VIENNA--••--DS&SS

•• Chapter Fifty Seven ••

     Vivian was upset. Of course she was. Who wouldn't be in her situation? She paced the floor and if she were to do it any longer, it would have no choice but to cave right under her and send her crashing down into the living room where Damon and Stefan talked about the upcoming decade dance at the high school.

She found it sort of funny that children wanted to celebrate a time that was blinded from the harsh reality, forced to forget or to ignore the real horrors that went on secretly. Music and old films were robbed from Vivian anyway. She was too busy running and dealing with the aftermath of her past to enjoy doing the Charleston with a stranger or sneak a drink or two.

They had more dyer matters than decorations and finding a date to the dance to deal with. Stefan had informed her that Alaric told him where the stake was and from there, evidently, shit hit the fan.

"Still freezing him out?" Stefan's voice halted her steps and her mind. Her eyes narrowed and her brows farrowed. Stefan's lips twitched into the faintest smile. "He's gone." He informs her. Vivian scoffs and sits on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah." She answered. Stefan wandered over to the big desk that sat in the middle of the room in front of the bed. Her guest room had turned into her room long ago and she had random things laying around the place. Her cloths, her old things Stefan and Damon brought with them. Her old diary's and her new ones. She realizes she hasn't written in a while. Maybe it's help get a few things off her heavy weighted chest.

"Good." Stefan said, to her surprise. It wasn't strange for Stefan to come to his brother's defense, it was definitely pick and choose for him, but sometimes it came naturally. She was really glad this was one of those times he chose to keep his mouth shut.
Stefan didn't see what she did. He wasn't there. But he heard all about it when she got back.

"I just....this is all messed up." Vivian blurs out. Stefan leant up against the desk with his arms crossed over his broad chest and hummed in response.

"I mean...me a witch, Alaric's alter Ego...Elena's sudden obsession with Damon."

"Do you really think it was that sudden?" Stefan asked, despite himself.

"Do you?" Vivian resorted back.

"There were times where I chose to ignore what I thought was going on. It was just Damon being Damon...you know. But then..."

"But then Klaus. And then Kathrine. Elena." Vivian listed. "At least with you now, I know." She smiled a halfhearted smile. Stefan copied her.

"I knew after everything, there couldn't possibly be a chance of Elena and I  working out. And I don't think I wanted to if that meant never being with you." Stefan tells her. She believes him.

"So this dance. Are we both going to protect the girl in question?" Vivian asked, mockingly. She did want to check it out. She hadn't danced in a while.

"With our luck, something's bound to happen tonight, so, why not? How long are you freezing him out for?"

"Until I know that whatever's going on between them is just a fluke." She said, "I know things happen. I know feelings get confusing, I've been confused about my feelings for years. But that doesn't make me want to go around kissing other people's boyfriends." Vivian shook her head.

"Fair enough. For what it's worth—" Stefan began, but Vivian put her hand up to stop him from continuing.

"I know what you're about to say, and I don't want to hear it. Not from you, anyway." She says.

"You have no idea what I was gonna say." Stefan smiles as he holds his hands up in defense. Vivian rolled her eyes.

"You were going to pick now of all times and come to Damon's defense. I get it. He's an idiot. I know that, you know that, hell, even he himself knows it. But I want to hear him say it. I want a big outlandish Damon style apology. It rarely happens."  Vivian finishes.

"Okay, okay. He is an idiot." Stefan agrees and Vivian smiles triumphantly. "So," Stefan says, "what color would you like your corsage?"

——

   Vivian wore a bright red flapper dress decked out with long tassel fringe. Her arms were covered by black gloves and on her neck hung a cluster of white purls. Her hair was curled and put in a simple half up half down look. Her shoe of chose were between a pair of black heels or flats, and ultimately, she decided flats were easier to run in.

"Wow." A voice from the door stopped her from finishing up her makeup. Her eyes glance towards the door and watched cautiously as Damon entered the room. He was already dressed in a nice black suite and tie. She couldn't help but admire him. Despite her still brewing anger towards him at the moment.

"What, Damon?" She asked, as she placed her red lipstick inside her clutch that was sitting on the bed.

"I thought you were beyond the highs and lows of High-School?" He smirked.

"I am. Shit might go down tonight. I'm going as backup."

"Right."

"Is there something else?" Vivian asked, now on the verge of annoyance. Typical Damon. Vivian thought to herself. Always avoiding the elephant in the room.

"Look—I just..."

Vivian waiting a moment. A brief second for him to continue what he was trying to say. She could see the wheels turning in his head.

"You know it didn't mean anything, don't you?" His eyes pleaded with hers. His stupid blue eyes that's gotten her lost so many times. Did she believe him? Of course. But he needed to believe his own words himself.

"That's a good start." She says, gently patting his shoulder as she walked past him and down the wooden stairs, where Stefan waited for her, with a corsage of red roses. She smiled.

"You clean up nicely." Vivian mused as she noticed the youngest Salvatore.

"So, a full conversation. That's progress." Stefan lightly laughed as Damon poured himself a drink.

"Oh, we'll be more than talking soon enough. I get it now. She wants a big gesture. Like, puppy's or a pony." Damon tips his glass towards them and downs the drink in one gulp. He slams the glass once he's done and claps his hands together.

"Alright. Roaring twenty's. What could possibly go wrong?"

"You of all people should never say something like that again." Vivian said, as the three of them head out the door.

"Why? Do you think I jinxed it?" Damon smirked, and really, this time Vivian couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes. The amount she's done that single action she's immensely surprised her eyes haven't permanently stayed the back of her head.

——

Yay another chapter.

Sorry it's so short but the next one will probably be longer.

I think we have two more episode of season 3 and then we're into season 4 !

It's really been a journey and I love figuring things out as I go and things and ideas just randomly pop up at the strangest times.

Enjoy!!