InsaneJournal

Stefan had woken up in a lot of strange places in the 166 years he'd been alive. There'd probably even been a few graveyards in there somewhere, but the weird thing about this time was that he could remember his night up until this point with perfect clarity. And he hasn't been in any graveyards recently.

Expanding his senses, Stefan realized that wasn't the only thing that was messed up here. Everything smelled different. The air felt colder, less humid. If he had to guess from both the feel of the air around him and the land he could see around him, even in the darkness, he was somewhere in the Midwest, but how?

Scratch that. He knew how. When something like this happened, there was usually a witch involved. His money was on the one they'd met in Portland. He'd pissed him off, sure, but this seemed like an extreme overreaction. Not that Stefan was the king of moderation, but whatever.

"Damon, Ric," he called out, assuming they'd been brought along for the ride. Or maybe just hoping they had been. They'd all been together, after all, and Stefan had just gotten his brother back. Losing him again just wasn't an option.

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Ever since the seal had taken his brother, Damon had taken to walking past the graveyard once a day. Usually at varying times, since the seal wasn’t exactly consistent in it’s arrival times. But, he knew that eventually the damned thing would give him his brother back.

Damon also knew that Lexi was doing the same thing. They’d bumped into each other a couple of times, and inevitably ended up bickering. And, tonight was no exception. He’d run into her about five minutes before just outside the graveyard.

“Why do you always have to be right?” He snapped at her, his temper had been a bit more frayed lately. The bouncing act that the seal had recently done on him had him on edge. And, well, Lexi always irritated him, with her judgy blondeness.

But then, then he heard someone call his name. Damon knew that voice. In a flash, he found the source of it, and it was exactly who he thought it was.

“Hello, brother.” He said, grin spreading across his face. “Am I glad to see you.”

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Lexi would never tire of just how predictable Damon could be. Of course he was here, again, hoping that tonight somehow the seal would get its magic on and kick up a Stefan. Of course she was here too but at least she admitted she missed her best friend. Damon on the other hand was playing at being fine. Like everything was okay. Except when she found him here and got into raging screaming arguments with him. Because he was stupid and wrong, Currently he was sulking about why she had to be right. Really it was simple.

“Habit. Explain why you always have to be wrong.” she retorted entirely unamused before his attention was taken from their argument completely.

By a voice. By a voice she knew well.

Holy crap their crazy visits past the graveyard had paid off. “Leaving a name off the list there aren’t you?” she said turning toward the sound and following Damon in its general direction. Jackass or not he should probably get to hug his brother first.

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“Likewise.” Stefan didn’t mind admitting it, he was relieved when he saw Damon. He wondered where Ric had gotten too, but if Damon was here, that meant their companion was probably around here somewhere, too.

“Any idea where we are?” he asked. Midwest, sure, but Damon had come from he wasn’t sure where, maybe he’d had a chance to figure out what the hell this place was. Aside from the obvious, of course. “And don’t say ‘in a graveyard’, because I actually got that part,” he added. Damon had a tendency to be a smart ass and Stefan was a lot more interested in real answers at the mo-

“Lexi?” Suddenly, Stefan forgot all about his questions. He even forgot about Damon for a minute when he was faced with someone he didn’t think he would ever see again. “How are you- What?” He couldn’t even really find the words to ask whatever it was he was trying to ask, but that didn’t stop him from rushing towards her and pulling her into a fierce hug. Did it really matter how she was here? He was just so damned happy to see her!

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Damon smirked as his brother quite rightly predicted his retort. Definitely sounded like Stefan to him. Which was a relief, considering it could have ended up being Silas. Which would have been really annoying.

“I know exactly where we are, brother.” Damon replied. “The dead end of no where, otherwise known as Lawrence, Kansas.” He frowned then, as he realised that Stefan had no memory of being here before. “You don’t remember being here before, do you?”

Well, this sucked. He hated having to explain this part. Okay, other people had normally gotten to the others before he had. But, still. At least Stefan wasn’t from when he was dead. He hated having that conversation.

“Blah. Blah. Blah. Biblical seal kidnapped us.” He muttered as they had their BFF reunion. “I’ve been here almost a year. And, Lexi even longer.” Which doesn’t completely suck, he thought to himself. Because there was no way he’d ever say that thought out loud.

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He was adorable when he was confused, and hyper, and goddammit he was just always adorable. Her BFF, the one she’d been there for through the very worst of times and partied with through the very best of times. And he was here and he was hugging her and nothing else needed to matter for a little while. Only well, he seemed shocked to see her which meant he had forgotten his time here, which would take some explaining. But for now, for right now? She was just gonna love that he was back.

“Damon’s right.” she said simply and rolled her eyes. “Which you know I say precisely never but this time, he is. Biblical Seal, actual hell on earth is apparently in Lawrence, Kansas which is weird. I’d always have thought somewhere in Utah. Or Vegas.” she considered, finally breaking the hug with a nod to Damon.

“Go on, do the manly brother shoulder pat thing that eventually becomes a real hug. I won’t even judge it. Cause after that we have a lot to catch our boy up on. Meantime, I know at least one of you is packing bourbon right now, pass it here. ” she added, they needed to celebrate this.

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"First time for everything," Stefan quipped. Hell on earth or not, he could actually kiss that seal or whatever the hell it was. As glad as he was that his brother was here, he was almost giddy at seeing Lexi again. That was something he'd thought was impossible. When the Other Side collapsed, he'd known she was gone for good. She'd found peace and he was happy for her, but that didn't mean he wasn't really happy to see her now.

He laughed softly as Lexi teased Damon. "Don't tell me hell on earth doesn't have bars," he said half-jokingly. But, hey, maybe that's what made it hell on earth.

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Damon hated it when Lexi was right. Hated it with an all consuming passion. Okay, maybe not quite that much. But, it amused him to think that for a minute, as he slipped his hand in his jacket to pull out his flask of bourbon, and handed it to her. Before grinning, and pulling his little brother into a hug.

“Oh, it has bars. Just ask little miss owns-a-bar-I’m-not-allowed-in.” He rolled his eyes at Lexi, as he stepped back from the hug. Still gripping Stefan’s shoulder, fondly. God, he’d missed him. Even when he’d been here it hadn’t been right. He’d barely ever seen him.

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“It has the most epic of bars as it happens and shut up jackass you killed me. That’s why you don’t get to play with the other kids. And I have let you in that one time. I’m actually incredibly gracious and understanding and you should throw me a freaking parade. But for right now we can hit up the Roadhouse. Jo probably won’t even shoot you.”

It hadn’t been long since the seal had taken her BFF but this, having him here. Having him pleased to see her. God she’d missed this.

There was a hell of a lot to fill him in on but that could wait for a little while. Right now he wanted a drink with his brother and his BFF and who was she to deny him that.

“So, hands up for getting out of creepy graveyard of doom and getting us some of the second best bar this city has to offer.”

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Stefan rolled his eyes at the bickering between his brother and his best friend, but a smile played about on his lips. It was so damn good to see them both, to see Lexi alive. He'd forgiven Damon for killing her and he knew how much Damon had changed, but god he'd missed that woman. Jokes about it being hell on earth aside, Stefan couldn't help thinking this place was pretty awesome just for having brought Lexi here.

Grinning, he raised his hand at Lexi's words. "Lead the way," he told her.