mingle with the commoners or something

[huaaaaagh]

Who: Paisley crew and visitors
Broadcast: N/A
Action: On the Paisley!
When: All month, it's a mingle!!

[Sup, team? Off the planet we all go, and upgrades we did get. Enjoy the coffee supply, it is guaranteed to not last long. But hey, the beds are nice!]

Comments

NO WORRIES it happens

[stefanged]

What? No. That's the last thing I want.

[Honesty is the best policy, Mom had told him when he was little, and Stefan believed in it wholeheartedly. If he kept the lines of communication open, and did everything in his power to tell her what was going on with him.... then it might make this whole thing easier.]

I should've told you because I'm [turning back into him] gaining all these pieces back, and - and I don't want to be alone while I'm figuring out which ones I should keep and which ones I should throw away.

[Or if he should even throw them out to begin with.]

[delincuente]

[Alex is silent for a few moments, trying to figure out what to even say. How many parts of Stef's personality has she fallen in love with that actually came from his past self? If they could be separated, which one would she recognize more?

Her eyes still cast low, Alex reaches out and loops one of her fingers around one of his.]

I trust you. And we're going to do this together. We just... Whoever you are in the end, I'm gonna still be in love with him. I just don't want to put any pressure on you to stay a certain way.

[stefanged]

Thank you. I don't know how much I'll change. Just that I will. Everyone did, back home. [Had he mentioned that part yet - that he wasn't alone in the memory game? Stefan can't remember, but Alex deserves to know everything.]

If you don't [love me anymore]... it's okay. I know Salvatore wasn't the greatest guy to be around.

[Understatement of the century. Elena was a brave and compassionate girl, to handle him as long as she did. Stefan lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding, staring down at their hands.]

[delincuente]

[No, nope, they aren't even going there. She laces her fingers around his, quickly and firmly.]

I'm going to. I'm always going to.

[stefanged]

[He lets out a nervous laugh.] Don't go making promises you can't keep.

[But right now, he'll take that answer for what it is: a sign that they'll work through all of his muddled memories together, rather than leaving her in the dark.]

I love you more than anything, and I don't want it to change. ["Except it could."] So we'll get through this together as long as we can.

[delincuente]

I'll keep it as long as I can.

[She wants to pull him into a big hug, but she knows he's probably antsy about contact right now, and with good reason. Instead, she just keeps their hands linked, and moves an inch or two closer.]

And if I could keep it for the rest of my life, I would.

[stefanged]

[That's an even bigger promise than her insisting on how much she'd still love him. She's seen the old Stefan - and she wants that? She wants that guy with every inch of her being?

She's either brave or stupid, and right now, he doesn't want to dwell on either possibility. So he lets out a sigh of relief.]

In that case.... Thank you, Alex.

["I hope you don't have to break it anytime soon."]

[delincuente]

[Every single inch. She laces her fingers through his, and looks down at her feet.]

Thank you.

[stefanged]

[Huh? He laughs, a little nervously] For what? I didn't do anything this time.

[delincuente]

Just... being yourself, and trusting me with all of this, and everything.

[stefanged]

You're my witch. There's nothing I'd keep from you, not any longer than I had to.

[That's the real difference between Salvatore and Alesci: secrets are Salvatore's lifeblood, but the bane of Alesci's existence. As long as he can keep communication open, he will.]

[delincuente]

[She smiles gently, and leans her head against him.]

And that goes both ways, mister. You're my vampire.