𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐓𝐄𝐑 | Stefan Salvatore

walking through

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

When Jade and Alex arrive at the Gilbert house, the room Elena and Stefan are searching for the journal in is in complete state of disarray.

Jade looks at the room for a second. "Was there a hurricane?"

Elena gives her a look and then turns to Stefan. "Do you think Damon really believes us? That we're really trying to help him?"

"I don't think Damon knows what to believe. Trust isn't something that comes naturally to him."

Jade wouldn't have thought she'd have anything in common with a psychopath like Damon, but here they were. She did overthink a lot. Even with Alex for nearly two years into knowing him, she'd been scared that he would be lying about something and just being her friend as a joke. It had taken a lot of effort for her to make herself trust him.

"You know...I really think that Damon believes that everything he's done, every move that he's made, he's done for love. It's twisted, but kind of sad."

Jade looks at Elena with disbelief. "Yeah, but it doesn't justify any of it. There's better ways to get what you want. I mean, he could have easily just compelled people to tell him things instead. He didn't have to kill them."

Stefan nods. "She's right. Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others. For 145 years, every single time that I have let my guard down and let Damon back into my life, he's done something to make me regret that. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

"So what do you think will happen if the tomb gets opened and Damon gets Katherine back?"

"I think that no matter what Damon promises, a lot of people will die."

Elena rummages in a box while Alex helps her. Stefan steps to help Jade.

Compliments. Hm.

Jade makes sure that Alex and Elena are a good distance away from them as she tells Stefan, "you're...kind of a nice person."

"Oh. Thank you? Why the sudden—"

"And you're all...hero-like. You're like heroic. You have hero hair!"

Stefan looks at her in concern. "Have you eaten today?"

He checks her hand for her ring, as if he's worried she's being compelled.

"See that. You're always worried about your friends. Which is...nice."

Stefan's confused face would have made her laugh if she wasn't feeling so embarrassed. "I'm not sure what's happening right now."

Jade grimaces. "That might be for the best."

Jade and Alex look into a different box while Elena and Stefan look at a photo.

"That's Johnathan Gilbert."

"What's this?"

Elena opens a wooden box. It has something that looks like a muzzle in it. Jade squints at it, but Elena shuts the box as Jeremy comes in.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Hey. Just going through some stuff, feeling sentimental. Dad had this old family journal from years ago. I thought I'd dig it up."

Jeremy sits down on the kitchen counter. "Johnathan Gilbert's journal?"

"Yeah, what do you know about it?"

"I just did a history report on it."

"Oh. So where is it now?"

"I gave it to Mr. Saltzman. He wanted to see it."