Sincerely Yours [Stefan Salvatore]

[73. The Search]

[4x17; Because of the Night + 4x18; American Gothic]

"You took Elena to New York?" Joel's voice was flat as he addressed Damon through his phone, tapping his feet anxiously on the floor.

Lucy opened her eyes from where she sat, cross-legged on the floor only a foot away from him and glared at her brother. He was severely harshing her mellow and that was her entire purpose for meditating in the first place.

They spent all night looking for ways to help control her magic. Klaus brought over some books about witches he collected over the years (even though his collection was nowhere near Kol's). They didn't know whether she was the first person on Earth to be a vampire-witch hybrid, so any information they came across was helpful. When they hadn't found anything that helped Lucy's situation, they turned to anger management guides online.

It was in one of those guides that Joel came across meditation. Lucy knew what it was but she had always been skeptical of it. The only thing that had her willing to try it at all was the fact that Jenna always said how much meditation helped her through the years.

And like every time before, Jenna was right. This was only her second time doing it, but the first time she felt so at ease with herself that she fell asleep on the area rug at the end of Stefan's bed. When she closed her eyes, she tuned everything out except for her heartbeat and the magic that now flowed through her veins. She familiarized herself with it and when she woke up the next day, her magic was calm enough to be able to spell the lapis lazuli ring that Klaus and Stefan had given her.

It was the afternoon now and she was trying to meditate again. Unfortunately, Damon had taken off with Elena and Joel was stressing out about it. Somehow he ended up in the library with Lucy while Stefan and Caroline cleaned the huge mess in the living room and foyer.

"You know what, JoJo? That tone is the exact reason I didn't answer when you called before," Damon commented sarcastically.

It was strange but also cool that Lucy could overhear other peoples' conversations on the phone without speakerphone on.

"You know what, Day?" Joel started to copy him. "That—"

"Ugh, don't call me that," Damon groaned.

"Don't call me JoJo, then."

"That's my thing, I give people horrible nicknames. Get over it."

"You're so annoying."

"Joel!" Lucy exclaimed, giving her brother the stink eye. "If you're going to bicker with your boyfriend can you leave me alone?"

"Ew..."

"Gross, Lou," Joel grimaced at her and lowered his voice as he spoke to Damon again. "So, where is Elena now?"