A/N: The enthusiasm over this story is incredible. Thank you all so much.
I hope you enjoy this update! Do let me know what you think, and what you would love to see happen :D
Stefan got himself back to his room before her alarm went off. He even got to sleep for half an hour since she always got up earlier than him anyways to do her hair and makeup.
When his alarm did finally go off though, he silently cursed. He was tired as hell. But she hadn't had anymore nightmares, nor had she woken up again. Now the question was, how did he approach her about it?
Stefan slung his feet off the side of his bed and yawned, shaking his head slightly to help wake himself up. His bathroom door was halfway open and he could see Elena standing in front of the mirror, using a straightener to straighten her hair.
Slowly, he got up and put his sweats back on as he made his way towards the bathroom. Normally, he'd leave her be until she was finished. But he wanted to make sure she was okay, and that she knew he was there for her. He pushed the door open a little more and her eyes caught his in the mirror. "Morning" he said quietly. He could tell that she had put on extra makeup that morning to cover the dark circles under her eyes.
She didn't answer him. She just unplugged her flat iron and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to give it a little more volume. She was avoiding him like crazy. "Elena" he began, taking an encouraging breath before he continued. "About last night … if you ever need to talk …" he trailed off, figuring she knew what he was talking about. How could she not?
She turned on him suddenly, like a frightened, trapped animal. The fear in her eyes, like she was horrified that he knew a dirty little secret of hers, was unmistakable. Her hands hit his chest forcefully as she pushed him backwards into the wall. "You didn't see anything" she said angrily, shoving him one last time for good measure before backing up and leaving the bathroom. She shut her door and left Stefan feeling guilty that he had upset her.
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Elena wore her headphones the entire drive to school that morning and the entire drive home. She didn't talk in class, but that wasn't unusual. She sure as hell didn't make eye-contact with Stefan once.
So he left her be.
Until they got home. She decided to get her chores done earlier in the day. Everything but the feeding. Stefan found her sweeping the barn. She startled when she turned and saw him standing there. "Hey Elena?" he asked, walking towards her.
Elena set the broom down and attempted to walk past him. She didn't want to see him. Be near him. Think about him. His arm reached out and caught her, though she didn't fight him. She must have been too exhausted. "I told you I don't want to talk about it" she warned. She'd never talk to anyone about it.
He had expected her to get defensive. So he was ready for it. "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the dance with me on Friday night" he said, completely throwing her off. "It's sort of an end of the year tradition. Nothing formal. You can wear your jeans if you want to" he added.
Elena looked up at him like she didn't know what to do. That wasn't what she was expecting him to say. "No" she answered him.
He had been expecting that too. "Think on it" he said, giving her a soft smile. "I'd like to take you." His arm slowly pulled away from her and he reached over and grabbed a halter and lead rope off of the hook. "Go get Red saddled up" he told her.
"I don't feel like riding" she told him. It was more out of stubbornness than exhaustion.
"Tough" Stefan told her. Riding was good for her, and he wasn't going to let her give it up just to prove a point. "He needs exercised" he said, pointing over at his antsy horse who had his head over the stall door, trying to unlatch the handle and let himself out. "Stay in the arena" he said, walking toward the barn door.
Elena looked over at the horse, who gave her a small nicker, telling her to let him out. But she just didn't feel like it. Elena walked towards Stefan and shoved the rope and halter into his hands. "Screw you Stefan" she told him, leaving him to stand in the entrance.
Stefan sighed as he heard her footsteps walk away. So being tough with her didn't work either. He was out of ideas.
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"Where's Elena?" Ric asked as he passed a basket full of biscuits.
Stefan looked up at him, seeing his disapproval that she wasn't there. Damon wasn't either, to be fair. "She's tired" Stefan said.
"She sure is tired a lot" Ric said, passing Stefan the green beans next.
"We had a long weekend" Stefan reminded him.
"Congratulations by the way" Ric said, grinning as he helped himself to the mashed potatoes. "What are ya plannin' to do with all that prize money?" he asked.
Stefan smiled, glad the topic was off of Elena. "I gave my tie down winnin' money to Rebekah" he said. Ric was the only person he'd ever tell that to. "It ought to help her this summer. Entry fees and such" he added.
Ric nodded. "I reckon it will" he said. "That was very generous of you, helpin' that girl out like that." There was a short pause. "What about your half from the team ropin' with Damon?" Ric asked curiously.
Stefan shrugged. "Probably put it towards the horses" he said. Another silence fell over them as they ate. "Jenna called yesterday" Stefan mentioned. Ric seemed to perk up some. "She sounds like a lovely woman" he said with a smile. Like a woman Ric was madly in love with.
Ric smiled. "She's a very lovely woman" he said. He had very fond memories of Jenna.
"You ever think 'bout visitin' her?" Stefan asked. "Surely I could hold this place down for a few days."
Ric laughed. "You're not the one I worry 'bout Stefan. And I might take you up on that offer one of these days" he told him.
The rest of dinner consisted of light conversation about cattle and horses. Same old, same old. When Ric was finished, he grabbed his plate. "I've got some book keepin' to get done" he told him. "Night."
"Night Ric" Stefan said, clearing the table and taking his turn to do the dishes.
When he was finished, he grabbed for the plate he had prepared and walked upstairs. Her door was still shut. He hadn't heard a word out of her since she left him in the barn. She was being stubborn, but that didn't mean she couldn't eat.
Stefan opened her door just a crack to see if she was awake. She was. She was sitting in the windowsill, staring out at the sunset. "Brought you this" he said, holding up the plate for her. She turned slightly to see the plate in his hands.
"I'm not hungry" she answered.
He walked towards her, setting the plate down near her. "You haven't eaten much today" he said. She didn't say anything. She just looked back out the window. He hated feeling so helpless. He had seen her make progress, and now she was regressing.
Stefan kneeled down near her, watching her carefully. She was in such turmoil, and it hurt to see her like that. "Don't push me away, Elena" he said quietly. He reached up and attempted to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. She hesitated at first, moving slightly. But then she stilled, seemingly giving in to him. He considered that a small success and he didn't want to push his luck. So he stood back up and walked away from her.
"I'll go with you" she said, just before he left. "I'll go to the dance with you" she clarified.
"I'm glad" he told her. "Not much fun goin' by yourself" he added. She was looking out the window still, so he closed her door behind him.
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The next day, Stefan had asked Ric if he could pick Elena up from school. Stefan had to go a few towns over to get some supplies for his horses and he hadn't wanted to drag Elena all around with him. Elena hadn't seemed to care, even though Stefan apologized for not being able to take her home.
He had been gone for four hours or so when he finally did make it back home. Ric had saved him a plate thankfully, since he didn't eat in town. "Elena in her room?" Stefan asked, shoveling forkfuls of corn into his mouth.
"I reckon" Ric replied. "She okay?" he asked. "She's sure been spendin' a lot of time in there." He liked it better when she was out in the barn with the horses.
Stefan avoided his eyes as he shrugged. No, she wasn't alright. "Hormonal teenage girl thing" he said.
Ric nodded. "You boys was a hell of a lot easier to deal with" he said, scratching his chin. "Well, I suppose her bein' in her room is better than he gettin' into trouble somewhere." Stefan nodded. "I'll see you in the mornin' Stefan" Ric said, slapping his shoulder.
Stefan smiled, even though he felt guilty for lying to Ric. But it wasn't his place to say what happened to Elena the other night.
When Stefan finished his plate, he grabbed the box he brought in and wandered upstairs. He knocked on Elena's door on his way by and was surprised to hear her invite him in. "You're back" she said, and he wondered if she was waiting for him.
He nodded. "I uh, I brought you somethin'. Got it while I was in town" he said, handing her the box. He sat down on her bed with her. Elena looked at him curiously as she opened the box. Inside was a pair of brown and turquoise cowboy boots with rhinestones. Just like the ones Katherine and Rebekah wore. "I got to thinkin' that you've earned yourself a new pair of boots with the way you're ridin' these days" he said, smiling at her. "And I know how much you wanted the pretty ones" he added. So he had half lied. Sure, her riding had improved. But he really bought her the boots to make her feel better.
Elena took one boot out and admired it. It wasn't long before a smile appeared on her face. "They're beautiful" she said, taking the other one out and looking at him. "I can't believe you bought these for me" she told him. They must have cost him a fortune.
"I wanted to do something nice for you" he explained. That's what he did. He did nice things for other people.
"Why?" she asked. It wasn't like she had done anything nice for him lately. Or ever.
"Just because" he shrugged. "Maybe you can find yourself something to wear with 'em to the dance" he said, getting up off of her bed.
"Yeah, maybe" she told him.
"Goodnight, Elena" he told her, leaving her room.
"Night Stefan" she said. When he was gone, she smiled even more as she hugged her boots to her. They really were beautiful.
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Friday afternoon, Stefan tucked his plaid shirt into his best pair of blue jeans. He sat down on his bed and pulled his best pair of black cowboy boots on, followed by his black cowboy hat. Then he stood back up and looked at himself in the mirror. He never took much pride in the way he looked, but he wanted to be somewhat presentable for Elena's sake.
Stefan checked his watch and then grabbed for the bouquet of flowers he had ran and grabbed after dropping her off at home. So he was being cheesy and she would probably hate it. But she had to at least give him points for trying.
"Stefan are you ready?" Elena asked, walking into his room. She stopped when she saw him holding flowers, and looking quite handsome. "Flowers?" she asked.
Stefan nodded nervously. "You look very beautiful" he said, taking in the matching turquoise sundress she was wearing with the new boots he had bought her a few days before. Some of her hair was pinned up, and the rest fell down in curls. Screw beautiful. He thought she looked fucking gorgeous.
"Thank you" she told him. "Are you going to give those to me, or hang on to them all night?" she asked.
Stefan mentally cursed himself as he handed them to her. Why was he so nervous? It was just Elena. "Sorry" he said, looking down at his feet.
She grinned. He was kind of adorable when he was nervous. "Shall we go?" Elena asked. He looked up and nodded. "Good" she said, leading the way. She stopped off at the kitchen to put the flowers in water before they walked to his truck. "You washed it" she said, admiring how new and shiny it looked.
He opened the door for her, smiling too. "I didn't want you to have to climb up into a dirty truck tonight" he told her. She looked too pretty for that.
"How thoughtful of you" she said, watching him shut the door for her.
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The dance was in full swing by the time they arrived. And it was nothing like the dances back home. Everyone was so … tame. And … country.
There were a few couples out on the dance floor dancing to a slow song, but most everyone else was waiting for a more upbeat song to start. Elena was starting to regret telling him she would come. "Come on, let's dance" he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the dance floor. Another slow song came on as he grabbed her hand and placed his other arm around her waist, holding her close.
Elena relaxed into his arms as she let him lead, turning them in slow circles to the rhythm of the song. "You're good at this" Elena whispered in his ear.
Stefan smiled. "You make it easy" he told her. She was a great dance partner.
She felt him squeeze her hand and she wondered if he had done it on purpose. "I like this song" she said. She had heard it a few times since coming to Wyoming. It was slow, but catchy at the same time.
"Luke Bryan" Stefan said, telling her the artist. All the women seemed to like him. "Come on. Let's go and get something to drink" he told her, taking her by the hand and heading towards a table in the back.
He handed her a cup filled with punch and she took a sip. "Where's Katherine?" Elena asked. She scanned the room and couldn't find her.
Stefan shrugged. "Not really her scene" Stefan told her. Katherine would rather be with her horse.
Elena smiled. "It's my scene" she said, setting her cup down and grabbing his hand. An upbeat song came on and she had plans for them. "Come on cowboy. Show me how to line dance" she said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
Stefan smiled, happy to see her so alive once again. "You'd better be able to keep up" he warned, pulling her through the crowd and back to the dance floor.
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Elena was laughing when she and Stefan stepped out into the cool night air. The dance had ended, but she didn't want to go back to the ranch. Not yet. She was having entirely too much fun for the night to end. "Take me someplace else" she told him.
Stefan looked at her curiously. "Like where?" he asked.
Elena leaned up on her tippy toes and whispered in his ear. "Surprise me" she told him, stepping back and smiling. She ran towards his truck, leaving him to catch up.
Elena had her arm out the window as he drove. She was still smiling though. "Hang on" he told her, turning off of the main road and taking off through a field. It was a perfect night to park the truck and look up at the stars.
Elena hopped out of his truck, looking around her. There was nothing for miles. Just wide open space and the stars above them. "Here" he said, tossing her a sweatshirt from behind his seat. She'd get cold after a while. He put the tailgate down and spread a blanket out in the back of his truck for them. Then he climbed up. Elena slipped the sweatshirt on and gave him her hand so he could pull her up. "This is one of my favorite things to do" he told her, sitting down.
Elena walked towards him and sat down in-between his legs so she would have something to lean against. At first, he froze, unsure of what to do. But it appeared to be innocent. She just sat there against him, looking up at the sky. "It's quiet out here" she mentioned. He nodded in agreement. "Do you know what all this is?" she asked, waving up at the sky. "I used to. But I guess I forgot over time" she said quietly.
Stefan raised his arm over her shoulder and pointed up at the sky. "That's Orion" he told her. "And that one over there is Hercules" he added.
"There's the Big Dipper" Elena said, pointing. She knew that one. "I can't ever find the smaller one though" she told him.
"Right there" Stefan said, grabbing her finger and moving it slightly to their line of sight with the Little Dipper.
"Which one is your favorite?" Elena asked him.
"Pegasus" he told her.
"Because of horses" Elena said, smiling. He smiled too. A quiet silence fell over them for a few minutes as they both looked up at the dark sky. "You bought me the boots because of what happened the other night, didn't you?" she asked. It was a gift to make her feel better.
"Did they make you feel better?" he asked, chancing that she might open up and talk with him about it. Elena shrugged. "Do they happen a lot? Your nightmares?" he asked quietly. He felt his heart rate speed up at the thought of her opening up with him. He honestly didn't think she would.
She grabbed his hand in hers though, wanting to hold on to him. She wanted that comfort if she was going to share any insight into her fucked up life. "A few times a week. Not usually that bad though" she answered.
Stefan felt her shiver and guessed it wasn't just due to the cold. "Do you ever talk to anyone 'bout it?" he asked. Because bottling it up inside surely wasn't a good thing.
Elena laughed slightly. "Never" she told him. "I don't think anyone knows except you. You must be a light sleeper" she said.
He was in no position to tell her what to do. But he did want to help. "I wish I could help you in some way" he told her.
Elena smiled sadly. "I just want to be normal again" she told him.
"And what would make you feel normal again?" Stefan asked.
Elena turned around so that she was facing him, resting her hands on his knees. "Kiss me" she said, staring into his eyes. He looked at her hesitantly. "Are you really going to let Ric dictate what you can and can't do the rest of your life?" she asked him.
"No" Stefan answered. "But I don't necessarily think that me kissing you is in your best interest" he told her.
Elena smirked. "Shouldn't I be the one to determine that?" she asked him. Again, he looked hesitant. "I'm not asking for sex" she informed him. "I just want to feel close to someone. It would be the perfect ending to the perfect night."
"Feel close to someone?" he asked in a quiet, breathy voice.
Elena shrugged slightly. "I'm all alone over here. And I could seek some sort of closeness from some stranger" she told him. "But I'm asking you, because I trust you" she told him. "So are you gonna kiss me or not?" she asked, waiting expectantly.
Well when she put it like that, it wasn't such a hard choice anymore. "Well I reckon I am" Stefan said, tugging her towards him and kissing her. Ric was going to murder him, yet he didn't care right then. He had Elena in his arms, with hers around his neck as their lips met. He had never kissed a girl who was as enthusiastic about it as Elena was. Most of the girls he knew were quiet and shy, letting him do all the work.
But Elena was wrapping her legs around his waist, straddling him, spicing up their make out session. He had to admit. It made him incredibly turned on and extremely nervous that the only thing between his crotch and hers was her underwear as her dress rode up and bunched along her thighs.
But God, he couldn't get enough of her. His hands found their way into her hair as her fingers caressed the back of his neck. It was getting heated between them, and had gone far beyond the innocent kiss he had planned.
"Come here" she whispered, getting her lips away from his momentarily. She moved away from him slowly, taking his hand so he would follow. She lay back in the bed of his truck and wrapped her arms around his back, inviting him to move on top of her. It was a dangerous position to put them in, but she trusted him not to let it go too far. All she wanted was some hot and heavy kissing with a little caressing.
Stefan's lips crashed back down on hers as he got acquainted to their new position. His hand was resting lightly on her bare hip, moving up and down slowly. Her dress was nearly bunched up around her waist now, though she didn't seem to mind.
His hand on her hip was making her feel warm and tingly all over, and it excited her. She didn't get that kind of a rush anymore unless she was shooting back alcohol. And she wasn't getting any of that lately. Elena placed her hands on his sides, wishing he was shirtless. She knew exactly what was under that shirt though. From his perfectly sculpted abs all the way down to that perfect v that led down towards his jeans.
His kisses became slower, more sensual and she honestly thought she might melt into the back of his truck. "You're good at this too" she mumbled.
Stefan smiled. "I think we should stop" he told her regretfully. He just didn't want things to go too far.
She wasn't mad, only because she agreed. "Can we stay here a little longer?" she asked.
Stefan nodded. "Yeah" he said, kissing her forehead softly. That had caught her off guard, feeling his warm lips being so gentle with her. He moved off of her, though he stayed close. He helped her fix her dress, making sure it was covering her up again.
They both ended up on their backs, staring up at the sky. He grabbed her hand and held it in his, wanting her to know that he was there, with her.
Elena couldn't help but think about how nice it was to be there with him. If only she could have stayed there, like that forever, then maybe, she wouldn't have felt so much pain all the time.
A/N: Well, she cracked a little. But I think she still has a long ways to go. Thoughts on Stefan?