Ω 001 ; open } { i got the surprise, surprise of my life -- i had to stop and stare

[veryemerson]

The first thing he notices is that the sun’s up.

It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if they had actually been driving all night, but Stefan knows for a fact that they haven’t. In fact, the clock on the car radio proves that. The digital read out says just after one AM, but from the looks of things, it was suddenly closer to one PM. That, and

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katherine and stefan both, por favor

[descendent]

It's been over a year for Elena Gilbert, and it's safe to say she never thought she'd see any these people ever again.

She was the first to fall through, after all. Damon followed later on, and for a while, it was only the two of them. Around the time Jeremy and Vicki (who disappeared shortly after) also fell through, she began realizing anything was possible. Caroline's arrival only cemented her suspicions.

There are faces she would give anything to see, and Stefan is the one she's thought of most, hoped to see the most. She just never thought it would be like this. Except, that's exactly what's happening. Elena's getting back to the Tower, taking a short cut through the Park to do so, and there he is. She'd recognize him anywhere, despite the fact his back is to her.

"Stefan??" she asks, her breath catching in her throat as she rushes over.

She's terrified her mind is just playing tricks on her, but it's Stefan. Relief and love flood through her, but the former emotion is short-lived when she sees he's not alone

[petrovafire]

There's no reason for Katherine to speed around. So, she's walking at a very leisurely pace when she hears a very familiar voice. Stefan hasn't made it three or four steps and all ready he's found someone he knows? Maybe that says something about his personality. Then again, all it does say is that Elena Gilbert will always fall at his feet and cry out in relief when they come face to face.

Katherine turns, raising an eyebrow before settling behind Stefan.

When Elena spots Katherine and the doppelganger slows down, Katherine is almost hurt. But, not really. Elena's frozen. Maybe not literally. Oh, she can only wish.

"I feel like I've thwarted a touching reunion," she says, looking at Stefan. What's strange is how relieved Elena is. Stefan betrayed them. If anything? Elena should be slapping him. Probably her once she realizes they were in cahoots and yet, Elena is running from excitement, from... love.

Yes. Something is off.

[veryemerson]

Stefan is just as confused, and there are so many feelings bubbling under the surface that at first, he finds it hard to find the words. For one, Elena is happy to see him. That isn't a sight he thought he'd ever see again, and yet there it is, staring him in the face. He wants it, desperately, but he doesn't know how to accept it. Not after everything he's done.

And Katherine probably isn't helping. Stefan glances back at her with a mild look, before turning back to Elena.

"Elena, what are you doing here?" he frowns. She's supposed to be home. With Damon. Where she's safe. "How did you get to Chicago?"

[descendent]

Elena looks between them, utterly and genuinely confused, stifling down the reaction that threatens to give way to cracks in the otherwise composed demeanor. Katherine was in the tomb, last Elena knew before she fell through. Jeremy filled her in, but none of what he filled her in on included this.

Stefan's reaction doesn't help matters. Elena knows him. She knows something is off, and she doesn't even dignify Katherine's comment with a response. Only lets the dread slowly sink into her stomach like a heavy stone.

"I've been in Chicago for a really long time now, Stefan. I fell through the rift over a year ago," she says, swallowing back some of the raw emotion threatening to bubble up her throat. Not in front of Katherine. How much does he know? How long since he--have they--been here and she didn't know?

"When did you get here? And why are you with her?"

for Katherine

[breakthelock]

Usually, Jeremy Gilbert drives wherever he wants (thanks to Damon trying to force a car on Elena who wouldn't take it) in Chicago. It's safer that way, but sometimes he likes to get out on the sidewalk and walk around.

It saves him money on gas since he's not really working at the moment. Surviving in Chicago, training with Wes, and keeping up in school is hard enough without the added factor of a job to take up his time.

He has no idea that the woman walking down the sidewalk is not his sister but Katherine instead. Jeremy waves, surprised to see her there since he didn't think she was going to be over on this side of the city today. Neither of them usually head uptown, he was meeting one of his friends from school there.

"Elena, hey."

There's just slight confusion on his face, because he wasn't expecting to... run into her.

[petrovafire]

Katherine cuts back through an alley. What she's curious about is Stefan's old apartment in the 20's. Nostalgia sets in as she steps out onto a familiar street with particularly unfamiliar buildings. It's a strange, lopsided nostalgia she isn't used to. She wonders if her own apartment - or apartments she used for a few weeks thanks to very gracious dead tenants - are still standing

[breakthelock]

Jeremy has not seen Elena yet today. On top of that, he knows that the Rift has made Elena's hair curly before. She hated it because it reminded her of Katherine. Everyone complimented her for the new look, and she hated it even more and got angrier about it.

It's why he thinks he knows better than to mention the difference right now. The Rift probably did it, and she'll get all angry about it again, ridiculously angry. Jeremy gets why it bothers her, but she was in a bad mood for the entire day.

He doesn't even think for a moment that it could be Katherine. For some reason, it hasn't occurred to him that she could fall through. It's mostly been the three of them for months and then Caroline fell through so he doesn't think about it. Jeremy should, but he doesn't and Katherine falls so quickly into playing the role perfectly that he's still not aware that there's anything to be alarmed about

[petrovafire]

Were Katherine aware of this, she would have a good long hard laugh. Because, seriously, the rift has a sense of humor she can get behind. Unless it permanently straightens her hair. She'd get bored after a while. She likes her waves. And curls. Her hair has body. And personality. Elena, while - fine, she has a personality, has less of one. And she has guilt. And those beady eyes.

Jeremy really should study his sister more closely - but not close enough that it brings to mind Flowers in the Attic, she thinks.

Interesting. Jeremy is in school. She files that information away. The last time she remembers seeing Jeremy, she had kidnapped him. Oh, memories.

"Well, that depends on your definition of okay," she answers, without thinking. Wait a minute, that is not the response she'd decided on. She smiles wider, taking a moment. "Everything is not okay," she then adds, furrowing her brow. She's getting frustrated. Jeremy is there but her attention is now on the fact that she's saying things that are not conducive to pretending to be the

for Stefan 8)

[idontgethurt]

Damon has to stop where he's walking. Sometimes he sits in the park, listening to conversation, trying to pick up chatter when it comes to the Society, anything suspicious. It's a useful tool considering how far in over his head he is. Not that he's ever managed to pick up much of anything interesting until now when he picks out two very familiar voices to him.

What the hell?

His jaw tenses. Katherine and Stefan... together, working together. The shock of it is hard to ignore. He shoves down a hundred or so feelings, many of them are questions. The last time he saw Katherine, she was heading into a tomb. Damon has missed his brother though that is nothing he's admitted to anyone, not even himself. He didn't think he'd see Stefan again, and there's a mixture of emotions ranging from shocked to angry to relieved to confused.

It's strange to think of living in a universe where he... doesn't exist after hundreds of years of hating him and struggling with him and finally moving toward repairing their relationship. Somewhat. Then he

[veryemerson]

Stefan is still convinced that he and Katherine have walked into the Twilight Zone -- or driven, as the case may be. Nothing seems to be the way it's supposed to be, and he's starting to wonder what kind of magic this is. He's heard of witches being able to do powerful things, but the only one with that kind of power that he knows of is Bonnie -- and she can't do this.

And then he hears that greeting.

He can't miss it. Even if he didn't have vampire hearing, it resounds with something inside him where he just knows. Damon's his brother. He's been his brother for a hundred sixty-three years. It's not a bond that goes away, regardless of how much misery and pain they've caused each other over the years. What does surprise Stefan, however, is the lack of anger

[idontgethurt]

There is something strange about all of this. It is already strange, because Stefan was with Katherine. Damon did not catch everything that they said, but he knows they came through together and he has no idea what that means. His jaw locks as he notes his brother's expression which does not give much away.

However, there is something off. He fell through the Rift, and his first response isn't questions. It's a quiet waiting like he expects Damon to say something more. Damon is suspicious about Katherine and Stefan, but Stefan has no way of knowing that he'd heard them together. So what does he think Damon is going to react about?

What happened?

Damon knows that he had been dying of a werewolf bite thanks to Jeremy, and Caroline told Jeremy a little more about what had happened. It still leaves so many questions, so many blank spaces in his mind with no answers at all. He hates it. He hates not knowing what's going on. He hates not knowing what to expect of his brother right now

[veryemerson]

"I haven't been here long."

His words are clipped, forced out because he isn't entirely sure what's going on but he knows enough to know that he doesn't like it. As Damon starts to move closer, he straightens, taking in the information as he gets it -- or rather the lack thereof. He's putting Damon on edge and he needs to back off, but what he doesn't understand is why there's a lack of an edge in the first place.

And to answer your question, Damon, a lot. A lot has happened.

When it comes to him asking him what he might want to hit his brother for, well -- Stefan can't fight back the smirk. If Damon thinks hard enough, he might recognize the bit of the ripper behind his eyes, but for right now he's more worried about not ending up dead.

"Do you want the short version or the long one?"