Evelyn Gilbert (TVD)

Family Ties

(Edited)

Stefan

Elena layed in bed, half-dreaming, when the door slammed shut. Her eyes snapped open, heart racing. She sat up, listening to the silence that followed.

"Hello?" She called from the top of the stairs, her voice echoing through the dark house. No response. Just shadows lurking below. "Jeremy?" She called out, but the darkness swallowed her words. Gathering her courage, she crept down the creaky steps, her bare feet cold against the wooden floor.

In the dining room, the moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting eerie shapes. Elena flicked the light switch, but nothing happened. She tried again, desperation rising. Still no light. The air felt heavy, charged with anticipation.

A voice crackled from the living room. "This is Logan Fell, reporting live another deadly animal attack in Mystic Falls. The wild creature preying on our town has claimed a new victim—local high school student, Elena Gilbert."

Elena's breath hitched. Her own name. Panic surged, draining color from her face. She stumbled backward, colliding with something solid. "You know what's next," Damon's voice teased. She spun around, heart pounding, and there he was—smirking, dangerous.

She lunged for the front door, flinging it open. But Damon stood there, waiting. She screamed, slamming the door shut, her mind racing. When she dared to look again, he was back in the dining room, watching her. Elena covered her face in fear.
When Elena decided to take another look, Damon had vanished. The air thickened with unease as she stepped forward, her heart pounding. And then, without warning, Damon is suddenly behind her and grabs her head. His touch was ice against her neck, and she screamed as his teeth sank into her flesh.

Gasping awake, I sit up in bed. Sweat soaking the sheets, and pulse racing. Across the room, Damon lounged in a chair, his back to me. "Bad dream?" He drawled, his voice a velvet blade. "You know how easy it was for me to get into your head just now?" His smirk was audible. "You really need some human blood, maybe even the playing field," he suggested. "Football reference—too soon?" He mocks.

My gaze darts to my desk, where a knife lays forgotten. I vamp across the room, snatching it up and hurling it at Damon. But he merely glanced down as it pierced his stomach, unfazed.

"Alright," he says, pulling out the knife. "I deserved that." His eyes meet mine, calculating. "But I just wanted to let you know they caught the culprit. The animal responsible for killing Coach Tanner and all those other people." Damon waves the knife nonchalantly.

"What are you doing?" I demand.

"It was a mountain lion," he says, spreading his hands wide. "A really big one. It attacked a hunter this morning. It's all over the news—deadly beast captured, all's well in Mystic Falls," he recalls, moving his hands as he says the headline.

"Why would you cover your tracks?" I ask, watching as he stares at me for a second before striding over to the window. His gaze lingers on something.

"I decided to stay a while..." He turns his head to glance at me. "And I'm just starting to have way too much fun here—with you, Elena, and Evelyn," he replies, turning around with a smirk.

"You can't touch her now," I tell him, my voice steady.

"Well, the vervain keeps me out of their heads..." I give him a questioning look. "Maybe that's not my target. Believe it or not, Stefan, some girls don't need my persuasion. Some girls just can't resist my good looks and immaculate style," he says, gesturing to himself as he walks closer. "And my charm. And my unflinching ability to listen to Taylor Swift." He stands right in front of me, and I grunt as he stabs me with the knife I threw at him. I fall to my knees, gripping the hilt.