50 shades of stefan } { somethin' came along, grabbed a hold of me [1969]

[somanyadjectives]

[Following Here.]

Stefan Salvatore ... is very stoned.

As well he feels he should be. This is Woodstock. Everyone is stoned.

Fortunately for Stefan, he's only stoned on pot, sprawled in one of the tents as day shifts into night and he's surrounded by flower children, occasionally singing along with the acts on the stage. He's a terrible singer, so it's not a pleasant experience, but right now he's too stoned to care. The live-and-let-live style of the sixties agrees with him in a lot of ways, and it feels like Woodstock is the culmination of that, a decade of relaxation and peach and protesting against things like war and death.

As the high starts to come down, he tips his head back at the sound of a guitar and a familiar voice, squinting for a moment in response. Then he pushes himself up into a sitting position and reaches for the flap of the tent, calling out into the night at ... nothing really, but he's a man on a mission.

"Diana?"

... Maybe he's hallucinating.

Comments

[diana_abel]

It took a little bit more effort for a Cainite to get high than the average person. But there were enough people flying that Diana could feed off of them in drips and drabs, absorbing what was in their blood.

And it was wonderful.

The 1960s agreed with her in a way that no decade ever had. For maybe only the second time in her life, Diana felt like she was comfortable in her own skin.

Admittedly, that skin was muddy and plastered to her dress at the moment. But it was glorious not to have to care.

She was sitting in a circle with Mitch and some of his friends, playing Hey Jude on her guitar when she thought she heard someone calling her name.

Was the universe speaking to her?

She tilted her head back and looked up at the stars. "Hello?"

[somanyadjectives]

Nope. Nope that's definitely her voice. He manages to stumble himself to his feet, wandering towards the sound of her voice and hoping that that will help him locate the rest of her. Everything is kind of hazy at the moment but he stumbles his way along with a frown.

"Where are you?"

[diana_abel]

Seemed like a strange thing for the universe to ask. It was the universe, after all. And she was inside of it. It would be a bit like asking someone where their own kidney was.

...although, if she thought about it real hard, she wasn't entirely sure where on the bodies the kidneys were located.

Oh, but if the universe needed help understanding itself, that meant the universe was like a person. And the idea of powerful and great deities being just like human beings (or...very stoned Cainites) meant that God really had made man in his image.

It was a thoroughly groovy thing to think about.

"Marco!" she called out cheerfully.

[somanyadjectives]

Well, that's one way to do it. It takes Stefan a moment to register the point of that before calling out in return.

"Polo!"

He knows how to play this game, and he's just going to start stumbling towards the voice.

[diana_abel]

Peels of laughter unfurled into the night from Diana's little circle. Most of them probably didn't even know why they were laughing. But Diana, at least, had an inkling.

She believed a lot of things about the universe.

No way it played 'Marco Polo.'

Nevertheless, she stumbled to her feet, half tripping over Mitch as she followed the voice. "Marco!"

[somanyadjectives]

"Polo!"

He's getting closer. Or she's getting closer. Either way, he's making progress, stumbling forward so that he can peek in each of the different tents to see if she's in there. Playing Marco Polo was an A+ idea.

[diana_abel]

Her bare feet squished a little bit in the muddy grass. That was probably her favorite thing about the summer of love. She didn't have to wear uncomfortable shoes all the time. Diana hadn't been allowed to walk barefoot since she was fourteen years old, when she first stepped on that rusty nail.

It was like she'd been reborn.

"Marco!" she sang again. Literally, in a sweet soprano, ending in a trill that vibrated through her chest.

[somanyadjectives]

"Pol-oh!"

The word takes a pleased turn up as he comes around the corner to meet her eyes and holds his arms out with a grin.

"There you are!"

[diana_abel]

"Stefan!"

That wasn't actually part of the Marco Polo game. She was just excited.

Diana ran right at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and jumping up to wrap her dirty, muddy legs around his waist.

It was the best greeting she'd ever given him, probably because it was the most honest. For once in her life, she didn't have to hold back. She didn't have to be prim or proper or keep up appearances.

All she had to do, really, was slip him some tongue.

[somanyadjectives]

It's really by luck that Stefan managed to stay on his feet at all during this jumping and kissing, but he does. He stumbles once but once he regains his balance, he's all about the kissing, hands sliding up to her hips to keep her steady.

Hello to you too, Diana.

[diana_abel]

She wiggled happily against his chest, pulling back after a few playful nips of his lower lip.

God, he looked gorgeous. Had Stefan always been this pretty? She couldn't remember for sure. But looking at him now, she saw suns and moons and stars, whole universes in his eyes.

Her friend. Her special, special friend.

"Hi," she chirped.

[somanyadjectives]

"Hi," he grins as he continues to hold her there, staring at her right back. The stuff he's on isn't as strong as what she's on, but she still looks much prettier than she did the last time he saw her - then again the last time he saw her was more than ten years ago, on a night not unlike this one.

"I thought that was you."

[diana_abel]

Diana nodded, interlacing her fingers behind his neck. "There's no where else in the world that I would be except here."

Of course, he had no way of knowing that, no way of knowing what she'd become. But she said it in the way in which she spoke the Gospel Truth. Voice hushed and reverent.

This was where she belonged.

"But you," she continued, rubbing her nose against his. "What are you doing here?"

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan smirks a bit before leaning closer like he has to tell her something very important. "Can you keep a secret?"

[diana_abel]

"Oh, yes," she said, nodding just a little too enthusiastically. "I'm the best with secrets. You can ask anyone. They'll tell you, 'Secrets? What secrets? There aren't any secrets.'"

Actually, despite all evidence to the contrary, Diana was actually good at keeping secrets.

Admittedly, she was better when she was a little more sober but...win some, lose some.

[somanyadjectives]

He nods because he completely trusts her with this Very Important Secret. He leans in a little further, so that he's whispering in her ear: "I really love Janis Joplin."

[diana_abel]

She let out a delighted shriek of laughter, throwing her head back so that some of the flowers woven into her hair fell out. Not that it mattered much. Plenty more where those came from. Mother Earth was a generous provider.

Happily, she kissed the tip of his nose. "You know what? So do I. I mean...she's just so...groovy and connected. You know?"

[somanyadjectives]

"I do know," he replies with a nod, before his arms start to give out and he has to let her back on her feet again. "I'm looking forward to seeing her show."

[diana_abel]

Diana landed gracefully enough, whirling around in a circle for no other reason than because she felt like it.

Earth squished in between her toes.

"Oh my God, Stefan," she said, turning to face him again. "I have so, so, soooooo much to tell you!"

[somanyadjectives]

"You should tell me." There's a beat as he looks around, feeling his buzz starting to wane. "And we should find more pot."

[diana_abel]

"Come back to my van," she said, grabbing his hand.

She had a VW van now, one that she was extremely proud of. While it lacked the elegance of some of her earlier cars, it more than made up for that fact in convenience. And it wasn't just the purple, shag carpet.

The damn thing was light tight! Perfect for hiding, you know, vampires.

Not to mention dhampir kidlets.

Proudly, she started to drag him off.

[somanyadjectives]

He smiles as he follows her, stumbling along after her as he lets his eyes glance over the people as he walks, taking them all in.

"I love stuff like this. People just coming together. It's amazing."

[diana_abel]

"Come togeeeeeeeether," she sang absently, weaving in and out between the many people and bodies lying around. She twirled under his arm once, before going on again.

The van was parked out close enough to the stage, without actually being the grounds. Her temporary haven during the day, although she absolutely hated going back to it and missing out on all the fun.

"Your chariot awaits," she giggled, sliding the door open to reveal the shag carpet in the back.

The van was perfectly Diana, of course. And not just because of the purple. There were colorful crystals hanging off of fishwire from the roof. Photographs of beautiful people everywhere. A record player with stacks and stacks of LPs. And so, so many flowers.

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan climbs inside easily, having been in many vans like this before. He settles against the far wall, before taking things in, letting his eyes wander over the scene. "Nice. I like the feel of it."

"Groovy" would definitely be an appropriate word for it.

[diana_abel]

"It's a love wagon," she said, crawling up behind him and raising her arms in the air to wiggle her hips. "No downers allowed."

And with that, she promptly flopped onto her back, pointing an unsteady finger up at the ceiling. "Look, look, look," she said, trying to center her gesture on a glossy picture of a beautiful, teenage girl plastered to the ceiling. "Y'know who that is?"