1864 - Mystic Falls, Virginia
Stefan sat back, wiping the blood from his mouth. He hadn't been as graceful as Katherine in his effort to take her blood and he struggled to keep it from dripping on his clothes. He watched as the holes on this wrist slowly closed, and tried to understand everything he was feeling. He felt full, as if he had just eaten an entire meal. It felt as if every nerve in his body had begun to move inside of him; it was as though he was going to vibrate out of his chair. His teeth chattered and he felt as he did when he was scared, with the bottom of his spine tingling and twitching. It was like someone lit a fire under him and he needed to move around. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling – he just couldn't stop smiling. It was as though he had never been alive until that moment. He stood up and began to pace back and forth.
Katherine giggled, "How do you feel?"
He swung around to meet her gaze, "Like I could do anything!"
"Can you come sit next to me?"
He was too restless to sit still, but he wanted so much to be near Katherine all the time. He forced himself down where he was sitting before. She took his hand once more and placed a gentle kiss on the spot where she had bitten. "Thank you."
God, she was so beautiful. When he looked at her he swore he could feel a tremor run through his ribcage. He looked at her for a moment before he couldn't sit still for another second longer. It was anything but gentle when he smashed his lips into hers. He was clumsy, unpracticed, but she was so perfect that he didn't feel anything but grateful she was there in front of him. He felt her smile against his lips and it brought back the warmth he felt outside. He'd never kissed anyone before. He had only once kissed Elena on the cheek, but it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like this.
Too soon, she gently pushed him away, and he looked as if he was coming out of a haze. She grabbed his face, forcing his eyes to land on hers. "I need you to focus, Stefan. I only need one more thing."
Suddenly, his vision cleared and the fog dissipated in his head. He nodded beneath her grip.
"I need to know everything your father knows."
This confused him. Surely his father knew a lot – he was an educated man. There was too much for him to tell her. His father knew how to whittle and he could break a horse. There was the entirety of his education, and of course he knew all about Mystic F-
"Specifically," she sighed, bringing him from his thoughts, "about vampires." Now he understood; vampires are what his father had referred to as 'them'. "Do they have any suspects?"
"There's a cabin out in the woods. A freeman lives there alone."
"Anyone else?"
"They are compiling a list of everyone they have seen walking in the daylight, but it is taking some time."
She sighed and looked down for a moment. They don't know anything. "Can they kill a vampire?"
"If you stake a vampire in the heart, it will die."
"Do they know of vervain?"
He tried to nod again and she realized she was still holding his face. She released him before he spoke. "They've begun buying large quantities from an apothecary in town."
"What are they going to do with it?"
"They're hiding it in things that vampire could potentially touch; perfumes, liquor, food. They'll know who's a vampire if it burns them."
She rolled her eyes. At least they weren't wearing it, or worse, ingesting it. "If anyone asks you to drink vervain, you must tell me."
"Why?"
"Because, it could hurt me if it's in your blood."
He shook his head furiously, "I won't hurt you, I promise."
She took his hand in hers and patted it softly. "Of course not, darling. Now, where are they getting all of this information?"
"John Gilbert has a stash of books. Most of the information is useless, but there is one book that has been especially helpful. It's a journal. They say he got it from one of the founding fathers."
"Did he? And where do they keep this journal."
"John keeps all the information in his brother's study. Only he has the key, so they're safe."
"Safe as they can be when I'm around."

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Forever Is Not Enough
FanfictionAH/AU. DELENA. 1864. Just as virtuous romance begins to bloom between the polite Damon Salvatore and the beautiful Elena Gilbert, he is forced to leave her behind in a town that is haunted by its own shadow. Suddenly, an innocent courtship is rocked...