Discovering hollow walls and locating vampire mothers and vomiting blood were all reasons that Stefan and Elena had to pause their sexytimes at one point or another. Not to mention that for nearly eight months, they had been apart with neither of them getting any release. As a result, they were typically not patient when it came to sex interruptions.

This morning was an exception.

Just as Stefan was pulling off her hoodie and t-shirt, Elena pushed him off of her and ran some distance away to throw up the rejected Bambi's blood. Stefan leaned against the tree he just had her body lifted on, catching his breath and calming himself so he could focus on what Elena needed from him. Sanity and control. The opposite of the horny vampire he was 45 seconds before.

When he found her there on her knees, mouth covered in regurgitated blood, he got down in front of her, moving his hands into her hair and pressing his forehead against hers with a small smile. "A little too intense, huh?"

Elena felt embarrassed and not a little concerned that her body wasn't able to hold down food. But she didn't want to tell him that's what this was. Most of her believed the same principle as Stefan—feeding from humans was never the preferred choice.

Yet, there were other parts of her—the parts that housed most of her "survive at any cost" feelings—that wondered if maybe Damon was right. Considering Damon at all led to a rabbit hole of untold weirdness and strange feelings and she was currently enjoying an overnight trip in the woods with this man who she loved and who loved her more than himself so she did what she did best—stuffed her concerns away for later.

She would wait to tell him. She didn't want to think about disappointing him after how much he had been supporting her through this.

So she kept it. She'd call Caroline when they got back. It could wait.

And she nods at him. "Hmmm...My body is still getting used to processing all these feelings and body responses I guess. Not very sexy, huh?"

He looks in her eyes and wipes the blood around her lips with his thumb. "I disagree. Strongly. disagree." And he kisses her.

She kisses him back and it's gentle and sweet. The overwhelming heat and passion that coursed through them just a few minutes earlier had passed replaced by this lovely feeling.

He broke the kiss and continued to look at her. "How'd that feel?"

She had trouble maintatining eye contact with him because of how intense her feelings were for him right then. "Sweet. I feel giddy and shy when you kiss me like that."

"Why" he asks, lifting her chin to meet her eyes and cocking his head to the side to watch her expression.

"Because I...I love you. It all just comes up. And it makes me feel like a girl."

"Hmm...You're beautiful you know that?" He kisses her cheek. Her forehead. Her ring.

Her hand on his cheek, "Maybe we should continue this at home? I'm feeling a little out of sorts."

He nods and helps her stand and they walk together holding hands bodies meeting at the hip toward where they made their camp.

But that was this morning. They'd made it home and took showers (it was together but only flirting and some playfulness. Stefan didn't want to overload her.). They dressed but Elena crawled across their bed and fell asleep. Stefan watched her for awhile but went downstairs to let her rest.

A while later, he heard her wake and brought up his surprise for her. They had no plans today and he wanted to keep her in good spirits. The guilt about everything that has happened and his memories of her tears after feeding this morning were very much still with him. But he had to push it away for now. For now, she needed to feel like she could get through this. And hell or high water, he was going to make sure she did.

He walked into their room with a 1994 Veuve Clicquot and two flutes telling her he wanted to celebrate her first feed. As much as she's struggling right now with her hunger, she realizes that it's because Elena loves this side of Stefan—the "cheery" side. The side who hopes and chooses to live. The same side as the one who shot them into bucket seats on top of a Ferris Wheel because they needed to live. The same side as the one who loved to read her Emily Bronte novels and make her listen to his favorite Miley Cyrus song.

How could she risk losing that side of him by telling him how hungry she was? How her body reacted so violently against her feeding this morning? She loved that side of him. She loved him.

So she nodded her head to accept his explanation of eventually getting used to the taste and comforted herself with the call she put in to Caroline for help.

"You're so cheery."

"Yeah because you're here and you're alive-ish and you're gonna—you're gonna get through this."

And he stared at her as if he could will himself and his strength into her to make that happen. Inside he corrected his words by thinking, "we're gonna get through this."

And she stared back because she was going to let him believe the best for the both of them.

He brought them out of their staring. "So, you wanna do the honors?"

And despite herself, she smiled. Her hesitance replaced by mild excitement. There was that girly feeling again. "Mm..okay?" The smile got bigger.

And Stefan watched her. Her smile and the light in her eyes. And he fell in love with her all over again.

She popped the cork and her surprised shriek and the giddiness and laughter that emerged from both left them reeling. He was just so grateful she was safe. She was just so grateful he was holding her hand through this.

Elena laughed through her words, "you ready?" as he poured the champagne in their glasses. And as the flutes clinked and she finished her giggle, Stefan whispered "Cheers" into her mouth as they kissed. The kiss, simple and celebratory at the first break, moved into something more. And they couldn't stop.

And then the phone rang. Stefan broke from her mouth and looked at the caller id. He sighed. "Damon." Second sigh. He picked up the phone to answer it when Elena took her phone from him and pressed ignore. "It can wait."

"You sure?"

"It can wait." She gulped down her champagne, groaning at how right Stefan was about the silkiness of it going down her throat. He follows suit drinking his, then taking her glass and his and placing all of it on his desk.

With his back turned away from her, Elena walks over to him and places one hand on his shoulder and another on his hip laying her palm flat against his stomach.

"What were we talking about before?"

"I can't remember. I'm a bit distracted."

"By what?" she asks with a small smile.

"Your hands on my body."

She tries to remove her hands just like he did but he was faster than her reaction this morning bringing them right back around. "I didn't say take 'em off. It feels good."

Oh she loves this game. "Does it? What does it feel like?" she whispers in his ear.

"Like fire running through my body."

"Hmm...you're better at describing these feelings than I am I think," Elena tells him, alternating between kissing and licking his neck.

"No I think your description this morning was pretty good."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm...it got the desired response." His left hand met with hers gripping its and moving his fingers through hers while his right reached around her waist to massage her hips.

The breathing in the room got heavy between them and these were mild touches. Elena's hand ventured lower past Stefan's stomach to his thigh and then back up again. She rested her hand on his crotch and let her consistent touch there affect him.

He moaned and closed his eyes as the sensations of her touch overwhelmed him. Unable to resist her any longer he turned around and kissed her.

The passion between them sparked but was different than earlier. She was in charge. And she undressed him at her pace. First she helped him pull off his hoodie and kissed his chest and his tattoo. She felt Stefan's hands in her hair as she continued to caress and lick her favorite spots. And then she moved to his jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them slowly. She looked down to watch her actions and when she looked up Stefan was watching her. She kissed him as she pushed the denim down. Clad in only his boxer briefs, she pushed him onto their bed.

He watched her as she walked toward the door, shut it and locked it. And then she turned their phones off.

"The way you think is hot."

She smiled and stood in front of him. "It can wait. I can't."

Stefan crossed his legs at his ankles and watched her strip out of her clothing. She kicked off her flats and lifted up her sweater and camisole. She slid off her leggings and put her hair behind her ears—her anxious tell.

"How does that feel? Tell me." he asks her.

"Giddy. Tipsy."

"I love giddy. I love tipsy."

That spurred her on and she began to remove her bra and panties standing in front of him with the sun shining on her in ways that made her look glorious and divine. They made love last night and this morning before they hunted but he would never get enough of her.

She climbed onto the bed and lay next to Stefan, caressing his face and stomach. He took her hands and moved them to the waistline of his underwear. Elena gathered the material and slid them off his hips using her other hand to stroke him carefully. Stefan's hands rested in her hair and massaged her breasts. The breathing once again continued to build as Elena rolled on top of him kissing his neck and moving up to his mouth. Tongues dueling for dominance with all the touching nearly made Elena come apart right then.

Between the both of them the groans and grunts and moans filled the room like a sensual symphony. And when she adjusted him inside her it only intensified. Slowly at first she moved on him, Stefan holding her hips and rocking with her.

She bent to him to kiss him and they held each others faces as they passionately embraced. They whispered to each other how each moment of their joining felt. Elena felt like she was on fire and that turned Stefan on so much he flipped them and pushed into her faster and more vigorously. The sweat pored off her forehead and his.

He could tell she was close by her breathing. And he could tell she was really close by the way her arms grasped for his body. He learned long ago that Elena orgasmed best when she felt as close to him as she could be. The gasps and light mewls mixed in made him need to get there with her.

She moved her hands to his ass and pushed him forward into her making Stefan's eyes nearly cross. When she was human, Stefan rarely uttered a sound when they slept together. He would occasionally grunt or during foreplay he might hiss at the way she touched him but that wasn't always. She felt his release long after he had given her 2 or 3 climaxes when his body would freeze and he would lodge his face in her shoulder.

But now, he held nothing back from her and based on the number of times they'd been together since she transitioned (at last count 12 in 2 days), his intensity left her shaking at her core. He was vocal and dirty which allowed her to be vocal and dirty in response.

When it was upon them, they fucked harder, demanding their bodies to merge them and moaning at the most intense pleasure. They continued to make out, but their open mouth kisses were sloppy and wet.

"Fuck."

"Hmm...the joys of vampire sex?"

Stefan laughed. "I guess so," he said continuing to kiss her neck and shoulders making his way down the length of her body.

Elena giggled. "Stefan! Again? Already?"

"We're celebrating. Celebrating takes a lot of time."

Some time later, they're dressed although not altogether separated from the other still kissing and touching—actions that could lead to other activities. She's currently sitting on his lap on the foot of the bed moving against him in the name of "fidgetyness" she calls it.

Stefan called it grinding. And he could only take so much more playfulness before his arousal took over. So he lifted her off him grateful that he wasn't fully hard but on the way.

Elena had to clear her throat and clench her thighs together to quench the fire that began to burn there. She stood up and walked back to Stefan's desk. Pouring a glass of champagne and gulping it down quickly to cool herself down.

"Okay, turning on the phones again."

Stefan sighs. "I guess they've waited long enough."

"Hmm.."

Stefan calls his brother back holding onto Elena's hand. "Damon. Yeah we're back, what's up? [beat] What?"

She looks at Stefan with concern and listens into the conversation they're having. When Stefan hangs up, they look at each other.

"Did you hear everything?'

"Yes. Oh my god. You don't think Da-?"

"I never put anything past the "D" word. I'm gonna go check it out."

"No, let me. I need to check on Jer anyway." And hopefully get to Caroline (or Damon) to help her figure out what she can eat because the hunger she pushed away has returned full force.

"Okay. Will I see you later?"

"Hmmm...I may need to stay home with Jeremy tonight."

Stefan nods and pulls her into a hug. "Be safe. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, Stefan."

"I love you." She kisses him chastely and leaves.