what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. It didn't matter. Bonnie was already moving on. "You know, I don't think you ever would have shared that with us before."

"Yeah," Rowan agreed. "I wouldn't have." She hadn't even been close to accepting herself when she was human. It was like becoming a vampire and having everything enhanced had sped up the process.

"See?" Caroline nudged Rowan gently, grinning from ear to ear. "Being a vampire has its perks."

"I didn't say it didn't," Rowan pointed out. She didn't hate being a vampire, though she probably should have. She simply hated the way it happened. She also hated the constant hunger for blood. Sometimes it was stronger than it normally was, and that was when she found herself locked away inside, away from humans until she wasn't so hungry anymore. Rowan shook her head and reached for her purse hanging off the back of her chair. "I should probably go. Good luck with the rock, Bonnie, and Caroline, please try not to get eaten by Tyler. Text me if anything happens." Bonnie smiled sweetly and raised her hand to give Rowan a tiny wave, while Caroline grinned and raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"Have fun with Elena," she teased. Rowan blushed and hurried away, ducking her head when she heard Bonnie and Caroline laughing behind her. She was so busy staring at the ground as she walked out of the Grill that she didn't see the man standing out on the sidewalk until she ran into him. She stumbled, briefly regretting the fact that she wore high-heeled boots that day, and tried to find her balance. A hand wrapped around her elbow, helping her steady herself. The grip was oddly gentle considering it was a stranger and she had bumped into him. Rowan glanced up when she found her footing, feeling a little embarrassed. She was in too much of a good mood to be snappy.

"Shit, I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, stepping away from the man and clearing her throat. "I wasn't looking where I was going, sorry." The man smiled. It was a kind smile. She couldn't remember ever seeing him in town before. In Mystic Falls, everyone knew everyone, and they definitely knew a man with a presence that was a little intimidating, now that Rowan was taking him in. She wondered if he was a tourist. The always came around spring and summer to look at the waterfalls.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all," the man dismissed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm—I'm fine," Rowan stuttered out, blinking rapidly. The vibe she was getting from the man could only be described as powerful. Her instincts were telling her to back away and go in a different direction. She wasn't exactly afraid, because there wasn't anything to be afraid of, but she was a little unnerved. There was a feeling nagging at the back of her mind that was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was.

"Splendid," the man said with another smile. "Have a wonderful day." Rowan opened her mouth, closed it, then forced herself to smile back at him.

"You too," she said politely, stepping aside as he continued walking down the sidewalk. She expected him to turn into the Grill, but he didn't. He simply continued walking, which was strange. Rowan was pretty sure he hadn't been walking when she had bumped into him. Maybe he had been looking through the front windows. Tourists always did when they were trying to figure out where to eat. Shaking her head, she pushed the strange man out of her mind and searched for her car keys. She would probably never see the man again. There was no point wasting time thinking about him.

Yet as she backed out of her parking spot on the side of the ride, Rowan couldn't help thinking that the suit the man was wearing was probably the most expensive thing in Mystic Falls, and she couldn't help wondering why in the world someone so wealthy was in such a small, uninteresting town.

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Elena was on her couch wrapped up in a fluffy blanket when Rowan walked in, plastic bags in both hands. She dumped them all on the couch beside Elena, making her jump. She had made a pit stop at the local Walmart and stocked up on candy, drinks, and cheap movies that stopped being in high demand ages ago. Elena frowned at peeked into the bags as Rowan flopped down on the couch beside her.

"I brought snacks, sodas, and movies," Rowan announced, though she didn't need to. Elena was pulling out the three movies Rowan picked out, smiling to herself. "Pick your poison." Elena didn't say anything, just picked up a Kit-Kat and ripped open the packaging. Rowan let her think for a moment, then sighed in exasperation and reached over to poke Elena's cheek. "Come on, Elena. It's gloomy as hell in here. Perk up. It's not the end of the world." Elena snorted.

"I'm usually the one telling you that," Elena noted, snapping one of the bars of the Kit-Kat off and handing it to Rowan. She bit into it immediately. She always had a sweet tooth, but now it was stronger than when she was human.

"Well, things change," Rowan said once she was done with the candy. She licked the melted chocolate off her fingers, then reached into the bag to pull out a lollipop. "You're being hunted by the oldest vampire in history, everyone we know is some type of supernatural creature, I'm a lesbian, blah, blah, blah." She plucked up a movie with a pink cover and held it up. "Want to watch Mean Girls?"

"Wait, what?" Elena asked, sitting up and making the blankets fall from her shoulders. Rowan glanced at her, frowning as she waved the DVD case through the air.

"Mean Girls?" Rowan asked, intentionally not addressing the thing she knew Elena was asking about. "The iconic movie featuring Lindsey Lohan and Rachel McAdams that was released in 2004? We've seen it like a million times—"

"You know that's not what I meant," Elena interrupted, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Rowan didn't know why she was flushed. "Rowan, you can't just drop that on me and then completely—"

"Yes, I can," Rowan interrupted quickly, shooting Elena a quick glare, though there was no heat behind it. "It's about me. It's mine. I don't want this to be a big deal. I want to drop it casually in a conversation and then watch an iconic teen movie right after. So can we watch Mean Girls, Elena?" Elena was silent for a moment. Rowan didn't know if she was stunned or ashamed.

"Yeah," Elena whispered eventually. "We can watch Mean Girls." Rowan plastered on a wide smile.

"Great!" she exclaimed. The next half hour was spent putting the movie in and watching it in silence. They didn't even quote the movie, something they always did when things were normal. Elena was clearly caught up in her own thoughts, and Rowan was hyperaware that she had just come out to the girl she liked. She was also hyperaware of the glances Elena was shooting her way throughout the movie. Eventually, Rowan couldn't pretend to ignore them anymore, so she reached for the controller and paused the movie.

"What?" Rowan demanded, voice sharp. Elena ducked her head.

"Nothing," she murmured. Rowan's chest twisted in a way that was unfamiliar.

"For god's sake," she sighed. "Is this going to be a problem—" Elena's head snapped up.

"Of course it's not going to be a problem!" she exclaimed, looking offended at just the idea of it. It made the sharp feeling in her chest ease a little. "I just—I—I'm sorry. I'll stop, um, staring." Rowan turned to fully look at her, noticing that her cheeks were pink. Rowan frowned at her.

"What's the matter with you?" she demanded.

"Nothing!" Elena said, bringing her knees up to her chest. She ducked her head down again, making sure her hair was covering her face. "Nothing."

"You're acting fucking weird," Rowan said bluntly. "I hope you know that."

"Trust me, I do."

"Well, alright then." Rowan didn't say anything after that, and neither did Elena. They just watched movie after movie until all their snacks and drinks were gone. They didn't start cleaning up the wrappers and empty soda cans until Jenna came in and told them to take their little party upstairs. She had work to do. That was when Rowan decided it was time for her to leave. After everything was cleaned up, Elena walked Rowan to the door. They paused there awkwardly, though Rowan couldn't figure out why.

"Thank you for today," Elena said slowly, offering a soft smile. "It made me feel normal and, you know, not like I'm being hunted or like I'm locked inside my own home." Rowan shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really know what to say. Elena watched her for a moment, something twisted her expression. "Rowan..." She hesitated. Rowan waited with baited breath. She didn't get to know what Elena was going to say, because Jenna appeared down the hall and told Elena to get Jeremy for dinner, and Elena's mouth snapped shut. Eventually, all Elena could muster was a smile and a small, "Drive safe."

Elena's very fake smile, her hesitation, the words she'd wanted to say but had been unable to get out, nagged at Rowan for the rest of the night.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Unedited.

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