Stefan & Elena V

Damon pressed the steaming cup of coffee into Stefans hand and sat in the chair on the other side of Elena. The constant beep of the machines monitoring Elena's hear rate were the only sounds in the otherwise silent room. Stefan looked as though he had aged a decade in a day. There were lines of exhaustion and strain etched around his mouth and eyes.

"You need to go get some lunch." Damon said as he looked at Stefan meaningfully.

"I know, Stefan sighed. "I can't leave her though; I want to be the first thing she see's when she wakes up."

"I'll bring you something then, is there anything you need from the house?

"Yeah, you and Bonnie bring Joey." I think Elena'll know if he's here."

"Okay will do." Damon dangled the keys in his hand as he left.

Stefan rested his forehead in his hands, closing his eyes for just a moment.

He must have dozed off; the feel of fingers in his hair jolted him awake.

Elena was staring at him, threading her fingers through his hair.

"Hey, she had a tired smile in her voice."

"How do you feel", Stefan asked watching her carefully.

"Like I was hit by a truck and after I was hit he burned rubber on my arm."

"Whew! "Thank God! Relief had Stefan sagging in his chair.

"Excuse me? "I don't think feeling like road kill is a cause for celebration. Elena grumbled clearly annoyed.

"It is when you consider the alternative, you had some complications during surgery and I was afraid you would wake up like me." Stefan watched her earnestly.

"I had a dream, or I think it was a dream. I was walking in this beautiful place." I saw my adoptive parents, I wanted to stay there. They told me that I had to come back, that I was needed and that there was more to do."

"Stefan I think I died. Elena said as tears trickled down her cheeks."

"The worst part was that I would've missed you and Joey."

"But you came back, Stefan said as he slid into bed on her good side and cradled her against him as she cried it out."

Elena felt the full range of emotions she had been avoiding since the kidnapping began; shock, fear, outrage, and grief. She let it all go with the tears that washed down her cheeks as Stefan held her.

"This is going to pass and we're going to be okay." Stefan gently ran his fingers through her hair.

"Elena do you have any idea what John and Isobel hoped to gain by kidnapping you?

"John said it was so I wouldn't be with a vampire and Isobel seemed to agree with him. They both said they weren't worried about the half breed brat" They're real warm and fuzzy about their grandson." Elena laughed bitterly.

"I really don't like my birth parents; I've never seen two people that were so totally screwed up."

A baby's soft cries filtered down the hall and Damon and Bonnie walked into the room with a crying red faced Joey.

Bonnie carefully lifted Joey out of his carrier and with Stefans help snuggled him into Elena's right arm. Immediately the crying stopped and Joey reached his little chubby hand up and wrapped it into Elena's hair.

"You just needed mommy didn't you little man, Elena cooed at him."

Joey snuggled into his mother's side and popped his thumb in his mouth, getting blinky until his little eyes closed in sleep.

"He's been up almost all night, Damon whispered. " Ric said that nothing they tried calmed him down."

"He needed me, Elena said starting to doze off herself, and he knew I wasn't there."

Stefan went home to take a break and grab a quick shower while Damon and Bonnie were there to watch over Joey and Elena. The doctor had told him that if she remained stable that she could come home tomorrow.

Stefan was relaxing under the warm spray of the shower when he heard a slight scratching noise, stepping carefully from the shower he left the water running. Drying hurriedly with a towel he slipped on his pants, grabbing a stake he slipped silently into the hallway.

He could detect a heartbeat and hear that whoever was in the house was trying to be quiet. Using speed and stealth he descended to the first floor. Sliding into the library he could see a man dressed in black with his back to him. Letting his senses flare out he could detect no other presence. Moving with preternatural speed he grabbed the man and spun him to face him, narrowly missing a stake in the process.

"John! Stefan gasped.

"Damn you! John growled, his hatred had blinded him to anything else."

Stefan had a quarter of a millisecond to register the whisper of air behind him; he leapt to the right and swung John's body in front of him. The stake skewered John through the middle. Isobel propelled by her forward momentum had not been able to stop in time.

Isobel swung and struck Stefan in her rage, knocking him backwards across the room. She grabbed John and she turned Stefan thought he saw her give John blood, but he could not be sure.

Shaken Stefan got to his feet; rushing upstairs he got dressed grabbed Elena and Joey some clothes and headed back to the hospital. With the bloww John had just suffered another attack from them at this point was unlikely.

When Stefan got to the hospital Elena was sitting up in bed propped up by pillows with a smiling Joey lying across her lap. Elena was smiling and the baby was babbling happily. Stefan stopped for a moment and drank in the sight. These little moments of happiness is what made their lives so amazing together.

Walking over he kissed them both and let Joey grab his little finger in his little fist. His son looked at him and seemed to be communicating with his beautiful expressive eyes.

"How do you feel? Stefan asked as he watched Joey try to chew on his finger.

"Better, I'm still sore and this IV in my good arm is driving me nuts but overall better.

"Whats wrong Stefan? Elena was eyeing him closely he knew he couldn't get anything past her.

"I'll tell you tomorrow Stefan said kissing her nose, enjoy today." "Just rest and enjoy our son."

"Looking up he caught Damon's eye, the look said plainly later.

Spending some time with Elena and the baby, Stefan let himself enjoy being with them. He remained watchful and alert though and Damon picked up on his mood. The tension was humming through him like a high voltage wire.

"I need a snack Damon said, how about anyone else? I'll take anything chocolate Elena smiled, looking at Stefan.

"We'll be right back, Bonnie are you okay here? Damon asked."

"We'll be fine, take your time. Bonnie reassured.

When they were safely out of earshot Damon stopped him.

"Okay spills it, what added to the furrowed brows?

Stefan related the attack and then dropped the last bit of information like a bomb.

"If John dies, and with his injury it's entirely possible." I'm going to be dealing with two pissed off vampire inlaws."

To be continued….