"I love you Stefan, we will be together again, I promise," Katherine whispered unnervingly into his ear as her lips engulfed his.
Although in that very moment Stefan's heart was breaking.
All he could think about was Damon's hands on Elena, how her smile grew when he walked into the room, how he kissed her.
By now Katherine was kissing down his chest but he could only think about Elena.
His heart filling with despair at the thought of losing her to his brother.
"I lost her" he croaked as everything in him gave out.
Suddenly he gasped as his eyes shot open.
He was not able to differentiate dreams from reality until he felt a familiar presence on his chest.
His heartrate slowed as relief flooded through his body at the sight of her laying in his arms.
Stefan tightened his arms around Elena as tears began to fill his eyes.
The weight of his dream began to crush him as it replayed in his mind.
He quickly burrowed his tears away as he stroked her hair soothingly.
He held her close reminding himself that she was here with him.
"Hey, you okay?" she asked still half asleep.
"Yes, bad dream. Go back to sleep," he whispered to her as soothingly as he could, trying to mask the pain in his voice.
As her eyes met his, she could tell that something was not right.
She knew that he was trying to hide it, but she could see so much sadness in his emerald eyes.
All she wanted to do was wash it away, wash all his pain away.
Still pressed up against him, she cupped the side of his face in her hand while gently massaging his cheek with her thumb.
"Talk to me Stefan," she whispered concern lasing her voice.
"Really Elena, I'm okay," he said softly still trying to keep his voice from trembling, "You need to rest."
Elena just looked at him with her big beautiful brown eyes and he couldn't hide from her anymore.
His lip began to quiver as he tilted his head down trying to hide the tear that just escaped his eye.
Elena's heart broke as she looked at Stefan's shaking form lying next to her.
She quickly pulled him into her arms and let him bury his face into her chest.
She began to stroke his hair soothingly as she held him close.
"Shhh," she whispered continuing to run her fingers through his hair, "What's wrong my love?"
Stefan finally let her lift his face up to meet hers and Elena could see so much pain in his eyes.
She smoothed her fingers over his cheeks as he shook his head not wanting to burden her with his problems.
"Please talk to me Stefan. What is it?" she asked, her voice trembling with sadness at the sight in front of her.
He looked into her eyes for a while before looking down again.
Finally after a few more moments he spoke.
"It's just that I love you. I love you so much that the thought of losing you- I wouldn't be able to take it- Elena I- I just- "
"Oh Stefan," she murmured as she quickly wrapped her arms around him as he cried.
Her heart broke with every tear that stained her shirt.
"Shhh baby, I love you Stefan, shhh I'm right here," she soothed as she rocked him back and forth in her embrace.
"Please don't leave me," he whispered softly into her neck.
He was embarrassed by the steady stream of tears falling down his cheeks, but he needed to be in her embrace.
He needed to remind himself that she was here with him.
"I will never leave you Stefan. I will be here for as long as you want me." she said as she cuddled into his side.
It was still the middle of the night and Elena hoped that her body pressing against his would be enough to soothe him, but he was still stiff in her embrace.
"Hold me," she whispered into his neck, "I want you to hold me and never let me go."
His arms wound around her, and she melted into his embrace.
She has never felt so safe and loved as she does in Stefan's embrace.
"I love you so much Stefan," she whispered into his chest, "So so so much."
"I love you Lena, more than anything," he responded groggily, and Elena could tell his voice was thick with sleep.
Moments later the steadiness of his breathing told Elena that he was finally asleep.
She hated how worried he got about losing her, she wasn't Katherine and it pains her that she has made him like this.
He needs to know how much she loves him, how she will never leave him.
