The afternoon sun was warm, slanting through the trees in the school parking lot. Leo stood leaning against the thick trunk of an old tree, his arms folded across his chest. His backpack was already dumped unceremoniously on the other side of the tree, his classes done for the day. He wasn't here waiting for Elena. He was waiting for Stefan.
He'd scanned the cafeteria earlier and hadn't seen him. Probably slipped off somewhere, Leo figured, maybe to feed animal blood. The thought was a practical one, not judgmental. It was just what Stefan had to do. But their business was unfinished, and Leo preferred to settle scores directly. So he'd planted himself here, a spot Stefan would almost certainly pass by on his way out, and waited.
Five more minutes ticked by. The stream of students leaving the building had thinned to a trickle. Then, the main hallway door pushed open.
Stefan came out in his usual way, moving with that quiet, deliberate grace. One hand was hooked loosely on the strap of his messenger bag slung over his shoulder. He'd taken only a few steps when he stopped. His head turned, just slightly. It was a predator's instinct, a sudden, sharp awareness of being watched. Not just glanced at, but intently observed. His eyes, sharp and searching, scanned the area and immediately locked onto the figure by the oak tree.
Leo was still there, arms crossed, not having moved an inch. Their eyes met across the distance. Seeing he had Stefan's attention, the corner of Leo's mouth lifted. It was a small, acknowledging smile, but it held no warmth. It was the smile of someone who had been waiting for you, and whose wait was now over.
Stefan's own posture shifted instantly. His hand, which had been resting casually on the bag strap, tightened. His fingers curled into the fabric, knuckles going just a bit paler. He knew Leo. Maybe better than anyone else in this town right now, after everything that had happened in the last week alone. He knew what that look meant. He had been expecting something like this, ever since the fallout from Caroline discovering Elena and Leo.
A part of him replayed the scene in his head. If only he had noticed Caroline at the door a second sooner. If only he had stepped in front of her, distracted her, done anything to stop her from seeing that kiss. But he hadn't. He'd seen her only as she was already turning away, her face crumbling. He'd taken a breath, ready to follow and calm her, but the damage was already done, rippling out to now, to this waiting confrontation.
He let out a slow, quiet breath he didn't really need. There was no avoiding it. If he turned and walked the other way, Leo would just follow him. It would turn into a chase, or a scene, and this already messy situation would become even worse. Better to deal with it head-on, here where it was relatively quiet.
Stefan's expression settled into a calm mask, the kind he wore when bracing for something unpleasant. Adjusting the strap on his shoulder, he changed direction and began walking toward Leo. Each step was measured. He didn't hurry, but he didn't delay either. He walked directly toward the tree, toward the boy waiting with folded arms and a smile that wasn't friendly.
Leo didn't move from his spot against the tree as Stefan came to a stop opposite him. He unfolded his arms, letting one hand slide casually into his pocket. His gaze was fixed on Stefan's eyes, not wavering for a second. When he spoke, his voice was low and even, but each word was sharp, dipped in sarcasm.
"How generous of you to finally arrive," Leo began, the polite words sounding anything but. "And I, Leo Whittemore, how truly fortunate I am." He paused, letting the false gratitude hang in the air. "It seems my humiliation was perfectly timed to serve as someone's evening entertainment yesterday. Isn't it?" He tilted his head slightly, a cold, examining look on his face. "Tell me, Stefan. Do you make a habit of collecting these moments? Do you have a private gallery somewhere? Maybe you call it 'Leo's Elegant Disasters'?"
Stefan listened, absorbing the piercing, sarcastic words. He didn't let them get under his skin. He couldn't afford to. The difference in power between them was not something he could forget. It was the gap between a lion and a deer; if the lion decided to pounce, the outcome was certain. So Stefan measured his reply carefully, thinking for a second before speaking in a calm, level tone.
"Things aren't like that, Leo," he started, keeping his own voice neutral. "I was just standing there. When Caroline came to the door, I did notice her. But it was too late. She had already entered the room and seen everything before I could do anything to stop it."
"Enough, Stefan."
The two words cut through Stefan's explanation like a knife. Leo's voice had dropped, turning cold and hard. But more frightening was the change in his eyes. The normal color bled away, replaced by a swirling, violent mix of glowing red and deep, void-like black. It was a devilish sight, something not human. The voice that came out next was a little hoarse, strained by the anger rising within him.
"Do you take me for a fool?" Leo asked, the air around him seeming to grow heavier. "Didn't I see you? I saw you standing there, Stefan. You weren't just a bystander. You were almost enjoying the whole mess. Tell me." Leo's voice lowered to a threatening whisper, filled with a dangerous intent. "Tell me, do you want to die so much?"
A flash of anger rose in Stefan at being interrupted and accused so bluntly. But he clamped down on it. There was nothing he could do about this. And it was true, a small, guilty part of him had felt a flicker of satisfaction yesterday seeing the carefully controlled Leo thrown into such personal chaos. But seeing Leo's anger now, face-to-face with this transformed, almost demonic version of him that he was familiar with, that guilty flicker was drowned out by a deep, instinctive fear. It was a primal terror, but Stefan was becoming familiar with having to master his fear around Leo.
He didn't step back. Instead, he broke his gaze away from Leo's terrifying eyes for a moment. He looked past him, noting a small group of students laughing as they walked toward their cars in the parking lot. He looked back at Leo, his own expression tightly controlled. He spoke in a low, urgent voice, meant only for Leo's ears.
"Leo," he said, the word steady. "This is a public place. Calm down."
The statement was simple, practical. It wasn't an apology or a further explanation. It was a reminder of reality, of witnesses, of the normal world that was still operating just feet away from their supernatural standoff.
Leo heard him. The logical part of his mind, buried under the heat of his anger, recognized the truth in it. He took a slow, deliberate breath. The terrifying red and black swirl in his eyes receded, fading back to their normal appearance as he forced the rising fury back under his control.
Just as the heavy silence between them threatened to boil over again, a voice cut through the afternoon air.
"Hey, Leo!"
It was Elena. She stood on the side road that bordered the parking lot, next to Bonnie. She had called out to him, her voice clear and melodic, a sound from a completely different world than the one he and Stefan were currently occupying.
Both Leo and Stefan turned their heads toward the sound. Seeing Elena shifted something in the atmosphere instantly. Leo looked back at Stefan one last time. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a low, gravelly whisper meant for Stefan's ears alone. The words were final and carried a deadly promise.
"Stefan," he murmured, his eyes boring into the vampire's. "This is the last time you get a chance to walk away. Cherish it. Because next time… it won't be as simple as this."
Stefan's jaw tightened, a muscle flickering in his cheek. His green eyes, usually calm or reserved, met Leo's gaze with a hard look of his own. There were no more excuses to give.
Leo didn't wait for a reply. He didn't need one. To emphasize his point and show just how little of a threat Stefan currently was to him, he turned and deliberately pushed past the vampire. He didn't use his full strength, but it was a solid, dismissive shove with his shoulder, meant to move Stefan out of his way. It was a gesture of pure contempt.
Without a backward glance, he walked over to the base of the tree, scooped up his backpack from where it leaned against the trunk, and slung it over one shoulder. His posture relaxed visibly as he closed the distance to where the girls were waiting, the anger smoothing from his face into a more neutral expression.
He reached them, and Elena looked up at him, her head tilted. Her brown eyes were full of a curious confusion. Her mind was working, putting pieces together. She remembered the sequence of events from the party. If Stefan had been standing by the door, and if he had stopped Caroline from coming in… then the whole messy scene might never have happened. She was genuinely puzzled about why he hadn't. But she and Stefan weren't friends; they were barely acquaintances, so asking him directly felt impossible and inappropriate. Instead, she focused on Leo, her question landing between casual interest and genuine concern.
She looked from Leo's now-calm face back toward Stefan, who was still standing by the tree, before returning her gaze to Leo. "What were you two discussing over there?" she asked, her tone light but her eyes searching.
Leo didn't want to talk about Stefan. The conversation was over, and bringing it up again would only sour the moment. So he brushed it off, keeping his tone casual and light. "Nothing much important," he said, giving a slight shrug of his shoulders that held his bag strap. "Just some normal discussion." He offered no details, effectively closing the subject. "Anyway," he continued, smoothly shifting the focus away from himself, "why did you call me?"
Elena heard his answer and knew it wasn't the whole truth. She felt a small, faint pinch of disappointment. She wanted to understand what had just happened over by the tree, but Leo's wall was up. She let it go, telling herself it probably wasn't that important anyway if he didn't want to share.
Before she could say anything else, a phone buzzed loudly from Bonnie's jeans pocket. The sound cut through the quiet between them. Bonnie fished it out, glanced at the screen, and held up a finger. "You guys talk," she said quickly, already taking a step backward. She brought the phone to her ear, turning away as she answered it with a low, "Hello?" She walked off toward the school building, leaving Leo and Elena alone.
Leo watched her go for a second.He kept his hands in his pockets, his bag hanging from one shoulder. He and Elena fell into step together, walking slowly forward along the side road without a set destination.
After a few steps of comfortable silence, Elena spoke up, her voice brighter, trying to reclaim a sense of normalcy. "We're going to the Grill tonight," she said, glancing at him sideways to gauge his reaction. "Are you coming?"
Leo glanced at her from the side, a softness in his eyes that hadn't been there moments before with Stefan. His voice, when he spoke, was gentle. "If you are coming," he said, "then I will be." It was a simple statement, putting his presence entirely on her own. He then asked the practical question. "What's the time?"
Hearing his agreement, Elena's smile grew a little more, becoming genuine and easy. The worried crease between her brows from the strange tension with Stefan completely faded away, forgotten for now. She was just happy he was coming. "It's at eight o'clock," she replied.
"Okay," Leo said, acknowledging the time. With the plans settled, they fell into a normal, meandering conversation. They talked about nothing in particular—a comment about a teacher, a thought about homework, the simple, easy topics that filled the space comfortably. For about ten minutes, they just walked and talked near the exit of the parking lot.
The sound of a car engine pulling up broke the flow. Bonnie's car rolled to a stop right beside them. Bonnie leaned over and rolled down the passenger window. "Elena!" she called out, ready to go.
Elena turned toward the car. "Yeah, coming!" she said. She then looked back at Leo one final time. Her expression was warm but held a hint of playful warning. "Don't be late, okay?"
Leo met her look and nodded, a silent promise. With that, Elena opened the passenger door and slid into the seat beside Bonnie. The car pulled away, heading down the road.
Leo watched them go for a second, then turned and walked across the parking lot to where his own car was parked. He opened the driver's side door, tossed his backpack onto the passenger seat, and got in. The engine rumbled to life, and he drove out of the lot, the school fading in his rearview mirror as he headed toward home.
…
Stefan walked the rest of the way home alone. With his sharp vampire hearing, he had caught every word of Leo and Elena's conversation back in the parking lot. Hearing their easy plans, their closeness, sent a familiar pang of jealousy through him. He did love Elena. But he pushed the feeling down. If she was happy, and if Leo wasn't harming her, then he had to accept it.
He reached the large, quiet Salvatore house and let himself in. The front door closed with a soft thud behind him, the empty hallway feeling colder than usual. He had just stepped into the main hall when a woman's voice drifted down from the top of the staircase. It was light, amused, and full of mockery.
"Stefan," the voice said. "I didn't expect you to have such a ruthless side. Locking your own brother in a cell?" A pause followed, then she added, her tone shifting to one of approval, "Anyway, I like it. It's a good punishment for Damon."
....
Guess who is it?
2 Chapter Ahead
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