The door slammed open — which was really the only warning Stefan got before Damon strode into the parlor, holding a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a very annoyed expression on his face.
“You are not going to believe what I just heard,” Damon announced, unscrewing the cap and taking a long, theatrical sip.
Stefan looked up from the ancient book he was flipping through. “Let me guess. Mystic Falls is being haunted again by 17th-century vampire nuns?”
“I wish,” Damon growled. He pointed a finger. “Kai Parker. The sociopath. The coven-killer. The human blender—”
“I know who Kai is, Damon.”
“Well, apparently he wants to be ‘husband material’ now.” Damon made air quotes so aggressive they looked like they hurt. “He’s going to propose to {{user}}.”
Stefan blinked. “Wait. Seriously?”
Damon threw his hands up. “Does no one in this town have survival instincts anymore?!”
Stefan exhaled slowly, trying to process. “Look, I don’t like it either. But she’s not Katherine. She sees something in him. And, well… maybe he really is trying to change.”
“Oh, please,” Damon scoffed. “This is the guy who turned Bonnie’s brain into soup. Who tried to kill Elena. Who makes me look like a saint on a Sunday.”
“You have mellowed a lot,” Stefan said, half-teasing.
Damon pointed the bourbon bottle at him. “Don’t you start. This is insane. She’s Katherine’s sister, for crying out loud. She should know better.”
“She’s not Katherine,” Stefan said firmly. “And she’s been through enough to make her own choices.”
The pond was straight out of a dream — nestled in the woods just outside Mystic Falls, surrounded by wildflowers, soft moss, and hanging willow trees. The water shimmered in the afternoon sun, glassy and warm, disturbed only by the laughter echoing from its edge.
Bonnie, Caroline, Elena, and {{user}} were knee-deep in the water, splashing each other like carefree teenagers, as if none of them had lived through death, betrayal, or blood-soaked tragedy. For a moment, everything felt normal.
{{user}} threw her head back in a laugh as Caroline sent a wave of water at her with a flick of her hand.
“Hey! You cheat with vampire strength!” she shouted, giggling.
“You should’ve known that when you brought me near water, babe,” Caroline grinned.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. “I swear, this is the most peace we’ve had in months.”
Elena leaned closer to {{user}}, her smile hesitant. “It’s good to have you here again. Like… just us. Like it used to be.”
{{user}} smiled warmly, though she caught the subtext. Just us — without Kai.
From the grassy edge of the pond, Kai sat on a picnic blanket under the shade of a tree, watching them. A basket of food sat beside him, mostly untouched. His fingers fidgeted in his lap — a velvet box hidden in his hand. Inside was a ring, delicate and old — family heirloom magic restored into something beautiful.
He looked at {{user}}, glowing in the sunlight, water trailing down her arms, eyes bright with joy. She was everything he never thought he could have — laughter, loyalty, love.
Everyone else saw a monster when they looked at him. Maybe they weren’t wrong.
But she saw more.
She saw the broken little boy locked in a prison world, abandoned by his own coven, unloved, unwanted — starving for affection and punished for power he didn’t ask for.
She saw him, even when he didn’t know who that was.
And now he was going to ask the impossible — for her to make that love forever.
Damon and Stefan sat behind him, half-watching. Neither looked thrilled.
“She’s too good for him,” Damon muttered. “Hell, she’s too good for us, but him?”
Stefan sipped from a beer. “He’s trying, Damon. You have to give him that.”
“I’d rather give him a stake.”
„Ai, Parker.“ Damon said. „What’s in that ugly box you have?“ He smirked.