The Vampire Diaries(BxB)

2: Jenna's Barbecue

I'm at the Grill, looking through my Math book, and look to my right, and become startled, as I see Damon, and sigh. "What do you want?" I ask. "So this is where you spend your time when you're not stabbing people in the back." He says. "I tricked you into telling me the truth. That's not stabbing you in the back. That's using your own tactics against you." I say, and grab my bag. "Where are you going?" He asks. "I made myself clear, Damon. I want nothing to do with you." I say, grabbing my books, and stand up, and begin to walk off. "Ok. See you at Jenna's Barbecue." He says, and I look back at him. "How did you know about Jenna's Barbecue?" I ask. "It was my idea. Jenna went to High school with your babysitter Mason Lockwood. So I figured a social gathering would be a good way to get to know the guy. So I told Ric to tell Jenna." He says, and I interrupt him. "Does Jenna know that you're going to be there? Because she's not exactly a fan of yours." I say, and a woman sets a box down. "Perfect. Thank you." He says, as she walks off, and he picks up the box. "I'm hoping this Blueberry Cobbler will pave the way." He says, and stands up, about to walk off. "I'm gonna put some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove he is a Werewolf. See you at the Barbecue. Guess you are smart about the whole Werewolf thing." He says, and walks off. I'm in the kitchen, with Jenna, pouring Sour Cream and Onion chips into a bowl. "Thanks for letting me invite Tony. He could use a day of distraction." I say, and she walks over to me. "He's not the plus one I'm worried about. Why is Damon coming?" She asks. "Because Alaric is a Pity Taker." I say, and she sighs. "Come on, Jenna. Be nice." I say, putting my right hand in the bowl of chips, and grab a chip, and eat it. "I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off you." She says. "Good news! I found the shot glasses!" Mason says, as I look at him, and Jenna leaves, and he sets them down. "How you been?" He asks, and I smile. "I'm good, thanks." I say, and he offers a hug, and I hug him, as he puts his arms around my back, and his hands on my waist, and he lifts me up, spinning me, as I laugh, and he sets me down, and we release. "Wow. It's been a long time since I've seen you. I was what? Ten?" I ask, and he laughs. "Yep. What happened to your arm?" He asks. "Oh, major fall. Permanently damaged." I say. "Wow." He says, and I nod. "I'll see you guys later." I say, and walk off. I'm outside on the porch, sitting in a chair, leaving Stefan a voicemail. "Hi. I'm just checking in. Did you get my message about Jenna's Barbecue?" I ask, and hear footsteps, and see Tony carrying the bowl of chips, smiling at me, and I turn back forward. "Call me when you can." I say, and hang up, and he sits in front of me. "Was that Stefan?" He asks. "Yeah. He hasn't called me back. I'm trying to decide if I should be worried." I say, as he's eating chips. "I'm sure he's fine." He says, and I nod. "God, I cannot stop eating. Stefan says it's a great way to sublimate the cravings. It's horrible. Just fighting the urge for blood every minute of every day." He says. "I know that Stefan really hates that part of himself." I say. "Well, yeah. And he hates that you're a constant temptation." He says. "He said that?" I ask. "Hm. The desire to rip out your jugular every time he's with you? Trust me, it's there. It's why I had to break up with Matt." He says, and I hear footsteps, and see Alaric. "Hey! Food's ready, come get them." He says, and claps, and I look at Tony. "Finally. I am starving." He says, setting the bowl down, gets up, and walks off. I'm in the kitchen, taking the Cobbler out of the box, and see Damon walking over to me. "Aunt Jenna is getting tipsy." He says. "Will you stop plying her with alcohol?" I ask. "I want her to like me." He says, and I close the box. "How's Operation Lockwood?" I ask. "He's my new BFF." He says, close to the left side of my face. "I think he likes me more, considering he lifted me up and spun me around like a six year old." I say. "There you are." Jenna says, as I look at her, and she walks over to me. "Isn't this fun?" She asks, and I smile, walking over to the knife collection. "Yes. Thank you so much for inviting me." He says. "Did I have a choice?" She asks. "I know what you must think about me." He says. "No, you don't. You've never dated you. I have dated many yous." She says, as I set the box down on the table, and open it, pulling out a cake knife. "Well, I'm a work in progress." He says. "Jenna." I say, and she turns around, and I hand her the cake knife, and he walks over to me, and I walk over to her. "Ooh! These are fancy." He says. "Thanks. My mother's silver set." He says, and I look at Damon, and he opens the bottom compartment, and pulls out a silver knife. I'm in the Living Room with Tony, taking down the Pictionary board, as he's putting away the Markers, and I look at him. "Would I be the worst friend in the World if I abandoned you and went to Stefan's?" I ask, and he stops putting the Markers in. "You want to leave?" He asks. "It's just that he hasn't gotten back to me and I'm starting to get this bad feeling." I say. "I don't think that's a good idea, Ethan." He says. "Damon's got it under control here." I say, about to walk off. "Take it from me, there's nothing worse than a clingy boyfriend." He says, smiling. "I'm not being clingy. I'm just concerned. You understand, right?" I ask, and begin to walk off again. "How about I drive you?" He asks, and I stop. "Yeah. Ok. That'd be great. Thanks." I say, and walk off. We're outside and I open the passenger door, get in, and shut it. We're riding down the road to Stefan's. "Thanks for this. I appreciate it." I say. "Here we come. To the rescue." He says. "Why are you being so snippy?" I ask, looking at him. "That's my own drama. I'm sure that you two will beat the odds. Not that there is any study to pull odds from. What is the ratio of success for vampire human couplings? I'm guessing nil." He says. "Ok, Tony." I say, and look forward. "Sorry." He says, and I turn the Radio up louder. "I love this song." I say. "What's playing?" He asks, and I look at him. "We Are Young by F.U.N." The Radio says. "Ta da." He says, smiling, looking at me, and faces the road, and I smile, looking forward, and hear a thud, and look back at him, and look forward. "Oh.. crap." He says, and I sigh. It's nighttime, as we're on the side of the road, waiting for a Tow Truck, as I'm walking around. "Are you sure the Tow's coming? We've been waiting forever." I say. "I know, it's weird. They said they'd be here by now." He says. "Yeah. I'm just gonna call Jenna." I say. "No! Just let me try the Tow people again. And I'll use my aggro voice." He says, as I look at him. "We can just walk from here." I say. "I can't just leave my car." He says. "We'll come back for it." I say. "Just give me a minute, Ethan." He says. "Tony, what part of, I'm worried about Stefan, didn't sink in?" I ask. "What's the rush? Why are you hurrying to get to a relationship that will never work?" He asks, curtly. "Ok. look. I know that you're upset over Matt, but will you stop projecting it onto me and Stefan, please?" I ask. "I'm not projecting anything. You're Human. He's a Vampire. You're gonna be eighty and in diapers, and he's still gonna be smoking hot. nd you will never have his children, Ethan. No matter what kind of pregnancy gift you have. And you are too maternal to not have children." He says. "Where is this coming from?" I ask. "I'm just trying to be your friend." He says. "Ok. Well, do me a favor and stop trying." I say, and see the Tow Truck. "There's the Tow. I'm gonna walk." I say, beginning to walk off, and he grabs my right arm. "No. Ethan, don't." He says, as I look at him. "Ahh. Tony, you're hurting me." I say. "Don't leave me alone." He says. "What's wrong with you?" I ask. "Hey there. Someone call about a Flat Tire?" The Tow Guy asks, as I look at him, and back to Tony, and he lets my arm go. "He did." I say, and turn around, and walk off. I arrive at the Salvatore Boarding House, and open the door, and walk in. "Hello?" I ask, and turn around, and shut the door, and turn back around, walking. "Stefan?" I ask, looking around, and walk down the steps. "Stefan?" I ask, and feel someone behind me, and turn around, and see someone who looks exactly like me, and have our hair the same way, except he's not wearing glasses. He's wearing a black shirt and leather jacket, as I'm wearing my Owl Hoodie and a gray beanie. Alex. "You must be Ethan." He says, smiling, and walks down the steps. "How is this possible?" I ask, gasping, as he walks towards me. "How do we look exactly alike?" I ask, as he's right in front of me, and touches my neck, and puts his finger down. "You're asking the wrong questions. Does my nose really look like that? Damn." He says. "Ethan." Stefan says, as I look at him, and turn around, and see Alex is gone, and look back at Stefan, gasping, and he walks down the steps, walking over to me. "Are you okay?" He asks, and I shake my head, and notice he's bleeding. "Not really. Are you okay?" I ask, and look up at him. "Not really." He says, and I wrap my arms around his back, and he has his arms around my waist. I arrive to the Grill with Stefan. "Hi." The Hostess says, and I smile at her, and we follow her, and I notice Tony, and we walk past him. "Ethan." He says, and I look at him. "Hi." I say. "Hey." He says, and Stefan touches my left arm, as I look at him, and he walks off, and I look back at Tony. "Oh, my God, I am so sorry about earlier today. I don't. I don't know what came over me." He says, shaking his head. "It's okay, Tony. Everything that you were saying was right. It's just hard for me to hear, you know?" I ask. "So.. you're not mad at me?" He asks. "You were just being a good friend.. in your own way." I say, and he chuckles. "My own head case, horrible way. Ethan, I really am sorry." He says, and I turn around, about to walk off. "Ethan." He says, and I look at him. "I really am sorry." He says, and I nod, giving a small smile, and turn around, walking over to Stefan, and sit down, as he sighs, and I look at Tony, as he smiles, and I look at my water, and push it in front of me, and flip over the menu, and pick up the water. "I'm starving." He says. "Bite me." I say, jokingly, and we both laugh. "Well, spending the day with your jealous ex will do that to you." I say. "Listen, I know you're upset. All right, but.. we have to take him seriously. Today, was all about the lengths that he'll go to." He says, and I look at him, as he's looking down. "If he was going to hurt me, he would have. I was standing right in front of him." I say, and he looks at me. "Ethan, you caught him off guard. It doesn't mean that you're safe." He says. "I'm not afraid of him." I say. "Well, you should be." He says. "If Alex had his way, we'd be breaking up right now." I say. "And if today taught me anything, is that Alex's used to getting his way." He says. "You're not actually saying that we should what he says?" I ask, and he looks down, and back up to me. "Listen, he's sadistic. Ok? He threatened you. He threatened everyone." He says. "Yeah. No. I get it, ok? He's dangerous. But every day that we are together it's dangerous. Why are you giving him so much power over our relationship?" I ask. "Because this is the reality of our situation." He says. "Reality sucks." I say, as he looks down. "This is what he wants. He wants us to fight. He wants to get between us." I say, and he looks up to the right, and sighs, and looks at me. "He already has, Ethan." He says, and I gasp, and he looks to the right, and I look to my right, and nod, looking down, and look back up at him, as he looks at me, as I grab my bag, stand up, and turn around, and walk off. I arrive home, and walk in my bedroom, shaking my head, and feel someone behind, and turn around, and see Stefan. "You okay?" He asks, and I smile, running over to him, and wrap my arms around his neck, as he wraps his arms around my back, and I take a deep breath. "I hated that fight." I say. "I know, me, too. It felt too real." He says, and we stop hugging, and I have my hands on both sides of his face, and kiss him, and put my hands down. "Did you see Tony?" I ask, and he nods. "Yeah." He says. "We were right. Alex got to him. He was hanging on to every single word." I say, and he sighs. "Then it won't be long before Alex gets a play by play." He says, and I shake my head. "I wish I was wrong, but I know Tony too well. It was so obvious that something was up today." I say, and he nods. "You're not wrong. It's pure Alex. He's always finding somebody to do his dirty work." He says. "I think Damon was listening to us fight, too." I say, and he nods. "Are you gonna tell him that it wasn't real?" I ask. "The only way Alex's gonna believe it is if everybody believes it. That's the best way to make him think he's getting what he wants." He says. "All this.. just to get you back." I say, and he smiles. "It's not why he's here. Ok?" He asks, touching the right side of my face. "No matter what he says. I know him." He says, smiling. "Alex doesn't care about anybody but himself. He never has. He's incapable of love. He's here for another reason.