Anastasia Salvatore (Vampire Diaries fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty-Two

It's been hours since Elijah left and this pain isn't going away anytime soon. I grind my teeth together as I stand to my feet. This pain is nothing. I've been through worse. I've been stabbed numerous times, shot, neck broken. The list goes on. I adjust my shirt so the wound doesn't show as I make my way into the kitchen. I grab a blood bag thinking it might help me in a way of slowly down the process of the bite.

"Hey" I look up to see Stefan standing at the entry of the kitchen.

"Hey, I thought you were staying at Elena's tonight?" I question him as he shrugs.

"I was but I thought I'd quickly come home and..."

"Check on me?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah..."

"Why?" I ask.

"I guess I was just worried about you. You spent so long in a dark place I guess I was scared you'd somehow find yourself back in it. But I know Elijah won't let that happen" He says to me as my shoulder aches in pain.

"Stefan don't worry I-"

"No listen; I may not tell you often but I really care about you. I always have... I tried so hard to keep an eye on you in the past 100 years, hoping maybe you'd come to me. You're my younger sister and I love you" he says to me as I feel a burning feeling in my heart.

"I think that's the first time that word has ever been muttered within this family" I say with a small chuckle not wanting to show him how emotional he made me feel.

"Well I mean it" he lightly smiles.

"What's going on in here?" Damon walks in as he takes our attention to him.

"Stefan's just pouring his little heart out" I joke with a smirk.

"Wow! I try and be nice and this is what I get!" He laughs as we join him.

"It's okay little brother we can't all be as devilish as me" Damon messes Stefan's hair as Stefan tries to escape from him. The atmosphere in the room felt amazing. We haven't had a family bonding moment like this in ages. It made me feel so happy watching my brothers joke around and not fighting. It felt like we were a real family. It took away the pain I was enduring and made me forget that I was slowly dying. I love my brothers. I always have. Even when I had no humanity I always had a hidden love and care for them. I never physically hurt them just because I had the power to. If I ever did it was on accident... I don't want them to know what has happened. I've put them through enough strain and enough pain.

"Stefan I think you should go back to Elena's. You've checked on me and you know I'm fine. Go spend time with her; I'm not going anywhere." I smile at him as he looks at me.

"Ok" He softly replies as he lightly nods. He walks off leaving Damon and I.

"How's Alaric?" I question him folding my arms.

"I'm not sure I haven't seen him for a while." He shrugs.

"You haven't seen your drinking buddy! Oh Damon" I shake my head in a joking way.

"Maybe I should... It's not like I can see him in the next 100 years" Damon comments as I agree.

"Yes make the most of the time you have with him" I smile.

"I'll see you in a few days. I am unable to predict how smashed I'm going to get" he informs me as he exits the kitchen, leaving me slightly chuckling to myself. I love my brothers so much. I'll miss them. I don't know whether or not they'll miss me but they shouldn't. I haven't made that big of an impact on any lives; they come and go and here I am, coming and going. I guess the reality of me dying hasn't completely set in. Here I am joking about me dying but I bet in a few hours my stupid emotions will get in the way. I go to my room where I check the reflection from my mirror as I look at the bite. The black coloured veins pouring from the bite down my arm. I get distracted by the photo left on my desk as I lift it to get a better look. I was so happy. So very happy... I sigh placing it down as I begin to cough. I go over to my bed as I sit on the edge of the mattress, wheezing and coughing. I stop as I look down at my hand covered in blood. Gross... I speed to the bathroom as I wipe my hand with some toilet paper. I put it on the sink as I go back to my room, crawling onto my bed, flopping onto my soft mattress. I close my eyes wanting to sleep, more like needing to sleep.