pineslog | ( march intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

( march intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

INTRODUCTION LOG

waking up

There was an accident. That's basically the only thing you know for certain. Maybe a car wreck - metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the screaming. Or maybe there was an explosion. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. You can't can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can remember.

It's also the last thing you remember from before you wake up here.

When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed. You're sluggish, covered in a scattering of minor injuries you only vaguely remember getting, not to mention the vaguely-healed remnants of any wounds you might've had before.

It's a shame you won't be able to tell the difference between the two. Your memories are an indiscernible fog if not absent altogether, only a few standing out in your mind with any kind of certainty.

Whether or not the room's empty when you wake, it's not for long. Nurses bustle in, taking your vitals and asking your name and anything else you might remember. Welcome to Wayward Pines, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here.

Much of what you say (especially anything unusual, anything about monsters or magic or outlandish technology) will earn placating speculation of head trauma “from the accident”. You'll be told to stay put, not to push yourself, and to wait for the doctor to clear you before you leave... Then you'll be left alone. The hospital's population is quadruple the usual, and you get the impression the nurses are working themselves ragged just running damage control. You can even leave your room without much fuss - whichever doctor or nurse intercepts you gets called away almost immediately to deal with something even more pressing.

Mingle, visit your fellow patients, even poke around for a few basic answers. Or maybe, maybe just stroll right on out the front door.

heading outside

One step outside and it's perfectly clear that your hospital gown simply isn't going to cut it for long. the sidewalks and buildings covered in snow and a crisp winter wind whipping at you through the thin cloth. It's like a scene out of a holiday greeting card or a snow globe, picturesque and nearly untouchable. And yet you're here. Touching it all. Dressed in nothing but a hospital gown. You should at least think about getting some mittens if you're going to keep, you know, touching it.

Trees line the street at regular intervals, carefully manicured and coated in a thin layer of pure white snow. Cars cruise by at a safe and respectable speed. Pedestrians spare you glances, some wary and some concerned.

This isn't even the picturesque city center, though a colorful nearby sign reads "Main Street" with an arrow pointing due south, followed in smaller font by a list of businesses you don't recognize and one that you might: Wayward Pines Police Department. Whether you asked for yourself or simply overheard, you've likely caught wind by now that all of your earthly possessions now lie with the Sheriff until you see fit to claim them.

Might as well head that way, right?

items reclaimed

So you've visited the Wayward Pines Police Department and reclaimed... well. Most of your stuff, anyway, though you can't quite remember what's missing. Best to put it out of mind, as you head down the steps toward the Main Street sidewalk. At the very least, pedestrians have stopped looking at you like you're sick or crazy. (Then again, depending on what you're wearing, maybe it's gotten worse.)

The sheriff also forked over what looks like the key to a house ("A cozy place to stay while you're here in town."), plus the address that it belongs to. You could check it out, see what kind of digs they're putting you up in.

Or you could stick around Main Street and sight-see a little. Also a perfectly viable option. Hell, maybe it'll jog your memory a little. A few of the shops do feel inexplicably familiar...

( ooc notes )

Welcome to the second newbie mingle log! We apologize for the delay.

This log is meant to cover characters' first day in Wayward Pines. For the most part, only the five memories detailed in your character's application are remembered throughout the duration of this log, although the first couple of false Wayward Pines memories might begin to surface (in those who've opted to utilize this mechanic) as the day wears on. These memories, as noted in the FAQ, feel very real and are accompanied by as much emotion or sentiment as a real memory would be.

Any questions about the log or its contents can be addressed to our FAQ or the intro log's designated Plurk.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ After a moment, Stefan's hand falls back down to his side and he takes a step back giving her some more space. She has enough to worry about on her own, that much is clear; he doesn't need to burden her any more with his tense hovering. But she soon closes the distance again of her own volition this time. ]

They're everywhere. [ He remarks in a quiet voice of his own, keeping his gaze focused straight ahead, not needing to glance over to know exactly what she's looking at. ]

[ She only trusts two people -- and the jury's out on how confident she is with all of her own thoughts still -- so of course she wants to keep close to the one that's there. They're still at the scene of where this crazy insanity began, so she's on guard. Giving his statement a nod, she sighs under her breath. Eyes just narrowing, she centers them back on Stefan, arms straight at her sides, fingers curling up, tops of her them brushing against the fabric of the dress that's apparently now hers.

Brief subject shift, since the hallway is not the place for most of what she could ask. ]

What's Damon getting here? [ That withdrawal. Scorn for the hospital, truthfully. Blood, blood bags, aren't yet a concern considering her she's not currently hungry. Her tone softens. ] He was surprised to see me. [ A beat. ] Neither of you knew I was here. [ Stating facts, working to be on the same page. ]

Edited 2017-03-04 08:21 (UTC)

[ This time, Stefan's gaze does find hers, narrowing slightly as the first inklings of suspicion raise to just below the surface of his mind. It's nothing solid enough yet for him to consciously grasp hold of and for the time being, he writes off her haughtier tone as simply being the product of an overwhelming frustration with their situation. ]

It's been over a month since Damon and I woke up in this very same hospital. That's four weeks that we've been living here. Why weren't we notified about your accident? Pretty... strange, right?

[ He lets the implication hang there. It's dangerously close to saying something that could get him into trouble if anybody's listening in and yet it stops just short of actually breaking the rules. ]

What all do you remember, exactly? Any little details sticking out to you? Favorite food, maybe? Or... What you liked to drink?

Edited 2017-03-05 04:49 (UTC)

[ Katherine nods, not looking away. ] Well the nurse I talked to didn't have anything useful to say, and she seemed...creepy. So -- yeah, pretty strange. They should've told you.

[ That question coming from Stefan, the brother she (Elena) isn't in love with makes her eyes slide to the side and hold there as he gives options for what she may have remembered. She's a beat away from telling one less lie than what she told Damon (why does she want to be truthful to Stefan? she doesn't know), pondering a comment to throw out to hint at her being a vampire. To see how he might reply.

Then he tacks the latter portion on. Plus, he didn't answer her question about Damon. ] No. Are those important right now? [ A serious question, cheeks rising in brief disdain that smooths away. ] My name. And after Damon said your names, I remembered that I knew you both too. [ Knew...how? She's not completely sure yet, other than what Damon told her, which didn't include a breadth of detail. ] Is there something else important I should be remembering? [ Without the sweet (not real, on her end) sensations created by affection and love from Damon, more of her true self is slipping out. Oops. Not that she's slipped over entirely, not yet. Her tone is still uncertain, not entirely demanding, but edging toward that point. Soft, for Katherine, still. ]

[ There's only so much outright prickliness that Stefan's brain is willing to write off as normal before he's forced to consciously question what he's seeing and hearing. Her demeanor is both foreign to him and yet disconcertingly familiar at the same time. Like... He can't imagine Elena saying any of these things -- which isn't entirely the same as thinking he can't imagine someone with her face saying them.

Stefan folds his arms across his chest and studies her more intently now. Observing the way she holds herself so imperiously; the raspier quality of her voice; her petulant tone and more contemptuous mannerisms.

He slowly turns all the way around, feigning sudden disinterest as he pokes his head out the door. ]

No. Forget it. Let's just wait for Damon. He should be on his way back by now.

[ Her mouth opens, bewildered with this full tilt from someone that her future husband told her that she should be able to trust. To talk to. To find out more information from! There's no stamping of her feet, but Katherine does step ahead when he turns placing herself at Stefan's back, reaching up to touch over the side of his shoulder. ] What? Stefan -- you said you'd help.

[ Well, that you'd help keep her safe. Why aren't you helping, Stefan? What's the deal?

Maybe she can't trust him? No. That's not it, she immediately decides. Her hand falls away as she places herself further up at his side and at a comfortable distance in front of him, wanting to be back in his line of sight, petulance finally cropping up in her expression. ] I wanted to talk to you both [ the sulky hold doesn't fade ] but it kind of felt like Damon thought, maybe...it was good if we talk, just us, too. [ Finally her expression shifts into one of a greater neutrality. One shoulder shrugs a teeny bit -- she has no idea why Damon would've wanted that, but it was certainly what it looked like. Meanwhile, she doesn't realize her attitude is off, compared to what they'd expect from Elena, at all. ]

[ He focuses his keen hearing ability but there's no sound of Damon in the hallway just yet. ]

Okay. Well... What do you want to talk about? [ He relents. If it is Katherine, playing dumb or otherwise, then he doesn't want to give her too much of a chance to figure out that he's suspicious of her. It's probably better to continue engaging her in conversation for the time being.

[ It could be easier to deal with whatever this is when Damon gets back, but stubbornness flares up within her. She doesn't consider handling the situation from that angle, eyebrows furrowing slightly when Stefan poses that question. She sighs softly under her breath -- he knows what she wanted to talk about, why would that change because he turned the hell away from her? And yet, there's always the option of actually conversing. ]

I just want to know more. Where did we meet? [ The question slips out and as soon as she says it, her eyes flash with awareness, one she doesn't state: a notion of there being a deep connection between the two of them. It's inexplicable, still and makes her step in, foot bumping against his before or as he begins to answer. ]

[ If it hadn't just been for the preceding minutes, Stefan would buy this Elena -- playful and inquisitive. ]

High School. [ He avoids saying the name of it so as to not give any indication of rule-breaking. ] Our sophomore year. You... ran into me. Literally. [ He permits himself a smile at the memory. ]

[ Too bad she has no control over the impression she's giving off: karma, in a horribly cruel way, for Katherine.

Once he starts to seem like he's back to a warmer disposition, she can't help but smile. Mostly innocent enough, a hint of smugness in her eyes that he opted to keep chatting instead. ] Really? Am I clumsy? [ Ha ha -- isn't she great at making jokes? ] Did I...meet you first? Before Damon? [ There has to be a reason she feels as connected, if not more, with Stefan, right? ]

[ Technically, Stefan knows that Elena met Damon first. But it's not a detail that makes sense to impart at this exact moment. Especially when he can sense what question she's really asking. ]

Yes. You and I... Used to date.

Oh. [ That genuinely gives her pause, staring over at Stefan. Should she have guessed? Would someone in a weird brain fog ever jump to that conclusion? She almost pushes in closer to him before taking a step back. ] I...can't remember. Sorry. I wish I did.

[ She looks away, peering down the hall for a second. ] But. I -- feel like we're connected too. So, maybe that's why. [ Or maybe it's for other reasons. ]

[ Damon hurries, for all intents and purposes. Not because he doesn't trust his brother, but because this is already a volatile situation. Elena's not herself, she's not trusting, worried about the sheriff and he came here for a purpose. While his brother and her catch up, he retrieve the cooler from his car, makes his withdrawal and returns the cooler to the car before heading back inside. It's in the drunk. Less real questions he can't answer right then. It's one thing to have evil camera wielding overlords. (Well, "evil" but today's not the day to debate that. He catches the end of the conversation, outside in the hall, moving through the double doors.

"Did I meet you first?" ]

You are. [ Maybe it's awkward, maybe he snuck up on Elena - maybe it's playing his hand, but Damon is not about secrets. Not now. Well, non-vampire related secrets. ]

The three of us have an undeniable connection. [ And doesn't that explanation have layers. ]

It's an old story. [ He approaches. ] Girl meets boy. Boy meets girl. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl grows up. She changes. And with that change comes choice. And I think I mentioned growth. [ But not vampirism. ] Catching up, I see. [ To Stefan. ] Consider our deposit made. [ To "Elena." ] We support the local businesses, local issues, healthcare is very important to us. Isn't it, Stefan?

That's right. [ Stefan agrees mildly, unperturbed by Damon's arrival despite the bit of awkwardness he walked in on. Of course it helps that he's more or less convinced this isn't Elena. To which end. ]

Speaking of... old stories... [ He flashes Damon a tight smile. ]

Do you remember the 'cat' our father gave us? I saw one that looked... Just like it today. It had the most piercing eyes. I was actually thinking about bringing it home but I didn't think that was a good idea until I checked with you first.

[ She's focused on Stefan, so Damon's return does surprise her. Yet, her brows lift and she looks over to him, smiling softly. With but a hint of smug to it. Stefan may have started to talk with her but she didn't like his earlier shift. The way she felt around Damon, that felt safer. Which she should maybe have questioned, yet...she's running on at least partial uncertainty here.

She takes a step toward Damon, listening, eyes bright. Then again, she can't connect the dots in the way he means them. Still, it makes her content. Who doesn't like contentment?

A face at that word. Deposit. What the hell are they talking about, and...her mouth opens when she's provided with an answer. The meaning, definitely doesn't sink in.

Her eyes slide back to Stefan when he speaks again, head canting when he starts in on a story. About a cat. She's frowning, wondering what the hell is up with him -- is Damon sure they trust him (they do! she knows they do)? -- yet she looks back to Damon with an unsure, creased brow.

What? ]

[ Old stories? His brow creases, giving a quick side glance to "Elena," before regarding Stefan again. A cat alike from the one their father never gave them. With piercing eyes. Bringing it home. His frown reaches full mast as his eyebrows join in.

No.

No, it can't be. ]

Stefan. You and I both know that that cat died trying to be the other alive cat. [ To Elena. ] It had a complex, you see, trying to jump higher. Had a big thing for the other neighborhood cat all of a sudden, but as I said, that cat is long gone. Not. Possible, Stefan.

[ Stefan gives Damon a bit of a withering look which definitely suggests his opinion of his brother's refusal to see what's right in front of his face. ] How could I forget. You're more of a dog person now. But when you finally catch it hanging around the neighborhood, don't say I didn't warn you. Anyway, we should probably get going.

[ This isn't good. That's her first thought before she swallows it down and quietly ponders why that matters so much to her, eyes dancing between them to gauge Stefan's reaction to his brother's words. She has no idea what purpose telling this story holds. Or, why Damon's entertaining its strangeness, when he was all about holding her hand, tender touches, coming close to kissing her, before. Aren't they all about helping her, rather than being weird?

She has a voice too, though. No interruptions, but she lifts a hand up when Stefan finishes. ] What are you even talking about? Is this some...code, or something, because of... [ well, who do the three of them not trust? she glances for the nearest camera, eyes widening in emphasis as she lets her gaze pass from Damon to Stefan and back. ]

Now, we're all cats. [ It's to Stefan, really, that he needs to question this very mixed metaphor. Then again, it makes sense if Elena's the dog, especially now, anyway. Because she's a dog again after being a cat for a few years now. Damon exhales, weighing his options. ]

At the risk of taking this to a less comfortable place for all of us, while not exclusively a brilliant tactic for playing inside the sandbox, no - [ He says, finally giving her a smile. ] this is not for the cameras. [ What else can he say? ] Stefan thinks you're not who you say you are. Elena had something, someone we both knew who greatly resembled her. She made all our lives a living hell once upon a time. And, speaking of hell, she's probably there right now. Which is why I told him it's not possible that you'd be her. What he doesn't realize is I'm the brother with amnesia experience. So, while he picks at every little mannerism, I know that you're scared and on edge. [ And maybe Damon's not so stupid himself. ] And doesn't that suck, Elena? When someone takes a bite out of your happiness, no matter how fleeting? Stefan really can be an emotional vampire when he wants to be. Cats and all.

[ He hates that he has to do this, but his brother does have the track record. He always recognizes Katherine. Damon had gotten better, but then she'd fooled them all for months. ]

Her name was Katherine.

Edited 2017-03-05 09:09 (UTC)

[ Stefan's face wipes clean of emotion, a blank slate as Damon seemingly goes off the rails, deviating from the unspoken plan. It masks the stab of hurt he feels at his brother's lack of faith in him, his unwillingness to entertain the notion that Stefan might be right. And for what, because it's impossible? Being in Wayward Pines should be impossible and yet here they all are.

Even when it becomes apparent that Damon might be playing the game after all, Stefan's eyes remain cold -- expression unreadable as he waits for the inevitable fallout of his brother's ridiculous gamble. ]

[ Cats. Dogs. Do they care about helping animal shelters as much as about helping the public's general healthcare needs?

Later, when she realizes she didn't connect with the meaning of the metaphor, how clear it is (cats), she'll be agitated over it. How sneaky they thought (no, actually were) they were being: she doesn't like being fooled. No matter at the moment, short on as memories as she is.

Watching Damon as he speaks, she hears a crystal quality in his voice that causes her to shine with relief. Maybe it's not that he's on her side, but on the side of what he thinks is correct: she can't yet know the intricacies of each of the Salvatore's personalities. She takes his smile as a return of his affection of her, Elena; nodding at the answer to her question, watching him when he really gets into the brunt of it.

The story makes her lips part, mouth opening slowly throughout the it. Listening to the facts that resonate with a tone that makes her believe that Damon is telling the truth. It's wild to hear, all the same. What does 'greatly resembles' amount to? Her jaw that's hanging almost snaps shut when he says that word. Vampire. No, it's a figure of speech. Emotional vampire.

Then. That name. The details associated with how little they actually think of Katherine blending in.

Her eyes expand, heart racing, eyes shutting as her head shakes. She certainly knows that name too. Okay, there's no hiding her initial reaction to it; maybe they won't be able to tell? Impulsively, she steps over to bring herself closer to Damon, at his front, reaching for his hand. ] I am scared. And I'm Elena. [ It's not smart to push at it when he's already confident that she's not Katherine, yet she's twisted all about and centering on the one idea in the web before her. She should be, therefore is, Elena. Still, the picture being painted here is not one that matches with her warped logic or her favor, and since there absolutely seems to be two different girls in question here...

Her teeth grind together a little, face angled to Damon, working to make eye contact. She goes on with traces of impatience in her voice. ] Someone must've messed with my head... [ Obviously, and it's as close as she's coming to admitting that she knows she's Katherine. A statement thrown out haphazardly, purely because of how confused she is and thinking there's a chance they could help her out of that.

They do not like Katherine do they, and what if she isn't actually Katherine? What if she's correct about her mind being screwed around with -- why else would both names be so firmly etched into her mind? Willfully posing as Elena to get what she wants? Hasn't come crashing back in, and won't, anytime soon. So, confusion. ] I can't prove it when I can't remember anything else. [ To which she glances over at Stefan, cautiously. ] Maybe I'll remember more the longer I'm around you [ the both of them. Or, maybe there are key items to prove who she really is, waiting to be recollected, from a sheriff she simply doesn't trust. Maybe. ]

[ He takes everything in. He's not unfeeling. Once upon a time, he'd pretended to be. But, not anymore. He does have a poker face, however. Elena grows more frantic, desperate. She takes his hand. He wants this to be Elena, above all else. Desperately. But, even as she tries to convince them, her tone isn't Elena. It's raspier, it's lower. It's colder.

His hand slips from hers, letting her fingers fall. ]

You're going to remember whether we're here or not. [ And that's the truth. It's not hateful, though everything in him is pressing a deep ceded hate down, one he was able to deal with at the second funeral of Katherine Pierce, the line of contempt. ] What you'll remember is whatever this place wants you to remember. It does mess with your head. But, not like this. [ He sets his jaw, looking to Stefan. ] Of all people, my brother knows I want you to be Elena. And how this is possible, well -- [ He slowly shakes his head. ] Your name's Katherine. You're impatient. Selfish. Entitled. [ He doesn't mean for every word to twist into her like a knife.

As he paces around her, circling ]

I believe that you want to be Elena. A part of you always wanted to be Elena and didn't we all learn a lesson from that.

[ He's keeping it together, not acting violently, bringing a hand to her neck. She ended up here like they did and maybe that's not on her. Maybe impersonating Elena isn't on her, either. It's this places idea of a joke. Oh well, he moves past Stefan over to the drawn blinds, fingers finding the rod, slowly sliding down. ]

Now, the question is what you do know. And there's the small matter of [ His fingers grasp and then twist, illuminating the part of the hallway they're all occupying, slats of light beaming down at the three of them, but more importantly, at who he knows now can't be Elena Gilbert.

And he feels no pleasure from the pain he's about to inflict. ]

[ Although Stefan is the one who exposed her so readily, there is no inherent desire in him to watch Katherine suffering at his brother's hands. Relief floods through him at Damon's initial show of restraint, however short-lived that ends up being. Whether the sunlight will affect her or not is difficult to say; if she's human, as they last knew her, then it shouldn't harm her. But considering all the other idiosyncrasies of this place, such as the fact that she's here at all, Stefan wouldn't be surprised to find out that she's somehow been restored to her vampiric state of being.

In the event that she begins to burn, Stefan will -- acting purely on instinct rather than any conscious desire for mercy -- rush forward to pull her safely against his chest and back out of the sunlight, into the more shadowy parts of the hallway, a blur of movement so fast the camera won't be able to see. Whoever's watching on the other side of the lens might simply think the feed glitched. ]

[ The distance Damon creates through dropping her hand cuts right through Katherine, making her frown. She can't place where his tone is coming from, nothing to gauge off other than what she's seen from the two of them up until then, but she doesn't like it.

Her jaw sets when he calls her Katherine. Again. Lists off digs to her personality. Is that how she is? Well, it's not unlike how she's acting. Watching him through the close proximity of that pacing, there's the start of hope that fizzles immediately. That he's speaking clearly, that helps, but his words burn into her.

Heart jumping when she feels his fingers on her neck, she holds his eyes with hers, wondering what all is racing through his mind. As he moves away, she breathes steadily (only because she in, indeed, a vampire and it comes easily), but her chest aches. More distance, accompanied by a set of ideas she doesn't want to believe.

The absolute last action she'd expect from Damon is to cause her any injury, even as a test, and from that assurance she's come to believe combined with it all happening so quickly, the light hits and immediately starts to sear her skin. She has no time to register it. Shock that freezes her for a millisecond, and Stefan being one step ahead in anticipation of knowing what Damon is actually doing to do, are why she feels the protecting shade from him before she alone can dart away to get out of the sunlight.

The pain being twofold, the evident physical combined with a betrayal of Damon sinking to believe she's not Elena, there's a squalling reverberation from her lips as she clutches onto Stefan's shirt, staring up into his eyes after they stop. What is there to say, after Damon slammed those feelings and thoughts down; two against one, and if she really wants their help, maybe telling them the truth makes sense, at that point. What choice does she have? After a lull where her constitution is regathered, she sighs. ] When I woke up, I didn't know my name until a nurse told me, and then I remembered that I was supposed to be Elena. If either of you know why I'd think that, I'm all ears. [ There's Katherine. Entitlement, impatience. She still wants their aid and support, their friendship and bond, but hello bitterness over being literally burned. Selfish girl. ] Elena, who I also don't remember anything about. But, I wasn't, don't feel like I'm lying... [ She can't remember all of the connections she's meant to feel to Katherine instead of Elena, or vice versa.

Well, she's not going to move away from Stefan first, she keeps speaking, looking over to Damon with a heat in her eyes. As long as she's close to Stefan, she feels more secure, too, so moving isn't what she wants. ] Damon showed up and thought I was Elena, so what was I supposed to think?

[ Do they believe her, now that she's finally telling the truth? ]

[ Stefan blurs in, pulling Katherine to him, out of harm's way, searing pain, the cry she elicits muffled against his brother's chest. The sizzle of skin lessens, redness lightens until her pale complexion returns. Believe it or not, he hadn't meant that as an act of torture. Katherine wasn't tied to a chair. She had her freedom. Being a new (if unaware) vampire is why she didn't move, why she was frozen in shock and pain. And here and now, Damon becomes the bad brother all over again, int trying to the point they all needed to be made.

He looks to Stefan for the explanation, because his brother has decided that Katherine's worth saving. And maybe she needed it. A few more seconds without moving and she could've been gone from their lives all over again. That little bit of hope and incredulous belief remains. God forbid this was a more frustrated Elena, but she admits who she believes she was supposed to be - and not why.

This is on him. He jumped to the Elena conclusion. Stefan chooses Katherine, in a way. Say what you want about Katherine, but other than stealing Elena's body and liking hers to her doppelganget's, Katherine never once meant to kill Elena. She needed her alive. And there was the pesky cure incident. Several months of incidents.

He knows Katherine is telling the truth, because he woke up here only a month before. But, this being the case shuts the door on the possibility of Elena Gilbert. Elena Gilbert, who didn't deserve her fate. Elena is still sleeping soundly. Hopefully. Bonnie is alive.

And now, so is Katherine. ]

That you were a lying vampire. [ It isn't disdain he speaks with. He's not sure what she knows. Malia didn't. He happened to. As did Stefan. ] I believe Stefan can take it from here. Explain a few of the odds, the ends, all the little ... gory details.

[ He can't do this. He didn't want this. How did everything turn on him so quickly. Only ten minutes ago, he was convinced this was the love of his life.

He doesn't blame Katherine, for once. But, he won't apologize. Not today. Maybe not ever. He should. He knows he should. But he's the one that let light in. Stefan's the one who took shelter with her. His shame rises, the shame he's felt all his natural born life for one reason or another, the familiar feeling of doing what's needed but being hated for it.

"Damon. You didn't have to interfere."

Disappointment. Thinking he'd done the right thing, for Katherine, standing there. Younger, but somehow exactly the same. Holding a crown of some sort in her capable hands. Her hair in waves, perfectly curled. He'd do anything for her. She never needed it. ] You were disqualified. [ He can't help but say it out loud as the memory coalesces, old, fictional but familiar shame bubbling up. An impossible memory because he and Stefan met Katherine in 1864 and not in this town, not in high school. He didn't grow up with her. He grew up with his brother in Mystic Falls. ]

( march intro ) WELCOME TO THE PINES!

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