everyonelives | but oh what a year

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.

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?

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.

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? )

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.

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

( Back to Stefan, then. )

[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?

Along with --

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

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

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.

Edited 2026-02-23 03:24 (UTC)

They were?

( That fact didn't get passed down. )

Your father killed you?

[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.

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.

[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.

Like Katherine.

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

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.]

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... )

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?"]

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?

Yeah. Sounds good.

[And with that she will lead the way out to where Miranda is helping Carol with the food, and she looks up and blinks when she sees her daughter. "Merry Christmas." Her tone is a bit flat, but Elena tries not to let it get to her.]

Merry Christmas. I have a gift for you and Dad.

["Oh." She glances over her shoulder and gestures towards a spare room nearby. "Will in here work?"]

Sure. Yeah that works.

We'll be right back.

( He tells Carol that before letting his wife and Elena enter the room first, before following behind. He gestures for them to sit and so they do on a shared sofa. )

[Elena leads them over to a bench nearby, before passing the wrapped box over to them.

Inside, once they open it, is a photo album.]

I know we've been overloading you guys with a lot of the bad things that happened, and ... there was a lot of bad. But there was some good too.

[And inside the album is pictures of every major life event that they missed. Graduations, gallery openings, first days at work. She even included pages from her diary - avoiding the more scandalous details, but keeping the good feelings.]

So I wanted you to have that, even if Jer and I lose track of it sometimes.

( Grayson and Miranda share the photo album, flipping through slowly. )

Is this a page from your diary?

( He looks up and then to his wife. )

We - we know there have been good things. Thank you.

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[Stefan lets them go before stepping off to the side tucking his gift away for later, with the rest of the boxes coming home with him. He then gathers his drink and wanders off into the party, until he finds Bonnie, lingering alone in a room and he offers her a small smile.]

Enjoying the quiet?

( She sees him in the mirror, first, having taken a moment. She remembers this room from that masquerade years ago. Memories of all kinds swirl around the Lockwood property, Stefan not withstanding. Her eyes find some unlit candles. Simpler times.

She turns to face him. )

I guess you could say that. Just - remembering when Katherine linked her life to Elena's.

[Stefan's eyebrows go up as he considers before nodding.]

That was a crazy night.

[He glances over to the windows.]

It was before everything really changed. Before the Originals.