The Vampire Diaries: Trinity

Chapter Twelve: Unpleasantville

Elena and Stefan are lying on Elena's bed together, conversing about the previous day's events.

"Stefan, who was that man in the road?" Elena asks.

"I don't know." Stefan says. "Do you remember anything else about him?"

"I wish. I never really saw his face. He was wearing a hoodie. All I can remember is that there was these black boots coming towards me. And then Trinity showed up."

"I brought some vervain for, um...for you and Jenna." He grabs a box from the end of the bed. Elena sits up straight. Stefan opens the box up. "And, um, I made this bracelet for Jeremy, few extra ones for friends." He hands Elena the bracelet. "You can put it in jewelry, or you can even put it in food or drink, but as long as it's in you or on you, a vampire cannot control you." He hands Elena a small vial of liquid vervain.

Elena picks up a dried up branch of vervain from the box. "Wow. So much to remember."

"I know, but there's another vampire in town. So until we find out who it is and what he wants, we have to be careful." He tells her. Elena nods understandingly.

Downstairs, Jeremy is sketching at the dining room table. The doorbell rings and Jeremy gets up to answer it. A pizza delivery guy waits on the front porch.

"Hey. It's gonna be $22." He says.

"Elena, I need the money!" Jeremy calls. He looks at the pizza guy. "Uh, here. Come in. Just put it on the table." Jeremy walks back into the dining room.

The young man stands on the front porch for a moment longer before crossing the threshold into the house. He places the pizza on the table while Elena comes down the stairs, retrieving the money from her wallet.

"Hi. Um, keep the change." Elena hands him the money.

He walks backwards towards the door. "Thanks. And you have yourself a good night." He says, leaving. Elena smiles and shuts the door. He turns around a pulls the hood of his sweater over his head. It's the vampire that caused the accident.

Stefan walks into the library; books are strewn haphazardly across the room. When he enters, he sees Damon, looking through the shelves and tossing aside books. Stefan stops and looks at him. "What are you lookin' for, Damon?"

"Not your concern." Damon says, still looking through the books.

"No, but putting Elena in harm's way, that is my concern."

"Hmm." He hums. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Atlanta."

He looks at Stefan. "Oh, yeah. Elena, Trinity, and I...we had blast."

"I get it. You're just bitter because one of us gets to be with the person that we love, and poor Katherine is just out of reach. Unless there's another way for you to get into that tomb. Is that what Bree said?"

"You're pathetic when you're fishing."

"And you're transparent when you're deflecting."

"Don't you have school?" Damon grabs another book off the shelf. Stefan walks out of the room and Damon looks up and watches him leave.

At school, Jeremy smiles at the 'A' marked on his paper.

"Surprised?" Alaric grins. "It's a good essay. Your thoughts are clear, and your argument is well laid out. It's just, uh; you don't actually think there are vampires in Mystic Falls." He sits down at his desk.

"No. I mean, I think statistically there's been more animal attacks, mysterious deaths, uh, people gone missing, more than any other place in the whole commonwealth of Virginia."