𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘 [𝟏]

𝐢𝐢𝐢.

"𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍, I'm telling you it's her!"

"Stefan, don't freak out. Breathe in, breathe out." "This is not funny, I'm serious!", Stefan growled, rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants. "Nathalie is here in Mystic Falls." Damon sighed. "Alright, a lot of girls look like her. Or maybe, it's one of her doppelgangers, just like with Elena." Stefan shook his head. "I already considered that thought, but she wasn't born in a doppelganger line. I would recognize her anywhere, Damon."

Damon's icy blue eyes traveled away from his lecture and straight at his brother. "Fine, why don't we get her to tonight's party?" "Caroline already did her job", Stefan replied, taking a sip from his glass. "We have to talk to her, but gentle. I think she's suspecting something already." The raven haired man rose from the sofa and joined him to refill his glass. "Why is she here anyway?", he questioned, making Stefan frown. "Probably because Klaus hasn't discovered Mystic Falls yet, but I have this feeling that it's something else as well."

"Ok Romeo, while you keep worrying about Brownie, I'll get everything ready for the party. Feel free to help me when you're done." Damon stated, leaving the room.

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"You look gorgeous, Nathalie!", Elena gasped when the girls got into the Sheriff's car. "Thanks, you look great as well", the brunette smiled at her. "And it's really okay that your Mum is driving us, Caroline?", Bonnie asked, plucking around on her green glittery dress. "Of course!", Caroline's high voice came from the passenger seat. "But I insisted on letting us out a little away from the party. It's not cool when you show up with your Mum." "I thought it was because of the police car, but I appreciate your empathy", Liz Forbes said, without taking her eyes of the road.

The loud sound of party music was already audible, when the four girls stepped out of the car, leaving Caroline's Mum behind. "Thanks for driving us, Mrs. Forbes!", Nathalie yelled over her shoulder, recieving Liz's"You're welcome!" just as loud back. After some walking, they finally reached the Salvatore Mansion. Wow, Stefan and Damon put work into that baby. Caroline was the first one to step forward and knock.

Nathalie felt herself getting nervous, when she heard footsteps coming towards the door and a dirty blonde boy stood in front of them. That was neither Stefan nor Damon. Maybe their cousin or nephew? "Hi Matt", Elena greeted and he nodded with a smile, stepping aside and letting them in. "That's Matt, Caroline's boyfriend", Bonnie whispered next to Nathalie, when she noticed her confused look. "He and Elena were a couple, but they broke up when her parents died this summer." The vampire's eyes widened. She didn't know Elena had been through a loss and the way it looked, she was pretty good at hiding it.

"It's fine", Bonnie said, patting her shoulder. "Just try not to mention it. It's been hard for both of them, but I believe she's happy he moved on." Elena's facial expression while watching Caroline and Matt laugh together said something else though.

"It's really you, Brownie", a deep voice from behind made all four girls snap their heads around. "I know, you're not talking to me", Caroline said, lifting up her eyebrows. "Nope", he said, his eyes fixing Nathalie. "Hello, Damon." "Wait, you two know each other?", Elena asked surprised, making the raven haired man chuckle. "Yeah, childhood friends." The female vampire gave him a sarcastic look. "I never knew we were friends. At least, I never considered you that." Damon clutched his chest as if a stab of pain was going through him. "Ouch, that hurt. Anyway, you girls go and have fun, I'll speak to Nathalie for a while. You know, catch up the lost time." Caroline was already on the dance floor, Bonnie followed her. "Ok, see you then", Elena said, before she joined her friends.

"It's amazing how you haven't even changed a little bit since then. Still sassy and stubborn", he said, following her into a quieter corner of the house, where they could talk undisturbed. "The same goes with you", she replied, "still reckless and an ass." "You also still have your positive attitude, remarkable", he commented, making Nathalie roll her eyes.

"Why are you here, Damon?" He chuckled, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "Funny, I could actually ask you the same." "As you know, I'm on the run from Klaus, and your reason is?" "Let's just say I missed my little brother", he said, taking a long swig of the liquid, leaving a burn in his throat. Nathalie put her hand on his shoulder. "You've never been a good liar, you know." He sighed dramatically. "No need to remind me of my excellent acting skills, Brownie. Speaking of Stefan, I think he would like to talk to you. Upstairs, first room to your left", he stated, before he threw himself into the crowd.

Nathalie went where Damon told her to, ending up standing in front of a closed wooden door. She noticed her hands starting to sweat slightly and rubbed them quickly on her pants, before knocking. The female vampire had always had a different relationship to Stefan than to Damon. In a matter of seconds the door swung open and the handsome brunette vampire came into her view.

"Nathalie."

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"It wasn't a clever idea to come here", was the first thing he said after she sat down on his bed. "I missed you too Stef, really", she replied, sarcasm completely owning her voice. "But the question is, do you hate me so much that I can't even come to your house? What kind of state are we on right now?" He chuckled barely audible, but loud enough for her to hear, shaking his head. "No, I mean it was a bad idea coming to this town. I thought you were smarter." Nathalie raised her hands in fright. "Sorry Dad, no need to be that rude right away."

He sighed. "Nathalie, don't you get that you're not safe here? It's not going to take Klaus long to find you." Surprised, she raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you know the original ass is after me?" "Since Katherine told us. Klaus is after her too, remember? You're not safe if you stop running!" The brunette girl laughed uncertainly, her breath slowly speeding up. "Stefan, I don't know how many decades your brain has lagged behind, but if you don't remember, I'll clear you up now. Katherine died in the church that time. She is dead."

That was actually not how Stefan planned to tell Nathalie, that her best friend from the 18th century had survived and was now trapped in the tomb, bright and healthy, more or less. But one way or another, she would have found out anyway.

"No, she's alive", he replied gentle, careful not to make her freak out. "You remember the tomb, don't you? That's where she is right now. In the tomb, probably spitting at dead bodies. We didn't have the time to talk about hobbies yet." Nathalie shook her head, stepping back and blinking a few times. "That's not possible! There's no way she survived this!"

Stefan didn't know what to say. The last thing he wanted was to upset her, but he had the feeling of making everything worse with every word he said. "That's what we thought as well, but we found her when Damon-", He paused, "we found her." Nathalie stared at the wall, making Stefan feel even more unsure. "I know, this might me a bit much all at once, but you deserve the truth. Now, you know." 

"You want me to believe you?" Stefan shrugged. "I do, but whether you believe me or not is entirely up to you." She thought for a brief moment. "Fine, show her to me." The male vampire frowned. "What?"

"You already understood me. I want to see her."