Bonnie wraps her arms around Stefan's middle as the two walk down the street. The air is chilly and snow lightly hits the ground, but it doesn't seem to faze either of them. Despite the late hour, the block is filled with people moving about. Some are in search for Christmas presents while others scramble to get last minute items for the Winter Ball being held the next day.
Having gotten the last of their items a few days ago, Bonnie and Stefan decided to go ice skating instead. Bonnie has to admit it surprised her when Stefan suggested it, but she's glad he did and it had been a lot of fun. After the rink closed, they decided to a little window shopping before they go back to her house.
"So why exactly do I have to go back to the boardinghouse to get ready for the ball?" Stefan glances down at her as he wraps his tighter around her shoulder. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to get ready at your place?" He has to admit he'd been confused and little disappointed when she suggested they get ready separately. Since they've gotten together, he's spent most of time at Bonnie's place.
"You know we'll never make it to the ball if you do. You remember what happened last time." She gives him a knowing look as she reminds him of the last time they made an attempt to go out. She had been in the process of getting ready when Stefan ambushed her with a kiss and instead of going out they ended up spending the night in her bed.
"I wouldn't exactly be opposed to that happening again." He wiggles his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"Nice try, but it's not going to work." Bonnie giggles at him and wraps her arms more tightly around his waist. When she tilts her head to look up at him Stefan leans down and kisses her firmly on the mouth.
They separate, when Bonnie spots an item in the window of the store that draws her attention. Stefan watches intently as she admires the bracelet in the window and he is about to suggest they go inside, when her phone rings.
She sees that it's Abby and decides to answer. Distracted, she doesn't notice when Stefan heads into the store. After a few minutes, she hangs up and when she looks up instead of Stefan is a tall dark-haired man smiling at her.
"Hi." He leers at her.
"Hi." She smiles at him politely before turning back to the window where she spies Stefan. When he continues to look at her, she looks back at him. "Why are you staring at me?"
"You, before I wake up from this dream." He gives her his most charming smile.
"Seriously, that's the best you can do?" She cringes at the cheesy pickup line.
"What do you have a boyfriend or something?" He looks at the beautiful green-eyed woman in surprise. That line usually works the best when he's trying to pick up women. He is about to make another attempt when a man's voice interrupts him.
"Yes she does." Stefan growls out and places his hand protectively against the small of Bonnie's back. While he knows he has nothing to worry about, he still can't stop the burst of jealousy he feels at the sight of another man hitting on Bonnie.
"Well maybe you shouldn't have left her alone then." At first, the blonde man is ready to fight; knowing that being his height and size would give him an advantage. And beating up the woman's boyfriend might give him another chance with her. However, when the boyfriend's eyes start to turn red and black lines begin to appear on his face he runs away instead.
The moment the man is out of their line of vision, Bonnie rolls her eyes at Stefan and shoves at his chest playfully. "Was it really necessary to scare him like that?"
"Just protecting what's mine." He doesn't smile, but the look in his eyes is one of amusement.
Bonnie grabs onto the ends of his leather jacket and pulls him forward and into her, their foreheads touching. "Just so you know, this whole possessive thing you have going on only works if it goes both ways." She glares up at him, though it's obvious that there is mirth in her eyes as opposed to anger.
"Okay." He agrees with a smile. He has to admit there is something very appealing about idea of belonging to Bonnie.
"So." she begins deciding to change the subject. "Where did you go all of a sudden? One minute you were standing next to me and the next you were gone."
"To get this." He pulls out the necklace he just purchased. "I saw you admiring it and I couldn't resist getting it for you." He adds when he sees her surprise.
"Stefan, you didn't have to do this." She gasps as he holds out the necklace.
"I wanted to." He smiles before he grabs her right hand and slips the bracelet on her wrist.
"Thank you." She says as she leans up to kiss him.
After a few seconds they pull away and begin to walk hand in hand down the street, quietly taking in the winter scenery.
"You're shivering." He says he feels her hand trembling in his. He attempts to warm her up by rubbing her arms, but he knows it's futile. "How about some coffee to warm you up?" He suggests when they walk in front of a coffee shop.
"Okay." She agrees and he opens the door to the coffee shop and ushers her in.
They are greeted by the owner, an older African-American woman who takes their orders right away. Five minutes later their order is ready, but before they can move to pick up their coffee they are stopped by the owner. "Just a minute." When they turn to face her she continues. "Would you mind humoring me by following an old Christmas tradition?" The woman smiles wickedly as she points to the ceiling.
The two look up and realize that they are standing under mistletoe. Knowing that sometimes their kissing gets out of hand, Stefan presses a kiss to Bonnie's cheek instead of her lips. Still it doesn't stop either of them from feeling a spark at the gesture.
"You call that a kiss?" The woman shakes her head in amused displeasure when he pulls back. "You get the chance to kiss a woman this lovely and you don't take it." Bonnie blushes slightly at the compliment. "I know you can do better than that." She makes a motion with her hand, indicating that she wants him to kiss Bonnie again.
Stefan sighs and turns back to Bonnie who steps forward, wraps hers arms around his neck and looks up at him expectantly. In response, he closes the space between them and presses his mouth against hers. The kiss begins softly and sweetly at first, but soon things grow passionate and he's pulling her flush against him.
When Bonnie groans into his mouth, he moves one of his hands to the curve of her back and cups the back of her head with his other hand.
"Now that's more like it." The woman says when they finally pull away from each other. She chuckles when it becomes obvious that the couple has completely forgotten her existence. More customers come in and she moves back to the main counter to begin taking their orders.
A few feet away Bonnie and Stefan continue staring at each other seemingly in a haze.
"Stefan, I—"
"Bonnie, I—"
They both stop speaking and share a laugh, but neither moves to say anything. Instead they pick up their coffees and quietly make their way out of the coffee shop before they begin to walk down the street, seemingly comfortable with the silence.
Stefan takes a sip of his coffee and begins to think about what almost happened. When he pulled back from the kiss he looked into Bonnie's expressive green eyes and it had been on the tip of his tongue to tell her that he loved her. It's something he has been holding back for weeks now because he has no idea if Bonnie feels the same way. He knows she no longer has feelings for Jeremy, but that doesn't necessarily mean that she has feelings for him and he doesn't want to lose her by coming on too strong. So for now he'll continue to hold back his feelings and hope that in time she'll feel the same way.
Lost in her own thoughts, Bonnie feels slight panic in her stomach when she realizes that she had been ready to tell Stefan she loved him. When they began this, she hadn't expected to feel this way about him. She figured it would just be a casual thing, but over the last few weeks Bonnie realized that she's fallen in love with him. She's been able to hold back for the most part, but just now after they pulled away from their kiss and she looked into his eyes, it was like she had to reveal her true feelings. Thankfully, he'd started to say something and she managed to stop herself. She's not ashamed of her feelings for Stefan, but she doesn't really want to put herself out there and find out he doesn't feel the same. So for now she'll keep quiet and hope that he grows to feel the same way eventually.
Oblivious to the other's mindset, the two continue to enjoy each other's company as they walk down the street – sipping their coffee and talking softly to each other about any and everything.
-X-
The next day, Stefan is back at the boardinghouse getting ready for the ball. He's wearing his best cologne – the one that Bonnie seems to love, styled his hair to perfection, and now he's adjusting the bowtie of the expensive Italian tuxedo he bought specifically for this occasion.
"I see you've finally made it back here." Damon snipes at him from the doorway. "For a minute, I assumed the boardinghouse wasn't good enough for you anymore."
"Hmm, let's see…" Stefan continues to face the mirror. "…be with Bonnie in her empty house where we can do whatever we want or come back to the boardinghouse and have to deal with angry exes and people who don't know how to mind their own business." He finishes adjusting the bowtie and turns to face Damon. "Tough choice."
"You may have a point." Damon concedes, there is a certain freedom of being with a woman without having to worry about other people barging in. "Still why come back at all when you'll only have to go back over there to pick her up?" He looks at him carefully. "Unless you're going stag because the witch decided not to go."
"Of course she'll be there." He looks at Damon strangely. "What other reason would I have to go to the ball?"
"Maybe to see a certain brunette in a nice dress." He gives him a smug look. "It's what you would have done before."
"That was then, this is now. And I see you're still trying to play matchmaker." Stefan chuckles drolly. "Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? You're actually trying to convince me to date your girlfriend."
"We both know that's what Elena wants. She told me about her run in with you and the witch." Damon shrugs as he remembers Elena's angry reaction when she found out about Stefan's relationship with Bonnie.
"What Elena wants is no longer my problem." He picks up his car keys off the dresser. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a beautiful woman waiting for me." He pats Damon on the shoulder as he slips past him.
"We'll see about that." Damon mutters under his breath as he watches Stefan walk away.
-X-
Bonnie hears the doorbell ring and quickly puts the mascara brush down and heads downstairs to answer the door. She'd dressed carefully tonight, wanting to look as amazing as possible. As she gets closer to the door, excitement bubbles up inside her. Normally when these particular events are held, she is usually missing in action –most of the time dealing with the aftermath of some catastrophic event or trying to fix whatever problem they've gotten themselves into. So to have the chance to get all dressed up with the man she loves is an exciting concept.
Stefan stands impatiently at the door as he waits for Bonnie to answer. It's only been a few hours since they last saw each other, but he feels as though it's been longer. He is jolted out of his thoughts when the door opens up and Bonnie greets him with a warm smile.
The moment he lays eyes on her, Stefan feels his stomach flutter and the blood rush through his veins. She looks amazing with her black dress flawlessly wrapped around her gorgeous body. And now he gets why she didn't want him here while she was getting ready. He definitely wouldn't have given her the chance to ready and they would have ended up missing the ball.
"So how do I look?" Bonnie asks when Stefan continues to stare at her unblinkingly.
"You look incredible." He says huskily as he presses a kiss to her cheek and gets a whiff of her flowery perfume. It dizzies him for a moment and it takes everything in him not to pull her into his arms.
"Thanks, so do you." She smiles up at him, her eyes taking in the custom made Italian tux that he fills out amazingly. He always looks amazing to her, but there is something about him in a suit that makes him even more attractive.
"Well I guess we should get going." Stefan returns her smile and watches as Bonnie moves to the closet and pulls out her coat.
He helps her slip her coat on and then the pair are on their way to the ball.
-X-
The ballroom of the former Mikaelson mansion had been decorated with silver and white to compliment the winter season. Music plays as most of the guests were dancing while others mingle with glasses of champagne the wait staff are handing out. The location had been chosen by the new mayor in hopes to impress the town and establish a new outlook after the senseless deaths of the previous mayors. And so far the guests seem to be impressed.
Every so often, couples make their entrances into the ballroom, reminiscent of the more formal events of the past.
Of the Mystic Falls gang, Damon and Elena are the first to walk in. To most they look like the picture perfect couple, but if those people were to look closer they would see the cracks there. Neither wants to be there with the other – they would much rather be here with someone else– yet they still go through the motions of looking the part for appearances sake.
Caroline and Matt come in next and after getting a couple of glasses of champagne they sit at one of the tables that are littered through the ballroom.
A few moments later, Jeremy walks in with his date Peyton and covertly looks around to see if Bonnie's gotten there yet. He hadn't really wanted to bring a date, but he knew it would look strange if he showed up alone. So he'd asked his friend Peyton to go as a favor and now here they were. It's actually a big relief for him to have a friend that is not only aware of but also involved in the supernatural stuff. As a werewolf, Peyton knows a lot about the supernatural and as a result she hadn't been surprised when she found out about Bonnie's predicament. Talking to her had been the only thing that kept him going when Bonnie stopped visiting him. And he knows if he wasn't in love with Bonnie, he would have asked her out a long time ago.
"If you're going to look for Bonnie, you're going to have to be more subtle than that." Peyton gives him an amused look as they make their way over to an empty table and sit down.
"I'm not…" He tries to deny it.
"Oh please." She shakes her head at his denial. "You've talked about her nonstop ever since she's come back to life. And now that you know she's with someone else you don't want her to think you 're pathetic."
"I'm sorry." He gives her a contrite look. He really shouldn't have dragged her into this.
"It's fine." She reassures him with a smile. "I've been there before with my ex. Just let me know next time so I know to look extra amazing."
"You've already succeed with that." Jeremy smiles back at her. And it's true the silver dress looks great against her dark brown skin.
"Thanks." She blushes slightly at the compliment before turning toward the entrance to watch the couples come in.
Bonnie tucks her hand into the crook of Stefan's arm as they walk into the ballroom. Stefan leans down to whisper in her ear. "You have no idea what you in that dress is doing to me right now."
"Probably the same thing that tux is doing to me" She looks at him heatedly, but you'll have to wait until later." She laughs at the slightly disappointed look he gives her.
The two look striking together and manage to not only draw the attention of their former friends, but several other guests as well.
"Okay, now I get why you want her back." Peyton says when she sees Stefan walk in with who she assumes is Bonnie. "You never mentioned how gorgeous she was." Her voice full of awe. "Hell, if I thought she would be interested I would ask her out myself." She grins up at him only half-joking.
"You know I would really appreciate it if you stuck to drooling over Stefan like you usually do when his name comes up, instead of the girl I love." He shakes his bemusedly as he watches them as well. Bonnie looks amazing and it kills him that he's not the one escorting her to this ball.
"Who says I can't do both." She laughs before sobering up. "Seriously though, I think you need to let it go for now. She's making it clear that she's not looking for a reunion."
"I knew should have forced the issue when she first came back. She was just so different and I figured it would be better to give her some time before I approached her."
"Trying to force her into a reconciliation would have just made things worse." Peyton disagrees. "If you two are actually meant to be together it will all work out eventually. Just make sure you don't do anything stupid in the meantime." She rubs his hand and he is surprised by how soft her skin is.
In another corner, Damon watches his brother and the witch make their way across the room and begrudgingly admits that the witch does clean up very nicely. He can see why she would capture Stefan's attention. Still he knows that this is only a distraction for the two of them and he also knows that once they are given the potion they will finally be able to admit it.
"I'll be right back." He whispers in Elena's ear and makes his way to one of the servers, pulling him aside. The moment he's gone Elena makes a beeline for Caroline and Matt who are sitting together at one of the tables.
"You see that couple over there." Damon looks from the server to where Bonnie and Stefan are huddled together.
"Yes Sir."
"When it comes time for the toast, I want you to make sure this is in the drinks that you give them." Damon stares deep into the man's eyes before he slips him two small bottles that contain the potion.
"Okay, Sir" The server nods his head mechanically unable to anything obey the instructions given to him.
"You're dismissed." Is the last thing Damon says before he saunters off in search of his girlfriend.
-X-
"Hey Elena, you look great." Caroline greets Elena with a smile when the brunette sits down across from her. Things had been slightly tense between them when Elena realized that she and Matt had already known about Bonnie and Stefan's relationship. So she's hoping that Elena's gotten over her anger.
"So do you." Elena smiles back only to frown when she sees Bonnie and Stefan walk in the ballroom.
Caroline looks at her friend in confusion, wondering why the sudden change in demeanor when she spots Bonnie and Stefan as well. She has to admit that the two look amazing together.
"I can't believe they came." Elena looks away in annoyance. "I don't know what to do about them; they didn't want to hear anything I said when I confronted them."
"Listen about that." He shares a glance with Caroline. We think you should leave this alone." Matt says as he glances at Bonnie "They've been through a lot and if this is helping them than I don't see the problem."
"I'm afraid that they'll get hurt if they continue this. It's a disaster waiting to happen."
"If it is a disaster, it's one that they'll figure it out for themselves eventually." Caroline chimes in. If she's honest, she's starting to believe that whatever it is that Bonnie and Stefan have is a lot more serious than they all thought. Bonnie has never really been the type to do casual relationships and neither is Stefan for the most part. So that leads her to believe her estranged friends have actually fallen for each other.
Elena is just about to respond when Damon appears out of nowhere and holds out his hand.
"I'll see you guys later." Elena smiles weakly at them before standing up and taking Damon's hand.
-X-
A half hour later the Mayor comes out to give the partygoers a toast. A server hands Bonnie and Stefan glasses of champagne. They both take a sip after they clink glasses, not noticing the brief flash of purple that appears in their eyes.
They do however, feel a sudden rush of love flow through them and before Bonnie has a chance to say anything, Stefan's walking them to the dance floor and they are swaying together. The longer the two dance, the more Stefan feels compelled to reveal his true feelings. Whatever it was the was holding him back is no longer an issue.
"I have to tell you something." He presses his lips to hers briefly, unable to resist touching her mouth with his lips.
"You can tell me anything." She looks up at him and gets lost in his eyes. And she knows that she has to tell him how she really feels.
"I love you." He utters as his hands grip her waist. "I've been trying to hold it in these last few weeks, but now that I'm here with you I realized I want you know how much you've come to mean to me." He pulls her closer so his face is now only a few inches away from hers.
"I love you too." She says as she eases her body even closer to his until their mouths are almost touching. "I also have to admit… she begins breathlessly. "That I've felt this way about you for a while. I just didn't have the courage to admit until now." She looks up at him her eyes filled with a mixture of love and lust.
"Come with me." He whispers sensually and before Bonnie can respond he's pulling her out of the ballroom and into the long hallway where several rooms are located.
They two are so focused on each other that they don't notice the strange looks Damon and Jeremy are giving them from across the room.
-X-
Bonnie and Stefan stumble their way into the room wrapped around each other. They are so caught up in their embrace that they miss the large desk and collide with the bookcases behind it. They continue to kiss each other madly, until Bonnie groans out in pain and Stefan realizes the books are digging into her back.
Stefan lifts her with ease and carries her back over the desk, pulling away long enough to sweep aside the papers and other items covering its surface. The items fall to the floor with a crash, but the two are so focused on each other they don't notice.
Immediately, Bonnie hands slip down to his waist to unbutton his pants before pulling his erection from his underwear.
Turned on, he slides her dress up, pushes her lacy underwear aside before grabbing her hips and thrusting inside of her. As they begin moving against each other, Bonnie grabs onto the lapels of his tuxedo jacket in order to tug him down on top of her.
When she makes a tiny move with her hips, he hisses in pleasure and grabs onto the ends of the desk. Eventually what began as a slow and steady pace shifts into a faster one where he is basically slamming in and out of her. Bonnie buries her face in Stefan's neck when the urge to scream out her enjoyment to the entire mansion bubbles up.
Lost in their own private world, Bonnie and Stefan continue to move against each other, resulting in grunts and growls filling the quiet office as their movements became increasingly frenzied. Bonnie is unable contain the loud moan that spills from her lips as her orgasm erupts. Her back arches as the pleasure flows through her body like wild fire.
The desk splinters under Stefan's hands as Bonnie's walls clench around him. The feel of her walls fluttering around him causes his hips to jerk and a roar to spill from him before he's lost in his own release. After a few minutes of silence, he lifts his head and presses a soft kiss to Bonnie's lips.
"That was amazing," she murmurs against his mouth with a sigh.
"Yeah it was." He agrees before he moves to nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck. "I never thought I would fall in love again." Stefan says softly as he pulls his face away from her neck, his voice full of wonder.
"Neither did I." Bonnie cups his cheeks, "but I have and I don't regret it." Bonnie smiles at him.
"I love you." He passionately utters the words again, unable to stop saying it.
"I love you too." She responds just as passionately before she leans up to kiss him.
-X-
Twenty minutes later, Bonnie and Stefan have gotten themselves together and are once back on the dance floor.
Stefan tucks her into his arms and the two begin to sway to the music. When she rests her head against his shoulder he sighs in contentment, his body still buzzing from their tryst. All he can think is that he could dance with her forever and from the look in her eyes he knows she feels the same way.
This is why he's surprised when she stops moving and her eyes suddenly become unfocused. "Bonnie? Are you okay?" he asks with alarm in his voice. Bonnie never answers. Instead her eyes roll in the back of her head and then he's catching her in his arms before her body can hit the ground.