CHAPTER VI ―

INTO THE SUNSET!

𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒, 𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒, 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄. Caroline Forbes woke with a gasp, her hands instantly throwing the covers off her body as the terrors of last night come of surface. Her neck is aching, her muscles tense. Nervously glancing around, Caroline's eyes widened to see blood staining her pillow deeply.

        Panic began to set into Caroline's body, terror pulsing through her veins, heart racing. Nervously swallowing, the blonde gently gets up from bed, glancing at the sleeping body next her. Hearing a slight moan, Caroline froze mid steps towards the door. Looking back, she sighed in relief to see him still sleeping.

        Going for the door once more, Caroline leaps back in fear when she comes face-to-face with the person that caused her terror — Damon. As devilishly handsome as he was, that face also struck terror. "Good morning." A smirk was plastered on his face, blue eyes shining with mischief.

        The blonde scrambled back towards the bed, tears forming in her eyes, heart racing in fear. "Please!" She begged, crying. "Don't hurt me!" Damon tsked, stepping slowly towards her.

        Just as he was going to take another step, the blonde grabs the lamp, holding it as a weapon. "Don't do that," he advises, waving his finger. "Ah, ah, ah." The lamp hits him in the face as he tried to grab her, his jaw flexing at the temporary pain.

        "No! No! No!" Caroline cried out, trying to scramble away. "Get away from me! No!" She pleaded, grabbing random things and throwing them at him.

        Standing by the bed, Damon's eyes narrowed. "This could have gone a completely different way," his voice was mocking her as he held the pillow she'd thrown at him, the exact pillow that was blood stained from the previous night. Taking a deep inhale of the sweet blood, his eyes change from the piercing blue to red with veins under his eyes, fangs out as he lunges at Caroline with a growl, enjoying the scream of terror that escaped the blondes lips... this was going to be so much fun.

...

        The morning seemed to pass quite quickly in Brooke's opinion, everyone in the house doing their own thing. Jenna had work, Jeremy had left doing his own thing, leaving Elena and her to catch a ride with Bonnie again. "Am I a bad girlfriend for not knowing what I want?"

The three girls stood in front the of the school, chatting about Elena's relationship with Matt. "We're still young, El, so honestly, no. You're not a bad girlfriend." Bonnie hummed in agreement with Brooke's words. "It's okay to not know if you're going to spend the rest of your life with Matt."

"He just keeps pressuring me to have a white picket fence life with him..." Elena sighed, running a hand through her brown locks. "I don't want to hurt Matt, y'know? He deserves better."

Bonnie gently put her hand on her friend's arm. "Just let it play out, El. It'll all come together." Elena nodded, giving a gentle smile back.

The three girls began to walk towards the school again, the conversation continuing. "So, how are you and Stefan?" Elena was the first to break the ice.

Brooke rolled her eyes, "It's nothing major... we're just getting to know each other." Elena tsked.

"He's perfect, Brooke! I've never seen you like this with anyone else."

"I think Brooke should take it slow, maybe play the field a little more." The cousins turned to look at their friend, surprise written on both their features.

"Why?" Elena frowned. "You were the one that told her to go for it!"

Bonnie shrugged. "And now I'm telling her to slow down." Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"Why the about face, then?" The strawberry blonde was surprised by her friend's sudden hesitation.

"It's not an about-face. You're single for the first time in your entire high school career. It's the perfect time to play the field." Bonnie explained. "You've never liked to be strapped down, B."

Brooke sighed. "Maybe I want to be tied down..." she mumbled.

"What's your deal, Bonnie?" Elena pried.

Bonnie looked between her two friends. "It's stupid."

"Bonnie..."

"Come on, Bon. Just tell us." Brooke tried.

"I accidentally touched Stefan and got a really bad feeling," Bonnie admitted.

"Is that it?" Elena said to Bonnie, surprised.

Brooke frowned. "It was bad, bad, guys."

"What's so bad about Stefan?" Brooke questioned, swallowing her own doubt... Bonnie was making sense. "Is this about this whole witch mojo thing?"

"You know what? I'm just concerned. This is me expressing my concern about my best friend's new boyfriend." Bonnie laughed.

Brooke smiled, gently. "And I love you for it, I do, but I feel good. It's been a hard year, and I'm starting to kind of feel like things are getting back to normal again. And you know what? Stefan is a big part of that."

Both girls stared at the strawberry blonde, smiling themselves. "You deserve it, B."

...

"Good morning, Brooke." Stefan greeted, smiling at the three girls. "Good morning." He acknowledged Bonnie and Elena.

Tensing, Bonnie gave him a tight lipped smile back. "I'm going to go find Caroline. She's not answering her phone. C'mon, El." Linking her arm with Elena's, Bonnie pulled her away, leaving Brooke and her protests behind.

"Bonnie, wait!" Brooke protested, but sighed when she still walked away, looking at Stefan with a sorry expression. "I'm sorry... she's just-"

"Concerned. And I don't think she likes me very much." Brooke winced, but nodded.

"I'm sorry, she's just really overprotective." Brooke explained. "How are you?"

...

On the other side of the courtyard, Matt and Tyler chatted together as they threw the football back and forth. Out of the corner of his eyes, Tyler's jaw clenched to see the familiar strawberry blonde with the new guy, Stefan.

        "Oh, look. There's Stefan and Brooke. Now what are they doing?" Matt teased. "Oh, walking, walking, walking... right into the sunset!"

        Tyler narrows his eyes. "You're a dick."

        "Yeah, I'm just doing what you'd do to me." Matt shrugged. "You're really going to let him go after Brooke? What happened to that whole goal of winning her back."

        There was no winning her back after she caught me with your sister, Tyler thought bitterly as he stared at the couple.

...

        "I just want her to accept you, y'know?" Brooke sighed, trying to formulate a plan for her best friend to like Stefan. "She means a lot to me."

        Stefan hummed, an idea forming in his head. "Hey, you know what?" His eager tone got ahold of Brooke's attention. "Are you free tonight?"

        Brooke nodded. "Yeah."

        "Perfect. Why don't we do dinner at your house? Does eight o'clock sound good? You, me, Bonnie and Elena." Stefan suggested, a bright smile covering Brooke's features.

        "That's perfect! You and Bonnie will spend some quality time together and she'll see what a great guy you are."

...

        "What am I supposed to do? She made her choice." Tyler shrugged, throwing the football.

         "Let her know she made the wrong one." Matt tossed the football back and before Tyler could help himself, he acted before he thought.

        "What are you doing? Ty, don't. Ty, don't! Ty!" Matt pleaded to Tyler to stop what he was trying to do.

        Tyler threw the football with a perfect spiral, at Stefan, who has his back towards him. And before the football could hit him, Stefan turned around quickly, catching the ball effortlessly.

        Holding the ball in his hand, Stefan chuckled. Throwing the football back with a perfect spiral, it hit Tyler in the chest hard enough to knock the wind out of him, including his pride as he watched the girl he was sure he could've been in love with smile with admiration... it just wasn't at him.

...

        "I didn't know you played football," Brooke commented as they walked into the school together.

        "There's a lot you don't know about me," Stefan reminded her. "It was a long time ago." There was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

        "Why don't you try out for the team?" Brooke suggested. "They could always use more players."

        Stefan shook his head. He didn't need anyone finding out his secret. "Yeah, I don't think so."

        "You don't like football, then?" Brooke was confused.

        "No, I love the sport. I think it's a great sport, actually." Stefan explained. "But in this case, I don't think football likes me. You saw Tyler over there."

        "Tyler's just jealous," Brooke admitted. "We used to date and I ended it." Stefan frowned.

        "What happened? If you don't mind me asking..." Brooke shook her head.

        "No, I don't mind." Taking a deep breath, Brooke sighed. "I walked in on him sleeping with Matt's sister. I promised not to tell anyone, but I ended it right there." Stefan could hear the hurt in her voice.

        "I won't hurt you, Brooke."

        Looking into his green eyes with her own, Brooke gave a weak smile. "I know." And she believed him... she just didn't know that he was lying.

...

        In History class, Brooke found herself sketching a parking lot. It looked oddly like the school's parking lot, but she dismissed the thought. On the other side of the classroom, Bonnie was drawing the same numbers over and over again: 8, 14, and 22.

        "World War II ended in... Anyone got anything? Miss Juan?" Mr. Tanner questioned to a student but she simply shook her head, saying she didn't know. He shook his head in disappointment, answering his own question. "1945."

        Elena had found out what happened with Stefan that morning by her boyfriend, voicing her own disappointment to him. "Psst." Elena called Stefan. "FYI, our team sucks. They could use you."

        "Can't," he simply said.

        "C'mon, Stefan. The team needs you." She begged.

        "Pearl Harbor?" Tanner's voice questioned again. "Miss Gilbert?"

        "I'm a loner." Stefan says.

        "Miss Gilbert?" Mr. Tanner tries again.

        "Hmm?" Her attention turned back to the teacher, Elena's cheeks slightly burning red in embarrassment.

        "Pearl Harbor?"

        "I-I don't know," Elena admitted.

        "December 7th, 1941."

        Everyone's attention turned to the strawberry blonde that was sketching in her notebook. Tanner raised his eyebrows. "Thank you, Miss Gilbert." There was a clear distaste.

        "Anytime." The class stifled a laugh.

        Tanner narrowed his eyes on the Sommers girl. He smirked as a plan formed in his mind. "The fall of Berlin Wall."

        "1989."

        "Alright. Keep it to the year. Civil Rights Act?"

        "1964."

        "JFK's assassination?"

        "1963."

        "Martin Luther King?"

        "1968."

        "Lincoln?"

        "1865."

        "Roe vs Wade?"

        "1973."

        "Korean War?"

        "1950 to 1953."

        "Ha!" Tanner exclaimed in excitement. He loved proving students wrong. Brooke jumped in surprise, looking up with eyebrows raised. "It ended in 52!"

        "Uh, sir, it was actually 53." Stefan's voice rang out. Tanner's eyes narrowed on him.

        "Look it up! Now!"

         "It was... 1953." Tanner's eyes narrowed to slits at the Salvatore boy.

...

        "You have a very good memory," Stefan commented as he walked with Brooke in the hallways after class.

        Brooke smiled. "Photographic memory."

        "I can see that." Stefan smirked. "It must be a loner thing." Brooke chuckled, rolling her eyes.

        "Like I'm such a loner, Mr King of Brooding!"

...

        Sitting in the bleachers, Stefan watched the football team. "Nice job! Nice job!" Matt shouts to his team.

        "Mr. Lockwood is there anything you're good at? 'Cause it isn't history, and it sure as hell isn't defending the ball!" Tanner shouted to Tyler.

        "Yes, coach." Tyler said, defeated.

        Agitated, Tanner sighed. "Now do it again!" Tanner shouted again.

        Stefan continued sitting in the bleachers, watching the football team practice. He remembered doing this with Damon...

...

        "I want perfect form today!" Brooke shouted to the cheerleading squad. "I don't want to see one girl out of formation. This is no longer Cheerleading Camp."

"Yeah, it's hell." Elena teased, earning a harmless glare from the strawberry blonde. She laughed with Bonnie.

Chuckling herself, Brooke leaned down and began stretching herself. Where the hell was Caroline?! This was just as much her responsibility as it was Brooke's. Doing the splits, Brooke began to stretch, trying to loosen her muscles. After the entire team had stretched for fifteen minutes and fifteen minutes of calling Caroline a million times, Brooke sighed.

"Alright, we're starting without Caroline!" Brooke called, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Lets start with the Double Pike Herkey Hurdler!" Pressing play on the radio, Brooke chuckled at the song. Only Caroline with Promiscuous. "5, 6, 7, 8!" Brooke watched as the girls began formation. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8." Brooke winced to see Elena struggling. "Bonnie, why don't you take Elena on the side? Okay?" There was relief on Elena's face. "Keep going! Do it again from the top. And 5, 6, 7, 8. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8."

Brooke's head turned to the side as a loud car pulled in the parking lot. Her eyes narrowed to see a blue Camaro arriving in the parking lot, a familiar blonde leaning over to kiss the guy. Brooke's jaw clenched. It was Stefan's brother.

As Caroline jogged over, Brooke stepped in front of her before she could reach the team. Her eyes narrowed at Damon, who sat in his Camaro with a smirk. Her attention then shifted to the blonde. "If you're late again, Caroline, don't expect me to be forgiving. Get in formation."

Caroline swallowed, but nodded. Catching Damon's eyes again, Brooke narrowed them and marched over. Leaning over the door, Brooke huffed. "I don't like my girls late, Salvatore. Don't let it happen again." And before Damon could reply, the strawberry blonde turned on her heel and walked away. To say that Damon was surprised was an understatement.

...

Walking onto the field with the proper equipment on, Stefan reached the field and got into formation. Tanner stood on the side, curious. Was Stefan really as good as everyone was saying?

"Blue lady! Blue lady! Set, hut! Go! Come on, Tyler, cover it! Let's do it." Matt yelled to the middle of the field to Tyler.

"Get it." Tanner shouted.

"Line up!" Matt continued yelling to his team mates.

Stefan continued to dominate the football field, eager to prove his skills. His team mates were slowly letting him in. While watching the girls do the cheers, Brooke thought to herself. How in the hell Caroline found out about Damon?

"I hate to say it, but he's got skills." Matt said impressed.

Tyler smirked. "I think he needs a buddy pass."

Matt chuckled. "Really?"

"You don't get to walk on the field and act like you own the place after 5 minutes. Just hang one up there and I'll take care of the rest." Tyler explained part of his plan to Matt, while Stefan frowned at hearing their conversation.

"Do it again." Tanner ordered.

"All right, let's huddle up. Set, hut!" Matt shouted to the team. Tyler throws the football and hits Stefan, hard, surprised to see him catch the ball, effortlessly. He just didn't know he broke Stefan's finger.

"Oh! Whoo! Welcome to the team, buddy." Tyler said, sarcastically.

"You gonna live, Salvatore?" Tanner questioned Stefan, trying to know if he was okay after the dirty throw.

"Yeah. I'm good." Stefan lied.

"Walk it off, son." Tanner recommended. Stefan nodded, hiding his hand.

"Hey. That was my bad." Matt said, trying to apologize.

"It's all right." Stefan said, brushing off Matt apology.

"Yeah." Matt said not knowing what to say.

"All right." Tanner said, giving the signal to the team go to hit the showers since practice was over. Making sure the entire team was ahead of him, Stefan pops his finger back into place. He sighed. High school...

...

After a quick shower, Brooke tied her hair up into a messy bun, complimenting her simple outfit. It was just dinner. Simple. Walking downstairs, Brooke entered the kitchen to see Elena opening the food they'd ordered from the Grille.

"You explain it. Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, commercial breaks come on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial. And sure enough, it's that guy and the girl with the bench, he flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture." Bonnie explained to the girls.

"Oh, come on. That commercial's on a constant loop." Elena said, the only plausible explanation.

"Bonnie, calm down. You're freaking out over nothing." Brooke tried.

"All right, fine. Well, how about this?" Bonnie gets her friends attention, trying to prove her point. "Today, I'm obsessed with numbers. Three numbers, I keep seeing 8, 14, and 22. How weird is that?"

"Maybe we should play the lottery." Elena said, trying to make Bonnie laugh. "Have you talked to your Grams?"

"Maybe she can help you with those feelings, Bon." Brooke suggested, setting the table.

"She's just gonna say it's because I'm a witch. I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?" Bonnie asked to the girls.

"I don't want to be a witch." Elena said, grabbing cups.

"Hmm... I'm already a bitch.." Brooke joked as she put the bread in a nice bowl.

"Putting the bread in a nice bowl isn't fooling anybody. I don't feel like is going to be a nice evening." Bonnie says.

"The pasta is amazing." Elena comments, frowning as she looks for the serving spoons. "Ok, serving spoons. Where are the serving spoons?" Elena asked rhetorically.

"Middle drawer on your left." Bonnie answered.

Opening the drawer, Elena frowns as she sees the spoons she's been looking for. "Ok, so you've been in this kitchen like a thousand times." Elena said, becoming a little worried about her friend.

"Yeah, that's it." Bonnie agreed, the doorbell chiming throughout the house.

"Ok, he's here. Don't be nervous. Just be your normal loving self." Elena instructed Bonnie, looking at Brooke. "Go! He's your date!"

Brooke laughed, shaking her head as she sets down the bread at the table. Walking to the door, Brooke smiled as she opened it, coming face-to-face with Stefan. "Hi."

"Hi."

...

The group sat at the dining room table of the Gilbert household, chatting idly. "So, did Tanner give you a hard time?" Brooke questioned, curiously.

"Well, he let me on the team, so I must have done something right." Stefan explained.

"Bonnie, you should have seen Stefan today. Tyler threw a ball right at him, and-" Elena tried to make her friend to talk and know Stefan.

"Yeah, I heard." Bonnie dismissed Elena's conversation.

"Why don't you tell Stefan about your family?" Brooke asked, trying to get Bonnie to open up.

"Um, divorced. No mom. Live with my dad." Bonnie said, feeling awkward.

"No, about the witches. Bonnie's family has a lineage of witches. It's really cool." Elena said continuing to make her friend to talk.

"Cool isn't the word I'd use." Bonnie said, receiving a glare from Brooke. Elena was trying to make Bonnie friends with Stefan and she wasn't helping.

"Well, it's certainly interesting. I'm not too versed, but I do know that there's a history of Celtic druids that migrated here in the 1800's." Stefan said, trying to make friends with Bonnie. He was going to try just as hard as Elena and Brooke were.

"My family came by way of Salem." Bonnie says, bursting with pride that Stefan knows about history.

"Really? Salem witches?" Stefan questioned, impressed.

"Yeah." Bonnie nodded, awkwardly.

"I would say that's pretty cool." Stefan smiled.

"Really? Why?" Bonnie asked, smiling.

"Salem witches are heroic examples of individualism and nonconformity." Stefan explained to Bonnie.

Brooke and Elena smiled at each other. Stefan and Bonnie were starting to get along and knowing each other. Stefan's plan had worked.

"Yeah, they are." Bonnie agreed with Stefan. While they were continuing to talk, the doorbell rung again. The four of them look at each other with a frown.

"I wonder who that could be." Elena frowned, getting up from the table and walking to the door, opening it with Brooke trailing behind her, leaving Bonnie and Stefan to continue their conversation.

Opening the door, Elena's eyes widened to see Damon and Caroline on the porch. She wasn't expecting to see them.

"Surprise! Bonnie said you were doing dinner, so we brought dessert." Caroline chimed with a bubbly voice.

"Oh." Elena said to Caroline not knowing what to say.

"Hope you don't mind." Damon smirked.

"I don't mind. You can..." Brooke started, but Stefan interrupted her by coming to the door.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked Damon, jaw clenched.

"Waiting for Elena or Brooke to invite me in." Damon explained.

"Oh, yeah, you can..." Elena started to invite him in, but Stefan stopped her.

"No, no, no. He can't, uh... he can't stay. Can you, Damon?" Stefan said looking at his brother, better yet, glaring at him.

"Get in here." Caroline ordered.

"We're just... finishing up." Stefan concludes, trying to stop his brother to get in the house. He didn't want Brooke or Elena to be in danger.

"Stefan, it's fine. Just come on in." Brooke invited Damon in.

"You have a beautiful home, Elena and Brooke." Damon said to the cousins.

"Thank you." Elena thanked him.

"Uh, I guess we can eat the desert in the living room..." Brooke said, an awkward smile on her lips. She still didn't like Damon.

...

"I cannot believe that Mr. Tanner let you on the team! Tyler must be seething. But good for you. Go for it." Caroline grinned.

"That's what I always tell him. You have to engage. You can't just sit there and wait for life to come to you. You have to go get it." Damon said trying to charm his way.

"Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines." Caroline said without a single tact.

Brooke narrowed her eyes, sitting next to Stefan. "Bonnie and I will work with her, Care." There was a tone of warning in Brooke's voice, but Caroline wasn't hearing it.

"I guess we can put you in the back..." Caroline suggested, leaving Bonnie and Elena looking at her with shock.

"You know, you don't seem like the cheerleader type, Elena." Damon raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, it's just 'cause her parents died. Yeah, I mean, she's just totally going through a blah phase. Elena used to be way more fun! And I say that with complete sensitivity." Caroline shrugged.

Brooke's eyes narrowed to slits. "I think you forget I'm team captain, Caroline. What I say, goes. That's final. As for my Aunt and Uncle dying, Elena's parents, it was a tragic death. You can find yourself on towel duty, Caroline." Stefan's hand squeezed her's. Brooke looked back at him with a small smile. "I'm going to help Elena in the kitchen."

...

        In the living room, Caroline and Stefan were the only two left. Bonnie and Damon had both went to help Elena and Brooke. Caroline was going on and on about Tyler and Brooke's relationship.

"Tyler tries, but he's just having a really hard time." Caroline started. "You have to understand that they were each other's first. You know, like, from the sandbox." She continued making the emphasis on the first.

"That's a really nice scarf." Stefan says, not paying attention what Caroline is saying.

"Mm. Thank you, it's new." She smiled.

"Can I see it? I mean, would you mind taking it off?" Stefan asked Caroline trying to see if Caroline had any bite marks on her neck.

"Oh, I can't." Caroline says looking unsure.

"Why not? Are you ok?" Stefan asked, knowing she was compelled to not take off her scarf by Damon.

"Um... All I know is that I can't take it off." Caroline says without taking off. All her answers are the same that she can't take it off. In that moment, Damon enters the living room again and pulls Caroline onto his lap.

"What are you two kids talking about?" he questioned.

"I was just commenting on her scarf." Stefan told his brother, glaring.

"Hmm. Hey, you know, um, Elena, Brooke and Bonnie are finishing up the dishes. Why don't you go see if you can help?" Damon suggested to Caroline.

"Does it look like I do dishes?" Caroline asked, laughing.

"For me?" Damon asked, pouting at her.

"Hmm... I don't think so." Caroline said, not being affected by Damon's pout.

"Go see if the girls need help in the kitchen." Damon compelled her.

"You know what? I'm gonna go see if the girls need some help in the kitchen." Caroline said, cheerfully.

"Great." Damon says watching Caroline getting up from his lap and leaving the room.

"They are people, Damon. She's not a puppet. She doesn't exist for your amusement, for you to feed on whenever you want to." Stefan said with glaring eyes to his brother.

"Sure she does. They all do. They're whatever I want them to be. They're mine for the taking." Damon said, taunting his brother with a smirk.

"All right, you've had your fun. You used Caroline; you got to meet Elena and Brooke, good for you. Now it's time for you to go." Stefan ordered his brother. He needed to leave town before they connected the dots...

"That's not a problem. Because... I've been invited in, and I'll come back tomorrow night and the following night and I'll do with Elena whatever I want to do, because I finally have my cheerleader, just like you have yours. Caroline was only a distraction until I met Elena. Because that is what is normal to me." Damon threatened his brother, patting his back with a smirk, sauntering out.

...

Sitting in her bedroom, Stefan admired the dark pink walls, decorated with a few butterflies and pictures. "Tonight wasn't bad, I had fun." Brooke smiled.

"Hmm. That makes one of us." Stefan said, being mysterious and less talkative.

"Come on. Your brother isn't horrible. I mean, he's not my favorite person in the word, but—" Stefan's lips on hers were more than enough to shut her up. Brooke eagerly began to kiss back. It was a sweet, but eager kiss.

"Let's not talk about my brother," Stefan said when he pulled away from Brooke, admiring the way her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen just a bit. He could hear her heart beating, her pupils dilated. He smirked. "As much as I'd love to continue this, I gotta get home."

Brooke nodded, leaning in and kissing Stefan once more. "I know," she muttered as they kissed. Before it could go any further, Stefan stood from the bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Brooke smiled.

"Sure, I'll walk you out."

...

Shutting the door behind Stefan, Brooke smiled to herself. Perhaps she'd tolerate Damon just for Stefan... what's the worst that could happen?

─ ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧ ─