This fic is an alternative take on 8x16. The wedding takes place and the cute reception stuff, but Vicky and Kelly Donovan don't appear, nor does explosion occur. It's predominantly Steroline, but there will be Bamon (eventually!). Warning – most of the characters are going to be dragged as I am bitter and angry about the awful endings inflicted on Bonnie, Stefan and Caroline. So I'm going to try, in my own poor way, to right some of the wrongs of 8x16.
Enjoy and please R&R
She glanced down at Stefan, curled up on his side, snoring gently. There was a softness to Stefan when he was asleep, his brow smooth and unfurrowed. She wasn't surprised to see him still asleep after the day and night they had had. The night in particular had been intense. Stefan, newly human, was consumed with a hunger, with a need that only she could satiate despite the two healing wounds in his torso and his painful right hand. Of course, they had needed to adjust to the new status quo, of him being human, of them being married. At times, Caroline's desire to rip into his warm neck had been strong. Fortunately, she had the control needed, Stefan's patient teaching inadvertently saving his life. They had a lot to talk about, but at that moment, Stefan needed sleep and she needed coffee and a blood bag in that order.
Bonnie had taken to running in the woods on the Salvatore estate. Some found them creepy, but, to her, the densely-packed trees and soft mossy floor were calming to her jagged nerves. Close to nature, her magic fizzed and crackled just beneath her skin. The return of her powers was the one tiny silver lining of the dark cloud that was Stefan murdering Enzo. It confused her because she felt more alive and more dead than she had ever felt in her short life. In addition, deep down in the pit of her stomach, there was a small knot, one she was steadfastly ignoring because if she thought about it too hard...Her phone bleeped, the text message instantly changing the direction of her run.
Hearing movement of the non-carnal variety coming from the love birds' room, Damon had got himself down to the kitchen and was busily making pancakes as a surprise for the happy couple. Of course, there was an ulterior motive, when hadn't there been with him? Only Bonnie knew his secret, the witch had been relentless in pursuit of the truth the previous evening. She was too damn clever sometimes, smelling a rat almost as soon as the ceremony was over. In the cold light of day, his courage was starting to fail so he sent her an SOS text, hoping she would come and back him up when the inevitable shit hit the fan.
Stefan surfaced from his slumber, his hand reaching out to find Caroline. His disorientated panic when he found she wasn't there, was placated by the heavy sensation of his wedding band, the memories of the previous day flooding back to him. He smiled, he couldn't believe just how lucky he was that Caroline was now his wife. Sure, the rest of his life sucked and Katherine was still waiting in wings, ready to unleash literal hell on Mystic Falls, but this moment, in the still of the early morning rested and refreshed, he was beyond content.
Not that it lasted. Even without his vampire hearing, Stefan could hear Caroline berating Damon in the kitchen. Scrubbing his hand over his face, he jumped out of bed ready to face the music. Peace, after all, was overrated.