Bad Blood || The Vampire Diaries [1]

27: Heart of Darkness

   Alaric was locked up in the basement, in a cosy cell that looked very uncomfortable. His other self, the one that had been murdering vampire-sympathiser and soon vampires, had hidden the last stake. Although everyone had looked in the places he knew about, the stake was still lost. It was as if his other self had made the stake disappear into thin air. While Damon and Elena left to pick up Jeremy, we stayed back and would try to coerce Alaric's alter-ego into telling us where he hid the stake.

   "Let's go then," I said, pushing my hands into the pockets of my sweater. "Let's get this over with." We were both trying to ignore each other, yet at the same time we couldn't. I wanted to be far away from him, but there was something inside of me that told me that the best place was close to him.

   I followed Stefan to the basement, stopping in front of the cell door where Alaric was. He was laying on the cot, his eyes closed as his hands rested behind his head. "Do you know how hard it is to fall asleep when that is what you're supposed to do?"

   "Well, look, it's not that easy, so." Stefan held up the bottle of whiskey. "Damon suggested that I bring something to help speed up the process."

   Alaric sucked in a breath. "What the hell." He sat up and put the book that was on his chest next to him as Stefan and I entered the cell. He grabbed the bottle when Stefan handed it to him and glanced at it for a couple of seconds before opening it. "You know, I'll feel decidedly less pathetic if I don't drink alone."

   "Oh, I'm one step ahead of you," Stefan replied as he brought in two chairs. He put them down and showed us two glasses, handing me one. I thanked him, for both the chair and the glass, and took a seat. As soon as my butt touched the chair, Alaric poured me a drink. I lifted the glass to him as a cheer, then took a quick sip. Alaric did the same with the bottle, taking a larger gulp, then closed it. "So, road trip huh?"

   Stefan hummed and nodded. "Yeah, I needed to stay here."

   "Why?" Alaric asked. "I mean, why you? You know, it doesn't take much to babysit me while I sit here waiting for a psychotic break."

   "Well, unfortunately, we only have a limited amount of time."

   "Before what?"

   "Before we have to resort to other methods," I said, glancing from him to Stefan.

   Alaric stared at me for a couple of seconds. "So, you two are worried that you're gonna have to torture me. You don't think Damon could have done that?"

   Stefan stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, and then took a quick glance at me before turning to look back at Alaric. "Look, Elena needed to go on that trip with Damon. No matter what I go through to get her back; fighting my bloodlust, trying to gain control of my life again–none of that matters if she has feelings for someone else."

   "And you?" Alaric asked, quickly glancing at me again. "Do you have feelings for somebody else?" Stefan stayed quiet, again, and leaned back on his chair. He still said nothing. Alaric let out a soft chuckle and nodded. "I get it. You don't want to talk about this because you're not sure. I get it."

   "I'm gonna go upstairs," I said, standing. "Do you want anything, Alaric? A sandwich?"

   "Uh," he chuckled, "I'm good."

   I nodded, glanced at Stefan, then hurried out of the cell and back upstairs. As soon as my feet touched the top step, I let out a deep breath. I hurried to Damon' secret stash and served myself a glass full. I took a big gulp, enjoying the taste of both alcohol and blood on my tongue. It felt fresh, calming, and it was exactly what I needed. I licked my lips, then took another well-needed deep breath. It didn't matter how many times I cleaned my lips, I could still feel Stefan's lips against them. Even as I drank, I felt them.