Elena rolled over in bed for what seemed to be the thousandth time, this time with a groan to punctuate it. Stefan, who had been politely trying to ignore his wife's movements, finally rolled around to face her. Elena's eyes widened with surprise, then grimaced.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She apologized, and Stefan moved closer with a chuckle.
"I wasn't really asleep." "I've kept you up this entire time?" Elena sighed, "I'm sorry. It's late, we have to be awake in..."
"Less than 5 hours?" Stefan finished for her, and Elena groaned again.
"I can't sleep." Elena turned to face the ceiling, hoping it would bore her to sleep. Stefan pushed himself onto his forearms and looked down at Elena.
"Is there a reason?" He asked, "Hm? Can I help?"
Elena shrugged. "I just can't seem to turn my mind off, is all."
Stefan waited for a second, as if in thought. Then, slowly, he pulled Elena into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. Elena gave a content hum, and Stefan began to run his fingers through her hair. It was shorter now, but he'd found he liked it. It was adorable the way it bounced with every move she made, and was much easier to play with without hurting her. The soothing movements helped, but Elena still found her mind unable to focus. Although Stefan felt her muscles relax in his arms, and her head lean against his chest, he knew she hadn't fallen asleep just yet.
"Let me tell you a story." He whispered, warning a giggle from Elena.
"A bedtime story? Really?" She mocked, and Stefan smirked.
" For both of our sakes, just listen."
"Fine. Tell me a story. Which one is it this time?" She asked.
"My favorite one." He replied, and his voice lowered as he began. "Once there was a girl who felt as if she were dead inside. There was also a boy, and he really was dead inside."
Stefan could practically feel Elena's smile, just as she could hear it in his voice.
"You see, this boy had lost everything almost all at once. Family, love, life. He was completely lost. And this girl had lost people very dear to her as well. It was a long time before they found each other- at least, it felt that way for the boy. But once they met, it was all worth it. It was instantaneous. Of course, they weren't fixed as soon as they met. No, it took a lot of building and picking up pieces for that. But once they met, they felt safe. They felt something they hadn't in a very long time. Hope. That hope... that hope they carried every single day after. Through dates and heartache, through I love yous and betrayals, even through deaths and revivals. The girl once told the boy that she loved him, and to never let that go. He didn't. But I'm getting ahead of myself..." Stefan paused, only briefly, to press his lips to Elena's temple.
"After the two finally met, they fell madly in love. I mean, it was epic. They were so afraid to open up, but at the same time, their hearts were begging them too. Once they did, they owned a part of each other's hearts forever. There was a lot of hardship, as I mentioned. They were apart for a long time. But in the end, just as they always knew, they fell back in love- not that they had ever stopped- and found their way back to each other. And that kind of love- if can change your whole life. It certainly changed mine. And I will forever be grateful." Stefan finished, and was satisfied with the sound of Elena's slow breathing and slight snoring. She had finally fallen asleep. A tired smile grew on his lips, and he leaned down once again to kiss her cheek before resting his own eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, Elena."