Chapter Three
Elena waited in the attic room at the boarding house for Stefan to return from feeding. A place she would always remember and cherish. The place where she had ripped down his walls and exposed what was underneath, a love so strong that it brought her back from the dead.
She wiped a tear from her face as soon as she heard the scuff of a shoe on the stairs coming up to the room.
The sight of him made her tremble. His cheeks were flushed from the hunt, his hair windblown into untamed waves. His expression changed when he noticed something was wrong.
"Elena?" he whispered. "What is it?"
"Oh, Stefan," was all she could manage before crumbling into his embrace. She could feel his hands gently caress her hair.
Finally cried out, she whispered, "Bonnie is sick. Dying, in fact."
He looked startled, then sad. "I'm so sorry."
She raised he eyes to meet his and touched his face tenderly. "I'm afraid for her. In a time when she needed support and comfort, the one person who could have given it to her broke her heart."
He examined her face closely, and then said, "There is something else. What?"
Elena stood up, needing to organize her thoughts and place them accordingly. Finally, she made up her mind and turned to face him.
"When I was a vampire, I knew that it wasn't the life for me. It wasn't what I was looking for. It took me too long to realize that I already had what I wanted, you. And yet, even though I know what awaits humanity beyond death, I couldn't bring myself to tell Bonnie that there is life after death."
Stefan's voice was flat. "I won't change her."
"I wasn't asking you to. She never even asked me Stefan and that scares me. It's like she had already accepted her fate and I couldn't handle that. It made me realize a few things. I will die. Tomorrow, next week, or ten years from now wouldn't chance anything. And the thought of being without you scares the hell out of me. You are my life and I will not accept going into the beyond without you. I'm not asking you to change her. I want you to change me. The way it should have happened before that whole mess."
Stefan was speechless. His green eyes were wide and intent. "I don't know-"
"What will you do after I die?" she asked abruptly.
Stefan didn't answer, or wouldn't.
"We have no idea where vampires go after death. Klaus was sent to Hell where he belongs. But are all vampires doomed to eternal darkness?"
"Elena-"
"Stefan, I want to be with you. Be it in Heaven, on Earth or Hell. At least, if one of us dies a vampire then the other will follow. It doesn't matter where we are as long as were together."
Stefan grasped her hand in his and kissed her palm. Without looking at her, he pulled her into his embrace, placed his face against her stomach, and simply breathed in her scent. Her fingers plunged into his hair simply to feel the silken texture between her fingers. He looked up into her eyes and made his decision.
Without breaking his gaze, Stefan stood up and kissed her with a passion that astounded her. It was time to be one in the same.
********
Bonnie awoke and groaned. She raised her head and shook it, trying to make her brain function. What-?
Oh, the spell. She smiled grimly, finally remembering what had driven her to this end. She reached around her awkwardly and her fingers touched a flashlight. She quickly stuffed her supplies in her knapsack and climbed to her feet. She climbed the rungs into the cool morning air and headed towards her car.
She shook her head in despair, as she rounded the corner of her street. Bonnie dreaded this day. She knew that she had to tell her family the truth. And after that, she didn't know. Then again, it wasn't her choice anymore.
She didn't know what had driven her to seek out Damon. He was someone who had tried to feast on her, a person who had made her feel small and insignificant, a person who enjoyed hunting and had killed, a person she had feared for many reasons. And yet, he had come back to Fell's Church to help them, had tried to be dependable despite his obvious differences with them, had risked death itself to save his brother.
He was a friend. A damn sexy friend, she smiled ruefully, but still a friend.
When she parked her car, her father rushed out the front door and wrapped his arms around her. "Where the hell have you been?" he yelled, pushing her backwards and shaking her roughly.
"Dad." There must have been something in her voice because he stopped. "There is something I need to tell you and it's not going to be easy."
"Bonnie, are you-"
"For Christ-sakes, no! Please, dad. Go inside, get mom and call Mary. I only have the strength to say this once."
He nodded once and escorted her inside.
Once the McCullough family still in Fell's church had all gathered in the living room and was watching her intently, Bonnie cleared her throat.
"I have cancer."
Elena waited in the attic room at the boarding house for Stefan to return from feeding. A place she would always remember and cherish. The place where she had ripped down his walls and exposed what was underneath, a love so strong that it brought her back from the dead.
She wiped a tear from her face as soon as she heard the scuff of a shoe on the stairs coming up to the room.
The sight of him made her tremble. His cheeks were flushed from the hunt, his hair windblown into untamed waves. His expression changed when he noticed something was wrong.
"Elena?" he whispered. "What is it?"
"Oh, Stefan," was all she could manage before crumbling into his embrace. She could feel his hands gently caress her hair.
Finally cried out, she whispered, "Bonnie is sick. Dying, in fact."
He looked startled, then sad. "I'm so sorry."
She raised he eyes to meet his and touched his face tenderly. "I'm afraid for her. In a time when she needed support and comfort, the one person who could have given it to her broke her heart."
He examined her face closely, and then said, "There is something else. What?"
Elena stood up, needing to organize her thoughts and place them accordingly. Finally, she made up her mind and turned to face him.
"When I was a vampire, I knew that it wasn't the life for me. It wasn't what I was looking for. It took me too long to realize that I already had what I wanted, you. And yet, even though I know what awaits humanity beyond death, I couldn't bring myself to tell Bonnie that there is life after death."
Stefan's voice was flat. "I won't change her."
"I wasn't asking you to. She never even asked me Stefan and that scares me. It's like she had already accepted her fate and I couldn't handle that. It made me realize a few things. I will die. Tomorrow, next week, or ten years from now wouldn't chance anything. And the thought of being without you scares the hell out of me. You are my life and I will not accept going into the beyond without you. I'm not asking you to change her. I want you to change me. The way it should have happened before that whole mess."
Stefan was speechless. His green eyes were wide and intent. "I don't know-"
"What will you do after I die?" she asked abruptly.
Stefan didn't answer, or wouldn't.
"We have no idea where vampires go after death. Klaus was sent to Hell where he belongs. But are all vampires doomed to eternal darkness?"
"Elena-"
"Stefan, I want to be with you. Be it in Heaven, on Earth or Hell. At least, if one of us dies a vampire then the other will follow. It doesn't matter where we are as long as were together."
Stefan grasped her hand in his and kissed her palm. Without looking at her, he pulled her into his embrace, placed his face against her stomach, and simply breathed in her scent. Her fingers plunged into his hair simply to feel the silken texture between her fingers. He looked up into her eyes and made his decision.
Without breaking his gaze, Stefan stood up and kissed her with a passion that astounded her. It was time to be one in the same.
********
Bonnie awoke and groaned. She raised her head and shook it, trying to make her brain function. What-?
Oh, the spell. She smiled grimly, finally remembering what had driven her to this end. She reached around her awkwardly and her fingers touched a flashlight. She quickly stuffed her supplies in her knapsack and climbed to her feet. She climbed the rungs into the cool morning air and headed towards her car.
She shook her head in despair, as she rounded the corner of her street. Bonnie dreaded this day. She knew that she had to tell her family the truth. And after that, she didn't know. Then again, it wasn't her choice anymore.
She didn't know what had driven her to seek out Damon. He was someone who had tried to feast on her, a person who had made her feel small and insignificant, a person who enjoyed hunting and had killed, a person she had feared for many reasons. And yet, he had come back to Fell's Church to help them, had tried to be dependable despite his obvious differences with them, had risked death itself to save his brother.
He was a friend. A damn sexy friend, she smiled ruefully, but still a friend.
When she parked her car, her father rushed out the front door and wrapped his arms around her. "Where the hell have you been?" he yelled, pushing her backwards and shaking her roughly.
"Dad." There must have been something in her voice because he stopped. "There is something I need to tell you and it's not going to be easy."
"Bonnie, are you-"
"For Christ-sakes, no! Please, dad. Go inside, get mom and call Mary. I only have the strength to say this once."
He nodded once and escorted her inside.
Once the McCullough family still in Fell's church had all gathered in the living room and was watching her intently, Bonnie cleared her throat.
"I have cancer."