Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. The characters, television series and book likeness belong to The CW and LJ Smith.

Sweet Dreams

He was waiting for her again standing outside beside a tree. He gave her just enough space so she wouldn't feel his immediate presence but stayed close enough to know if she was in danger. It was dark now. He had been underneath the tree for almost an hour and he could hear that she was getting ready for bed. There was no danger near that he could sense. If he had it his way no danger would ever come to her again. Not while he was around to protect her.

Tonight prom had been a complete failure for her, but she took solace in knowing he was near. She didn't know exactly where he was, but he was close enough to where she could relax. As she walked through the house turning off the lights she thought about him. She silently thanked him for staying and willed him to come closer. She did this every night when he stayed behind to watch over her. But he wouldn't come closer. He never did. She wasn't too let down though. She made her way upstairs to her bedroom and smiled to herself. She smiled because she anticipated seeing him in just a short time. Bonnie knew Stefan would visit her in her dreams.

The dream sharing started around the time it became clear that Elena was sired to Damon. Elena was trying to come to terms with that and Stefan needed someone to talk to about it. Naturally he leaned on Caroline for a while. He eventually let her be since she had hybrid trouble of her own brewing. One particular night Stefan called Bonnie just to see how her home life was going since her dad had come home. His call went unanswered, so he decided to see if he could reach her another way. Luckily, she had been asleep. He pulled Bonnie into his minds vision of the abandoned witch house in the woods. Bonnie found him sitting on a stack of wood in one of the rooms. He was amused at the frustrated look on her face. He told her that he didn't call her there because he needed something from her. He just wanted to talk.

Their mid-slumber meetings began with just talking. Bonnie would sit a couple of feet away and they would rant on about Shane, the cure, Silas, Qetsiyah, and any other supernatural hurdle being thrown at them. As their friendship evolved so did their conversations. They went from recent Mystic Falls news to personal events. Time went on and they began to share more about themselves. Bonnie was careful with what she shared with the vampire initially but eventually let her guard down.

Stefan was easy to talk to and Bonnie appreciated that. He listened and never cut her blabbering short. In her dreams it was almost as if time was suspended. They had hours to share whatever was on their minds. They hashed out new plots and joked around. After a while they didn't feel like they needed to talk. They could just lie out in the grass and watch the stars. Bonnie loved the stars awake or asleep they intrigued her. Stefan always made them a bit brighter in her dreams so that she wouldn't have to squint so hard to see.

After a number of weeks they both began to notice how they awaited their scheduled dream sharing. It went from one or two nights a week to every night. Bonnie began to notice how close physically they had gotten. It was small things. Like how they no longer sat across from each other, but on the same stack of wood. Or the way Stefan would guide her while walking down the houses steps and how his hand would linger on her knee while he laughed at one of her impersonations of Elena without her humanity intact.

Two weeks before prom Stefan asked Bonnie if she'd heard anything more from Jamie. Sadly, Bonnie hadn't. After she shut her friend out and refused his calls, Jamie had moved on. She was worried about showing up to prom alone since there wasn't anyone at school she was even remotely interested in. Stefan listened to her worries and prom plans before speaking his piece. He made some comforting comments about how she always had her friends to keep her company. If she was ever in doubt then her vampire and party enthusiast friend Caroline would definitely make sure her prom wouldn't be a night to forget. Bonnie calmed herself in his mellow words of reassurance. It wasn't until she got the feeling of being woken up that she realized she and Stefan had been holding hands.

A few dreams later while star gazing and joking with Stefan, Bonnie leaned over to playfully tap his cheek and the atmosphere around them changed. Stefan caught her hand quick with his superhuman speed and held it for a second longer than necessary. He stared at her intensely for a while. It felt like hours for Bonnie. His green eyes pierced into hers as he gently placed her right hand on his left cheek. His eyes pleaded with her to be okay with their contact and Bonnie accepted. She dropped her hand after she became uncomfortable with his prolonged gaze. She shuffled her body a bit and lay back down to watch the stars. They didn't speak again until Stefan told her it was time for him to go.

Outside of Bonnie's head, reality was a mess. There were fangs here and there. Elena's emotions had been kicked to the curb. And now Silas was screwing with Bonnie's head. After they found out that Silas was manipulating them all and making them see things that were not real, Stefan decided to keep a closer eye on Bonnie. She was a little shaken up and was infuriated about being fooled in such a way. So Stefan watched over her in the evenings after school. They had grown so close, and he would never forgive himself if any harm came to her.

Prom night proved to be every bit of stressful for Bonnie. By the time she made it home she was physically and mentally worn out. After tossing and turning for half an hour, sleep finally came to her. In her dream she found Stefan waiting for her like always. She ran into his awaiting embrace and sobbed. She released her frustrations to someone who had become a trusted friend and confidant. Stefan didn't mind at all. He welcomed the witch's broken cries and loud swearing. Elena had hurt her best friend and that bastard Silas had tricked her once again with visions of her dead ex-lover Jeremy.

After she composed herself, she apologized for her breakdown. Stefan of course brushed it off and told her to come to him anytime. They stood on the abandoned witch house porch in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. She was too embarrassed from her earlier crying to look at him. He eventually realized this and lightly grabbed either side of her face with both of his hands. They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment. Bonnie took a hesitant step towards him. Stefan immediately closed the remaining gap separating them by grabbing her waist and pulling her closer. They stared for another agonizing minute until Stefan took it upon himself to kiss her. It was a sweet, chaste peck. Stefan saw that Bonnie did not object nor did she seem surprised. He leaned down for another kiss. This one lasted a second or two longer than the first.

Prom night was surely beginning to have a lighter feeling on Bonnie. She felt dazed. This dream's lucidity was much more than what she was used to. She did not expect him to kiss her, but she didn't mind. His lips on hers sent an undeniable chill down her spine. Her lips tingled and yearned for Stefan to return his lips to hers. After their second kiss, Stefan looked down at Bonnie gauging her reaction to confirm that it would be alright to continue. This time, Bonnie lifted herself up on her toes and met Stefan's lips with her own. Stefan's body exploded in a fit of excitement. The feel of her body so close to his was intoxicating. Stefan prodded the witches' lips apart with his tongue and Bonnie gladly complied.

The kiss lasted a couple more blissful seconds before they mutually pulled apart to let Bonnie catch her breath. She shyly stared at her shoes thinking about what they had just done. Stefan caught her chin and brought her gaze up to him. They both grinned wildly, and the atmosphere surrounding them settled. Bonnie's body still felt like she was going to burst at any moment. Stefan asked Bonnie if she was okay. Bonnie looked up at him and replied with a request for Stefan to come and wake her up. Bonnie felt that a physical lip-lock with Stefan while she was awake could not be anything short of the staggering kiss they'd just experienced in her dream.

A/N: Wow! Kudos to ME! My first fan fiction in almost a decade. I did it! I really did it!

I love The Vampire Diaries and I LOVE Stefonnie. Stefan and Bonnie mean so much to me.
I would like to thank three very special people: Reanna, Susie, & my "Sexy Pants" (MINDFR3AK13). Thank you ladies so much for the encouragement, corrections/suggestions, and hours of listening to me whine about being nervous on posting this. Your time means a great deal to me.

Thank YOU guys so much for reading and reviewing. It really means a lot to me. If you read and like it, review it! If you read and hate it, review it! I appreciate any and all feedback. This is my first time publishing anything here and my first time writing fan fiction since 2004. I apologize now if I have overlooked any typos and grammatical errors.

I am also looking for a beta reader. If enough of you guys say that you'd like to read more from me I will begin working on other one shots. But, I can let you know now. They'll mostly be Stefonnie. So, if you are or know any Stefonnie beta readers who are accepting stores please let me know through PM. :)