A/N: Only one more update to go after you read this one. No one is going to cry because there will be other stories to read in the future :)
I hope you enjoy this update. Review and let me know what you think!
Stefan shut his computer down in his home office. His eyes were tired, most likely from staring at a computer screen for the last two hours. He leaned back in his chair and shut his eyes.
A quiet, slow creaking noise caught his attention and when he opened his eyes and looked at the door, he could see Mia pushing on the door, holding on to the side of the doorframe to keep herself balanced.
Stefan smiled. He couldn't believe she would be a year old when he woke up tomorrow. Time certainly had flown by, though he enjoyed every minute of it.
Mia let go of the doorframe and began the slow wobble towards him. She had been walking for a month now, though she was really beginning to stay up and balanced the last week. Stefan opened his arms and smiled as he waited for her to reach him. She in turn smiled brightly, picking up her pace when she was close enough so he could grab her if she began to fall. "Da da da da da da da" she said, finally reaching his chair and welcoming his arms lifting her to him.
"Hi Beautiful" he said, hugging her tight as he kissed the side of her cheek. "What are you still doing up?" he asked her.
"Uh-oh" she said.
"Uh-oh?" he asked. She was picking up new words almost every week now.
"Mia?" Elena called out.
"She's in here!" Stefan called, waiting for Elena to join them.
Elena entered the room moments later with her hands on her hips. "You're getting too fast for me" she smiled.
"Mommy" Mia said, holding her arms out for her. Stefan set her down on her feet and off she went, wobbling her way to Elena. She reached Elena and clung to her leg. "Uh-oh" she said.
"Why does she keep saying that?" Stefan asked.
Elena picked her up and shrugged. "She probably heard one of us say it" she said. "Which reminds me, we need to have another conversation with your brother about watching his language around her. She's starting to pick stuff up now and the last thing I need is her saying the F word" Elena said.
"Uh-oh" Mia said, clapping her hands.
"Uh-oh is right" Stefan smiled, standing up and walking to them. "You need to get to bed. We have swim lessons tomorrow morning" he reminded her.
"Dada" she said, reaching her arms out for him.
Stefan grabbed her, held her in one arm, and wrapped his other arm around Elena as they made their way out of the room and up the stairs.
Stefan laid Mia down with her blanket and brushed her messy brown hair off of her forehead. "Goodnight Mia" Stefan said softly.
"Goodnight sweetheart" Elena said, bending down to kiss her.
Mia yawned a few times and Stefan and Elena slowly backed out of the room, leaving the door cracked. "She's getting so much better about going to sleep" Stefan noted, pulling Elena close to him as they walked downstairs.
"Thank goodness" Elena said, parting ways with him to shut off the kitchen light. She met him back in the living room where he had turned all the lights off except one lamp. "Do you want to go to bed or stay up a little longer and watch a movie?" she asked.
Stefan grabbed a large, soft throw blanket and smiled as he approached her. "I had something else in mind" he said, wrapping the blanket around both of them. He pushed them both down on the couch.
"Like what?" she asked, playing dumb as his hands came to rest on her waist.
"Mmm … snuggling" he whispered, kissing her lips as he moved closer to her.
Elena worked her arms up and around his neck, pulling him even closer. "You know what makes for good snuggling?" she asked.
"What?" Stefan asked, his curiosity increasing.
Elena ducked her head into the crook of his neck and kissed there gently. "This" she whispered, unbuttoning the first button on his shirt and sneaking her hand inside.
"Yeah?" he smiled, grabbing on to the bottom of her shirt and slowly, really slowly, dragging it upwards.
Elena unbuttoned another button and kissed the newly exposed skin on his chest. Stefan leaned back some and finished taking her shirt off. Elena giggled as he attacked her shoulder with kisses, knocked her backwards on the couch. Elena quickly finished unbuttoning his shirt and he shrugged it off, pulling the blanket over them and moving closer to her, snuggling against her.
He made her feel so damn special all the time, and moments like these made her realize how much she loved being with him. She couldn't imagine being anywhere else but with him. "What are you thinking about?" he asked against her ear.
"You. And me" she said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him against her. "How much I love being loved by you …" she trailed off, feeling him kissing his way along her jaw.
"I love loving you" he said, capturing her lips in a sweet, slow gentle kiss. It had kind of been his mission in life since he was younger.
She sighed contently when he rested his head against her shoulder, clearly in no hurry to get any more clothes off. Occasionally he would kiss her shoulder, running his hands up and down her arms. For the most part, he intertwined his fingers with hers and laid there in silence with her. "What are you thinking about?" she asked, repeating his own question from moments earlier.
Stefan sighed, moving slightly so he could look at her. "How much happier I have been this past year compared to the last few years" he smiled.
Elena reached her hand up and touched his face gently. "We've been extremely happy this past year, with you" she said, smiling. He was so good to her and Mia, and not just with providing. Every moment he could, he spent it with them. She knew he was dead tired after working all day and probably would have loved a nap when he got home, but Mia demanded his full attention as soon as he got in the door. And he never once turned her down. Mia had grown accustomed to waiting by the door for him, sometimes for an hour.
They ate dinner together as a family, spent time together after and he still was able to have time for just the two of them after Mia went to bed.
"I like making you two happy" he said, turning his head to kiss the inside of her palm.
"I know" she said. "We like making you happy too" she grinned.
He leaned down and kissed her lips again. "We should probably head up to bed" he said, stifling a yawn. "Swim lessons and a one year old's birthday party tomorrow" he reminded.
"Yeah, you're right" she said. He pulled away from her reluctantly, then scooped his arms under her, picking her up and taking her with him. "Wait, the light!" she said, pointing toward the lamp he had walked past. Stefan backtracked and bent down so she could switch the light off. He headed back towards the stairs with her. "Is the door locked?" she asked.
"Yes" he said, kissing the side of her head as he went up the stairs. She laughed when he dropped her on the bed and fell on top of her. "Is Caroline going to help you set up the birthday party while I take Mia to her swim lesson?" he asked
"Yep" Elena said, pushing on him so he rolled off of her. She switched her lamp off before moving back towards him, resting her head on his chest. She smiled when she felt his arms move around her. "Jenna and Alaric will arrive sometime in the morning" she added.
"A whole year old" Stefan said, running his hand down her naked back. "I can't believe it" he sighed.
"She'll be driving before we know it" Elena said, kissing his chest playfully.
"What kind of car do you think she'll want?" he asked, pressing his fingers into her skin as he ran his fingers up her spine. He heard Elena laugh, as though he was joking. "What?" he asked. "I just think we need to start thinking about how much money to put away for the expensive sports car Caroline is going to convince her she can't live without" he smiled.
"Let's cross that bridge when we get to it" she said. She sighed when he moved his hands over her back again. "Keep rubbing my back like that" she whispered, closing her eyes. "That feels amazing." It was selfish, because she knew he was tired and needed to get to sleep. But feeling his hands run over her back was soothing and it was going to put her fast asleep.
"Of course" he whispered back, running his hands up and down her back firmly, but gently. "Go to sleep" he added, kissing her head.
"Goodnight" she murmured, snuggling even closer to him.
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"Happy birthday Baby" Elena said, smiling brightly as Stefan brought her downstairs, already dressed in her swimsuit. Mia smiled at her, clearly happy to be the center of attention. "All smiles" she said, holding her arms out and taking Mia from Stefan. "When do you think you two will be home?" she asked.
"Probably about 11:00" he answered. "I'm going to take her to that little bakery on the west side and get her those strawberry pancakes she loves so much" he added. Elena smiled. Ever since she had started eating regular foods, Stefan had taken her to that bakery after swim lessons to get strawberry pancakes.
"Sounds good" Elena said, kissing Mia. "You two should probably get going" Elena said, handing Mia back to him.
"We'll see you in a few hours" Stefan said, taking the baby and bending down to kiss Elena. "Love you."
"Love you too, have fun" Elena said, kissing Mia and Stefan quickly. She grabbed their bag, already packed with towels and extra clothes.
"We will" Stefan smiled, taking the bag from Elena and leaving. Elena leaned against the counter in the kitchen and sighed. She had so much to do, and only a few hours to do it.
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Stefan was the only dad in the Saturday morning swim class. The other seven parents were moms. It had been weird at first, but after months of watching Mia have fun, he learned to relax and even talk with some of the moms from time to time. They all thought he was completely adorable, being the only dad there and one who completely adored the little girl in the pink ruffle swim suit.
For the most part, his full attention was on Mia and listening to the swim instructor telling them what to do and when.
Mia was a natural though. Sure, she couldn't swim yet, but Stefan could already tell she was going to be amazing. He had actually decided that about everything she would do.
Her favorite part about the pool was splashing him though, usually with her hands. She would laugh and laugh after she did it and laugh even more when he would laugh with her. He would spin her around in the water and she would giggle. Stefan often wondered why none of the other babies ever had as much fun as she did.
"Alright class, that is it for today" the instructor said, making sure to say goodbye to each little swimmer as they got out of the pool.
"We gotta go" Stefan said, lifting Mia out of the water. They said their goodbyes to the instructor and Stefan hurried into the locker room to get them dried and changed.
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He remembered the exact time Mia had decided she loved strawberry pancakes. He had ordered them for himself and ordered her oatmeal. She had put more oatmeal on her face than in her mouth and once he had given her a taste of his pancake, she had decided she wanted those instead.
So when the waitress set down a plate of strawberry pancakes, Mia's eyes lit up as she immediately went for the whipped topping on top. Elena had been pushing for Mia to start using her baby spoon when eating, but when it was just Mia and Daddy, Stefan really cared about nothing else but Mia's happiness. And if grabbing whipped topping with her hands and scooping it into her mouth made her happy, Stefan let her do it.
He went to work on cutting up the pancakes into pieces she could chew while also pouring her glass of juice into her sippy cup, adding a little water to it as well. Mia picked up the first piece of pancake and stuck it in her mouth. She picked up another and lifted her hand up to give it to him, which he gladly accepted. They had been working on the concept of sharing for weeks now and Stefan was pretty sure she had it down. "Do you know how old you are today?" he asked her. Mia held up her hand with all five fingers showing. Stefan chuckled. "Not quite" he told her, putting four of them down. "You are one today" he told her.
"One" she repeated, picking up another piece of pancake. "Dada" she said, leaning back and looking up at him from his lap.
His heart melted every single time she called him that. "Yeah?" he asked, kissing the top of her head. She laughed and went back to her plate of pancakes. He smiled and watched her.
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Stefan opened the front door, carrying Mia with him. The entire house was decorated for her birthday and there were more balloons than he could count. They walked into the living room and very softly, so as not to scare her, her guests yelled "surprise" when they saw her.
Mia immediately tucked her face into Stefan's shoulder, deciding now, of all times, to be shy. "Hey, say hi to your guests" Stefan said, rubbing her back. Slowly, she turned to see everyone again and as soon as they waved at her, she smiled and hid herself back into Stefan's shoulder.
Caroline was the first to approach, rubbing her back gently as she looked at her. "Hi Mia" Caroline whispered, smiling when Mia turned towards her. Mia broke out into a big smile and instantly reached for her aunt. Caroline gladly took Mia and kissed her a dozen times, sending Mia into a frenzy of giggles.
"She should get a bath" Stefan told Caroline.
"Okay" Caroline said, waving to Jenna. "Want to help?" she asked.
Jenna gladly accepted as she moved across the living room. "Good to see you again" she said, stopping and giving Stefan a giant hug and a kiss on the cheek before following Caroline upstairs.
The only other guests were Jeremy, Damon, and Alaric and Stefan was okay with just a small party. "How was swimming and breakfast?" Elena asked, moving towards him.
"Really good" Stefan said, bending down and kissing her. "I should run upstairs and shower too" he said quietly, pulling her closer suddenly. "Wanna join me?" he whispered.
Elena giggled quietly. "You know I want to" she whispered back. "But I have a house full of people to entertain. Next time" she promised, patting his shoulder before pulling herself away from him.
Stefan pouted, but he understood. "Be back soon" he said, winking at her. "Alaric, good to see you" Stefan waved before dashing out of the room.
He was in and out of the shower in five minutes, tossing on a clean t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He could hear laughing coming from the room down the hall and as he approached, a baby in a diaper came waddling out of the room, on a getaway mission. She saw Stefan and immediately moved faster towards him. Jenna and Caroline were already coming out of the room after her, but it was too late. She was already happily in Stefan's arms. "Man she's fast" Jenna said.
"She sure is" Stefan said, handing her back to Jenna. "Those baby gates I ordered should be here tomorrow" he said, knowing they needed to go up now that she was on the move so much.
"Which dress?" Caroline said, holding up a yellow one and a purple one.
Stefan made a disapproving face. "Put her in pants and a t-shirt so she can crawl around on the floor" he told her. Caroline wasn't about to argue with him, but she did not approve. She loved putting Mia in dresses.
"Your daddy has no fashion sense whatsoever" Caroline told Mia before glaring at Stefan. The girls disappeared back into Mia's room and Stefan went downstairs.
As soon as he reached the bottom, Alaric appeared in front of him with a serious look on his face. "We need to have a little chat" he said, motioning for Stefan to follow him out the front door. Stefan looked around before following. "Now, I know I am about a year and some months too late" Alaric said, walking past the cars and onto the sidewalk. Stefan quickly caught up. "But we need to get a few things straight" he said, preparing for the long talk he was about to give. "Jenna and I love Elena and Mia dearly" he began and Stefan suddenly had a feeling he knew where this was going. "We appreciate everything that you have done for them, and that you are serious about a future with both of them" he added.
"I love them both" Stefan cut in.
"Don't interrupt me" Alaric warned, pointing his finger at him as they walked. "As long as Elena is happy, and Mia is happy, Jenna and I are happy" he explained. Then he stopped and turned to Stefan. "So, if Elena or Mia are ever not happy and we find out about it" he said, the same serious expression plastered across his face. "I will not hesitate to fly out here, and punch you in the face" he told him. Stefan swallowed nervously and then nodded. "Really hard" Alaric emphasized. "Do I make myself clear?" he asked, his voice low and filled with warning.
"Yes, yes Sir" Stefan nodded nervously. He knew Alaric could beat the crap out of him if he wanted to.
Alaric sighed and then nodded as well. "So, how's the job?" he asked cheerfully, his demeanor doing a complete 180.
"It's good, yours?" Stefan asked awkwardly as they walked back towards the house.
"Not bad" Alaric replied, keeping up with the simple "guy" chat.
Elena was waiting for them by the front door as they walked back. "What were you two doing?" she smiled, slipping her arm around Stefan.
"Just catching up" Stefan replied, smiling at her. Alaric smiled and nodded as he slipped past them.
"Oh, okay" Elena said. "Mia is looking for you. She's ready to sing happy birthday and rip into her presents" she informed him.
"Let's get in there then" he said, opening the door and following her inside.
Elena disappeared into the kitchen to grab the cake, one with a lot of flowers, while Stefan grabbed Mia from the floor where she was sitting, looking for him. Elena came out with the cake lit and Stefan walked towards her as everyone sang. Mia's eyes were glued to the cake. When they had finished singing, Stefan blew out the candle for Mia and everyone clapped.
The presents were next. Mia hadn't really grasped the concept of opening the presents herself yet, but she was more than happy to let her mom and dad open them for her and take the toys out of the packaging for her to play with.
An entire toy musical set, including a keyboard, drums, guitar, and microphone from none other than the soon to be dead brother and sister-in-law. It made entirely too much noise and Mia loved it. The more noise she could make, the better. "You're welcome" Damon said, grinning as he watched Mia. Elena and Stefan were less amused, but at least Mia was enjoying herself.
A rocking horse from Uncle Jeremy which she could ride with some help. She loved that too.
Toys that talked to her and an electronic book that made barnyard animal noises from Aunt Jenna and Alaric. Those amused her while Elena passed out cake.
Mia helped herself to Damon's plate of cake as she sat in his lap and he gave her small bites in-between his own.
Elena watched from the kitchen and Jenna came to stand with her, wrapping her arm around her. "She's such a loving little girl" Jenna said. "She's just like you at that age. Daddy's little girl and always demanding to be the center of attention."
Elena smiled. "I'm really glad you could be here for this" Elena said. She hated living so far away from Jenna.
"I'll be here for a lot more in another month or so" Jenna said. Elena turned to look at her Aunt with confusion. Then excitement. "Alaric and I are moving back to Mystic Falls. He got a job offer to teach at the high school again" she smiled.
"Really?" Elena asked excitedly as she pulled Jenna into a hug. "That is so great to hear" Elena said. "I've missed having you around."
"I miss being around, especially now that you have Mia" Jenna said, pulling away from Elena. "So, just wish us luck that we can find a house soon" she added, smiling as she moved some of Elena's hair out of her face.
"I'll find you a house myself if I have to" Elena smiled.
"What are you two so happy about?" Stefan asked, bringing his plate into the kitchen.
"Jenna and Alaric are moving back to Mystic Falls" Elena said happily.
"Yeah? That's great" Stefan said, smiling at both of them. It would be nice for Mia to have Jenna around. It would be great for Elena too.
"Dada" Mia said, waddling into the room with frosted, sticky fingers. "Dada uh-oh" she said, holding her hands up for him to see.
"Uh-oh" he said, bending down to pick her up and setting her on the counter. He grabbed a napkin and put some water on it before scrubbing her face and her hands. "All better" he said, kissing her head and setting her back down on her feet.
"Uh-oh uh-oh!" she yelled, making her way back into the living room.
Elena and Jenna shared a knowing look before breaking out into smiles. He truly was so good with Mia. It all came so natural that he didn't even blink in front of the two of them as he took care of Mia. "I'm going to see if Alaric needs anything else" Jenna said.
Stefan took advantage of their moment alone and slipped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing her. "I love you" he whispered, kissing against her ear and letting his hands roam.
"Uh-oh" Elena whispered, smiling at her use of Mia's new word. "Stefan" she laughed, shying away from him when she felt his lips sucking gently against her neck. "Not here" she warned. Anyone could walk in at any moment.
Stefan sighed and rested his head against her shoulder. "Tonight?" he asked, hoping to have something to look forward to.
"Tonight" she whispered, kissing his cheek before slipping out of his arms and heading back to the living room.
Stefan smiled as he watched her.
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His hand pressed against the back of the shower wall, bracing her back as he pushed her against it. Stefan placed openmouthed kisses on her body, tracing droplets of water down her skin. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, sighing from a combination of the warm water and Stefan's tongue. It took everything she had to keep herself standing, rather than sinking to the shower floor in a melted puddle of sensation. "Stefan" she breathed out, gripping his shoulders to keep her upright.
His tongue trailed back up her body ever so slowly, finally stopping at her lips. He kissed her hard, deepening the kiss as much as he could. Her arms slipped around his back, pulling him close. Stefan broke the kiss and went to work on nibbling her ear. "Yes?" he whispered breathlessly into her ear.
"Stop teasing" she groaned, arching her hips towards his. He bit down on her ear gently and she gasped.
He grabbed her legs abruptly, picking her up and letting her legs fall carelessly around his waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
The water continued to run down them, presenting quite a challenge for him to keep her up against the wall. But he enjoyed every moment of it. "God, Elena" he groaned, burying his face into her neck.
She was panting hard and he could feel her chest beating against his. He loved the feeling and couldn't believe they didn't do this more often. "Stefan" she said through her heavy breaths, collapsing against him.
They remained where they were for a few minutes, Stefan pressing Elena up against the shower wall and Elena slumped over him. "Thank you" Stefan said, barely loud enough for her to hear.
Elena laughed. "For what?" she asked. She honestly thought she was the one that should be thanking him.
Stefan grabbed her face and peeled her wet hair away from her eyes. "For moments like this" he said, cupping her face and kissing her.