I've been beaten down, I've been kicked around,
But she takes it all for me.
And I lost my faith, in my darkest days,
But she makes me want to believe.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
They call her love, love, love, love, love.
She is love, and she is all I need.
She's all I need.
And when that world slows down, dear.
And when those stars burn out, here.
Oh she'll be here, yes she'll be here.
.
.
Song: "She is Love"
by Parachute
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The sun was beating down on his face.
Stefan smiled, actually smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity. The air was crisp and full of chilling winter, but the sun was shining, heating him to the soul. No longer feeling the weight of the lapis ring on his middle finger, Stefan flexed his hand over and over again.
For once, his mind wasn't spinning or fighting to find reason behind all of his mistakes. He was part of the earth, just the tips of the blades of grass. He didn't need to think about anything except for the warmth radiating through his body, warmth that he hadn't felt in over 150 years. Humanity. Pure, innocent, humanity.
His serene moment was shattered far too quickly for his liking when a smooth voice startled him. "Stefan Salvatore?" Stefan jumped and hurriedly sat up, looking up for the source. A few feet away stood a man with the lightest blonde hair he had ever seen, and hauntingly gray eyes. He was clad in black casual trousers and a baggy white button up shirt that was halfway un-tucked.
"Can I help you?" Stefan asked in confusion. The blonde man sighed and slid down, taking a seat beside him. He paused for a long moment, looking torn, before speaking.
"No, actually, I was hoping to help you," he answered reluctantly. "I'm James." He extended a strong hand, which Stefan slowly accepted.
He wasn't sure exactly what James's intentions were. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You want to get back to 2011, don't you?"
James sighed and placed his hands in his lap when he realized Stefan was completely awestruck, so he spoke levelly. "For someone who has over 150 years of wisdom, you don't get much, do you? Let me explain."
Stefan exhaled shakily, trying not to get his hopes up at the blonde man's words. "Please do."
Moving his hair away from his eyes due to force of habit, James chuckled, but it was humorless. "I know who you are, and I know why you're here. Charlotte put a spell on you when she saw you running through the woods that night. She felt like-"
Stefan cut him off abruptly, "Charlotte?"
James shrugged nonchalantly. "Charlotte Petrova. You know, the original Petrova?"
His jaw dropped in utter shock.
James kept talking despite Stefan's reaction. "Anyways, from what I understand, your girlfriend is distantly related to her, hmm? And that's where your problem lies. Charlotte wants the Petrova bloodline to end. You see, Charlotte is a vampire and witch, a very powerful one at that."
"…And?"
"And, eventually, a new witch will be born through the Petrova bloodline, an even more powerful one. When this person comes along, they'll have the ability to rip Charlotte of her powers for good. So she wants to stop that before it stops her. And no offense, but you in your human state of mind with her in 2011 isn't exactly anyone's idea of a top-of-the-line security system," James explained to a very cautious Stefan, whose mind was now spinning.
"How do you know all of this?" he interrogated.
With a sly grin, his blue-gray eyes dazzling, James replied, "Because Charlotte thinks I'm on her side."
Stefan sat rigid at those words, his green orbs glazing over with caution as they scanned over the spontaneous blonde beside him. "Then why are you helping me?"
At those words, James grew very serious very fast. He leaned in so close to Stefan that he could hear his steady, human, heart pumping blood –very quickly- through his veins. "Because, she's put me through hell, Stefan. She put a curse on me a very long time ago and though she said she'd get rid of it if I went through with her plan, I don't want it anymore. I'd rather live with this curse than have to watch her take life after innocent life. I'm done playing along with her games. It's time for revenge."
Stefan shivered at those words.
James firmly extended his hand, and he accepted without hesitation. A smile of kinship curled on the golden haired vampire's lips when he said his next words.
"I think I may know of a way for you to contact Elena."
.
.
.
Elena giggled loudly as Stefan dramatically lifted her by the waist and set her back down over the other side of the doorway. The prom had just ended and they returned to the boarding house, though it seemed to them that the party was still going on. He closed the door behind him with a playful spin and captured her in his arms, making Elena laugh once again.
Elena placed her feet on top of his, one hand tightly locked with his own, the other gripping his shoulder as he playfully waltzed them around the parlor, singing whatever song he could remember from the prom.
"I will never say never!" he sang loudly, the sound echoing through the huge home. Their laughter filled the boarding house which had been completely silent merely seconds ago.
"Noooo! Anything but Justin Bieber!" Elena jokingly shouted and buried her face in Stefan's broad shoulder as he continued to dance them around the room. She peeked up at him briefly, enjoying the pure happiness she saw on his face. She couldn't feel more thankful for this moment and the time she was spending with him. He was young, he was careless, fearless, yet he was still her Stefan. Every gaze, every gentle caress, and she once again was reminded that she was still spending time with the man she was in love with. In a strange but amazing way, Elena felt as if she was growing up with Stefan all over again. There were two sides to him, and she had seen –and adored- both. She now knew the man that he was before he had any cares or worries, and it was incredible. Elena could now contently say that she completely knew her dear Stefan. And she loved him effortlessly. All of him.
Oh lord, Elena thought when she heard him singing once again. He was humming Moves Like Jagger, that careless smile of his wider than ever. She laughed again and buried her face in his neck, inhaling the sweet scent of his cologne and everything Stefan.
"Elena?" Stefan asked after a few seconds when they were just swaying at this point.
She glanced up at him with a playful smile, loving the way she could see it returned in his endless green eyes. "Yes?" said Elena.
"What is a Jagger?"
Elena burst out into laughter once again at Stefan's question, mainly because he sounded so serious when he asked it. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then pulled away to stare at him with a huge grin. "Who spiked your punch?" she joked before practically falling over with laughter.
He chuckled and held her even closer to keep her from falling as he waltzed them across the room again, Elena's feet never touching the ground. He placed butterfly kisses all over her giggling face as he did so; just like Elena in this carefree moment, Stefan's heart would not touch the ground.
"Do I have the moves like Jagger?" Stefan teased after stealing a quick kiss from her cherry lips.
"Yes!"
"Is that a compliment?"
"Yes!"
…
About an hour later, Stefan and Elena rested on top of the comforter of his silky bed. After quickly washing away the makeup and changing into her pajamas, she ended up back in Stefan's room, silently beside him as he finished writing in his journal.
Stefan let Elena rest her head on his shoulder as his heart spilled onto the pages through his elegant penmanship. She almost felt as if she could fall asleep in this incredible moment, but Elena didn't dare take her eyes away from what Stefan was writing.
"My name's in here a lot," she whispered, glancing up at him. Stefan smiled shyly and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.
"I have a lot to say about you," he said softly. "No need to worry, Miss Gilbert, you have raving reviews from me." He chuckled softly and Elena cuddled a little closer, feeling comfort in Stefan's arms.
"I can see that. You really had that much fun tonight?" she asked as she softly ran her finger along the words on the journal, careful not to smudge the ink.
"All in thanks to you," Stefan commented, catching her hand that was against the journal with his own to bring it to his velvety lips. She closed her eyes as he spoke to her. "Thank you for a wonderful night, Elena. It will be one that I will never forget."
Elena smiled and kept her eyes closed, enjoying Stefan's melodic voice that filled her senses. She could feel him shift just a bit as he moved to set the diary on the bedside table. She could hear the soft click of the lamp turning off, followed by that sense of safe darkness. A darkness she wanted to fall into forever.
Finally, she gave in to much needed sleep, the incredible feel of Stefan's arms around her never fading. That night, she dreamed of him.
.
Elena walked through the grassy meadow, her pajama pants brushing against the ground as she made her way to a figure on the other end. It was Stefan. He was waiting for her anxiously.
Standing tall, dressed in a blazer, dress pants, and white gloves, he appeared in view. It was then that she realized what time period he was dressed for.
1864.
"Stefan?" she whispered hesitantly, slowly lifting her hand in mid air. A slight smile curled on his lips as he raised his hand also and placed his fingers in between hers, entwining their hands. It was a perfect fit, as usual.
"We don't have much time," he said sadly, looking into her deep brown eyes. "I just need you to promise me you'll be safe when you wake up."
She gazed at him, baffled, until she made the connection. Those words were far too familiar and she suddenly realized exactly who she was talking to.
Stefan… the man who shared every memory with her, the person who had over 100 years of knowledge was standing in front of her, holding her hand. Her heart skipped a beat and she instantly flung herself on him, loving the way his arms instantly wrapped around her.
Even in her dreams, he still smelled like waterfalls and cologne.
"Stefan," she pleaded. "I'm so sorry about what happened with Damon… I need you to hear me and believe me when I tell you that it meant nothing. I'll never forgive myself for it and…"
"Shhh," he cut her off and soothingly ran his fingers through her hair. "We have a lot to talk about, and we'll have time to do that. I love you."
"I love you too," she muttered back, pulling away to gaze into his eyes. "All of you."
Stefan smiled lightly at her words but arched a brow, absently twirling a strand of her dark hair through his fingers. "All of me?"
She chuckled. "You when you were human… It's kind of funny just how much you really haven't changed over the years. Your heart is still the same."
He pulled her even closer and stole a soft kiss from her lips. "No matter what decade or state of mind I'm in, I'll always be in love with you. It seems my heart was yours before I even met you."
She grinned and ran her fingers through his hair now, loving the fact that although his words would have sounded cliché to anyone else, they were perfect to her.
"We're running out of time," Stefan said urgently, a frown settling onto his features, shattering their gentle moment. "Elena, I need you to stay safe. There's danger headed your way… dark danger, and you need to be protected. I'll find a way. I promise… I'll find a way."
She was going to ask what kind of danger she was in, but he was already fading.
.
Elena's eyes shot open in the darkness and she gasped at the most realistic dream she'd ever had. Her fingers still tingled where Stefan's had been in the dream, and his words haunted her. Was she really in danger?
She wasn't sure, and that scared her. But for the moment, she couldn't let it bother her; that's what she told herself. She simply moved even closer to a now sleeping Stefan and took in his homey scent, smiling softly.
"No matter what decade or state of mind I'm in, I'll always be in love with you. It seems my heart was yours before I even met you."
Those words lingered in Elena's mind and filled her with warmth and safety as she finally drifted off to sleep in his protective arms.
AN: I hope you liked the chapter! We finally learned Charlotte's intentions and that James actually is on Team Stefan—LOL! And yes, Stefan visiting Elena's dream was him contacting her from 1864… That will be explained later on. Sorry this update took me longer than usual… I was SUPER busy this week with the holiday (Happy late Thanksgiving!)
Please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter: what you liked, what you didn't like, what you want to happen next! You all know how much every single one means to me :)
Xoxo
-Sara