001. [Location: Lobby]: Winning a battle, losing the war.
“I was so worried about you,” Stefan admitted with relief as he stepped closer, reaching out and touching Elena’s face as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
“Stefan, I...” But Stefan didn’t need to wait for the sentence to be completed, he had known what was coming, had anticipated it. It was hard to keep the disappointment from showing through. He looked down in an attempt to regain composure, not wanting to make it any harder for her than it was already.
“Katherine being gone doesn’t change anything for you, does it?” he asked flatly, the hope gone from his voice as his eyes searched hers helplessly, expression falling into neutral, but eyes speaking of heartache.
“I wanna be with you, Stefan, you know that. But first, I - I need to wake up and know that the people that I love are safe. I need to feel safe. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” he nodded sadly, swallowing the lump in his throat, “Yeah, I... I understand.” But understanding didn’t lessen the pain, didn’t lift the weight of failure. Elena was breathing, she had survived, but it was no thanks to him. As much as he’d tried to keep her safe, the blood staining her shirt was evidence to the contrary. And how could he possibly make her feel safe when she was constantly being put in danger? But the confirmation, hearing the reality of the situation - it was more than he could bear.
Stefan stood beside the lake in the Lockwood grounds and reflected on recent events with remorse as Elena brushed passed him. He turned stiffly and watched as she walked away into the distance, creating a memory designed to taunt him forever.
There was a brief moment when he considered following after her, to ensure that she made it home safely. But he opted against it. He owed her that much, to respect the decision that she had made - the choice that he would resent if he paused to think about it for too long. He felt the need to run, to hunt, to distract himself from the pain and anger. But he didn’t, instead he turned back to walk in the opposite direction and head home.
But the thing was that when he focused his eyes on the scene before him, he was no longer standing beside the black body of water, the gentle sound of the rippling lake in the night air that his sensitive ears had detected replaced with the sound of footfalls and carrying voices. Stefan’s initial thought was of Elena as he glanced around what appeared to be the lobby of a hotel, but he forced the worry aside in order to focus. Was this one of Katherine’s contingency plans? She might have been trapped in the tomb, but Stefan knew better than to underestimate her. And if it wasn’t Katherine’s doing, then who was responsible? It wasn’t like anything he’d known before. No supernatural being that he knew of possessed the power to instantly transport a target. And if it had been possible to teleport with a spell it would have taken great power, which isn’t something that would have gone unnoticed in Mystic Falls.
“Excuse me?” he asked politely in attempts to gain the attention of the wandering people, “Can you tell me where we are?”
“Stefan, I...” But Stefan didn’t need to wait for the sentence to be completed, he had known what was coming, had anticipated it. It was hard to keep the disappointment from showing through. He looked down in an attempt to regain composure, not wanting to make it any harder for her than it was already.
“Katherine being gone doesn’t change anything for you, does it?” he asked flatly, the hope gone from his voice as his eyes searched hers helplessly, expression falling into neutral, but eyes speaking of heartache.
“I wanna be with you, Stefan, you know that. But first, I - I need to wake up and know that the people that I love are safe. I need to feel safe. Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” he nodded sadly, swallowing the lump in his throat, “Yeah, I... I understand.” But understanding didn’t lessen the pain, didn’t lift the weight of failure. Elena was breathing, she had survived, but it was no thanks to him. As much as he’d tried to keep her safe, the blood staining her shirt was evidence to the contrary. And how could he possibly make her feel safe when she was constantly being put in danger? But the confirmation, hearing the reality of the situation - it was more than he could bear.
Stefan stood beside the lake in the Lockwood grounds and reflected on recent events with remorse as Elena brushed passed him. He turned stiffly and watched as she walked away into the distance, creating a memory designed to taunt him forever.
There was a brief moment when he considered following after her, to ensure that she made it home safely. But he opted against it. He owed her that much, to respect the decision that she had made - the choice that he would resent if he paused to think about it for too long. He felt the need to run, to hunt, to distract himself from the pain and anger. But he didn’t, instead he turned back to walk in the opposite direction and head home.
But the thing was that when he focused his eyes on the scene before him, he was no longer standing beside the black body of water, the gentle sound of the rippling lake in the night air that his sensitive ears had detected replaced with the sound of footfalls and carrying voices. Stefan’s initial thought was of Elena as he glanced around what appeared to be the lobby of a hotel, but he forced the worry aside in order to focus. Was this one of Katherine’s contingency plans? She might have been trapped in the tomb, but Stefan knew better than to underestimate her. And if it wasn’t Katherine’s doing, then who was responsible? It wasn’t like anything he’d known before. No supernatural being that he knew of possessed the power to instantly transport a target. And if it had been possible to teleport with a spell it would have taken great power, which isn’t something that would have gone unnoticed in Mystic Falls.
“Excuse me?” he asked politely in attempts to gain the attention of the wandering people, “Can you tell me where we are?”