CHAPTER FOUR
❝THE NOT-SO DISTANT PAST❞

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864
LOCKWOOD MANSION

"Look who found his dancing shoes."

    Beatrice held her right hand up and went around in a circle with Stefan Salvatore in the midst of the First Annual Founder's Ball. Stefan smiled, and leaned forward slightly. His gloved hand touched Beatrice's own as he leaned in towards her flawless face—desiring a kiss.

    "Ah, ah, ah," Beatrice scolded, shaking her gloved finger. "No touching Mister Salvatore, those are the rules."

    Stefan chuckled, lifting his left hand up once more. "I thought you didn't believe in rules?"

    Beatrice pursed her lips but said nothing as they circled each other again. And despite the beautiful woman in front of him, Stefan found himself glancing to the far right corner of the large room to see his brother. Damon was standing alone; staring at his brother and—of course—Beatrice and Katherine, who was standing a few feet away talking with a young man, lovingly. For he wished he was the one dancing with one of the Pierce sisters.

    Besides, none of them had a future. Marriages, at least in their society, were approved only if they merged two families. And, as orphans, what did Katherine and Beatrice have to offer besides beauty? Father would never let him marry either of them, but that also meant he wouldn't let Damon marry either of them either. And even Damon wouldn't go as far as to marry someone Father didn't approve of. Right?

    "My brother seems upset that you and Katherine chose me to escort you." Stefan whispered to the girl with a small smile. He was almost gladdened—almost—that it was he with the girl and not his brother. He looked down at saw that her blue necklace was gleaming at her throat, and she winked at him.

    "Well, Damon needs to consider that his younger brother is a better dancer." Beatrice proclaimed with a quiet giggle; the two of them raising both of their hands before circling again. "Ah, it looks like he's found someone else to occupy his time."

    He glanced over his shoulder to where his older brother stood. The band still played, and there was anticipation in the air. And there stood Damon and Elektra. Together. She was wearing jeans and a low-cut shirt while Damon remained in his dress robes. Stefan couldn't tear his eyes away from Damon's arms around Elektra's tiny waist.

    It wasn't fair, he thought savagely. Damon could act like a boy, could continue to drink and flirt as if nothing had consequence. Stefan had always done the right thing, the responsible thing, and now it felt as though he was being punished for it by being forced to watch his brother with her.

    Beatrice watched as Stefan took a step forward—toward Elektra and Damon. "Elektra..." he called out to her but Beatrice put a small hand on his chest, stopping him for proceeding.

    "Stefan, don't," she warned, but Stefan shrugged her off, walking away from his past lover. His steps quickened as Elektra and Damon disappeared through a doorway. He followed, wanting desperately to get to the bottom of what was happening—to find out why she was with him.

    "Elektra!" Stefan cried out again; walking through the same door they had just went through. He was shocked to find himself standing in the middle of the Mystic Grill. He looked down on himself and saw that he was now in a modern set of clothes. He smiled softly—he must have just been day dreaming.

    Elektra stood next to the pool table; grinning at him. She then offered her pool stick with a smile. "It's your turn."

    Stefan's smile magnified for a split second until he saw who she was actually talking to—and it wasn't him. Damon appeared out of the crowd of people, two fresh drinks in his hands as he walked toward her with a boyish smile.

    "Be prepared to lose." He chuckled, smiling down at Elektra. He set the drinks down and leaned down to kiss her full on the mouth. She blushed slightly, but kissed back willingly as Stefan's whole face dropped.

    "It hurts, doesn't it?"

    Stefan looked back to see both Katherine and Beatrice standing there. They were looking at him, their dark eyes piercing his own. They were both wearing pale purple muslin dresses whose fabric spread across their hoop skirts. They looked like they had been cut out of a magazine and their pictures pasted into the modern setting. It looked so...wrong.

    "We know how you feel about Elektra, Stefan." Katherine whispered, moving closer.

    "Now you know who I feel, Stefan." Beatrice stepped forward, placing her hands on his face, forcing him to look at her. "Don't fight it Stefan, she's happy with him—normal. You loved us once, you can love us again."   

    Stefan turned his back to see Damon place a kiss on Elektra's cheek causing her to let out a sweet giggle. Then, in a flash, the three of them were back in the Lockwood Mansion—back like they had never left.

    "I love you, Stefan," Beatrice proclaimed. "We'll be together again. I promise."   

Stefan woke with a start—his eyelids popping open wide—and gasped softly. Dull yellow light, the familiar light coming from the lamp on his desk, took the place of the consuming darkness in his head. He took a deep breath and settled back down into the pillow which was when he felt the weight on his chest. He looked down and saw a heap of dark curls.

    "Hey, you okay?" the heap of dark curls asked as she snuggled deeper into his chest. Stefan knew that voice, but he couldn't place it. The voice sounded familiar but felt so different. He mentally shrugged and figured it was just Elektra, and nodded.

    "Yeah, bad dream," Stefan answered and ran his fingers through the girl's hair. "Go back to sleep."

    He closed his eyes once more, but sleep refused to come as his mind kept returning to the events that he had just dreamt about. They almost seemed too real—too vivid to be a regular dream. And then it clicked. It wasn't a normal dream—it was planted into his mind. And there was only one being he knew of that had the capability to create such visions. Vampire.

    He was off the bed and across the room in a fraction of a second, looking at the woman whose head had just been resting on his chest a moment ago. She tossed her head to the side, giving him a crooked smile. She leveled her stare at the enraged Stefan, mildly amused.

    "Katherine," Stefan hissed.

    "You have to admit, I am getting better at this."

✥ ✥ ✥

Katherine now was lounging on one of the many sofas in the Salvatore's library. Her long legs were propped up; her fingers gliding over the cursive lettering in Stefan's journal. She found it incredibly interesting that he wasn't drinking human blood and that he had encountered a werewolf the same night that Elena, Elektra, Damon and Alaric had gone to the Duke campus.

    Stefan strode into the room, rolling his eyes as he snatched the leather bound journal out of his past lover's hands—the girl who refused to leave his house no matter what he said or did to make her go away. He tied the strings around the book before tossing it away; it was going to be a long day.

    "I read about your recent werewolf sighting." Katherine purred, holding up a glass of blood—stolen from Damon's stash probably, he thought. "That must have come as a surprise."

    Stefan arched a brow at her curiously. "What do you know about werewolves?"

    She pursed her lips, twirling a dark curl around her finger. "I know not to pet one." Stefan scoffed; unamused. "Their bite kills, Stefan. It's best to stay clear of them during a full moon."

    "And how do you know this?" Stefan inquired.

    "Who do you think was responsible for ridding this town of vampires in 1864?"

    "Founding families," he answered.

    "And speared by..." Katherine trailed off.

    Stefan nodded in understanding; putting the pieces together. "The Lockwoods."

    "You remember the Founder's Ball, don't you?" Katherine asked with a knowing smirk. "The one you were just dreaming about?"

    "I was Beatrice's and your escort."

    "That was before you and Damon knew about our little secret."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864
LOCKWOOD MANSION

"Everyone! Will you please join me in raising your glasses to my good friend, George Lockwood." Damon Salvatore called, raising his glass to the man in question. "George, thank you for so bravely defending the South."

    George emerged from the depths of the crowd. "It's my honor, Mister Salvatore," he said in a friendly manner, holding up his own glass. "After all, someone had to do it."

    The two men clinked their glasses in a silent toast before holding them up in the air for the many people in the ballroom to see. Everyone chuckled politely at George's last statement-slash-jab at the eldest Salvatore boy. And from across the room, Katherine, Stefan, and Beatrice clashed glasses as well before taking small sips of the golden liquid.

    But their polite small talk was interrupted when the two Pierce girls were approached and called out by Henry. "May I have a word, Miss Katherine—Miss Beatrice?" he asked them kindly.

    Beatrice smiled. "Have a drink Henry, it's a celebration."

    "Please, Miss Beatrice," Henry pressed, his tone was pleading for the dark haired girls to listen to what he needed to say.

    The two girls glanced at one another—realizing how urgent this must be and nodded curtly before apologizing to Stefan and excusing themselves. The sisters linked their arms while they followed after Henry; following him out of the ballroom and down the hall until they were in a small unpopulated corner of the house.

    "I looked into the attacks from the other night," Henry began, his voice was low to make sure that no one would hear their conversation. "It wasn't vampires."

    "That's good news, Henry," Katherine assured him with a small smile. "It means that we have nothing to worry about."

    He shook his head. "I'm afraid you don't understand. Those folks were torn apart in ways...I've never seen before."

    "Then...it won't be long before the Founder's start their investigation."

    "We'll leave town immediately—I'll tell the others."

    "Relax, Henry," Beatrice coaxed, placing a comforting hand on his forearm. "This town is our home, and the vampires are my family. I won't let anything happen to us."

"From the moment I had met George, I knew he'd be a problem."

    "So, you're saying that all the Lockwood's are werewolves?"

    Katherine wagged a finger at him. "The werewolf gene runs in the Lockwood family. Not that they're all wolves."

    "How many other werewolves are there?" Stefan questioned; his curiosity was piqued. And since Katherine was being so willing, he was going to try and get all the information he could get out of her. "I mean, is it just limited to the Lockwoods?"

    "No," Katherine shook her head. "There are others—not many. They're practically extinct. They mainly exist now in books and really bad movies. Now, my turn to ask a question," she skipped across the room. A small girlish giggle erupted from her throat as she passed an in-table. She reached out and grabbed something off it and held up for Stefan to see. "Why did you keep this?" She asked, wagging around the picture of her and her sister from 1864. "Hmm? Why not burn it? Tear it up? You want to know why we came back. Well, I have a better question, why did you? For Elena? For Elektra—for both? No. You came back here to fall in love all over again, didn't you?"

    He was in front of Katherine in a flash; using his left hand to caress her cheek softly as he stared down at her. Katherine's breath was unnaturally cold against his cheek. He inched closer to her.

    "What is it about you, that makes me still care?" Stefan murmured, looking deep into her dark eyes.

    Slowly, slowly the two undead past lovers began to lean in toward one another. They could taste each other's breath on their tongues as their faces inched closer and closer...their lips softly brushed until Stefan, like a bolt of lightning, stabbed Katherine in the back with a vervain dart. She gasped out, pulling away from him. Her eyes were wide as she collapsed onto the chair behind her.

    Stefan felt no remorse as he stared down at her with a hateful expression.   

    After Katherine had fallen completely unconscious, Stefan picked her up in his arms. Her body went limp against him; arms dangling about, dark hair drape across his forearm like a thick curtain. Once he got downstairs, into the basement, he set her down in the lone chair. He reached out and grabbed the chains, which he fastened around her wrists and ankles. Logically, he knew that she wouldn't be able to break through them while the vervain was in her system.

    Katherine made a noise, head lolling around as she pulled against the restraints around her wrists.

    "Now," Stefan said, looking down at her. "Where were we? That's right, you were going to tell me why you came back to Mystic Falls, weren't you?"

    "Y-You didn't have to do this." She told him, groggily.

    "Answer the question."

    "I came back for you."

    "All right, well, we're gonna play by my rules now." He said.

    He looked over his shoulder and walked over to the work bench pushed against the wall. He grabbed a pair of gardening gloves, shoving them on his large hands roughly—angrily. He turned, facing the spot where the vicious plant, vervain, was growing—prospering. He reached out, holding a piece of the purple plant between his forefinger and thumb. With a flick of his wrist, the bud snapped off.

    Katherine tried to cover away, shaking her head as Stefan made his way back over to her. She gulped, she knew exactly what he was planning on doing with the beautifully scented flower. "What are you doing?" She found herself asking anyway.

    Stefan was silent—stoic—and pressed the bud of vervain to her cheek. Katherine instantly cried out. The flower making her flesh burn and sizzle. The pain was white-hot and she tried to pull away from it, but Stefan was relentless.

    "Answer the question." Stefan spat, moving away from her.

    Katherine panted, feeling the burns on her cheeks begin to heal. "You're going to torture me now?"

    "Whatever it takes for you to tell me the truth."

    "Later that night, at the Founder's Ball—"

    "No," Stefan interrupted, shaking his head. "I don't want to hear any more stories about the past."

    "Yes, you do, Stefan. That's exactly what you want to hear."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864
LOCKWOOD MANSION

"She's all alone." George Lockwood mused, walking up behind Katherine who was finishing her drink. "Does this mean I can have you all to myself?"

    "Your father's outdone himself," Katherine told him, following behind George as he led the way through the rooms.

    "Knowing father, he'll want to throw a Founder's Party ever year." George said, turning around to face her.

    Katherine smiled softly, "I must admit, I am surprised that you would come looking for me."

    "Why?" George asked with furrowed brows. "Because you and your sister are the rope in the Salvatore brother's tug of war?"

    "No, because I'm a vampire who could kill you in your sleep." Katherine spoke shamelessly as she smiled boldly.

    George's eyes widened as he stared down at Katherine, "I beg your pardon?"

    "Relax, George." Katherine said, annoyed. "I know that you know my secret."

    George turned to leave. "This conversation is over."

    Katherine reached out and grabbed George's arm. Giving it a squeeze, with her unnatural strength to show that she wasn't exactly human. George groaned slightly as her gripped tightened when he tugged lightly against her grasp.

    "And I know your secret, too. And that you're extra strong, just not as strong." Katherine said, smirking as she let go of George's arm.

    "How do you know what I am?" George asked.

    Katherine giggled. "Do you think that I'd settle into a town without knowing my enemies?"

    "What do you want?"

    Katherine smirked at him, tilting her head.

"What did he want?" Stefan insisted.

    Katherine didn't answer; instead she lightly pulled on the chains that bound her to the chair. Stefan pursed his lips and walked to the nearby corner, grabbed a wooden stool and set it in front of Katherine and sat down.

"Thanks for letting us invite Caroline." Elena said, pouring a bag of chips into a large glass bowl. "She could really use a day of distraction."

    Elektra nodded, taking the container of salsa out of the fridge. She sighed, knowing that what Elena had said was a drastic understatement—the girl could use a whole damn year of distraction. We all could, she thought. All of their problems just seem to be piling on top of each other. First, there was the fact that Katherine and Beatrice were back in Mystic Falls and they killed and turned Caroline into a vampire. And their arrival triggered Damon into snapping Jeremy's neck. Then, Caroline killed the worker at the carnival, Carter, his name was—which resulted in Bonnie trying to kill Damon, claiming that everything that was happening was his fault.

    "She's not the plus one I'm worried about." Jenna said, looking between the twins. "Why is Damon coming, again?"

    "Because...Alaric is a pity-taker." Elena replied, tossing a chip into her mouth.

    "Come on, Jenna, be nice." Elektra playful scolded.

    "Be nice?" Jenna scoffed. "When Damon learns to keep his paws off you."

    Elektra felt the muscles in her jaw tighten, heat rising up from her chest into her neck. It wasn't the type of heat that meant she was flustered or embarrassed. No, it meant that she was angry and this warmth was almost too hot to be real. For a moment, she couldn't actually believe that she was feeling it. She took a deep breath to calm herself, looking over at Elena. Her eyes were cast down, too ashamed to even look her in the eye. Elektra hoped that Elena was beginning to realize all the trouble she caused by kissing Damon, but she doubted it.

    "That's none of your concern, Jenna," Elektra replied cooly, face blank.

    Jenna opened her mouth to respond to her niece, but snapped it shut when Mason Lockwood came into the room, shot glasses in hand. He was smiling goofily, in a way that reminded Elektra of Tyler, showing his perfect white teeth. She began to study his every feature—comparing them to Tyler's—imagining that when Mason was younger, he looked exactly how Tyler looked now.

    Elektra shook her head, shaking away the thoughts of Tyler.

    "Aha!" Mason shouted. "I found the shot glasses."

    "That would be my exit." Elena said, grabbing the bowl of chips, leaving the kitchen. Elektra peered around Mason's shoulder, watching as Elena walked out onto the porch and sat beside Caroline.

    "You're here ten minutes and I'm already back under the bleachers at the pep rally." Jenna said, chuckling.

    "Just like old times, huh?" Mason raised the bottle of whiskey in his right hand. "But, I didn't steal this from my old man."

    "Oh, the expensive stuff." Alaric chimed, entering the kitchen from the back door. "I like you already."

    Mason smiled. "Just happy to be invited."

    "Then thank Ric," Jenna said, nodding toward the man. "It was his idea."

    "Really?" Mason said, sounding surprised as he poured the whiskey into the shot glasses.

    Alaric nodded and grinned. "Yeah, you know, I thought it would be good to get to know one of Jenna's old high school friends. Dig up a little dirt."

    "I've got dirt—I've got dirt."

    Jenna grabbed a glass. "I have no secrets—"

    "—just dirty shame." Elektra finished and Jenna nudged her playfully.

    Alaric nodded and raised his glass with Mason and Jenna doing the same.

    "To dirty shame."

    They bumped glass and downed the whiskey. Elektra had been so consumed in what was happening in front of her that she hadn't heard the footsteps approaching from behind her.

    "Hey."

    Elektra heard Damon Salvatore before she saw him. She turned to see the raven-haired man sashaying into the room. She rolled her eyes, turning back in time to see Jenna's smile fall from her face. Elektra understood why Jenna was acting so coldly, but she hated the fact that Jenna thought that it had been her that she caught kissing Damon and not Elena.

    "Damon," Jenna greeted icily, staring at him with narrowed eyes. He was in his usual attire; dark clothing, which made his pale skin and eyes stand out.

    "We were just doing shots," Alaric said. "Let me get you a shot glass, buddy."

    Damon held up the peach cobbler in his hands, smiling at Jenna. Elektra knew that he was using the dessert as some sort of peace offering, but Jenna didn't buy it and neither did she. The older woman rolled her eyes, thrusting her empty shot glass into Damon's chest.

    "No here," Jenna said. "Use mine."

    Elektra sighed, watching as Jenna shouldered past him with a scoff—prominent scowl on her face. Damon glanced down, twirling the empty shot glass between his fingers. Alaric gave Elektra's shoulder a gentle squeeze—a reassuring squeeze—before exiting the kitchen and following Jenna down the hallway. She pursed her lips, but didn't dwell on the thought because she knew that Alaric would do fine in consoling her aunt.

    It wasn't until she felt Damon wedge himself between herself and Mason, did she pull her attention back into the kitchen. She looked up at Damon, giving him a questioning glance, to which he answered by casually pushing her away. It was then that she realized he was—in his own way—protecting her from Mason. They were all trying their best to be cautious because they still didn't know all the details about him being a werewolf.

    Werewolf, Elektra wanted to scoff. As if vampires weren't bad enough.   

    "She doesn't like me very much," Damon explained to Mason.

    "We haven't met," Mason announced, sticking his hand out for Damon to shake. "Mason Lockwood."

    "Oh, sure—hey!" Damon agreed, shaking Mason's outstretched hand with a firm grip. "Damon Salvatore."

    "I know. I've heard great things about you."

    "Really? That's weird. 'Cause I'm a dick."

    After another awkward confrontation between Jenna and Damon, Elektra gladly excused herself and walked out onto the front porch—which was now vacant. She pondered for a moment, wondering where Elena and Caroline had gone, but didn't dwell on it too much as she pulled out her phone and dialed. Holding it up to her ear, it rang.

    She waited for an answer.

    Voicemail.

    She pinched the bridge of her nose, deciding to leave a voicemail. "Hey, I'm just checking in. Did you get my message about Jenna's barbecue?" Footsteps. She glanced back to see Caroline walking back onto the porch, a bowl of chips in her arms. "Call me when you can."

    "Was that Stefan?" Caroline asked, sitting down in the chair across from Elektra.

    "He hasn't called me back." Elektra admitted, flipping the phone over in her hands. "I'm trying to decide if I should be worried. Did Elena say anything about him? Has he called her?"

    Caroline furrowed her eyebrows, tossing a couple chips in her mouth. "No, she hasn't mentioned anything to me." Elektra's shoulders slumped. "But I'm sure he's fine. God, I cannot stop eating!" she cried, trying to change to subject. "Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. It's horrible. Fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day."

    Caroline ate another chip.

    Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

    God, I wish she would stop, Elektra thought.

    Elektra nodded sympathetically. "I know, Stefan really hates that part of himself. And I've experienced it first-hand."

    "Well, yeah," Another chip. "And he hates that you and Elena are constant temptations."

    Elektra was taken aback, a pang in her chest. "He said that?"

    Another chip. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. "Hmm, the desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you? Trust me, it's there. Well, it's why I had to break up with Matt—"

    Caroline kept talking, but Elektra wasn't listening. Her eyes drifted down, staring at the wooden porch. Have I really been that selfish? she thought. She couldn't believe that she and her sister have been spending so much time around Stefan and hadn't even taken the time to realize that they were causing him pain. She shut her eyes.

    "Hey," Elektra jumped at the sound of Alaric's voice. "Food's ready, come get it."

    "Finally," Caroline said, setting the bowl on the small round table between the chairs. "I am starving."

    Vampires are always starving.

"You know, we could sit as long as you want." Stefan said, leaning back. "And when you start to desiccate, there's a tomb with your name on it—along with your sister's."

    "I've been doing all the talking, it's your turn." Katherine said, head lolling to the side, the vervain still purling through her system. "Do you pretend to be human when you're with Elektra and Elena? Is that the appeal?"

    "Actually," Stefan began. "I don't have to pretend to be anything when I'm with them. That's the whole point. I get to just be myself."

    "Does Elektra know that you love me? Or that you love Beatrice?"

    "I don't love you or your sister, Katherine." Stefan insisted, standing from his seat.

    "That's where you're wrong, Stefan." Katherine told him. "Don't you remember? Bringing Beatrice home that night? Your family had taken us in?"

    Stefan knew exactly what Katherine was referring to.

    Even after all these years, the memory was clear...

    "...I've never met a woman quite like you. I look at you and I see an angel. I touch your skin and my entire body ignites. I kiss you and I know that I'm falling in love..."

    "Go ahead, Stefan." Katherine said. "Torture me, keep me captive, drain me of my blood until my body turns to dust. It'll never change the truth. We never compelled your love. It was real."

    Stefan remained silent.

    "Hearing the truth after a century and a half of denial must be overwhelming."

    "It wasn't real." Stefan insisted, now sitting on the floor with his back leant up against one of the brick walls. "I remember you compelling me."

    "Only after we showed you who were really were." She told him. "You were so scared of us; we had to take away your fear."

    Stefan gritted his teeth. "Well, whatever feelings I had back then...they've all turned to hate."

    "Love. Hate. Such a fine line—I can wait." Katherine murmured. "Anyway, George Lockwood was causing all sorts of trouble. He used the vampires to cover up his own tracks. He told the Founding Families about us, but he was willing to strike a deal."

    "What kinds of a deal?" Stefan asked.

    "A deal to rid the town of vampires."

MYSTIC FALLS, 1864

    "I just spoke to Giuseppe Salvatore." George Lockwood explained to the Pierce twins, one of them on each side of him as they walked through a patch of green grass. The two girls carrying umbrellas that matched their dresses, covering their heads from the blistering Virginia sun. "The round-up happens tonight."

    "Good," Katherine said.

    Beatrice scanned the grounds. "Insist that they do a body count before the church is set ablaze."

    "Twenty-eight vampires," Katherine summed.

    "Once the flames create chaos," George said. "Crawl to the exit under the choir loft. I'll be there to set you both free."

    Beatrice nodded, thinking of their escape.

    "Make sure you're not followed. We need everyone to believe that we perished in that fire."

"You knew," Stefan spat, standing up from his spot on the floor. "That they were going to burn the vampires in the church?"

    He walked back over to her slowly, sinking down in the chair he had placed in front of her.

    "I practically lit the match." Katherine said without any signs of remorse or regret.

    Stefan shook his head at her in disgust. "They were your friends, they were your family—and you just sold them out?"

    "Without blinking."

"Mason," Damon called out, carrying the peach cobbler he had brought toward the dining room table, where everyone was already sitting. He reach the table and set the dessert down in front of Mason. "Why don't you start us off?"

    Mason grinned, looking down at the silver server. "Sure," he turned the plate around, so that the silver server was no longer facing toward him. Elektra's jaw dropped as he bluntly stuck his hand into the edge of the cobbler and took a piece out of it. He knows, she thought. "What am I? I apologize. I'm an animal."

    Damon raised his eyebrows and shot Elektra a look. She quickly tore her eyes away, looking back toward Mason. She needed to stay casual; she didn't need the man suspecting her as well. That was the last thing she needed was to have a rabid animal trying to tear her throat out—again.

    "So," Alaric began, trying to ease the tension. "Mason, you and Jenna never dated?"

    Mason shook his head. "She was always lost in Logan Fell Land."

    "Ah," Jenna reminisced with a grin. "My first mistake. Mason was catch—he had girls lining up."

    "I always pegged you for a lone wolf," Damon cut in, his eyes were honed in on Mason, everyone could see that his words had a secret meaning behind them. Elektra rolled her eyes, he wasn't as smooth as he thought he was.

    "Oh, I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason fired back, taking a swig of beer.

    Elektra's entire body stiffened. Her back straightening out as Mason's words hung heavy in the air between them. Now he was the one sending secret messages through his words. He knows what Damon is, she thought. And probably knows about Stefan, as well.

    Stefan...

    "How about a toast?" Mason lifted up his beer. "To new friends."

    But Elektra scarcely heard the last words. Something had gone terribly wrong with Stefan. She couldn't tell how she knew it, but she knew. She felt as if a great distance was separating them, as if she and he were on opposite sides of a rifting, cracking floe of ice.

    She quickly turned on her heels and went into the living room where she found Caroline and Elena picking up the mess from their pictionary game from earlier. Her sudden arrival caused the both of them to whirl around, surprised.

    "Would I be the worst friend—and worst sister—in the world if I abandoned the two of you and went to Stefan's?"

    Caroline's entire body went rigid. "You want to leave?"

    Elektra arched a brow at her. "Yeah, Stefan hasn't gotten back to me all day and I'm starting to get worried. Well, more like I'm starting to get this bad feeling."

    "I don't think that's a good idea, Elektra," Caroline told her, Elena glancing between the two curiously.

    "And why the hell is it not a good idea, Caroline?" Elektra said, anger being to seep into her veins. "Damon's got things under control here. And besides, I won't be gone long."

    "Take it from me," Caroline said, just as Elektra turned to leave. "There's nothing worse than a clingy girlfriend."

    "She's not his girlfriend." Elena corrected coldly, narrowing her eyes.

    "And I don't think that that's your decision to make, Elena." Elektra spat back. "And Caroline, I'm not being clingy—I'm just concerned. You understand, right? There's literally no other reason as to why I can't leave..."

    "Um, how about I drive you?"

    "Okay? Sure, that'd be great."

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"Are you sure the tow's coming?" Elektra asked, pacing along the length of the car. "We've been waiting forever. Is it too hard for anyone to be on time these days?"

    Elektra ran her fingers through her hair for the millionth time. She'd been doing it to keep herself calm after Caroline's car got a flat-tire about halfway to Stefan's house. If she didn't know any better, she would've said that Caroline planned her car getting a flat—Elektra didn't know how she would've pulled it out, but if Caroline would, she could. It was just that she was acting so strange the entire day, especially whenever she brought up Stefan.

    Maybe she was beginning to take Elena's side over hers. A pang surged through her chest. Elektra was hoping that none of their friends would pick sides, but she also knew how Elena operated. She could be very manipulative when she wanted to be.

    "I know," Caroline muttered. "It's weird. They said they'd be here by now."

    Elena clapped her hands together once before pulling out her phone. "I'm just gonna call Jenna."

    "No!" Caroline exclaimed, causing Elena to almost drop her phone. There it was again. Her strange attitude. "Let me try the tow people again. And I'll use my aggro voice."

    Elektra shook her head, she knew that she wasn't going to make it much longer without confront the blond on why she was acting so shady. "You know what? Fuck this, I'm walking and you guys can wait."

    Caroline was suddenly in front of her. "I can't just leave my car."

    "I told you, Caroline, that you could wait for the tow people and that I was leaving." Elektra explained slowly. "Nobody told you that you had to come. I'm not your master and you're not a lap-dog, you don't have to come if you don't want to."

    "Just give me a minute, Elektra."

    "Caroline," Elektra said, calmly. "What part of I'm worried about Stefan didn't sink in?"

    "What's the rush?" Caroline spat. "Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that'll never work?"

    "Seriously, Caroline?" Elektra said, taken aback. "We're gonna go there?"

    "We know that you're upset about Matt, but there's no need to be nasty to us when we've done nothing wrong." Elena defended.

    "And would you please stop projecting your relationship problems onto me, thank you," Elektra said through gritted teeth.

    "I'm not projecting anything, Elektra." Caroline told her. "You're human. He's a vampire. You're going to be seventy and in diapers, and he's still gonna be smoking hot. And you will never have his children, Elektra. And you are too maternal not to have children."

    "Where is this coming from?"

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

    Elektra shook her head. "Well, do me a favor and stop trying. Look, there's the tow—I'm gonna walk."

    "No, Elektra, don't—"

    "No, Caroline, you don't. I'm done."

"So, are you going to tell me why the two of you came back here, or are you just playing another game?" Stefan asked, pacing the length of the cellar.

    "Have you not heard a word that I've said? I've answered that question five times over now?"

    "All right, good," Stefan pursed his lips. "Then make it six."

    "We want what we want, Stefan." Katherine told him. "And we don't care what we have to do to get it. Our list of victims is a long one, and we have no problem adding two more names to the top of that list."

    "Come on, Katherine," Stefan tisked. "If you wanted Elektra and Elena dead, you would've done it by now."

    "Still can," Katherine shrugged. "If I have to, I will snap their necks like a twig and you know it."

    Stefan snapped. He just couldn't handle listening to her vile words any longer. He lunged forward, ripping a leg off the chair he had been sitting on earlier and held it up at Katherine. He hissed and growled, but her expression never changed. She knew that he would never be able to do it.

    After a few long moments of staring down at her, he put the stake down. He moved a few feet away from her. His anger was rising, heart pumping in his ears.

    "Hmph, guess you don't hate me as much as you thought you did." Katherine teased, Stefan finally turning back to face her. "I don't want you seeing Elektra and Elena, anymore. If you don't remove them from your life, I will kill everyone that they love while they watch. And then, I'll kill them while you watch."

    Stefan charged back at Katherine. He grabbed her by the throat, making her choke and gasp for air and his other hand was now gripping the stake. "Don't you think for one moment that I will not kill you." He growled, his eyes becoming surrounded by dark veins, irises almost being consumed by red.

    Katherine scoffed and rolled her eyes before shoving Stefan back, causing him to go flying and hit the wall. The sounds of chains being snapped was heard, when the last one snapped she stood up.

    "I have been sipping vervain every single say for the last hundred and forty-five years." She explained. "You caught me by surprise once, I wasn't going to let it happen again. It doesn't hurt me, Stefan."

    "What—why—?"

    "I told you," Katherine said, crouching down so she could be at his level. "I've missed you, Stefan. I just wanted to spend some time with you."

    In the distance—upstairs—they heard the front door open and a female voice calling out.

    Katherine looked up, smirking. She grabbed the stake that was lying next to Stefan—the one that he had planned to use on her—and plunged it deep into his left leg. Stefan groaned in agony, blood seeping out of the wound and onto the dirt.

Elektra entered the Boarding House, her feet sore and her forehead sweaty, and closed the large wooden door behind her. Her eyes scanned the entry way as she made her way into the living room and was immediately wrapped in the warmth that was seeping from the crackling fire in the hearth.

    "Hello?" She called out. "Stefan?"

    She felt a sudden and strange presence behind her. She slowly turned around to see Katherine; her hair was curled in medium sized spirals, and she wore a black leather jacket over a pale purple low-cut shirt. "You must be Elektra," she said, looking her up and down.

    Katherine moved swiftly, walking until she stood directly in front of Elektra, the heels on her boots made her slightly taller. But despite the height difference, they were exact replicas of one another, right down to the freckles on their noses.

    "How is this possible?" Elektra asked quietly. "How do we look exactly alike?"

    Katherine remained silent, creeping toward Elektra, her dark eyes scanning every feature of Elektra's face—comparing it to her own and her sister's.

    "What are you doing here?"

    Katherine grinned, placing a slender finger on Elektra's neck and trailed it across her collar bone. The feeling of her touch sent a shiver down Elektra's spine, like wet slippery spiders sliding down the length of her back.

    "You're asking the wrong questions." Katherine whispered.

    "Elektra" a masculine voice yelled, the sound of loud footsteps echoed through the house. She glanced over her shoulder to see Stefan standing in the corner of the living room—coming up from the basement.

    Elektra turned around quickly to see that Katherine had felt, no longer in sight.

    "You okay?" Stefan asked cautiously, stepping closer. She remained perfectly still, like a marble statue that was about to crumble. She didn't say a word as Stefan's darkened eyes surveyed over her as her body began to tremble. "Are you okay?"

    "Not really, no," she shook her head, running into Stefan's welcoming embrace. She dug her face into the crook of his neck, soft sobs escaping her lips.

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OH. MY. GOD. I FINALLY UPDATES THIS STORY AFTER MONTHS!!! and i hope that you all enjoyed this long overdue chapter, let me know what you thought and what you think will happen in the upcoming chapters! xx