hey it's good to be back home again

[somanyadjectives]

[It's been a while since Stefan has been back in Mystic Falls, but he wasn't going to miss the twins graduation. He knew that coming home was going to be complicated. He was bringing his girlfriend to meet people. He was bracing himself for Damon's judgement about him dating a vampire slayer the entire ride from the airport.

What he hadn't expected, was getting ambushed at a gas station while filling up his car by a hunter.

According to Damon, there haven't been hunters in Mystic Falls in years. They knew that the school would be a beacon, but they also took precautions for that to protect the kids. Most hunters understood that they were trying to reduce deaths, rather than concentrate them. This isn't to say that Mystic Falls is perfect, but they're doing better than they used to.

Stefan doesn't kill him. He's caught off guard enough that he doesn't immediately go for the kill, and Buffy catches the hunter off guard enough that the guy decides to retreat and regroup rather than push his luck against a slayer and a vampire. This isn't, unfortunately, before he manages to plug Stefan with a few wooden bullets. And those hurt like a mother.]

Gotta love coming home.

[He groans as he sinks back against the car, trying to keep an eye on their surroundings, before glancing down at the bleeding holes in his shirt.]

I liked this shirt.

Comments

[braveandstupid]

[Elena nods because that is so not a good sign, but they can handle it. They can manage. They just have to call a few friends.]

I have to go. But thank you, for the information.

[She'd say something about grabbing a drink if they're going to be in Mystic Falls a while, but there's too much urgency to just move.

And with that, she's going to head back to her car and grab her phone. First, she texts Jeremy to ask if he and Tyler can head back to town as soon as they could. Then she props her phone in the mount and calls Damon.

It probably should be Stefan, but she's too used to Damon being the one she calls for trouble.]

[unforgivably]

( Damon's at the Grill during off hours unloading product and overseeing inventory. But, he always takes Elena's calls.

Stepping out back, he sits on the top step. )

Salvatore's Redheaded Stepchildren.

[braveandstupid]

It's the school.

[Elena doesn't have time for your usual banter right now, sorry Damon.]

The hunter that went after Stefan? There's a whole army of them and they're planning on attacking the school. I don't know why that guy attacked early - he must have seen Stefan and thought he'd get a head start.

[unforgivably]

( She cuts right to the chase. He's up in seconds. )

Where are you?

[braveandstupid]

Driving back from the gas station? I should be back in Mystic Falls in a few hours.

[She wishes she wasn't so far away but odds are Damon can get calling.]

I texted Jeremy and Tyler to head back. You should go talk to Ric and Jo.

[A long pause.]

Do you think we should tell Klaus?

[unforgivably]

( A name he hardly likes hearing. A face he barely sees except for on parents weekends. There was the one and only time he and Hayley took Hope to the grill. He was on his best behavior. Still treated Damon like the other Salvatore.

Followed Damon into the kitchen. There was stabbing. (Damon got stabbed. His mouth always gets him in trouble.)

But, his kid's still there. And Ric's girls. )

I'm conferencing in Stefan, stay on the line.

( He walks back in and tells the day manager he's taking off early. Call if there are emergencies and the only emergency that counts is the building being on fire. And even then.

He knows Stefan and Buffy must be sitting down with Ric, Jo, and the girls. If not on their way over there. He calls anyway. )

[somanyadjectives]

[They are, in fact, about to sit down to dinner. As the rest of the party moves ahead of them, Stefan hangs back to answer the phone.]

Is something on fire?

[He's assuming it's some kind of emergency.]

[unforgivably]

Not yet, brother. Elena's on the line. Tell him what you told me.

( And then Stefan and Elena and him can decide on who to tell what.

Buffy chats with Jo, taking their wine glasses with them to the table. She does look back to see Stefan on the phone, but she stays at the table. )

[somanyadjectives]

["I got some information while I was looking into what happened with you. Apparently there's an army of hunters getting ready to descend on Mystic Falls. We think they might be going for the school."

Stefan's eyebrows go up, before he raises a hand to get Ric's attention and gestures for him to come over, away from the girls.]

Hold on, let me get Ric.

[unforgivably]

Keep the girls out of it. No reason to ruin their big days. Yet.

( Alaric makes a face, excuses himself and joins Stefan.

"Stefan?" )

Put us on speaker.

[somanyadjectives]

[They step outside of the restaurant, and Stefan does as requested.]

Damon and Elena think that hunters are going to come after the school.

[To catch Ric up with the rest of the group.]

A hunter tried to get the drop on me last night on my way here. They think he might be part of it.

[The canary in the proverbial coal mine.]

[unforgivably]

( Immediately, Ric's suspicions go up, looking from Stefan to the phone.

"And you think they're targeting the Salvatore school?" )

Elena thinks. I'm still playing catch up. You found all this out at the gas station?

[somanyadjectives]

["I had some help." Elena sounds reticient to share all the details, but she knows she has to. "I happened to run into some old friends, and they gave me a heads up that there's this army of hunters, radicalized by this woman named Tamara Monroe. They've been trying to shut down cells, but their information says they're looking to converge on Mystic Falls. With graduation coming up, it seems like it's the only thing that makes sense."

Stefan tips his head back before nodding.]

It would explain why what happened to me was such an attack of opportunity. He wasn't expecting to find me, but he took the chance when he did.

[cholesterol]

( Dean watches her go. Abruptly. Looks to Sam, cocks an eyebrow. )

Elena Gilbert is consorting with vampires. Her dad must be rolling in his grave.

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam raises his eyebrows as he watches her go, before glancing back at Dean.]

Were you and her ever ... ?

[cholesterol]

Think you're old enough to say it, Sammy.

( He's just giving him a hard time. )

I was 19, she was 16 and other than dad and her dad killing me, which I wasn't into, she had this boyfriend. She was about to break up with him. We -- we had one deep conversation.

[imnot_likeyou]

Which is one more than you usually have with most women so ... close enough I guess.

[If you're going to give him shit, he can give you shit right back.]

Do you think she'll be okay?

[cholesterol]

( Maybe there was a spark. This is Dean. He sparks with every girl in every one horse town. )

Her friend's a vampire, Sam. Ten to one, the blonde is, too. ( He also watches Elena drive away.

That settles that, he returns (with Sam in tow) to the convenience store and tells the guy this is his trainee and that he's been asked to include him in the investigation. After calming down the guy, he takes Sam into the back and cues up the same video for him to watch. )

[imnot_likeyou]

[Sam does watch the video, and after a minute he leans back with a frown.]

Okay, two things? That vampire? Is the Ripper of Montery. And the blond? I'm pretty sure that's Buffy Summers.

[The quality is shit, but he tries to push in to see if he can get a better look.]

[cholesterol]

Buff -- that's Buffy Summers? She's --

( So tiny.

But she did kick that ass. Not the point, he breaks his staring. )

So. Buffy the Vampire Slayer isn't just in town. She's with some Ripping vampire. One of the slayers is now riding in cars with vampires, minus Drew Barrymore.

( Shut up. It's an underrated movie. He caught it late one night in a motel. Shut up, shut up. )

Is down up in this town? And how does Elena fit in?

[imnot_likeyou]

The Ripper of Montery hasn't really been seen since the 1920s in Chicago where he ... did a lot of damage. I saw a picture of him in one of the Men of Letter's tracking logs? If he's been out there, he hasn't been killing.

[Stefan's more recent murder sprees hadn't really made it to their attention - or at least not with enough evidence to pin them to him.]

His name's Stefan Salvatore. And if what I've read about Mystic Falls is true, the Salvatores were a so-called "Founding Family." He might ... just be going home.

[He can't qualify anything re: Buffy. That's not his department.]

[cholesterol]

( Give Dean a minute to try and -- track that himself.

Except. )

Elena's a founding family member. The Gilberts, the Forbes, the Fells. ( The Salvatores. ) Why attack him here, with no plan. And how did Elena get mixed up with them. Do you think, she --

[imnot_likeyou]

I don't know. Maybe he saw the opportunity so he tried to take it?

[That he can't answer. They probably won't know until they find the hunter themselves.]

And you'll have to ask her that one. She wouldn't be the first doppelganger to have gotten turned.

[That would be Katherine.]

[cholesterol]

I remember when her parents died. She almost did, too. In the same car accident. It happened after the last time we left. Dad found out and went to the funeral alone.

( Two decades later? )

I'll tell Cas we'll be longer. The auto shop and the nail place each have cameras facing the street. We could see if he parked in front of one of them. He disappears off that camera and heads East.

[imnot_likeyou]

Okay, yeah. Maybe if we can track the hunter down we might get a head start on what Monroe is up to.

[Sam's all for keeping on the task at hand.]

It's not like we weren't heading to Mystic Falls anyway.