Return To Mystic Falls

Frustration

Damon Salvatore might just be the most infuriating individual on the face of the Earth. If he thinks for one second that he's fooling me, he's lost his mind. Why he can't just admit that he's glad I'm back is beyond me. I guess almost 50 years of hiding your true feelings can really take its toll. Sometimes I just want to wring his neck. There isn't much I can do to prove that I'm not going to run this time besides staying. How long will he not trust me? With Damon it could be centuries. Once he gets something in his head it tends to stick there.

From my spot on the couch, I can hear the water in Damon's room stop running. As I go to get up, the front door opens. Stefan walks into the living room, dumping his bag on the floor. "How was school?"

"Fine," Stefan answers cautiously.

"Yeah, same old, same old? Nothing new? No stories to bring home?"

Stefan pours himself a drink, offering one to me as well, "You always said that small talk was beneath us, Diana. Why try now?"

"You seem different since I last saw you, more pep in your step. I was just wondering why that was. Maybe it's Elena, or a change in diet," I offer up, hoping he'll take the bait. Without Damon around maybe Stefan will open up to me like he used to.

"Did Damon put you up to this?"

Sighing, I get up and walk over to Stefan, placing his glass on the table to I can take hold of both of his hands, "Stefan, I'm asking because I care about you. If something here is making you really happy for the first time in a 100 or so years, I want to know about it. We used to share everything."

"You think I'm happier because I'm drinking human blood?" Stefan asks, getting to the point of this whole conversation. I hate beating around the bush and Stefan knows that. I should have just come out and asked him.

"I said it could be because of Elena," I offer up, trying to make myself seem like less of a bad guy. I'm going to kill Damon for not just telling me the whole truth when I asked. I'm already on rocky ground with the oldest Salvatore; I can't have Stefan turn against me too.

"Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I'm clean," Stefan answers, refusing to look me in the eyes as he drops my hands. He's got to be an idiot if he thinks I'm buying any of this. I've known Stefan for way too long. He can't make eye contact with someone while he's lying.

As I go to say more, Damon walks into the living room, a towel covering his lower half. His jet – black hair is dripping water down his chest. I watch a trail over water slide over Damon's toned pecks, traveling over his abs, and disappearing below the towel. Swallowing hard, I drag my eyes away from the dark haired vampire, settling them back on Stefan.

"Yeah, not possible," Damon chimes in, walking to stand next to me, resting his arm on my shoulder, his towel sliding down a little on his hips.

"Not only is it possible brother, it's quite true," Stefan responds, picking his drink back up.

"Stefan, the last time I saw you, you looked like the poster child for Prozac. If this new you has nothing to do with human blood, then what is it? I'm curious."

The younger Salvatore frowns, looking between Damon and myself. There is mistrust in his eyes. He obviously thinks that the two of us are working against him. "I'm clean. It's not human blood."

"Don't lie to her!" Damon growls, taking a step towards his brother. If Damon already knows what's happening he should have just told me. That would have saved all of us from this increasingly awkward situation.

"Believe what you want," Stefan grumbles before pushing past me and heading up the stairs.

I grab hold of Damon's shoulder, spinning him around, "What the hell was that? If you want me know something about this situation, why can't you just tell me yourself?"