Amen

Mystic Falls had always been a beacon for the supernatural but now it was even more so. Stefan had grown used to the way things were for the most part but there were still some things that surprised him. What Raziel was doing definitely fell into that category, the days of believing that vampires and witches were the only ones out there were long gone especially since Ric and Jenna opened the Salvatore School and Stefan had been learning more than he had ever thought possible from MG. He knew that Damon used to think of the people he took in as waifs and strays but to Stefan each one of them had become family in their own right. He and MG weren’t related by blood but the boy was a son to him just as much as Jacob was and Stefan knew that he wouldn’t have it any other way. His life had changed so much since he had arrived in town and he had so many people in his life now that he would do anything to keep safe.

Stefan’s time at college had come to an end and since then he had been working at the local garage as a mechanic. It was something that he was good at and it was also something that he enjoyed, not to mention it gave him something to do with his days while Bonnie was busy and the others were all out. Normally he liked working but the last few days had been different and he had found himself worrying about MG a lot. He could tell that the boy was trying to put on a brave face for Ethan while he got used to being a vampire and Stefan had been trying to be as supportive as he could but he could tell that MG was holding something back and that wasn’t like him. That day his boss had let him finish early so he could go home and check on MG and as Stefan’s car made its way up the driveway he could see a figure sitting on the roof. Listening carefully, he could pick out the sounds of Ethan and the others inside the house so that meant it could only be one person up there – MG. Without even thinking about it he used his abilities to jump as high as he could and moments later he too was on the roof. “You’re hiding out up here and you’re drinking, that’s not a good sign,” Stefan admitted as he moved so that he was sitting next to MG. “What’s going on, are you okay?” he asked, unable to deny that he was worried about the boy.

MILTON GREASLEY

Things had changed so much since Stefan had returned to Mystic Falls, his relationship with Elena hadn’t worked out but now he and Bonnie were together and were going strong and he now had three kids to look after. Jacob and Lucy were adults and they had been on their own for over a hundred years before they found him but Stefan was still protective of them just like he was protective of MG. He didn’t want anything bad to happen to any of them and he knew that he would do whatever he could in order to help them. Right now MG was the one he was worried about, he had unintentionally turned his best friend into a vampire and Stefan knew that MG was trying to stay strong for Ethan and pretend that everything was fine but Stefan knew that it had to be taking a toll on him. MG was a good kid but he already knew what it was like to have blood on his hands since he was a Ripper just like Stefan was and he knew that seeing his friend die like that couldn’t have been easy. He wasn’t sure whether there was anything else going on but the moment he saw MG sitting on the roof he knew that he needed to find out.

“Hey,” he said, offering MG a small smile as he sat down next to him. “If you were Damon then I wouldn’t be surprised but you only do this when something is bothering you,” Stefan said gently. He had always tried to make sure that MG knew that he could talk to him about anything, the boy always seemed to have so much going on and Stefan really did feel for him. Now he had a new vampire to try and train while still worrying about everything that was going on with Ben’s father and it was a lot to say the least.

As MG said that he was okay given everything that had happened but then said that he should be okay, Stefan’s expression softened. “Your best friend died with your blood in his system as is now a vampire, you’re allowed not to be okay,” he said gently. “I know you’re trying to keep it together for him and that’s understandable but you don’t have to do that with me,” he added. Seeing anyone die wasn’t easy but least of all when it was someone that you were so close to. Even before Ethan came to stay with them Stefan had known that the boy meant a lot to MG, it had been clear from the way he talked about him and Stefan had been glad that MG had found a friend like that. Stefan knew that he couldn’t judge MG for the fact that that friend happened to be human because a lot of the friends Stefan had now had been human when he arrived in town. It was one of those things.

As MG spoke again, Stefan nodded. “Of course you can,” he confirmed, curious to know what was on MG’s mind. As he asked the question, Stefan thought about it for a moment. “I was terrified,” he said at last. “I never told you this but Bonnie’s Grams died helping me and Damon so for a while Bonnie hated me,” he began, knowing that it might help to give a little context. “It took us a while to get back to being friends and then when her dad was sick and she was staying with him we talked so often that something between us changed. I was so worried that she either wouldn’t feel the same or that I would end up losing her that I didn’t say anything. I also felt like I didn’t deserve anyone as good as her,” he admitted, knowing that it was probably about time that MG learned the full story. “It was Bonnie who told me how she felt about me and that gave me the courage to do the same. She’s still my best friend now but she’s also so much more than that so it worked out,” he added. “I know it’s scary to risk it all but one thing we both realised was that we would regret it more if we didn’t try. That’s what you have to try and figure out - could you live with keeping it to yourself. If things work out the way they should you’ve got a long life ahead of you MG, don’t make it a life full of regrets.”

MILTON GREASLEY

Stefan liked to think he knew the people in his life pretty well by this point and when it came to MG this was an obvious sign that he was struggling. It was only natural after everything that he had gone through but Stefan hated seeing MG in any kind of pain and right now he wasn’t himself. It would be far too easy to bottle everything up and try to ignore it and Stefan would be the first to admit that he was guilty of doing that himself sometimes but he didn’t want that for MG. He already had enough on his plate without adding ignoring how he was feeling to the mix. Stefan wanted better for the boy and he knew that he would help in any way that he could. “I get that but sometimes talking about these things helps,” Stefan said gently. He knew that he wouldn’t push if MG if he didn’t want to talk about it but he honestly hoped that it would help him figure a few things out. Stefan would be lying if he said that he wasn’t protective of MG, he wanted the boy to be happy but he also didn’t want him to get hurt so it was a case of trying to weigh up all the options and do the right thing.

“Seriously,” Stefan confirmed. “She was so upset that she almost let Damon die when the town’s vampires were rounded up but she eventually decided to help us,” he explained. He didn’t blame Bonnie for it, she had still been grieving the loss of her Grams and Stefan would have been surprised if she hadn’t hesitated in helping them. “I didn’t think we’d ever get back to being friends but now we’re so much more than that,” he added. It had taken a lot of courage for Bonnie to tell him how she felt about him and that had given Stefan the courage to tell her how he felt as well. Now he didn’t even want to think about what would have happened if Bonnie hadn’t followed him back to the Boarding House that day because they life they had together now was one that he wouldn’t want to give up for anything in the world. It had been a risk, that much was true, but it was one that had definitely been worth taking.

Stefan had suspected that there might be something more between MG and Ethan because he had seen the way that MG’s face lit up whenever he talked about him. It had been clear that the other boy meant a lot to him but Stefan hadn’t said anything because he had wanted to make sure that MG had the chance to figure things out in his own time. As it was it sounded like he had done and that was good in a way but it was definitely bad timing. All he could do was listen as MG explained what was going on inside his head and once he had finished, Stefan was quiet for a moment while he considered everything that MG had just said. “Liking someone is always scary, no matter who it is. Letting someone into your heart means giving them the opportunity to break it and that’s terrifying but believe me when I say that when it works out, there’s no feeling like it,” he said at last. Stefan had had his heart broken a number of times in the past but it had still been worth taking the risk with Bonnie and it had paid off. “As for Raziel, he’s psychotic. You had no control over becoming a vampire but you’re making the best of the hand life dealt you. I know you feel guilty about what happened to him but it wasn’t your fault. You can’t control what someone else does and from what I’ve seen, he doesn’t blame you,” he said gently. He knew firsthand that that didn’t always make the guilt lessen but it was the truth. “I really don’t think having Hope compel him to leave is a good idea,” he said, reaching over and giving MG’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Pushing people away can seem like the best thing to do sometimes but it will only make you miserable and you’re going to need to be on the top of your game when Raziel reappears. Can you honestly tell me that you won’t worry about him if he leaves town?” he asked as he looked over at MG. “Besides, he’s a vampire now which means that he’s a target just like the rest of us anyway, making him leave would only be prolonging things if we don’t manage to stop Raziel,” he added. “When something like this happens we need to take any chance at happiness we can get because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. That doesn’t make you selfish,” he said gently. “I get that you want to protect him and maybe having him leave is the right decision but shouldn’t it be his to make?”

MILTON GREASLEY