CHAPTER ONE: pilot

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SAMUEL GILBERT SLIPPED ON A LEATHER JACKET. Underneath the jacket, was a red shirt, paired with light blue jeans. And he had red sneakers. The boy brushed his hair back, glaring at the hair that simply fell back forward, almost covering his eyes. 

He hasn't cut it, the last time he had cut it, had been a week before his parents died. And, his mother had said that he loved his hair longer. He would always rotate in cutting his hair or leaving it long.

Not that his father truly cared if he kept it long or short, but, at times, his father had said that he would allow him to dye his hair, only if it was shorter. Because, the longer his hair was when it was dyed, it would A: be more noticeable when the dye began to fade. And B: Some jobs didn't allow dyed hair.  At the time, Sam had been searching for a job.

"Sam!" Elena yelled out from the bottom of the stairs. "Come on! We're gonna be late!"

Sam rushed down the steps.

"How can you be so slow for someone so tall?" Elena playfully asked.

"What does my height have to do with anything?" Sam asked.

"You have longer legs, you should be able to run faster."

"So, how's it my fault, that you're short?"

Elena jokingly hit his shoulder as they exited the door. "I am not short. I'm a normal height."

"You know who says that? Short people, when they want to make themselves feel better."

Bonnie was already waiting outside, which had Sam feeling slightly bad. The boy had opened the passenger and gestured a hand for Elena to get into the seat. Before he closed it behind her. He went into the back seat. "Sorry for the wait, Elena wasn't sure if she-"

"Me?" Elena asked.

"See, she just admitted it. It was her fault."

Despite having just been in the conversation, Elena had taken a look around, before processing where she was. In a car. And even though it wasn't similar to her parent's car. She had spaced out.

Sam kept tapping a rhythm on his thigh, in hopes of keeping himself from being pulled back into the memory of his parent's death.

"Elena," Sam gently called.

"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic." Bonnie had been speaking. "Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already! But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama, and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands...Elena! Back in the car."

Elena finally snaps out of whatever trance that she has been in. "I did it again, didn't I? I--I'm sorry, Bonnie. You were telling me that..."

"That I'm psychic now," Bonnie states proudly.

"Right. Okay, then predict something. About me."

"I see..." Bonnie began, only for a crow to hit the window of the car.

All of them jumped back in surprise, and immediately, Bonnie turned to the twin. "What was that?! Oh, my god! Sam, Elena, are you okay?"

Elena weakly nods. "It's okay. I'm fine."

Sam lets out a deep breath. "The second my heart starts beating again, I'll be good." He sarcastically speaks.

"It was like a bird or something. It came out of nowhere." Bonnie explained, worried for the two.

"Really, I can't be freaked out by cars for the rest of my life." Elena forces a smile.

Bonnie grips the steering wheel again. "I predict this year is going to be kick-ass. And I predict all the sad and dark times are over and you are going to be beyond happy."
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Bonnie, Elena, and Sam had been walking down the halls. Sam turned, seeing Riley, he momentarily froze, a feeling of guilt and nervousness filling him.

"Major lack of male real estate. Look at the shower curtain on Kelly Beech. She looks like a hot — can I still say "tranny mess"?" Bonnie spoke.

"No, that's over,"  Elena speaks.

"Ahh, find a man, coin a phrase. It's a busy year."

"Sammy!" Dean yelled. Uncaring for all the heads turned when he yelled. Dean glared at Riley.

"He hates me," Elena sighed.

The three turn to look at Matt, her ex-boyfriend.

"That's not hate. That's "You dumped me, but I'm too cool to show it, but secretly I'm listening to Air Supply's greatest hits." Bonnie tells her.

"Of course, he's heartbroken, have you seen Elena?" Dean asked

Sam rolled his eyes, then elbowing Dean. "I told you to stop flirting with my sister."

"She's not in a relationship anymore."

Caroline had run up to them, pulling Elena into a hug. "Elena. Oh, my god. How are you? Oh, it's so good to see you." She then turned to Bonnie. "How is she? Is she good?"

"Caroline, I'm right here. And I'm fine. Thank you." Elena answered.

"Really?"

"Yes. Much better."

"Oh, you poor thing." Caroline hugs her again.

"Okay, Caroline."

"Are you okay, Sam?" Caroline asked.

Sam smiled at the girl, hoping it didn't look too forced. "Of course. I'm fine."

"Oh! Okay, see you guys later?" Caroline asked as she turned around.

"OK! Bye!" Bonnie smiled.

"No comment." Elena waved a hand.

"I'm not going to say anything."

"You think Caroline would say yes if I asked her out?" Dean questioned.

They all began to walk to class.

"Why are you such a slut?" Sam asked.

"How am I slut?"

"All you think about is your next, possible, date, or hookup."

"I do not."

"That's a bigger lie than-"

"Hold up. Who's this?" Bonnie asked, causing all four to pause, and turn to where she was looking.

Into the office, stood a boy, a leather jacket, and blue jeans.

"All I see is back," Elena says.

"It's a hot back," Bonnie replied back. "I'm sensing Seattle, and he plays guitar."

"How about me?" Dean asked.

Elena laughed. "You're really gonna run this whole psychic thing into the ground, huh?"

"Psychic?" Dean questioned, face pulled into confusion.

"Pretty much," Bonnie says at the same time.

At that moment, Elena has caught sight of Jeremy. "I'll be right back."

"Wait, I'll go. I got it this time," Sam dismissed. "You two can keep stalking the new kid while Dean tries to flirt with any girl in a twenty-foot radius."

Dean didn't hear the comment, too busy looking at Elena.

Sam walked off, entering the boy's restroom to see Jeremy by the sink, pouring eye drops in. "You're lucky I was able to convince Elena for me to be the one to come in here," Sam says, causing Jeremy to turn around as Sam walks closer.

Jeremy rolled his eyes before Sam snapped his fingers in his face. "Stop moving." He checked Jeremy's eyes. "Wonderful. Great. The first day of school and you're stoned."

"No, I'm not." Jeremy denies.

"What the fuck are the eye drops for? Your allergies aren't acting up, and it's not like you have vision problems. So, where is it? Did you bring it to school? Like an idiot?"

Jeremy hit Sam's hands as he lifted them.

"You do realize that I stopped Elena from coming in here?  Or, would you rather I get her, if you're going to be dramatic? Seriously, where the fuck are you hiding it? In your locker? Or are you actually holding it in your pockets?"

"Go to hell," Jeremy went to leave.

"No. No. This is going to stop. You are destroying yourself. And, if you do keep it up, just remember, that Elena and I will be there, to make sure that you don't go off the deep end."

A toilet flushes and a boy leaves. Sam scrunched his nose in disgust when the boy hadn't washed his hands.

"I get it," Sam speaks. "You think If you can be a different person, then you can be void of what you are supposed to feel. Jer, pushing down feelings, forcing them into something they aren't, it's not good. Don't be this person."

"I don't need this," Jeremy shouldered him as he walked by.

Sam sighed aloud, hanging his head momentarily. "Should've let Elena handle it." And then turned around, exiting the restroom. Only to collide with someone. In his head, Sam cursed Jeremy.

"Pardon me." The boy says an unfamiliar face. But the boy stays staring at Sam.

"You're the new kid," Sam says and immediately wants to hit himself in the head. He had sounded rude, gesturing to him as the new kid, and his tone still being slightly annoyed by Jeremy. "I mean, I just, I would have recognized if someone like you were in town." And now you sound like you're flirting with him.

The boy smiled.

"I've got to get to class," Sam rushed out.

The boy stepped to the left, only Sam had gone that way as well. Sam nervously laughed, stepping to the right. Once again, we'd met with the same movement.

The boy turned, stepping out of the way, but still looking at Sam.

"Thank you," Sam whispered, slightly embarrassed from the event. As Sam turned to the right, he felt as if he was being watched.
He turned around preparing to glare at Riley, but was met with the new boy's eyes trained on him.
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"Once our home state of Virginia joined confederacy in 1861," Mr. Tanner, history teacher lectured as he stood at the front of the room. "It created a tremendous amount of tension within the state. People in Virginia's northwest region had different ideals than those from the traditional deep south. Then Virginia divided in 1863 with the northwest region joining the union."

Sam glanced back, causing the new boy to turn and see him. Immediately, embarrassed at being caught, Sam turned to face Mr. Tanner again. His face heated up and turned red.

Sam felt his phone buzz in his pocket, seeing that it had been a message from Bonnie; 'HAWT-E. STARING @ U.'

When he finished reading the text, his phone went off again, a text from Elena; 'You've got another secret admirer.'

Sam rolls his eyes at his sister's text, putting his phone away and leaning forward in his seat.
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Samuel made his way to the cemetery, his school bag hanging off one shoulder, the bag slightly open as he reached the gates of the graveyard, he pulled out a book. And approached the two combined stones. Grayson and Miranda Gilbert. Sam sat in front of it, holding the book, pausing before simply opening it.

The book had typically been a thing shared with his mother. She and he would, up until a certain point at night, would read books. Both have a copy of their own, annotating it with their own thoughts.

And Grayson would typically teach or tell Sam about how to take care of certain injuries or illnesses when Sam asked, for his stories. The only people to ever read his short stories had been his mother and father.

And now, he would come to their graves, and either read the books he was currently reading, or whatever short story he had managed to make.   
He hadn't really been able to make short stories. Maybe, the summary of a story. Or, as Jenna had said, a poem.

Sam paused at the small sticky note, shoved into his backpack carelessly. Another thing that changed after the death of his parents. Whenever he would write something, he would be careful with it. He'd want to bring it back home and get the opinions of his parents.

They always lived whatever he had written. Even though, now, Sam had known that some of the things he had written, were terrible.

The short poem he had written was about the icy hands of death. He didn't read any of his things that had to do with death his parents.

"I wrote another short story." He paused. "...and a poem." He admits. "But, I won't be reading either today. Today, I'm reading a book that you had been looking forward to, mom. I didn't start it yet."

As Sam opened the book, a crow had appeared, landing on the gravestone.  "Go away, bird."

The bird began to caw, annoyingly and repeatedly. Sam glared at it. "I will throw a rock at you, your wing. See how well you fly with one less working wing."

Then, Sam hung his head, rubbing at his forehead. "You're threatening a stupid bird, Samuel, wonderful. You've truly lost your mind."

"Okay. I'm sorry, but I don't have food," Sam tells the bird. "You truly are insane." Sam muttered to himself. Threatening a dumb bird, talking to yourself, and no talking to the bird.

The bird caws.

"Well, that's not creepy at all," Sam sarcastically muttered. But, as fog began to surround him, the boy turned, confused as thee had been no fog moments ago. And no report of any fog mist.

The bird cawed again. Then again. And again.

"Okay, nope. Nope. Nope," Samuel stood up, swatting his book at the bird. "Away, psycho."

The crow flew away.  

"Exactly," Sam turned, but the crow was there again, cawing once again.  Sam leaned down, gathering his book and backpack before rushing out of the graveyard. "Goddamn Crows, no wonder everyone hates-"

The crow cawed again, looking at him.
Sam had felt eyes on him, turning back to make sure it was just the crow, he had tripped over a root of a tree, falling into another one.

He stood up.

"You okay?" A voice suddenly came from behind him.

Immediately, the boy turned, only to see the new boy. "We're you following me?" He asked, the feeling of uneasiness still chilling in his bones.

"No. I, uh, I just...I saw you fall," the boy in a leather jacket answered.

"Right. Because people just hang out in cemeteries."

"I'm visiting. I have, uh, family here."

"Shit. I'm sorry, I-I'm not thinking straight. The craziest thing just happened, all of a sudden, this fucking crow wa-" Sam paused, stopping his about-to-be rant. He didn't need the cute, new boy thinking he was insane. "I'm Samuel, everyone calls Sam."

"Stefan," The boy smiled back, taking the boy's hand. And that just made Sam feel guilty.

"Oh, geesh, uh...sorry. God, I'm sorry," Sam repeats, guiltily.

"It's alright, Sam," Stefan was a still smiling.

"I'm just a-sorry."

"Cute."

At that, Sam stoped his fumbling apologies, face turning red and he blushed.
Stefan liked it when the other blushed.

Sam went to speak, trying to think of something, other than apology. "We have history together," he suddenly blurted out. And wished that he had bashed his head into the concrete when he had hit the ground.

"And English and French," Stefan added, when he suddenly reached out, removing a leaf that had been clinging to Sam's jacket.

"Thanks," Sam smiled, he watched as Stefan dropped the leaf to the ground, drawing attention to the new boy's hands. "That's a cool ring."

"Oh. Uh, it's a family ring. Yeah. I'm kind stuck with it. It's weird, huh?"

"Not at all. My family's got one. Well, it's not a ring, it's actually, we do have that, but, it's a watch-" Sam cut himself off, nervously.

Stefan's face shifted. "Did you hurt yourself?"

Sam hummed in question, confused.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Stefan repeated.

This time, Sam had heard. "I don't know..." he began to walk toward a rock, propping up his leg. He lifted up the end of his jeans. "Oh, shit. How did I not feel that?"

Sam turned back to Stefan, momentarily. "Hey, you okay?"

"You should go. Take care of that." Stefan b told him.

"It's nothing-" Sam had pulled his pant leg back in place. But as he turned, Stefan was gone.
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"Caroline's gonna be so jealous," Elena joked.

"You are not funny. Whatsoever," Sam told his sister.

"We're meeting Bonnie at the grill," Elena tells Aunt Jenna.

"Okay, have fun. Wait," Jenna turns to face the two. "I got this. Don't stay out late, it's a school night."

Elena smiled. "Well done, Aunt Jenna."

Sam heard towards the door opening it, only to pause in the doorway. There, stood Stefan. "Oh."

"Sorry, I was about to knock. I wanted to apologize for my disappearing act earlier. I know it was..." Stefan paused. "Strange."

Sam saved him off. "No worries. I get it, blood makes you squeamish."

"Um, something like that. How's your leg?" Stefan asked.

Sam could feel his twin sister's gaze on them, practically shaking in excitement. Sam swore that, sometimes, Elena reminded him of a chihuahua; small and crazy.

"What happened to your leg?" Elena frowned, questioning him worryingly.

"Oh, it's fine. Just a scratch, barely." Sam answered the both of them. Before he turned to Stefan. "How did you know where I lived?"

"It's a small town. I asked the first person I saw. Um, I thought you might want this back," Stefan reached out, a leather notebook, a bunch of small stickers covered the front and back.

Sam's eyes widen, taking the book. "I could have sworn I grabbed it," Sam says lowly, then thinking back, he had taken out two books, and only put one back into the backpack, it appeared. " Oh, I must have dropped it. I--thank you."

"Don't worry, I didn't...read it." Stefan tells him.

"Oh, thank God," Sam let's out. Stefan had smiled, and Sam blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry. I just was worried, since, you know, normally people would read it."

"Well, I wouldn't want anyone to read mine." Stefan tells him.

"You keep a journal?"

"Yeah, if I don't write it down, I forget it. Memories are too important."

"Yeah. I'm just gonna put this back," Sam told him, turning momentarily. "You don't have to stay out there."

Sam goes to back into the house, fishing his backpack and putting the journal inside.

"I'm fine." Stefan called out.

Sam has walked back toward the door, tilting his head to the side.

"Sorry, were you going somewhere?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, we're meeting a friend," he gestured to Elena and himself. He paused. "Do you want to come?"
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Stefan had agreed before Sam could panic.

The three had driven to the Mystic Grill, and Sam decided that he had hated his sister, because the girl, who apparently believed she was sneaky, practically yelled and ran to the back seat, saying for Sam to drive and Stefan take the passenger seat.

I am going to kill her.

"So, Stefan, you lived in Mystic Falls before?" Sam asked, wincing at his own question. Of course, Stefan had. The boy was new- more like a return-in town, but had been to the graveyard, and said he had family to visit.

Stefan smiled. "Yeah. When I was still young."
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They had walked into the Grill, looking around for their friends. Matt walked up to them a second later, extending a hand to Stefan. "Hey, I'm Matt, nice to meet you."

"Hi." Stefan greets back, shaking Matt's hand before he introduces himself. "Stefan."

"Hey." Elena says to the blond-haired boy.

"Hey." Matt looks at the girl, hurt.

Awkward. Sam thinks to himself.
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"So, you were born in Mystic Falls?" Caroline questioned Matt.

Dean had joined them, after grabbing a burger and fries.

Stefan hummed in confirmation. "And moved when I was still young."

"Parents?" Bonnie asked.

"My parents passed away."

'I'm visiting. I have family here," the words, briefly echo'd in Sam's mind. "I'm sorry. Any siblings?" Hopeful to change the obviously sore subject.

"None that I talk to. I live with my uncle." Stefan informed, staring at Sam.

Dean clicked his tongue. Damn, depressing dud. Then, looked up, scrunching up his face at seeing Stefan look at Sam. He rolled his eyes, could he not eat a simple meal without someone falling in love with his best friend?

"So, Stefan, if you're new, then you don't know about the party tomorrow," Caroline speaks.

"It's a back to school thing at the falls," Bonnie informed.

Stefan, who briefly turned from Sam as Caroline and Bonnie spoke, turned back to Sam. "Are you going?"

"Of course he is," both Bonnie and Elena answered.

Nervously, Sam tapped in the table, smiling at Stefan as the other boy stared at him.
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"The Battle of Willow Creek took place right at the end of the war in our very own Mystic Falls. How many casualties resulted in this battle? Ms. Bennett?" Mr. Tanner, history teacher questioned.

Bonnie looked up, unsure. "Um...a lot? I'm not sure. Like a whole lot."

"Cute becomes dumb in an instant, Ms. Bennett. Mr. Donovan? Would you like to take this opportunity to overcome your embedded jock stereotype?" Tanner questioned.

"You do realize that you teacher most of the sport teams here, right?" Samuel asked, not liking the way the man seemed to be attacking his friends.

Matt, wanting to cover for his friend, who sometimes acts without thought, speaks quite quickly, hoping the simple, obviously uncaring words for the teacher annoyed with him. "It's okay, Mr. Tanner, I'm cool with it."

Tanner hummed, but it appears Matt's attempt had failed. "Samuel? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?"

Fuck. Sam thought, glaring up at the teacher. For a second, he stayed still, silent. The answer didn't come to him. "I'm sorry," he says, but his tone made it clear that he was anything but sorry. "I don't know."

"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Samuel. But the personal excuses ended with summer break."

At the words, Sam's fake sadness shifted into a real one. Dean glared up at the teacher, leaning towards Sam. "Want me to kill him? I'll do it. Who's gonna miss him?"

"There were 346 casualties. Unless you're counting local civilians," Stefan spoke up.

"That's correct. Mister...?" Tanner questioned the new students name.

"Salvatore." Stefan informs.

"Salvatore. Any relation to the original settlers here at Mystic Falls?"

"Distant."

"Well, very good. Except, of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle," Tanner walks to his desk.

"Actually, there were 27, sir. Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church, believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss," Stefan continued. "The founder's archives are, uh, stored in civil hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts, Mr. Tanner."

A few students laughed, Sam trying, and failing to not laugh. Not only as Tanner was embarrassed and proved wrong, but also, he did think what Stefan had said was funny. Dean was the one laughing the loudest.

Elena turned back at the sound of her brother's laugh. A sound in which, she believed that she would never hear again. She looked at Stefan, who turned to look at the laughing Gilbert.
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"You laughed," Elena tells her brother.

"It was funny. Watching Mr.Tanner get embarrassed was funny," Samuel told his sister, as if he needed to remind her. He brought up the red solo cup, taking a sip from it.

"Right, that's the reason," Dean mutters as he takes a sip from his drink.

"Don't you have people to flirt with? And get rejected?"

"Hey! The only times I've been rejected is when they were in a relationship, or not interested in boys. " 

"Just admits it, Sam," Bonnie speaks up, interrupting, the-soon-to-be verbal shaming.

"Okay, fine," Sam sighed, crossing his arms as his face redden, blushing deeply.  "He's pretty."

Elena giggled, amused by her brother's embarrassment. She lifted the red solo cup to hide the smile when he turned to glare at her.

"He has that romance novel stare," Bonnie spoke, because putting on a narrating voice. "Stefan looked deep into his eyes, piercing his very soul.'"

"Why am I friends with you?" Sam playfully questioned, forge confusion.

"So, where is he?" Dean questioned, looking around.  "Got to make sure this boy is good enough for my brother."

Elena quirked an eyebrow at him. "He's my brother."

Dean waved a hand. "Twin brother. Brother inlaw, tomato tomato. Caramel caramel."

Elena briefly perched his lips, a look of momentarily annoyance. "I walked right into that one."

"You did," Bonnie nodded.  Then looked around. "Where is the new kid anyway?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. You tell me, you're the psychic one."

Bonnie smiled. "Right, I forgot. Okay, so give me a sec. Grams says I have to concentrate."

Sam holds up a finger. "Wait, you need a crystal ball." He gives her an empty beer bottle. "Tada."

Bonnie laughs and takes ghe bottle from his hands, her fingers skimming his hand. Then, her eyes widen, staring at Sam for a couple of seconds. She seems to space out. Before she pulls her hand back quickly.

"What?" Sam questioned slightly worried for the girl. He didn't think she drank that much.

"That was weird. When I touched you, I saw a crow."

Sam's mind flashed back to the graveyard, the crow hysterically cawing. "What?"

"A crow. There was fog," Bonnie continued.

And that sounded exactly like what happened at the graveyard. Sam felt panic, breathing deeply.

"a man." Bonnie finished, but fear of both her own and seeing it in Sam's face, she reached for the empty bottle, removing it from Sam's hands. "I'm drunk. It's the drinking. There's nothing psychic about it. Yeah? Ok, I'm gonna get a refill."

Bonnie leaves the three. "Okay? Bonnie! I'll go check in her." Elena goes to follow her.

Sam sighs, looking in the direction that they had gone in. "Think I should leave Elena to handle it for a couple minutes before going?"

"Definitely. You suck at making people less, anxious. You amplify it, if anything," Dean tells him.

"Gee, thanks, so heartwarming." Sam turned, only when he did, there stood Stefan. Sam stepped back, not expecting him to be there. He had inhaled deeply.

"Hi," Stefan smiled.

Sam breathed out his laugh, relaxing. "Hi."

"I did it again, didn't it?" Stefan questioned.

"Yeah ." Sam nodded.

Dean looked back and forth at them, seeing how they stared at each other. "Oh, would you look at that, I need a refill!"

Dean's bottle was filled, only missing one sip from it.

"He's really..." Stefan lead off, hesitant.

"Stupid? Yeah, I know."

"I'm sorry. You're upset about something." Stefan spoke again, seeing the still-there uneasiness.

"Oh, uh, no, it's- it's just Bonnie. She's..." Sam reminded himself that Elena was better at this. At comforting people. At making them feel less anxious, if that's what they feel. "You know what?Never mind. You're...here."

"I'm here." Stefan smiled.
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They had separated from the rest of the students. Although there had been a few people as they walked towards the bridge.

"You know, you're kind of the talk of the town."  Sam speaks.

"Am I?" Stefan questioned back.

Sam hummed. "Mysterious handsome new guy, oh, yeah."

"Well, you have the mysterious thing going, too. Twinged in sadness."

Sam paused. "What makes you think that I'm sad?"

"Well, we did meet in a graveyard." Stefan hesitated, stopping his walk. Staying next to Sam.

"Right. Well, no," Sam resumed his steps, a bit amused when Stefan took large steps, quickening his pace to catch up with Sam. "technically we met in the men's room." He smiled.

"You don't want to know, it's....it's not exactly party chit-chat." Sam admitted.

"Well, I've never really been very good at, uh, chit-chat."

"Last spring. . my parents' car drove off of a bridge into the lake. Elena and was in the backseat and we survived, but...they didn't. So that's my story. Or, well, Elena and my story."

"You won't be sad forever, Samuel."

Sam knew that Stefan was trying to make him feel better. And, Sam hated to admit that it did distract him. Just, not in the way, he was aware Stefan hoped it out. He scrunched up his face as his full name. "Okay, you get a pass, since you're new here. No one calls me Samuel, everyone calls me Sam or Sammy. Samuel is only ever used my the teachers, or when I'm in trouble. Plus, it sound like an old name. And not even one of those cool old names, like; Alistair or Blaine, but, like an actual nerdy, old sixty-" Sam stopped talking. "Sorry,."

Sam nervously scratched the back of his neck. "Sometimes it forgot to, like, stop talking."

"Oh, geesh, Uh...Sorry. God, I'm sorry." Sam began to apologize, realizing how crazy he sounded.

"It's alright, Sam." Stefan just smile, understandingly.

"I'm just a- sorry." Sam went it explain, cut himself off. If anyone- Stefan-asked, he blamed his face reddening on the alcohol.

"Cute." Stefan smiled.

Fuck, definitely knows I'm an idiot.
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"I like Bonnie, she seems like a good friend."  Stefan says.

"Best friend in the world. But, don't tell Elena that," Sam joked, wanting to hit himself for the stupid joke.

Stefan smiled. "And uh, Theodore , he can't seem to, uh, take his eyes off of us."

Sam clicked his tongue. "Yeah...Theo, Theo's that friend since childhood that you start dating because you owe it to yourselves to see if you can be more."

"And?"

"And then my parents died, and everything changes. Anyway, Theo and I, together we just, I don't know, it wasn't, um...it wasn't..."

"Passionate?" Stefan suggested.

"Yeah, and when I realized it, I couldn't just, keep...stringing him along. Honestly in the beginning I thought it was just me. Cause I had never had a boyfriend before, wasn't sure it if was still supposed to feel like...nervous and worried. I was nervous and worried because I, apparently, somewhere was aware that, I didn't feel the same way he felt. So,  no it wasn't passionate..."

Sam sighed, then when seeing what appeared to be Stefan's eyes darkening, ripples appearing under neath his eyes. Sam looks to his cup, wondering how much he has drunk. He looked back to Stefan. "Hey, um, are you okay? Um, Your eye, it just, it's--"

Stefan dunked his head, rubbing at his eyes. "Oh, um...Yeah, no. It's, um, it's nothing. Um, are you thirsty? I'm gonna get us a drink." He takes Sam's cup, then leaves.

Sam runs away his eyes. "Great work Sam. Find guy you like. Might like you, and you fucking make it awkward."

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Theodore had found him. "When you broke up with me, you said it was because you need some time alone. You don't looks so alone to me."

Sam couldn't tell him the real reason. That, Sam never felt the way he had. "Theo. I'm sorry, it's-it's not like that."

"It's okay, Samuel. You do what you have to do. But, before anything happens, I wanted you to know, I still believe in us." Then he walked away.

"Theo," Sam tries, feeling guilty.

He caught the glimpse of Stefan talking to Caroline. After few seconds, Stefan walked away. Sam smiled. "I was wondering who abducted you. Now, I know." He laughed.

"She like that, uh, all the guys?" Stefan asked.

"No. Not the gay ones," he smiled, laughing at his own joke. "It's because you're new, like I said, the whole mystery vibe. She'll...she'll find who she's looking for, at some point. I just think she wants to find that someone, much earlier in life."

Sam, after a second, realized he shouldn't have said that. Tell such a personally thing about one of his best friends, to a stranger.

"Oh, god, you've got to be kidding me," Sam sighed, when seeing Jeremy, drunk, trying to sneak into the woods.

"What the matter?"

"My brother."

"The drunk one?" Stefan asked.

"That would be him. I'll be back."

"Need help?" Stefan asked.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm saving you from the terrible scene that's about to happen," Sam says, as he catches sight of Elena making her way to stop Jeremy well.

"Jeremy!" The twins yell in unison. "Where are you going?"

"I didn't want to hear it!" Jeremy yelled back, turning around and facing them, causing for him to trip. "Oh, my god it's Vicki."

"Holy shit," Sam whispered. Seeing the blood covering her. He pulled Jeremy back, into Elena's arms. He reached down, checking the older one's pulse, the second his hand touched her neck, she gasped awake, fear in her eyes.

Sam quickly gathered her in his arms. Even as Jeremy tried to take her.

"Somebody help!" Elena yelled out, multiple people parting as the siblings made their way through the crowd.

Sam placed her in one of the picnic tables, as both Tyler and Matt rush up to check on her. Multiple people gather around, wanting to know what was happening.

"What happened?" Tyler questioned.

"Somebody call the ambulance!" Matt ordered.

"Everybody back up, give her some space!" Tyler ordered.

Sam took his phone, dialing 911.

"911x how many in help you?"

"I need an ambulance sent to Mystic Falls woods, someone was attacked. A girl, she's bleeding from her neck.
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"Hey, we're gonna go mainline coffee," Bonnie told the twins. "What for news."

"You can go.'I'll take Jeremy home," Sam tells Elena.

She shakes her head.

"Sam, there's no way I'm physic," Bonnie speaks. "I know that. But whatever I saw, or I think i saw...I have this feeling."

Sam frowned. "Bon, what?"

"That it's just the beginning,"
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"So, whose turn?" Sam tried to joke, jerking his head in Jeremy's direction. As he and Elan walked up to him.

"You okay?" Elena asked, a second of alive between the siblings.

Jeremy moved out from under her hand.

"I called Jenna. She's on her way," Elena says. "This people in uniforms. Last time I checked, there the police."

Jeremy continued to drink, downing it all before tossing in behind him.

"People are gonna stop giving you breaks, Jer."

"They have their own lives to focus on. They don't care anymore. It didn't impact their lives, like it did ours," Sam tells him. "Everyone in this town has moved on. You should try too."

And he hated to see his younger brother like this.

"I've seen you in the cemetery, writing, reading your poems to them. Whatever story you've come up with, asking them what should happen, that's moving on? Is that you moving on?"

Sam sucked his lip.

"Mom and dad wouldn't have wanted this," Elena said.
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Sam had wrote another poem. About hiding emotions, and accepting what they are. Until, he caught a movement outside. He looked over, to see Stefan. He quickly got up, heading towards the door.He opens it up.

"I know it's late," Stefan says. "But, uh...I needed to make had you were okay."

Samuel smiled softly, trying to go for a smile of comfort. "It seems like that's all that's being asked of me, recently. For months, that's all people have wondered about me. If I'll be okay."

Stefan nodded, understanding. "What do you tell people?"

"Honestly, sometimes it depends who ask. It's mostly, that's I'll be fine."

"So you ever mean it?"

"I'm still figuring that out...so, until you ask me next time," Sam says. "There's a room in the house, where we can talk. Would you like to come in?"

Stefan smiled, nodding. As Sam took a step back pulling the door open further, to make room. Stefan entered the house.

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{6004}