A/N: Hey all. Thank you guys so much for the reviews and interest in these little one shots. Most of them are going to be fluffy Stelena moments and fun moments with Sam, Olivia and Aiden. But, from time to time I'm going to add in some drama and sad stuff. This is one of those sad and intense ones.
*This scene takes place after Stefan and Elena have been at the safe house. At this point it's only been a few days and Elena's still struggling with letting Stefan back into her life.*
Follow me on Twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24
Chapter Three: Don't Disappear On Me.
Tears streamed down her face as she slammed her fists against the steering wheel. It was late, around 2:30 am in the morning as she sat in the ice cold truck and cried because she didn't want anyone to hear her. She had been driving around aimlessly for the last hour, stopping near a park to just get lost in her thoughts. It was all mostly just to keep herself awake and away from the nightmares she knew haunted her every time she closed her eyes. The only problem was that Elena had walked out of the house without telling Stefan and it had been nearly 2 hours since she had finally turned the truck around and drive back towards the location of the safe house.
"Elena!" The sound of her name seemed so distant to her ears. However, she knew from the fearful and angered tone in his voice that it was him, rushing to her side like he always did.
"Where have you been? I was worried sick, almost called Lexi to find out where the hell you would run off to at 2 in the morning!" He told her, knocking on the window and telling her to open the door so that he could help her inside. Elena tightened her grip around the steering wheel, her makeup smeared with black streaks from the running mascara. She hated that she needed to go back, if it had been up to her, should would have taken the closest freeway entrance and just kept driving until she started feeling better. However, knowing that their children were sleeping upstairs and that they needed her, forced Elena to return.
"I don't need to explain anything to you. Leave me alone, just go." She sobbed through the tears streaming down her face, turning away from him and reluctantly unlocking the door closest to her. Stefan hesitantly opened the truck door. He had hated seeing her so upset over the memories that were tearing her apart and it made him feel nothing but helpless.
"I'm never leaving you again. Honey, I made that promise years ago and I broke it." He brought his hand up to stroke her cheek as he got inside and shut the heavy door closed, trying to get her to smile. But, her face was ice cold without any reactive emotion, all except for being extremely heartbroken over things they both knew neither of them could control.
Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, her hands in her lap as she trembled from the cold and her chin shook while she spoke. "After you died, after we found and buried what was left of what we thought was your body. I stayed away from everything that reminded me of you. Stefan, I didn't want to live in a world without you. It killed me to say goodbye. So, I never really did. I didn't know how to say goodbye to the love of my life after 3 blissful years and so many memories."
Stefan's eyes closed, he leaned over and gently placed his hand on top of hers. He hated that she flinched at the small gesture that he knew used to bring her so much comfort. "You tried to kill yourself?" He asked in a sorrowful tone, swallowing down the regret in his voice. He didn't want to judge her, that was really the last thing he had wanted to do. All Stefan wanted to do was make her understand that she wasn't the only one struggling with him being back in her life. After everything, he was struggling right along side her too.
"I downed a bottle of prescription pills and washed them down with some Vodka. Caroline found me, unconscious on the floor a little while after it happened. She rushed me to the hospital and they pumped my stomach, gave me a psychological evaluation and after deeming that I wasn't a danger to myself anymore, I was sent home the next day...To Matt..." Her voice trailed off as she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, allowing more tears to fall. Elena was thankful though, that Stefan wasn't too close to her and that the cabin in the truck was pitch black, she didn't want him seeing her raw red pulps and asking her how long she had been crying for.
"I didn't know...I didn't know how to be without you. I didn't know how to live and move on. My god, a widow at the tender age of 24 years old without any real direction in her life and two 5 month old babies. I thought that they'd be better off without a mother that refused to even look at them, that refused to touch them for the longest time and to even acknowledge their existence. I thought that Sam and Olivia could grow up with Caroline and Tyler. Because, I was horrible to them! Please, Stefan don't judge me for my mistakes, for all the wrong choices that I've made. Because, I just...I didn't know how to move on from everything that had happened. I loved you so much, I loved you more than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life. Stefan, you were everything to me and then, you were just gone." Elena sobbed, feeling his arms slowly wrap around her and pull her towards him gently. Elena buried her face into his chest and cried against his jacket, smoothing her hair with his hand as Stefan calmed her crying.
"I can't even imagine how hard it was for you. But, those babies. Our children wouldn't have been better off without you. Then needed you. Elena, Sweetheart," He paused, backing away towards the truck door as she lifted her head slowly up while hearing her old nickname that he had given her years earlier when they had first started dating. Stefan looked out towards her as the porch light shined into the car, illuminating her tear stained cheeks and he could swear that for a moment, he saw a small glimpse of the waitress that he had fallen in love with more than five years before.
Elena's blood shot brown eyes locked on to him, her words failing her as let out a quivering breath and swallowed down the lump forming in her throat. "I miss hearing you say that."
A small smile crept upon his lips as he carefully lifted up his hand and brushed his thumb over her heated and damp cheeks. His green gaze locked on to her as he softly replied. "Do you even know the reason we're here? Together, at this place in the middle of the woods. Why I requested no one else be here with us and the kids?"
He could see the wonder in her eyes, the fear too. "It's because I wanted to be alone with you. Elena, this house and this town, far away from the city we both love is our second chance in us both starting over. We need this, You need this and so do I. Sam and Olivia, they need to bond with me and this place is going to help them do that." He was quiet for a long time, pulling her against his chest until he felt her ear press upon his heart and he heard her inhale sharply.
"I'd never judge you for the mistakes you've made because I know we've both made a lot of them. All I wanted to say is that I'm glad Caroline was able to save your life because I don't even want to think about what could have happened. You're an amazing mother to our children and you mean the world to them. They love you so much, sweetheart. I love you, so much." He said with a low voice, whispering against her hair that he loved her more than she would ever know.
"We should get inside and go to sleep." Stefan urged, slowly backing away and opening the car door as Elena sat back into the seat and looked out the window from the other side, leaning her arm against the car door. "You can't sit out here all night, it's only going to get colder."
She nodded, still not looking at him and just as Stefan thought that she was going to open the other door and step out of the truck. She turned to face him instead, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. "Will this ever get easier? Are we ever going to be like we once were?" She asked him suddenly. Stefan could feel that her eyes were glued on to him as he bit down on his lower lip, struggling for the right words.
"It will. We just, we need to work together on this and we can't quit on working things out. No matter how much we might want to do just that. Elena, I know that right now it probably means nothing to you. But, I love you and I have ever since I saved your life that day in August. I have never stopped loving you and deep down, I know that you still love me just as much as before. I'm not giving up on us and if you feel the same way, come with me." He told her, extending out his hand and waiting for her to grasp on to it. Elena was hesitant though, still as if she was unsure it was really Stefan who was standing in front of her or not.
"Please, sweetheart. Come on." He said again softly, smiling at her sadly as he waited a few more minutes until he was just about to turn away and leave her in the car. But, the feeling of her hand grasping on to his forced him to turn back around and pull her out. The moment that Elena stood in front of him with her dampened cheeks and blood shot red eyes that were all now very visible in the light. Stefan pulled her into his embrace as he heard her say with an anguished tone. "Please, don't you ever disappear on me again. Promise me that you'll never leave again."
Stefan moved his arms from around her, gently cupped her face into his cool feeling hands and whispered into the still cold night. "I am never leaving you again, my beautiful girl."
A/N: Thoughts? Anything you'd all like me to write for these between Stefan, Sam, Olivia and Elena?
Questions about my stories? /BePassionate_24
Reviews are appreciated!
