Surprising Lover (TVDxOC) (Complete)

Yellow Ledbetter

Grace is sitting across from Alaric in a booth.
"You said that Stefan was looking for a way to bring Damon and Bonnie back."
"I thought he was. I've been feeding him leads for months. He let me believe he was following them."
"Well, I've been a little focused on magic bubble duty. And as you can see by the lack of magic in Mystic Falls, it's a spectacular fail of a mission. And now you're telling me that this whole time no one has been doing anything to help Bonnie and Damon?"
"I wouldn't exactly say no one."

Grace appears behind them.
"Ahem."
"Ha ha, well, well well. Well, there's a blast from the past. Hello gorgeous."

Grace is in her car, her phone to her ear also.
"Yeah, but we are literally chasing a lead. W-what if we find something out? Yeah, you know what if Damon returns home and everything returns back to normal? And you're just sitting there all confused and weird?"
"Then Alaric will bring back my memories."
"But--"
"But what? Go ahead, Grace say what you need to say. I don't want to...pressure you into agreeing."
"I--don't know what to say, I was actually trying to think of what Bonnie would say."
"And?"
"And...she'd say that you should do what's best for you."
"Look, I think it's great that you still have hope, I really do but--for my own survival I need to let him go."
"Well, then go on with your what-would-bonnie-bennett-do plan."
Grace laughs.
"I'll make bumper stickers."
Elena giggles.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"Girl bonding, very sweet. I heard you re applied for school."
"And I heard you were a lurker who was spying on my life. When do we exit?"
"Soon, uh. You should reconsider. Looks can only get a girl so far these days."
"Yeah, well I'm not taking feminist tips from a guy who just used his tongue to get secrets out of a coat check girl."
"Garment detendant."
"You just made that up. So, did you also make up the leads too?"
"No idea, that's not where we're headed."
"What?! Wu-Wait, where are we going?"
"You'll see."

Enzo and Grace steps into the house since the door was still open, he scrubs his hands together.
"Stefan! You are a hard man to track down. Uh, I wasn't sure if you're new..friend would invite us in but she said that this was your place. Which means...open invitation to all your mates, right? (Enzo rubs his hands together again.) Got any bourbon? (He walks out of Stefan's stare, leaving it on Grace. She looks a bit angry with her arms folded, she exchanges a look with Stefan, who looks a bit guilty.)"
Ivy, Stefan, Grace and Enzo are seated at the table, Enzo is staring Stefan down.
"Good stuff, mate."
Stefan nods, pleased.
"So, how do you guys know Stefan?"
"He and I went to high school together. He used to date my best friend. (She cuts a glance at Stefan.)"
Grace, Ivy and Stefan exchange awkward glance.
"Not that he's not allowed to date, I mean they broke up. I just didn't realize that he had met someone. So how did you meet exactly?"
"Uh, Ivy's car was in the shop, where I work."
"You work at an Auto-Repair shop?"
"It's relaxing."
"Why? What did you used to do?"
"Ah, man of all seasons, jack of all trades. (He looks toward Ivy.) You have a lovely clavicle."
"Oh, Thank you. I think."
"Forgive me, I--always notice a woman's neck. I'm a neck person! So is Stefan, right Stefan?"
"Not anymore."
"Ah, well that's silly. You can't just stop being a neck person."
"(Ivy leans over to whisper at Grace) Is Enzo your boyfriend?"
"Ugh, oh god no. Would you date that?"
"Uh, hello. I'm right here, I have super-sensitive hearing. Practically supernatural. Do you believe in the supernatural, Ivy?"
"I've...never really thought about it."
"I myself, am I believer. Had to get a witch to do a locator's spell to find my buddy here."
Everyone exchanges looks, and then they begin to laugh.
"So, Stefan, tell us, this house, very charming. When'd you get it?"
(Stefan is pouring wine into a glass cup.)About a month or so ago."
"No, more than that, remember? We met two months ago and you already had it."
"You've--lived here for more than TWO months?"
"Yeah, I guess I have."
"Well, I guess that's just weird because, you know; everyone thought you were living somewhere else."
Stefan sits.
"And you're job was supposed to be investigative work not Auto-Repair."
"Right. Well, I've moved on from that job."
"Well, you can't move on from investigative work until you've solved the investigation, Stefan."
"How 'bout we just drop it? I'm happy doing what I'm doing now, and that's all that should really matter, right?"
Grace leans forward to protest but Enzo stops her.
"There, darling. No need to make a scene. Really it's all just some big misunderstanding, perhaps this will clear it all up."
Enzo grabs his fork and stabs Stefan's hand to the table, Ivy screams, and Grace spits out her wine.
"OH MY GOD!"
"ENZO!"
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
"So many secrets, what are you running from, Stefan?"
Enzo removes the fork and the wound heals.
"Um, I-I don't--"
Grace gets up, grabs Ivy by her chin and looks in her eyes, compelling her.
"Calm down, come with me. Let's go upstairs. (She turns to Enzo angrily.) No need to make a scene?!"
Grace and Ivy leave.

Grace is sitting on her steps with her cell phone in her hand, she gets up.
"Hey, this is really not a good time."
"I'm sorry, I-I've just really hit a wall with Elena. I just need some insight."
"Okay, what's the wall?"
"I'm trying to get her to figure out when she first fell in love with Damon but she--can't seem to get there."
"Yeah, because she doesn't want to admit what everyone already knows."
"That she fell in love with Damon while she was still with Stefan."
The stairs creak behind her and she turns, it's Stefan. He looks at his feet. Stefan is back in the kitchen/diningroom, he's picking up a chair. The room is completely trashed and Enzo is still temporarily-dead, slumped by the counter, Grace is standing my the door.
"You should probably get him out of here. He'll be up soon and I really don't feel like another go-around."
"I'm sorry that you heard what I said."
"It's fine, Grace. I really don't care."
"Why? Why don't you care? You're the one who always cared, it's what I liked about you. You know amidst all the crazy in our perfectly-messed-up lives, you cared more than anyone. So how could you just--stop?"
"Cause I had to. I had to 'move on'. You know, the months before I moved here I was following every lead that Alaric sent my way. I spoke to every witch, every shaman, every psychic in 20 countries around the globe, and every lead was a dead end."
"But Enzo has another lead, there's this coven in Oregon--"
"The Gemini Coven, yeah I looked into them too, Grace there was nothing there. Because there's nothing we can do, Damon and Bonnie are DEAD. I had to come to terms with that. And once I did, I had to start over, I couldn't just live my life with my old friends, I couldn't just go near Mystic Falls or Elena or--"
"Or me? (They look at each other, Stefan looks away guiltily.) Cause I thought we were closer than that, I mean--you could hear in all those messages that I left you, you couldn't hear that I was completely falling apart without you? (She stares at him for his response but Stefan is still looking down, guiltily, her face straightens in realization, she looks away from his face.) Cause you never listened to them."
"I had to move on I didn't have a choice. (Grace looks extremely sad, and appalled, her eyes are filling with tears.) I had to erase everything."
"(Grace sighs, looking more angry than sad now.) Well, let me summarize them for you. You're a dick, if you want him out of your house, you'll throw him out yourself."
She storms out.

Grace is in her car, balling her eyes out. Her makeup is smeared and she is practically wailing. But then her cell phone buzzes and she picks it up, she attempts to take the tearyness from her voice.
"Hey."
"Put on some party clothes and come to our dorm. Tyler and Caroline's coming over and we are going out."
"You sound good."
"I am good, I had a good day. I ditched all my classes and hung out with Ric, and we um...we talked about Bonnie."
Grace is softly crying, without Elena hearing her.
"I had a good cry, and I don't know I--I really feel like things are taking a turn for the better. So get your ass down here and let's have some fun."
"Well, how about Care comes in, sneaks in the dorms and spend the night later, for old times' sake."
"Sounds perfect, love you."
"Love you too."
When she hangs up she begins to cry again, but then Enzo opens the door and steps into the car, Grace turns to the window so he can't see her cry.
"Oh, well that was a bit of a bust. (He notices that she's sniffling and that she's not turned to him and his expressions turns into one of concern.): Hey, hey. (Enzo grabs her face and turns her to him, he sees her crying and he looks angry, he lets her go.): I'll be right back. (Enzo leaves Grace sobbing in the car.)"