An Elemental Difference - AIR - Book 1 (Stefan Salvatore)

Chapter 38 - What do you exactly know about a Ripper?

MYSTIC GRILL

"And we're turning," Aella laughingly instructed a smiling Stefan, turning under their raised arms as they danced again, just the two of them this time.

"Is this all you know when it comes to dancing?" Stefan smirked, he had turned her under their joined arms for the fourth time in just this one dance.

Aella's blush spoke a thousand words, and Stefan pulled her closer with a laugh, "My turn to take over."

Aella cheekily raised her brow, "Ooh La La!"

Stefan leant her backwards slowly, Aella giggling softly to herself as he did so, they he sharply brought her back up then turning them around the dance floor. "Why Mr Salvatore," Aella fluttered her lashes in a southern accent, "I do declare we are dancing together."

Smiling at her humour, Stefan led them around the dance floor, he and Aella in their own little bubble, "Thank you for making me do this, I've had a really good night so far." Aella brushed off the second praise she'd gotten in the past hour, and Stefan shook his head recalling her and Lexi's conversation and he doing the same when Lexi had praised her, "I mean it Aella," he stopped dancing making Aella look directly up at him, "Even after all the trouble with Damon and Vicki, these past few months have been some of the happiest times of my entire 162 years."

Aella leant up and softly kissed Stefan's lips, whispering gently against them, "I love you."

Stefan kissed her again before pulling back and repeating her loving words against her own lips. When they pulled back and carried on dancing Stefan kissed their conjoined hands, "And thank you for being so good to Lexi."

Aella shrugged with a wide smile, her vision directed to Caroline who was laughing with Matt for milliseconds then returning to Stefan, "She's you're number one, right?"

Stefan's own vision flashed to Lexi who was walking to the bar after talking with Bonnie and Elena when he realised Aella's words were spot on, Lexi was his number one person, his best friend, his person; his Caroline to Aella, he nodded and pulled Aella close again, "Yeah, she's my number one."

Aella nodded against his chest, "Then she's family in my eyes."

Stefan was about to lean down and kiss her again when his hearing picked up a familiar voice who was more nervous than he'd ever heard her:

"Look around let me know if you see anything."

Stefan's hearing picked up on Sheriff Forbes words, and looked up just as a girl stood in Liz's arms shakily pointed towards a chatting Damon and Lexi. When the Sheriff and her deputies started making her way towards the bar Stefan and Aella moved through the crowd to get to Lexi when a deputy stopped them just in time to spot Liz slyly stabbed Lexi with a needle and heard the Sheriff thank Damon for the vervain.

"Oh my god."

Stefan's mind remembered his earlier words to Lexi, he knew he should have heeded his own warning. He pulled from Aella to intercept the leaving groups the entrance , but two deputies stopped his attempt at rescuing Lexi, "Can't go out this way."

Caroline frowned to Aella as Stefan angrily made his way back, "What's happening?"

"I think your Mom just vervained Lexi," Aella frowned but didn't hear Caroline's response as Stefan took hold of her hand and rushed them out the back hoping to catch up to them there.

As soon as they were out they both heard the sound of gunshots, which halted their movements for a second until Stefan squeezed Aella's hand and they started running again... towards the shots.