❝blood only runs so deep when you're related to vampires❞
***
"What is he doing here? What does he want?" Avery Salvatore asked her father, Zach Salvatore, as he passed her in the hallway.
"I don't know, okay? I don't like it either but he's not the...
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Avery Salvatore awoke with a gasp. Her body lurched forwards into a sitting position, her eyes adjusting to the lighting in her room in the Boarding House. Zach Salvatore breathed a sigh of relief as he saw his daughter awake and breathing.
"Dad?" Avery's voiced sounded rough, and Zach automatically handed her a glass of water which she took gratefully.
"Please don't ever scare me like that again." Zach whispered.
"I'm sorry," Avery cleared her throat. "I should've told you they were getting bad again, but I didn't want to worry you. I realise now that that was a really dumb idea."
Avery laughed nervously, watching as her father's face creased in concern.
He let out a sigh, "You have no idea what terrible thoughts went through my head when Stefan walked through the door with you in his arms. I... I thought maybe one of them had hurt you. I felt like I had failed at my duty of your father. I'm meant to protect you, Avery, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what is going on in your life."
"I'm really sorry, Dad." Avery sighed, leaning forwards into her father's embrace.
"Just... please don't shut me out again," He mumbled into her hair, his arms wrapped securely around her. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you."
***
It was later that day when Stefan knocked on Avery's door. She looked up at the noise.
"Uh, hey." Avery greeted awkwardly.
"Hey..." Stefan trailed off, shifting awkwardly at the threshold of her room.
Avery watched the movement for a moment. She knew he could just walk right in, there was no invisible force keeping him out. He'd been invited into house way before she was even born. There was a beat of silence before Avery mumbled awkwardly, "You ... You can come in, you know. It's your house."
Stefan looked surprised, "Oh, I, uh... I know, um, that it's my house, but ... well you grew up here, and this is your room." Avery watched his face as he spoke, he seemed genuinely flustered for a moment.
"It's probably the only space you feel like my brother and I haven't infiltrated." Stefan continued. "I just, thought ..."
Sensing that Stefan would stutter for the next few minutes unless interrupted, she stepped in, "Well, yes, it's my room... but," She paused, wondering whether she would continue her train of thought. "I guess I've always just been waiting for you both to return, and take it back?"
Stefan opened his mouth but Avery cut him off, "Oh, God. I didn't mean that in a rude way, I just... I suppose I've never really considered it my own because Damon made it so very clear that Dad and I are only here out of the kindness of his heart." Her tone turned slightly bitter towards the end of her sentence.
