Unstoppable | The Vampire Diaries

54. Sleeping With The Frenemy

Riley sat in the woods, worriedly biting her thumbnail while watching Stefan do push-ups. She kept opening her mouth, failing to think of something to say, and closing it again.

"Stop staring," Stefan instructed her, grunting his way to the ground and back again as he tried not to think.

"I can't help it," Riley told him. "You and Elena break up and this is your first response?"

No one knew the true cause of the break-up, but it was clear that Stefan wasn't handling it well. Everyone suspected that it was just a symptom of Elena's new vampire status – she was no longer the girl that Stefan fell in love with.

Riley's phone began to ring while she waited for Stefan's reply. When it was clear that he wasn't planning on saying anything anytime soon, she answered.

"Hey, how's Stefan duty?" Caroline asked in a bright voice. She would have been there herself, but had delegated the worry about Stefan's current situation to Riley while she helped to plan this year's Miss Mystic Falls, as the previous winner.

"He's done about a thousand push-ups," Riley told her future (step) sister truthfully. "But we're no closer to the source of the break-up."

"I can hear you," Stefan reminded them, pushing himself up with his hands so that he could lie on his back and look up at the sky. "She said she has feelings for Damon."

"What?!" Caroline screeched down the phone, matching Riley's internal thoughts. It had been obvious that Elena felt something, but no one thought she'd ever admit it. Especially not to Stefan himself!

"Feelings like romantic feelings?" Riley asked. "Like she wants to date him? Is she gonna tell him?"

"Riles!" Caroline jolted her out of a few of the many questions that she should probably have been asking Elena. "Don't worry Stefan, I'm gonna talk to her. I'm gonna shake some sense into her clearly diseased brain. And in the meantime, you need to find the cure."

This was the other big news within their group. According to Klaus, there was a cure for vampirism floating around. Only no one knew where it was or what it did. The only thing they knew for sure was that Jeremy was the key, taking on the 'Hunter' mantle from the now deceased Connor Jordan.

"Right," Stefan said with a defeatist tone. Elena had completely changed since she became a vampire. As much as he wanted to find the cure, he was very aware that he was putting all of his hopes on something that might not even exist.

"He'll be fine, Care," Riley assured her. "I'll see you later."

"OK," Caroline said, clearly distracted by her Miss Mystic duties.

They hung up, and Riley glanced at Stefan sympathetically.

"Can I show you something?"

Stefan sat up, looking slightly amused as to how she thought anything could distract him from Elena.

She walked towards him and pointed at her neck. When he looked closely, he saw two small round scars.

"This time last year, we were in these woods when you bit me," she reminded him. "My dad didn't know about vampires so Damon couldn't heal me, and it's now a permanent scar."

Stefan took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Riley rolled her eyes. "I don't want another apology. I told you that because I wanted you to see how much has changed. Stefan, you got through being Klaus's side-bitch, you got through being a blood-a-holic, you got through turning your humanity off. You can definitely get through this."

"Thanks," Stefan nodded, the hint of a smile on his face.

"Any time," she said. "Anyway, I should go. Are you gonna be OK?"