AN: This takes place after 2.19. Reviews/prompts are always greatly appreciated! Thanks so much for all the wonderful feedback so far!
They had more things to discuss, more details to work out, more plans to make, but both Elena and Jenna's eyes looked completely exhausted and they'd both been stifling yawns. Even Elijah looked tired, as if the day had completely drained him of energy. So Stefan quietly cleared his throat and suggested that they pause, continue this conversation in the morning, look at the problem with fresh eyes and minds. He showed Elijah to a guest room, one that wasn't located in the dank basement, and lingered in his doorway to watch Elena exchange goodnights with Jenna. Would Jenna have a problem with Elena staying in his room? Probably not, he figured. Where Elena slept was the least of Jenna's problems. After the guest room doors had closed, Elena slowly walked towards their room and fell heavily against Stefan's body.
"I love you," she whispered as he closed the door.
"I love you too," he replied, his throat tightening.
Elena brushed her hair back away from her face. "What a day," she sighed and, clenching Stefan's shirt in her hand, pulled him to the bed. Stefan rubbed her shoulders and she murmured her thanks, closing her eyes and relishing his touch. The house was quiet and she could focus on Stefan, on the way he shifted behind her to better access her shoulders. Exhaling, she leaned against him, pulling his arms around her stomach.
"Do you trust him?" she whispered, knowing that it didn't make much difference. Elijah could hear them no matter what.
"I trust you," Stefan murmured into her ear and she smiled slightly at the shiver his voice provoked in her. "Elijah..."
"You agree with Damon," she said softly. "You think I'm being foolish."
Stefan's arms tightened around her. "Damon. Damon likes to be in control, he likes to know what others are doing. He can be obsessive about it."
Elena sighed sharply. "I know. But Stefan, I'm not asking about Damon right now, I'm asking about you," she turned to look at him, twisting so she's semi-laying in his arms, one looped around her back, the other caressing her legs.
"I don't know, Elena. I want to trust him, but right now I'm not sure I can trust anyone except you," his voice drops as he says this. Elijah seemed honorable, in his own way, but Stefan feels like trust is so far from his vocabulary right now that it's impossible to think clearly about this. After all this time, he still doesn't know how to think clearly about the fact that his girlfriend is the key to a sacrifice.
"Hey," he hears Elena whisper to him and feels her fingers lightly graze his cheek. "Stefan, baby, it's okay, it's all gonna be okay."
She shifts again so she's straddling him and he slides his hands down to rub her hips. "Stefan, if I die-,"
"No."
"I need to know you'll be all right."
In the past whenever she's tried to have this conversation, he's successfully avoided it, distracting her with words or kisses or anything, really. Despite their connection, their love and trust, how they don't keep secrets from each other, there are several conversations they haven't had yet- their future, the sacrifice. Telling themselves that they can wait, that these aren't things that they need to discuss right now, that they have time, despite the blatant fact that this is becoming increasingly less true.
"Before you met me..." she stops at the look on his face.
"That wasn't living," he tells her again, "That was walking through life without understanding why I was alive."
A deep pink graces her face. "There are so many people who care for you- Caroline and Damon and-"
"If I didn't have you-"
"Stefan," she pleaded with him, clutching his hands. "Please. Just tell me you'll be okay."
Stefan doesn't know what he would do without Elena. Visions of aimless days occur, of wandering through the house and seeing Elena's ghost everywhere, chasing after her shadow only to find the wind playing with his mind. He images trying to move on from her death, teaching himself not to reach for her in the morning or expect to see her brilliant smile or leave a silly message on his voicemail. Not being able to bring himself to answer, he buried his face in her shoulder, taking comfort in her skin.
"I couldn't answer either," he hears Elena whisper, which only makes him hold her tighter. If it weren't for the fact that he can't leave Elena tonight, he'd march right into Elijah's room and torture him slowly somehow. Not that torturing (or trying to torture) an Original was a good idea. Especially one who's (seemingly) on their side.
Elena's fingers crept beneath his shirt and gently knead his skin. It would be incredibly easy to just sink into the melancholy feeling that permeates the air, to give in to the anguish and despair that threatens to envelope them and drag them underneath. Looking at Elena makes Stefan fight against that feeling.
He kisses her instead. Presses her against the mattress, forcing her arms above her head while moving his legs to either side of her hips, their lips greedily sucking and devouring the other.
"It's been way too long," Elena gasped out as he yanked her jeans and underwear down, threw them both to the side. She's sure her moans and heavy breathing can be heard throughout the house, especially when Stefan ducks his head and uses his tongue on her.
It's insane that after all their time together, he can still make her feel this way. Amazing that even as she screams his name he smoothly, elegantly adjusts their positions and pushes into her as her nails claw against his back, she wants more. When they're simply sitting next to each other in class, taking notes, she's content to be besides him, but still craves more of him, of his body, his mind, his spirit. She can't get enough of Stefan- it's as if she's the vampire in the relationship.
"I love you," she hears him whisper against her ear and she whispers the same words back to him, feeling her body go limp as they slowly stop. Stefan turns them over, pulling her to rest on top of his chest.
"You do know we're going again, right?" Elena giggles slightly and ran a hand down his back to rest on his leg.
"I'm counting on it," Stefan smirks as he slides a hand down to her ass. "Because that was over way too quickly."
Elena tilts up and kisses his neck, strokes his chest. "We do have all night-" and then Stefan's kissing her again and words don't seem as important.