but oh what a year

[patrols]

Comments

[founderscouncil]

And then, she ended up needing something different from Damon, too.

( Such is life. )

What stopped Klaus from targeting Elena for good?

[somanyadjectives]

He had a daughter of his own.

[That's not the real answer, not really. The real answer is that she became a vampire, but again, he's not trying to drop bombs and really Hope is the thing that caused Klaus to change.]

And had other priorities.

[founderscouncil]

Well. At least he left Elena alone. ( Still, no answer really satisfies. ) Miranda needs time. With you, with everything. Even hearing about it word for word, it still feels like we're just being told a story. And our daughter's sometimes at the center. ( But, let's find a more pleasant topic. Because Stefan has humanity and is a person and is a vampire. ) How did you meet Buffy? And she's a vampire slayer?

[somanyadjectives]

It's also a lot to digest. And honestly, I lived it and some of it still doesn't make sense to me.

[So it's perfectly fine if he and Miranda are constantly feeling like they're catching up. There's a lot that happened, and some things that are hard to talk about.

When the conversation switches to Buffy, however, he smiles.]

We met speed dating, actually. I didn't know she was a Slayer and she didn't know I was a vampire. Though we did discover that rather quickly.

[founderscouncil]

We don't need to make sense of all of it.

( Even if they were given maps and diagrams, it still wouldn't make sense to them, which is why he tries to really get to know Stefan.

He lands a joke, first, like two guys shooting the breeze. )

She Googled you?

[somanyadjectives]

The supernatural version of that? The Watchers keep an extensive library, and I've had reason to be a bit infamous.

[When he was a much younger vampire. He totally doesn't do those things now. (Check back in three acts.)]

But once it all came out we decided to give each other the benefit of the doubt.

[founderscouncil]

Watchers, like Dawn?

( But he thought she was a grad student in research. )

I knew Miranda in school. Everyone knew everyone in Mystic Falls, but there was nobody like Miranda.

[somanyadjectives]

Exactly like Dawn. They've always been the information arm for the Slayers and kept track of notable vampires.

[Well, maybe not exactly, but close enough.]

There's always those people that just stick out to you in a way that no one else does.

[founderscouncil]

She also stumbled upon what Elena did, maybe not in the same way.

( She doesn't know how their daughter acted. He can imagine. She's always seen the good in people. )

How did Jeremy get involved?

[somanyadjectives]

Completely independent of us. Buffy and I were in Europe. Dawn and Jeremy were on the West Coast. Coincidence.

[Just a funny one.]

Sometimes the world is smaller than you think.

[founderscouncil]

From what we've seen, it felt like he was involved a lot earlier than that. When things happened in high school for Elena with Isobel and Klaus and Katherine. Where was Jeremy?

( Can you tell he can't ask his own son? )

[somanyadjectives]

Oh. Jeremy was here. But he also spent some time in Colorado.

[It's complicated to explain, and Stefan really shouldn't be the one telling him.]

It's ... probably better if you talk to him though.

[founderscouncil]

Yeah, it is. But, I have two kids that trade off handling us with kid gloves. How old are you?

( Back to Stefan, then. )

[somanyadjectives]

[He pauses for a minute, before tipping his head to the side.]

You grew up in Mystic Falls. You heard about the Stefan and Damon Salvatore that "died" in the Fell's Church fire in 1864?

[founderscouncil]

Along with --

( Katherine. And Emily Bennett was her lady in waiting. )

They're you? You didn't die. ...Well.

[somanyadjectives]

Katherine Pierce had been stringing us along for a while. Another fun fact about the people killed in that church - most of them were vampires.

[That being said:]

I didn't know that she had been slipping me vampire blood. I can't speak to what Damon did or didn't know. But our father, Giuseppe, figured out she was a vampire, and dosed me with vervain in order to capture her. Damon and I tried to save her, and to spare himself the shame, our father shot us.

[founderscouncil]

They were?

( That fact didn't get passed down. )

Your father killed you?

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods to both.]

Giuseppe Salvatore was not a very understanding man, to any degree. I didn't realize it until much later but he was quite abusive by today's standards.

[founderscouncil]

I'm sorry, Stefan. That's - ( He can't even imagine. He had cruel friends, but not cruel parents. ) There's a dark side to growing up how we did and everything the founding families passed down. You know that more than any of us.

[somanyadjectives]

[Stefan nods.]

And if I'm honest, I don't blame any of them. How vampires exist, especially back then, isn't easy on the humans they live around. And there are a lot of vampires who don't care who they hurt.

[founderscouncil]

Like Katherine.

( He knows things may be different for Klaus or may have become different, for vampires like Isobel. And Caroline. )

[somanyadjectives]

Like Katherine. Though she's not a vampire anymore.

[He doesn't know if Elena's gotten around to that but he can't imagine her bringing up Katherine.]

[founderscouncil]

We were told, in case we somehow came face to face with her. Things aren't adversarial, but they aren't - kosher.

( Her parents are going to be biased in their assessment, but Katherine created a lot of carnage. Turned Caroline. They've been told for the better... )

[somanyadjectives]

No. She and Elena are still figuring things out.

[But they made it through a whole road trip together so maybe there's progress. But he also knows that Grayson probably doesn't care about that.

Speak of the devil, Elena comes in, bags and boxes in hand, and Stefan raises an eyebrow at her.]

I thought we weren't doing gifts.

["We agreed to that after I already bought them." She sets down one bag and fishes around before passing the wrapped parcel over to Stefan. "Merry Christmas."

She then turns to her father and offers him a small smile. "I have something for you and Mom too. Do you know where she is?"]

[founderscouncil]

I'm losing track of how many grudges I should be keeping or letting go.

( His daughter! Hi honey. He points a thumb behind him. )

In the kitchen with Carol, where I should be.

( The party is bigger than anticipated and sudden and so Carol didn't hire her usual throng of people. Also, with the bevy of supernaturals, it didn't seem right to hire. It's nicer like this, he thinks. More homey. Not Carol's style, though. )

We can open up gifts in there?