Chapter 3: Enjoying the Moment
*****The Hellmouth, OH*****
Stefan watched the girls training with Faith. The house was overflowing with bodies and estrogen. It was a bit intense at times. Stefan had spent most of the past century alone or with Damon or Lexie, but now he was surrounded by a dozen woman with super powers. It was nice but exhausting at times. Some of the girls were fifteen and easily upset. More than once, he had to console a slayer with hurt feelings. For some reason, all the girls ran to him and not Faith whenever they were upset or had a dispute. He'd only been there a week, and it didn't seem to matter. They had gotten over the fact that he was a vampire after the first day.
Faith thought it was hilarious the way the slayerettes took to her guy. She shouldn't have been so surprised. He radiated compassion and endless patience. While she intimidated and challenged them, Stefan soothed them. Sometimes it irritated her—she wouldn't admit to jealousy. Most of the time, though, it made her desire him more. To see the way he was with them and how well he fit into her life brought her joy she'd never known.
She knocked Bimpe on her ass. "You are dropping your guard still!" she scoffed. She held out her hand, pulling her up.
Bimpe grinned. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.
Faith faced the girls who were assembled in the backyard. The sun was about to set. "This hellmouth is about to heat up. You have to be ready for anything. Sloppy technique could get you killed," she told them. "It's time to patrol. Keeva, you take a group to the south end of town. Bimpe, the north. Stefan will take a group to the east. I'll take the west. No one goes investigating alone, got it?"
"Got it," several chorused back. Then there was a shoving match to Stefan as they fought to be in his group.
Faith moved to his side, snickering. "Should I be jealous that they prefer you over me?" she asked dryly.
Stefan smiled. "I'm just the only guy here. Imagine if my brother showed up. They'd ignore me in a heartbeat," he said.
"I don't think so," Faith said confidently. "Damon is too good at pissing people off."
Stefan laughed. "That's true," he said. He missed his brother, but it was funny how these girls were growing on him. Of course, it was Faith that was the real appeal. Every day with her was an exciting adventure. Every day, he discovered something new about her, some other reason to love her. He told her often that he loved her. Although she hadn't said the words back, her eyes grew happier daily.
For now, that was enough.
******Dover, England******
Liz stood on the balcony sipping her coffee and watched the girls below. She'd been in England over a week, and it was still a lot to take in. Rupert managed a hundred or more slayers at the compound at any given time. He also had witches and watchers coming and going. There were five witches who lived full-time there and several watchers. Rupert seemed to balance all of them so effortlessly. Of course, he claimed otherwise. He said things were in chaos now that they'd lost Kennedy and Xander was changed forever. He had no idea when Xander would be able to return and take up his duties. Elijah leaving when the girls had just started getting used to him had added to the chaos.
She was glad she had come. The first day, Rupert had been busy organizing the girls now that Xander was on leave and Kennedy gone. The second day, he'd given her a tour of Dover. It'd been so nice to not have to worry about anything, to relax and take in the sights. He spent a few days working while she'd explored the castle and grounds where he lived. The place was amazing. The only thing missing was Caroline. She would love it here. Hopefully, this wouldn't be the only time she'd come for a visit.
Rupert came up behind her, putting his arms around her waist and drawing her against his chest.
"Are you enjoying yourself?" Rupert asked her, kissing her cheek. He was so sweet.
"I am," she said. She put her hands over his. "This is such a peaceful place. I love looking out this window."
"I love having you here with me," Rupert said. "You can't imagine how much easier it makes the day knowing I'll soon get to spend my evening and night with you."
She turned in his arms, smiling up at him. "I'm so glad I listened to my daughter and came here," she admitted.
Rupert smiled and kissed her. "Would like to teach a class on dealing with authorities? The girls don't normally have to talk to police officers, but I know it'll happen sometimes," Rupert said. "It did with Buffy more than once, and it never went well. She had a way of turning into a suspect."
Liz smiled. "I'd love to do that," she said. He'd already learned to anticipate her needs. Being idle wasn't something she was used to, so he'd found a way to make her feel useful. She was very much afraid that she was falling in love with this wonderful man. Leaving England wasn't going to be easy.
******Mystic Falls*******
Dawn was on a date with Matt. They were playing a round of miniature golf. Well, he was playing, and she was doing badly on purpose so that he'd put his arms around her. He was coaching her. The man had endless patience, and she was so crazy about him. She turned in his arms, looking up at him. "Matt, I love you," she told him. They hadn't exchanged the words even though they both knew what they were feeling was stronger than anything they'd had before.
Matt's smile grew wider. "I love you, too," he said. Then he dropped the club and put his arm around her, kissing her.
A whistle and clapping distracted them. They pulled a part and saw Bonnie and Jeremy in the course behind them. "We came to play golf! Kiss her later!" Jeremy scolded with a grin.
"She loves me!" Matt bragged.
"Duh, dude! Did you just now figure that out?" Jeremy asked laughingly.
Dawn felt a warm glow fill her. She missed her mother every day, but she didn't think she'd ever been this happy. Life was perfect. Normally, that meant something bad was coming. The Summers girls didn't do happiness well. Save the world, yes. Happiness? Not so much.
"Do you think this will last?" Dawn asked him.
"Us? I hope so," Matt said, looking at her with his heart in his eyes.
"No, I mean things being this good. Normally, more bad things always come just when things are going well. It's the Summers' curse," Dawn said, biting her lip.
"It doesn't matter if something bad happens," Matt said sagely. "We'll enjoy each moment each day while we can. Then if something bad happens, we'll face it together."
Dawn looked at him in awe. "How did I get so lucky?" she asked in bemusement.
"Are you guys going to play or what?" Jeremy asked impatiently.
Matt sighed, hating the interruption. However, there would be other moments. This he knew. The dark cloud that seemed to be over him since his sister had died was finally gone.
******Mikaelsons******
Rebekah called Klaus again. Again, it went to voicemail. She wanted to strangle him. The prat was ignoring her, and it pissed her off to no end. The fact that she wasn't by his side angered him. She had dared to choose a life outside of him. The fact that it was a life with the only woman on the planet he had grounds to fear didn't make things any better. It also angered her that she felt guilty. She knew she had no reason to. There was nothing wrong with her deciding to grab some happiness for herself.
Rebekah had once thought the only way she could be truly happy was if she was human with a family. Now, though, she realized that she just needed someone to love her that wasn't afraid of her brother. Too long had Niklaus dictated her life. She refused to feel guilty for being happy. Sure, Willow was rash when she sent him to hell, but he was fine. No lasting damage. He had daggered his siblings for decades even centuries. He had no idea how bad that really was. In the grand scheme of things, Willow's actions weren't that deplorable.
Her doorbell rang. She smiled in anticipation. It would be Willow; it was always Willow. Her certainty filled her with happiness. For centuries, she'd only ever depended on her family. Now, however, she had someone who loved her as much as she loved them.
"Hello, darling," she said when she saw Willow on the other side of the door. She held out her hand, and Willow took it.
"Hi," Willow said, giving her that shy, loving smile Rebekah had grown to love.
"I'm going to give you a key, so you don't have to keep ringing that bell," Rebekah said.
"Really?" Willow said in surprise. "Don't you think your brother would be pissed? This is his house."
"There's something you need to know about my family. We fight like dogs, but we share everything. I've lived with my brother for a thousand years. I've earned the right to all of his possessions," Rebekah said with a smug smile.
Willow laughed. "True. I can't imagine being with someone so long. And your brother isn't an easy person to be with. You are a saint," Willow said, smiling at her.
Rebekah led her to the sofa. "So what's going on? I thought you had projects to grade," Rebekah said.
"I do, but I wanted to tell you about my phone call," Willow said eagerly. "My parents are teaching a seminar at Whitmore College nearby. They actually remembered where I'm living and called to tell me that they'll be in the area next week."
"Really?" Rebekah asked in surprise. Willow hadn't spoken much about her parents except to say they worked a lot and never paid much attention to her. However, there obviously was still some part of her that sought their approval and affection.
"Yep!" Willow said happily. "And I told them all about you. They can't wait to meet you."
"You told them all about me?" Rebekah asked in surprise.
"Well, not the vampire part or the psycho brother I sent to a hell dimension or that you're my student!" Willow said with a grin.
"So you told them nothing," Rebekah said, smiling.
"I told them nothing real," Willow said sheepishly. "I told them I had a girlfriend that I loved and wanted them to meet. Mom still thinks being a lesbian is a fad I'll outgrow. They never really got to know Tara, but I'd like you to know them. We're not really close, but they're my parents. A lot of who I am is because of them."
"Then I'll love them," Rebekah said. "I'll be glad to meet them."
Willow smiled. "I've got to go back to grading. I want to have it done tonight, so I don't have to worry about it anymore," she said.
"Okay," Rebekah said. She kissed Willow goodbye. It was still strange sometimes having a girlfriend, but she'd never been this happy with a man. Her brother would just have to get over it. He was only in hell a few days that seemed like weeks. She and her siblings had been daggered for decades—Finn for centuries by him. He had to forgive Willow eventually. He had ruined more than one of her relationships over the centuries. He owed her this.
When Willow returned home, Buffy was in the kitchen heating up some leftovers.
"Did you already eat?" Buffy asked her.
"Yes. I just took a break from grading to go see Rebekah and tell her about my parents coming to Whitmore College next week for a seminar they're giving," Willow said excitedly.
"That's great, Willow," Buffy said with a smile. She refrained from adding that it was about time her parents actually extended an olive branch. Willow had gone out of her way to visit them in New York last spring, and she'd not had anything more than an occasional email. Willow pretended to be satisfied with that, but Buffy knew it hurt her.
"I'm going to introduce them to Rebekah," she said. "I've met all her family. It's only fair she gets to meet my parents."
"True," Buffy said, happy for her.
"So have you and Rick decided where you will live after you get married?" Willow asked.
Buffy frowned and groaned. "We can't stay here. It'd be too crowded when the baby gets here," Buffy said. "The Gilbert house is pretty full, too, but we could make room. However, there wouldn't be room for Dawn. I want Dawn to be with us."
Willow thought about it a minute then said, "Well, you know Dawnie is perfectly fine with me here. After the baby is born, Elena will be about done with school. When she graduates, you can look at moving out of the Gilberts and getting a bigger place."
Buffy brightened. "That sounds perfect! Thanks!" she said. The doorbell rang. "Come in!"
The door opened. It was Alaric. "Ladies," he said with a smile.
Buffy lit up at his presence. "I thought you were staying at the Gilberts' tonight," she said, standing to greet him.
"Well, I was going to, but then I missed you too much," he said, kissing her.
Willow smiled at the happy couple. It was so nice to see Buffy truly happy. Willow didn't think she'd ever really seen her that way—not since she'd known her anyway. The ever-present shadows that had been her constant companion since Willow had erroneously pulled her out of heaven were finally gone. "You two are too cute!" she observed.
Buffy grinned. "I know," she said smugly. "In less than a month, we are going to be husband and wife. How cool is that?"
"Way cool," Willow said in agreement.
"Have you eaten?" Buffy asked him.
"Yes," he said. "Getting any cravings yet? I can run to the store."
She gave him a smile of approval. "I so love having a man cater to my every whim!" she exclaimed.
Willow laughed. "Okay, no more talk. I've got to get these projects done if I want any Becca time this weekend!" she declared.
"We'll take our party upstairs," Buffy said. "Dawn is closing tonight, so she won't be home until ten."
"Got it," Willow said.
Rick and Buffy went up to their room. He surfed the channels on her TV while she ate. She fell asleep against him watching reruns of I Love Lucy. It had been a perfect evening.
******To Be Continued******
Does happiness ever last in Mystic Falls? Enjoy it while it lasts! Thanks for reading! More drama coming up.
