Vampire Diaries Blood Brothers

~Chapter Eight~

"That was..." Stefan shook his head as I gazed into his eyes expectantly. Twilight was one of my favourite movies but he had hardly uttered a word the entire duration of the movie. "Horrible!"
   "What?" My mouth dropped open in disbelief as I hit him in the face with one of the couch cushions. 
   He shrugged, trying to keep himself from laughing at my horrified reaction. "It was awful," his brows furrowed as I switched the television off. "I mean, sparkling vampires?" He scoffed. "Come on, they could at least make it believable."
   "Excuse me," I started defensively. "How would Edward - or any of his siblings - be able to go to school if they burned it the sun?" 
   "Um, if Dracula managed I'm sure the Cullen's could've figured it out."
   Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Vampires aren't real."
   "Aren't they?" He raised an eyebrow, turning to face me.
   "Have you ever seen one?" I challenged.
   "Just because you can't see something doesn't mean it's not real," he pointed out. "Take air for example. You can't see it, but you know it's there."
   "Yeah, but we see the affects of air in everyday life. For example, the air we breath, the wind in the trees..."
   "And what about blind people who don't see the affects of air?"
   "No one has ever seen a vampire, Stefan," I laughed.
   "No one you know, has ever seen a vampire before," he corrected me.
   "They're not real Stefan, supernatural stuff is just fiction." I leaned in close, my arm brushing against his. "Did you enjoy anything about the movie?"
   His beautiful fingers brushed the side of my face as he tucked a loose strand of hair back behind my ear, his eyes staring deep into mine the entire time. "I liked how Bella chose to accept Edward, even though he was a blood sucking monster... I liked how you chose to see the good in the Cullen's, even though they're vampires." 
   I felt myself leaning closer as the tips of his fingers lingered beside my neck. "I liked the romance," I breathed as his face inched closer.
   "So did I."
   My eyes fluttered as he cupped the back of my neck with his hand and bent his neck. His breath tickled my lips as we closed the gap, about to kiss... 
   "Eva?" Jenna called, trudging down the stairs. "Hey, I thought maybe today we could... Oh."
   Stefan and I pulled back at the same time, scooting to opposite ends of the couch as Jenna interrupted what could have been the best part of my weekend.
   "Oh my... Hi," she smiled awkwardly at Stefan.
   "Jenna, this is Stefan, Stefan this is my Aunt Jenna."
   Still a little dazed, Jenna stood at the bottom of the stairs awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say. Smoothly, Stefan got up off the couch and stuck his hand out, smiling kindly.
   "Pleasure to meet you Jenna," he nodded. "Eva's told me a lot about you," his eyes twinkled and I couldn't help but smile myself. He always seemed so genuine and calm, especially in uncertain circumstances.
   "And you," Jenna finally said, grinning from ear to ear.
   Rolling my eyes, I groaned internally. Jenna wasn't an Aunt, and she definitely wasn't a mom. She was more like a big sister looking after her younger siblings. That was good, for the most part, but she could always be really embarrassing.
   "I'd better be going," Stefan pursed his lips together, coming back towards me. "It was nice to see you again Eva," he bent down and kissed my hand, winking as he dropped it and excused himself. "It was nice to meet you too, Jenna."

As soon as Stefan had closed the door and safely out of range, Jenna squealed like a little girl meeting her celebrity crush. "I know you told me he was cute," she grinned. "But you didn't tell me he was that cute!" Grabbing some chocolate from the fridge, she took a bite. "He's definitely a keeper."

~~~

Sitting in History I glanced over to Stefan who was sitting in the seat beside me. Noticing my stare he smiled back, wearing an almost excited expression. After he left on Saturday Jenna had bombarded me with so many questions I just had to get out of the house, so I went over to Stefan's (calling first this time) and we hung out there. He gave me the grand tour of the Salvatore Boarding House and introduced me to his Uncle Zach. After that he let me play his piano. I was a bit rusty, seeing as we didn't have on at home that I could practice on, but Stefan taught me a song he claimed to have learned when was younger and I was nailing it.
   "... Miss Gilbert?"
   I froze. All twenty pairs of eyes stared at me as our History teacher Mr Tanner stood at the front of the classroom, an expectant look on his face.
   "Well?" He pressed, raising his eyebrows.
   "I'm sorry, could you repeat the question please?" I asked politely.
   "I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, but the personal excuses ended with the Summer break, Miss Gilbert."
   Chewing my bottom lip, my gaze faltered as I looked down at my notebook. School had finally been looking a little normal, but now Mr Tanner had to go and bring up the tragic events which had made my life so hard. Why did he have to do that?
   There was an awkward silence; no one knew what to say. "Three hundred and sixty four casualties," Stefan piped up, saving me from unwanted attention and embarrassment. "Unless you're counting the local civilians," he added.
   Mr Tanner looked slightly surprised. "That's correct, Mr?"
   "Salvatore." Relief washed over me and I smiled, stealing a glance at Bonnie sitting behind me. She looked impressed, but there was something off about her manner. I would have to remember to ask her about it later.
   "Salvatore," Mr Tanner murmured to himself. "Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"
   He nodded. "Distant."
   "Well, that's very good," he praised him once more. "Except there were no civilian casualties in the battle of Willow Creek."
   "Actually there were twenty seven, sir." Stefan corrected him in a humble tone. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons and they were wrong. It was a night of great loss." Mr Tanner's cheeks reddened. "The Founders Archives are stored in Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, sir."
   Giggles and impressed murmurs were exchanged throughout the classroom as Stefan out smarted our teacher. Mr Tanner, however, was not so impressed.
   "You think you're smarter than me? Huh, Salvatore?" I rolled my eyes as Mr Tanner strode up the aisle, eyeing Stefan.
   "Sorry, sir."
   "Better."