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

Chapter Twenty-Two - Cristian Balescu

Three and a half years ago

Mystic Falls, VA

New Year's Day, 4:40pm

Cristian sat at the counter in Damon's bar drinking a warm bottle of beer, regretting the way he'd handled everything the night before. With no security alarm to worry about, it hadn't taken much magic to unlock the door and let himself in. It had taken significantly more magic, however, to do what he needed to do to start making things right.

He thought about Stefanie. His future happiness was going to start and end with her, he was sure of that. He just couldn't take feeling so weak at the hands of his family, knowing he was forever disappointing them. So, yes, last night he was angry that he had to upset his family again to get Stefanie the spell. Yes, he was angry that she had put his future with her in jeopardy, not seeming to care about it as much as he did. But then he understood that he'd handled it the wrong way. He needed to show her that he was prepared to be completely committed to her. She just had to give that same commitment back to him.

The electricity was off, but there was still daylight remaining, so he wasn't expecting Stef to arrive until after dark. She hadn't replied to his message but he knew she would show up, mainly because he had told her that if she didn't come to him then he would go to her.

The white-gold ring sat on the counter, an oval lapis lazuli stone set between two pear-shaped diamonds. It could serve as both a daylight ring as well as a promise ring. No vampire wanted to remain confined to the darkness; he knew she would have to accept it.

So it was a surprise to him when Stefanie walked into the bar before the sun had gone down.

"You're early," he observed despondently as she sat down on the stool beside him. When she didn't reply, he looked down at her bare hands resting on the counter. "No daylight ring?"

Stef pulled a necklace out from underneath her high-collared shirt, the pendant a small, round lapis lazuli stone loosely caged within silver. "I don't want my family to suspect anything."

It made sense to have it hidden, but still, it wasn't suitable. "It's too fragile. Here, take this." He pushed the ring across the counter until it was in front of her.

"What's this?" she asked.

He took another swig of his drink. He needed the courage. "It could be a daylight ring, if you want it to be, but mostly it's a promise ring."

"A promise ring?" She was surprised. It seemed like yesterday he wasn't prepared to promise her anything in her current vampire form.

"A promise that once you become a witch---or a human, I don't care---then we will start a future together. Properly this time, no games."

As far as Stef was concerned, Cristian was the only one who had been playing games. She slid the ring back to him. "Your promises only ever come with conditions. I'm not interested in living up to your expectations of me anymore."

He chuckled. "You don't understand what this has done to me." Turning his face towards her, he looked at her head-on.

Stef gasped softly at the bruising. "Oh my god, Cristian, what happened?" She almost put her hand up to stroke his face, but then withdrew, thinking better of it. They weren't together anymore, she had to remind herself of that.

"My father happened," he said, facing forward again, staring at the bottle of bourbon behind the counter, wondering if he needed something stronger. No, he decided, he wasn't here to drown his sorrows.

"Because of me?" Stef asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"Because of you," Cristian confirmed, a sharper edge to his voice than he intended. He took another mouthful of beer. Maybe he didn't want to drown his sorrows, but he certainly needed to drown his bitterness. Swallowing, he placed the bottle back down. "But you're worth it," he added. "You're worth it to me, even if you will ruin me."