Mystic Grill's refurbished bar was quickly becoming Damon's new best friend. He chuckled to himself, shrugging as he downed his bourbon and ran his fingers across the smooth maple counter. Hey, he'd much preferred the white oak one, but for some odd reason, before the original family busted out of town, that section of Mystic Grill had "accidentally" caught fire.

Amused, Damon ordered another drink and placed it neatly on the spot to his left. "There you go, Rick," he muttered to no one. Just then, a quick, slender hand reached over and snatched the amber drink, taking his empty friend's place.

"How thoughtful. You got me a drink and everything… It's like you've been waiting for the last 145 years." She giggled, a smooth, sardonic sound that made Damon's jaw clench with anger. He didn't even need to look over in order to know what he'd end up seeing: long, curly hair, tight clothes, manicured nails and a bitchy attitude.

"Katherine," he hissed out. "What a… pleasant surprise." His smile was so big and so forced that his eyes hurt.

She rested her elbow on the table, taking a long sip of his –Alaric's- whiskey. "Don't squint. It's not a very becoming look on you, Damon." He dramatically laughed in response, finally meeting her fierce gaze with a glare—Well, he did that after doing a quick once over of her; no, Katherine hadn't changed at all.

"Why did you decide to drop by?" he asked bitterly. "Last I checked, you didn't want to be Klaus bait."

Katherine shrugged, as poised as ever. "He's gone for now. I was a little hesitant at first, but when Stefan called, I just knew that I couldn't resist any longer." Now that Damon's interest had been peaked, she seemed to be more interested in her nails than the conversation.

"He called you?"

"Yup," she replied curtly.

Trying to hide his frustration, Damon continued to question her. "Why?"

She quickly and hurriedly began to explain his journal entry, glazed over their heated reunion, and then began to get off topic to complaining about how much of a buzz kill Elena was and…

Damon was baffled. "So you just showed up because he called? That sounds a little out of character, hmm? Considering we both spent over a century waiting for you." She simply rolled her eyes, and he kept going. "There has to be another motive."

She sighed, avoiding his blue eyes. "My curiosity got the best of me. I mean, I'd heard the rumors about him, but when he called I really just wanted to see for myse—"

"What rumors?" he cut her off sharply.

After letting out an amused laugh, she downed her drink and began to stand up. "It's not a secret, Damon. A lot of vampires know about Stefan and how he turned Elena human. A lot of them are looking for him actually… Some are angry that they both got to be human, and some just want to know how he did it. But, hey, Stefan seems like an easy target with his memories and all so…"

Damon tensed. "Target? How do you know they're targeting him?"

Katherine let out a giggle, shrugging once again. "I guess you might want to keep me around then." She placed a slow hand on his shoulder as she leaned in close, sending hot shivers down his spine. "Remember, Damon, I'm on your side."


Stefan was so shocked by Elena's lips against his that he didn't even have enough mentality to kiss back. It was short, chaste, and only lasted about a second… but his mind and his body were racing.

He was frozen. Stunned.

And when she pulled away and he saw the rejected look on her face, he tried to snap himself out of it, tried to make his lips move, but he was regretfully numb. Elena's eyes searched his own for any response, and when she got none, she took a step away, tucking her hair behind her ears and quickly looking around the room. There she had been, baring her soul, finally willing herself to get caught up in Stefan for just a moment, and now she felt like a complete fool. "I'm sorry," she muttered, keeping her eyes on the floor, trying to keep her thoughts clear. "I don't know why I did that. I guess I just thought that you—"

He silenced her by raising a hand. Immediately, Elena hushed, eyeing him curiously. Stefan closed his eyes for a long moment, bringing his hands to his face. She thought he was going to rub them along his face –he sometimes did that when he was thinking—but instead, he merely brought a finger to his lips, awestruck.

Elena's heart inflated.

He looked at her, green eyes on chocolate brown, completely taken by surprise, completely taken by her. He blinked slowly a few times and willed himself to speak despite the sudden rush that went through his entire body. He whispered her name, and it vaguely sounded human, so that was a good start. "Were you planning that?"

A bright blush crept upon her cheeks when she replied, "No. Are you alright?"

"Yeah." He ran his teeth across his bottom lip and laughed, a vibrant, deep sound that reverberated through the walls and made her tremble in the best ways. "I just…" He furrowed his brows. "I think I've been waiting for that to happen ever since I woke up."

Elena's body shook; it seemed to be something that only Stefan could do to her. The way he made her knees shake, the way he made her stomach drop, the way she loved him… it scared her sometimes. It hurt so badly to love him, to tremble with fear and desperation whenever this mutual feeling of passion enveloped the both of them. It hurt because she'd hurt him, but god, did it feel incredible to look at him and know that there was a shred of hope left for them. No matter how dead the Elena Gilbert who had died on Wickery Bridge was, no matter how dead the Stefan Salvatore who had saved her was, no matter how broken and dead they both were… their love was there. It was there and it was thriving and it was blossoming again and…

"Hey," his voice was soft when he cupped her face. "Why are you crying?"

She laughed through her tears, not even knowing that they'd been streaming down her face. "I'm overwhelmed," she replied truthfully. "I'm happy."

With a few smooth flicks of his thumb, he wiped the tears off of her warm cheeks, his gaze burning into her own. A gentle grin made its way onto his lips when he said, "I'm glad. I was getting kind of worried that I'd ruined the moment and accidentally stepped on your foot or something…"

She laughed again, although it came out as a sob. She loved him. She loved him more than she ever had. She loved him more than she did when they first kissed, she loved him more than she did when they first made love, she loved him more than she did when he died for her. She loved him to the ends of the earth, from the tips of her fingers to the tips of her hair. Even when he didn't know her, his heart and his body did. Stefan was clueless, but there was something inside of him, something deep within his chest that wasn't willing to let her go. And for tonight at least, it was alright if he didn't love her yet. They were getting there. He was getting there.

"Please just kiss me," she managed to get out, craving his touch more than ever. "I mean, if you want t—"

Without even needing to hesitate, Stefan cut her off by placing a long kiss to her lips, silencing her words and her train of thought. Practically by instinct, she swung her arms around and wrapped them around his neck, pulling herself a little closer. Though he was a little unsure at first, Stefan wrapped his arms around her waist, and even through her shirt, her skin burned with the sweetest fire. He didn't know her or remember her, but his body sure did. He'd held her exactly like this so many times that she was surprised the imprint of his arms hadn't been permanently indented onto her skin. God, when was the last time she'd been kissed like this? She missed it so much. He was finally so close, and a sense of belonging surrounded them both. For the first time in a long time, her guilt melted away, only replaced by the sweet, slow burn of Stefan's kiss. He was healing her, and he didn't even know it. In his arms, wrapped up in his scent and the chemistry of his skin against hers, she was confident that nothing would keep them apart again.

Stefan was the one to pull away, gasping for breath as he rested his forehead against Elena's. Her breath was heavy and sweet against his lips, and he quickly decided that this moment, breathing the same air as her, inhaling her every exhale, was almost as good as the kiss itself. In this moment, he truly felt as if he could be the air she breathed, the oxygen that coursed through her veins, and it scared him. This sense of completion and intimacy had not only startled him, but also terrified him. "Elena Gilbert," he whispered, holding her face between his two hands, searching her fathomless eyes for all of the answers he'd been looking for. "Who are you?"

She smiled a bit, placing her tiny hands over his. I love you. I'll love you, Stefan Salvatore, until the world stops spinning. And I just hope you can forgive me for the things I've done, the pain I've caused you. The words were on the tip of her tongue, and she was about to say them too. She was tired of secrets. She was going to tell him everything; he deserved to know. But just as she opened her mouth, prepared to piece everything together for him, from his dream to the way he kissed her at the swimming hole…

"Knock knock!" Damon rushed inside, popping one of Stefan's drawers open and throwing articles of clothing across the floor. Elena's hands dropped to her side, and Stefan's did the same. She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding; their moment was shattered.

"Damon, what are you doing?" Stefan asked after taking a long moment to put his head back together.

"Vervain, Vervain…" He ripped a drawer right out, causing Stefan and Elena to jump. Damon roughly turned to Elena, his eyes full of anger and determination. "Where does he keep the Vervain?"

"Damon!" Elena demanded, her voice loud. "What the hell is going on?"

"They're coming for him," he answered venomously, going back to his search.

Stefan was the one to interject now. "Who is coming for who?"

"You, Stefan!" he exploded. "There are vampires coming for you. And they're not going to stop until we figure out how to cure them, or until they have your head detached from your body."

Elena gasped. "Why would they want to kill him?"

He rolled his eyes. That was beyond the point! "Have you ever met a vampire, Elena? We're angry and we're vengeful." He disregarded her. "Anyway, until we can think of a game plan, Stefan, we need to load you up with Vervain and keep you inside the house at all times."

Damon's rant was followed by a long, tense pause. Elena was too startled to come up with a reply, and Damon was breathing heavily from talking too fast. They all stared between each other for a long moment, until Stefan turned to his older brother and broke the silence.

"Turn me."


AN: Oh no! Why on earth did Stefan say that? Why does he want Damon to turn him? Will Damon do it? Stay tuned to find out! I hope you all liked the chapter… Sorry for the two week update again. School is crazy, but I'm doing the best that I can to update whenever I can for you all. Please leave a review letting me know what you thought: what you loved, hated, etc. By now, you guys all know that you truly are what keeps me writing fanfic :)

How will Katherine come into play now? Does she have any ulterior motives? And what does this mean for Stefan and Elena? She was SO CLOSE to telling him the truth! Will they ever be able to overcome this, and will he ever remember? Please let me know what you thought! Every comment means the world to me. Thank you!

Xoxo

Sara :)