A/N: Sorry guys, life got the best of me but here's a long awaited update. Will try to post more often. Thanks for standing by!
Stefan's POV:
I went to find Elena. We can't end this on bad terms. Elena wants what I want… to remain friends. I went to her barracks and found Caroline leaving their room. Caroline scorned me with her eyes and I took a step back.
"Is everything okay…?" I asked with caution. Caroline rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"I don't know, you tell me." I became confused and then I understood.
"If you're referring to Elena and I, we decided it would be best to stay friends. It's a mature decision." I said confidently. Caroline still held her guard up but shrugged her shoulders.
"Whatever you say. Just stop hurting her." Caroline walked away but her words still hung heavy on my heart.
I decided to stop venturing to find Elena and focus on the matter of those orphaned children in the city. What was I to do? I had to be careful about this.
I walked over to the common area of Elena's barracks and sat on floor. I picked up my phone and dialed. The phone rang once and I was greeted by a warm yet wise voice.
"Hey, I have something I want to run by you… well, I'm going to do it regardless but I would like for you to come out here and survey this land I'm thinking of buying."
"I don't know Stefan… this sounds dangerous. I mean, people can't know that a Navy Seals captain just bought property in the middle of Baghdad." Alaric, my assistant/private contractor/attorney/accountant/friend, replied. I slightly groaned.
"Well, obviously that's true which is why I want to put it in Katharine's name. Look, I don't have any more time to speak to you today but I'll email you in a few hours with more details." I heard Alaric sigh, he knew he didn't stand a chance. The phone clicked and I looked up to see Elena standing before me.
Her eyes looked tired and red, as if she was crying. I bit my tongue and waited for her to speak.
"Who were you talking to?" She asked with curiosity. I half grinned.
"Alaric. He's my assistant back home. He's also my lawyer and kind of an overseerer of my personal and business accounts. He's also a good friend of mine, we went to prep school together." She smiled tightly and nodded.
"I heard you were looking for me?" She said with a dry voice. I shook my head and she sat down on the floor next to me.
"Elena," I started, "I really want us to be friends, honestly. But we need to get over whatever crush we have on each other first. You and I both know that this relationship wouldn't work out… I hate to say that because I do feel something for you but this is not our time." I admitted sincerely. Elena smiled lightly and nodded in agreement.
"I completely agree Stefan. I'm so tired of being hot and cold with you. I want to be friends, nothing more but also nothing less. You're an incredible guy! I just want us to be able to hang out without it being weird, you know?" She said with a giggled.
God, I love her laugh.
"I concur. Let's start over again." I stood up and she did too. She stuck out her hand for a handshake but I just rolled my eyes.
"Stefan!" She exclaimed with offense, "You best shake my hand, we just signed the Treaty of Versailles." I laughed and grabbed her hand. I felt a pulsating shock when I took her hand in mine but I ignored it, just as she did.
"So…" she started, "What was the phone call about?" I grinned.
"Come with me, I'll show you," I said while taking her hand.
Elena's POV:
I'm glad Stefan and I patched things over. He was right, this is not our time but I still can't help but feel something more between us. Alas, I won't ruin what we have now.
Stefan took me into the far side of town, near the west border. Things here are sullen and poverty stricken. We went into this dark alley, where I heard the pitter patter of feet. Stefan pulled behind a tarp curtain and revealed children, ranging from ages 1-12. I looked around at their deplorable conditions and my heart sank. I wanted to cry but the children looked incredibly upbeat and optimistic. I remained strong for them. They jumped on Stefan and Stefan yelled with delight.
"Ah!" Stefan fell to the ground and allowed the children to tackle him. I watched on with amusement. A little boy, he must have been about 4, pulled on my hand. I looked down at him and was met with heartache. The boy had a cleft pallet and was deaf but despite his disabilities, he smiled on with the upmost enthusiasm. I crouched down to reach his level and he put his hand on my face.
"Ziba" the boy said. I looked at him in confusion but smiled. "Ziba!" The boy said again with much more enthusiasm. I laughed at him and nodded, not understanding a word he's saying. He frowned in frustration and spoke to me again.
"Shoma besiar ziba hastin!" The boy exclaimed. Stefan bellowed a laugh and come over to me. He picked up the boy and tossed him over his shoulders.
"He's saying 'You are beautiful'" Stefan explained. I felt the air leave my lungs a little and I smiled widely. I took the boy in my arms and kissed him on the cheek. He giggled like wind-chimes and my heart grew full. Stefan looked at me with acceptance.
"I'm going to build an orphanage for these kids and for others." Stefan said with determination. I looked at him with amazement.
"Is there any way I can help?" I asked with excitement. Stefan smiled lazily and ran his hand through his hair.
"No, not as of yet. I'll find something for you eventually… Let's get them dinner." Stefan warranted.
"Can I stay with them until you get back?" I asked sadly. A stern line formed at Stefan's mouth.
"It's not safe, Elena." He wasn't going to let me have his way.
"It's not safe for them either." I protested. I knew I shouldn't argue with Stefan but I didn't want to leave the children by themselves even though they already were.
"Don't do that, Elena. You and the kids are two different classes." Stefan was cold but it was the truth.
"These kids know how to take care of themselves, that's why they have made it for so long… we won't be longer than 20 minutes." Stefan promised and I reluctantly joined him.
Stefan told the kids he would be back with dinner and they started to form a line. I waved at them and they all waved back.
Stefan and I went to a small restaurant and ordered rice, vegetables, lamb, enough to feed a small town. The woman looked on suspiciously at us but never questioned. Stefan went a couple of stores over and bought fresh milk and water.
"Can you believe this?" He mumbled with anger, "A gallon of water is twelve dollar, unbelievable. Bastards." Stefan was ranting but I just couldn't listen to him. I was anxious to get back to the children. Stefan noticed my anxiety.
"Hey, would you calm down? You're going to give yourself an aneurism. Please, Elena, relax. They're fine." Stefan assured me but I ignored him until I saw the kids again.
We returned with food and drinks and they were all waiting in a straight line. I did a quick headcount just so I know for next time. Stefan and I distributed the food and I went to feed the younger children so the older ones could eat.
The babies ate with delight and the little boy from earlier came over and sat next to me. Stefan sat across from me to help feed a little girl.
"Ask him what his name is," I said over to Stefan. He looked at the little boy next to me and spoke to him. The boy looked up at me a smiled.
"Adam" the little boy said.
"Adam?" I questioned. Stefan sheepishly smiled.
"One of the prophesies," Stefan explained.
"Tell him I said that it's the best name ever and that my name is Elena." Stefan nodded and spoke to Adam. Adam giggled and clapped his little hands together.
By the time dinner was over and after we played a couple of games with the children, the sun began to set and Stefan looked at me with reluctant eyes.
"Time to go?" I asked sadly. Stefan half smiled and nodded. I hugged every children, all 13 of them and promised to be back soon. They waved goodbye and a few started crying but the older children comforted them with a song. It hurt my heart to leave but I knew it had to be that way.
Stefan drove back to the base but we sat in silence, reflecting on how good we really have it.
"I have to do something for this kids, I can't stand them living like that for another day." Stefan broke the silence with a muttered gasp. I looked over to him and he had a few tears leaving his eyes. I reached over to his hand and squeezed it.
"You will help them Stefan, and others too. You know they don't care about how they are living right? All they care about is having someone care about them. They want to feel parented. That's what we need to give them for now until you put the orphanage up. I want to go there every day if I can, I know it's dangerous but they're just children. I wish we could have taken them back with us." I confessed. Stefan nodded in agreement and let go of my hand. We were back to the base and everyone was hovering around the gates.
"What's going on?" I whispered to Stefan. Stefan shrugged his shoulders and he approached the gate.
"Sorry, sir, we can't let you in. We had a security breach." The guard said.
"A security breach?" Stefan asked in bewilderment. "What kind of security breach?" Stefan hissed a little.
"That's classified at the moment." The guard replied. Stefan shot the guard a hot glare and got out of the car.
"I am Captain Salvatore, either you tell me what's going on or I'll get the General. We are close friends." Stefan sounded threatening but the guard looked over to me and shook his head.
"Sir, it's confidential. She does not have clearance." Stefan looked at me and rolled his eyes.
"I'll be back," He told me. Stefan left me in the convoy when my phone buzzed. It was an email from Caroline.
E,
We've been evacuated to another base until things cool down. Found anthrax in a letter addressed to you…
Be safe.
xC
I gulped and read Caroline's words over and over again. Suddenly, I began to panic. I felt suffocated and immediately got out of the car and ran as hard as I could.
"Elena!?" Stefan called out, "Elena! It's not safe! Come back!" Stefan yelled and started running after me but I couldn't stop and I was way too ahead of Stefan for him to catch up. I don't know where I was going but all I could feel was the cold sand beneath my feet and utter darkness ahead of me. Stefan's voice sounded smaller and smaller as I ran further and further away.
I don't know how long I was running for until my legs buckled beneath me and I found myself face down, gasping for air. The sand filled my lungs and made it harder to catch my breath but I had to get away. Call me dramatic but I felt the walls of the convoy caving in on me as I started to wonder who was trying to kill me. Within minutes I heard heavy steps running in my direction and suddenly I was in the air.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing? There's IEDs everywhere out here Elena! You could have died. What the fuck!" Stefan was angry but in a concerned way.
"What the fuck? WHAT THE FUCK? There's someone trying to fucking kill me Stefan, IEDs should be the least of your fucking concerns right now!" I yelled back as he put me down.
"I will never let anything happen to you. They have already traced the prints on the letter. But what you just did was absolutely foolish and stupid. Honestly, what were you thinking?" Stefan's tone softened a little. He was genuinely upset.
"I… I don't know… When my parents were dying in front of me, they told me to run. I guess that's just my basic instinct. I wasn't thinking, just reacting… I'm sorry." I said through sobs.
Stefan sighed and pulled me in tightly. He buried his face in my hair and breathed in heavily.
"It's all right," He said soothingly, "It's all right. You just can't run off like that. I was worried something was going to happen to you…" He trailed off but I hugged him tighter.
He went to pull away but I held onto him.
"Don't pull away from me, please. I need you." He nodded and stayed still.
"I need you so badly, Stefan. You're the only person I feel myself around. You make me want to be a better person.. you make me feel safe. I know you want us to be friends but I don't think I can do it. I really don't think I can." I admitted through tears. Stefan hugged me tighter and shuddered.
"Oh, Elena Gilbert… what are you doing to me?" He said quietly. He stood strongly, never letting me go.
"I feel so much for you, Elena. And I want to explore it like you wouldn't imagine. I can see myself with you. I won't apologize for how I feel about you but your safety is my number one priority, right now. I'm on high alert now. I won't be leaving your side. You need to be more thoughtful in your actions…. running away in the middle of enemy territory in the dark is not thoughtful. Just be careful.. I lov-.. I really care about you." Stefan was quiet and sincere and visibly enamored.
"Okay. I promise to be cautious." I oathed. He loosened his grip on me.
"Let's go back, it's too dangerous out here. I don't have a gun on me." Stefan was blunt.
We walked back to the base where things were running regularly now except for the extra security around the perimeter.
A younger soldier handed Stefan a piece of paper.
"Just as I suspected…" Stefan brazenly handed the paper back to the soldier and started walking faster. I couldn't keep up with him, my legs were still feeling like jello.
Stefan grabbed my hand and slowed down his pace, he marched into the General's office and told me to wait outside. I overheard their conversation.
"Now, Stefan, I know you're upset but we are taking extra measures to get this handled." The General said calmly.
"I want him tried for attempted murder, terrorism, and treason. I'm not fucking around anymore. This is serious – not only was Elena's life at stake but anyone else who could have came into contact with that letter. And who's to fucking say he won't try again? I thought he was supposed to be state-side by now? What the hell happened?" Stefan was trying to keep his voice leveled but I could hear him straining it.
"His convoy was overthrown. He never made it to the border. My guess is that he's divulging information to Al-Qaida to save his own ass. We'll find him, I promise you that, son." The General was addament and stern. I heard each of them salute and Stefan came back outside.
"Is it Mark?" I asked quietly. Stefan didn't need to say anything, I could just tell by his body language.
"Well, as long as I have you by my side, I'm not worried," I said while taking his hand. Stefan eased his tense and smiled a little.
"You won't get sick of me?" He asked with puppy dog eyes. I smiled sheepishly.
"I can never get sick of you." I said adoringly. He chuckled and squeezed my hand.
"C'mon, I should get you to your room. It's late and we've had a long day." Stefan started to lead me to my room but I stopped.
"Can I stay with you tonight?" I asked with small voice. Stefan turned to me, I could already feel the rejection.
"Of course you can, let's go to bed." Stefan hugged me and we both walked to his tent.
I felt whole. I was happy that Stefan and I are finally coming to terms with what we have and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen.
We went into Stefan's tent and the mood was just relaxing. All though Stefan doesn't have an actual room, he had the ability to make his tent very homey. He put some music on, "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol, one of my favorites. Stefan took his shirt off, revealing his perfect body. He has the body of David, perfectly sculpted by the hands of Michelangelo. I was still gawking when he went to step outside.
"Where are you going?" I asked. He looked at me with confusion.
"I'm stepping out to let you undress." He said politely. I suddenly felt hot and impulsive.
"Why don't you come over and undress me?" I said with a purr. Stefan's eyes widened with hunger.
"Are you kidding?" He said with a laugh. I couldn't help but laugh too.
"You caught my bluff!" I exclaimed. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Jesus, I was going to say.. you don't seem like the kind of girl to put out. You nearly killed me." Stefan came over and laid on his bed. I just laughed.
"Now, please, close your eyes so I can slip into one of your t-shirts." I asked politely. Stefan obliged but I caught him opening one eye.
"Hey! No peaking!" I teased at him and he quickly shut his eyes.
"You're so very beautiful, Elena. As much as I'd like to devour you right now, I am a gentleman and I can control myself." He was blunt again, one of the reasons why I loved him.
"Mmm.. you can have my any time you want," I said with a purr. Stefan shook his head and laughed.
"Come to bed, Elena." Stefan commanded with a sleepy voice, I obliged and I slipped into bed right next to him. He pulled me close and kissed me on the cheek.
"Good night, Stefan. Thank you for everything." I said softly. I could hear Stefan was already sound asleep. His breathing had evened and his breaths were quiet.
"I love you," I whispered breathlessly.
If I lay here…. If I just lay here… Would you lie with me and just forget the world?