The blonde vampire walked into the Grill like she owned the place.
I was working the evening shift—had been since Vicki's death, Marco giving me extra hours without asking questions—when she swept past my section and made straight for Stefan's table. The hug she gave him lifted him off his feet.
"Stefan! You look terrible. Have you been eating properly? You're too skinny."
Stefan's smile was wider than I'd ever seen it. Genuine, almost young. "Lexi. It's good to see you."
"It's your birthday, dummy. Where else would I be?"
Lexi Branson. Three hundred and fifty years old, Stefan's best friend, the vampire who'd helped him recover from his ripper phases multiple times. In the original timeline, she died tonight—Damon's sacrifice to deflect attention from his own attacks, staked publicly by Sheriff Forbes.
I watched them from behind the bar, mixing drinks for other customers while my mind raced through possibilities.
Lexi dies tonight. Damon frames her for the attacks, Sheriff Forbes kills her, and Stefan loses his best friend.
The meta-knowledge burned in my chest. I'd accepted Vicki's death as something I couldn't prevent—the compulsion, the transition, the timeline's momentum carrying her toward destruction no matter what I did. But Lexi was different. Lexi was a choice Damon made for convenience, and I was tired of watching people die because I knew what was coming and did nothing.
The decision crystallized between one heartbeat and the next.
I waited until Stefan stepped away to use the bathroom—human habits he maintained for Elena's sake—and approached their table with a pitcher of water.
"Refill?"
Lexi looked up at me with ancient eyes wearing a young face. Her assessment was instant, thorough, and slightly amused.
"You're not our usual server."
"Covering extra sections tonight." I poured water, lowering my voice. "I know what you are. And I know Damon's planning something tonight. Be careful."
Her expression didn't change, but something shifted in her posture. The casual confidence hardened into predator alertness.
"And who are you to warn an old vampire, little human?"
"Someone who doesn't want to see Stefan lose his best friend." I set down the pitcher. "Damon's been killing people in town. The Sheriff is looking for a vampire to blame. Tonight, you're the convenient target."
Lexi studied me for a long moment. I felt her attention like a physical weight, centuries of experience evaluating whether I was trustworthy, whether this was a trap, whether she should drain me where I stood.
Then she laughed.
"You've got guts, kid. I'll give you that." She flagged down another server and ordered two shots, sliding one across the table to me. "Sit. Tell me how you know about vampires and why you're stupid enough to approach one in public."
The shot burned going down. Cheap whiskey, the kind Marco stocked for customers who wanted quantity over quality.
"Long story. The short version is I've developed some abilities. Blood-related. Stefan can explain the details if he wants, but right now, I'm more concerned with keeping you alive."
"Blood abilities." Lexi's eyes narrowed. "Not a witch. Not a vampire. Something else."
"Something else."
She processed that, and I saw the moment she decided to believe me. Not because she trusted me—three centuries taught you not to trust strangers—but because the warning cost her nothing to heed and ignoring it could cost everything.
"I appreciate the heads-up, blood boy." She downed her shot without flinching. "But I've survived Damon Salvatore before. He's a pest, not a threat."
"He's killed a lot of people who thought that."
"Point taken." She stood as Stefan returned to the table. "Now run along. I don't want Stefan asking questions I'm not ready to answer."
I retreated to the bar, but I didn't stop watching.
An hour later, Damon walked in.
He scanned the room with the particular attention of a predator hunting, and his eyes found Lexi almost immediately. The smile that crossed his face was the kind that promised nothing good.
But Lexi saw him too. I watched her body language shift—still casual to anyone who didn't know what they were looking at, but alert now. Ready. The warning had landed.
Now to see if it's enough.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people means more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' timelines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Timeline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access + 5 new chapters weekly.
Timeline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Timeline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the moment I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/Whatif0