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

[shreds]

Well, then, as they say, we'll play it by ear. We'll be there in a few hours. Unless you tell me otherwise, we'll meet you at Damon's.

[somanyadjectives]

See you then.

[And with that, he will hang up and wander inside to go find his brother.]

Can I borrow you, for a second?

[unforgivably]

( Seeing as he was kept out of the plan, he's back where Stefan will always find him. Doing his job. And doesn't he do it well?

He's explaining something in the system when Stefan leans over the bar.

A few minutes later, they're sitting in Damon's favorite corner. )

You borrowed me, brother. Is there an update on hunter-gate?

[somanyadjectives]

There is. Katherine's coming to town.

[At least he's getting right to the point.]

She wants to know if you have room at the house for her and her partner.

[unforgivably]

Her life partner?

( Give him a whole second, Stefan. )

Only Katherine. Why is Katherine coming to town, let's start there. Walk me through it, Stefan.

[somanyadjectives]

Her hunting partner.

[He doesn't know the status of her and Damian's relationship, and to be honest he doesn't want to know. It doesn't matter.]

And she's coming to help with the incoming hunter Armageddon.

[unforgivably]

Katherine Pierce.

( He doesn't need to think about it. )

I will be making jokes about separate bedrooms.

[somanyadjectives]

That is your right as host, and I would not deny you it.

[And he pulls out his phone to text Katherine and let her know she's good for Damon's. And also Elena to let her know that Katherine will actually be in town.

It will be met with the appropriate amount of ugh, after she's finished being Katherine for the evening.]

[unforgivably]

Where's Buffy in all of this? Don't tell me she met up with Elena and they're doing double teaming that hunter.

[somanyadjectives]

No. Elena is pretending to be Katherine in a hunter bar with someone she called "the Winchester brothers." It seemed to mean something to Katherine.

[He shrugs.]

Buffy is at the school, getting the grand tour.

[unforgivably]

The Winchester brothers.

( Elena is older. They're all older. They're wiser. They're friends. And it doesn't remotely twinge a little bit? Brothers. )

And Elena is going to play the part of Katherine. Did she bring her portable curling iron before she watched a Youtube tutorial in being a heartless bitch?

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan shrugs.]

All I got was a text asking me to get Katherine to play along. I didn't ask for too many details beyond that, but I think she can do a decent Katherine if she puts her mind to it.

[unforgivably]

I'm not saying she can't. I have all the trust that she'll pull Katherine off.

( But, he still gets to feel like she's running in half-cocked with two brothers they don't know. )

After this is all over, we're meeting these Winchesters.

[somanyadjectives]

Oh, definitely.

[Stefan is in agreement with that too.]

She considers them trustworthy but ... this is also Elena we're talking about.

[He loves her, but she's willing to work with people she probably shouldn't seventy percent of the time.]

[unforgivably]

She may have graduated from everything bad ever. Now, it's everything bad some of the time.

( Less so, but still a lousy track record. )

Did she tell you how she knows them? And why don't we know them? We know everybody Elena knows. That matters.

[somanyadjectives]

She said something about it being from before we got back to Mystic Falls. Friends of her dad. We didn't really have a lot of time to swap details.

[unforgivably]

That far back. Grayson Gilbert would pal around with hunters. Anything else I should know or is that every crazy thing?

[somanyadjectives]

That's everything I know. I'm sure there will be more crazy things when she gets back.

[There's a beat, then Stefan looks up.]

Though Katherine did call them harbingers of the Apocalypse?

[unforgivably]

She called them what now? And they're with Elena?

( Oh HELL NO.

RING RING RING, ELENA )

[somanyadjectives]

[And he gets sent to voicemail. God, Damon, don't you know she's undercover.]

This is Katherine. It's hard to tell when she's serious or when she's over-exaggerating.

[unforgivably]

( WITH HARBINGERS OF AN APOCALYPSE. )

This is several steps past over-exaggerating. This is hyperbole to the Nth degree.

( So fuck it. Calling Katherine now, who is asleep in the car but it buzzes in the cradle next to Damian. )

[gambled_ourmistakes]

[And just in case its an emergency for this bad situation they're coming into, he answers in his smooth, Armie Hammer voice.]

Katherine Pierce's phone, her secretary speaking.

[He's kidding. Mostly.]

[unforgivably]

( He just puts it on speaker then and drops his phone on the table. )

Hey, Katherine Pierce's secretary. This is the Salvatore's and we'd like to speak to Katherine. Mind pulling her out of her meeting or whatever Fifty Shades of Grey heel to the neck scenario she's clearly channeling?

[gambled_ourmistakes]

[He rolls his eyes a bit, before placing the call on speaker and reaching over to nudge Katherine. He doesn't feel like dealing with her pissy exboyfriends, so that's certainly an excuse to wake her up.]

Katherine, wake up. You have a phone call.

[unforgivably]

( Beauty rest, for the record is not a saying if you ask, Katherine. But, she was really just closing her eyes anyway. She likes how the road lulls her usually quiet thoughts. She smiles and sighs.

"WHAT." )

Harbingers of the apocalypse, Katherine?