A/N: Just another missing chapter because I was missing Lily! This takes place shortly after the "fake" marriage, so Elena is still resisting Stefan's charm.

Enjoy!

"Thanks for taking her on such short notice" Damon said, following his daughter inside the house as soon as Stefan had opened the door. It was Friday afternoon and he and Katherine had decided to take a last minute trip for the weekend, just the two of them.

"She's welcome here anytime" Stefan replied, shutting the door and walking with them into the living area.

Lily made herself right at home, plopping herself down on her uncle's couch. "I'm hungry Uncle Stefan" she whined.

"You just ate" Damon reminded her.

"But I'm starving" she whined again.

"Sorry, she's a little tired and cranky. It would be best to put her to bed early" Damon told his brother.

"I'm not going to bed early" Lily huffed and crossed her arms defiantly.

"What do you want to eat Lily?" Stefan asked, taking her backpack from Damon and setting it on a nearby chair.

Lily pretended to think about her answer for a moment or two. "Cookies" she said, smiling at Stefan and turning her charm up a notch or two. She had him all weekend and she planned to enjoy every minute of him catering to her every need. That's how it worked at Uncle Stefan's house.

"Of course, cookies" Damon said, rolling his eyes. The car horn honked outside, indicating that Katherine was getting impatient. "We'll be back Sunday afternoon" he told his brother.

Stefan simply nodded. "Have fun" he told him.

"Are you going to give me a kiss goodbye?" Damon asked his daughter.

"No" Lily answered. She wasn't exactly thrilled that her mom and dad were going on a trip without her, even if she got to spend all weekend with her uncle.

"Fine" Damon said, walking towards her. "I'm still going to give you one" he smiled, reaching down and grabbing her as she tried to escape.

"No Daddy!" she said. Her protests were mixed in with giggles and no matter how bad of a mood she was in, she couldn't stay in it for long.

Damon kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. "I love you. I'll see you Sunday" he promised.

"You're gonna miss me" Lily told him, looking into his eyes. She adored him, even if she did challenge his parenting abilities.

"You bet I will" he smiled, kissing her again. Then he stood back up and shot his brother an appreciative smile as he headed towards the door.

"You better buy me something pretty!" Lily called out after him. Damon called behind him that he would before disappearing out the door, leaving Stefan alone with Lily. She looked at her Uncle curiously. "Where are we on the cookie situation Uncle Stefan?" she asked. She got her impatience from her mother.

Stefan just shook his head and laughed a little. "I don't have any. We're going to have to make them" he answered. "So what kind do you want?" he asked, walking over to the couch and picking her up to take her into the kitchen with him.

"All kinds!" she said excitedly as Stefan sat her on top of the counter top. "Chocolate chip and peanut butter and the cinnamony ones and the ones with sprinkles" she listed off.

"How about we make one kind tonight?" he said, trying to be realistic and reason with her. He should have known better.

"How about we make all the kinds tonight, and then we can eat them all weekend" she countered.

What she lacked in negotiating skills, she made up for in charm. He couldn't argue with that. "We had better get started then" Stefan winked at her, making her smile. He grabbed a stool and placed it so she could sit and help him.

"Where's that woman you married?" she asked after he helped her up on the stool.

Stefan smiled a bit, knowing Lily's reference to Elena being "that woman" had probably come from Katherine.

"That woman's name is Elena" he reminded. "She's at school, but she'll be home soon" he answered.

Lily groaned. "Why does she always have to be here?" she asked, clearly displeased with having to see Elena.

Stefan laughed. "She's not that bad" he told her. Lily rolled her eyes, clearly not agreeing with him. "Well, if you'd like, I can trade Elena for Alaric" he mentioned.

Lily gasped. "Don't you dare Uncle Stefan!" she exclaimed. "Alaric is a million times worse" she stated.

"Well then, I guess you should be thankful Elena is here and not him" Stefan smiled.

Lily grumbled a little. "Fine" she said stubbornly. "But I'm not sharing any of my cookies with her" she said.

"You know, she's not like the other girls I've been with" Stefan told Lily as he placed various cookie ingredients on the counter for her. Elena was completely opposite of who he usually dated or pursued. She was beautiful without a doubt, but was nowhere near as high maintenance as the others. She never felt the need to be pretty for him, some days choosing to wear no makeup and just wear yoga pants around the house. But her wearing those tight fitting pants was nothing he would complain about. Stefan was pretty sure he was the complete opposite of who Elena usually dated too.

"What makes her so special?" Lily asked, already starting to eat the chocolate chips in front of her.

Stefan smiled. What didn't make her stand out against the other girls? "She's very smart" he listed off first. Not just because she was going to college either. She was inquisitive and analytical. "And she's not afraid to tell me I'm wrong" he said, grinning at the thought. Elena had just told him off the other day for something or other. He found it extremely amusing. Which usually made her mad.

Lily was quiet for a long moment. "You still love me most though, right?" she asked.

His chest hurt a little, knowing that she worried about things like that. Stefan stood her up on the stool and turned her to face him so that she was eye-level with him. "You" he smiled, poking her nose. "Will always be my number one girl" he promised. It had made her smile.

"I love you Uncle Stefan" Lily told him, wrapping her little arms around his neck.

Stefan sighed, because there was no better feeling than hearing his niece tell him that. "Love you too, baby girl." When the hug was over, he kissed her head and helped her sit back down. "Shall we get started?" he asked.

Lily nodded. "Yes we shall Uncle Stefan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stefan pulled the last batch of cookies out of the oven and set it to cool. It was already 9 PM and Lily would have to go to bed soon. "That's all of them" he said as he and Lily looked at five large plates of cookies that had already cooled.

"That's a lotta cookies Uncle Stefan" she said. "I better try a chocolate chip one again" she told him, reaching for a large cookie on the plate.

Stefan smiled. "You've been trying a lot of those chocolate chip cookies since they came out of the oven" he pointed out.

Lily already had a mouthful of cookie in her mouth. She quickly chewed and swallowed, knowing better than to talk with her mouth full. "Some of them might not taste good. I'm just making sure" she reasoned.

"Uh huh" Stefan said skeptically. "We need to get you ready for bed."

"But … but … Elena's not home yet" Lily argued.

Stefan raised a curious eyebrow. "So?" he asked her. What did that have to do with anything, other than being an excuse to stay up later?

"I want to show her all the cookies" Lily told him.

Stefan was about ready to reply when they heard the front door open. "She's home. Now you can show her and get to bed" he told her.

Lily hopped down off of the stool and placed her hands on her little hips. "You're bossy today" she told him.

He wasn't sure whether to be surprised by her sassy attitude or be amused. He didn't have time to decide because Elena had come into the kitchen.

"Smells good in here" Elena said. She smiled, even though it was a real effort to do so because she was so exhausted.

"We made cookies" Lily announced. "You can have one, and I'll have one with you" she said, standing on her tip toes to reach the chocolate chip cookies on the counter.

But Stefan grabbed her to stop her just in time. "No more for you tonight" he told her. He already had let her have too many.

"Ah, come on Uncle Stefan! Just one more" Lily begged. "Please, pretty please!" she said, giving him those sad eyes.

To make matters worse, Elena chimed in. "Come on Uncle Stefan, just one more" she told him. While Lily was thrilled for the support, Stefan could see the amusement in Elena's eyes and the intent she had on seeing how long it would take Stefan to cave. Stefan knew Elena knew there would be a very intense meltdown courtesy of a six year old if he said no again. Elena had trapped him and she was enjoying it.

Lily and Elena were both looking at him, waiting for his response. He sighed. "Fine. Last one" he said, pointing at Lily.

She smiled triumphantly. "Here Elena", have a chocolate chip one 'cause they're the bestest" she informed her.

Elena accepted the cookie and went to walk by Stefan to get something to drink.

Stefan caught her hip with his hand to stop her and leaned in close. "Make sure if you want to play games, you can finish them" he whispered, making sure his breath lingered around her ear.

Elena's own breath caught, her body reacting to his being that close, as well as his warning. His subtle reminder that he wanted her made her skin tingle. Sometimes she caught herself wondering what one night with him would be like. Intense and mind blowing came to mind.

The tension was there and was building every day. She couldn't let him have the upper hand. She placed her hand against his chest lightly, teasing even, and smiled. "I finish what I start" she assured him. "And I always win" she added. She allowed her body to bump against his as she continued to the refrigerator.

"The wind is really picking up out there. Branches all over the road" Elena mentioned.

"Huh" Stefan said. "I didn't know we were expecting a storm." Meanwhile, Lily had snuck another cookie. "Lily" Stefan groaned. Damon would kill him if he found out.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Bed, now" Stefan ordered.

"Okay okay" she said, turning to leave the kitchen. The moment she got a few feet from Stefan, everything went dark. She screamed an ear-piercing scream that made both adults cringe. "Uncle Stefan save me!" she yelled, running back to him and attaching herself to his leg.

"Damnit" Stefan grumbled. The last thing he wanted to deal with was a power outage. He bent down and peeled Lily off of his leg. "Come here" he said, holding her against his hip as he considered what to do. "I'm gonna check the breaker" Stefan announced, carrying Lily with him as he carefully navigated his way to the back of his house.

Elena followed, having no desire to be alone in the dark. The house could be creepy in the daylight when she was by herself, so the dark made it ten times worse.

"I have to set you down for a second" Stefan said, trying to put Lily down.

"No Uncle Stefan, I'm scared!" she cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck as tight as she could, refusing to let go.

He sighed and readjusted her so he could try and look at the breaker. He dug his phone out of his pocket and used the light to see. Stefan flipped a few switches back and forth, hoping that might do the trick. It didn't. The storm as knocked the power out, probably on one of the lines that ran from town to his house. "Well, we definitely don't have power" Stefan said, turning to see Elena right behind him. "I have a generator in the shed. I'm going to go and see if I can get it running" he told Elena. He walked them all back to the living room and set Lily down on the couch. "I need you to stay here with Elena while I go outside for a few minutes" he told Lily.

She shook her head no in protest. "No" she cried sadly. "I don't want you to leave me in here."

Stefan bent down to her level. "It is too windy for you to go outside with me. Elena will be right here with you" he assured her.

Again, Lily shook her head no. "But she doesn't got big enough muscles to protect me" Lily told him, grabbing onto his arm to keep him there.

Stefan looked at Elena who looked just as worried at Lily did. "Lily" he said gently. The wind could now be heard howling outside. "I would never leave you with someone I didn't trust could take good care of you" he promised her. He glanced over at Elena again who looked speechless by his sincere statement. "I'll just be gone a few minutes, I promise" he told her, grabbing a blanket off of the back of the couch and covering Lily with it. "Elena's going to sit right here with you until I get back" he said, looking at Elena and waiting for her to join Lily.

Elena quickly moved to the couch and sat down with Lily, pulling the blanket over her too. "We'll be okay" Elena said, trying to reassure them all. She was nervous, because they were surrounded by trees and she was worried one might fall on the house.

"Thanks" Stefan said, brushing his hand over Elena's knee as he stood back up.

"Uncle Stefan!" Lilly whined as she watched him leave.

"It's okay" Elena said, wrapping her arm around Lily to comfort her. "Just a bad storm."

Lily buried her face into Elena's side, trying to escape the scary noises outside. "I want Daddy" she said sadly.

Elena sighed. "I know" she said, rubbing Lily's arm gently. "But you'll see him on Sunday" she reminded. She needed to distract Lily and take her mind off of the storm. "So how come you wanted to make so many cookies?" Elena asked. She saw Lily's face start to peak out from behind Elena's arm.

"Because you can never have too many cookies" she told her.

Elena laughed. "Agreed" she said, hugging Lily closer to her.

A large crashing sound came from the side of the house, making them both jump. "What … what was that?" Lily asked, clinging to Elena now.

Elena's heart was racing almost as fast as Lily's. "I think that was a tree" she said, praying it did not crash into the house.

"Son of a …" they heard as the front door swung open. Stefan came back into the living room holding his hand to the side of his head. "The generator isn't in there" he announced.

Elena jumped up from the couch. "What happened to your head?" she asked.

Stefan brushed her off. "I'm fine" he assured her. "I think I have candles and flashlights up above the washer and dryer" he told her. "I'll be right back."

"Wait for me Uncle Stefan!" Lily told him, climbing off of the couch and rushing after him.

Elena looked around the empty living room nervously. Another crashing sound happened outside and she was running after Lily and Stefan. "Wait up!" she called.

Stefan had found a flashlight and shined it in Elena's face when she rounded the corner. "Boo" he said, smiling.

Elena held up her hand, not amused with his humor. "Do you have another flashlight?" Elena asked.

"Nope. Just the one" he said, reaching up and grabbing two candles. He handed them to Lily who was glued to him. "We'll camp out in the living room for a little while" Stefan told them, leading them all back to the couch. He picked up some extra blankets and pillows from the linen closet along the way.

Lily curled up with Stefan on one end of the couch while Elena kept her distance by curling up in the recliner. The two candles were lit, giving the room a little light. "Can you tell me about the time a giraffe tried to eat my hat when I was a baby?" Lily asked, tilting her head back to look at Stefan. She loved that story.

Stefan smiled and kissed the top of her head. "When you were a year old, I took you to the zoo, and we saw all of the animals" he recounted. "But your favorite were the giraffes, so I took you back to see them one last time before we went home."

"And you bought me some food to feed the giraffes" Lily added, remembering that part of the story.

Stefan nodded. "That's right" he told her. He looked over at Elena who was listening intently, staring right back at Stefan. Stefan continued to look at her as he finished the story. "I put some of the giraffe feed in your tiny little hand, and helped you hold your hand flat for the giraffe" he told her, holding onto her hand. "You laughed and laughed when the giraffe took the food from you, and all of a sudden, the giraffe grabbed your hat off of your head and was trying to eat it" he recalled. "And you were still laughing" he smiled. "You were always such a happy baby, with a big, beautiful smile and a laugh that could make my heart melt every time" he said softly. When Lily didn't reply, he looked down at her and saw that she was asleep. "I love you" he whispered, kissing her forehead. Then he looked up at Elena again. "I'm going to put her to bed in the room down here" he whispered.

Carefully, Stefan stood up and walked with Lily down the hall. He returned a few minutes later. "Hopefully she'll sleep through the night" Stefan said, sighing as he sat down on the couch again. He rubbed at his head.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" Elena asked, staring at him and waiting for an answer.

Stefan shrugged. "I think a branch fell and hit me. I'm fine, really" he told her.

Elena moved herself in front of him so she could see his injury in the candlelight. She grabbed his face and tilted his head some. "Well, no blood" she concluded.

He stared at her while she examined his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most beautiful eyes?" he asked softly.

Elena's eyes quickly found his. She looked alarmed at first, but then she smiled. "I think something hit your head a little harder than you're letting on" she said, sitting down next to him on the couch. "When do you think the power will come back on?" she asked.

Stefan shrugged. "I think the power being out is … kind of romantic" he told her, trying to do his best flirty voice. He was feeling desperate, because since he had propositioned Elena, he hadn't been with anyone, including Elena since she was so against the idea of sleeping with him.

Elena turned and looked at him, laughing slightly. "Are you serious right now?" she asked. She thought he was done hitting on her.

Stefan rested his hand on her knee as he turned his body towards her more. "What if I said … whatever happened tonight … wouldn't count. We would agree that it never happened" he said, trying to convince her.

"I'd say you are crazy" Elena replied.

Stefan smirked at her. "You're just afraid after tonight, you'd want more" he challenged her.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Maybe I just don't find you attractive" she told him. She had told him that before.

Stefan leaned in closer to Elena, so their lips were almost touching. "Not possible" he whispered. He waited for her to move away, but she didn't.

"I'm not sleeping with you" she whispered back.

Stefan smiled. "How about a kiss then?" he asked. "I mean, unless you think one kiss will make you want more."

The amusement in his voice annoyed her. He thought he could charm his way into her bed just because he was Stefan Salvatore. He was entitled and selfish and why couldn't she stop staring at his lips? "I'll kiss you if it will shut you up" she told him.

His smile tugged even more at his lips. "Deal" he told her. He leaned in to kiss her, but she moved her head and his lips landed on the corner of her mouth instead.

"Just kissing" she whispered, feeling her heart beat with anticipation.

"Just kissing" he promised, leaning in again. This time, she didn't move away from him and his lips found hers effortlessly. If she was nervous, he couldn't tell. Her soft, warm lips felt incredible against his.

His hand moved up to her waist, holding her steady as he leaned in and deepened the kiss. He debated on whether or not to push her down against the couch, but thought better of it. Such a bold move might ruin the moment for her. So he remained content kissing her as they sat next to one another.

When they finally stopped kissing and were both panting for air, he knew what he had just done was a mistake. He wanted more, and she wasn't willing. "We … could be … amazing … together" he said in between labored breaths.

Her body definitely agreed with him right then, but her heart didn't. It wouldn't let her. "Goodnight, Stefan" she told him, moving away from him on the couch and standing up. She grabbed one of the candles and carried it with her upstairs.

She could feel his eyes on her until she disappeared out of sight.

Stefan leaned back on the couch, running his hands through his hair and staring up into the dark. He wouldn't be able to stop thinking about her all night.