A/N: Here's the second part, enjoy! ;-) Only one more part left of this one and then I'll be back working on Don't You Wanna Stay and Stay Away. Promise.
When he was young, Stefan could remember counting down the days until his next birthday. He wanted so badly to grow up, that he ended up losing a lot of his childhood being too mature for his age. Damon teased him about it. Saying that he was wishing his life away, that he would be in for a big disappointment. That more birthdays just meant more responsibilities. Who knew Damon would actually be right about something. But he always wanted to be older. So he could know stuff. Grown ups seemed to always have it all figured out. They had the answers to everything. The younger version of himself wanted to be the one dishing out answers, not the one always asking them.
Ironically enough he never did completely grow up. Seventeen wasn't exactly the best age to be turned into a vampire. He was horny, hungry, angry and broody all of the time. Inside he was an old soul, on the outside that was a different story. A hundred and something years later he still did not have it all figured out. He probably never would.
It's still so damn aggravating not having the answers to life's questions. Like when did she stop loving me? Was it something I said.. was it something I did? And more importantly why him? Why did it have to be him out of all of the people she could have fallen in love with?
He could accept her loving someone else. But not him. Anyone else but him.
She's better than the both of them. So much better.
So when he seems them together the teenager in him wants to rip the heart out from his brother's chest and feed it to the dogs. Literally. He's had dreams about it. Dreams that have him waking up the morning with a smile on his face.
No. He's not bitter at all. Not one bit.
Stefan never really believed in such things as fate and destiny. Not until he met Elena that was. The first day they met was the day he had saved her from drowning. That was fate and destiny all rolled into one.
He had spent so much time hating Katherine for what she had done to him and Damon. But there came a time that he began to wonder if Katherine was all just part of the plan. His fate. Their destiny. Without Katherine turning him into a vampire, he would have never met Elena.
The term soul mates is pretty strong. Only something a dreamer could believe in.
Stefan has always been a dreamer. He just wishes she was too. Maybe she is. Maybe she is just like everybody else that forgets what they were dreaming about the moment they wake up. Maybe one day she will be able to remember. Maybe.
He tries being her friend. He tries so hard. Because he loves her that fucking much. He knows that he's a big part of her life too. She needs him just as much as he needs her. He's not blind to it. And neither is his brother. Damon is not thrilled about it, but he has no say in the matter so he has to just sit back and watch his baby brother and his girlfriend get close again. The words too close for comfort are written all over his face.
Stefan would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't loving it. It was about damn time Damon felt a little bit of the insecurities he had always been riding him all these years about. But like always his brother is two steps ahead of him.
Damon and Elena gather everyone one night at the Boarding House and announce that they're leaving Mystic Falls. She wants to see the world and her loving and supporting boyfriend has plans to do just that. He can't help but see the sadness in her eyes as she hugs him goodbye but there's happiness and excitement there as well. So he excited for her.
Elena deserves the world. It's just a hard pill to swallow, considering he never assumed he wouldn't be the one giving it to her.
"Now don't you go and forget about me," she whispers jokingly with a laugh, even though her eyes are filling with tears.
He couldn't even if he tried.
He doesn't stay in mystic Falls all that long after they leave. There really is no reason for him to stay anymore. His friends are living it up in college, and the love of his life is wandering the world now with his big brother. Plus he knows that waiting for her to come home to him is useless. She's having the time of her life and probably only remembers him when she gets updates from Caroline about what's going on with friends and family.
He also knows Care is probably not subtle about it either. The blonde has always been on Team Stefan.
Her words, not his.
So he goes on with his life and tries not to dwell too much on his past. But that doesn't stop him from thinking of her from time to time. He wonders if she got to see all the places she wanted to see. Meet all the people she wanted to meet. He really does hope she gets all that. And more.
It's been ten years since he's last seen her. Ten years, three months and eighteen days. But who's counting right? It's a long time for anyone, but for a vampire the time seems to slip right through your fingers. Before you know it a year has turned into five. And five turns into ten.
It's been ten years, but Stefan always makes a point of coming back home for one night out of the whole year. He spends Christmas alone ( much to Caroline's dismay ) at the Lakehouse. It's kind of a creepy thing to do; to spend the holiday holed up in your ex's vacation home, but Stefan has never really been the conventional type person anyway.
This year is no different. He brings a tree from a lot a mile up the road, takes it back to the Lakehouse, decorates it and puts in It's A Wonderful Life. He always seems to enjoy it, but then again he always enjoys everything that night with the amount of scotch he ends up consuming.
"I thought I might find you here.."
A ten year tradition of a boozed filled night consisting of stringing lights, watching a movie and brooding.. a ten year tradition broken by one little voice.
She takes his breath away. She's so damn beautiful it hurts. He's already half lit, so he pinches himself to make sure his mind isn't paying tricks on him. It's one thing to have to deal with dreaming of her every single night but he was hoping to get at least one night off. One night to wallow in his own self pity and most importantly not deal with the harsh reality of losing her. But Stefan can't seem to catch a break. Not even one.
He pinches himself once, twice.. three times. And she's still there.
"Yes. It's really me, Stefan," she laughs.
She laughs, and it's the most beautiful thing he's heard in.. well ten years.
"I can see that."
Silence falls between them and he wonders if that is it. Years and years of not seeing one another and that's all they have to say? It's ridiculous. It's absurd. But then again nothing really did ever make sense when it came to them.
"How did you-" he doesn't even finish his sentence because he doesn't really need to.
"I heard that you disappeared every Christmas and wouldn't let anyone know where you went of to.."
That still didn't answer his question.
"I know you, Stefan. I know how your mind works. More importantly how your heart works."
He simply nods his head, not really knowing what else to say or do. What could he say? I'm sorry I broke into your home every Christmas for the past several years. I just missed you so damn much that I needed something or some place that would make me feel close to you again. Yeah. No.
So instead he opts for, "This place.. it holds a lot of memories."
"That it does," she muses with a warm smile.
They start talking over a mug of hot chocolate. It's refreshing to know that she still enjoys the simple ( human ) things in life. He finds out that she made a point of putting her two feet in every possible place she could. He heard about Paris and the Eiffel Tower. He heard about Australia and the kangaroos. Africa, London, Japan, China and even Italy. He couldn't help but get a little jealous as he listened to her speak. Damon got years with her. Years of showing her the world. Of giving her the world. And what did he get? A couple of years infested with non-stop supernatural drama and non-supernatural drama also known as his brother.
"What are you doing here, Elena?"
It was a simple question. But it was a simple question that had a million other questions behind it.
"Figured a change of venue was in store?" she laughed but added, "I missed you, Stefan. Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Because things are never that simple," he replied coldly, "Where's Damon?"
"Damon is fine. Don't worry about him."
After giving her a questioning look she added, "He's fine. He will be fine. Just needs some time to himself is all."
"Time to himself? Elena you're not making a whole lot of sense right now."
"Dammit, Stefan! He made me choose, ok? He made me choose and I chose you."
All of the air in his lungs seemed to escape him all at once. It was something he never thought he would hear her say. She chose him? Now he was a hundred percent certain he was dreaming. Because this was just unbelievable.
"He told me he needed me to let you go completely. And I couldn't, Stefan. I.. I can't," she shook her head, tears starting to flow down her cheek as she spoke. She reached for his hand and continued, "When I told him that I couldn't he broke things off. He said he wouldn't spend another century sharing another girl with his brother. That he just wouldn't do it again."
He was speechless now. There really were no words but, "E-Elena.."
"Damon knew for awhile I think. And I tried hiding for it the longest I could. But that dull ache in my chest just kept growing with every new place I saw with Damon. All these memories I was creating with him, when I really wanted to be making them with you. It just.. took me awhile to realize it."
"Ten years really? It had to take you ten fucking years to come to that one little conclusion?"
It was the moment he had been dreaming about for so long and yet all he could see was red.
"I know you're hurting. I know I've caused you so much pain and heartache. I hate myself for what I did to you, Stefan. But I haven't been myself. You have to try and understand that."
"Becoming a vampire did change you. But things didn't start changing then, they started changing long before that," he couldn't look at her, "You fell out of love with me and in love with him. That's when they changed."
"That's not true," she whispered frowning before adding, "I never fell out of love with you. I just lost my way for awhile."
Her last words kept repeating in his head. Over and over again. So many times he had lost his way. He knew what it was like to lose his way and be in denial about it the entire time. Being proud and stubborn was not always the greatest combination in the world.
"I lost my way," she gently held his face in her hands her eyes locked on his, "But I came back for you. I came back for us."
She brought her lips down onto his, kissing him long and hard. He knew it was cliche and overly-written about it fairy tales but he swore when their lips touched he felt this jolt go throughout his entire body. It was like the universe had snapped back into focus. He was home again.