Someone In The Crowd [Paul Wesley]

127. TVD

Season 6 Episode 1

"Hey Dean," Stefan said to his boss. "I think a zero might've fallen off my pay check." He was hiding. Everyone back home thought that he was searching for a way to bring Damon and Bonnie back from the Other Side. But in reality, he planned to live his life without getting involved in any more vampire drama.

"Dan Zimmer said you put a ding in the hood of his Shelby."

"Dan's wife put a ding in the hood of his Shelby," Stefan argued. "You're ripping me off Dean."

"What you gonna do about it, kid? Huh? You gonna quit? Run off to wherever the hell you came from?"

Stefan shrugged and pocketed the check in defeat. As he turned around, exasperated, he spotted a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Willow said, a scowl on her face. "Except I know. You're running away."

"I'm not running away."

"Do you have any idea what we're going through back there?!" she asked. "None of the vampires can go home because of the stupid traveller spell on Mystic Falls, Jeremy's depressed and drinking and sleeping with as many girls as possible, Caroline dropped out of college and Elena's taken up residency on 'Planet denial'. They need you Stefan."

"They don't need me," he said. "You've been in Mystic Falls long enough to know that death is just part of the deal. Once they get rid of the traveller spell they'll get over it."

"You know that's not true," she said. "And what about me? I accidentally made myself a home in Mystic Falls and now I can't even do magic there. And unsurprisingly, because I didn't fulfil my deal with the witches, they kicked me out of the community. So I have nowhere else to go. My choices are to either pretend to be a Whitmore student and hang with Elena, join Caroline who lives on the boarder of Mystic Falls because she doesn't want to leave it, or go on a wild goose chase searching for Bonnie and Damon."

"So you came to find me instead?" he asked, walking around the garage with her following him.

"I came to convince you to come back."

"I'm not coming back," he said quickly. "I can't."

"Get over yourself," she said. "What's stopping you from coming back?!"

As she spoke, a girl behind her cleared her throat.

"Um, Stefan?" she said tentatively. Willow turned around and looked her up and down.

"Ivy, give me a second, OK?" Stefan asked.

"Who is she?" Willow asked.

"Stefan's girlfriend," Ivy said. She held out her hand. "You are?"

Willow looked at the hand before glancing at Stefan with a look of hurt on her face.

"And suddenly, everything makes sense," she said, turning around.

"Willow, wait," Stefan called.

"Since I first got to Mystic Falls, I've spent so much time waiting for you. And you know what? It was never worth it."

***

"Cut!"

Everyone in the scene visibly relaxed.

"I hate being mad at you," Cece said to Paul. "He deserves it though.

"He really does," Paul said, "Stefan is such a wuss!"

"Julie, can I get a new love interest please?" she called. "Maybe Enzo?"

"Haha, funny," Paul said sarcastically, wrapping an arm around his wife and kissing her forehead.