On My Own (TVD Series)

38 Days Later...

STEFAN'S POV

Standing beside Damon and Enzo as we all stared at the back porch, I watched Lauren dozing off at the sight of the door. The reflection of the porch light glistening against her eyes had created this dark aura around her. While the pace of her chest rose and fell, she continued to stare off into the distance before taking her first step towards the edge of the woods seconds before my hand was wrapped around her hand, carefully pulling her away.

"Hold on." I blurted out.

"What is it?"

Furrowed and stunned, Lauren and I stared back at one another as Damon crept up behind her.

"Don't tell me you're scared to meet a couple of witches, little brother-"

"It's not that..."

"Then what is it?" Lauren whispered, noticing that she caught onto the look in my eyes.

As she stood in front of me with her doe-eyes, the rest of them stood around the two of us, guarding the light against hitting the side of Lauren's face as I took a deep breath and placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Do you remember what you told us weeks ago...when Lilian came back."

"I don't-"

"You told us to never mention that you were a witch...to never bring up the estate or the mausoleum. To never mention that you knew what she had done..."

"...yeah, but what does this have to do with that?" She sighed as the sides of my jaws clenched tightly.

"I want to keep that promise...but it won't happen if you go inside that house."

"Stefan they're not gonna hurt her, we'll be right next to her-"

"I know that...but even if one of them touches her, they'll know. Isn't that what you did?" I turned to ask Kai.

"...he's got a point," Enzo added, coming up beside Lauren.

"Okay, then I won't get close. I'll stay behind and-"

"I can't risk that..."

"Stefan, what the hell are you saying?" Damon hissed, grabbing my arm as I pulled Lauren close to me, embracing her lavender scent as her hands barely rested on my back.

"Stefan, you're scaring me-"

"Please forgive me," I whispered before a gush of wind parted the both of us and my hands slipped between the sides of her neck, swiftly catching her body between my arms.

Catching the sound of gasps in the air, every inch around me had fallen into complete silence as Lauren laid between my arms. With her head leaning into my chest, I held her close, removing the pieces of her that had found their way to the center of her face when I noticed a knee fall by her side.

"What have you done?" Enzo gasped, staring at her in shock as his hands reached for her hand.

"...I couldn't risk it."

"Risk what, Stefan? You snapped her neck-"

"We need the advantage, Damon...and in order to do that we need to keep her safe."

"And how are we supposed to keep her safe if there's no magic now... at least not until she wakes up." Enzo hissed.

"That's where the two of you come in..."

"Excuse me?"

"You're going to keep her safe," I mumbled, looking at Kai as he too, kneeled beside Lauren.