* hero/martyr.

Tell me you love me Come back and haunt me Oh and I rush to the start Running in circles, chasing our tails Coming back as we are

[crownedsaviours]

LAURA‌:

❝BUT I COULD HAVE HELPED. Wyatt could have helped, but I didn’t let him go.❞ Just like she would have done anything in her power to keep Stefan from leaving, if she found him. ❝What does that say about me?❞ It certainly made her feel terrible, especially because she knew that it wouldn’t be any different next time. There were not a lot of people that Laura truly cared about and the fear of losing them was so much stronger than her desire to be selfless. Perhaps she was not any better than her biological parents were, after all.

That thought made her feel nauseous, but she took a deep breath and nodded her head, trying to focus on Stefan’s words after he began to run his thumb along her wrist. The soothing touch helped ( a lot, actually ) but it didn’t make it much easier for her to answer his questions. Talking about her abilities would not ever be easy for her. ❝I know that because I can see them. I’m… not very good at controlling it, so it’s harder for me to shut them out.❞ Or else she definitely would have. The angelic witch nodded her head when he answered his own question ; it was the sad and bitter truth. All of it. ❝They are supposed to work for Death, but they’re not. They’re angry. They… they don’t care how long it takes, or how many people die in the process. They’re willing to go against their own nature, just to get to him.❞ And it scared her, for so many reasons. ❝I don’t think Death will be happy to hear about the rogue reapers, but… I don’t think Death is going to stop them either. We are on our own against them. The ball was only the beginning.❞

“Laur, look at me.” His hands ran down her arms so that he could take both of her hands in his instead. He could feel her guilt, her shame, her worry. He shook his head at her. “I think.. I think that you did. Maybe you don’t see it.. yet. Maybe none of us do, but.. I think you helped. I think you helped Wyatt, and in the end.. maybe that could be what tips the scale in.. in all of our favours.” Stefan gives Laura’s hands a gentle squeeze, the same soft, encouraging smile on his face as he looks at her. “It says that you’re better. So much better than you even know. Because you’re willing to give someone a chance. Like you gave me one. The first day we met. Do you remember? You were just a little girl, and I was just some monster. Maybe not then, but deep down.. that’s what I was. And you chose to open up to me. You saved me. You have.. no idea.. just how GOOD you are.” 

His thumbs still moved. Still circled her milky skin, but they were no longer at her wrists. Instead, Stefan was gently stroking the sides of her hands, keeping his green eyes on hers. He nodded his head as he listened to her. “Because you’re half Angel?” he asked, not really needing the confirmation, yet requesting it all the same. “They don’t care.. All this trouble for one boy?” Stefan frowned, not understanding. “Why? I know, obviously, I know that he’s powerful but to kill so many people.. For Wyatt to.. allow it..” The crease between his brow only seems to deepen as he tries to put it all together. It didn’t make any sense. Not from what he thought he felt coming from the boy at the ball. “But Death.. Death can’t.. get.. involved, right? I don’t..” There had always been legends, of course. Stefan had seen Reapers for himself several times now, after all. Given that he’d.. died..several times, no matter how brief. Death, on the other hand.. Death was a different story. He’d met so many beings. So many that should have never existed. He made a face at that thought. He, himself, should no longer exist. This was just the world they lived in. 

[crownedsaviours]

MYLENE:

“Wait, people did that to you?” Mylene’s eyebrows rose, she would have been furious by that kind of privacy invasion. “Well, for one those people suck. And second, yeah I guess it does count,” she laughed. She thought the journal looked old, but then lots of shops had that style, it was nice to look at. “I always told myself I’d only let someone read what I write once I finish something. Maybe that’s why I never have,” she chuckled.

“I don’t think it would’ve made very nice reading.” he says, making a face. Stefan thought of his brother and of Katherine, and grinned at the girl’s words. At the time, they definitely did suck. “So you’re a writer?” he asks, raising a curious brow at her. “you should finish, or let someone read before that. Maybe it would make you want to finish even more, having someone’s eyes having read over it.” He looked across at the book that she was reading, and then looked to her. “What do you write?”

[crownedsaviours]

GRACE‌:

          “Gatsby.” Grace echoed, in quiet contemplation as she rocked on back on her heels, her silent question answered. “So you’re into the classics? Not what I would have expected.” She noted allowed, though there was a hint of admiration, for the classics were a form of art in their own right. Exhaling the heavy sigh she had unknowingly been holding, her feet now touching the water, it wasn’t nearly as cool as she had expected. Shedding her t-shirt she discarded the item on the bank positioned carefully in case she needed to make a quick escape. With a role of her eyes she took another step into the water as it lapped at her knees. “Chivalry doesn’t always get you everywhere.” She remarked, lips twitching into a wicked smile before she turned back toward the other, hands tracing the water before she hurled the cool liquid in the others direction. And before he could so much as return the favor she had made a dive for deeper water, shaking the tendrils of hair that clung to her face as she surfaced. “Not even Gatsby can help you now.” She remarked as a laugh escaped her. 

Another quiet noise left him as he noted her expression and her words. That would be something he’d come back to later. Maybe with the hot chocolates, he thought, because right now, she was accepting his challenge and getting further away from him. Throwing away the last item of clothing he needed to, his socks, he stood ready, following Grace a few steps into the water. His toes wiggled, and he looked down at them and at the water, frowning, before being drawn to Grace’s figure as she sunk deeper into the water. He followed another few steps, getting deeper by the second until her voice rang out playfully and he stopped, curious eyes on her. The cool water hit him all over his stomach and chest and face, effectively waking him up. Before he could throw any back on her or make a grab for her, Grace had disappeared, making a dive for deeper water. “What are you.. five?” Stefan said, to absolutely no-one other than himself as she scampered away from him. His lips twitched slightly at the corners, a small smile gracing his features before he shook his head to himself, disbelief still coloured in his eyes. He stood still in, just for a moment longer before he ran a few steps, and dived in after her. When Stefan came to, he was a few feet from her, and she was already laughing. He grinned back. “Careful..” he said, trying to sound serious as he made to give a very feeble splash of water, purposefully not reaching her with it. “You really want to start a war?”

[darkwitchy-blog1]

Early mornings were not Camilla’s cup of tea, considering she spent most nights awake and active it wasn’t a leap to say she was not a morning person. On days like today though when she couldn’t sleep in or couldn’t sleep at all Coffee was needed to get her threw the days without killing anyone. Well anyone she was hired to kill that was. Already feeling sluggish Camilla stopped into The Grill as soon as it opened and ordered herself a simple black coffee, the only way to order it. “Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the Camel This is really bad coffee.” She said to the person seated next to her. The words coming out at light speed and yet she continued to drink the foul liquid. It wasn’t like she had a whole lot of other options in a town like this and she promised herself she’d keep the orbing to a minimum.

[crownedsaviours]

After ordering a cup of coffee and some toast for himself, the former vampire had taken a seat at one of the many tables in the Mystic Grill, and settled himself to looking through school prospectuses. He didn’t notice as the seat at the table over from his was taken until a surprise exclamation left him with the piece of toast he’d been eating dropping onto his table, and then, the floor. “Damn it!” he said, and quickly picked up the food from the floor, dropping it back onto his plate. It wasn’t until what she’d said actually registered in his mind that Stefan began to crack a smile. He watched, amused, as the woman continued to drink and raised an eyebrow at her. “You know, you could.. stop.. drinking it?”

[crownedsaviours]

ELENA‌:

Elena cant remember the last time she set foot in a gym, if she had ever set foot in one before today but there’s a first time for everything. Ever since what transpired at the ball Elena had been shaken and with Caroline’s help and support she felt safer staying with a friend then living on her own or with somebody she barely knew. Still, that night is a constant reminder that nobody could offer her permanent comfort and relief, Nobody but herself. 

she peered in the direction her name is being called from as soon as she entered the gym, Brown irises widen slightly spotting Stefan among the few in there. “hey yourself.” Elena returned the smile, briefly allowing her eyes to wander admiring his physique and she blushed softly.  

eyebrows rise at the mention of Caroline and Jeremy. “Oh? well, I think Jeremy is busy teaching at the moment so I thought I’d catch up with him later and I don’t have to look to far for Caroline because I actually moved in to the Forbes house a few days ago. I’m.. living with her and her two daughters, lizzie and josie? they’re pretty great.” she explained as her smile faltered. it’s hard living in a house that wasn’t her home, but it isn’t all that bad considering she practically lived at the Forbes residence growing up too. she was adapting the best she could and needed a little more time to do that. 

teeth sink into her bottom lip lightly catching another proper glimpse of Stefan as her features redden before casting her eyes downward to the shoes on her feet. “have you been here long?” she asked. 

Stefan’s eyes settled on Elena’s as she spoke. “Oh.” he repeated the word back to her, upon hearing that she was now living with Caroline. His ex girlfriend suffering from amnesia and.. ex-widow who’d had to mourn his death living under one roof. The man set his jaw, pressure being added to his teeth before he forced a smile and nodded his head. 

“That’s..” He nodded, thinking of the girls and of Caroline and Elena, all together. He smiled. “Lizzie and Josie. Yeah.” He said, and his smile was more sincere now. “It’ll be good. Being with Caroline. You’re gonna want that girl close with all this going on.. She’ll take care of you.” He promised, knowing full well just how right he was. 

She’d done the same for him, after all. Numerous times. Countless times. 

“About an hour,” he answered, smiling. “It’s not usually..” He shrugged. “I prefer doing this kind of thing alone, but I don’t really have anywhere to do it since..” He no longer had a home gym. Or a home for that matter. Just like Elena. He swallowed quietly as he looked back at her softened features. “D’you.. You’re probably here for the same reason.” he started, not quite knowing where he was going with this. “I can.. yeah.” He frowned, giving up with a sigh. “Do you need some help, or?” It wasn’t really like him. He preferred solitude, but he figured Elena was probably in a worse place than he was, given everything that was going on for her. A workout partner, even if a temporary one seemed like the least he could do. 

[robert-nash]

►make me choose: Stefan Salvatore or Nathan Scott? → asked by anonymous

[crownedsaviours]

LAURA:

❝YOU DON’T?❞ It was good to hear that Stefan didn’t think that Wyatt was involved — she just could not help but wonder why ; even if it did not matter. Not really. The angelic witch tried to buy herself some time and she reached for the other menu, allowing her emerald green eyes to drop to it until she noticed his encouraging smile. Damn it. That made it even harder to keep a secret from him and honestly? She did not want to keep secrets from the person that she loved like a father.

Laura took a deep breath and she placed the menu on the table ; she already knew what she wanted to order anyway. ❝I know it because I saw it with my own eyes. They weren’t working for him. They don’t work for anybody.❞ Other than death, that was. It took her a moment to realize that Stefan wouldn’t know who ‘ they ‘ were, so she pressed her lips together and finally forced herself to continue. ❝There were reapers, everywhere. They sent the hunters. It was Wyatt they were after, so I… stopped him from going after them.❞ She admitted — and this time she averted his gaze because her own selfishness embarrassed her. ❝Maybe he could have ended the mess faster, but everybody would have attacked him and…❞ The hybrid didn’t want him to get hurt. It was hard to explain why, she just couldn’t let it happen. ❝All I wanted was for you two to stay safe.❞ Her voice dropped to a whisper now, fearing that the truth about that would disappoint him. ❝I’m sorry.❞

“I don’t.” he repeated reassuringly, wanting her to know that he trusted her judgement. That he wanted HER to trust her judgement. It had more to do with her, than Wyatt himself. Even if Stefan thought he’d felt what he had from Wyatt. It mattered more to him that Laura trusted him. For that, Stefan would try to trust him as much as he could, too. 

Brows furrowed as the angel-witch began to explain the night’s events to him. He wanted to stop her, to tell her he didn’t understand -- but she did it for him. It did nothing to help the further creasing of his brow as she went on to tell him that Reapers.. Grim Reapers? Were now running around his hometown. Apparently seeking to destroy and take Wyatt Halliwell’s soul. 

“Hey,” Stefan said kindly. “Don’t.” he reached across to squeeze Laura’s wrist, running his thumb along her skin, soft and soothingly. “Don’t be sorry. I felt the same about you, okay? Just wanted you safe.” His eyes held such sincerity, but he smiled at her, too. “He’s lucky you wanted that for him.. And I’m.. glad he’s safe as well, okay? But you never have to apologise to me. You were protecting him. As long as you were safe, that’s all that matters to me.” He gave her another squeeze, the other hand moving to join in after discarding the menu on the table. “How do you know that they’re after him? What about everybody else? The Hunters.. Why did so many others get hurt if.. if the Reapers were after him.” Stefan looked at Laura, thinking, when something occurred to him. “unless they’re.. They don’t care who gets hurt in the process.” he stated boldly. “They’re.. the reapers aren’t working for death, are they? They’re working for themselves.”

[lovelyelenas-deactivated2018060]

[crownedsaviours]

MYLENE‌:

Mylene smiled when she saw they both had books in hand, even if one was for writing and the other reading. “Of course,” she nodded and gestured next to her for him to sit. “I get that, it’s the same reason I came out here actually,” she chuckled. She didn’t go to the last town event they’d all had, but she got the feeling something bad happened. “So are you a writer or is that just for yourself?” she asked, too curious to get back to her book just yet.

“It’s.. just something I’ve done for.. a while,” Stefan said, taking a seat on the ground beside the girl, his knees up. Far longer than a simple ‘while’. His journals had been his companions through his worst nights.. through his best. They were something he could always go back to if he wanted to remember.  He looked at his journal, passing it between his two hands, opening it and letting the pages fan over his thumb. “People have read them in the past, but.. Not with permission.” He said, suppressing a grin. He faced her, raising an eyebrow. “Does that count?”

[crownedsaviours]

@ofgilbertgirl

Hours had passed since Stefan had set foot in the gym. He no longer had the equipment he needed, given that he no longer had an actual home, but he found he didn’t hate it here so much. He’d already been on the treadmill, and some of the machines, and was now behind a boxing ring working one of the bags there. 

The door swung open behind him, and as if instinctively, Stefan’s head turned towards the sound. “Elena,” he called, holding up a hand in greeting. He’d called out before he could stop himself and after ridding himself of his gloves, Stefan had started to make his way over. “Hi,” he said, stopping in front of her. He was a little sweaty by now, not how he particularly wanted to be when stood face to face with her, but he smiled all the same. “What are you doing here? I figured you’d be out looking for..” He stopped himself. “Caroline. Or with Jeremy.”

He raised his bottle to his lips and tipped it back, gulping down some water while his free hand wandered to push through his usually tidy brown hair, messing it up further. 

[crownedsaviours]

LAURA‌:

IT MADE HER LAUGH WHEN HE BUMPED HER HIP, but the sound began to fade when Stefan mentioned Wyatt — wondering if he explained what happened at the ball. She could not blame him for asking ; Laura knew that she would have done the same thing, but it was her who didn’t know how to explain it. Not just because of the reapers, no. Because of her own selfishness.

❝He didn’t have to.❞ The angelic witch told him in a small tone as the two of them walked into the Grill. ❝For a split second I thought it was him, but… It wasn’t.❞ And she knew it was not enough of an answer. She knew that she needed to tell him more because knowledge could keep Stefan safe, but it scared her anyway. ❝Look, I’ll… I’ll tell you the whole story, just… Don’t be mad at me? Please?❞

Just looking at her, Stefan believed her. He nodded his head thoughtfully and smiled at one of the staff members in greeting before moving further into the grill and taking a seat inside one of the empty booths. “How do you know?” he asked, wanting her to tell him more. If it could keep her safe, if any of the information she had could keep her and everybody else safe.. He needed to know. Whether he approved or not didn’t matter. 

But Laura asking him not to be mad confused him. There was genuine anxiety and worry filling her. Radiating off of her and into him. He nodded his head again. “Why would I be mad? You’re safe. And.. for whatever reason, you trust that he didn’t do it.. and I think you’re right. I don’t think he had anything to do with it.” Stefan said, thinking again of the whitelighter-witch’s face when he’d been looking at Laura. He took the menu from the centre of the table, opening it and letting his eyes scan over it, before glancing at Laura again and trying to smile encouragingly. 

[crownedsaviours]

GRACE‌:

      Grace organised the voice before she turned to meet that of her acquaintance from Wyatt’s event. One of the few that had actually cared to listen to her erratic art ramblings. Exhaling a short laugh she shook her head, lips twitching into a grin as she waved off the offer, only the other seemed serious. “Really — I mean, wouldn’t want to tear you away from your book there.” She remarked, motioning to novel that sat behind him, craning her neck she attempted to get a look at the title only to no avail. Crystalline irises shifted from his too look back at the water and the seemingly crazy person already in it. Muttering a curse under her breath she hauled off her jacket and shimmied out of her jeans before staring toward the water edge. One thing Grace had never been able to do was shy away from a challenge. “Fine, but if we all end up hypothermic or worse, fish food then hot chocolate is definitely on you.” She remarked, shooting a look in Stefan’s direction.

“Mm,” Stefan hummed, noticing the way the girl seemed to try to look past him towards the book he’d left behind. She wanted to see what he’d been reading. Just like he’d wanted to know what she thought when staring at a piece of artwork. “I’m sure Gatsby will be waiting for me when I get back,” He answered her. He’d already left it behind anyway. Had already got up to approach Grace. Stefan watched for a moment to see if she was joining in, and then grinned when he saw that she was. He followed suit, pulling off his hoodie and unbuckling and unfastening his jeans. He even took off his t-shirt, thinking it would be nicer to wear warm and dry, before following Grace to the water’s edge. He laughed at her words and rolled his eyes. “Okay, that’s fair. I can do that.” he said. “Ladies first.” Stefan added, grinning at her, his green eyes gleaming playfully, even in the dark.

[offortis]

What Mylene had loved most about this town in the four years she lived her was that it was so easy to escape to nature and away from people. She liked finding a spot out here to read or write, but she was getting some writer’s block, so it was reading today. She was so into her book that she jumped when she heard footsteps in the leaves. “Sorry,” she turned to them. “I didn’t think anyone would be out here.” 

[crownedsaviours]

“Me neither,” Stefan said, holding up his journal in explanation. It seemed the two had similar ideas about the place. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” He made to turn away, but then turned back again and stepped closer. “Mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the general space next to her with the leather-bound book. “You can keep reading. It’s just.. too much back there..” He looked back from where he’d came from, towards the town centre. “I promise, you won’t even know I’m here.”

[crownedsaviours]

LAURA‌:

NOBODY COULD SAY THAT DAMON DID NOT DO SOMETHING GOOD WHEN HE DONATED THE BOARDING HOUSE — and yet, it did not necessarily mean that it would ever feel that way too. It had to be terrible to return from the other side, to try to come home ; just to find out that it was gone. Laura knew how that felt in some ways, but truth be told… She was used to it. Life did not give her a choice, she had to become adaptable long before she met Stefan.

❝Hey!❞ The angelic witch complained with a pout when he nudged her in the backside, but instead of nudging him back or creating distance between them she threw one arm around his side. ❝Can’t we talk about nicer things?❞ She would not want to admit it, but a part of her hated the subject ; even if she was grateful for the things she had been taught. ❝Demons or something?❞ Laura grinned at her joke, if only to show him that she was joking. Sort of. ❝I’m willing to take other suggestions too. Just as long as I get to buy us milkshakes.❞

Just as long as she would get to spend time with him. 

It was ridiculous just how much she missed him while he was gone — she never wasted another thought to her biological parents, after all. It simply felt like she was meant to find him, instead.

Chuckling, he bumped her hip as the two fell into step together, smiling at the arm she threw around him and doing the same thing to her. His arm fell around her small frame, draping over her shoulders. Stefan hummed in thought, and raised a suspicious brow at her. Demons.. they’d seen enough of demons already since Stefan had returned. And hunters.. vampires.. “What about the boy-king?” Stefan asked. “You went to the ball to see him.” He pushed open the door to the Mystic Grill and held it for Laura, watching her face as she passed him. “Did he explain what happened?” 

Of course, Stefan already knew. Or he thought he did. He’d seen some of their later interaction. Laura, crying. Wyatt.. looking lost, and confused. Both of them feeling.. something. Scared, alone, betrayed. He frowned deeply, concentrating, thinking about what he’d seen and followed Laura inside. The man had been on the balcony. He’d seen most of the exchange. Laura had taken Wyatt’s hand, tried to stop him from going somewhere. Stefan didn’t know where, but apparently the boy-king had listened to her, because he didn’t see either resurface before he’d bumped into others himself. 

[crownedsaviours]

LAURA:

IT WAS HARD NOT TO GRIMACE AT THE MENTIONING OF THE BOARDING SCHOOL, but Laura tried to give him a smile instead. She knew that it was a good thing that his old home did not end up abandoned or sold to complete strangers, but she could not help it ; It still made her feel bad that he could not go back there. ❝It’s fine. I wouldn’t want to waste any real pearls for this, anyway.❞ Her lips curled into a grin now, but it faded just the slightest bit when she heard his suggestion. It was sweet of him, really, but… ❝You don’t have to do that for me. I don’t mind going out to buy new stuff — which you should have let me pay for.❞ The angelic witch teased with a roll of her emerald green eyes. ❝I hope you know the next milkshake is on me.❞

It wasn’t that Stefan didn’t LOVE what Damon, and Caroline and Ric had done with his old home. He did. He loved that young supernatural creatures of all kinds would have a place to go. A place to call home. A place to help them grow and become a person they could be proud of. Supernatural abilities included. --- but it was hard seeing the place he called home.. the place he’d thought about raising a family in.. the place he HAD, to an extent, brought up a little family in. It was Laura’s home, too. 

His room, he’d miss. It was the only place that had remained constant. Unchanging, except for the items he brought in every once in a while to keep, and treasure. The people, too. Not everybody was allowed in Stefan’s room. Every memory he’d thought important enough to keep had been in there and now.. well, the room was gone, but Stefan still had the memories. He hoped. Maybe some of his things would still be around, too. He realised it was selfish of him to even think about. The School was doing so much good for so many people, and Damon had done something good, something wonderful, for all of them. Stefan nodded his head and smiled a slightly uneven smile, trying to convince himself, as much as Laura, that he was okay. 

That everything would be okay. 

The man rolled his eyes at her and nudged her in the backside with the bag he carried, nodding towards the Grill. “Milkshakes and then we’ll talk more about going to the School, okay? You still need to tell me about it.” 

[crownedsaviours]

HAYLEY‌:

“What gave it away?” she wondered with just a hint of sarcasm laced in her words. It made her laugh. This wasn’t as rough as… Well, you know. Anything else going on in her life at the moment. “Another whiskey, coming up!” Hayley declared as she found the bottle and began pouring the drink. “Just tonight. This is a one show kind of deal. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get ordained and start doing inner species marriages, I don’t know.” And with that she slid his drink back.

Stefan tapped his temple in response. “Mindreader.” he said and he smiled warmly at her laughter. He didn’t know how much Hayley had going on right now, but he knew that it had to be A LOT. She’d come back from the dead, after all, just as he had. He knew that much. The male scoffed at her words and accepted the drink gratefully, repeating his thanks. “You should get tips off my brother. If he can do it, anyone can.” He furrowed his brows at her, curious. “Why one night? Doing someone a favour?” 

[crownedsaviours]

❝JUST TRUST ME, please.❞ The expensive stuff wasn’t always the good stuff — and Laura was 100% sure that this was the right place to get what she wanted for her collage. ❝Ha!❞ The angelic witch spun around, a triumphant grin on her lips while she dangled a small bag of pearls in front of him. For less than a dollar. ❝See? Those are perfect.❞ Not to mention that she could easily make them look more real, if she wanted to. ❝It would be a shame if I used actual ones for my art. Those will do.❞ She announced in a happy tone before she practically skipped walked off to the cashier. 

@ofviolentdelight

“You know, I’m sure Damon and I had a box of this stuff laying around at the Boarding House. I could.. call in at the school,” Stefan tried not to wince at the idea of so many faces, but it was hard. Seeing so much from the Other Side, he knew more things than he probably SHOULD have. Getting to see Laura better learn her magic, and Caroline learning to balance life as School Principal and Mom had been two of the better things. “Could be something else you could use.” He chuckled and took the faux pearls from her, adding them to the little basket he carried. Stefan followed the absolutely skipping girl to the cashier’s counter, paying for their finds before he led the way out of the store. “I think we should, you know. Call in at the school. Or.. maybe Caroline or Damon or Elena moved some of the boxes some place else during the conversion.”