This Time

Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries and I certainly don't own the characters from it.

It had taken four nights and a lot of courage for her to even begin to hope. Of course, the strong brandy she wasn't normally used to had helped a little. The night she'd hurt Damon more than she'd ever meant to had also been the night she'd seen the first flicker of light in a long time. Stefan had fallen apart at the seams for a moment, allowing her to have a glimpse of what he was dealing with. All the pain, the anger – directed entirely at himself – was leading him to self-destruction.

This was why she had to do this. No matter how much it took to bring him back, she had to find her Stefan in that body he'd trained to act detached.

Calling the only person she knew could help her, Elena waited patiently.

"I saw him. It was him, the real him. I saw his weakness, Bonnie. Stefan is still in there, and he still loves me." Her eyes filled with tears and for a moment she felt bad for asking her friend to bring back her love when she had taken away hers. "Will you... will you help me?"

"Elena," Bonnie said with a sigh, sitting down on the couch next to her and drawing her into a bone-crushing hug. "You don't owe me anything because of Jeremy. I made my own decision of letting him go and it was the right one. That doesn't mean you have to be miserable, too, so we'd match." Petting the doppelgänger's hair, the witch kissed her forehead. "What do you need me to do?"

It was late and he wondered what she wanted this time. It probably had to do with some sort of act of rebellion she was planning, or with his brother.

Desperately swallowing back his rising bitterness, he kept his cool and looked at her back as he walked towards her, his eyes unable to help relishing the sight of her slender body. There were too many memories that he had to suppress, too many nights behind closed doors, under smooth sheets that he had to ignore.

Turning around, Elena revealed tearful eyes, mascara running down her cheeks like mud on a rainy day.

Like a punch to his stomach, his first instinct was to comfort her, but he smothered it.

That's Damon's job now.

"I'm glad you came," she said softly, the words hanging between them awkwardly as she took in the sight of him in a tux.

"Well," he replied in what he hoped sounded uncaring as he put his hands in his slack pockets. "What did you call me here for? Damon do something?"

Pursing her lips, Elena shook her head. "I just needed to talk to you. There's something you need to know." Eyeing him up and down, she bit her lip for a second. "Were you going somewhere?"

"A party," he answered and she almost recoiled at the thought. He was likely going to feed on some girl and... do things with her. Things he would have otherwise done with her.

"Oh..."

"I'm meeting Klaus, Elena," he rectified, sounding tired.

Immediately, her heart started racing, fearful for him.

"Kla-"

"These are times of peace, remember? No more killing each other until his mother kills him. Then we're even." Walking until he was face to face with her – not because he needed to be close to her, but to seem more imposing, he told himself – he mocked, "But it's nice to see you care."

Frowning suddenly, with a look of annoyance on her face, she acted quickly and not on impulse, in the way she'd practiced for hours.

Within seconds, the vampire found himself back against the wall of her house, his head buzzing with confusion and anger. Going on sheer instinct, he moved to scare her, but he found himself drawn back to the wall as if he was glued to it.

"What did you do? Elena," he warned, his eyes becoming blood-red and his face scrunching with the rage of the Ripper, "What did you do?"

Trapping him between herself and the wall, her answer was simple.

"I had Bonnie cast a spell. You're not getting away until I tell you to."

"What the Hell? Elena – "

"No, you don't get to demand anything of me, Stefan. I'm done trying to forget you, I'm done searching for what you gave me in other places. I'm done ignoring myself and my emotions just because you are afraid. I'm just done, Stefan."

Her face came closer to his and his eyes moistened, looking away.

"Elena, please don't do this..."

It was funny, how he suddenly couldn't find the strength to speak, words catching in his throat.

"Look at me, Stefan." When he didn't, she turned his face with her hands. "Look at me," she repeated, though he knew she meant it differently than before. "I love you."

His whimper and the reflex to look away, his face still in her hands, told her all she needed to know.

He felt the same.

"I love you, Stefan, even after all you did to me. I can't help loving you. Hey. Listen to me."

The vampire grunted and closed his eyes, his mouth opening to exhale so he could stop a sob before it surfaced.

"You are not this person. You are not this Stefan who doesn't care and acts distant. I know you, and this isn't you. You're stronger than this – I know, because I used to draw strength from you. You were my pillar, Stefan, remember?"

Her hands slipped from his face and she looked so fragile, so... forlorn. He hadn't meant to make her so vulnerable.

"How am I supposed to stand straight without you?"

His entire Universe was crushed for the nth time when he saw the tears gathering in her eyes. He'd seen her cry so many times he'd lost count, but somehow, knowing he'd done this to her, that he had rendered her so weak, was worse than the deepest thirst for blood.

"Don't cry, Elena, I..."

"Stefan, I'm not asking you to let yourself love me again, I'm just asking you, begging you to care. You did it once, after being the Ripper for so long, you can do it again. Lexi helped you then – let me help you now."

Compassion seeping into her eyes, she caressed his parted lips with her thumb, feeling victorious when his eyes closed on their own under the pressure of so many feelings. So damn many memories.

"Let me be there for you, Stefan."

Before he could answer, she stood on her toes and let her eyes flutter closed as her lips touched his, a string of electricity running through their bodies.

Another whimper left him and she was glad to hear it, she'd missed it so much. She'd missed him so much.

Unbidden memories of her last kiss came to her mind, but she pushed Damon out of her thoughts so that she could feel this properly. It was Stefan that she wanted in the long run, it was Stefan she felt that connection with. What she had with Damon was confusing and exhilarating sometimes, but not like this. Never this... consuming.

Moaning into the kiss, Elena opened her mouth wider, inviting his tongue within to ransack and plunder, conquest and take, atone and cherish.

It was like coming home, and they both felt it.

First TVD fic, hope you enjoyed it.
It's set after season 3, episode 14. Will have one more chapter, perhaps two.

much love,
einehexe