A/N: Enjoy! I'm so sorry that the show has taken such a horrible turn. Hopefully my stories and my Twitter rants will soften the blow we have been dealt.
Let me know what you think : D
Stefan's heartbeat picked up considerably when he pulled into the drive and saw Katherine's truck. It didn't help that Katherine was standing right in front of Elena. He could only imagine that the conversation passing between the two girls wasn't pleasant.
Neither one of them spoke as Stefan got out of his truck, approaching with caution. Elena looked up and made eye-contact with Stefan. She looked guilty, and he couldn't understand why. Stefan touched Elena's elbow as he stood close to her. "Go on inside. I need to talk to Katherine" he told Elena gently.
Katherine's gaze focused on Stefan's hand touching Elena. It was like another blow to the stomach for her, right after Elena admitting her feelings for Stefan. Elena nodded, feeling relieved that she was being given the chance to get the hell out of there. "You two are a thing" Katherine stated, her eyes still on Stefan's hand. "How long's this been goin' on?" she asked, finally dragging her gaze up to look at Stefan and Elena. It was clear she was upset, yet trying to keep the situation under control.
Stefan knew that Katherine was going to eventually work herself up again. She could be a little hot-headed and the best thing was to wait her out until she was calm enough to talk things through rationally. "Katherine, I think you should go home" Stefan said softly. Her eyes pierced his, turning darker upon hearing his not so subtle request.
She blinked twice, and as if on cue, her tears started flowing freely again. Elena felt frozen in place, unsure of what her best option was. Stand by Stefan and defend herself, or take off and leave Stefan to fend for himself with Katherine.
Katherine stepped backwards dramatically, shaking her head angrily. "You know how I feel about you" she cried. Her breathes became sharper as she fought to remain in control. "I've loved you since we were little!" she said angrily.
Stefan winced, her words cutting him deeply. Things would have been so much easier if he could have loved her the way she loved him. But he didn't. "I'm sorry" he said, not knowing what else to say.
Katherine gave a somewhat irrational laugh upon hearing his attempt at an apology. "You're gonna be the one who's sorry" she told him. Her eyes bore into Elena's next, and Elena could see so much hate in them. It was frightening. "She'll only break your heart" Katherine warned.
Elena looked down at the ground, away from Katherine's judging eyes. Katherine was right though. Elena was going to break his heart when she left in August.
She barely noticed that Katherine was walking back to her truck, climbing in and slamming the door shut. Then she was throwing gravel as she got the hell out of there.
Stefan let out a deep sigh, wrapping his arm around Elena. "You okay?" he asked.
Elena nodded. "I think so" she said. It was a lie. She could feel her panic still lingering, and she knew what the outcome would be if she didn't get it under control. She would run. That morning, she was enjoying some closeness with Stefan in bed. And now, she apparently was admitting that she was in love with him and both Katherine and Damon suspected their relationship. It was a bit much. "I should change. I got dirty doing my chores" Elena said, pulling away from Stefan slightly.
He let her go, knowing she was trying to get away from him.
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Elena asked to not sit with Ric and Stefan for dinner because she was tired. Stefan knew better, but he didn't say anything. He was worried though. He didn't want her reverting back to when she didn't want anything to do with him. "I think we're missin' a few head a cattle" Ric said, breaking the silence he and Stefan had been sitting in. "I'm willin' to bet a few got separated up there on the ridge" he added.
Stefan finished the glass of milk he was drinking, then nodded. "I'll go look tomorrow mornin' and see if I can find them" he said, standing from his chair and grabbing his plate and glass. "Probably got spooked and took off" he added.
Ric nodded. "You know what's up with your brother?" Ric asked, changing the subject. "Saw him comin' down the driveway while I was out with the cattle. He didn't stay long."
Stefan paused for a moment, processing what Ric had told him. "When?" Stefan asked. As far as he knew, Damon hadn't been around since punching him.
"Earlier today" Ric answered. "Elena didn't mention it?" Ric asked curiously.
Stefan shook his head no. But her change in mood sort of made a little more sense after learning she probably had an encounter with Damon too that day. "Him and Bekah broke up last week. He's probably throwin' himself into his rodeo stuff" Stefan said quietly. Maybe it wasn't his place to tell Ric about the breakup, but it wasn't like Damon would say anything anytime soon.
Ric looked up at Stefan worried. "He okay?" Ric asked. Because no matter how many times Damon pissed Ric off, Ric still cared about Damon.
Stefan sighed. "I don't know. I'm thinkin' no. But he'll figure it out" Stefan replied, leaving it at that. "I'm gonna check on Elena and then head to bed" Stefan announced.
Ric nodded again. "You two seem closer lately" Ric said, voicing his observation. Stefan shrugged casually, though inside, he was screaming with excitement. They were closer. Then Ric sighed. "There ain't nothin' goin' on between you two, right?" Ric asked. "Jenna's countin' on me" Ric said, leaving it at that. He figured Stefan knew what he meant. Jenna hadn't sent Elena to live with them so she could run wild with the youngest boy.
Many thoughts were running through Stefan's head, all of them about Elena. "We're friends" Stefan said, and that wasn't total a lie. Stefan was just omitting information. "She's really only got me to spend time with" Stefan added.
Ric nodded. That was true. And in the beginning, Ric had put the responsibility on Stefan to make Elena feel welcome. "Good" Ric replied.
Stefan breathed a sigh of relief. The day Ric found out what was really going on would be a bad one. "Goodnight" Stefan said, walking out of the room and into the kitchen.
Stefan thought about his relationship all the way up the stairs. What was wrong with them being together? They wouldn't be kids for much longer. Stefan wondered if Jenna would be as against the relationship as Ric was.
Elena's bedroom door was open when he got upstairs, so he let himself in, shutting the door behind him. Elena was sitting in the middle of her bed, writing in what he assumed was her journal. When she saw him, she quickly shut it. "You're writin' again" he said with a small smile, sitting down on her bed with her.
Elena shrugged. "It helps to get my thoughts out" she replied.
"That's good" he told her. He was glad she had found something that worked. They looked at each other for a moment before he spoke again. "How come you didn't tell me that Damon stopped by?" he asked.
Elena's eyes showed her surprise that he would know that, and then they avoided his altogether. "I didn't see him" Elena lied. She really wished she hadn't seen Damon.
"Oh, okay then" Stefan said. Elena could detect the disappointment in his voice. He knew she was lying. "I should head to bed" he said, getting up off of the bed. If she didn't want to talk, he wouldn't pressure her.
Elena closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't want to leave things between them like that. "Stefan, wait" she said, reaching out and grabbing his arm before he could leave. Stefan sat back down, facing her, waiting patiently for her to talk. "I did see him. He was an ass. And then he left" she said, omitting the kiss.
Stefan grabbed Elena's hand. "What'd he say to you?" he asked.
Elena shrugged. "Mostly made fun of me" she answered. "I was … trying to work on ground manners with my calf" she said, slightly embarrassed to be telling Stefan that. The more she thought about it, the stupider it sounded.
He smiled though, thinking it was the sweetest thing. "Elena" he said, using his fingers to tilt her chin up to look at him. Her brown eyes still sparkled, even if she was embarrassed. "You're adorable" he told her. "Any animal can learn ground manners. My brother is an idiot" he added quietly. Elena smiled, feeling better about that afternoon already. "Are you okay about what happened with Katherine?" he asked.
Elena nodded. "I think so. But I guess we aren't friends anymore" she added with a wry smile to lighten the mood.
Stefan returned the same smile. "No, I don't suppose so" he replied. Yes, he felt bad. But he couldn't feel bad for long, not when he was so happy with Elena. "I really should go to bed now" he said, leaning in and kissing her goodnight.
Elena wrapped her arms around his neck suddenly, pulling him close. She fell backwards, bringing him on top of her. He wasn't protesting thankfully, because she wasn't going to let him go. "Stay here tonight?" she asked strategically between their kisses.
"Definitely" he smiled.
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They were both awake that morning, lying down next to each other. Neither said anything, but they smiled and intertwined their fingers. "Do you want to help me with somethin' today?" he asked quietly, still smiling at her. He could smile at her all day.
"Yes" she said, smiling even more. Her answer would always be yes.
Stefan moved closer to her and kissed her. "Meet me downstairs" he said quickly before rolling away from her.
Elena grabbed her pillow and put it over her face, still smiling. It was ridiculous. She hadn't felt this giddy about a boy since she first found out that boys weren't gross.
Twenty minutes later, Elena rushed down the stairs so fast that she nearly collided with Ric at the bottom. "Sorry" she said quickly, then kept running.
"No runnin' in the house!" he called after her, but realized it was no use. She was already out the door.
Elena ran across the yard, getting more excited when she saw Stefan holding Red and P.J., already tacked up. "We're going riding?" she asked, slowing to a jog.
Stefan smiled with a nod. "Ric lost some cattle. We're gonna go find 'em" he announced.
"Awesome!" she declared. She hadn't ever rounded up cattle before. "I should grab something for breakfast first though" she said, turning on the heel of her boot to run back inside.
Stefan caught her hand before she got too far, spinning her back around to face him. "I got it taken care of" he said, patting one side of his saddle bag. "Come on" he said, nodding his head towards her horse. "We got work to do" he added.
Elena smiled that adoring smile she couldn't help but give him. "Yes Sir" she said, her smile turning into a smirk. She grabbed her reins and got herself up in the saddle.
Stefan waited until she was situated until he got on Red. "Ready?" he asked. Elena nodded and they both began walking their horses. "So" Stefan said as they walked out of the yard. "See that clearing up ahead?" he asked, pointing. Elena nodded. "There's a ridge that leads down into a valley. Our cattle graze in that valley often, and sometimes they get separated. Somethin' spooks 'em or they wander off. Usually we find them close by in the trees" he explained.
"Poor things" Elena said, showing her empathetic side. She couldn't imagine her little calf being all alone out there. "How many are we looking for?" she asked.
"This morning', Ric told me 10. I'm hopin' they'll all be together" Stefan told her. Elena couldn't help but laugh. "What?" he asked, amused with her reaction to his answer.
"You know" she said. "People in New York worry about their cars going missing. And here you guys are, looking for missing cattle" she grinned. "It is such a different world out here" she added.
Stefan smiled. "Good different?" he asked. He was hoping she would say yes. So she would want to stay for even longer than the following school year.
Elena rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yes, Stefan" she told him. "Your farming lifestyle isn't so bad after all" she admitted.
Stefan casually moved closer to Elena's horse and he knocked her boot out of its stirrup. She glared playfully. "I'm a rancher, not a farmer" he told her.
"Same thing" Elena told him, fixing her boot back in her stirrup.
"Naw" Stefan drawled out. "Ranchers raise animals. Famers raise crops" he pointed out.
"You have a garden, therefore, you raise crops too" Elena said, arguing against his not so well thought out point.
"There's no winnin' with you, is there?" he asked with a smile.
"Nope" she said proudly. "I do know that famers wear overalls and you don't" she told him. "Thank God for that" she added. She was a fan of the Wrangler jeans he squeezed into every morning.
Stefan laughed, realizing how easy it was to have fun with her. To not always be so serious and thinking ahead all the time. "I've got a pair of them somewhere" he announced.
"Burn them" Elena answered. Overalls were not her thing. Old farmers wore them. Not hot guys like Stefan.
"Are you even payin' attention?" he asked playfully. "We're supposed to be lookin' for lost cattle, remember?" he asked.
Elena scoffed. "Well, we'll never find them at this rate. You're going too slow" she said, kicking P.J. and taking off, leaving Stefan in the dust.
Part of him worried that she was going too fast and that she might fall. Hell though, she was proving him wrong, like usual. Elena stopped up at the top of the hill she had run up and looked out, using her hand to shield the sun. She heard Stefan trotting up behind her. "See anythin' out there?" he asked.
Elena looked again. "There" she said, pointing.
Stefan smiled. "That ain't nothin' but a rock" he teased her.
She reached over and smacked his arm. "Is not. There's like 10 cows eating down there" she said.
Stefan nodded. "That'd be them. Nice job" he told her.
Elena smiled proudly. "I found your missing cattle. I'm pretty good at this" she bragged. Then she looked at him with a small grin. "Maybe I should take over from here on out" she said mischievously, throwing her long hair over her shoulder as she made P.J. start the shallow descent down the hill. Stefan laughed to himself as he followed her.
The cattle looked up when they saw Stefan and Elena approach, but they continued munching on their grass. "Hold up" Stefan said, putting his hand out to signal that he wanted Elena to stop. "They aren't gonin' nowhere" he told her. Then he climbed down off of his horse. "Let's have breakfast" he said.
Elena followed his lead, petting P.J. while she waited for Stefan to finish digging through his saddle bag. He had a small blanket and a tupperware container along with two bottles of juice in his hands. She watched him spread the blanket out. "What about the horses?" she asked.
"They'll be fine" Stefan told her. "So will the cattle" he assured her. "Come sit" he said, offering his hand out to her. Elena made the short walk over to the blanket and accepted his hand to help her sit down. Stefan opened the container and Elena found little mini cinnamon rolls inside, still warm. "Ric picked these up earlier this mornin'" Stefan told her, holding the container out for her to choose one.
Elena smiled, grabbing the one with the most icing. "I thought you were a bacon and eggs kind of guy?" she asked. He usually had a big breakfast. Ric did too. While she preferred her toast and a piece of fruit, the guys were eating a plateful of bacon, eggs, pancakes and hash browns.
Stefan took a bite from the cinnamon roll and smiled as he nodded. "I am" he confirmed. "But these just happen to be the best 'round here" he informed her.
"I see" Elena said. They were really, really good. She opened her bottle of juice and took a sip. "You know, I could see you living on a farm" she told him. He looked up at her curiously. "Maybe not a working farm, but one with all sorts of animals that you've rescued over the years" she told him.
"You think about my future?" he asked quietly. Elena's eyes met his briefly before she looked back down. "What about your future?" he asked.
Elena shrugged. "I'm not sure anymore" she answered honestly. "I uh … I kind of got off track this past year."
Stefan nodded. "What did your future used to look like?" he asked curiously.
Elena set the rest of her cinnamon roll down and played with the lid on her juice. "College" she answered. "Get my degree. Find a career I loved. Rent an apartment with my best friend …" she trailed off.
Stefan swallowed nervously, realizing that her plans had nothing to do with him. But why would they? She hadn't known him before she came out to Wyoming. He pushed back his hope that she would stay with him long term. "It's not too late to have all of that" he reminded her gently.
Elena sighed. "Maybe" she answered. Maybe she didn't want all of that anymore though. The guilt she worked so hard to push deep down inside of her started to surface when she had mentioned her best friend. Bonnie didn't deserve a friend like her. "But that's all a year away, right?" she asked, choosing to lift the serious mood that had settled between them. "Right now, living one day at a time is about all I can handle" she said honestly.
Stefan smiled, grabbing her hand with his. "It's worked for me so far" he said, giving her that little bit of encouragement that she needed. Slowly, he leaned in, catching her eyes with his as he smiled at her. "You've got a little icing …" he said, looking at her lips.
"Oh" Elena said, reaching her hand up to wipe it off of the corner of her mouth.
Stefan caught her hand in his and smiled again. "I got it" he told her, moving towards her. His lips brushed hers softly, tasting the icing from her mouth. Elena smiled, watching his lips carefully as they finally captured hers. Elena smiled, noticing how much more passionately his lips touched hers. Like he couldn't get enough of her.
Elena leaned backwards, laying down. Stefan followed, one knee resting between her legs and the other off to the side of her hip. As soon as his lips left hers and began working against her throat, she let out a soft moan she couldn't keep to herself. His hands held onto her hips, feeling them wiggle under him. "You're driving me insane" Elena breathed out, feeling him move his weight on top of her as he dropped to his forearms to support himself. The new friction their jeans were creating down there for her took her from 0 to 60 in a matter of seconds. They couldn't go very far, but God, did she want to.
"Good" Stefan answered, unbuttoning the top button on her plaid shirt. He placed a hungry kiss above her breasts, then continued to unbutton her shirt. After every button was undone, he placed a kiss against the newly exposed skin.
Elena tried to keep her eyes open and watch him, but it was impossible. She smiled when his lips reached her bellybutton and then continued lower. She bit her bottom lip when she felt one of his hands tug on the front of her belt. If he was going to please her like he did the other night, she wasn't going to be able to ride back to the ranch by herself.
Stefan's hand continued to tug gently against her belt, but his lips were on her ear suddenly. "Later, I promise" he whispered hoarsely.
It sent shivers down her spine, hearing him talk to her like that. Where the sudden possessive tone had come from she didn't know. But she liked it. "You keep your promises" she told him. That's one thing she loved about him. He was reliable.
Stefan laughed against her ear, sending more shivers down her spine. "Yes I do" he whispered. Then his lips were gone and his fingers were doing up the buttons on her shirt. He tugged on her shirt, pulling her to sit back up. "As much as I'd love to spend all day out here with you, I think we should get the cattle back" he said, smiling.
"Later" she reminded. His face lit up just from knowing she was looking forward to their time together later on. It was a whole new area for him, being intimate with a girl.
But so far, he didn't think he was doing to awfully bad.
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"Thanks for bringin' them cattle back you two" Ric said at the dinner table. He had noticed that Stefan and Elena had cleared their plates rather quickly and they looked like they were in a hurry to get out of there.
"It was fun" Elena said, practically on the edge of her seat because she wanted to get Stefan all alone.
"Elena was a big help" Stefan added, looking at Elena and smiling. He was just as anxious to have some privacy as she was. "I thought I'd take Elena out for ice cream if that's okay" Stefan added, trying to sound casual.
Ric looked back and forth between the two carefully. Elena held her breath, fearing that Ric might tell them no. And then they would have to postpone what they had planned or be really quiet. She didn't like either of those options. "Yeah I suppose that'd be alright" Ric told him.
"Thanks!" Elena exclaimed, jumping up from the dinner table with her plate and rushing to the kitchen to drop it off. Stefan wasn't far behind her.
"Crazy kids got too much energy" Ric mumbled. He shook his head and went back to eating his dinner. Just as the fork reached his mouth, the phone rang out. He sighed and stood to get it. "Hello" he said. The person on the other end of the line talked for a moment as Ric listened. "Yeah, I'll get him" Ric said, taking the phone away from his ear. "Stefan! Rebekah's on the phone!" he hollered.
Stefan came running back into the dining area with a curious look on his face. Elena was right behind him. "Hello?" he asked, taking the phone from Ric. Stefan was quiet for a moment, then he nodded. "I'll be there in about ten minutes" he said before hanging up.
"Everything okay?" Ric asked.
Stefan nodded quickly. "Bekah needs help gettin' her truck started. Elena and I will stop by before we go and get ice cream" he announced.
Ric nodded before sitting back down to his dinner, buying the story. But Elena knew better. She could detect a lie, because she had spent all year doing nothing but lying. "Don't be out too late" Ric warned.
"Yes Sir" Stefan replied, his eyes pleading with Elena to not question what was going on in front of Ric. "Come on" he told her.
As soon as they were in Stefan's truck, Elena turned to him. "What's wrong?" Elena asked.
Stefan started his truck and put it in drive, heading out of the driveway. Then he sighed. "Bekah got a call from the bar. Damon got into a fight and he's bein' belligerent. She wants help gettin' him outta there" Stefan explained.
Elena raised a confused eyebrow. "Why doesn't the bar just call the police?" she asked. That made the most sense. Then none of them had to deal with Damon.
Stefan sighed again, seemingly worried about his brother. "That ain't the way we do things 'round here Elena" he told her. He looked over at her and saw the disappointment. "Look, Bekah's really worried about him. We just have to get him outta there and back to his trailer he's stayin' at with a friend" he announced.
Elena couldn't help but feel disappointed. She had wanted to spend time with Stefan, not corral his drunk brother out of a bar. But she liked Rebekah and she wanted to help. "Might be easier to get him outta there if we had one of those hot poker thingys you guys use on the cows" Elena said with a wry smile.
It got Stefan to smile too. "It would be" he agreed.
When they arrived at the bar, it had pretty much cleared out on account of the belligerent man inside. Bekah was pacing out beside her truck, waiting for Stefan. She looked worn out and worried. "Thank you for comin' Stefan" Rebekah said. She looked like she wanted to hug him, but she held back when she saw Elena get out of the truck. Embarrassment spread across her face.
"Of course" Stefan told her, grabbing her hand for support. "Why don't you two wait out here. I'll go in and see what I can do" he said. Both girls nodded as Stefan made his way inside. He wasn't sure what he would find.
Damon on the floor, cursing because he couldn't find his hat. "God damnit" he cursed, getting on his knees and attempting to stand. He swayed before he reached his feet and was flat on his ass again in seconds. "Where's my hat!" he yelled to no one. "Who the fuck stole my hat?" he asked loudly.
Stefan approached slowly, not wanting to startle Damon. "Brother" he said calmly.
Damon strained his neck to look over and see Stefan walking towards him. Anger flashed across his features. "You sumbitch" Damon cursed, pointing at Stefan. "You done stole my girlfriend!" he accused. "And my hat!" he added.
Stefan continued to approach slowly. "I didn't steal Rebekah" he reminded. "And you're wearin' your hat" Stefan pointed out.
Damon reached his hand on top of his head and felt his hat. Then he burst out laughing in his drunken state. "You done put my hat back on my head, didn't ya, ya sumbitch" Damon said, attempting to get back up. He did so successfully, and grabbed onto the back of a chair for support. "Another round for me and my brother!" Damon announced. Of course the bartender, who was shaking his head annoyed behind the counter, wasn't going to serve Damon anymore.
"Damon, I'm gonna take you back to your friend's" Stefan told him calmly. "You need to sleep this off."
Damon's eyes turned even darker suddenly, and he squinted at Stefan because he was seeing two of him. "You tellin' me what to do, brother?" Damon asked. "I don't need to sleep. I need to drink" he said, staggering forward. He ended up on his ass again, mad as hell. "Where the hell is my hat?" he demanded angrily.
"On your head" Stefan said, reaching down and grabbing his brother's arm to help him up. "Come on" he said. This wasn't the first time Stefan had had to drag Damon out of a bar. It wouldn't be the last either.
"Get the fuck off me!" Damon yelled, shoving Stefan as best as he could. Then he pulled his fist back and attempted to punch Stefan, but he was much too uncoordinated. Stefan moved out of the way and Damon lost his balance again and fell down.
Stefan was beyond annoyed now. "You're embarrassing yourself, Damon" he said, frustrated with his older, out of control brother. "Is this how you want Bekah to see you?" he asked, playing the "Bekah card" as he liked to call it.
"Psshhh" Damon slurred, waving him off. "She ain't my woman no more" Damon announced. "I'm a free man" he insisted.
"So it wouldn't bother you that Bekah is right outside worried sick 'bout you?" Stefan challenged.
Damon's whole demeanor changed at the mention of Rebekah being outside. Like a switch had been flipped. "She's outside?" Damon slurred.
Stefan nodded. "I'm gonna bring her in here and she's gonna help get you outta here, okay?" he asked. He waved Rebekah in as she peered through the window.
When she walked inside, she saw the bar a complete mess, with chairs knocked down, and Damon sitting on the floor. She hated it. She hated that she was the one to get called to come and pick him up and she hated the fact that she was doing it. "Damon" she said nervously.
Damon carefully and slowly got himself up, doing his best to look at her. "Baby?" he asked in his sad, longing voice. Tears welled up in his eyes. Hearing him call her that broke her heart. She wanted so desperately to not care. But she did. Damon held his hand out to her and Rebekah hesitated to go, but eventually she did. She walked to him and let him wrap his needy arms around her. He smelled of beer and sweat, but she had missed holding him. She supported his entire wait as he leaned against her. "I'm so sorry Bekah" he said, crying as he held onto her. "I love you so much. Don't leave me. You can't leave me" he begged.
Rebekah felt her own tears sliding down her face as she allowed herself to get sucked back into the world that revolved around Damon. Yes he treated her as a second thought and yes she knew she deserved better. But letting go of almost ten years of being in a relationship was difficult. "Let's get you outta here, okay?" she suggested. She chose to ignore his pleas.
"Okay" Damon mumbled into her shirt. She slowly and carefully led him towards the door, giving the bartender an apologetic look. Stefan was right behind them, ready to catch Damon if he fell again. "Someone stole my hat" Damon muttered as he clung to Rebekah.
Rebekah looked up at the hat he was wearing and sighed. "I'm sorry" is all she said, choosing to not engage with him any further about the missing hat. "Come on, let's get you into my truck" she encouraged.
Elena stood near Stefan's truck, watching the two walk Damon out of the bar. With Stefan's help, they got Damon into the backseat of Rebekah's truck. "I'm gonna take him home with me. My parents won't be back until tomorrow night" she said.
"You sure?" Stefan asked.
Rebekah nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for helpin' me" she said sadly. It was probably going to be a mistake taking Damon home with her. But she felt like he was her responsibility.
Stefan placed his hands on her shoulders as he faced her. "The instant he starts actin' up, you call me and I'll come and get him" Stefan promised her. More than likely, Damon would pass out and go to sleep. But just in case, he needed her to know what to do.
She nodded. "I will" she promised. Then she looked sadly over at Elena, managing to muster up a smile. "Go spend time with her" Rebekah said, continuing to smile at Elena. "Try and enjoy the rest of your night." With that, she turned around and climbed into her truck, ready for a long night of babysitting Damon.
Stefan looked over at Elena apologetically. "I'm sorry" he said with a heavy sigh.
She walked towards him, knowing the mood was ruined for anything they had planned. Elena grabbed his hand and leaned into him. "Change of plans. Let's go home" she told him. "Maybe Ric wants to play a board game" she said, grinning as she looked up at him.
Stefan even smiled at that, despite how horrible he was feeling. "Thank you" he told her quietly, leaning down and kissing her forehead. He wrapped his arm around her and walked with her back to the truck.
It was so peaceful and quiet at that time of the evening, and Stefan just wanted to hold onto that, knowing it would get him through to the morning.
