"You sure you don't want me to drive up there with you?" Stefan asked. He sat on the arm of the couch and watched Elena tie her shoes.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine" she assured him. "Are you sure you want to watch Jeremy all day?" she asked. Katherine and Damon had reservations to go wine tasting all day and Stefan had volunteered to take Jeremy for the day.

Stefan smiled. "I'm sure. I'm taking him to this indoor trampoline park with a ginormous foam pit" Stefan told her. "Then I thought we'd go have lunch and walk around the Pier" he added.

Elena stood from the couch after tying her shoes and stood in front of Stefan, facing him. "He's going to have so much fun. Thank you" she said, giving him a small smile as she leaned in and kissed his cheek.

She went to move away and he grabbed her hand to stop her. "I'm really proud of you" he said, squeezing her hand gently in his. He knew better than anyone how hard it was to repair relationships.

Elena smiled. "I should be home by ten" she added.

"Okay" Stefan said. "Just call or text me when you get there and when you are about to leave?" he asked.

Elena nodded. "Will do" she said, letting go of his hand and grabbing the car keys. "Have fun with Jer. Don't let him have too much sugar today" she added.

Stefan grinned. "Define too much" he told her.

"Never mind" Elena said, shaking her head. She knew Stefan was going to overload him with sugar anyways.

Stefan walked her to the door and opened it for her. "See you tonight" he said, leaning in for one more kiss before she would have to leave.

"See you tonight" Elena repeated when she ended the kiss.

Stefan watched her until she disappeared around the corner. Then he shut the door and went in search of Jeremy.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Elena sat nervously in the small café of her hometown. She continued to stir her tea which had gone cold because of her lack of interest in it.

She had arrived an hour before she was supposed to meet Bonnie. Before she arrived at the café even, she had driven past her family home to see how much it had changed. The new owners had painted the house a shade darker, but other than that, the house looked the same.

The town itself hadn't changed much at all in the two years she had been away. She had to admit, she missed her small town. She missed the busy Saturday afternoons where people would come to the Square to shop and have lunch. She missed the quiet Sunday mornings when most were at church.

"Can I get you something else Miss?" the waitress asked, taking Elena from her thoughts.

Elena shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm waiting for a friend" she said, giving the waitress a friendly smile.

She continued to stir her cold tea as she looked out the window. Mystic Falls held some very painful memories for her.

Like waking up in the hospital room all alone.

Like being told that her parents had died in that crash.

Elena closed her eyes the moment she felt the lump in her throat appear. She didn't think about the accident very often. But when she did, it brought the pain back all over again.

Elena realized that she had never told Stefan the details of her parent's death. He had never asked and part of her was thankful for that. But the other part of her wanted to tell him. Sometimes she thought having someone to talk about it with was what she really needed.

The door chime rang out and Elena opened her eyes to see Bonnie walking inside the café. Her eyes scanned the room until she locked eyes with Elena. Bonnie waved at her and made her way over to the booth.

"Hey" Bonnie said, offering Elena a warm, friendly smile before taking a seat across from her. "I'm so glad you could make it" she added. "I could have met you halfway."

Elena shook her head. "I wanted to come back here" she said. "Hasn't changed much" Elena added quietly.

Bonnie smiled as she looked out the window. "Yeah, not much" Bonnie agreed. "How's Jeremy doing?" Bonnie asked. "At the barbeque, Stefan filled me in."

Elena sat back in the booth. "Seems like you two have been talking a lot lately" Elena pointed out. She knew they sent text messages back and forth.

Bonnie picked up on Elena's change in attitude pretty quickly. The last thing she wanted was for this lunch date to turn into an argument. "I know that if I want a friendship with you, I need to have a friendship with Stefan too" Bonnie admitted. "And we don't talk that often" she added.

Elena sighed. She could feel the tension building. "Why did you come back home?" Elena asked. Bonnie told her every chance she got how much she loved London.

Bonnie smiled a little as she looked across the table at Elena. "Because I missed it" she said quietly. "I missed my dad, my little town. You" she said honestly. "London is amazing. But it was never going to be home. Mystic Falls is home. Always will be."

Elena could relate, even if her home had been in South Carolina for the past few years. She decided to answer Bonnie's question. "Jenna showed up a few weeks ago and left him with Stefan" Elena said. "She wrote me a note. Some sorry excuse about not being able to care for him anymore. I think it has something to do with that asshole she's with" Elena said, stopping herself when she realized she was getting worked up.

"That guy is a loser. What he did – convincing your aunt that you'd be fine on your own at 16 …" Bonnie said, at a loss for words. "Have you called her?" Bonnie asked.

Elena shook her head no. "I don't know what I would say to her. She just … left him on the doorstep. He's five" Elena said.

Bonnie understood. She didn't know what she would say either. "So, what's the plan?" she asked, accepting the cup of coffee and a menu that the waitress brought by.

For the first time in a while, Elena felt like she was talking to her best friend again the way they used to all the time. "I don't know" she answered honestly. "Stefan and I had planned to move back to the beach house. But I think it would be best to stay in Charleston. Better schools, and we'd both be closer to work" she said. "I just can't keep relying on Katherine the way I do. She's been watching him when I go to work. Plus, we've been staying at the house and Katherine and Damon have been buying Jeremy a lot of things. I mean, a lot" Elena said, taking a deep breath.

Bonnie waited patiently, knowing Elena wanted to continue.

"The social worker told me that Jeremy needs a stable home. Right now, my life is crazy. Between school and work …" Elena sighed. "I just keep thinking, maybe I can't give Jeremy what he needs. But the thought of him being dumped off somewhere again just breaks my heart."

"What about Damon and Katherine?" Bonnie asked.

Elena looked up at Bonnie, both surprised and relieved to hear her friend suggest two people that Elena first thought of too.

"I mean, Jeremy already lives there. Katherine watches him for you. And based on what I saw at the barbeque last weekend, he adores them both" Bonnie explained. "And you spend so much time at Damon's anyway, you'd still get to see Jeremy all the time" Bonnie said. She could still see the guilty look in Elena's eyes. "You wouldn't be abandoning him. You'd be giving him a really great life with two people who would love him" Bonnie said supportively.

The tear escaped from Elena's eye before she could stop it. Slowly, she nodded her head. "I know" Elena admitted. She knew that Damon and Katherine were the best option for her little brother. "It's just hard. I never thought I would have to do this again after my parents died" Elena said. She trusted Jenna to take care of Jeremy.

Bonnie reached across the table and grabbed Elena's hand. She gave her a supportive smile. "Maybe this decision would be easier if you asked Jeremy what he thought" she suggested. If Elena knew Jeremy was happy, she could stop feeling so guilty.

"I think you're right" Elena nodded. "I'll have to talk to Damon and Katherine first to see if they are even interested."

Bonnie smiled even more. "They'd be crazy to turn the idea down" Bonnie assured her. She watched Elena smile and shake her head slightly. "What?" Bonnie asked.

Elena leaned back in her seat, continuing to smile. "This" she said, referring to them. "I miss this. Us being able to talk" Elena explained.

"I miss this too" Bonnie smiled.

It was just after eleven when Elena let herself inside. The house was dark except for the light from the T.V. in the living room.

Elena set her purse down and went to investigate. She found Stefan lying down on the couch watching a movie. She smiled as she walked towards him.

"Hey" Stefan smiled, reaching for the remote and pausing what he was watching.

Elena kicked her shoes off and sat down on the couch, looking down at him. "You didn't have to wait up for me" she said.

Stefan shrugged. "I don't sleep well without you anyways" he told her. He reached for her hand to hold. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Good" Elena replied. She squeezed Stefan's hand. "Thank you for encouraging me to drive up there."

He ran his thumb across the top of her hand. "I'm glad it went well" he said, staring up at her.

Elena nodded. "Bonnie is going to come down in a couple of weeks to hang out" she announced.

"We'll have to all get together to dinner" Stefan told her.

Elena leaned down and kissed him, thankful for his support as she worked to rebuild her relationship with her best friend. She laid down so she was facing him, finding comfort in being next to him after such a long day. "I didn't see Damon's truck in the driveway" she mentioned.

"They called. They're staying overnight and will be home tomorrow morning sometime" he replied.

"Jeremy go to bed okay for you?" Elena asked, resting her head against his shoulder.

Stefan leaned in towards her and kissed her forehead. "Yes" he answered. "It only took six stories and nine glasses of water" he added, smiling when he thought about how easy Katherine made it look. She had Jeremy in bed and asleep effortlessly.

Elena smiled as she rested her hand against his chest. "It definitely had nothing to do with all that sugar and excitement he had today" she mentioned.

Stefan laughed softly. "Definitely not" he replied. "He had a lot of fun though. I did too" Stefan told her.

Elena closed her eyes and sighed contently when she felt his hand on her hip. His fingers pressed gently into the denim of her shorts.

His face nuzzled against her head as he breathed her in. "Are you tired?" he asked quietly. His hand slowly moved down the outside of her leg until he felt her warm skin. Sure, it was late. But he was missing her.

"Kind of" she said, sliding her hand down his stomach and slipping it under his t-shirt. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, tilting her head up some to look up at him.

Stefan smiled as he looked down at her for just a moment before pressing his lips against hers. What started off as slow and gentle soon turned into something more heated. His tongue begged for entrance and she obliged, feeling his warm mouth claim hers in a passionate kiss.

It was almost painful when his lips suddenly left hers. He pushed his weight up onto his elbow and bent down to kiss her neck, trailing soft kisses along her skin as his hand found its way to the back of her knee.

Elena opened her eyes and smiled as she felt him suck gently against her neck. It was incredibly erotic. "Let's … let's go upstairs" she whispered.

"Mmm … okay" he murmured, reluctantly peeling his lips away from her skin. He sat up and stood from the couch, pulling her to her feet as well. Stefan grabbed her hand and led her towards the stairs.

Elena leaned against Stefan as they climbed the stairs. On the way to their room, they stopped to check on Jeremy who was still asleep.

"He's good" Stefan whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Elena smiled as she allowed Stefan to pull her away from Jeremy's room and continue walking to their room. They made it about halfway down the hall before he pulled her close and started kissing her again. "Did you really miss me today?" she asked with a lazy smile.

Stefan smiled as he pulled her into the room and shut the door. He placed his hand gently against her cheek and stared at her for a moment, admiring her. "Very much so" he said quietly.

His reply made her heart melt as she leaned into his touch just a little more.

"I love you, Elena" he said.

Elena smiled the moment she heard him tell her that. "I needed to hear that today" she said quietly. She leaned forward and kissed his softly.

Stefan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "You deserve to hear it every day" he whispered back.

Elena pulled on his hands, trying to lead him to the bed. He stopped her though and she looked up at his curiously. "Aren't we going to bed?" she asked with a small smile.

Stefan grinned as he pulled her close. Then his arms went under her back and legs, picking her up to carry her to the bed. She was laughing at his romantic gesture, and he couldn't get enough of that sound.

Elena laughed when Stefan dropped her on the bed and crawled on top of her. His hands were already sliding up under her shirt. "Hey Stefan?" she asked, feeling his lips kiss along her neck again.

"Hmmm?" he asked.

"I love you too" she whispered.

Stefan lifted his head so he could look down at her again. His lips slowly formed a smile for her. His hand found hers and he brought it up to his lips, kissing her fingers. "I love you" he said, smiling even more.

"That's twice in one day" Elena mentioned softly.

He realized she was referring to him telling her she deserved to hear how much he loved her every day. Stefan brought his face closer to hers again until his nose brushed against hers. "I love you" he whispered, kissing her lips softly. His hands slipped back under her shirt. "I love you" he whispered again, capturing her lips for a gentle kiss.