Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.
~ X ~
He perched on a tall, three legged stool behind the counter of the second hand bookstore he worked at. Business was slow this late at night, so he had taken the opportunity to browse through the Science Fiction section, finding a collection of short stories by an author popular in the fifties. They had appealed to him when they were first published, and it tickled him that they were still relevant today.
This job suited him. He liked the somewhat musty smell of old paper, and the narrow corridors jam packed with old paper and hardback books. He enjoyed the give and take with the regular clientele, an eclectic group ranging from impoverished students to seniors citizens on set incomes. A voracious reader, he was able to intelligently discuss the works of almost any author and was sincerely grateful when directed to a new one. And if, on occasion, someone tried to move past the friendly banter about books, he was able to gently divert their interest, only having to resort to compulsion a couple of times to discourage a few particularly persistent females.
He was suddenly startled out of his immersion in a future world by a soft voice. "Hello."
He sucked in his breath, recognizing the voice. He slowly raised his eyes, and the sight of that lovely familiar face and those soft doe brown eyes made the region around his heart simultaneously ache and throb with joy.
He swallowed, his lips opening and closing, unable to force any words out. She smiled, understanding his discomfort, and coaxed, "Start with hello."
He finally gave a lopsided half smile though he had to blink several times against the tears prickling against his lids. He worked up enough spit in his dry mouth to say with a modicum of calm, "Hey there." Having managed to get that out, he continued, "What are yo—"
She silenced him by reaching across the counter and placing a finger on his lips. "I need you to hold me first, talk later."
He shook himself and sputtered, "Let me, ah . lock u—"
She smiled again, confessing, "I locked the door when I came in and flipped the sign to say 'Closed'. Just get the lights."
He jerked his head in the direction behind him. "There's a room we use for breaks in back."
She walked around the counter, her sneakers making no sound, passing through an open doorway curtained by strings of cheap beads. He flipped the lights and cautiously followed.
She stood in the middle of the little room, ignoring the over sized sofa, tiny refrigerator, and stained sink.
He faced her, not stepping too close, giving her space. She gazed at him as if she couldn't get enough of him. She reached up and pushed a strand of hair into place, murmuring softly, "You need a haircut."
"I know," he acknowledged. Hesitantly, almost fearfully, he reached out a hand, lightly tracing his fingers over her forehead, down the side of her face, coming to rest against her cheek, fingers buried in her thick straight hair. She pressed her check against his hand, twisting slightly so her lips could kiss his palm. His breath came out in a sob as her pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly, kissing the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around him, holding on to him as if for dear life.
"I need this," she whispered against his chest.
They hugged for long moments, enjoying the closeness, and then he relaxed his grip, leaning back slightly so they could look at each others' faces.
He started to say, "How did—," but she silenced him with a kiss. It started tenderly and then they both got carried away. He groaned, and she felt him harden against her. She pressed into him, moving sinuously, exciting him even further.
He broke from the kiss, gritting his teeth, fighting for control. "'Ss been too long. Won't be able to stop."
She used one hand to turn his head back to her, placing the other one on his groin. Eyes glazed with desire she purred, "I don't want you to."
He surrendered then, stripping off his shirt while she unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He pulled her modest tank top over her head, taking her bra with it, and then helping her off with her shorts. Her soft moaning sounds egged him on. They moved to the sofa, her clinging to him as he kissed her all over, careful to enter her only when she was ready. As he gently rocked inside her, she stopped him, hands cupping both sides of his face. Scared, afraid of rejection, he looked at her fearfully. She quickly put him at ease. "I'm not human anymore. You don't have to treat me like a china doll."
His green eyes lit with fire as he finally made love to her without holding back. They spent hours rediscovering each others' bodies. She relished the hard feel of his sculpted muscles and flat rippled belly while he savored the familiar smell and feel of her soft skin. They teased and coupled until they finally fell spent on the huge sofa.
He lay sprawled, his head on her chest, exhausted by the release of his pent up emotions, body replete, lips still pressed to her breast. She smiled down at the top of his head and gently ran her fingers through the soft hair at the base of his neck. He murmured with contentment before sinking down into sleep.
She moved slightly, stretching her arms like a cat, enjoying the glow after sex. Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she ran over her mental checklist one last time. She was a firm believer in the value of planning.
Her hair was long enough that the sheer weight of it would straighten out the new curly growth. She wouldn't need another chemical treatment for quite awhile. The scent of the bath products that she was using, while not a favorite, didn't repulse her, and she could stand them for the time being. Stefan was certainly stimulated by the familiar smell. She had resigned herself to wearing boring clothes for at least a year before she would seem to gradually change her taste.
She could easily dampen her strength down to an appropriate level for a new vampire and direct the conversation to safe topics. Once she revealed Damon's death to Stefan, his grief would overwhelm him, and he would cling to her even tighter. She would be there to help him through it.
She anticipated no problem displaying a suitable amount of grief since she sincerely mourned Damon's death. There was no doubt he was a loose cannon and that a more sensible man wouldn't have pushed Klaus that one last time. Still, it was that bravado and craziness that made him so exciting and desirable. If she had been his lover she would have distracted him, avoiding that last final confrontation; but that pathetic, naive fool Elena had no idea how to handle him.
Elena, robbed of her vigilant protector, had been easy prey. One fatal stab through the heart, a careful secret burial in a coffin already in use, and she was the inconsolable Elena, pitied and comforted by all, justified in leaving to search for Stefan. She had fooled even Bonnie and Jeremy, and Elijah himself had guaranteed Klaus would take no more revenge.
A rather nasty smile crossed her face as she recalled the shock and fear on Elena's face when she realized that there was no escape this time.
Her mind at rest now, she shifted Stefan off her, silencing his sleepy protest at losing contact with her body by lying across his back. Her last thought as she embraced him and allowed sleep to overtake her was. "Got what I wanted, but then I always do."
~FIN~