running circles in my mind

"I LIKE THE YELLOW, IT BRINGS OUT YOUR COMPLEXION."

Athena rolled her eyes at Damon's commentary, hooking the pale yellow dress back up on the rack of dresses she'd pulled from her closet. Colors, designs, and fabrics all varied and it was one of those times she was grateful for her father's salary and its assistance with her extensive wardrobe.

"Then I'm not going to wear the yellow,"

"Rude," Damon huffed, flipping through the book he'd gotten off of Athena's bookshelf.

She shrugged, sitting down at her vanity and double-checking her hair and makeup again. Her long hair was curled in big waves, one side was pinned to her scalp so that the other curved along her sharp jaw and accentuated it.

Her makeup was simple, but she felt bright, and for once felt like her scar wasn't the main attraction on her face.

"I don't get it. Edward is so creepy. Why is everyone obsessed with him? And why is Bella struggling to choose between him and Jacob? Everyone knows vampires are cooler. Werewolves don't even exist." Damon frowned, making her attention drift from her face to the book he'd taken from her. "What would you pick?"

She shrugged, walking back over to the rack of dresses and fiddling with the tie on her robe. "I don't know. On one hand, vampires are cool and fangs are hot. But the werewolves have anger issues, and those are always fun. A hybrid would be cool, though."

"That wasn't an option,"

"Well, I made it one," She smiled sarcastically, flipping him off as she grabbed a green, satin dress from the rack.

She carried the dress over to her closet, hanging it off the hook on the door, and she stepped into the small room, her eyes searching for the perfect pair of shoes. "So, what's the diabolical plan today, Dracula?"

"How good are you at spreading gossip that will most definitely make it to Elena Gilbert's ears?"

Athena stood from her bent-over position, a pair of pale gold heels that strapped around her ankles in her hands. Contemplating his words, she walked out of her closet, set the shoes down on the floor under her dress, and faced Damon.

"I think I know a way I can make it happen, but it's going to cost you."

──────

"Athena! I wasn't expecting you here," Carol Lockwood exclaimed, her eyes wide at the sight of the teenage girl. The older woman smiled, looking at her dress tastefully. It was certainly better than most things she'd seen so far. "Your father is mingling in the tea room."

Athena simpered, clasping the woman's hand in her own. "Hi, Mrs. Lockwood. It's nice to see you again," She gestured to where Damon stood just outside the door, drawing Carol's attention to him. "This is my date, Damon. He's from here, actually– an old friend."

"Oh, well, come on in."

Damon smiled, though it was more of a wide smirk as he glanced at Athena before looking back at the Mayor's wife. "Lovely to meet you. I've been looking forward to this party for quite a while."

"Well, enjoy," The woman walked off with a polite smile and Damon looked at Athena, gesturing to the bar.

"Let's get a drink,"

Athena nodded, feeling parched at the size of the crowd inside the Lockwood house.

She took her glass with a polite smile and gestured to Damon that she'd be off in the house somewhere while he sat at the bar. He waved her off and she began her slow trek through the crowd, hoping to find a silent solace somewhere away from the party.

Her heels hit the wood floors with a sound every time she stepped, and she sighed at the annoying noise. Athena stepped into a room filled with antiques and glass cases full of expensive things that somehow meant something to the town of Mystic Falls.

She stepped in front of a display, her eyes falling on the name card placed in front of it.

On loan from the Gilbert family. Wedding rings.

Athena inhaled sharply, her mind flashing back to the last time she'd seen the wedding rings on their respective owners' fingers.

She remembered sitting in the backseat next to Elena, watching silently with as much couth a drunk seventeen-year-old could manage as one of her closest friends was berated by her mother. Miranda's hand had come around to rest on the back of the head support for the passenger seat, where Grayson had been, and Athena remembers seeing the glint off her wedding ring shine in the moonlight as they drove across the bridge.

And then seconds later, Miranda turned away from the road and they were suddenly drowning.

She'd never forget what it felt like to die. To come back.

Athena startled when a hand caressed her back and she spun around, seeing Stefan standing behind her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright, Athena?"

She nodded, forcing a small smile as she stepped away from the wedding rings. "I'm fine, just thinking. There's a lot of history in this room, but I'm pretty sure you're the oldest thing in here."

Stefan laughed, and she felt herself relax at the sound. Reaching for his hand, she pulled Stefan away from the Gilbert display and eyed the rest of the shiny things.

Stefan took the time her silence gave and examined Athena closely. He'd seen her look many different ways, back to the matching skirt and shirt she'd sported on the first day of school, to her cheerleading uniform from Friday night.

He thought she looked beautiful in every single variation, but she looked particularly eye-catching in the green dress she was wearing.

It stopped right above her ankles, where she was sporting tall heels that allowed her to look directly into his eyes instead of craning her neck back. Thick ties knotted on her shoulders, swishing with her movements that pulled him alongside her peacefully. Silk, fitted fabric stretched across her chest, and he felt a pang of pride in his chest when he saw the golden rose glimmer on her chest in the sunlight.

The dress was beautiful, he knew it was a work of art in itself, but he swore that Athena made it better.

And he knew he shouldn't think about another girl like this when the one he arrived with was off in the other room with her friends, but he couldn't help it. Athena was consuming almost every waking thought he had, and she was completely clueless about the power she held over him.

"Is this your name on the original Founder's Party guest list?" Her humorous voice broke him of his adoring revelry and he dragged his eyes up the expanse of her body, meeting her brown eyes that were shaded with amusement.

Stefan eyed the parchment paper, his eyes scanning the top of it. Athena nudged his ribs with her elbow, pointing to his name. "1864, huh?"

Stefan nodded quietly, finding the lack of panic when it came to his true past was gone in her presence, unlike his constant worry around Elena. "I don't want to bore you with stories of the past."

"I think your past would be interesting, Mr. Salvatore." She shrugged, missing the way his eyes softened at her casual write-off of his excuses. Her interest was genuine, and he swore it made his nonexistent pulse stutter. "I am bored right now, though. I want to dance."

"I don't really dance." Stefan shook his head but already felt himself letting her pull him out of the room towards the makeshift dance floor. What he really meant to say was that he had already turned down Elena's offer, but he knew that he would never turn down an offer from Athena.

"Well, unlike someone," She eyed him pointedly. "I don't care what Elena Gilbert thinks. So, dance with me?"

He caves embarrassingly easily, taking her hand in his and clasping it gently. "If you'd like,"

Stefan smiles as she examines the fairy lights strung along the floor, giving it a soft, yellow glow that makes her feel warm. She felt her lips pull into a half-grin and she placed a hand on Stefan's shoulder and her other one stayed clasped tightly in his.

Athena brings her gaze back down and finally meets Stefan's eyes, only to find them already on her. She looks at him, silently questioning, and Stefan shrugs out of his daze. "I didn't know you liked to dance."

She shrugged, swaying softly to the pretty music. "My dad put me in ballet when I was younger. It's why I became a cheerleader after I quit ballet. Had to do something."

"You love it," He observed easily. "Why'd you think about quitting cheerleading, then?"

"Well, I got into a car accident and I almost didn't make it back. It's hard to think about something like cheerleading after that."

Stefan's face softened and she felt him squeeze their intertwined hands reassuringly. "I'm glad you didn't quit. You're good at it, and you deserve to have something you're passionate about. That's something I never realized I was taking for granted when I was human,"

Athena nodded, slowly smiling at the earnest gleam in his eyes. Stefan smiled back at her, happy to exist in this moment.

Voice soft, like it would break whatever careful thing had settled between them, he squeezed her waist where his hand rested. "You wanna spin?"

Athena's eyes widened and she gave him an incredulous look. "What?"

"Come on," He urged, tilting his head in a slight gesture. "No one's around us. Just a spin."

Athena hesitated, eyeing the emptying dance floor warily. "How do I know you aren't gonna trip me up, huh?"

"You don't," He taunted, chuckling when she glared. "You can trust me. I've had lots of practice."

Stefan looked at her pointedly and she huffed, throwing caution to the wind. With the biggest smile she'd seen from him yet, Stefan tightened his grip between their hands and twirled Athena outwards, his eyes lighting up as she lifted a foot and spun herself again, moving swiftly and elegantly. She was light on her feet as she stopped, facing Stefan with a heaving chest and a big grin.

Her head fell backward as she started to laugh, and Stefan's eyes watched raptly as the yellow lights hung above the dance floor making her brown eyes glimmer with the gold that seemed to encompass her and intertwine itself into her laugh.

The noise echoed like a symphony in his ears, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground slightly as he spun them both in a circle that only made her shake with more laughter.

The vampire met her gaze, looking entirely too enamored with her. "Wasn't so scary, was it?"

Athena just grinned breathlessly and thought to herself that a passion had been found in the wake of her once unbeating heart, and it presented itself with forest green eyes and dusty brown hair.

──────

"Why are you brooding out here all alone?"

Stefan turned around to face Athena, a smile growing naturally at her sarcastic words. "Brooding?"

She gestured to the lake where the fountain sprayed in a timely fashion, shrugging as if that proved her point. "Not many people stand in the dark and look at a lake by themselves. So tell me what happened."

Stefan sighed at her ability to read him so easily, wondering how she did such a thing. He wiped a hand down his face and smiled, the action forced. "Elena and I got into a fight. Well, Elena got mad at me. I didn't do much besides let her yell at me."

"That sounds about right," She nodded, pursing her lips in frustration. "You guys haven't been together for a month and you've already broken up once and fought almost daily. What's that say about your relationship?"

"That my brother is making some big diabolical plan to ruin my relationship to get back at me for something."

Athena shrugged. It was entirely plausible, but it struck a chord within her. "I think it means that relationships built on lies don't last. At this point, you're beating a dead horse."

Stefan eyed her, taking in her blunt words and the honesty behind them. She didn't beat around the bush when it came to Elena, that much he noticed. And he had yet to get their argument out of his mind from dinner the other night because it was the first time he'd ever heard that sort of hostility from Elena. And when Athena had come out of the kitchen with tears in her eyes, he'd felt nothing but dread and guilt.

"What are you helping Damon do, besides destroy my relationship? What did he promise you in exchange for it?"

She looked at him, unexpectedly calm at his defensiveness. "He didn't promise me anything. I'm doing this because it's the least Elena deserves. Damon's just trying to get back at you with some petty scheme over Katherine. I'm trying to destroy Elena's life because that's what she did to mine and the people I loved."

Stefan threw his arms out to the side, his frustration building. "What did Elena do to you? Please, tell me, because you've been on the prowl for some life-altering information to take her down. You can't tell me that I'm building a relationship off of lies and then lie to me!"

Athena bit the inside of her cheek, clenching her fist down at her side. "You want to know what your precious Elena did to me?"

Stefan nodded, the anger still clear on his face.

"She made Caroline choose between me or her. Blackmailed Tyler into ditching me, too, all because I was in that fucking car with her and her parents that night."

Stefan's face dropped at her words, but she ignored the look of guilt in his eyes, continuing.

Athena swiped a hand out, voice breaking as her volume grew. "I had nothing to do with it! It was her idea to go to the party, it was her idea to get drunk! I was going to stay home but Elena insisted that we go. She had to sneak out of her house in order for us to even go, and my dad was out of town and couldn't pick me up. Well, that stupid party got busted and I needed a ride home. I made the mistake of going with Elena."

Stefan stepped towards her, remorse written all over his face. Athena sighed, the sound shaky as she spoke through her emotions. "I rode home with Elena, and we drove off the bridge. Her parents died, but she lived. I drowned– I drowned, Stefan. I died, and she still blames me for everything."

Athena's face crumpled and Stefan lurched forward, wrapping her up in his arms as she cried, burying her face into his shoulder.

"What did I do to her?" She whimpered, knowing Stefan would hear her despite the almost inaudible sound of her voice. "What did I do to make her hate me so much?"

Stefan shook his head, the action stunted from where his head rested atop Athena's. "It's not your fault. I promise it's not your fault, sweetheart."

She didn't respond, but instead held onto him tighter and relished in the inexplicable comfort that his presence brought her.

Elena watched from the top of the hill as her boyfriend embraced Athena, and the doubt that had been planted earlier that day watching them dance sprouted into a full-blown weed.

Yet again, Athena Hunt had taken something from her.

──────

Athena wasn't sure what she was expecting when she heard from Stefan next, but it certainly wasn't to be informed that Damon had been locked up in a room full of vervain without his daylight ring for three days.

She frowned at the text as she walked into school, heading straight for her locker. Without replying, she pocketed her phone again and opened her locker, grabbing her history textbook from it.

"Are you going to come to the carwash tomorrow?" Caroline saddled up to Athena's side, a grin on her face as she looked at the girl. "The football team and the band have committed, but I figured I'd ask you personally."

Athena smiled, though it was more of a wince. "I, uh, I don't know, Caroline. Not really in the mood for charity work."

"What if I got Stefan to come?"

The dark-haired girl frowned. "Why would that make me change my mind?"

Caroline scoffed, pushing her shoulder slightly. "Come on, you seriously don't realize that he's got the biggest crush on you?"

Athena felt her face flush at her words, and glared at her friend. "He has Elena, and there's plenty of drama going on between them. In no way do I want to get involved."

"Really? You don't see the way he looks at you? I mean, he outright refused to dance with Elena at the Founder's Party but he danced with you. And he gives you piggyback rides from the track back to the school after practice. With Elena, he's just different. It's clear he's only with her to distract himself from you."

Athena fell silent at Caroline's words, her eyes falling to her shoes as she contemplated them.

Could they be true? Caroline wasn't one to lie, she liked to get straight to the point so she could get what she wanted. And if Caroline was telling the truth, just from what she'd seen observing their relationship, did Athena even want it to be true?

Narrowing her eyes at Caroline, Athena forced a frown onto her face to hide her growing anxiety. "Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be getting jealous, or something?"

Caroline pondered her words for a moment before a smug smile burst onto her happy features. "I can't get jealous if it means you get laid. You need to loosen up a little bit."

Athena's jaw dropped and Caroline's laughter echoed down the hallway as she walked away, enjoying her amusement at Athena's sake.

"Hey, Athena,"

She snapped her jaw shut at the new voice, turning to face Stefan with a slight frown. She wasn't happy with him regarding the current Damon situation, but over the weekend with his resounding radio silence after the debacle at the Lockwood's, she knew she would eventually have to face him.

"Good morning, traitor," She smiled passive-aggressively.

Stefan let out a sigh, his eyes pinching shut in an already exasperated action.

"I should've expected this,"

"Yes, you should have," She nodded in agreement with him, shutting her locker and spinning on her heel to walk down the hallway.

Stefan jogged after her, laying a hand on her back when he caught up to her. "Athena, it's for the best. He's dangerous."

She furrowed her eyebrows at him frustratedly. "He's not dangerous, he's a vampire," She lowered her voice, hissing the last word at him. "Do you just expect him to not feed?"

Stefan eyed her warily, not understanding why she was coming to Damon's defense so strongly.

"He's killed people, Athena. Innocent people. I can't let him do that and risk exposing us to the town."

"So that's what this is about," She scoffed, shaking her head at him. They'd stopped in the middle of the hallway and were blocking a bit of before-class traffic, but she didn't care amidst her irritation. "You don't actually care about making Damon better, you just want to make sure your secret stays safe so that you can continue your pathetic game of house with Elena."

Stefan nearly flinched at her harsh words, and his eyes followed her as she leaned towards him, poking his leather-clad chest. "No matter how much you hate it, Stefan, you're a vampire, too. It's time for you to accept it as it is."

She walked away from him, her anger clear in her tense stature. Stefan watched her with a frown, and when he moved to follow after her, she turned to face him with her middle finger held high.

Stefan let out a stressed sigh, somehow ending with more problems than he started with.

────── 

author's note; it's about the yearning 

originally published; 11.2.20.

edited: 11.20.23. 

- liz