—

STEFAN SALVATORE, the vampire, stood with wide eyes and a bright smile, walking quickly in her direction. She let go of Elena and moved past his brother, straight towards Stefan.

Immediately, the pair were hugging, as though not a second had passed between them.

"Oh my god, you won't believe—"

"—I didn't connect the dots, Jenna's your—"

"—Did you grow your hair out? It looks—"

"—Wait, is this a new scar? What happened?"

They spoke over one another until Stefan settled on the question, thumb brushing over the faint scar on her eyebrow from a werewolf hunt the summer previously.

"Are you okay?"

Marley shrugged off his question. "Please, I stitched it up myself. Pretty rad mark, if I do say so." A smile pushed its way onto her lips and she pulled Stefan into another hug. "I can't believe you're here," she pulled back, resting her hands on his cheek. "Stefan Salvatore, in Mystic Falls dating my cousin. Who would've thought."

"You two know each other?"

It was Elena who asked, a tone of suspicion lacing her voice. She was jealous, Marley presumed. That was natural.

Marley had known Stefan most of her life. After helping her dad on a case right after her grandfather left, Stefan and her father became rather close.

An unlikely duo, their relationship built first on a lie — Stefan was not a vampire, that's crazy — they became incredibly close once the truth was revealed.

Stefan and his best friend, Lexi, had helped Dean take out a particularly ruthless group of vampires, all over a couple hundred years old. They were wreaking havoc in Georgia and decimating ab entire town.

After Dean had killed one of the members, they'd kidnapped Marley in retaliation — who was barely six at the time — and it was Stefan who saved her life.

Stefan and Lexi had been there entirely by accident, just on a long road trip, but once they found a trail of bodies, they ended up meeting her dad, and by extension, her.

Lexi and Dean killed the rest of the vampires while she clung to Stefan, crying into his chest as he consoled her, quieted her from the danger, hiding her face in his shoulder.

For the longest time, Marley looked to Stefan as an angel, someone sent to save her during one of the most traumatic points of her life.

But while her father and Stefan kept in contact, Lexi too — who, unlike Stefan during her youth, was very involved in Marley's life as the only female role model, aside from the small reunions with her mother, having been the head of "Marley's Hitting Double Digits Birthday Bash" — Marley didn't see Stefan nearly as much as she'd liked.

Once she grew a bit older, she sought him out through her dad and they developed a close sibling bond.

In Stefan, she found a loyal friend and trusted confidant.

In Marley, Stefan found a sibling who would never turn her back on him, who forgave his flaws and made him aspire to be better.

The past six years they'd spent nearly everyday in late night phone calls, meme-laced text messages, lengthy discussions and annual week-long meet-ups.

The past few months, he'd ghosted her a bit, and while it hurt, Marley was too preoccupied with the literal devil trying to wreak havoc across the globe and slaughter her family to care about Stefan's whereabouts.

Now it made sense.

He'd fallen for a human, her cousin nonetheless, despite claiming that he didn't know, and he hadn't told her in fear of her reaction.

"Yeah, Stef and I go way back. He's really close with my dad, he's like my brother."

Stefan pressed a kiss to her forehead fondly, ruffling her hair. "I feel the same, Mars. Hey, how is Dean? He hasn't called in awhile."

Marley tensed. Stefan didn't know.

"Um," Marley looked down, biting her lips, trying to stop the memories from fighting to break through her carefully constructed wall. She didn't want to tell him, not in front of everyone else.

"He's fine. He's with Lisa again, remember her? Yoga chick with the hot ass?"

Stefan snorted. "Yeah, and the kid?"

"Yeah, he's playing Daddy 2.0."

"Makes sense. He's better at parenting someone else instead of you."

"Sick burn," Marley smiled up at Stefan, warmth running through her chest.

Effortless. That was her love for Stefan. Effortless and freeing and consistent. He was full of kindness and unequivocal understanding. He just got her.

He threw an arm over her shoulders, pulling her towards him, and half-pointing to Damon.

"That's my brother, Damon."

At Marley's raised eyebrows, he glanced between her and Damon.

"He, uh," he cleared his throat. "He killed Lexi."

Marley stilled, heart stopping in her chest.

Lexi was dead? Why hadn't Stefan told her? When had it happened? Why would Damon have killed her?

"Oh," Marley nodded in faux understanding. At Damon's furrowed brown and Elena's look of confusion, Marley slid from Stefan's grasp and walked towards Damon. "Lexi was like a sister to me. She was the only woman in my life aside from my mom. Why'd you kill her?"

Damon shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing personal. Had to be done."

"Okay," Marley nodded, a vicious look in her eyes, but a smile planted on her face. "So does this."

Before Damon could even blink, he was pressed against the wall, a knife at his throat.

"See, I've been killing little bitch vampires like you since before I knew the ABC's. This may be a normal knife, and for that, you're fucking lucky, because if I had a stake in my hand, you'd be desiccated on the floor. You ever think about harming my cousin, my mother, or Stefan — I will personally tie you up and cut off every limb on your body, then feed them to you before I cut out your heart with the sharpest fucking steak I can find, and watch you choke on it. Got it?"

Damon seemed amused by her, glancing at Stefan behind her, then down at her eyes. He easily flipped her around, pushing her against the wall.

She didn't blink, unintimidated by him. Growing up the way she had, Marley had more than a few tricks up her sleeve.

"I think you underestimate me, sweetheart."

"Damon," Elena grabbed his arm. "Let go of her. She doesn't know any better."

Marley snorted. "No offense, Elena, but I know more about his kind then you ever will."

She moved to get out of his grip when he suddenly dropped her, clutching his head in pain.

Marley watched him in surprise, glancing back at Stefan whose eyes were settled on...Bonnie?

"Oh shit," Marley raised her eyebrows. "You're an ancestral witch. Sick."

Bonnie stopped the magic on Damon, glancing at Marley nervously.

"And you're a hunter."

Marley smirked. "Winchester, actually. We're a different breed. Don't worry, Bennett, you're safe. We don't go after Glenda the Good. Just don't start hexing people, 'kay?"

Elena looked at Marley, then Bonnie, then Stefan, before her eyes settled on a glaring Damon.

"Okay, someone needs to do some explaining because five minutes ago my cousin was a normal person who's uncle passed away in a car wreck, and now she's some sort of vampire hunter who knows about witches and is friends with my boyfriend?"

Stefan's face flickered in confusion. "Wait, Sam's dead?"

Marley half-shrugged, throat tightening, but she nodded. "Yeah, it wasn't — it wasn't a car accident. Just what Dean told Jenna to say."

"Wait," Elena's eyes widened. "Jenna knows about everything?"

Marley nodded slowly. "Jenna's my mom. Of course she knows everything."

"But—Damon," Elena looked to him helplessly, panic written across her face. "You have to compel her, make her forget—"

"—You so much as make eye contact with my mom, I will fucking kill you." Marley cut Elena off, eyes settled on Damon.

"But she can't know," Elena shook her head. "I don't want her to know."

Marley stared at Elena incredulously.

"What gives you the right to dictate what she can and can't know? You're not in charge of her."

"What gives you the right?" Elena retorted hotly. "You saw her once a year. She's my aunt, and my guardian. I'm not letting her get involved."

"Okay, my mom's been involved in all of this," Marley gestured around the room, "since before you were and I were in diapers. She may not be a hunter, but she's well aware of everything that goes bump in the night. And believe me," Marley glanced between Elena and Damon. "You so much as think about changing a single memory, it's not me you'll have to deal with. And my dad has no quarrels killing arrogant vampires who killed one of his closest friends."

Elena scoffed. "Your dad can't hurt Damon. Or Stefan. You're all human."

"They're hunters," Bonnie spoke up gently, watching Marley cautiously. "Winchesters are some of the most well-known hunters in the supernatural world. They hunt all sorts of monsters, even things that we've never seen, Elena. They stopped Lucifer."

Marley blinked, faltering at the witch's words. "How do you know about that?"

"Lucifer?"

"Come on, the devil?"

"What does that even mean?"

All questions left the other occupants at the same time.

"My gran mentioned it," Bonnie said quietly. "She wanted to help but she couldn't. Something stopped her."

"That'd be our crossroads demon," Marley supplied with a nod. "He has a thing against witches. Thanks for trying, though, you can tell her that."

Bonnie looked down. "She's dead."

Marley softened. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

Bonnie smiled in thanks and Stefan moved forwards. "Hang on, Marley, what happened to Sam?"

"What happened to Lexi?" Marley countered. "You didn't call me — how long ago was it?"

Stefan shifted uncomfortably. "A few months ago."

"Months," Marley repeated, the word feeling sticky on her tongue. Months. Lexi had been dead for months. She'd texted countless memes and pictures and paragraphs and she was dead the whole time. "And you didn't think once to call me."

"How long has Sam been dead?" Stefan asked, crossing his arms. "You didn't call me."

"Sam died nine days ago," Marley's jaw clenched, hating how easily the words fell from her mouth. Like it was a fact, like it hadn't changed the trajectory of her life. Like it meant nothing. "A lot's happened. I didn't — we didn't have time to call you, Stef."

Stefan's posture dropped and he walked towards her again, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said into her ear. "I'm so sorry, Mars."

Her heat tugged at the nickname, the gentle tone of his voice. She hadn't realized how similar to Sam he was, not until now. His sweet disposition, soft demeanor, compassionate gaze. The nickname was the same too. Sam had always called her Mars, always.

As a kid, she'd been obsessed with the idea of space and becoming an astronaut. Sam helped her with mathematics and physics, despite Dean's eye rolls, and encouraged her to follow her dreams. He said she was like the planet Mars, the god Ares. Loyal, protective, fierce. But at the same time, both she and Ares were vengeful, angry, violent, chaotic beings.

Marley didn't suit her, he'd said. But Mars did. She was an entire planet where everyone else shared one. Stefan had called her that too, for as long as she could remember, but it had never affected her like that until now.

Until she'd told Stefan about Sam's death. Until she'd spoken the unspeakable, made it real. Sam was gone, dead, never coming back.

"Fuck," Marley pulled away from Stefan, taking a breath. "I gotta—I gotta, give me a second, Stef, I," she glanced to Bonnie and Elena, who were watching the pair curiously, feeling too watched. They knew too much. They'd pity her now. She didn't want Elena's pity. She wanted to start fresh, to be free, be alone.

"I can't do this," Marley moved past the pair outside to the fresh air, gasping for air and willing it to stay in her lungs.

She couldn't breathe, couldn't focus. That familiar prickling sensation pricked her eyes and her nose tingled. Marley tried not to think about Sam. Tried not to hear his voice in her mind, tried not to feel his hug, not Stefan. Tried not to think about how she'd never feel his arms around her again.

Marley leaned over, palms resting on her knees. "Fuck," she swore, taking in large heaps of air at a time.

Standing again, she wiped her eyes quickly, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. "I'm not doing this," she muttered to herself, leaving the property quickly, passing Bonnie's Prius and walking in a completely different direction.

Marley didn't know where she was heading to. Didn't know where she was going. She just had to leave. She couldn't see Stefan's kind face, Elena's pitying gaze, Bonnie's understanding eyes — they didn't know her. She didn't want them to. She needed distance from them.

She moved to Mystic Falls for her mom. Because her dad didn't want her, he needed to heal too. Marley didn't need to be pitied the whole time. She didn't want anyone but her mom to know about Sam, and now everyone knew. They'd all judge her, treat her differently. She didn't want to be treated differently.

She just wanted Sam.

Marley pulled out her phone, hitting the 2 speed dial button and holding it close to her ear.

"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, leave a message at the — dammit, Dean, put that away, Marley, can you tell him to — thank you, leave a message at the beep. If it's Cas, press the number 1, Dean will answer."

A broken sob fell from her mouth and tears slipped down her cheeks. Oh, Sam. Oh, why couldn't she have died instead? Why couldn't she have been Lucifer's vessel?

Instead, she was Gabriel's. Unimportant. Useless. Condescending Gabriel. He wouldn't even use her body to fight, no matter how many times she asked. He didn't care enough about the outcome to stop his brothers from ruining the world. Instead, he left it for her family to clean up the mess.

She ended the call and pressed the number again, listening to the voicemail again.

"Hey, you've reached Sam Winchester, leave a message at the — dammit, Dean, put that away, Marley, can you tell him to — thank you, leave a message at the beep. If it's Cas, press the number 1, Dean will answer."

Marley wondered if her dad did this. Did he call Sam's number too? Did he miss him as much a she did?

Marley's legs gave out, and she let the phone slip from her grasp, on her hands and knees on the side of the road in Mystic Falls. Her breathing was unsteady, tears blocking her vision, wind whipping her hair around messily, flicking it angrily against her wet cheeks.

She couldn't stop crying. Sob after sob, scream after scream, just falling from her mouth heartbreakingly, and she leaned down crying into her hands, wishing she could stop from feeling at all. Wishing she could go back in time and take Sam's place. Convince Lucifer to use her. He almost had, just for fun, just to torture Dean and Sam. But he'd chosen Sam when he relented, the perfect vessel too attractive to pass up.

"Are you alright?"

Marley's eyes went wide and she turned around, lip trembling. She wiped her eyes quickly, looking over the man who stood in front of her.

Dark hair parted down the middle, haunted, wise, brown eyes, and a chiseled jaw greeted her. He wore an expensive suit, but Marley couldn't figure out why he stood next to her on the side of the road in such attire. What was he doing in Mystic Falls?

"Y-yeah," Marley nodded, sniffling, and looking away from him. "Thanks, uh, why are you on the side of the road?"

"I could ask you the very same."

His voice was deep, soothing, like honey dripping straight into her ears, quieting her thoughts and worries. She liked his voice.

"Oh, you don't come to the side of the road in small towns to scream and cry at the trees? You're missing out, my guy."

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but it was fleeting and gone a second later. He knelt down next to her, hiking his suit pants up a fraction, looking over her face.

"Why are you crying?"

"That's personal," Marley smirked teasingly, pushing away the thoughts of her meltdown. She couldn't believe such an attractive specimen had found her crying. "Buy me dinner first."

Another lip quirk from the man.

"Italian or French cuisine? You pick and I'll pay."

Marley let out a small laugh. "You're cute," she wiped her face again, brushing back her hair. "Sorry about you having to see...that. I'm Marley."

"Don't apologize," he offered a hand. "Elijah."

Marley took his hand easily, yelping in surprise when he helped her to her feet. He was warm to the touch and her heart skipped a beat when his skin touched hers. He was a few years older than her, at least, but his presence felt decades older. It was similar to Castiel's presence; as though he'd experienced more life than she could comprehend.

"Not to be rude, but it's a little suspicious you're on the side of the road at the same moment a cute girl is breaking down."

Elijah's lips quirked. "I was driving by," he pointed to his car, a 2010 Lincoln MKZ, which was parked a few feet from them. "I saw you and thought you were hurt. Are you sure you're alright?"

Marley nodded, moving back from him. "Yeah," she confirmed, reaching down and picking up her phone, which was still resting on Sam's contact name. "Thanks. I'm gonna just, head back home."

"I can drive you," Elijah replied calmly.

Alarm bells rang in Marley's mind and she shook her head. "No, I'm good. No offense, you're cute and nice, but that's usually the first thing a serial killer does when trying to abduct a young woman. I can walk. I should clear my head anyway."

"If you're sure," he nodded, watching her carefully. "I hope to see you again."

Marley didn't quite understand why he said that. He'd only seen her falling apart on the side of the road and he wanted more? He was being polite, of course. Why would he actually want to see her again?

"Yeah," Marley nodded, waving at him. "You live in Mystic Falls?"

Elijah shook his head once. "Not for a long time. Just passing through."

"Oh," Marley glanced around. "Drive safe."

"Be careful."

And with another glance, both feeling something neither could describe, a pull of sorts, a longing they didn't quite understand, they turned and walked in opposite directions.

Elijah watched Marley from his car until she was out of sight, pressing her phone to her ear every few seconds, listening to the same message again and again.

Winchesters were always such a curious breed.

—

hope you liked:) we met elijah earlier, but we'll see him again soon. why was he there? how's he know who she is? this takes place just before memory lane, so we'll get some fun mason content too hehe. i love Mason <3 lmk your thoughts!!