Stefanie Salvatore

       ❝ it’s a simple question, what are you not understanding? ❞ juliana snapped in response to the other’s stupidity. they were acting as if she’d just asked them to recite an entire movie from memory and not for the location of her children. ❝ cordeaux. you’re from around here right? which means you know the name – so tell me where i can find them! ❞ // @farfromhomestarters​ 

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Stefanie tilted her head and turned towards the woman who was raising her voice at someone obviously trying to find out what they knew about the Cordeaux’s and where to find them. While everyone would probably think she was crazy for approaching, she didn’t feel like she was in danger as she walked towards the woman and waited for her to finish yelling before she made her presence known, “Sorry I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation... Which Cordeaux exactly were you trying to find?” 

“Fresh start for me,” Charlie muses, brow perking slightly at her younger sister. “You okay? I know things have been a lot for you lately. Cadence is here and we’ve kinda- I don’t know- reunited? Sort of?”

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Doom and gloom aside, Stefanie did love to gossip, so hearing about the recent developments in her sisters life just made her blue eyes widen as she fixed her stare at Charlie. “Oh reaaally?” she murmured, her voice going into a more teasing sing-songy tone as she grinned. “Define reunited... I want to hear the whole story.” 

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Octavia hadn’t thought about the “casseroles” in a long time - some of the memories she had from the early days of being fostered by Damon and Elena were a little fuzzy, a combination of what she’d done just before and the transformation that had happened not long after, but Stef’s words brought a few into sharp relief.  Smiling at the sight of the ingredients she nodded eagerly.  “Heck yeah, I’m in.”

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For a second she wondered if her sister was actually going to turn down a s’more casserole but she was glad that she didn’t, and couldn’t hide the grin on her face when Tavi mentioned being in for making one. “Yay! And I only got two bags of jumbo marshmallows so don’t even think about snacking on them before they get casserole-d.” she said, giving Tavi a look that almost mirrored Elena’s whenever their mom was telling them not to do something. 

“Do you remember when we were kids and we used to make those s’more casseroles in the oven?” she asked, meeting her sister on the couch in their parents house and raising her hands to show off all the necessary ingredients - a bag of marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate bars. “Feel like having a sugar rush?” she asked, grinning hopefully as she wanted to find ways to get rid of the thoughts spiralling in her head and the memories of what had happened at the Christmas party and the accident years ago. “Please..” 

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“Precisely,” Charlie mused matter-of-factly, gentle laughter falling from her lips before shaking her head, plopping herself down onto the bed beside her sister with a sigh. “What if I do just like New Orleans and beignets? It’s like a fresh start, Stef.”

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“Is it actually a fresh start though? Or is it like the air is thick with repressed memories and baggage.” she said, projecting slightly on to her sister as she turned towards her on her bed. “I’m glad you’re happy Charlie, I just feel like around here happiness always comes from something and that something is always more complicated than you think it is so be careful,” 

       despite the fact that her daughters were all adults now, elena found comfort in knowing that they still viewed her home as a safe space to escape from the outside world. that had been something she had worked so hard to build when they were little. most parents would tell their children that they understood the pain they were going through, but few would be able to mean it in the way that elena did when she said it to stefanie. ❝ i’m always here for you baby. ❞ elena promised her daughter honestly as she looked down at her daughter. ❝ i understand that completely. you can’t keep all of this to yourself though, and i have absolutely nothing more important to do than be here for you, so if you want to talk then i’m all ears. i’m also perfectly content just to lay here for a while. ❞

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“I don’t even know if I can talk about it... it still feels like a hazy kind of fever dream that I wish I never relived.” she said, shaking her head and keeping her eyes shut because for the first minute after she opened them she could still feel the sting of the water against them as she had fought to swim to the car that was sinking to the bottom of the lake. Stef hadn’t noticed but as she was holding on to Elena’s hand and doing her best to block the memories of the accident the lights in her room started to flicker and dim almost with each of her breaths. 

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“Clever girl” Cassian taunted, amused by the girls smirk, before his brow piqued within interest and he actually had to force himself not to laugh “you don’t exactly seem phased either. I’m assuming the family that you found yourself with weren’t strangers to the supernatural” his gaze narrowed, making a mental note of Stefanie’s suppressed power. “Clearly not, witches though.” Hearing about Casper made Cassian smirk, before shrugging at the girls words as he inhaled a soft breath “oh, i’m certainly not here to coddle you” he taunted “and i’m well aware that my son doesn’t like me very much.” Stefanie’s words held a degree of sharpness that he claimed as a Cordeaux “rest assured, i’m making my rounds. Don’t go thinking you’re special.”

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“Thanks I get it from my mom,” she said, talking about Elena but it did make her wonder if Cassian met her birth mom - if he knew anything about her. “No... definitely not, my dad was a vampire and my mom is a doppelganger.” she said, shrugging because supernatural terms had become second nature to her. “Not witches,” she agreed, looking down as she did feel like she was caught in between two families and two worlds but never really fitting in to either. “Wouldn’t dream of it... but for what its worth, I can tell you want to make things better with him -- Casper -- as much as you try and hide it by being an ass.” 

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Cassian’s lips twitched through amusement, before releasing a dramatic sigh “you’re annoying, did you know that?” The warlock crossed his arms against his chest, pausing for a moment in thought before admitting defeat “I made a mistake when we were teenagers. Or more specifically, I broke a very important rule and somebody important to us took the fall for it.” That was a tame version of events for sure. “Then, I lied about it, became obsessed with trying to fix it, sold my soul to the devil and blah blah blah, here we are. There. You’re all caught up.” 

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“I’ve been told... usually it works best on those who are short fused though,” she said, raising an eyebrow towards her uncle in a way that would mirror Damon’s smirk by any standard. “Pretty sure that’s the only time anyone’s described selling their soul to the devil as a footnote, but alright.” she said, feeling a little more nervous about wearing the necklace knowing more about Cassian. “Casper is one of the first people who welcomed me back into this family you know. Or the first not to coddle me and actually made me feel like I wasn’t something to be danced around or treated with kid gloves... and no offence? But what he had to say about you painted a less than flattering portrait. You don’t know me and I don’t know you but I don’t think I’m the Cordeaux kid you should be channeling the goodwill you have towards...” 

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“Hey, that was a much needed celebration,” Charlie mused playfully. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to guess that combo?” Hazel hues rolled as her sister spoke again, hues narrowing in her direction. “Oh my god,” the blonde countered. “Am I not allowed to be happy for no reason?”

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“I’m guessing a lot judging by the victory lap you took with the fanciest bottle,” Stefanie offered, laughing a little and wondering if their dad knew that one of the “sealed” bottles was now filled with apple juice. “Obviously you’re allowed to be happy for no reason, I’m just not buying that there is no reason... unless you just really like New Orleans and Beignets..” 

       the mikaelson party had taken it’s toll on everyone in attendance. elena knew exactly what trauma her youngest daughter had been forced to relive and she hated that there wasn’t more she could do to provide stefanie with some comfort. elena watched as stefanie lifted the corner of her blanket and without hesitation she moved to lay beside her youngest, wrapping a protective arm around her. ❝ i know, baby. i’m so sorry you had to go through that again. i wish there was something i could do to make it better. ❞

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Bed at her parents house felt like the safest place that Stefanie could find, it was where she felt like nothing bad could happen to her, and Damon being there had only helped with all of that. She was glad that her mom understood, even if it was the kind of understanding that came with a backstory that she wouldn’t wish on anyone. “You being here helps.” she offered, turning in bed so she was looking at Elena with half of her head buried into her pillow. “I didn’t want to talk to Wesley or any of his family members because I didn’t know how explaining what happened could actually help anyone. They knew her, they won’t want to hear all about how she died..” 

“Last time I saw you smile like that you’d managed to guess the combo to Dad’s bourbon collection,” Stefanie said apprehensively from her spot on the couch, cautiously watching her older sister. “Okay seriously it’s unsetting more than anything else -- why are you smiling so much?” 

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Cassian’s lips twitched as he inhaled a soft breath and questioned, “don’t you ever fight with your siblings?” He could tell that he was making Stefanie uncomfortable and so he opted to take a step backwards, to place that distance between them. “Of course” he nodded, before tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket, “like I said, you’re family. To save us both the lecture, maybe don’t mention this to your father.” 

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“Oh I fight with my sisters all the time -- which is why I know when it’s a serious fight and when it isn’t.” she said, giving her uncle a pointed look because she could tell that whatever he and her dad had been fighting about wasn’t the same as the fights she’d gotten into with Octavia and Charlie whenever someone happened to eat the last of the Rocky Road ice cream in the house. “I don’t think I’m in any position to be keeping secrets for you, Uncle Cassian. No offense, but we have just met.” she said, “-- I won’t tell him if you tell me why he was so upset with you earlier.” 

       ❝ hey you. ❞ elena hummed softly, moving to stand in the doorway of her daughter’s bedroom as she tapped her knuckles against the wood. ❝ you doin’ okay? ❞ she asked curiously. she hadn’t seen her daughter all day and it was starting to make her worry. // @stefaniesalvtore​ 

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It was taking a while to process everything she’d relived at the Christmas party. and Stefanie was just glad that her parents were around and had never rushed her to get over it, giving her as much time as she needed to just curl up in bed. When she heard her mom in the doorway she didn’t say anything, she just lifted the corner of her blanket and moved over so Elena had enough room to lay down in bed with her, curling up to her almost immediately when she felt her mom get on the bed too, “It was easier when I couldn’t remember that day.” 

Continued from here

“You are my family after all” Cassian hummed as he gestured towards the gift he had given Stefanie, “and family’s give each other gifts over the holidays, don’t they?” Her innocent inquisition caused for his lips to twitch within amusement, rocking himself back upon his heels as he responded “think of it as a good luck charm. Of sorts” he added playfully, “Raven has one just like it.”

@stefaniesalvtore​

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“True... and I don’t know the full story but weren’t you in a screaming match with my dad a few minutes ago?” she said, inspecting her uncle as she looked over the gift, feeling unsettled about the whole thing despite a part of her wanting her biological family to like her and knowing that included Cassian. “Sorry..I don’t mean to be rudde-- thank you, Uncle Cassian. You really didn’t have to give me a gift but I appreciate it.” she said, tying the necklace around her neck. 

Stefanie was still getting used to the idea of a cousin - the closes she'd had growing up had been Lizzie and Josie because of how close their moms were, but knowing that she had actual blood relatives now was actually kind of nice, and getting to know them was even better. "Uh-- something tells me the adults either know you did and like it better or they're too drunk to figure it out," she said, pointing towards their parents and the way that people seemed to be getting along better than they usually did.

"I told you this was a bad idea! If I didn't learn how to do this when I was a kid, and I couldn't do it when I was 12 then how can we expect the outcome to be anything but disaster now that I'm 18?" she asked her dad, holding on to Damon for dear life as she mimicked baby bambi trying to stay upright on the ice. "This is crazy. How do people do those spins and jumps without breaking anything on these things?" Where she could see some kids letting go of their parents she gave Damon a look, "Dad... don't let me go. Ever. Don't let go because if you do I'm going to fall and the ice is cold and hard and painful." @ofreformedsinners

Stefanie was still a little hesitant about her dad's brother. Since that first time that she'd met him at the bar at Rousseaus' she didn't really know if Cassian knew who she was, or if he'd learned since the last time they'd seen each other but she figured that would be the only reason he would give her a gift. Smiling softly she took the gift and held it up to the light to look at it more closely. "Thank you... Not to sound completely clueless but... what is it?" She hadn't been raised in a witch forward household so she didn't know a lot about her witch side, or anything to do with it really so for all she knew it was a very unique necklace.