OBVIOUSLY: I do not own "the Vampire Diaries," or any of the characters. But lucky for you guys, I will continue to use them as my playthings until the cows come home.

So, I assume you're all rubbing your eyes or pinching yourselves to see if this is real... See? You're not dreaming. I've actually posted a new chapter in under two months. Proud of me? I opted out of a walking tour today because I am *sniff-sniff* sickly (which is true). So the downside: missing guided cultural immersion in the streets of a foreign city. The upside? You get a new chapter! Yay! ANYWAY. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter because, like Chapter 8, it's one that has been a work in progress for about... 3 months. Yikes! But I finally finished it. I had a tough time getting into this chapter, and I'm guessing you'll figure out why. I hope it's turned out well. It's sure to satisfy a particular demographic in my audience. A minority in my audience, but a portion of it nonetheless.

Order up!


The sky was appropriately grey, and there would have been a general atmosphere of gloominess even if they hadn't been in a cemetery, and even if they hadn't been gathering to lay an old woman to rest.

Bonnie sat between her mother, who had arrived late the night before, and her father. The priest's words were beautiful, though they were lost on her. She was in a daze, slightly oblivious to the happenings around her, aside from the obvious. Her mind was wrought with overwhelming grief.

Bonnie's cousin, an English major at George Washington University, stepped to the front of the crowd when the priest invited her up to speak. "Over the past several years, I have come to learn that my grandmother led an exceptional life. Whether it is fate or simply time, something seems to prevent children from truly understanding their grandparents until the chance has passed, or nearly passed…" All in attendance were moved and touched by her words as she spoke.

But the speech was a blur, just as the rest of the day morning had been. Bonnie couldn't be sure how long it was or how much had truly been said before the coffin was lowered into the grave.

Only a few months earlier, Bonnie had thought her grandmother to be, well, exactly that—a grandmother. And, like so many teenagers did, Bonnie had loved her grandmother just as much as she was required to. Over the past few months, though, Sheila had become so much more. She became a guardian, and a guide. She'd become a teacher and a confidant; a trusted friend. Bonnie couldn't bear the idea of letting Grams go.

But just the same, the great wooden chest went into the Earth. Her mother cried, and her father choked a few tears. Bonnie simply stood between them, unable to cry, hardly able to act at all, and looked on as they scattered the dirt over the coffin. She heard scattered sobs and sighs from throughout the mass of people, and then all at once, it seemed it was time to move. Her mother and father walked to the old, black limousine that had brought them there. Bonnie followed them, as did the eyes of every other mourner.

The service had come to a close. Bonnie's mother pulled her into a hug and petted her hair. She let her go only as her friends walked over. "Go on, honey," her mother dismissed her gently.

When Bonnie was approached by the group of friends, Caroline's were the first set of arms thrown around her. "I'm so sorry, Bonnie," she whispered in her friend's ear as she held on to her. "It was beautiful though, the funeral I mean," she said.

Bonnie nodded when Caroline finally released her. "Thanks, Caroline," she said genuinely. Matt threw an arm around Bonnie's shoulder and pulled her in to his chest, and said he was sorry too. Then, just as Bonnie was walking to Elena, she saw someone standing beside the grave—a tall figure, almost a silhouette, throwing a flower in.

"Stefan," she breathed the name with disbelief and immediately began walking toward him. Elena looked at Damon with concern in her eyes. She wanted to follow Bonnie, but Caroline and Matt were already talking with her parents and she stayed a moment to give her condolences.

Stefan shifted and fidgeted uncomfortably as Bonnie neared him. They were more or less alone by the grave—everyone else had gone to the parking lot to talk with Bonnie's family and one another. His eyes wouldn't meet hers, and though his gaze shifted considerably, it was clear he was focused on Elena and Damon.

Bonnie choked back tears as she spoke. "Where have you been?" she asked him helplessly.

He shifted his weight and avoided her stare still. "I just had to get out of here for a while," he explained.

"I called you," she said, her voice trembling.

"Yeah," he answered, "I know."

Elena was headed over now. Bonnie had been worrying herself to tears over Stefan's absence, and he was finally in front of her. She couldn't help but hold onto him, pushing her arms beneath his and holding on to his waist. But he just stood there, watching as Elena drew closer. She was just a few feet behind Bonnie when they stopped.

"Thank you for coming," she said into his chest.

Stefan swallowed. "Yeah, well, I knew Sheila a long time ago," he said, trying to shrug her off.

Bonnie reluctantly released him, and sniffed. "Well, I appreciate it."

He looked at Elena, then at Sheila's grave, and then aside at nothing in particular. "I owed it to her," he added coldly before walking away. Elena was taken aback. She never thought she would see Stefan act so thoughtlessly, so distantly. She couldn't even bring herself to follow him or call after him. She simply stood there, dumbstruck, as he walked away from the scene.

The tears began to stream down Bonnie's face when Elena placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Bonnie," she said softly. "Please, he's upset with me and Damon," she insisted, trying to comfort her. It seemed to have the adverse effect; Bonnie began to sob. She turned around slowly and took hold of Elena's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

She took one deep breath and before she could think about it, she was talking. "Elena, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," she wept.

"What?" Elena asked, confused. "Bonnie, what—"

Bonnie didn't give her time to finish. "We kissed," she blurted out.

Elena's eyes widened. "Stefan?"

Bonnie nodded frantically. "I'm so sorry. I don't even know why I did it. He was there, and I was alone, and Grams was gone, and—"

Elena stopped her and pulled her close. "Bonnie, shh, it's okay. It's okay, calm down," she said, rubbing her friend's back, and trying to process the news. It was unexpected, and it hurt a little, but she couldn't blame Bonnie for what happened. She could hardly even blame Stefan, though she truly wanted to; it was clear to her now just how quickly events could unfold in the heat of the moment.

Bonnie spoke again. "We didn't mean to hurt you. I swear, Elena, we didn't," she said, her deep breaths making her sound as though she were gulping for air.

Elena just nodded. "Bonnie, I know. Believe me, I know." They were silent for a few moments. "I just can't believe he's doing this to you," she said.

"I don't know what to do, Elena," Bonnie admitted. "He was always there. And now I need him more than ever," she said.

Elena swallowed hard. Bonnie was right. "I know. And I really don't understand how he can be so unfeeling."

The rest of the day had been hectic. Her parents invited everyone from the funeral to come over afterward, and Bonnie's house ended up being filled to what must have been capacity. Of course, the one person she needed was nowhere to be found. She spent the afternoon talking to everyone; cousins, other professors from the university, friends of her grandmother's… After the last few people finally trickled out of the house, an exhausted Bonnie retreated upstairs.

Bonnie entered her bedroom without turning on the lights. A breeze blew through her open window, along with the soft pink glow of the cloud-covered sunset. She lay face down on her bed and breathed in the cottony scent of her pillow.

Then the voice came from behind her. "I'm sorry."

Bonnie jerked up and turned to see Stefan at her window. He was holding himself up effortlessly, his hands on the windowsill. She was almost too startled to speak as she caught her breath. Stefan gave her a pleading look. "Come in," she offered weakly.

He crawled through the window and walked to the side of her bed. He looked at his feet like an awkward teenager. If the situation wasn't so terrible for her, she might have laughed at the irony.

"Can't you even look at me?" she said, mustering up anger to his surprise.

He slowly lifted his head and met her gaze for the first time in days. "I'm so sorry, Bonnie."

Bonnie sighed with distaste. "Those words are really getting exhausting," she admitted.

"No," he argued. "I mean, of course I'm sorry about Sheila, but that's not what I meant."

She stared at him. "Well you should be," she said matter-of-factly, getting up to stand before him and look him in the eye. "You took advantage of me."

He looked hurt, and she immediately noticed the pain in his eyes. "You know I didn't mean to do that," he argued softly.

"I know," she said. "I know you just felt sorry for me so you gave in—"

"Stop it," he said. "Just let me talk, would you?" She bit her lip and nodded. "I messed up. I shouldn't have kissed you that night," he said. Her eyes shut as the words hit her, and noticing this, he spoke again quickly. "But, that's just because you were vulnerable. I had no right to do that after what happened."

"But I wanted to. You know th—" she argued, but he cut her off.

"You couldn't have known what you wanted then. That night, something tragic happened to you. I shouldn't have kissed you," he said again.

Bonnie let the thought sit for a minute. "I told her," she confessed.

Stefan nodded. "I know you did."

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. I was way out of line. You had every right to tell her," he said, then paused before starting again, more slowly. "She had every right to know."

The silence surrounded them once again. "What does this mean then?" she finally asked.

Stefan moved his hand to hers and stroked the back of it with his thumb. "I don't… I don't know how I'm going to deal with them, Bonnie," he said, his voice shaking. "It really hurts. But I just know that it felt very right to be with you. I felt needed," he explained as he brought his other hand up to her face. He brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the single tear that fell at his confession.

"You were," she whispered. "You are."

The words brought a faint smile to his lips, but the seriousness in his expression remained as he leaned in to kiss her. Thought it had only been days since they'd kissed, Bonnie felt as though she'd been waiting an eternity to feel his lips again. They were so soft and gentle pressed against hers. She cupped his face in her hands and pushed into the kiss with more intensity. He tried to pull away from her, but she wouldn't let him. It had happened the first time as well—he had pulled away when his eyes grew dark. But, just as she had before, she held him close and waited.

After a few minutes, the veins disappeared around his eyes and he pressed his mouth to hers, sliding his tongue across her lips, willing her to open them so he could taste her. She let him in gladly and twirled her tongue around his. He knitted his fingers into her hair and pushed his tongue even further into her mouth.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned to lay her down on the bed, but she stopped him and pulled back. As he was about to protest, she grabbed his tie and loosened it, giving him a look that said exactly what she wanted. Stefan smiled and promptly pulled his tie off. He began unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt and she got to work on the bottom ones. It wasn't long before his shirt joined his tie on the floor, and Bonnie peeled his white undershirt off, adding it to the pile.

She reached behind her to unzip her black pencil skirt but Stefan moved his hand around her waist first. He found the zipper and pulled it down, letting the skirt fall. Bonnie reached for his belt and as she unbuckled it, he kicked off his shoes. His belt dropped to the floor and Bonnie unbuttoned his black pants. Gravity did the rest—the pants fell to his ankles and he stepped out of them and kicked them aside, quickly pulling his socks off.

Bonnie could hardly contain herself before the nearly-naked Stefan. He stiffened inside his grey boxer-briefs and could smell her desire. He walked toward her and unbuttoned her black cardigan, slowly sliding it off. As it fell to the floor, he kissed her shoulder so lightly it sent shivers down her spine. His hand found the hem of her shirt as he trailed the kisses up her neck and ended at her lips once again. He pulled the black tank-top over her head and let it fall.

Stefan stepped forward, forcing her to stumble backwards onto the bed. He leaned down and kissed just below her bra, down her stomach to the top of her black tights. She shut her eyes in rapture at the tickle of his kisses. He pulled her tights down slowly until they too dropped to the floor. He stood up and stared down at her as she sat up at the edge of the bed.

Bonnie reached slowly for the waistband of his underwear and carefully pulled them down, exposing him fully to her. She let him shimmy out of his boxer-briefs and stared in awe at his body. He was flawless. His tattooed arms, his defined abs, his cut hips, his… everything. It was all incredible. He reached around her and unhooked her bra, pulling it off and casting it aside. Then he placed a strong hand on her shoulder and guided her down, once again, onto the bed. He kneeled at the edge of the bed and kissed just above the waist of her underwear, then moved down, placing light, breathy kisses on the thin layer of black cotton over her mound.

She trembled at his touch as he moved his fingers under the waistband. Bonnie lifted her hips, and Stefan slowly pulled her panties down, kissing her thighs, then her knees as he pulled them over her ankles and they finally fell to the floor. There was not a trace of clothing between the two of them now. He climbed on top of her and kissed her as his hand traveled down between her thighs. He found her clit immediately and massaged it gently, coaxing her to relax.

Bonnie wrapped her arms around his neck as he moved his fingers and their tongues tangled once again. He pulled away for a moment to look at her. Silently, his eyes asked her, Are you ready?

She nodded, and Stefan settled himself between her legs, pushing his hard-on into her carefully. She gasped. There was a straining, slightly aching feeling as she stretched to accommodate him, but it was quickly replaced by pleasure as he slid in and out of her slowly. Her eyelashes fluttered over her beautiful, brown eyes and she clung to him.

He clenched his jaw and muffled the moan that involuntarily came from him. Bonnie's parents were just down the stairs, and while he could easily compel them if they did hear or see anything, it was something he'd rather avoid altogether. It was proving to be difficult, though, since from the moment he entered Bonnie, he felt pleasure coursing through his veins, running all throughout his body. The way her sweet little arms clutched around his neck only made it better, just like the fluttering of her brown eyes and the quick breathing that moved her chest up and down. And with every sweet little breath came an audible gasp, just barely a moan. But each one echoed in his ears and pushed him closer to the edge.

She felt so tiny beneath him as he pushed into her, trying to be as gentle as he possibly could. It was like would do anything, go to any length necessary to make sure she would never be hurt again. He watched her bite her bottom lip and he closed his eyes and moved his lips to her ear. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Don't—" she tried to protest but could hardly string two words together as the feeling of him inside her became too intense to allow her to focus on anything else. As he moved in and out of her, the sensation of eminent climax built upon itself like a crescendo until they were both on the very edge of reality. He laced his fingers in hers and pressed her hand against the bed as he pumped into her more quickly.

Everything about it was smooth. He was powerful; something inherently athletic about every move he made, and yet each one was executed with such grace and comfort that she thought at that moment she truly understood that he was something more than human. And then all at once, it was like they'd struck a match. She couldn't help but moan his named as she had the most powerful orgasm of her life. She clung to him and whispered his name as her heart raced. Stefan pressed his mouth against hers as he came inside of her and groaned in elation.

They lay there for some time as the sun continued to set, catching their breath, tangled in each other, sweat coating their beautifully contrasted bodies. Stefan cradled her in his arms and kissed the top of her head as she was falling asleep, her eyes tired from staring at her desk. Her gaze had been fixed on the candles, which she hadn't remembered lighting, but nevertheless, there they were, glowing brightly, and dripping all over the little petals.


Soundtrack Listing for Chapter 9:

"Abide With Me," the Atlanta Singers
The funeral service

"Anyone But You," Barbara West
"Stefan" – "…how he can be so unfeeling."

"Fix You," Coldplay
"She had every right to know" – dripping wax


So... I hope your Befan thirst was slaked! I have to say, once I got the ball rolling on this one, I enjoyed writing it. Bonnie and Stefan sex is a bit more... shall we say, gentle than Delena sex. But let's face it, Delena sex is so much more delicious. I hope this was enjoyable, nevertheless! Would love to hear your feedback so review away, darlings!