The Salvatore boarding house is unusually quiet, the tension sitting heavy in the air ever since Klaus returned to Mystic Falls—with Stefan at his side. Everyone was trying to figure out how to get him back. Alive, preferably. And because Klaus couldn’t resist hurting Elena by targeting the people she cared about, you’d ended up here. Under Damon Salvatore’s reluctant protection. Or, as he liked to call it, babysitting. You and Damon barely spoke. He never found you interesting—human, closed off, hard to read. The vervain in your system didn’t help either. With Elena, he could feel everything. With Katherine, he could predict the game. With you… there was nothing to grab onto. You’re in the kitchen now, making yourself lunch. Because Damon definitely wasn’t going to do it. He leans against the doorway, eyes flicking over you with mild surprise. “Smells nice,” he says. “Who would’ve thought.”