MONSTER, stefan salvatore [2]

Prayer For the Dying

He wasn't sure where she was going with it. She could've decided that she would pissed at him if he told he truth, because he could've waited, seen what would happen before he would let Caroline do it. But, he decided that he had to tell the truth anyway. "Yeah, I was there when it healed Colin."

Natalie nodded, not knowing how to respond to it. "Why didn't you wait? Did you even see the effects of the blood on him before she fed her the blood or did you just think that it was okay because he didn't die immediately?"

"It looked like it was healing him," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest at how she seemed to be blaming him for what happened. "You didn't see the hope in her eyes when she thought that maybe her mother didn't have to die. And I didn't wanna be the one to take that away from her."

Natalie's eyes widened a bit at his hostility, and realized that he had taken her words. She didn't blame him at all, but she understood how he could have taken it that way. "I know. I just don't want her to get hurt. She's my best friend."

"She's mine too," he reminded her. He saw her look down, as if she was feeling guilty for acting a bit like a bitch. He reached out, pulling strands of hair away from her face and behind her ear with a soft smile. "Hey, we'll figure this out. And if we can't... well, we have to be there for her. For both of them."

As Stefan's hand was still on her cheek, she put her hand on top of it, grabbing it and swinging them between them. "I know, I'm trying. But I don't think she wants to feel better. I know it doesn't make any sense, but I think she wants to feel guilty so she doesn't have to feel the pain from her mother dying."

"That's what friends are for. Even when you're at your worst, pushing people away, they are there. They help you no matter what. You can do that for her," he advised, not being able to hide his smile as he studied her face. He would never get tired of her smile, her eyes, her face. And still, he wasn't used to her, because she always found new ways to make him fall in love all over again. 

She bit down on her lip, knowing that smiling while they were talking about what they were talking about would be a bit inappropriate. But he always managed to make her weak in her knees, her lips always fighting to keep tugging up until they become a smile. "I will. But I don't know if she'll be able to get through this. She's strong, and she's been through so much. But losing her mom, I don't know."

Caroline cleared her throat, announcing her presence to her two best friends. They turned to her, looking like they sorry for her hearing their conversation. She didn't reveal anything about hearing what they had been saying, even if she had. "Uhm, Jo has an idea."

▹▹▹

Jo's idea consisted of replacing Liz's blood, hoping that it would mean that the vampire blood would be out of her system, unable to do any damage. They hadn't gotten any answers on whether or not it would work, but Damon had been sitting outside in the waiting room nervously, anticipating news. 

He noticed Natalie walking up to him and straightened himself up, trying to seem like he was staying strong, like someone who was his friend dying wasn't a big deal. "Hey. the blood transfusions are stopping the cancer from eating her alive? Or hey, is there a sheriff-sized space available in the family crypt?"

"Not sure yet," she shrugged, sitting down next to him. Caroline had gone to a vending machine or something and she was planning to meet her there soon, but she needed to speak a bit with her other best friend first. "Jo's still running some tests, with her assistant, future Doctor Gilbert. They should be out in a minute."

"I don't know if you remember this, but Liz and I are pretty close," he reminded her. He saw her smile a bit with a nod, and realized that he was sounding a bit too sappy for being Damon Salvatore. "I mean, as far as humans go, she's... tolerable."