The Bourbon Diaries ✢ The Vampire Diaries FanFiction ✢ TVD FanFic ✢ TVDU FanFic

Chapter Eleven - Stefanie Salvatore

Present day

Atlanta, GA

As soon as they had left the mall, they noticed the BMW convertible behind them. It wasn't particularly unusual at that time since the witches-versus-vampires mayhem had caused a lot of people to rush back to their cars and drive as far away as they could. It became a little more suspicious when they were followed towards the interstate, and then evidently clear the moment they stopped at the lights turning onto the interstate, the top came down, and one of the vampires jumped out of the car, speeding past a dozen other cars to reach them on foot.

"Vampire up my rear," Phoenix yelled, choosing to run the red light, which, moments later, turned green anyway.

"It wouldn't be the first time, Phoenix," Stef mocked, looking behind at the vampire who'd failed to reach them. 

"Oh, fine, make fun of my bisexuality, why don't you?" Phoenix replied, sliding onto the shoulder to skip the queue of traffic. "Besides, you're one to talk. You think I don't know that our best bartender, Tiffany, quit because you smooched and scrammed? It was during peak season too---do you realise how often I had to re-watch that security footage of you two kissing to justify how many extra shifts I had to pick up?"

Stefanie was aghast. "You were spying on me?"

"You were making out with Tiffany in the store room, of course I was spying on you."

Adam leaned forward in the back seat. "Are you two always like this?"

Simultaneously, Stef and Phoenix yelled, "Yes!" and Adam raised his eyebrows and sat back down.

Phoenix jutted a finger towards Stef. "Tell you what? Next time, don't rely on me for a lift, you can just piggyback these two to safety instead."

"Might be faster," she grumbled, the car behind gaining on them.

Stef leaned over in her seat, sticking her head out of the window, trying to get a better look at how many were in the car that was now also following them up the shoulder. Meanwhile, Raid edged forward, leaning his elbows on the front seats, and asked Phoenix curiously, "So what's the quality like on that make-out footage?"

"Crystal clear," Phoenix declared with a chef's kiss.

Stef dropped back into her seat. "Ava's in the car," she announced.

"Oh, damn, if anyone wants you dead more than Dimitri, it'll be Winifred's daughter." Phoenix pulled back into a lane, putting more pressure on the gas, the road finally clear ahead.

"She still got that weird crush on her brother?" Raid asked.

Phoenix extended a finger to correct him. "Step-brother," he clarified, "and I'm shipping it so long as it gets Cristian off Stef's back, regardless of how weird it is that they grew up together."

"They're gaining on us," Adam warned him.

"Not difficult considering they're in a better car than me," Phoenix replied tartly, the BMW now coming up fast alongside them. "If I don't survive, tell Gabe that it was the cheap-ass salary he gives me that got me killed."

Stef unbuckled her seatbelt and wound down the window. "Knowing Gabe, he'd consider that money well spent." She then pulled herself outside the window, sitting on the doorframe, just as a vampire jumped from Ava's vehicle onto the hood of their car. She thrust her magic into him, causing him to shoot off onto the road, leaving only Ava and one remaining vampire in the vehicle.

She felt a hand grab protectively onto her thigh. She looked down at Raid and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, vampires have exceptional balance."

The car suddenly shook violently, causing Stef to grab onto the roof of the car.