𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲 | 𝐭𝐯𝐝

-8-

I woke up in a frenzy when I rolled over onto a chest. I didn't fall asleep with anyone in my bed, but still, I looked up and saw Damon. "Morning." He greeted. I groaned. "C'mon. Get up. It's already noon."

"Noon is too early, Damon." I pulled the comforter over my eyes. "One..." He began counting down. "What?"

"Two..."

"Damon, go away."

"Three!"

I was suddenly tumbling out of bed, now wrapped like a burrito in my blanket. "Damon!" I whined. "Told ya."

He got up and left. I stood up and waved my blanket out, then put it on the bed. I washed it just last night. Damon returned with a black shirt and handed it to me. "Here. I have a lot of them anyway." He shrugged. "Thank you," I mumbled. He nodded and walked out. I closed the door and went to the bathroom to shower.

After changing, brushing my teeth, and doing my makeup, I walked downstairs and grabbed a water bottle. I wasn't much of a breakfast person. I heard hammering outside and slowly approached the door. I peeked through the window and saw Stefan working on his motorcycle. He looked up at me and laughed. I hid my face and groaned, embarrassment filling my bones.

I eventually opened the door and sat on the small brick wall behind him. "Hi, River." He greeted. "Hey, Stef. What are you doing?" I questioned. He sat on the vehicle. "Elena's transition to a vampire has been a little depressing. I'm gonna help her have some fun." He said. "Oh." I frowned. I was hoping he and I could hang out, to be honest.

"Those who can't do, teach," Damon said, stepping out of the house. He began walking onto the porch. "Ah, I see we're still fighting. Got it. Where are you going?" His brother asked. "That hunter jacked Tyler Lockwood of his werewolf venom last night, so basically, he's got vampire poison in a bottle. And I'm gonna find him, and I'm gonna eat him."

"Great. I'll go with you." I got up and walked towards him. "Nope. No, too dangerous. You're staying." He grabbed my shoulders gently and turned me around to face the door. "You're joking. I'm 164 years old. I can face a hunter." I scoffed at his behavior. I'm not human. I can face things. "He's right. You're staying." Stefan walked towards his brother. "I don't want your help either. I just want to kill this guy and get the hell out of town. Wasn't that the deal? Whoever Elena doesn't choose leaves?" Damon stared at Stefan. "You're joking. A deal? God, this is worse than Katherine." I rolled my eyes. They're acting like children.

"That was before she turned." Stefan ignored my comments. "And I stayed to help. If I take you punching me as the first clue, I'm not wanted here anymore." He began walking towards his car. "Listen, you blood-shared with my girlfriend, and I punched you in the face. You deserved it. Why don't you stop being dramatic?" Stefan groaned. "Both of you are dramatic! Damon, I'm coming with you and you have no choice. Let's go." I walked around the car. "Was she always this sassy?" Damon mumbled. "Definitely."

-

Damon was the first to walk into the trailer. There was a distillation setup and newspaper clippings, which he began to rifle through when he's suddenly shot by two arrows in his thigh and back. I was still standing by the door. Damon groaned in pain. I noticed a string attached to the arrows. "Don't move!" I yelled. He stopped and I pointed at the lines. There was a bomb on the other end. "Cut out the arrow." He groaned. I looked around for anything sharp, then carefully shuffled to a knife and went back towards Damon.

I put the point of the knife next to the entry point of the arrow going through Damon's back. He reached towards a paper on the table beside us and skimmed it. "So who was this Pastor?" I asked, still carving out the arrow. "Some crazy guy. He wrote a letter about sacrifice and war brewing in Mystic Falls." He handed me the paper.

"What does he mean, "a greater evil is coming"?" I asked. "Beats me." He hissed in pain. I finished prying it out and slowly removed it so it wouldn't go off. I dropped it on the table. "Can we go now?" I scoffed.

-

We went back to the Salvatore home and separated again. He went to his room and I went to the kitchen for some water. Elena eventually walked in. "Oh- I, uh, was-"

"It's okay. I don't know what's going on anyway." I shrugged. "Oh. Uhm...Hi."

"Hello, Elena." I chuckled. She has no reason to be skittish, but even I feel the inevitable awkwardness. "I've heard a lot about you. Doppelgänger of Katherine and all. So, who's it gonna be? If you don't mind me asking. I'm just confused is all. I haven't had time to...catch up, as some may say- with my friends." I shrugged. "I am not talking about this. Especially with you. You're Stefan's psycho ex." She cringed. "Psycho? I'm sorry, did I hear you right?" I stood up. "Look, all I'm saying is you've been hung up on him for the last, what, 88 years? He's abandoned you and you're still flirting with him. It's ridiculous and kinda makes you look psychotic."

I scoffed. Is she really saying this? "My god, you and Katherine do have a few things in common then. Well, Elena, when you and Stefan spend fifty-eight years together as vampires and he all of a sudden leaves you for a blonde in a bar, let me know how you feel then. Until that time comes, you can only dream how a love that strong feels." I placed my bottle in the trash can, glared, and left.

I walked up to Damon's room, where he was standing and zipping up jeans. "Hey!" He yelled. "Oh please." I sat down on his bed. "What do you want?" He sighed. "Elena's quite rude. Are you sure that's not Katherine?"

"Positive."

He picked up his phone and soon put it to on speaker so he could finish dressing. The other line answered and a thick, deep, bone-chilling voice spoke first. "Hello, Damon."

Klaus.