Disclaimer : I do not own TVD or the characters.

xxxxxx

Pain. Anger. Sadness. There were so many different emotions that Stefan Salvatore had been feeling. He didn't know which one was worse. He had been locked in a safe underwater for months. But for him it seemed much longer. When you drown over and over again and are left alone with nothing but your thoughts, you lose track of time.

He kept thinking of her, of the girl that had broken his heart and chose his brother over him. The brother that has caused so many people pain, including herself. But who was he to tell her that she had made the wrong choice, that she had chosen the wrong brother. She is going to have to figure that out on her own.

He could feel it again, the blackness was approaching yet again. It would only be a matter of time before all he could see is blackness. So he decided to dig into his memory and think of a happier time. A time when him and Elena were together, and they were happy.

"Stefan, where are we going?" She asked him yet again. She kept asking him in the car but he had yet to tell her. All he was saying was that it was a surprise and that she was going to love it. She always loved the things that she and Stefan did, even if it was just sitting inside and talking. She was content with just being with him, with just being around him.

"You'll find out soon enough." He told her, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. They sat in silence for a while. They could always do that, just be in silence and still feel content with being in the others presence.

For once, there was no drama. No doppelganger problems or worrying about something coming out and attacking them. It was an actual peaceful day in Mystic Falls, which never really happens so they had decided to take advantage of the peacefulness and get away for the day. No one had known that they were gone for the day. Not even Jeremy.

The sky was a nice blue and there were birds chirping. The wind was blowing the leaves and Elena was looking out her window enjoying the scenery. She felt her hand being lifted and felt Stefan's lips place a gentle kiss on the top of her hand. She smiled to herself. He had that effect on her. He was always able to make her smile and make a horrible day seem better just by doing simple things or just being there. He made her feel safe. He made her feel at home.

"We're almost there." He told her, bringing their intertwined hands back down. They sat in silence again until he suddenly stopped the car. "Close your eyes." He told her. He got out of the car and went around to her side, opening the door and helping her out of the car. Elena could feel the slight wind against her arms and it made her shiver so Stefan decided to give her his jacket. He kissed her cheek after it was on and told her to close her eyes again and he would guide her to their destination.

Stefan led the way to where he wanted to take her. Eventually, they had made it and when Stefan said that it was okay for her to open her eyes, she did and what she saw had taken her breath away. In front of her was a little pond. There were lily pads and they could hear the frogs giving off a slight croak. Next to the pond, a little ways from where they were standing, she had noticed a blanket. There was a picnic basket and a bottle of wine. There was a vase of flowers that were in the middle of the blanket. They were Elena's favorite and he thought that she would love it.

Turning around to face him, she grabbed his hands and held them. She kissed him gently before she decided to speak. "You set up a picnic for us?" She asked him smiling.

He looked down shyly. "Yes, I thought that it would be nice. It has been quiet in town lately and I figured that a nice little get away could do us both some good." He looked up at her and noticed the smile. He hadn't seen her smile like that in such a long time, it was a good sight for him to be able to see. And the fact that it was him that put that smile there had made him feel really happy.

"I love it, Stefan. I think we both deserve a day away from all the drama. I love you even more for this. Thank you." She said before kissing him again and then leading the way to the blanket. She sat in between his legs so that her back was against his chest after he had sat down. "I'm starving." She opened up the picnic basket and noticed that he had packed sandwiches among other things.

With the both of them being a vampire, they don't have to eat human food. But he was doing this for the both of them and it would make Elena happy. And he loves making her happy. He knows how important it is to her to stay as close to her human self as possible, even if she isn't a human anymore. She took out the two sandwiches and they began to eat.

They sat in silence while eating but it was comfortable. It was nice. After they had finished eating, Stefan reached around her for the bottle of wine and the glasses. He poured them both a glass.

"To us." Elena said, raising her glass for a toast. Stefan repeated her words and then kissed her cheek before taking a sip of his wine. Wine really wasn't his thing but it was a romantic setting. "I love you, Stefan. So much." Elena said turning her neck slightly so she could kiss him.

A while later, Stefan was feeding grapes to Elena and they were looking up at the sky and at the passing clouds. She would point out the ones that looked like an animal which made him laugh. She was still a kid at heart and enjoyed things like this. He loved how content she was.

"Tell me your biggest secret." She said to him after a while. He was now laying on his back and she was laying on top of him with her chin resting on her hands that were laying on his chest.

"Well if I told you then it wouldn't really be a secret now would it?" He asked her, laughing and rubbing her back. She smiled again which made him smile in return. Her smile was contagious. If she smiled, he smiled, too.

"Please?" She asked him giving him sad eyes. He could never tell her no, especially when she looked at him like that.

"Okay." He finally said. "I always wanted to have a family. I wanted to be a doctor and have a family of my own, a place to call home, and a wife and kids to come home to after a long day of work." He told her truthfully. "But all of that changed when I became a vampire. Now, all I want, is to have a life with you. If you'll have me of course."

"I'm yours, Stefan. Now and forever, I'm yours." She told him before kissing him gently.

"And I'm yours, Elena. Now and forever." He replied.

The memory faded and all he could hear were the words that she spoke to him echoing in his head. "I'm yours, Stefan. Now and forever, I'm yours." He didn't realize at the time that he apparently was the only one who meant what he said. He didn't understand how she could go from saying that to him to picking his brother. He probably never will understand it, either.

Those words echoed in his head until all that surrounded him was complete blackness again.

A/N : I had wanted to write something and Emira had gave me the idea for this. So thank you to Emira. But honestly, it's painful to think that Stefan is drowning constantly and suffering while DE is happy and having a bunch of sex.

I will never give up on Stelena, btw.