It was either the smell of coffee or the loud boom of thunder that finally forced me to pry my sleepy eyes open the next morning. I rolled over on my side and watched the stormy gray sky and violent thrashing of the waves as they were pelted by heavy raindrops. Mesmerized, I watched the dramatic scene for I don't know how long. This storm had been rolling in for quite some time. There was a metaphor in there somewhere, but I couldn't quite put it together.

Soft classic rock was floating from Stefan's room. I could also hear him lightly sipping a drink and every minute or so, turning the page of a book. I closed my eyes and imagined the scene in my head. I was drawn toward the coziness of it all. Any other morning, I would go crawl in bed next to him and read or just talk his ear off while he was trying to read. But this morning was different. Last night's incident played over and over in my mind no matter how much I tried to stop it. Stefan's body hard against me, his fangs in my neck bringing me the most intense pleasure of my life, how badly I wanted it to go even farther. My cheeks burned and blood coursed through my body. His scent was still all over me, last night's impromptu rain shower doing little to wash it away.

I peeled myself out of bed and made my way to the shower. I emerged feeling slightly more awake and smelling much more like cupcakes and nothing like Stefan. Rain still assaulted the beach outside. It looked like it was going to be an inside day. Which would have been much more appealing if I didn't feel the need to keep my distance from Stefan after last night. I dressed in black leggings and a soft pink t-shirt. I decided to skip the makeup and just let my hair dry into waves.

I sat on the edge of my bed and watched the storm. My mind flashing back to the scene in the bathroom. I could almost feel his thigh between my legs and his fingers in my hair. My cheeks turned red and my breathing sped up. I gripped the blanket under me and closed my eyes, willing the images and feelings that resulted from them to go away. Instead, I tried to think about home. About Matt, my mom, Tyler. Anything except Stefan and his mouth. And for the first time, I wondered how everyone was. I realized how lost Stefan and I were in our own little world. As much as I loved it, and as much as we deserved it, I felt like it was time to remember that we weren't completely alone in the world.

So I found my phone from where it was buried deep in one of my bags. Mostly Facebook game requests and junk email, a few missed calls from my mom and Matt. Nothing from Tyler. Nothing from Elena. I called Matt first. He seemed happy. He, Tyler and Jeremy were living in the Lockwood mansion. Matt and Jeremy were busing tables for Chili's now that the grill had burned. But Matt had plans to start community college in the fall. I smiled. He seemed okay. Happy even. Apparently Tyler was doing a lot of nothing except sitting around and being human. I wondered if I envied him or pitied him. I wondered if he missed me. I wished them all well and then called my mom. With a little help from my blood, she had healed quickly from the "accident" at the grill. Things were apparently calm in Mystic Falls. I said it didn't sound like Mystic Falls anymore. I told her I loved her and that I missed her. No one mentioned Elena and I didn't ask.

Eventually, my hunger won out over my awkwardness and I quietly padded into the kitchen. I poured myself a cup of coffee and drank it while I got a bag of blood from the freezer to heat. Stefan's movement in his room seemed to have stilled as soon as he heard me. I wondered how long he'd been up. It had to be almost noon by now. I finished my coffee while flipping through a tourist magazine that was sitting on the kitchen counter. Stefan had closed his book and turned up his music a bit. I wanted to see him. This was ridiculous. What had happened really? Nothing that they couldn't come back from. What was the point of denying myself friendship-ruining pleasures if there was no friendship to ruin.

I finished up my coffee and then refilled the mug with blood and heated it. After that, I felt great. I felt normal. I listened again at Stefan's door before quietly turning the knob.

"Knock knock", I said, smiling as I took in his form lounged on the bed with his eyes closed. His hair was messy from sleep and he had thrown on a clean white t-shirt and flannel sleep pants. I could still smell myself on him from last night though. My blood pulsed. Lightning flashed. Thunder boomed.

He opened one eye and looked at me. "I wondered when you were going to wake up. I've never seen anyone who more fully appreciates a night of sleep."

I shrugged, "What's the saying?..I'll sleep when I'm dead?"

He chuckled and moved his book from the bed beside him to the nightstand. That was my invitation. I walked around the bed and stretched out next to him. Warmth and sweet musk radiated off of him. I refused to sense any of it.

"So how's Mystic Falls?" he asked, rolling over onto his side in order to face me. "I heard you on the phone earlier."

An extra loud boom of thunder made us both wince. This weather made me dangerously cuddly and I resisted the urge to burrow into him.

"They're...surprisingly good," I relayed. "Matt's going to go to school. He, Jeremy and Tyler all have each other. I feel like my mom is finally safe." The word "Elena" hung in the air between us but neither of us would give voice to it. I smoothed a phantom wrinkle on the blanket beside me. "I think that losing most of the vampire population was exactly what Mystic Falls needed."

"You're probably right. More than once since I came to town, I've felt that the best thing I could do for all of you would be to leave. But once Damon followed me to town and everything else, I felt like leaving you then would be irresponsible. Would be abandoning you." Stefan said sincerely. "I don't know if I made the right choice by staying or not. I can never know what might have been different if I'd gone a long time ago." His voice faded out.

"Hey!" I chastised, rolling over to face him now. "Don't even say that. You've saved us all more times than I can count. And all of that horror would have found its way to us even without you. Mystic Falls is just cursed. And I certainly wouldn't be here without you. And I wouldn't want to be. If you would have left..I'm just...I'm glad you didn't. When I thought you were dead, I..." I hesitated, getting too emotional and worried I might say something I couldn't take back.

He was watching me with complete attention. His dark brows drawn together above his clear green eyes. He realized that I wasn't going to continue talking. This was too raw, exposed. Heartfelt confessions were one of my favorite things. But somehow when you throw in how easily last night's activities came to us...heartfelt confessions come a little too close to a scary "L" word that I refused to even think of.

He scooted closer to me until his warm breath danced across my face. The tops of our thighs were now touching and the heat from the contact was slowly radiating through my body. But instead of panic, I felt calm. He lifted his hand to brush a now dry ringlet from my eyes.

"I saw you." he stated, letting his hand rub down my arm and rest on top of my hand.

I cocked my head slightly, wondering what he meant.

"When I was dead," he clarified. "I saw you."

I closed my eyes, embarrassed. I had lost it when he was dead. Even though there was hope that he would be back, I couldn't stop thinking about what it would be like if he didn't. My reaction had surprised even me. There was no controlling the panic and darkness that fell over me as I sat next to Stefan's cold, gray body. I shivered at the memory.

He squeezed my hand and I opened one eye to look at him. He smiled at me and continued.

"And all I could think was...I HAVE to get back to her. This amazing girl that is always there for me. I'm sorry to even say that I don't think I knew until that moment just how much I need you. And I would have died and stayed dead if it kept you alive. I would do it again and again. As long as you're safe."

He was almost whispering by the end and gently tickling his finger tips across my knuckles. My eyes were stinging but I refused to let any tears escape. I squeezed my eyes shut and didn't even try to fight the giddy smile from spreading across my face. I was alive with butterflies and a racing mind and hot skin and a raging storm and softly floating music. I opened my eyes and nodded in appreciation at him for saying everything that I couldn't.

Just as a comfortable silence fell between us, just listening to the storm and music competing to find their way to our ears, Stefan spoke again. His voice lighter now, more playful.

"So..." he scooted away, sat up and cleared his throat, "About last night..."

I blushed every shade of red on the color spectrum and covered my face. "Stefan Salvatore!" I scolded, laughing.

He laughed and shielded himself from the pillow that I was now beating him senseless with.

That's when his phone rang. We stopped our pillow fight and caught eyes.

"Huh," Stefan made a little sound of confusion. We both were thinking the same thing. Now WHO could that possibly be?

"I know, right," I said, hugging the pillow still in my hand to my stomach and watching him go for his phone.

He took it out of the bedside table drawer and looked at the screen. He swallowed hard. He held it out from his body as if it were a bomb.

"It's Elena."

The smile and color melted from my face. Lightning crashed. Thunder boomed.