but oh what a year

[patrols]

Comments

[scrutinously]

Another piece to the puzzle?

( He's probably becoming overly fascinated by now, but she's reeled him in.. )

[yourtype]

More like a red herring. Turns out banshees are immune to ... everything. Though we didn't know she was a banshee yet. They figured that out after I ... you know.

[She sees him leaning in and he's very cute but she also doesn't want to talk about her death so she hopes he doesn't pull back.

Stephanie glances between the two of them before rolling her eyes and getting up. "I'm going to get more snacks."]

[scrutinously]

Right, you --

( Are back, now. His sister makes her escape and he does find himself leaning back, if only because - death. )

How does it feel knowing the answers now?

[yourtype]

[She gives a small shrug, noticing how he leaned back but ... fair. Death is a turn off.]

It explained why she was always the one finding the dead bodies.

[And it is kind of unfortunate for her.]

But honestly we were never that close. She kind of sucked in high school.

[scrutinously]

( To be fair, he throws an arm along the back of the chair. There's a slight lean forward, because he's still alert. He's just not where they were. )

Sucked, how? She was a mean girl?

[yourtype]

Kind of. She played herself off as being really shallow when she was actually a genius, and her boyfriend was the biggest dick in school.

[But she knows there's also normal jealous teenage girl issues in there too.]

And she was the prettiest girl in school so basically she was the girl everyone had a crush on including the guy I was into so ... I may be biased.

[scrutinously]

Sounds like high school.

( All that, plus the supernatural. Pretty sketchy. )

How... many of these guys and girls in your story are here tonight?

[yourtype]

Not her. She's apparently in Paris with her boyfriend. And not the pack's current alpha.

[Which maybe is for the best because she doesn't know what to do with Lydia anymore than Lydia does.]

But a lot of the rest of them are, yeah.

[scrutinously]

Was -- she dating the pack's current alpha?

( How does that work? Inter-dating. Fascinating, sociologically. )

You're excluding the names to protect the innocent. I like your style. If we need to go back downstairs for a refill, I really want you to point them out so I can guess who's who.

[yourtype]

No! No. No no no. I meant that the pack's current alpha isn't here.

[Sorry she's swirling things around while avoiding people's names. That does sound like a fun game though.]

Maybe. Could be fun.

[She's not going to tell him who the kanima was, but boring high school drama? That she's fully ready to spill on.

Stephanie returns with more snacks, and they try to pull off of Erica's specific brand of interesting a little bit. Eventually it's Erica's turn to run for the snacks, and Stephanie is a liiiiiiiiittle tipsy, and she glances over to her brother curiously.

"Wanna go for a walk?"

Their alternate universe parents had given them a very curated tour of Mystic Falls now - the hospital, the Grille, Lockwood Manor, Damon's house. She wants to go look for the places she knows and that they seem to not want to show her.]

[scrutinously]

( He'd like to stick by his sister's side if she's like this, not that he blames her for being in this state. It's a lot for him, too. He nods, getting up and finishing the last of his drink. )

Let's go down memory lane.

( He quickly shoots a text to tell Erica they're doing just that. Hesitates, and then lets Damon know they're taking a walk, too. He doesn't feel beholden to him. But he also doesn't need him worrying. )

[meanestgirl]

[Erica sends back a thumbs up.

Damon receives the text, but his brother doesn't know that. He catches sight of the two children wandering out the door and he doesn't stop them. It is Mystic Falls, and Mystic Falls is a lot safer than it used to be. Still, better safe than sorry. Stefan slips out behind them, just to keep an eye.

For all that this should be memory lane, it both is and isn't at the same time. She gets turned around a couple times - not because she's drunk but because the landmarks just aren't the same. Different people moved into different houses with different lawn decor, but eventually they find themselves standing in front of the Gilbert house.

Or what should be the Gilbert house.

Elena hasn't sold it. The remains of the house were torn down - safety reasons - so in it's place is just an empty plot of land between two houses, where a house should be. Maybe one day she planned to rebuild it, when she had reason and that reason hadn't come yet.

Stephanie stares at the blank space where her house should be, and her shoulders slump.]

I think part of me was hoping that she didn't burn it down here.

[scrutinously]

( it's the latest of many sobering reminders this isn't the home they know and loved - sometimes loathed. small town. but they were lucky for all the while. )

We knew she burned it down. We just... didn't know she never had it rebuilt. Here.

( because she didn't have reason to. or the money. )

She said it was one of her most painful memories. And then it wasn't.

[meanestgirl]

[Stephanie stares at the empty space, trying to not feel, finally, how different these places are. It's not that she wasn't aware. Some of the changes were staring her in the face. But this really feels like a loss and she can't figure out why.

She just thought she would always be able to go home.]

If this Barry guy can't send us home, what are we going to do?

[scrutinously]

( He sighs, tearing himself away from the site, turning toward his sister. She's not going to like the answer to her question, but it's staring them right in the face. )

Decide if we want to live with dad or mom. Or, enroll in another school? We live. While hoping there are strides made that could send us back. And when that happens, we get ready.

[meanestgirl]

What are Mom and Dad going to do?

[A pause.]

Not this Mom and Dad. Our Mom and Dad.

[Because she can't imagine that this will go well. She can't imagine that it won't break their parents to just have no answers, no closure.]

[scrutinously]

Well, they're mom and dad. If we're actually missing, they and aunt Bonnie and aunt Caroline and everyone will rally for answers. And they won't give up. But, I -- I hope that maybe, we're still there. And here. Because, I don't want mom and dad to go through that. ( It would break dad. And he'd fall into old patterns. ) But, if they can't help us here, maybe they can find us. From there.

And we have each other. I'm not going anywhere, Steph.

[meanestgirl]

Me either.

[She takes a deep breath.]

I know Elena and Damon are in different places so it probably wouldn't be fair, but we should stick together literally. I know we're basically adults but ...

[She wants to know that there's someone there who knows her, for better or worse.]

I don't want to be alone somewhere.

[scrutinously]

I won't let you, even if you wanted to be.

( He finally turns away from the house, unable to look at it any longer. )

Also, if I have a vote, I don't want Kansas. Or, a bunker.

[meanestgirl]

[She does kind of want to see the bunker. And she does feel a little bad for Elena in that respect. But also ...]

Yeah, I'm not sure I want to be stuck in Kansas either.

[She starts to turn when she catches sight of Stefan hovering nearby and stops, before she tenses. It's still strange, seeing Stefan Salvatore in person, alive, when previously she's only seen him in pictures. As a result, it's the defensiveness that comes first.]

You know, you really shouldn't creep around after people like that.

["Vampire," Stefan points out, crossing his arms in front of him. "Kind of comes with the territory."]

[scrutinously]

( He's curious, he wants to see her life but -- at what, boring, boring cost. He sees her freeze and spot someone and so he turns in Stefan's direction. )

Uncle Stefan.

( He matches his arm crossing. )

Were you following us?

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods.]

Mystic Falls is quiet, but that doesn't always mean it's safe. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.

[Stephanie's eyes narrow. "Well, we are. Still creepy."]

[scrutinously]

It's not that creepy.

( He'll point out. It's weird, considering they'd never met their uncle. They'd only read journal entries and seen illustrations. A picture here or there. He'd been dead since before they were born. And now he's feeling - what - protective?

He looks back at the remains of the Gilbert household. )

Mom and dad had the house rebuilt.

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods as he looks back over the land.]

That makes sense. Elena loved this house.

[And she also burned it down. It's complicated, as are most things with Elena and her grief.]

She would have wanted you to grow up there.

[scrutinously]

Dad owns a bar off the interstate. Mom has the practice in town, but she's, like, revitalized the historical society.

( Everything is just different. )

The kids at the Salvatore School -- it's this boarding school - they wrote this musical about mom's life. And it had you and dad and aunt Caroline in it. We've seen Hope and the other kids when they come into town. ( They're not as cruel as other Mystic Falls students. ) We snuck into their one-night only performance. Real weird.