"Come on, Elena, you need to be holding 25s on this. You know anything less won't cut it against Auburn." Elena rolled her eyes behind her goggles as she hoisted her body out of the pool.

"I know, Kol. I'm sorry." However, Kol was no longer paying attention. He was talking to Klaus and probably hadn't even heard what Elena had said to him. She wearily walked to the end of the line behind the blocks, sliding her goggles up to her forehead and massaging her eyes. Today had been rough and Kol yelling at her to hit her splits was not helping. Elena honestly could care less what her 50 free time was, she was a distance swimmer for crying out loud. Just because Klaus wanted her on the 4x50 did not mean that Kol now owned her.

Elena cast her eyes around the pool, bored as the line of girls slowly advanced forward. She caught sight of Klaus talking to someone in his office. From what she could tell - all she could see was the back of his head and his torso - he looked like a swimmer. It was a hot back, no doubt about it, but what gave it away was the tension held in the powerful muscles. The cut of his lats, visible through his tight black t-shirt, and broad angle of his shoulders sealed the conclusion in Elena's mind.

She wondered if this mystery guy was the new distance coach. Klaus had said something about calling in a favor with an old friend to replace Matt. Elena had mixed feelings on the subject of her former coach. On one hand, Matt had been amazing at his job. He understood Elena and her body like no coach ever before. On the other hand, after their messy break-up the entire distance team dynamic had gone to hell. He was a decent guy and he did all the right things after her parents died, she just felt that the spark between them had been lost and so she ended it. Elena had never meant her personal life to impact the lives of her teammates and yet it had. She still felt terrible about that aspect of her relationship with Matt.

She shook her head, trying to get her mind off of Matt. Kol was her problem right now. The Australian was the king of short distance and sprints. Normally Elena adored his loud persona and boisterous antics, just not today. As a former Olympic gold medalist in the 50 free, he was the best possible option to coach their team. Elena had nothing but respect for Kol, but today she was not in the mood for his yelling.

"Elena, two more relay starts off the block. And they better be faster than 24.5." Elena inwardly groaned. How did he expect her to pull that out after an hour in the weight room this morning and 15,000 yards before this. Not to mention all of her schoolwork.

"Alright, Kol." She snapped her goggles back into place before climbing up to stand on the block. She lined her hands up and waited for the girl in front of her to hit the t. She swung her arms around and launched off the block, diving into the water.

Elena sighed as she ran a brush through her wet hair. Today had been an especially long practice after an even longer day and all she wanted to do was get back to her apartment and sleep. She put the brush in her swim bag and zipped the top. Elena quickly threw her hair up into a messy bun before she checked her reflection. Sighing one last time she hoisted her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the locker room. It was dark in the empty hallway. It was just a typical day; Elena was once again the last to leave the pool.

Her footsteps echoed as she walked along the hall. Elena pulled out her phone and checked her messages. Nothing too exciting; just a text from her Aunt Jenna and three missed calls from Caroline. She fiddled with her phone for a moment before putting it to her ear. "Voicemail, thanks, Care." Elena exhaled loudly as she locked her phone and slid it back into her pocket. She turned the corner towards the doors and slammed straight into something hard. Elena felt a hand shoot out to steady her as she fell back.

She heard a voice speak. "Whoa, sorry. I didn't see you there. That was my bad." Elena opened her mouth to reply but the words stopped in her throat the moment her gaze met his.

"Uhh. Don't worry about it." She managed to stutter out. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from his. It was like she was drowning in a vast ocean of emerald. But it wasn't drowning, because drowning could never seem this good.

"Are you okay?" Elena was snapped out of her daydream when she felt a slight touch on her cheek. She shook her head trying to regain control of her thoughts.

"I'm fine, thanks. Sorry I'm just really tired. I had a really long day of class and homework and then Kol, one of my coaches, wanted me to stay back and work on my turns for the 4x50 relay, and I have to be up early for weights tomorrow, and my Lit paper is due, and I'm babbling. Sorry." Elena looked down out of embarrassment and ran a hand over her hair, trying to get out some of her nervous energy.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine. I totally understand." Elena looked back up at his face. She felt herself begin to get lost in his eyes again. After a minute, she shook her head again. Snap out of it. It was at this moment that Elena realized that his arm was still wrapped around her waist and that her hands were resting on his chest. She slowly pushed on his chest as she backed away. His arm loosened then dropped and Elena was slightly disappointed at the loss of contact.

In an attempt to distract herself she decided to it was time to speak again. "I'm Elena."

He smiled, and his eyes once again enchanted Elena. "I'm Stefan." He nodded his head ever so slightly as he introduced himself. Elena flicked her eyes over his body. He had the face of an angel. Chiseled cheek bones so sharp they could have come off a statue. Nice square shoulders and his arms, damn, were they cut. A black v-neck shirt covered his torso but even in the dim light, Elena could tell what was under would be just as nice as his arms. Dark skinny jeans hung from narrow hips and his feet were clad in black leather boots. She dragged her eyes back up to his face, finding a smile waiting for her. Overall, it was a nice body.

Something clicked in her head. This must be who had been talking to Klaus earlier. Would he be the new distance coach? If so, Elena would most definitely be complaining less about dragging her ass out of bed and to the pool.

Elena glanced at her watch in an attempt to distract herself once again from those eyes. 9:45. "I should really get going. I have to be back here at like four for weights."

"Then I won't keep you. It sounds like you have been really very super busy and you deserve some sleep." Elena blushed.

"Yeah, sleep would be nice right now. Well, it was nice to meet you." Elena felt her cheeks warm as she blushed. Something about him just seemed to draw her in. It was magnetic.

"Nice to meet you too, Elena." He touched her elbow for a second as he spoke; smile lighting up his whole face. A surge ran through Elena at the light touch, she blushed again as she made a move to walk around him. He caught her arm just as she was almost around him. "This might be too forward of me, considering we just met and all, so tell me if it is, but there is something about you. I can't explain it. I feel this need to know you. Is that crazy?"

Elena felt her jaw drop. "Umm, ha. I feel it too. So if you're crazy then I'm crazy too." She laughed. "I would love to get to know you."

Stefan smiled again and it was infectious. "Great. So…"

"So… phone numbers?" Elena asked, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

"Yeah, that would be a good start." Stefan laughed nervously. Something about this girl just drew him in. It was almost as if magnets were pulling them closer.

They exchanged numbers before finally parting ways.

Elena smiled to herself as she walked to her car. It seemed as though life was looking up now. A cute guy was showing interest in her. It was just the little lift she needed to get out of this slump since the death of her parents. She unlocked her car, lifting the back to toss in her swim bag and equipment bag. She shut the hatch before walking to the front and climbing into the driver's seat. She locked the doors and buckled her seat belt. Just as she was sliding her key into the ignition, her phone buzzed. Elena pulled it out of her pocket and opened a message from Stefan. Careful, the world is a strange place full of strange people. Hope you get home safe. :). Elena smiled to herself as she typed a reply; I will be careful, thanks for the warning :).

As she started her car Elena felt something well up in her chest. Something she hadn't truly felt in a long time. Happiness. And genuine excitement.

Stefan ran a hand through his hair as he walked out of the elevator towards his hotel room. Nik's offer to join the team as the new distance coach was tempting. Stefan loved swimming and coaching at his alma mater and with his two best friends was a dream come true. He didn't know why he hadn't just said yes the minute Nik asked him. His days of competing were over. A shredded shoulder had seen to that. Was his pride stopping him from accepting the offer? To go from a World Champion and Olympic medalist to college swim coach was a drastic change. Was it worth it? What would people say?

"Ah, what the hell. It's my life and this is how I want to live it." He pulled his phone out of his pocket, scrolling through the numbers until he found the one he wanted. "Nik? It's me. I'll do it. See you tomorrow morning." Stefan hung up, sliding the phone into his pocket as he reached his room. An added bonus of his new job; Elena. Something about her just drew Stefan in. He couldn't explain it. He felt this need to know her – desperate urge for her to be in his life. Stefan had only just met her, but he knew she was special. He couldn't wait to get to know her better.

As he kicked off his shoes and shrugged his t-shirt off a picture of Elena floated to the forefront of his mind. Dark chocolate hair, beautiful almond shaped eyes the color of espresso, and a smile that seemed to light the room up. She was beautiful. No doubt about that. But, there was something to her that Stefan found more attractive than her physical appeal. Even in their brief encounter, he had sensed a great vivacity in her. She had this light in her eyes – Stefan didn't know exactly how to describe it. That was what had drawn him in more than anything else. With everything he had been through in his life that was something he valued greatly.

He had also detected just a hint of sadness in her eyes, almost as if she was healing from some deep wound but she still had a hole in her life. Maybe, just maybe, Elena would let him in one day. Maybe, together, they could become whole again.

A/N: Some of you have been asking for me to write and AU/AH and here is my stab. So, completely different setting than the show, huh? I hope you don't think Stefan has been too forward. This is just what spilled out when my fingers started moving. Don't worry I won't make him some sort of obsessive creep. I think it's hard to start fresh without subconsciously. using all of the history of Stefan being perfect and just Stefan.

Reviews are welcome. If you have questions you can message me on my tumblr: .com.

Hope you liked it!