Book One: Panacea (A. Saltzman)

Chapter Twelve

Back inside the carers fair, Elena and Stefan are leaning against a wall, facing each other. It's intense but she's still mad at him. 

"I'm guessing you're not here to plan the path for your future." Elena comments and then realizes why he is there. "You're looking out for me.

"Hope that's okay" Elena doesn't respond and walks over to a table, looking at the career pamphlets set up. Stefan walks over to her. "You know I wanted to be a doctor before everything happened, but, uh, then I couldn't, 'cause..."

"The blood."

"Yeah. I've dabbled in a bunch of different things, though." Stefan admits.

"Didn't love anything enough to stick to it?" Elena asks him, that question holding more meaning, she then moves on to the next booth with Stefan right behind her. Across the room, Diana tracks Stefan's moves, her eyes sharp and dangerous. Her tears have dried but there is some evidence in her eyes that she has cried. She's just angry now. Alaric had every right to react the way he did. She shouldn't have slept with him when she had a boyfriend, and she shouldn't have kept it a secret afterward.

"No, I...I loved it all. I just...I had to move on before anybody could notice that I wasn't getting any older." Stefan answers Elena's question.

"How long before that would happen?" Elena asks him.

"Few years, usually. Sometimes shorter." Elena looks up at him now.

"And you always left"

"I didn't have a choice." He admits. Elena looks away. Stefan then smiles. "So, what about...what about you? What are your, uh, plans for the future?" He asks her, she looks up at Stefan, frustratingly speaks.

"I don't wanna talk about my future, Stefan. Because everything you're saying is making it perfectly clear that you're not gonna be in." She snaps at him.

"Elena, it's not that I don't wanna be in it."

"You can't, I get it. I heard you the first time and the second time, and I appreciate you looking out for me but, please, if you're gonna leave, then just go." Jenna walks into the room and approaches Elena and Stefan.

"Hide me," Jenna begs.

"What's going on?" Elena asks her.

"Logan" Jenna answers.

"Logan's here?" Elena asks her, Stefan doesn't hide his surprise.

"Wait, Logan Fell?" He asks them, Jenna nods. Stefan goes out into the hall and spots Logan. Logan looks over at him and waves. Elena walks out into the hallway to talk to Stefan.

"Stefan, what's going on?" Logan approaches the pair as well as Jenna and Diana, who leave the classroom together following after Elena.

"Jenna, are you dodging me?" Logan asks Jenna.

"It's a form of self-preservation" Logan then turns to Diana.

"Diana" she raises an eyebrow at him. "I was hoping to talk to you actually"

"You were?" She asks surprised.

"You got a moment now?" she nods and looks at Jenna who frowns and shrugs at her.

"Urm, yeah, sure, I guess," Diana tells Logan who nods down the hall, Stefan looks at Diana, something in his eyes pleading with her not to go. She frowns and glares at him before turning and following Logan into the next hall.

.............

Diana walks with Logan down an empty corridor, her senses, her instinct on edge, something about this is rubbing her up the wrong way. Logan lets out a breath and looks at her.