Safe place

by TheDarkAngleLilith

Sleep had always been a safe place for her. She could drift away and for a few brief hours all her troubles were lost. Not that she had many troubles lately she was finding a true friend in Caroline. And Stefan, well Stefan worshiped her on a pedestal to say the least.

It was a hot august night and Valerie was resting peacefully in the large bed she shared with Stefan. But then she was jolted awake by a sudden sharp pain. She sat up and the pain only intensified spreading through her back and abdomen.

"Stefan," Valerie called, she felt something snap and warm liquid wet her thighs. "Stefan!"

"Stefan can't help you." An all too familiar voice chimed.

She looked up in horror to see Julian walking in the room blood soaked with a knife in one hand a heart in the other. He tossed the bleeding heart on to the bed next to her.

"He said his heart belongs to you, thought you might appreciate having it."

She should've screamed, she wanted to scream but true fear is paralyzing. She couldn't scream she could only stare at him in horror.

Julian took deliberately took intimidating steps towards the bed and Valerie pushed herself backwards against the head board.

"Stay away from me!" She hissed as the pain attacked her again.

Julian slowly crawled up the bed until he was right at her feet and raised the knife.

Valerie tried to use her magic to fling the large butcher knife out of his hands, but it was no use "Julian please don't! You can do whatever you want to me but please I beg of you, don't hurt her!"

Julian appeared to hesitate for moment.

"Please if you have a heart it all. Its girl, we were going to name her Lily." Valerie sniffed as tears poured down her pale cheeks.

"Good for you. But Lily is dead, both of them." Julian raised the knife and as Valerie cried out he plunged the blade in to her very pregnant belly.

"Valerie, you're okay" a soft voice summoned "Valerie!"

She woke with a scream to find a very worried looking Stefan hovering over her.

The bedroom door burst open suddenly.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Damon exclaimed.

"Everything is fine; she was having a bad dream." Stefan said softly never looking away from her.

Valerie almost snorted at the statement. If that was just a bad dream than the nightmare would surely kill her.

"Okay well next time V-Card wants to scream bloody murder at least say false alarm." Damon replied.

"Good bye Damon." Stefan retorted.

As Damon left Valerie sat up cross legged on the bed.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked as he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

She just nodded in response and petted the beginning of her baby bump.

"Tell me what happened." Stefan smiled sympathetically.

"I was in labour, and… Julian k-killed you and the baby." She couldn't look at him when she said it. "It was just a stupid dream but it still terrifies me." She felt tears sting in her eyes

"Hey," Stefan whispered and made her look at him "It's okay. A traumatic experience like Julian beating you until you lost the baby will never really go away Valerie. Of course that scared you. Come here."

Valerie crawled in to his lap and snuggled in to him. Stefan held her tenderly and traced circles in to her back.

In Stefan's arms she felt safe. It may have been a false security because she knew Stefan would protect her and their unborn child no matter where he was, but she felt untouchable in his arms.

"I love you." Valerie whispered in to his shoulder.

"I love you too, well you two." He smiled and rubbed her stomach.

Their lips met for a sweet kiss then their eyes bore in to each other's souls.

Valerie broke her star struck smile with a wince for just a second but it didn't escape Stefan.

He quirked an eyebrow "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She replied.

"Valerie." Stefan said disapprovingly.

"The baby, she's kicking it's just a little painful. But it's okay that means she's strong." Valerie smiled meekly.

She was only eighteen weeks pregnant but she could defiantly feel the baby move and often it hurt. But she refused to tell anyone how badly it hurt or let them see the bruises it sometimes left. She refused to think her baby was hurting her.

"She? What makes you so sure we're having a girl?" Stefan asked.

"It's just a feeling I have, and I have morning sickness from hell according to Caroline that's a sure fire sign it's a girl." She replied.

"You're basing this off of things that Caroline has told you." Stefan snorted.

"Drilled in to my mind is more like it. She won't leave me alone." Valerie groaned "She wants to take me maturity clothes shopping on Wednesday."

"I might come just because it'll be entertaining to watch." Stefan chuckled.

"You know I could get really emotional on your ass and I'd have an excuse for it." She glared.

"Because you're not already? I thought you signed your contract to be legally bitchy weeks ago." He retorted.

"I'll tell Caroline that you're being mean to me." Valerie smirked.

"Oh, you wouldn't stoop so low as to sick Caroline on me. I thought you loved me."

They both laughed and she leaned her forehead against his.

Her smile was so beautiful he adored her smile. She smiled so seldom when she first came back from the prison world and he cherished every smile he brought out of her. She was starting to seem like the Valerie he fell madly in love with at the fair in 1863. That girl had always been there she just needed him to be herself again.

"I think I felt it that time" Stefan grinned as the baby kicked again.

"She loves you." Valerie smiled.

"How do you know?" he questioned.

"Because you're the best lover in the whole wide world and you'll make an amazing father. It's impossible for her to feel anything but love for you."

"Well we'll see when he's born." Stefan replied.

"Oh you did not just go there." Valerie glared with a slight smirk.

"Maybe I did, and he loves you." he retorted.

"And how do you know?" she asked.

"Because you'll be the best mom in the whole wide world." Stefan grinned.

Valerie felt like saying she loved him once again but instead she kissed him. They stayed curled up in bed for a few hours until Damon shouted up at them to "stop their sex marathon".

Maybe sleep wasn't her safe place, because she never felt more secure than when she was in Stefan's arms…


I don't own the vampire diaries.

please read and review.

Also check out my series of short stories called "Heretics" for more stories just like this one.