𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚: Abeyance || D.S & S.S (TVD) **REWRITING**

[*Chapter Forty-Four*]

"Then don't. You're a good person, Stefan. You don't want to hurt Amber," Darcy soothed, lifting her hands to his cheeks, caressing the black veins under the surface of his skin. "You can fight this. Let her go. She's just an innocent girl."

"I just want one taste. All I need is just one more taste," he said before speeding away from her and over to Amber, his fangs elongated.

"One taste?" Amber whimpered as Stefan bit into her neck.

Stefan ripped his fangs out, treading back. "I can't do this!"

"No, Stefan!" Darcy exclaimed, pushing Amber behind her. She turned to the girl and gripped her shoulders. "Run! Someone's coming for help. Keep running in the direction back to the house, and don't stop until you come across Damon Salvatore. Go!"

She paid no mind as Amber did as she was told. Instead, shifting to Stefan, her stare straying to the blood smeared across his lips and chin. Her heart broke seeing the distress covering his face. "Oh, Stef. It's okay."

"It's not okay. I need more!" Stefan shouted. He turned away from her and gripped onto the strands of his hair. "I can't do this," he finished in a whisper.

"Yes, you can. Find it in yourself to fight," Darcy skirted around him, halting his steps. Her stare was unwavering against his. She held his face in her hands. "It's okay not to be okay. Sometimes we're not perfect, and that's okay; perfection is not real. Feel my warmth and listen to my voice, focus on the sound, and feel, and draw in a deep breath... That's it. You're doing great... Now breathe out for me. "

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Stefan asked, leaning his forehead on hers.

Smiling softly, she wiped the blood from his mouth. "I'll never be afraid of you, and just like I'll never be ashamed of you. We all mistakes, and we just have to find it in ourselves to rectify and not repeat them."

"You should. I could kill you," he whispered, clinging onto her frame. "Why doesn't your blood make me not want to drain you? It's refreshing and frustrating. I want to plunge my fangs into your neck and suck you dry. I bet you would taste delicious."

"What's stopping you? Why don't we find out if I taste sweet or sour?" Darcy cooed, looking over Stefan's shoulder and seeing Damon and Elena stepping through the trees, Bonnie following them.

"Stefan!" Elena yelled. Stefan's head snapped up. His grip slacked from Darcy as he backed away, features screwing up in confusion.

Damon sped over to them, looking over Darcy for any injuries. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing she was fine and pushed her behind him. He approached his brother, hands raised to show he wouldn't hurt him. "Stefan, come on, get in control. It's okay, come on. Breathe through it."

Damon steps closer to Stefan, but Stefan deflects him by grabbing and throwing him into a tree. Darcy creeps nearer, rounding the rear of the ravenous vampire, sliding out the compressed vervain stake just as he heard her steps and whirled around. The stake punctured his stomach before his arms enclosed around her.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," she whispered, her gentle gaze tracing his pain-filled features as he dropped to his knees, agonised screams spilling from his mouth as the vervain burned his insides. Darcy stepped away as she saw him clamber to his feet and rip out the stake, tossing it aside. Anger replacing his pain, black veins crawled under the skin, the white of his eyes turned red, teeth extending as he was about to advance on her.

Darcy gasped when Damon sped over, shoving her out of the way, knocking the air out of her lungs as her back met the ground. "You may be my brother, but I won't allow you to hurt her."