Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries, the Salvatore Boarding School… I mean boarding house, nor do I own a record player.

Mandatory Notes: Before reading this, take a nice listen to this song that inspired me for this short story! /mEu8DrO9PbY

Other Notes: This takes place between chapters 15 and 16 of Don't Threaten Me with a Good Time, my angst/hurt/comfort Delena Fic about a party-girl Elena. If you are only reading this fic, it is fine, don't worry, I made sure that this functions as a standalone! The reason that I didn't want it to be a true chapter in that fic is that the main pairing is Delena, whereas this fic is completely Statherine, so not everyone would be interested in reading it. So, fun fact, you will find it both as chapter 15.5 and as a standalone fic 'Cry to Me', so wherever you are reading it from, welcome! I hate writing Statherine, I'm not sure why I wrote it, but it was an offshoot in my mind from the other story, so enjoy!

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the living room of the boarding house. A bottle rye whiskey had slipped out of Stefan's hand, a consequence of falling asleep completely wasted. He started, caught off guard by the rude awakening. His white t-shirt was stained with drops of dark animal blood, from what animal, he was unsure. He had started bottling it and keeping it in the fridge with Damon's blood bags, just to expose himself to the temptation of choosing animal over human. He was going to start mixing some human blood with the animal blood, but in this emotional state, Caroline suggested it might not be the best time to start. Ever since he returned from New York with Caroline, he was a complete wreck.

Despite having Elena back in Mystic Falls and falling back into her normal, high school routine, he had still lost her. Somehow, in his mind, he expected to find her trapped or kidnapped- compelled even. He had hoped that once they 'rescued' her, she would be his again. He couldn't believe that he had been so naive to assume that there could have only been a supernatural explanation for her disappearance. The fact that she just didn't want him anymore was something he hadn't even considered, and it was something his fragile, reformed-ripper mind could barely handle.

That's why he was here, day drinking terrible whiskey, satiating his thirst with old animal blood, and slipping in and out of naps. He figured that the longer he was asleep, the fewer opportunities he would have to do something stupid. He was all alone in the house, and he questioned whether or not that was wise of Caroline and Bonnie, leaving him unattended. Greasy pieces of hair fell into his eyes; it had been days since he coiffed his hero hair. He was strangely emulating Damon today- day drinking in his underwear. Thoughts of Katherine kept creeping into his mind, also not unlike Damon. He was so hesitant to admit this to himself, he was so ashamed. He was also hurt, which was even harder to admit. He started to drift off again, ignoring the spilled alcohol and glass that was on its way to ruining Damon's priceless Persian rugs. The dreams were a mix of flashbacks, all memories with Katherine, some with Elena, and some a mix of memories that never happened.

Katherine was sitting at the edge of Stefan's bed, looking over her shoulder at him. It was midnight- she had just snuck into his chambers, waking him up. She whispered with her voluptuous lips.

'Master Salvatore, would you care to loosen the stays on my corset. I can't stand to be in it a second longer'. Her long, delicate neck met her bare shoulders as she looked at him through her dense lashes. From this angle, he could see his two favorite parts of her: her face and her delicate, hourglass-shaped back. Her pearl-silk corset was tied tightly over her white under-skirts, creating a sinfully angelic outfit- not unlike a female manifestation of the fallen angel Lucifer himself. Stefan couldn't handle the temptation, throwing aside his blankets and crawling down to the edge of the bed. His fingers deftly loosened the ribbons of the corset, Katherine sighing at the release.

'Why thank you for your assistance. Whatever would I do without you?' Stefan knew full and well that her handmaiden, Emily, could have helped her, but he wasn't complaining. He was always weak for Katherine's games. 'Now, however can I repay you…..' She sped around, straddling Stefan and pinning his arms against the back of the bed. Wood creaked beneath the force of her grip, the 19th century engineering no match for her vampire strength.

'Miss Katherine, we must stay quiet. We can't have anyone hearing us.' He hoarsely whispered. He was already panting from sexual anticipation; knowing she was about to shimmy out of her corset drove him wild. He stared up at her with his jade eyes, barely visible in the moon lit room. Vampires could easily see in the dark, and Katherine took a chaste moment to admire how breathtaking his eyes were. She would never admit such emotional thoughts to anyone- it was a sign of weakness- but denying Stefan was beautiful to her was a complete impossibility. Pieces of light brown hair were falling over his brow, enhancing his fragile youth. She knew she was about to snap- to give into her urges- but she savored that moment. With a feather-light touch, she slid the strands off of his forehead, taking in how beautiful his human skin felt below her fingertips. Stefan shuddered at the delicate touch.

Black veins emerged through Katherine's perfect, olive skin, her sclera flared bright red. She couldn't handle the temptation anymore, throwing herself forward and sank in her fangs.

Stefan ended up not remembering anything after unlacing her corset.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Elena was asleep in her bedroom. They had hiked through the woods today to the falls, and Stefan had completely tired her out. It had been years since either one of them had properly seen the 'falls' for which Mystic Falls was named. They had only been dating about a month at this point, so Elena wasn't quite bold enough to Jenna yet to stay at the Salvatore's; she was still in high school after all. Stefan had snuck in through her window and sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep. He had been sitting there for a few minutes when she lightly stirred, her foot bumping against him. Opening heavy, sleepy eyes, she woke up.

'Stefan? What are you doing here?'

'I just wanted to see you.'

'It's been less than 8 hours, you know.' She lazily taunted him, stretching her arms above her head.

'Call me a hopeless romantic, but it's just hard to stay away from you.I feel pulled to you.' She was still sleepy, and clearly approaching drifting off.

'Well, I can't stay up, I have to be up for school in the morning'

'It's fine, you don't have to stay awake. I'm happy enough just watching you sleep. You are so beautiful when you are asleep.'

'Can you go into my head and give me some of those really nice dreams? I love it when you do that. Or… you could just get into bed with me?' Suddenly she seemed much more awake, and her now wide eyes were filled with seduction. This was a complete surprise coming from Elena, but he remembered teenage hormones and all of their mystery. He got under the covers with her and checked her pulse against her temple to make sure this wasn't some trick. That she wasn't somehow Katherine. But it wasn't. It was Elena, his Elena, and she wanted him.

She wanted him, but after making out for about 10 minutes she drifted off back to sleep. Stefan stayed, continuing to watch over her. Being intimate with her like this was much, much better than sex.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Katherine dragged her tongue down his chest, stopping right at the waist of his trousers. She nuzzled her pixie-like nose into his crotch, giggling before unbuckling his belt and yanking at the belt-loops to pull off his pants. She looked up and they locked eyes for a weighted second before grabbing his length and wrapping her lips around the tip. She sucked hard, drawing all the blood to the head to bring him to a painfully hard erection. In his 17 years on this planet, he was sure he had never felt such intense want- need. As she took him in, he felt his cock hit the back of her throat; they quietly moaned in unison. He put more of his weight onto the wall behind him, afraid his knees wouldn't support him much longer. His hand was buried in her mass of curls, pushing himself deeper into her with each thrust. Katherine didn't appreciate his eager movement, so she moved her hands away from fondling his balls to digging her nails into his hips, holding him still against the wall. This was her game with the prize of wrapping him around her finger. He had no control here.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

This was his first time doing this with Elena, but clearly she had at least a little experience. They were on the couch in the boarding house- Damon wasn't coming back for a few days. She unbuttoned his jeans and wiggled them down just enough to expose the fly of his boxer briefs. She rubbed her slender, warm hand over his growing erection, giving it a gentle, timid squeeze with her hands. Biting her lip, she looked up at him, asking for permission; his response was combing his fingers through her silken, sable hair. She reached into his underwear, pulling out his cock. Her hand wrapped around the shaft, pumping exploratively. To ease the friction, Elena licked her index finger and swirled it around the tip, the light touch a foreign sensation for Stefan. Leaning over, her hair tickled the bottom of his stomach, exposed by his t-shirt riding up; the strands cascading into a curtain, hiding her as she shyly proceeded. Stefan grunted at the feeling of her warm mouth wrapping around the tip. She relaxed her tongue and cupped the bottom of the shaft as she bobbed up and down. She didn't take him very deep, but Stefan remembered that humans had a gag reflex. He caressed her shoulder in encouragement before pushing back her hair so he could watch her. Their eyes locked, she blushed.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Katherine was on top of him, riding him backwards. Her curls bounced as she rose herself up and down, her hourglass figure emphasizing the curve of her hips. Stefan outstretched his hands, grabbing overflowing handfuls of her ass. She reached down and fondled his balls; he screamed in pleasure.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Elena was below him, her hair spread out over the pillows. Poised over top of her, he entered her slowly, making sure she was warmed up enough. As he set the pace, he lowered himself, tangling her into an intimate embrace. With one hand, they were holding hands, his other was cupping her face, her other was gripping his back. Her slender yet strong legs were hooked around his waist, bucking up with want each time he pulled back.

… … … … … … … … … … … …

Lips pressed against his neck

Nails scraping into his chest

His face nuzzled between firm breasts

Legs wrapped around his waist, over his shoulders

Katherine? Elena? Why couldn't he tell anymore

Spreading a set of slender thighs, diving his mouth in for a taste

Pushing his length into her

Her? Katherine? Elena? Did they feel different from the inside?

Memories were rushing through his sleeping mind. He couldn't track if they were memories or fantasies. He couldn't tell which woman he was picturing. He began to stir in his sleep, thrashing about until he woke up.

He had fallen off the couch.

There was an odd sensation of a gust of cool air in the room, but he wrote it off as a draft. Pulling himself up off of the floor, he flopped back onto the couch. He pulled the antique, wool blanket off of the back of the couch, wrapping it around himself, and grabbing his phone from the table.

He checked his messages; the inbox was empty. There were no calls, no texts, clearly he wasn't the center of whatever drama was happening with everyone else. He hated it, but the abandonment of Elena breaking up with him combined with the lesser hurt of his friends all leaving had him a complete wreck. Suddenly, he found himself missing Katherine- the Katherine who had made his life hell, the Katherine who was the combination of snake and rat, but his dreams showed him that she the closest thing he could have to Elena. Accidentally sleeping with her this week only proved his hypothesis more. If he wanted hard enough, he could make it feel like Elena was his again. He hated these thoughts, but he just wanted to be happy; happy or numb. He was still ignoring the mess of alcohol on the floor, so getting up for more wasn't an option. Pulling the blanket over his head, he set his radio-silent phone on the coffee table. He thought that maybe, if he closed his eyes hard enough, the whole world would go away. Before he could find out if that hypothesis was true, his experiment was interrupted.

*buzz*

His eyes shot open in hopeful anticipation. He jolted up, throwing his blanket to the floor and snatching up his phone. There was one new text message, from an unknown number. Before he read it, he heard the unmistakable sound of a record starting on his upstairs turntable. A swinging, lightly fuzzy tune started calling him up to his room. Cautiously, he proceeded, accidentally stepping on a glass shard as he got up. He winced, but remained silent. As he walked toward the stairs, he read the text.

'You can't cry on the couch forever'

The song was starting to sound more familiar to Stefan with each step toward the room. He wasn't startled by the text- if someone was in his room with his record-player, they easily could have seen him on the couch. He swallowed and put his phone in his pocket, continuing forward. He grabbed a stake from behind the downstairs mirror, the secret hiding spot, just in case. As the first verse of the song started, the realization of the intruder's music choice hit him like a stake to the heart.

When your baby, leaves you all alone

And nobody, calls you on the phone

Well here I am my honey, cry to me

He hadn't heard this song since the early sixties; he wasn't even sure he had a record for it. This was a nasty game he was caught in. Every word of the lyrics punched him in the gut. He pursed his lips, breathing in and trying to gain composure; he couldn't go into a situation emotionally compromised. That is clearly what this person wanted him to be. Nearing the bottom of the stairs, he was interrupted by a buzzing in his jeans.

'You lived over 150 years of your life without her'

'And you're far too pretty to let anyone make you this sad'

This was incredibly personal, and it was hard to listen to Solomon Burke's crooning while thinking about Elena and not get emotional. His mind was starting to get cloudy, he could feel thirst building in his core. Most vampires eventually adjust to heightened emotions, but Stefan was a slave to his feelings. He picked up the pace, avoiding vampire speed, giving himself just enough time to put his phone back into his jeans and grip the wooden stake firmly in his hand. He reached his closed attic-bedroom door and poised his hand above the doorknob. Tensing his muscles in anticipation, he was about to open the door, but he got another text message.

'Come on, cry to me'

They knew he was on the other side of the door, and yet they still sent this. He needed to end this game. He inched open the door to find her, in an airy blue sundress, swaying side to side in front of the record player. Her curls, her skirt, the curtains- they all billowed in the draft of the ajar windows. Delicious, sweet southern night air, a mixture of honeysuckle, sage and a distant bonfire, saturated the room. On his bedside table sat a small, red cell phone. She twirled around, pursing her lips in a demure type of smirk. It could have been a trick of the light, more likely the mystery of makeup, but he swore he saw her blush.

"Dance with me, Stefan Salvatore?" She extended her hand to him, a glint in her eye. He examined her for a second, running his hand through his messy hair, deciding what to do. He already knew what he wanted- he wanted to be happy.

He pulled her into his chest so that they were touching. She linked her arms around his neck as he hugged her waist. Her head rested under his collarbone, staring up at his sculpted face. They hadn't known each other in that decade, but clearly both of them had the muscle memory. Stefan was never a dancer with Elena, but when he was human, he and Katherine could dance up a storm. For a few seconds they danced slow, but then they settled into a swinging hustle, jiving their hips and shoulders a bit as they backed apart and came back together. A heat grew between them, and not another word was said.

When the song ended, they finished in a gentle embrace. Disappointed at giving in to his own desperation, still feeling his deep heartbreak, a tear welled in Stefan's eye. Katherine pulled back gently, pouting with a furrowed brow. Most wouldn't believe it, but her concern was genuine. She lifted a finger to his under eye, pressing lightly and letting the tear fall. She wiped the tear away with her thumb.

"I know, there's no need to say it."

"Kath-" She pressed a finger to his trembling lips.

"Shh. Don't. Why don't we just… have another dance. "

Stefan ran his hands down Katherine's curves, the crepe fabric tickling his finger tips. His tongue darted across his lips as he sharply inhaled. In a blur, he sped across the room, grabbing an album off his bookshelf and throwing it onto the turntable. He twirled Katherine around, swooping her into a sultry, swing pace.

"Love Potion No.9? Bold choice?" She giggled.

"Well, you always have been my poison" He whispered in her ear before twirling her fast and dipping her. Their dancing was a bit reckless, with Katherine mixing in moves that would have had her kicked out of the sock-hop in the fifties. Stefan's hands were all over her body as they swung from side to side. She sped them around, moving her hips as she slid up and down his body. Sauntering along with the serpentine beat, she stepped him toward the wall. The song was nearing an end.

"Do you want to try a new poison?" She cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes in a challenge. She spun them around so that she was the one against the wall, Stefan hovering over top of her. "You can do to me what you never could do to her."

Stefan furrowed his brow, shaking his head in confusion. She lifted her head up off the wall, staring him dead in the eyes.

"Bite me. Taste me, and you'll forget your pain."

"I can't just… run from my feelings Katherine… "

"You won't forget forever. You'll just forget for now."

"I-"

"Let it out, what you've always wanted to do to her. What you could never do, because you're too good."

He swallowed hard. He never gave into his urges- when he did, people died. But he couldn't find a danger in this situation. She was the closest thing he could get to Elena. Suddenly his anger, hurt, sadness and anguish all boiled to the surface. His face hardened, fangs flashing out of his agape mouth.

He bit into her, drinking deeply, with complete abandon.

He didn't hurt.

He felt alive.

He was happy.