A/N: This update was a challenge to write. But I am finally getting the story where I wanted it to be.

Please do let me know your thoughts on it. I would very much appreciate it : )

Also, can I say how perfect Paul and Nina are on TVD? It is impossible for them to not have chemistry.

Stefan leaned down and gently kissed Elena as she slept in their bed. He let her sleep in whenever he could, because she did not always get as much sleep as he knew she should get. She was juggling a job, her classes and studying, while still making time to be the most loving and devoted wife he could have asked for.

He brushed some of her hair out of her face, smiling down at her. Elena looked so peaceful while sleeping. "Elena" he whispered.

Her eyes slowly opened to find him staring down at her. She smiled sleepily, happy to see his smiling face. "Hi" she said softly.

"Hi" he said, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "You should probably get up now" he added. They were attending a party with Damon who hadn't wanted to attend by himself. Damon was often invited to these social events by former business clients who were appreciative of Damon and his construction company. Damon just hated attending alone, and he had no one else to go with him.

Stefan worried that his brother would end up alone the rest of his life, because Damon never put in the effort to meet women. His excuse the first few years was that he was still heartbroken over Katherine. Then after that, it was being too busy. Stefan just wanted Damon to meet a great girl. To have someone to love again.

"I suppose I should" Elena agreed, sitting up.

Stefan reached over and grabbed a cup of coffee off of her nightstand. It was from her favorite coffee place. "I got you this" he said, handing it to her.

Elena smiled, taking the coffee from him. "You went out this morning already?" she asked, tasting her coffee. It was exactly what she always ordered. He was so good about remembering what she liked.

"Yeah. I had a few things to do" he told her, sitting down next to her on the bed. "I have something else for you" he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a thin silver box. He handed it to Elena.

"What's this?" she asked, setting her coffee back down and examining the box sitting in her hand. She looked up at Stefan as she took the lid off. "Stefan" she said softly, staring at a beautiful white gold heart pendant necklace with two diamonds in the center. "This is beautiful" she told him, smiling with just a little excitement. "What's the occasion?" she asked him, looking up to see Stefan studying her carefully, making sure she had liked his gift.

"Just because" he told her, smiling as he took the necklace out. "And I thought you should have something new to wear to the party this afternoon" he added.

Elena turned slightly so that he could fasten the necklace around her neck. "I love it. Thank you" she said, turning back to face him. Her fingers played with the heart pendent. She was incredibly lucky to be with a man as generous as Stefan was.

"You're welcome" he told her. It was Elena who leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, but he was the one to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer, deepening the kiss she had started and leaving them both breathless.

As Elena stood in front of their bathroom mirror an hour later, she admired the necklace he had given her moments earlier. Things had been better, a lot better, the past week since she had confronted him about his drinking. Elena hadn't seen any signs that he had even had one drink since. He came home after work every night, except one night where he called and told her he had a last minute meeting. They ate dinner together and then couldn't find a reason to keep their hands off each other. If only she had said something sooner.

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Elena could hear Damon and Stefan downstairs, laughing about something. She could bet that they were lounging on the couch waiting for her. She was right.

They both stood immediately upon seeing her. Their impeccable manners always impressed her. "You guys ready?" she asked, putting a small white sweater on that matched the light blue dress she had chosen to wear. Elena had also decided to wear her hair in curls for something different. She must have looked alright because Stefan couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"You look beautiful" Stefan said, walking to her. He grabbed her hand in his and leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

Elena smiled, looking into his eyes. "Thank you" she told him, reaching her hand up to wipe off the little bit of lipstick left on his lips. "You look great too" she added. Then she turned to see Damon watching them, but pretending not to be. "You look great too, Damon" she told him. Seeing them dressed up was one of her favorite things.

"Thank you, Elena" Damon replied, his eyes brightening upon being included. "And my brother is right. You look beautiful."

Elena was sure she blushed. "Thank you" she said politely.

Stefan wrapped his arm around her, placing his hand flat against the small of her back. "Shall we?" he asked. He was excited to show his wife off at this party. Like he was at all the parties.

"Oh, wait. I forgot my purse upstairs" Elena said, placing her hand on his chest. "I'll go and grab it real fast" she told him, beginning to leave his side.

Stefan stopped her. "I'll get it" he said, smiling at her. He left her, a bit of a skip in his step as he went back upstairs.

Damon couldn't help but smile. "He adores you" Damon told her, leaning against the armrest on the couch. "I can tell by the way he looks at you."

She was flattered by his comment, though sometimes she couldn't help but wonder what Stefan saw in her. She was nothing special. "And how can you tell by the way he looks at me?" Elena asked Damon curiously.

His smile slowly faded, and so did his eye contact with her. He shifted his weight nervously and looked down at his hands. "Because it's the same way I used to look at Katherine" he said, sadness laced in his voice. He loved Katherine more than words could describe.

It made Elena's heart hurt, hearing and seeing Damon so crushed by Katherine's absence.

"Damon" she said quietly, wanting so desperately to reach out to him. The moment she stepped forward, Stefan came jogging back down the stairs.

"Got it" he announced, oblivious to the change in mood in his living room.

Both Damon and Elena wiped the sadness from their faces. "Thank you" Elena said, forcing a smile for her husband as she looked up at him. Stefan leaned down and kissed her quickly before wrapping his arm around her. They all walked out together.

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Elena wasn't sure if her face could hurt anymore or not, but all of the smiling she had been doing for over an hour was starting to take it's toll. Everyone she met and talked with was incredibly nice, even if she didn't quite fit in with that group. She had to remind herself though that Stefan and Damon both had money, and therefore she was just like everyone else in the eyes of her fellow party guests.

The women wore elegant dresses and Elena found herself wondering if she had underdressed for this garden party she was attending. They also wore jewelry that was rather stunning. Then again, her ring was nothing to balk at. If you stared at it directly for too long, it would blind you.

Both Stefan and Damon carried themselves so well when interacting with the other guests. Even Stefan, who she had thought was kind of shy sometimes, carried a conversation with almost everyone there. He even invited Elena into the conversation, bringing up her interest in marine biology. He was so proud of her and where she was going and he liked everyone else to know it too.

Elena had slipped away eventually, taking a trip to the lady's room. She stood at the sink, looking down at her wedding ring. It was the first thing people noticed about her on campus. After all, not many women her age were married, let alone sporting a ring like the one she had.

She smiled, feeling incredibly happy to be there at the party with Stefan. She missed him when she wasn't with him, and couldn't get enough of him when she was.

Elena left the bathroom in search of Stefan. She hoped that he would dance with her, since there was a small dance floor and a live band singing. Elena loved dancing with Stefan. Even at home, he would play a song on the stereo and grab her hand, inviting her to dance with him. He was such a romantic that way.

She scanned the garden area in search of him. She smiled when she saw him and then started towards him. As Stefan turned slightly, she saw the drink in his hand, causing her to falter to a halt. Anxiety crept into her chest as she watched him. Stefan was talking with a small group of men who were all enjoying a drink from the glass tumblers they held.

When Stefan brought the glass to his lips and drank, she was left feeling betrayed. He had promised her he would stop drinking. Yet there he was.

Her eyes started to sting with tears threatening to spill. Elena took a shallow breath in, letting it out slowly to calm herself down. And Stefan kept taking drinks from the glass he was holding. He wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Elena, there you are!" one of the wives said, grabbing onto her arm. "Come, come! Us girls are meeting in the tea room" she said, tugging on Elena to follow.

Elena composed herself quickly, hoping none of the women would see that she was about ready to cry. She needed a distraction, or maybe some time away from Stefan to figure out what she was going to say to him.

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As pleasant as the women had been during tea, Elena just couldn't enjoy herself. Her mind kept drifting back to Stefan drinking. The more she thought about it, the more upset she was. Elena still had no idea how she would approach him on the subject. The first time, she had been an adult about it, talking calmly and rationally.

Obviously, that had not worked. She didn't yell at him or fight with him ever. It scared her to think that was where she was headed in terms of dealing with him. Stefan was not respecting her concerns the way she had hoped he would.

Elena felt a pair of arms wrap around her suddenly. Stefan's mouth was near her ear as he pulled her back against his chest. She could almost instantly smell the alcohol on his breath. "Hey" he said seductively.

Her entire body tensed. He hadn't just been drinking. He was drunk. She knew that voice. The voice she dreaded. "You're drunk" she accused, keeping her voice low so as not to make a scene. She pulled his arms off of her and moved away from him.

But Stefan didn't give up, following her and wrapping his arms around her again. "I'm … not …" he said slowly, trying to form a coherent sentence. "Not. I am not … not drunk" he slurred slightly, leaning forward and losing his balance, nearly knocking her down.

"Stop it Stefan" Elena pleaded quietly, not wanting to cause a scene. What the hell was she supposed to do with her drunk husband the rest of the afternoon? She couldn't let him continue to wander around drunk. "You promised me" she told him, her voice sounding as upset as she felt.

Stefan sighed as he closed his eyes and held Elena tight. "I love you" he told her, resting his chin on her shoulder. Then he laughed, and Elena couldn't think of one single thing in that moment that was funny. "I wanna dance" he whined, beginning to sway with her in a very uncoordinated way.

Elena again pried his hands off of her and slipped away. "You are unbelievable" she told him, shaking her head. "We're going home" she informed him.

Stefan smiled at her, his eyes completely glazed over from the alcohol he had indulged in. "You're so … pret … pretttttty" he slurred, taking a step towards her and reaching his hand out for her.

Elena wiped away the first tear that fell from her eye. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling more vulnerable in that moment than she had in a long time. "Stefan, please" she said, hating herself for begging. She just didn't want others to see him like that.

"Elena Elena Elena" he rattled off, taking a step back to sit down in a nearby chair. He missed the chair and fell to the floor, muttering as he lay on his back and stared up at the sky. "Ughhhhh" he groaned.

Elena felt herself start to panic as she watched a few people turn to stare at Stefan. No one was rushing to help him, probably because they knew Stefan was just drunk. Crying silently, she walked over to Stefan quickly and grabbed his arm, trying to help him up. "Get up" she bit out. Stefan was doing nothing to help get himself up. He alternated between groaning and laughing.

"Elena?" Damon asked, running towards her and his brother. He knelt down beside Elena and could see her crying. All he had to do was look at his brother to understand what the problem was. His brother was drunk off his ass. "I've got him" Damon said, wrapping his arm around Stefan and getting him to stand up. Stefan swayed against his brother, but at least his brother could support the extra weight.

"I'm finnnnne" Stefan whined in his drunken state. He stumbled over his own feet as Damon led him towards the parking lot. Elena kept her head down as they walked, very much aware of the crowd they were now drawing. She was so embarrassed. She'd never be able to show her face at any of those events again. "Lemme go!" Stefan yelled belligerently. He yanked his arm away from Damon, intent on walking himself. He made it a few steps before stumbling forward on the grass. His attempts to get himself back up were just plain pathetic.

As the seconds passed by, Elena felt her chest tighten even more. Her emotions were all over the place, because she wanted to scream at him but also keep him from hurting himself. Yet she didn't do either one. She simply stood back and watched as Damon took over. "Get your ass up" Damon said gruffly, having lost all patience for his little brother. Damon reached down and grabbed Stefan, pulling him back up to his feet.

Again, Stefan yanked himself free. He stumbled back a few steps, but caught himself and surprisingly was able to balance for the time being. "Fuck you Damon" Stefan spat drunkenly.

Damon bit back his anger, realizing that his brother couldn't have a rational, coherent conversation about how stupid he was acting. "Just get in the damn car Stefan!" Damon ordered. He grabbed Stefan again, much to Stefan's displeasure.

When they got to the car finally, Stefan was putting up more of a fight, refusing to get in. "Stefan, please" Elena begged. Tears fell down her face and all she wanted was to go home.

Stefan turned on her, pointing his finger at her. She looked into his eyes, but she couldn't find him. Not the real him. "You shut up" Stefan warned, his voice threatening and angry. His words made her step back, weary of him.

Before she knew it, Damon was slamming Stefan up against the car, pinning him there and getting in his face. "You do not speak to her that way" Damon growled. He didn't care if his brother was drunk and acting out. Damon would not tolerate it.

"Get off me!" Stefan yelled, turning his anger back to his brother. Stefan tried to shove Damon, but Damon didn't budge.

"Elena, open the door for me please" Damon told her. He was going to get Stefan in that car one way or another. Elena did so, and it was an all-out struggle for the next five minutes or so. Elena covered her mouth as she watched. Her tears didn't stop.

When Damon finally got Stefan in the car and shut the door on him, he looked disheveled from struggle with Stefan. His shirt was untucked and his tie was loose. "You're bleeding" Elena said, her face full of worry.

Damon touched his lip to confirm that he was. "His elbow hit me. I'm fine" he told her. "Look, I'm going to take you home and then take Stefan back to my house. Let him sober up" he explained. They both looked through the window to see Stefan lying across the back seat. They could also hear him yelling. "With any luck, he'll pass out on the drive home" Damon told her. That would be the best outcome.

Elena nodded, wiping at the tears still on her face. She couldn't imagine how her day could have started out so perfectly and ended like this.

"Hey" Damon said, getting her to look at him. "I'll take care of this" he told her. He wasn't about to let his little brother ruin the best relationship he would ever have over something as stupid as drinking.

Damon turned to walk around to the driver's side of the car when Elena spoke. "He promised he'd stop" Elena said, hearing her voice crack and feeling her tears come back. "I told him I don't like seeing him like this. That it worries me" she said sadly. She lifted her eyes to meet Damon's. He looked shocked at first, like he couldn't believe he didn't know about any of this. Then he looked as though his heart was breaking for her in that moment. "He promised" she repeated, crying softly. She didn't know why Stefan had broken his promise to her. It hurt her to know he couldn't keep his promise to her.

As much as Damon wanted to hug her, he refrained. His own mind was racing as he listened to Elena. "How long has this been going on?" Damon asked cautiously. He had assumed this afternoon was the first incident. Maybe Stefan had a rough week at work and let loose a little too much. Obviously that was not the case.

Too long. "Since March" Elena said sadly. Six months roughly. She remembered perfectly the day she had come home and found him drunk, carrying on and on about the satellite dish not working. They didn't even have a satellite dish. She had been concerned, but she chalked it up to him being stressed at work too. She thought he was just taking on more responsibilities at the company, so things would mellow out soon.

But it never did. His drinking had slowly gotten worse and more frequent. But that afternoon was probably the worst she had ever seen him. He was truly unmanageable. It scared her to think about Damon not being there to intervene.

Damon's face lost all emotion as he listened to Elena. All this time, and he had no idea what was going on. It scared him though to think that his little brother was acting this way. Stefan didn't drink that much and become belligerent. And he never spoke that way to Elena. "It's going to be okay" Damon told her. Because that was all he could think of to say.

She wanted to believe Damon. She had to believe him.

Because seeing Stefan like that would slowly destroy her.

A/N: Well, I suppose this is the ugly side of him. And you all are still probably wondering how Stefan got to this point. You will get answers.

This story will show how love will be tested in the most difficult way.