Two weeks, she had been dating Stefan. And it had been perfect. They had done all of those things that couples did. Movies. Dinner. Picnics in the park. Hanging out around her house or his, depending on who was home. It felt right, spending so much time with him. Elena almost felt silly whenever she would get so excited when his name flashed across the screen of her phone or when she received a notice saying that he had sent her a text message. Even though they had known each other forever, she started to feel like she had only met the real him two weeks ago. He was charming and fun and sweet and kind.

She could spend all day with him, except for today. Today, she was sitting in the town square with Caroline, drinking iced tea, and spending quality time with her friend. Yet, Stefan kept popping up in her thoughts.

Caroline took notice of how distracted Elena was. She was pretty sure Elena had not heard a thing she had just said. "Dear goodness, you have fallen hard" Caroline said.

The radiating smile that appeared on Elena's face told Caroline that she was right. "That obvious, huh?" Elena asked. Stefan and Elena had not really planned on telling anyone right away, but the more they hung out together in public, the more people began to notice. Finally, Elena told Caroline and Bonnie who then told everyone else.

"It's totally obvious" Caroline said, smiling back at her friend. "I'm happy for you, though, I shall have you know, I called it" she said in a matter of fact tone.

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You called it?" she repeated.

Caroline nodded her head. "Yeah, I told Stefan that one day, you two would end up together" she shrugged. "And I was right. I do hope you plan for a fall wedding though. I think soft autumn colors would be perfect for your bridal party" added.

Elena bumped into her friend playfully. "Stefan and I are nowhere near ready to get married, but I do like the sound of a fall wedding" she said. Elena suddenly looked down at her hands, a hard realization hitting her.

Caroline took notice that her friend was no longer playing around. "Elena, what is it?" she asked, concerned.

Elena let out a small sigh. "My wedding. It's supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life and two of the most important people won't be there to share it with me" she said sadly. Caroline grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, knowing Elena had more to say and encouraging her to say it. "I have felt so happy these past two weeks with Stefan. He makes me smile, and laugh. But I can't help feeling guilty. My parents died. I shouldn't be so happy this soon" she admitted.

Caroline shook her head in disagreement. "You are sad, Elena. But you are moving forward, and there is nothing wrong with that. It's what they would want for you" she told her. Elena nodded her understanding and Caroline knew it was going to take time for Elena to actually accept this. So, instead of pressing on, Caroline decided to lighten the mood. "Man, if your parents could see you two now" she smiled. "Holding Stefan's hand and letting him kiss you. They'd never believe it" she teased.

Elena let herself smile once again. "He's one of the good guys, Caroline. I can't believe it took me so long to realize it" Elena said. Most of the guys that went to their high school were pretty into themselves. It was impossible to be anything but an afterthought for them. Not Stefan though. He was definitely into himself, but he was in to her too. The past few weeks since the accident had really proven that for her.

"He really is" Caroline agreed. "The way he looks at you? I'd kill to have someone in my life that looks at me the way he looks at you. He completely adores you" Caroline gushed. Elena blushed. He did have a way of looking at her that made her feel special. "Do you know how many girls at our school are going to hate you come the beginning of the school year? You have the star high school quarterback wrapped around your little finger. They will envy you for sure."

Elena knew all the girls loved Stefan. And now she knew why. But she wasn't worried. Stefan would never do anything to lose her trust. She was sure of it.

XXXXXXXXX

Stefan grabbed the remote off of the table and plopped down on the couch next to Elena. She moved closer to him and shared the blanket. He wasn't cold, but if sharing a blanket meant that he got to sit closer to her all night, he would use the blanket. The lights were off and in his house, that meant complete darkness. "Where's Damon?" Elena asked casually as the previews started.

Stefan smiled, looking down at her, slowly twirling a strand of her hair around his finger. "He's gone for a few days" he said. It was one of the reasons he had invited her over for a movie. They rarely got time alone, especially when they were at her house.

"Good" Elena replied, resting her head on his chest as she settled into a comfortable position. Stefan put an arm around her. "What did you rent anyways?" she asked, realizing she had no idea what they were watching.

"I don't know, some thriller or something like that. The girl said it was a must see" Stefan replied. He was lying and he knew it. He had picked out the scariest new movie possible with the hope that she would practically be in his lap, holding on to him for dear life all night.

The screen went completely dark before slowly focusing on a young woman walking down a dark road. Elena watched intensely. Of course the young woman heard a noise, stopped, and turned to find the source. And of course she began running. Only when someone popped up out of nowhere and grabbed her did Elena scream, nearly jumping out of her skin in surprise. Elena buried her face in Stefan's shirt, too terrified to look. "Really Stefan?" she mumbled into his chest.

Stefan brought his hand up to her back and stroked it in a comforting manner. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would be so scary" he lied, but doing a very good job at not letting her know it.

The movie continued on with more screaming and cursing on Elena's part. It was just past midnight when the movie ended and the killer had massacred every single last person. Stefan got up to pop the DVD out and then switched off the TV, leaving Elena alone in the dark. She buried herself further into the blanket, looking around the dark room, her mind beginning to play tricks on her. It suddenly became eerily quiet. "Stefan?" she asked, glancing around the dark area. Nothing.

She shrieked when from out of nowhere, he fell on top of her and her blanket. "Right here" he said, taking advantage of her being unable to move. He bent down and kissed her, missing her lips at first, but quickly finding them.

Elena was resistant to kiss him at first. "That wasn't funny" she said, moving her head to the side to avoid his kisses. Stefan began kissing her neck instead, which she discovered, she liked a whole lot too.

Stefan continued to kiss down her neck before he moved back up to find her lips again. "Sorry" he mumbled in between kissing her. She soon forgave him. Elena wiggled her arms out from under the blanket so that she could have more of an advantage when kissing him. She rested her hands on his shoulders as their make out session ensued.

As much as she wanted to continue kissing him, she knew it was getting late and she needed to be getting home. "Stefan" she said, pushing lightly on his chest.

"Hmmm?" he asked, capturing her lips once again. God she loved those lips and what they could do to her.

"I need to get home" she sighed, pushing on his chest once again. She sat up and so did he. "I can't believe you made me watch that movie and now I have to drive home by myself" she said, feigning disbelief. She still couldn't see anything, but could make him out in the dark as he sat in front of her.

"You could stay the night" he suggested, a hint of hope in his voice.

Elena frowned, even though he couldn't see it. "I can't. Jenna would freak" she reminded. Elena slipped out from under the blanket.

"So stay until the morning and then sneak back in. She never told you that you had to be home at a certain time" he said, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. He grabbed her hand and sensed her hesitancy. They hadn't spent time in each other's beds since that night. He inwardly sighed. "I can drive you home" he offered.

Elena felt bad. He sounded so disappointed, even though he was trying to hide it. What would be the harm in staying? It meant that she would get more time with him. "I'll stay" she said.

Stefan smiled. He wanted her to feel comfortable with him, even though two weeks wasn't a long time to be dating. "You can sleep in one of the guest bedrooms" he said, wondering if that would make her feel more comfortable.

Elena yanked her hand away from him. "Don't you dare think about putting me in a room by myself after making me watch that movie" she told him seriously. "I just … I'm not ready …" she struggled to get out. She felt lame for even having to say it. After all, she had thrown herself at him once before and now she was awkwardly skating around the issue of sex with him.

She felt Stefan's hand hold the side of her face as he gently used his thumb to stroke her cheek. "Sleep will be the only thing going on in that bed until you say otherwise" he told her. He respected her and no matter how badly he wanted to get her clothes off of her again, he would suppress his urge until she felt the same way.

Elena nodded. "Thank you" she said quietly. She felt truly lucky that he was willing to wait until she was ready again. Every day, she trusted him a little more.

He leaned in and kissed her slowly. "Come on" he whispered against her lips. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he picked her up, continuing to kiss her. Elena giggled when he tripped on the staircase, nearly making them both fall down it.

Stefan dropped her on the bed, falling on top of her in the process. He kissed her one last time before sitting back up and turning the bedside lamp on. "I think there's an extra toothbrush in one of the drawers" he said, leaving her momentarily to go and search for it. Elena sat up and waited for him to return, hearing the water turn on and off. "Here" he said, tossing the packed brush to her. At least she was already in her sweats. He hadn't done laundry all week and was pretty sure he had nothing left for her to wear. Elena finished setting her alarm so she could get up and sneak back in to her house.

Elena got up and went to the bathroom, but not before she dodged his arms. She'd never get her teeth brushed if she continued to let him kiss her. Stefan plopped down on the bed, closing his eyes as he heard the water run. He sat up some and tossed a few extra pillows to the floor and then got under the covers. "You coming sometime this century?" he called to her teasingly. He smiled, hearing her shut the water off as well as the bathroom light.

Elena exited the bathroom. "You're so damn impatient. You know that, right?" she asked him, walking to the other side of the bed and climbing in.

Before she even had her head on the pillow, he snaked his arms around her, pulling her close. "You love it. Don't lie" he whispered, nibbling on the bottom of her ear softly. "Have I told you how beautiful you are today?" he asked, moving his lips lower, onto her neck. He knew she loved it when he did that, even if she wouldn't admit it. She loved everything about him. He was sure of it. Because he loved everything about her.

Elena smiled. No way was she going to admit liking anything about him right away. She didn't want him getting too cocky so soon in their relationship. "Turn off the light, Romeo" she muttered.

Stefan moved away from her momentarily and the room was suddenly filled with darkness. He moved back over to her, holding her close once again. "I could get used to this" he sighed, resting his head close to hers.

Elena remained quiet, not quite sure what to say. Spending the night with him was definitely a big step in their newly formed relationship. "Stefan?" she asked. He mumbled a "hmmm" and she could tell that he was getting sleepy. She wondered if now was the time to have one of these conversations. "Do you see a future for us?" she asked quietly. "You know, like beyond Senior year?" she clarified. She felt Stefan's arms loosen and she took the opportunity to turn around and face him.

"Why would you ask me that?" he asked with a softness in his voice that she could get used to hearing. Elena shrugged. "Elena …" he pressed.

She sighed. "I just don't want to get too attached and then have us break up. I'm not sure I could deal with that right now, or even later on" she replied, wondering if she sounded needy yet.

"Miss Gilbert, are you saying that you want me around for a while?" he asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. She smiled slightly and even though he could not see her, he knew she was. "There's nothing that can come between us Elena. We've known each other far too long" he said sincerely, easing her worry. Stefan leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

Elena closed her eyes, letting relief wash over her. She did not want to feel so insecure around him, but something kept telling her to guard her heart, just in case. "I'm not either" she replied. The last thing she remembered was telling him goodnight.

XXXXXXXXX

Beep. Beep. Beep. Elena and Stefan both groaned as the alarm on her phone went off. "What time is it?" Stefan asked, keeping is eyes shut as he used the pillow to cover his ears.

Elena blinked a few times before reading her phone. "Six" she said, setting her phone down. "I have to get home before Jenna wakes up" she reminded. She tossed the covers off of her and was about to get out when a strong pair of arms engulfed her, pulling her back into bed. Elena laughed softly as the covers were pulled back over their heads. "Stefan, I have to go" she said half-heartedly.

"No you don't" he sighed, closing his eyes and attempting to go back to bed. He had the best night's sleep with her in his arms. He wasn't about to let that go.

Elena sighed, feeling her eyes grow heavy. She could easily fall back asleep. But if Jenna found out that she had stayed the night, there would be no more going over to Stefan's for late night movies. "If Jenna found out that I didn't come home last night, we're both in trouble" Elena said, pulling his arms away from her.

Stefan groaned, both at the loss of contact and at the fact that Elena was right. He tossed the covers off of himself and staggered behind Elena as they went downstairs. "What are you doing today?" he asked, suppressing a yawn as he did so.

Elena grabbed her purse and keys off of the table. "Girly stuff" she answered, checking her phone for any new messages. "Nails and hair" she clarified when she looked back up and saw confusion on his face. "Trust me, you would be bored" she said, placing a hand on his shoulder as she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Bye" she whispered.

Stefan pulled her into a hug before she could get away. "Drive safe" he whispered into her ear before letting her go. Elena smiled as he bent down and kissed her forehead. It was something that he had never done before but something he hoped she would continue to do. Stefan opened the door for her and watched her leave. He didn't shut it until she was safely in her car and on to the main road.