Chaos (Satisfy Series Book Five, The Vampire Diaries)

Ch. 12: The Devil Inside

Caroline smiled a sweet smile. "Well . . . nobody is perfect."

"Mm-hm," Damon hummed. He looked at Stefan. "So this is what it's come to? You bring me love advice from Prudy Trudy?"

"I can be unpredictable and incredibly reckless," Caroline told him.

"What's going on here?" Damon asked. "Are you guys babysitting me?" 

"We're just hanging out," I told him. "Chatting."

"I don't need this," Damon told us. "And I don't need your help." 

Damon stormed off. 

Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Oh," Stefan said. "I guess we better try Elena again." 

I nodded sarcastically, picking up a pool stick and shooting the cue ball into the yellow ball, making it bounce of several of the different ones and the last one hit the eight ball. All of them went into different side pockets. 

I smiled.

*****

There was a Welcome Home Party at Matt and Tyler's for Tyler. 

I saw Elena talking to Stefan.

Stefan was getting a drink. 

Elena tussled her hair and walked over to talk to him. "Hey." 

"Elena, you're alive," Stefan said jokingly.

"Of course I'm alive," Elena told him. Stefan looked at her unconvincingly, noticing that there was something off about her. "Wow . . . Stefan Salvatore is drinking beer from a cup. Do you want me to show you where Tyler keeps the bourbon?" 

"No," Stefan answered. "I'm trying to keep off from the hard stuff. So, where have you been? Caroline was about to send out a search party for you."

"Around, thinking, processing, trying to figure out how to deal with this whole . . .Damon thing," Elena answered. 

"Hmm," Stefan hummed. "You know he made a mistake, right? He wants you back."

"Yeah, I know," Elena told him. "Hang on, isn't this a little weird for you?" 

"It's incredibly weird, but I know my brother," Stefan told her. "I know he's a better person with you than without you." 

"So how are you?" Elena asked. "How are you dealing with the whole . . . Katherine dying thing?" 

"I'm okay," Stefan told her. 

"Stefan, you don't have to hid your feelings," Elena told him.

"No, honestly, I'm okay," Stefan told her. "You know, we had a thing, it ended and she died, and I'm fine."

"You knew her for, like, 150 years," Elena told him. "You're not even a little heartbroken? I mean, even I feel a little bit bad. Maybe we should give her, like, a funeral, or something."

"A funeral?" Stefan repeated. 

"Where is she buried?" Elena asked. "I should at least drop off flowers, or something."

"I have no idea," Stefan told her. "Damon said he put her where she was always meant to be."

Elena seemed to be thinking. "Classic Damon."

And I called Damon.

Damon answered. "Really bad timing, sister. I'm dealing with a blast from the past."