Death opens || Vampire Diaries [S1]

Chapter 6: Paralytic

It happens. Will it go on? ——
My mind a rock,
No fingers to grip, no tongue,
My god the iron lung
That loves me, pumps
My two
Dust bags in and out

⁂

STEFAN

I enter the Grill to find exactly the scene I both feared and expected when I left Elena's porch: two leather clad backs faced toward the bar, booze and blood hanging conspiratorially between them. I can see Natalia pointing toward Alaric Saltzman—Damon looking on suspiciously—and assume she must have met him in some sort of new staff orientation this morning.

I was shocked when she turned up unannounced in that schoolteacher persona, telling everyone she's my brother's twin sister. What's funny is that it wasn't so much the cover story itself that surprised me, nor even her unsolicited presence at the high school of all places, but rather the ease with which she adapted to it—at least physically.

Though here on this bar stool beside my brother, that persona is unpinned. Dark ringlets spill down her back, over her shoulders, and as she turns to meet my approach—fully seconds before Damon might have even heard me—I see the return to form extends to the top buttons of her formerly professional attire. The thin chain of a necklace disappears between barely peaking hints of exposed lace, and if I were human, I'd be blushing.

Still unnoticed by my brother, she smirks in wicked amusement at my expense, though I imagine I spy a hint of curiosity in the arch of a brow. Wedging myself between them, I turn my back to her. Annoyingly, she only snorts at the obvious slight.

"So, Stefan," I say by way of greeting, gratified by the evident surprise on my brother's face, "I've been thinking, I think we should start over." Damon rolls his eyes, and I can hear Natalia scoff behind me. "Give this brother thing another chance. We used to do it oh so well once upon a time."

Recognizing the taunt in my tone for what it is, Natalia chuckles under her breath as Damon responds lamely, "I don't, Damon." He wrinkles the skin between his eyebrows in what I assume is meant to be his version of what he has dubbed my 'brooding forehead'.

I can't help the slight smile that comes to my face at the attempt. "I can't trust you to be a nice guy. You—you kill everybody, and you're so mean. You're so mean, and..." he trails off and I shake my head in amused incredulity. He gives up and admits with a smirk and an eye roll, "You're really hard to imitate, and then I have to go to that...lesser place."

I snicker and turn to the bartender, "Can I get a coffee please?"

As I turn back to Damon, an arm snakes around me to snag the half-empty bottle on the bar in front of him. "Hey!" he protests without heat.

"You snooze, you lose, baby," Natalia taunts. "And, I have a feeling I'm gonna need it for whatever little heart to heart Styopka here is about to drag you into."

I pause in my reply to mouth 'Styopka?' to my brother. He only rolls his eyes again, though this time affectionately. Shaking my head, I acknowledge to myself that I am unlikely to understand a word between these two and resolve to return to my original agenda: getting Damon to open up.

"So, what's with the bottle?" I ask.

"Is that judgment I hear in your voice?" Natalia mock gasps, bringing a hand to her mouth. "But this is a 'no judgment' zone, Stefan. You should be ashamed of yourself."

I rub my temple in mild irritation before directing my gaze yet again to my brother. He seems far more amused by Natalia's continued interruptions than I am.

"I'm on edge. Crash diet. You know I'm trying to keep a low profile," he quips.

"Well, you're the one that had the brilliant idea to go all 'Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers' on me. I'm feeling outnumbered here," Natalia complains.