A/N: I am really falling in love with this story. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but these characters have really earned a place in my heart : ) I hope you all feel the same!
Thank you for the wonderful reviews … that always make me smile. I check for new reviews a few times a day. It keeps me going, especially when I work all day long :P So, thank you for the inspiration!
I hope you enjoy this update!
Bonnie quickly jumped forward, throwing her arms around Elena and hugging her as tightly as she could. She held her for about one minute before pulling away. "I am … SO angry with you right now" she said, hot tears continuing to run down her face. She wiped at them furiously. "But I love you" Bonnie sighed. She looked exhausted. Emotionally and physically.
"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, wiping at her own tears.
Bonnie looked at her sadly. "I'm here to see you and Mia" she stated.
Elena's eyes widened. "How do you …" she began to ask.
"Hey" came Stefan's voice when he walked in. He didn't seem at all surprised to see Bonnie. "Good to see you" he said, moving past Elena and pulling Bonnie into a hug. She hugged him back. "Come in" he said, stepping aside.
Bonnie came inside while Elena looked from one to the other in disbelief. "So where is she?" Bonnie asked.
"She's upstairs napping. I'll go and see if she's awake" Stefan announced. "Come in, sit" he said, leading her towards the living room.
When he came back, Elena was still in shock where they had left her. "You called her?" she asked him.
Stefan hesitated before answering. He couldn't tell if she was relieved or upset. "Well, yeah" Stefan said. "She's your best friend. You need her" he added softly. "Go, sit with her" he encouraged, giving her a friendly push in the right direction.
Elena shook her head. "I can't" she said. She hadn't talked to Bonnie in some time. The last time she had talked to her, it hadn't been pleasant. No. It had been horrible. Yelling. Crying. Words spoken that Elena never, ever thought they would say to each other.
Stefan's arms slipped around Elena, pulling her close. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. A hug. Just what she needed. "She loves you. And I'm willing to bet if she came all this way, she wants to work things out" Stefan told her. He squeezed her tight. "And I'm pretty sure you want to make things right too" he added, pulling away from her slightly.
Her worried look had vanished for the time being. "How do you always know what to say in these types of situations?" she asked him, smiling.
"It's a gift" he shrugged, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Now go" he said. "I'll be right back down with Mia" he assured her.
"Make sure to change her" Elena told him. "With the …" she began, only to be cut off by him.
"New natural wipes that are for her sensitive skin" he finished for her. "I got this Elena" he told her, leaning in and kissing her quickly. Elena watched him walk up the stairs and disappear down the hall before she touched her lips and smiled. Every time he kissed her now, or she kissed him, she got this tingly feeling running through her body that she had never felt before. It must have been a sign.
Slowly, Elena composed herself and walked into the living area to sit on the couch with Bonnie. She was checking her phone when Elena sat down, but quickly put it away. "So Stefan called you" Elena said, breaking the ice somewhat.
Bonnie nodded. "Yeah, he did. I have to admit, I didn't believe him when he told me" she said, her eyes dangerously close to crying again.
"I wanted to call …" Elena said, looking nervously down at her hands.
"Me too" Bonnie said, equally as nervously.
"I didn't know what to say" they both said simultaneously. They then stopped, looked at each other, and smiled softly.
"I shouldn't have told you not to see my brother. It was unfair of me" Elena said sadly. "You made him happy. I realize that now" she said, the guilt hitting her all over again.
"I shouldn't have gone behind your back, even when I knew how you felt" Bonnie added. "But this?" Bonnie said, waving between them. "Us fighting. Not talking?" she said with disbelief. "This isn't us. We get mad at each other and then we fix it" she reminded her.
Elena nodded. "I'm so sorry" she said, feeling her tears prick at the backs of her eyes again. "Please forgive me" Elena said. She couldn't stand the thought of losing her best friend forever.
"Only if you forgive me too" Bonnie said, wiping again at her own tears. Elena nodded, laughing at how ridiculous they were, crying for a second time in less than a few minutes. "Come here" Bonnie said, pulling Elena into a hug. "I love you. And I'm so sorry too" she said.
"Are we interrupting?" Stefan asked, holding a bright-eyed Mia in the entranceway. Bonnie let go of Elena, her eyes glued to the little girl in Stefan's arms. "Oh, Elena" she said looking at Elena now. Elena's eyes lit up when she saw Stefan, with Mia. "She's … she's gorgeous" Bonnie finally said, nearly breathless. Bonnie stood, walking slowly over to Stefan and grabbing Mia's hand. "Look at you" she said softly, smiling bigger than she had in a long time. "You are so pretty" she gushed.
"Just like her mom" Stefan said, smiling towards Elena who instantly felt her cheeks turn pink. How did he do that?
Bonnie looked at Elena and laughed. "Some things really haven't changed" she said, eyeing Stefan. "Can I hold her?" Bonnie asked.
"If you can get Stefan to give her up" Elena said, her tears subsiding and her smile bright and warm.
Stefan playfully frowned. "Okay, but only because we like Bonnie" Stefan said to Mia. He kissed her head and sighed, putting her in Bonnie's arms. "Just make sure to watch her head. And she likes to be held sort of at an angle so she can see what's going on still" he instructed, tucking her blanket back around her.
"Like this?" Bonnie asked, tucking her into her arm, at an angle, while supporting her head.
"Yeah, like that" Stefan told her. Bonnie walked back towards Elena and sat down. "I have some things to finish up outside. Just holler if you need me" he said.
"Thanks Stefan" Bonnie told him, taking her eyes off of Mia for just a second to look at him. He smiled at them both before leaving the room. Bonnie scooted closer to Elena so she could see her daughter. "I just can't stop staring at her. She's perfect, Elena."
Elena smiled. "She is" Elena agreed. "I love her so much" she added, grabbing Mia's foot.
"You know, for a new mom, you look pretty well rested" Bonnie pointed out. "What's your secret?" she asked.
"Stefan" Elena said, continuing to smile. "He's been amazing. He wakes up with her a lot. He looks after her when I need to nap" she added.
"I just can't believe that after all these years, he still looks at you the way he did when we were younger. If it were possible, I think he loves you even more now than he did back then" she said. "I'm really glad that you two are finally together."
Elena's smile slowly faded. "We're not exactly together" she said. "He's helping out and letting me live here, but …" she said, finding it hard to verbalize what she was thinking.
"But what?" Bonnie asked. "It's obvious that he loves you. And her" she said, looking down at Mia again. "And I see the way you blush when he smiles at you, or the way your eyes light up when he walks into a room. So don't even try to tell me that you're not sure that you feel the same way about him that he feels about you. Because you do" Bonnie stated.
Well no one had ever pointed that out to Elena before. "I do love him" Elena admitted. But she always had. "I just spent so much time thinking that I was going to do this all on my own. It's hard for me to fully accept that Stefan wants to be a part of it too" she sighed, sitting back into the couch.
Bonnie leaned back too. "So stop thinking" she grinned. "Stefan wants to be with you. Both of you. You don't have to do this alone. You get someone to help you and someone to love you. That's pretty amazing, Elena. You deserve to let yourself be happy. So let yourself be happy with him" she said, her eyes sparkling with such promise as she said those words.
"You should be a motivational speaker or something" Elena said, smiling.
Bonnie laughed. "I think I'll stick to dance" she said. "But I sure wouldn't mind being a mother one day. You make it look so amazing" she said, watching Mia's sleepy little eyes close.
"It is pretty amazing" Elena confirmed. They remained quiet for a few minutes, content with watching Mia sleep. "When do you have to head back?" she asked.
"To New York?" Bonnie asked. "Late tonight. I have to be back by Monday morning. I just had to come and see you as soon as I found out" she added. Elena nodded sadly. She didn't want Bonnie to leave so soon. "But I get a week off next month, and I fully plan on spending it with you guys" she said.
"Good" Elena said, letting herself smile. She could wait until next month to see Bonnie again. At least now she could call her. "You haven't asked about Jeremy" Elena pointed out.
Bonnie frowned. "I wasn't sure I was supposed to" she said.
"Of course you're supposed to" Elena told her. Bonnie looked up at her expectantly. "He spent the year traveling. He will be back next week."
"How is he doing?" Bonnie asked.
Elena smiled at her. "He's doing well. But I think he misses you. I'll tell him to call you when he gets in if you want" she added.
"I'd like that" Bonnie said. "I'd really like that."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Bonnie stayed for dinner, having laughed and joked with Elena and Stefan all throughout it. Just like old times. "I should call the cab. I have to be to the airport soon" she said, breaking in on their fun.
"I can take you to the airport" Stefan offered.
"That's really nice of you Stefan, but I don't want to take you away from your family" she told him, smiling at just how close Stefan was sitting next to Elena. Any closer and someone would have been in someone else's lap.
"I don't want you to have to take a cab this late by yourself" he pointed out. "The airport isn't that far. I won't be gone long" he said, standing up.
Bonnie looked at Elena. "Let him take you. He's right. You shouldn't take a cab this late" Elena said, standing with Mia. She walked over to Elena and hugged her. "Thank you for coming to see me. I've missed you" she said, willing herself not to cry. "Safe flight" she whispered.
Bonnie nodded. "I'll see you soon" she said, pulling away from Elena. "And I'll call you tomorrow" she added. "And you" she said, grabbing Mia's hand. "Don't get any more cuter while I am away" she said, kissing Mia's little fingers.
Stefan handed Bonnie her jacket and Bonnie gave Elena one more hug goodbye before walking out of the kitchen. Elena caught Stefan's arm before he could follow her. "Thank you" she told him.
Stefan smiled. "Well I didn't want her going off on her own this late" he told her.
Elena smiled. "I was actually talking about you calling Bonnie for me" she said. "But thank you for taking her to the airport too" she added.
He nodded, knowing that she was extremely thankful for what he had done. "I'll be home in half an hour or so" he told her quietly. He leaned in and kissed her for a moment.
"Okay" Elena said quietly. She looked up at him through her eyelashes, wondering for the millionth time how she had gotten so damn lucky. "I love you" she said quietly, before she could stop herself. Stefan seemed to falter for a moment in what he wanted to say. She hadn't ever said that to him, in a romantic sort of way like she just had. She suddenly felt self-conscious, like she shouldn't have said it at all. "I'm sorry …" she said nervously.
Stefan quickly shook his head at her. "No. It's just …" he said, trying to figure out what he wanted to say. "I didn't know if I would ever hear you say those three words to me" he told her.
"Stefan, my flight leaves in less than an hour" Bonnie called from the other room.
Suddenly Stefan wanted to tell Bonnie to take the cab to the airport. But he couldn't. It wasn't in his nature. "I love you too" Stefan said, kissing her lips one last time before walking away from her.
The door opened and closed and they were gone. Elena looked at Mia. "So let yourself be happy with him" she said, repeating Bonnie's words from earlier. "Let myself be happy with him" she said before turning and taking Mia upstairs.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Half an hour later or so, Stefan came upstairs. Elena had just gotten Mia down for the night, or for a few hours until she woke up again. She had changed into her yoga pants and a t-shirt and was all ready for bed. Her door was closed and she assumed Stefan thought she had gone to bed. She walked down to his room and found him pulling the covers back on his bed, ready to get in. "Hey" she said quietly. He looked up and smiled. "She's on her way back to New York?" Elena asked, walking into his room.
Stefan nodded. "She is" Stefan said. "But she sounded excited to come back next month. I told her she could stay here" he added. Elena looked sad though, even at the mention of Bonnie's next visit. "You okay?" he asked, dropping the sheets he had been pulling back.
Elena forced herself to nod. "I just miss her" she said. She had missed her for a long time. "Can I … can I stay with you, tonight?" she asked hesitantly. Partly because she didn't want to be alone. But also, she was working on letting herself be happy. With him.
If Stefan was surprised, he didn't show it. "Of course" he said. Elena walked over to his bed and crawled in. He followed soon after, pulling the blankets over the top of them. He turned the light off, seeing as how the light from the moon was keeping the room well lit for now. "So are you two good now?" Stefan asked.
Elena nodded. "I think we're going to be okay" Elena told him quietly. "Do you want to know why we stopped talking?" she asked.
"Only if you want to tell me" he replied.
Elena reached for his hand, grabbing it to hold. "She and Jeremy had a thing for each other and I told her I didn't want her to see him" she said. "But she did, behind my back, and when I found out, I said some not so nice things to her" she sighed. "And then she said some not so nice things back to me. There was yelling and crying and then we both stormed off. It was horrible" she said, remembering it exactly.
"Why didn't you want them to be together?" Stefan asked curiously.
Elena shrugged. "I didn't want my little brother dating my best friend. It was weird" she said. "But stupid" she added. "I think he really liked her." Then she sighed. "You know, Bonnie never told Jeremy that I didn't want them together. Even after our fight. She broke up with him but never said anything about me" she added.
"Bonnie is a good friend" Stefan reminded. That she was. "Maybe you can make things right. Jeremy comes home next week. Maybe he can go and visit her" he added.
Elena smiled. "Yeah, maybe" she said. Then she sighed again. Something else was on her mind. "Did I freak you out when I told you I loved you tonight?" she asked.
Stefan laughed quietly. "No. You surprised me. But you didn't freak me out. It's always nice when someone tells you they love you" he said, running is thumb over her hand.
"Bonnie told me I needed to let myself be happy with you" she said, looking into his eyes. "She made me realize some things tonight" she added.
"Like what?" Stefan asked, holding his breath. He hoped they were good things.
"That it's okay for me to make you a more permanent part of my life" she stated. "And that apparently, I blush every time you look at me" she added with a small laugh.
Stefan laughed too. He was happy. So damn happy right now. "You do blush when I look at you, usually after I've complimented you" he said. Then he got serious again. "So, are you and I something now?" he asked hesitantly.
Elena smiled. "We're a work in progress" she told him.
A work in progress. He could live with that. "I like that" he said, leaning over her slightly to kiss her. Not one of his more soft, romantic kisses that he had been giving her all day. This one had a lot more passion behind it. And while it definitely sent sparks through her body, she wanted to make a few things clear first. She turned her head to the side, breaking the kiss. Stefan trailed his lips down her throat. She had to force herself to speak up because he wasn't making it easy to do much else.
"Stefan, wait" she said breathlessly. Stefan sat up some, looking down at her. He looked fearful, like he had done something wrong. She grabbed his face and smiled. "I still can't do some of the more physical things that you might have in mind" she said shyly. Why was she so embarrassed to discuss this with him?
"Sex?" he asked her. She nodded. "I know" he said, giving her a reassuring smile. "Not for a few more weeks at least" he added. Elena wanted to die from embarrassment now. He was keeping track.
"Yeah" she told him. "Do steamy make out sessions sound okay until then?" she asked, hopeful. That's about all she was willing to offer right now.
Stefan grinned. "Whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it" he answered, leaning back down and kissing her gently. "So yeah, steamy make out sessions sound perfect" he added, kissing her again. "But just so we're both clear, you do want sex eventually?" he asked.
Elena paused for a moment and it kind of freaked him out, like she was reconsidering it. "Yes" she finally said. "The first time was pretty amazing. I think I would love to do that again" she said, burying her head into his shoulder to hide her smile.
He smiled at her shyness. "Yeah, it was pretty amazing" he agreed. It was pretty special, too. He noticed that she was still hiding her face from him. "Hey" he laughed, pulling away from her. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing" she said, running her hand up his arm.
"No, that's not going to work with me" he said, kissing her lips lightly. "What's wrong?" he asked again.
Elena sighed. "I just … I still don't feel … sexy. And I don't want to disappoint you" she said, closing her eyes.
"Hey" he said. She still didn't open her eyes. "Hey" he said again, poking her side. Elena's eyes flew open, along with her mouth. He knew she was ticklish. She gave him a warning look. "I think you're sexy as hell" he said, running his fingers down her waist.
"Baby weight and all?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"What baby weight?" he asked against her lips, his fingers finding their way under her shirt. She tensed almost immediately. "I'm going to tell you you're sexy every five minutes, all day long until you start to believe it" he whispered into her ear.
She seemed to relax some and he kept his hands low, caressing her skin as he went back to kissing her. Slowly. Then passionately. Either way, it left her breathless, and wishing for more. "So … damn … sexy" he whispered in between kisses.