CHAPTER TWO   /   ACT ONE

A Meeting Long Overdue

                             "Well, it's been fun Damon." Angelina said a mocking grin. "See you in the next 145 years?"

The wind gently tousled the her hair, causing her to brush strands from her eyes. The look in her eyes alone made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him or her doppelgänger twin at the moment.

"Ah-ah-ah," Damon wagged his finger in front of her, a gesture that irked Angelina. "You're not getting away that easily."

"What?" Angelina tilted her head, lips pursed in annoyance. "You want a goodbye hug?"

"No," He shot back with a smirk. "You're coming with us."

Angelina sighed heavily, weariness evident in her demeanor.

"You mentioned you were headed to Mystic Falls," Damon echoed her words. "Might as well tag along with us."

Angelina's brows furrowed as she glared at him, battling the impulse to snap his neck and run.

"I've changed my mind," she lied once more, nonchalantly shrugging. "You're dead set on opening that tomb, and I'm not about to stand in your way. Let's just say our farewell's and move along with our day."

"I really doubt that you're all of a sudden giving up." He crossed his arms, staring at her. "Angelina Pierce doesn't all of a sudden give up."

"Well, maybe you don't know me as well as you thought." She sighed, attempting to leave once more, but Damon drew her back again.

"Damon, stop-"

Before another word could escape her lips, he seized her by the neck, swiftly snapping it and sending her limp body crashing to the ground, unconscious.

"Damon!" Elena gasped from the car, covering her mouth.

"What? It was the only effective method."

Angelina lay asleep in the backseat of Damon's car as he drove past the Mystic Falls sign, with Elena sitting quietly beside him. They had left the bar about an hour ago, and Angelina had just awakened moments earlier.

"Where are we?" She groaned, sitting up in her seat.

"You're in Mystic Falls, Angel," Damon replied in a sarcastic tone as per usual, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Damon, what the hell?!"

""Calm down."

"I already said I didn't want to be here," she snapped, massaging her temples in frustration. "You're being an idiot."

His silence only angered her further. "Damon, pull over!"

"You know you came here to try to stop me from opening the tomb, but we both know that's not going to happen. So, why not just join me? Plus, I've missed having you around," he said, though his attempt at kindness did little to soothe her concerns. "Don't you feel the same?"

She stole a glance at Elena, who sat in silence, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery. It was clear to almost anyone looking her way that she was just as confused as Damon was, maybe even more. Though it was understandable. Most would be put off to find a carbon copy of them wandering out in the open.

And Angelina couldn't lie, the idea of having anybody other than her sister as with the same face as hers felt.. odd. Maybe even uncomfortable.

The brunette sighed and reclined in her seat, her arms crossed in dissatisfaction. He wasn't going to let her leave at any point in the near future, so the most ideal choice is stay until she could.

Meanwhile, she could keep on convincing Damon not to open the tomb. It didn't matter what he thought, she wasn't going to back down.

Her sister's original plan had been to show up in Mystic Falls alone. Not even interacting with the brothers. Though it was clear Katherine didn't carry much faith in her sister to carry it out as planned. She never did trust her much.

"So, you're Stefan's girl, right?" Leaning her head forward, Angelina poked her head in between the two seats and eyed her doppelgänger up and down.

"Don't start." The other vampire groaned while Elena glanced in her direction.

"What?" Angelina scoffed while rolling her eyes. "I'm just making conversation."

"Uh, yeah." Elena spoke cautiously, turning her head over in Angelina's direction. "I am."

"He could've chosen any girl in the world but he chose the one who looked exactly like me." Angelina spoke delicately as she kept on analyzing her features. Her words may have sounded bitchy, and they were, but a part of them was her simply grasping at old memories.

Elena shifted her body away from Angelina, clearly annoyed with her remarks, which made her smile.

"Damon's the one obsessed with Katherine," She continued to tease. "I'm surprised he hasn't gone after you yet."

"Why don't you chew on this and be quiet?" The Salvatore retorted as he dug up a pack of gum from the console.

"Don't be moody, Damon." She grinned as she took the pack of gum and shoved a piece in her mouth while laying back in her seat.

The remainder of the ride hushed up for the three, however her thoughts her anything but silent. A big part of her was anticipating seeing Stefan once more.

What could he possibly say to her? She had been confined in that tomb for 145 years, as far as he knew. She was well aware he wouldn't greet her with open arms, given his intense dislike for her and her prolonged pretense of death.

Yet, she harbored no remorse for deceiving him. She had acted in self-preservation, and that had always been her top priority. After all, shouldn't it always be?

After enduring twenty minutes of tense silence punctuated by dramatic sighs and glares exchanged between Angelina and Damon, they finally arrived at the Salvatore boarding house. The trio stepped out of the car together after Damon parked it in the driveway.

Angelina's eyes widened in awe as she beheld the house's imposing exterior. Stepping out of the vehicle, she shut the door behind her. While she had expected the boarding house to be nice, she hadn't anticipated it would be this impressive.

She paused, inhaling deeply as she observed Damon and Elena entering the house ahead of her. Hastening her steps, she followed them inside, greeted by the sight of the equally stunning interior that matched the grandeur of the exterior.

While the décor seemed a bit outdated, she didn't harbor high expectations for a family like the Salvatores.

"I'm gonna go look for Stefan." Elena talked in a dull, yet disappointed tone as she ran higher up. Damon nodded and went to confront Angelina who was wandering around the living room curiously.

"You can stay in the spare room upstairs." He spoke.

"Mm." She hummed in response, uninterested in what he was saying as she sat down on the couch.

A brief hush settled in the room as she reached for the bourbon bottle on the side table, pouring herself a drink into the nearby glass. "You guys still drink this stuff?" she quipped, but he remained silent.

"Can I ask you something?" he inquired hesitantly, joining her on the couch and retrieving the bottle from her hand, taking a swig straight from it.

She nodded as she sipped the drink and laid her legs on the couch for comfort.

"Why didn't you come back?" He asked. "Y'know, after the raid in Mystic Falls."

Attempting to mask her clear reluctance to answer his question, she stared at him for a few moments as she tried to come up with a believable enough lie.

"I needed a fresh start," she admitted, though it was only half the truth. "Katherine was trapped in the tomb, and I was finally alone. Besides, both of you were new to vampirism; you didn't need someone like me guiding you."

Damon kept on drinking from the jug while nodded his head, however he was unsatisfied with her answer. They didn't need someone like her guiding them? What was that supposed to mean?

It was no secret that Angelina and Damon had been close friends back in 1864, so Damon found himself puzzled as to why she hadn't returned for both of them. However, he didn't hold out hope for a genuine answer from her anytime soon.

After a few moments, Elena descended the steps alone, tears streaming down her face.

"What's the matter with you?" Damon inquired with little sensitivity. He was met with complete silence as she stormed out of the boarding house, leaving him concerned.

All at once, she could hear steps coming down the steps. Angelina promptly perceived who their identity was and shot up from the couch and turned around, trying to hide her growing anxiety.

The strides proceeded into the living room, halting only a couple feet from her. She lifted her head up to see Stefan remaining there in shock, his gaze wide and his body still as he stared speechless.

As Stefan stood there, stunned and speechless, Angelina's heart pounded in her chest like a drumbeat echoing in her ears. She couldn't tear her eyes away from him, drinking in every detail of his familiar face that had haunted her dreams for 145 years. A mix of emotions washed over her. One being longing, the other regret, and the last being a spark of hope flickering in her. Though she masked all these emotions and buried them deep down.

"Angelina?" He finally mustered up some words, though it seemed as if it was all he had.

"At least one brother can manage to get my name right," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Her gaze shifted to Damon, who merely rolled his eyes before rising from the couch to stand beside her.

"Hello, Stefan."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan's eyes narrowed, his voice turning cold and accusatory. "You're supposed to be in the tomb."

"Really?" She rolled her eyes, feigning innocence. "No hug?"

"I'll leave you two to it," Damon interjected, gesturing mockingly as he headed towards the door, bottle in hand. "Have fun."

Stefan brushed off Damon's jests, his focus unwaveringly fixed on her. Setting her glass down on the table, she closed the distance between them, her gaze lingering on him appreciatively.

"I see you've replaced me." She sighed dramatically as she stood before him. "Well, you've replaced me with a copy of myself. You clearly have a type."

Ignoring her flirtatious banter, Stefan cut straight to the point. "Why are you here?"

"Ask Damon," she replied, stepping back slightly. With a heavy sigh, she crossed her arms and averted her gaze, unable to bear the proximity. "He's the one who brought me here."

"No, why aren't you in the tomb?" Stefan's tone dripped with frustration, his anger evident. It irked her that he was upset with her without knowing the full story, yet she couldn't bring herself to blame him.

Deep down, she knew that if their roles were reversed, he would have done the same. But her empathy for him didn't mean she was ready to come clean with him anytime soon. "I ran before anyone could trap me."

"And you didn't think to come back for m—us?"

"I thought you'd be more happy to see me." She shifted the conversation's focus, frowning slightly. "I mean, we haven't seen each other in forever."

"And why would I?"

"Well, because you're in love with me for one." She told him, though it seemed as if she was trying to convince herself instead of him.

"I was never in love with you." Stefan told her bluntly as he eyed her. "You compelled me."

His words cut deep, causing a pang of hurt to surge through her. She couldn't deny the sting they carried. Deep down, she knew his accusations weren't rooted in truth, yet she couldn't fault him for believing them. Despite her efforts to brush it off, it felt like a harsh blow to the face, leaving her reeling with a mix of emotions.

"Your choice in women says otherwise." The vampire grinned, attempting to maintain her cool. "Out of all the people in the world, you chose the girl who looked exactly like me?"

Stefan remained silent as she approached him, standing face to face, her gaze meeting his as he loomed over her.

"You actually thought I compelled you to love me?" Her voice wavered. "That I would deceive you like that?"

"You've always been deceitful," Stefan retorted.

"Stefan, I've lied about many things in my life, but that wasn't one of them," she countered, her voice firm. "Never have I, nor would I, compel you to love me."

Her words were sincere, but he wasn't buying a second of it. Not even for a moment. A brief moment of silence washed over the room as the two intensely stared at each other.

"I don't want you here, Angelina."

"I don't want me here any more than you do." She raised her hands in defense. "But Damon's not letting me go anywhere and I'm sure his little Katherine fixation is an issue we both want handled."

"You think I need your help dealing with my brother?" His eyebrows drew together. "I haven't needed—or wanted—you for over a hundred damn years."

Angelina scoffed, her lip caught between her teeth as she stormed away from him, ascending the steps and seeking refuge in what appeared to be the least occupied room, likely the guest bedroom.

She couldn't deny the bitter reality of the situation. Stefan's lingering feelings for her were unmistakable, yet he seemed unwilling to confront the truth. Perhaps he was afraid of facing it head-on.

Nevertheless, Angelina knew that they had reached a point of no return. Their love remained trapped in the confines of 1864, while Stefan had already moved on, falling for someone else. Someone he deemed to be better than her. Someone who wasn't her.

AUTHORS NOTE
i got lazy at the end y'all im sorry