Barely A Memory

Chapter 12

"Great," the younger Salvatore replied with a smile so wide that his forehead crinkled. Elena, assuming that he had not overheard them, released the breath she'd been holding. Stefan continued, "Hey, guys, um, I think I found a vial of Vervain extract or something... I don't remember what it looks like though. It's up on my bed."

Damon grinned proudly. "That's my baby bro!" he dramatically complimented, standing up to pat Stefan on the shoulder before running to the stairs. He then glanced back at Elena. "Well, let's go check it out."

Stefan nodded. "Hey, I'll be right behind you." Elena, confused, sent him a baffled look, so he quickly replied, "I'm thirsty."

"Me too. I'll go with you." After giving him an affectionate look, she placed a slow, gentle hand on Stefan's arm. His gaze instantly landed on the location of her touch, his muscles going rigid.

When he spoke, though, his voice was soft. "No, it's okay. I'll get a drink for you." And before Elena could protest, he rushed into the kitchen and turned on the faucet. He listened very closely until he heard her converse clicking up the staircase. As soon as she was out of earshot, he turned the sink off, glanced around, and walked into the parlor. Hurriedly, Stefan grabbed Damon's leather jacket from the coat hanger and put it on, reaching into the pocket to find his brother's car keys. When he found them, Stefan exited the mansion and took one last look around the house before stealthily closing the door behind him.

He'd heard it all.

XXXX

There were dark, black rings under Katherine's eyes as she exited the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her. As soon as she saw her reflection, she rolled her eyes and tried to wipe the makeup off as best as she could. She always hated staring at herself like this; she looked so... normal. Plain. Her hair was even beginning to dry in lazy waves around her face. Sighing, she opened a drawer to pull out an outfit to sleep in. If she was too lazy to do her hair tonight, she was going to wear something comfortable as well.

Just as she was going through her drawers for one comfortable thing that she owned, Katherine was startled by a knock at the door. "Just a second, Mrs. Flowers!" She yelled, rolling her eyes at the woman's relentless pounding. Still, the woman did not stop. Katherine huffed, pulling her towel around her tightly. Annoyed, she opened the door, only to be met with a face she had not expected to see. "Stefan?"

Without even looking at her, he walked inside, pacing back and forth. "It's a lie," he said quickly, running his hands through his hair. Katherine scoffed a bit at that action; Stefan messing up his hair was just about as rare as seeing a polar bear in the desert. "I didn't go missing. They lied to me. They've been lying to me this whole time. They played me for a fool."

Now, he had Katherine's attention. She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Stefan shook his head, still rapidly pacing, eyes on the floor. "It all makes sense. I'm such an idiot. Waking up in a coffin and still assuming that—"

"What is going on?" Her voice was rough, harsh, enough to make Stefan stop and look up at her. She bit her lip when she saw the tears in his eyes, quickly reminding herself that now was not the time to care. His gaze was clear but unfocused, the gears in his head surely spinning behind his glistening eyes.

"I died," he answered flatly. "I died, and Damon and Elena..." He trailed off. Instead of finishing his sentence, Stefan looked at Katherine, as if he were expecting her to finish for him. His chest was moving with every great inhale and exhale, and without even thinking, Katherine approached him.

While keeping one hand on her towel, she raised the other one to his face. "Damon and Elena have been keeping everything from you," she finally finished.