TVD – Takes place sometime before Originals entered the picture, on one of the nights not seen in any episode…I do not own TVD, only the story below which is inspired by the characters of TVD.

School Days #6

Another hopefully quiet week was on the horizon, so she hoped. Still, inside, she couldn't help but feel that they had been too lucky for too long. As she distractedly scanned the pile of mail on the counter, she was irritated with how jumpy she was today. Catching herself sniping at her brother over the littlest of things, she apologized, saying, "Sorry, Jer. I'm all edgy this morning. I don't know what's wrong with me." Jeremy smirked at a private joke as he finished his cereal by the sink and left the bowl for someone else to clean up later. Typical. "What's so funny?"

"Well, I'd say it's because you need to get some, but we both know that's not the problem…" He continued in a rather girly voice mocking her, "Oh, Oh Stefan" as he reached for his backpack sitting between them on the island counter. Her mouth gaped open wide as if saying I can't believe you just said that as she flung a sports catalog from the mail at her playful, if rude, brother. Dodging and swatting down the airborne pages, he finished with, "Hey, it's not my fault the walls are thin,…or that you are loud…" getting one last zinger in before he was out the door.

"Jeremy!" She could hear his laughter as the door slammed behind him. She blushed and bit her lower lip thinking of what noises he had likely heard. She had to chuckle. He was right. She tried, usually without success, to keep quiet when she and Stefan spent nights at the Gilbert home. Stefan didn't make it easy on her, that's for sure. Smiling to herself in spite of her embarrassment, she just finished her coffee when she heard Bonnie's telltale beep out front. Stowing her mug and Jeremy's dishes in the dishwasher, she headed to the door for the start of another school day.

The sun was bouncing off the hood of the Prius glaring into Elena's eyes, so she road with her eyes closed or looking out her passenger side window. Elena wasn't much of a talker in the morning but she enjoyed Bonnie's positive energy and hoped it would rub off on her, per usual. While she half listened to Bonnie's latest experimentation into the witchy world of her ancestors, Elena continued her self-examination of her irritated nerves that seemed to twitch just beneath her skin.

By the time they arrived, Elena had internally admonished herself for thinking that the quiet times, the good days, were likely short-lived. She knew Stefan would be near soon, so she bucked up and anticipated the hello he'd certainly give her after last night's shenanigans. She nearly blushed a second time this morning at the thought.

Approaching her locker, she could see him waiting for her, eyes glued to hers, and a knowing smile shared between them. Lost in each other's eyes for what seemed like forever, they both leaned in for the kiss that would make last night flash before each other's eyes. Such a happy and heated memory…

"Hey," Stefan half whispered against her lips.

"Hmm," Elena sighed and smiled. "All better now."

"Was something wrong?"

Deciding to not worry him with her jitters she replied, "No, just missed you. What time did you leave?"

"Not 'til about 5:30." It's been less than three hours," he teased.

"Too long," she teased back beginning to organize her supplies for morning classes.

Later, Elena found she had been distracted in a good way all day. Classes were actually pretty interesting today, she thought. That was until her lab partner was out sick and the last class of the day got really boring working alone. Since there was no discussion with a partner, she actually finished sooner than her classmates and found herself doodling dreamily on her notes. Her mind began to wander, as usual, to Stefan.

Elena was not the typical giddy teenage girl. But she was just as susceptible to the heady distractions which thoughts of Stefan could supply. She thought of his eyes first; those green eyes, so expressive with any emotion or thought that crossed his mind. It seemed to her that he could see right through her, that she could feel him through his eyes boring into hers. The way he watched her, it was like he was absorbing every single cell of her and she could feel it all over. She loved to ease his brow and brush fingers down his cheeks and jaw to sooth away any tension or fears exuding from his captivated gazed when directed her way.

Then there were his lips.

Those lips.

She nearly gasped aloud at the thought and abruptly pulled out of her day-dreaming to sit up straighter. Thankfully she found the rest of the class completely oblivious to her sudden realization that she was still in public. Settling back in her seat, she pulled out her Trig homework to use the rest of the time more wisely. There were only two sections left to do and if she finished, she'd have only some reading to do for Lit later tonight.

Stefan, as usual, met her at her locker with a kiss hello and how was your day dear chit chat at which they both chuckled. "My day was actually better than I thought it would be," she said smiling.

"Ok, I'm starting to feel a bit paranoid. I thought last night was, well, awesome. But that's twice today you have implied something is off. What's up with you?"

Elena paused her packing up her bag and looked at Stefan trying to again not bring him down, "I may have implied but you are inferring." He gave her that look; the one that said don't deflect, Damon much.

"You, Stefan, are way too observant." She paused. "It's really nothing. It's just, well, do you ever think about how well things have been going? You know, how quiet it's been?" Again, she paused. She wasn't smiling; she seemed truly concerned. He got it.

"You are worried that trouble is around the corner," he proffered, his lips pressing in a tension-filled line. "It's not like you to worry over nothing, Elena. Has something happened?"

"No, that's just it. It's just a feeling. It's weird, I know. I'm just being ridiculous," she tried to brush it off.

"No, no you aren't. While you do worry too much, you don't usually worry over nothing at all. Maybe you have a sixth sense, you know, woman's intuition. So," smiling, he said taking her into his arms, "let's remember to enjoy these days but also keep an eye out for any red flags, OK?"

Smiling up at him and raising her arms to encircle his neck, she let out a sigh as her eyes roamed from his eyes to those lips…those oh so distracting lips…Stefan leaned in and kissed her so sweetly, staying pressed against her to envelop her in the safety of his arms.

Together they headed for his car, each with an arm still wrapped around the other.

It was all set by the time they pulled up at her house. They would stay together again tonight in part to keep Elena's worries at bay. The undercurrent still charging from last night drove them to want the closeness again, even if they just slept.

Elena had shared Jeremy's colorful commentary from the morning, so the Salvatore home was their destination tonight. The Salvatore walls were not any thicker than the Gilbert's, nor would it have mattered if they were. Damon could hear just about everything anyway. But at least the adolescent Jeremy wouldn't have to overhear his sister's moans again tonight. Elena was just going to run in and grab a few things since more than likely she would not return before school in the morning.

Taking a change of clothes and perhaps a few pieces she might slip into later for fun, she rushed back out to her waiting boyfriend. With a wiggle of his brow and a rev of the engine, they sped off for the short drive through sun-dappled trees that finally cleared as they arrived in front of the boarding house.

They settled in his room, after all, it wasn't movie night tonight. There was real homework still to do. Stefan hadn't finished Trig while Elena had. On the flip side, she had to read while Stefan had already read the assigned novel years ago. Lying on his bed, propped up by pillows, Elena was enjoying the story well enough. Stefan was at his desk cruising through the assigned problem sets and commented aloud about how much he was really getting into Trig. He could not imagine what his 17-year-old self in 1864 would have thought of the concepts, if he would have been even able to grasp the simplest Algebra back then.

Elena just smiled softly enjoying his enthusiasm for learning and continued reading. Eventually, he joined her on the bed. He laid his head near her shoulder, lounging less upright that she. Resting with eyes closed, they simply enjoyed being next to each other. By the time she'd finished the required chapters for tomorrow's discussion, Stefan had dozed off at her side. As usual, she watched him for a while, delighting in the knowledge that this beautiful man, inside and out, was hers and she was his.

Stefan awoke with a start. He was alone. He could hear voices downstairs. Elena was talking with his brother. Stefan could not quite make out conversation. They must have been in the kitchen which was further from him than just the main lounge. He hated to admit it, but a twinge of jealously reared in him. He vamp-sped to the archway into the kitchen and found Damon placing a home cooked meal in front of Elena seated at the table. Almost before Stefan entered, Damon asked, "Have a nice nap, brother?" Elena looked up smiling at Stefan, so glad he was there. Stefan felt an internal sense of relief. He considered it a flaw in his character, his impulse to be jealous and cautious of Damon around Elena. Her smile and the quickening of her heartbeat with his entrance nearly put him back to rights.

"I did actually. Guess I needed that." He winked at Elena since they both had less sleep than usual the night before. Seeing her eyes aglow with veiled want, she was after all staring at his lips again, he kissed Elena as he sat down next to her. "Is there enough for all, brother?"

Elena answered, "Of course, but be aware, I helped, it could be awful."

"I only let you peel the onions and the garlic. No knives and definitely no cooking," Damon smirked as he set a plate in front of Stefan and then one for himself. They ate in mix of companionable silence interjecting light conversation here and there. All the while, nearly every time Stefan would speak, put his fork to his mouth, any reason at all, Elena's eyes were on his mouth. This did not go unnoticed by Stefan and very probably by Damon.

Once finished, Damon announced that since he cooked, they could clean up and he left. Think what you will of Damon, he knew when not to be a third wheel.

With Elena at the sink washing and rinsing, Stefan was so fast drying dishes that the majority of the time his arms were around her as they continued to talk about life, share past stories, make plans, and more. Eventually, Elena had cleared the sink and rinsed down the last of the suds. Stefan's arms were still around her and she turned to face him. Bringing her arms around his neck, her eyes again roamed his face, his eyes, oh those lips.

Her fingers swirled in the hair at the back of his neck. Her left hand slid forward along his jaw, then settled against his right cheek. Lightly, her thumb and forefinger took turns grazing around and across his perfect, soft, tasty pink lips while her eyes continued to drink in the site of his mouth.

Stefan watched her, taking in the burgeoning want building in her. Her eyes were blatantly expressing her desire. Her breathing had changed, along with her heartbeat. She bit her lip as she enjoyed simply touching him. God, she/he was beautiful – they each were thinking.

Slowly, Elena both pushed up on her toes and pulled him down to her, both hands now palming his cheeks. She began to kiss him, really kiss him. She was in charge of this one. She altered from deeply taking his mouth to toying softly with his lips, first the top, then the lower, adding her tongue, then finally a hand sliding back to the base of his neck to pull him deeply into her kiss.

Finally pulling back to first look at the mouth she was taking possession of, stroking a thumb across his now moistened lower lip, looking up into his eyes and he looking into hers, she whispered, "Mine." He smiled and nodded. She planted yet another deep, smoldering kiss on his mouth.

The make-out session continued with Elena leaning against the counter having pulled Stefan towards her. But her hands stayed focused on his face or in his hair. Eventually, she pulled back to get some air.

"Well then…" Stefan let out trying to gather his wits for a moment. Clearing his throat, he asked "So, what do you want to do tonight?"

"This. Make-out." She leaned in again kissing him. "I can't seem to get enough of your mouth." Again she kissed him. She could feel the hint of a smile as they kissed.

"Well, maybe we could get a bit more comfortable?"

Trailing kisses along his jaw, she asked, "What's wrong with the kitchen?" and was again kissing him. But she giggled and freed him temporarily. Leading him by the hand, they stopped at their favorite sofa. Elena maneuvered him into the corner and proceeded to climb up and straddling his hips so that she was at his height and again able to take advantage of their lip to lip alignment.

"You're serious about making out all night, aren't you?"

"Why not? At least one of us is still a teenager…"

"Because, I'll be blue at this pace."

She stopped suddenly and looked quite serious. "Can that really happen?" He laughed at her earnestness.

"Just know that hours of making out might be a little frustrating once you know what else you could be doing."

"Oh." This only gave her pause for a moment. Then those lips caught her eye again. A delicious little smile curled at her lips. "Too bad for you." He let out a quick chuckle which was silenced into a moan as she dove in to taste his mouth again.

****************MORE TO COME, I PROMISE, JUST OUT OF TIME, SWAMPED WITH WORK AND FAMILY. BUT I'LL UPDATE THE MMMM PORTION OF THIS STORY OVER THE WEEKEND – PROBABLY WILL POST IT AS ANOTHER CHAPTER TO ALLOW THE NON-M READERS TO KEEP READING THE T CHAPTERS. PLEASE DO REVIEW – IT REALLY HELPS ME GET INSPIRED!*************