The Reaping

by 12301980

Book 4 - Two years after Stefan and Elena are reunited and the vampire bloodlines have been broken, the group tries to learn to have a life together as Elena, Bonnie, and Caroline had always wanted. Will their pasts come back to haunt them?

9. Chapter 9 - Adult Content

CHAPTER 9 – THE REAPING (adult content)

-Elena-

He closes his mouth tightly; pressing his lips together with such pressure they lose their normal shade of pink and fade away. I feel like I spend a long time inspecting the contradicting colors that make up this face that I know so well – from the shaggy, shapeless black hair hanging on his forehead, to the pale skin of his well-defined chin. Damon's cobalt blue eyes that give nothing away are staring right back into mine. All the while, the hold I have on his hand is loosening as his fingers are tightening against mine.

"Damon, please," I give a nervous smile, shaking my head as I speak, "stop trying to be funny and just tell me, okay?"

I hear Stefan telling Jeremy to go back outside, but I just can't tear myself away from Damon… from the way his jaw is flexed and his lips are pursed, as if he's trying to keep something from escaping his mouth.

"You're scaring me, Damon." I try again. Wishing he'd stop this and just tell me that he had nothing to do with my parents death. "I'm not mad, I just want to hear you say it, please." With each passing second my heart beat is getting harder, pounding in my chest – the rhythm of my speech growing more frantic. "Really, stop acting like that, okay?"

Releasing his hold on my fingers, Damon rubs both of his hands roughly up and down his face, bends at the waist and grunts loudly through those strained lips. The grunts begin to sound more painful, more like deep cries from the lowest part of his gut and Damon appears to be having trouble standing – using a hand against the wall to balance himself as his knees begin to buckle.

I'm stone still, watching Damon's act, so confused as to why he's putting on. I've almost convinced myself that he's doing this, carrying on with such drama as a way to punish me for even asking –he'll soon get his fill of scaring me and he'll stand up and raise his eyebrows and smirk. He'll tell me he was nowhere around Wickery Bridge that night… just as soon as he finishes getting his retaliation out on me and my now trembling nerves.

Slipping his fingers down my back as he passes me, Stefan goes to him; placing his hands on Damon's shoulders as if to support some of his weight. I've opened my mouth to tell Stefan that Damon is pretending - that this is all just a one-man show – but Damon falls the to the floor, pressing his face against the hardwood, his hand still covering his mouth.

"Damon!" Moving to one knee, looking him over for some kind of an injury, Stefan says his brother's name in such a way that it hurts me, seeing him worried for his brother. Moments later, Katherine and Bonnie are standing off to our right and Jeremy is to our left. It's unbelieveable… I never knew Damon was such an actor. My God he should get some kind of an award for this… he's even sweating!

After a particularly gut-wrenching moan from Damon, Bonnie calls out,"What's wrong with him?", through her fingers, shaking and covering her mouth.

"Stop it, Damon!" I yell, stepping up to him, "Stop!" and before I can reconsider I push at his side, knocking him off balance and onto his side as I feel Stefan's stare burning against my skin. I turn to look at him, confusion furrowing his beautiful face into a fearful grimace as his brother writhes on the floor a moment longer then finally speaks.

"I didn't mean it!" It's a loud, groaned murmur, escaping Damon's mouth as he gasps for oxygen with his chest heaving and the tension in his muscles suddenly gone. "I was just going to scare her."

"What?" Stefan asks quietly, almost to himself.

"I was in the road, Elena." When I look down at Damon's sweat covered face, I feel like I might pass out as I register his quickly released words and connect all the pieces in my mind. "I was in the road and the car was coming and he should have just stopped like everyone else. Miranda was going to tell the council. After we talked at the bar, I followed her home and listened as she called your dad and my cover was going to be blown. I didn't mean to kill them, I swear! He should have just stopped. But he didn't stop! He swerved way too far and then over-corrected and the next thing I knew the car was going through the guard rails and I could hear them screaming… I could hear you scream."

"Stop." My voice is barely there. To be honest, I'm not sure I actually said it or just mouthed the word silently, unable to use my vocal chords.

"I wish I would have ran down to the water! I should have went to save them. Her. You."

Stefan stands, steps away from Damon and towards me but I can't look at him, I can't move my eyes away from Damon and the truth rattling out of his mouth.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU?!" Jeremy screams at him from somewhere behind me. An angry, powerful burst of sound that rattles through the heavy silence and matches the fury that radiating through me.

Hearing yet another damning question seems to be physically painful for Damon as he sits up, resting his weight back on his hands and still looking at me with those cold, unfeeling eyes. In less than sixty seconds every decent thought I've ever had about Damon Salvatore has been demolished, destroyed, dissolved – the truth has changed everything.

In a frustrated tone, Damon seems to give up trying to fight from answering and says in the most unattached tone you can imagine, "Because I didn't care if she died."

-Stefan-

I guess I wasn't expecting it – the instant I realize what was happening I moved to stop her, but Elena's fist made pretty decent contact with Damon's face before I was able to grab her.

I've got my arms around her small frame, holding her completely off the ground and heading towards our room as she screams somewhat incoherently through tears and what I image is probably pain like never before. I've not even got us to the bedroom door before I hear the unmistakable sound of breaking bone through the "I HATE YOU!" coming from Elena's mouth and directly against my ringing ear drum.

Taking a quick look over my shoulder, I see Jeremy lay a second punch into Damon's face – hear that bone crunch that I used to enjoy so much – and let a now silent Elena slide out of my arms.

She starts to come with me, but we share a quick look – a silent conversation in a fraction of a second like only two people that know each other through and through can have – and she goes to our bedroom and I move to stop Jeremy.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Jeremy bellows at me, shoving me back with twice as much force as I used to remove him from Damon.

I'm about to try and talk some sense into him, calm my brother-in-law down, but Damon is on his feet and charges Jeremy – shattering the glass in one of the French windows and then simultaneously falling to the deck, blindly throwing punches and kicks and grunted insults.

By the time I actually separate them, Damon had landed the majority of the punches and to be honest, Jeremy looks like he's just been in his very first bar fight. His brow is busted, his left eye already turning colors and a large hemorrhage filling the white of his eye with a bright, crimson red. Also bruised, Damon is still raring to go, pushing my arms away from his chest, glaring and boiling with the rage that we Salvatore's seem to have been born with – but when I look back to Jeremy, I'm just a little bit worried that he might be about to cry.

He's been screwing my brothers girlfriend, he's attempted to stake me with a wooden crossbow bolt, and he and Bonnie spent a good four years turning Elena's last remaining memories of me into a soured version that they'd made up, but there is nothing worse than crying infront of a bunch of guys that you want to look tough in front of. Seriously, it's a mutilation of a man's confidence like no other. I shouldn't care – like I said, Jeremy isn't exactly on my list of friends, not that I have any other than Elena, Damon, and Caroline, but Elena loves her brother more than anyone else in this world less Allie and Grayson, so I have to help him.

Giving Damon one last shove, using as much strength as I can muster, he stumbles back on fatigued legs and finally gives up. I don't know why the broken door pisses me off so badly, but I'm raging – I can feel myself bowing up as I look from my older brother who's just admitted to killing my in-laws, to the broken glass of the French Doors Elena and I ordered when we remodeled, then finally to Jeremy's very young, very bruised face.

"We're leaving!" Jeremy groans, wiping a mixture of spit and blood from his mouth and slinging it on the deck, my rage increasing.

"Good, get the fuck out of here!" Damon cuts back, standing straight now and beginning to move closer to Jeremy until Katherine steps around me and goes to Damon like she gives a damn about him – I turn away when she gently touches his swelling cheekbone.

I turns my stomach to see her pretending to care about him.

I stand there a bit longer, trying to ignore the make-shift boxers and their female counterparts as I look out at the approaching grey wall clouds and wonder how in the hell a weekend that started out with such promise turned into this…

Then I hear glass break.

-Caroline-

Klaus is standing at the sink and turning an empty tumbler around in his hand the same way a quarterback player might toss a football. I guess I'm lost in my own thoughts about the pointless Elena/Damon showdown – I mean, hello? We all knew he was a male-slut! – but I don't realize that Klaus is staring at me for a long while. I've started unpeeling a banana out of the wooden bowl of fruit Elena keeps on the isle and flipping through my Twitter list before I feel the tension in the room,

Surprised, I look up to find Klaus' bleached blue eyes on my face… but not really my eyes, and what's worse, he's doing that half-puckered lip thing that he does when he's pissed.

"What's the matter?" Surely he's not that disappointed that Damon didn't kill Elena's parents!

"You know, love," Klaus smiles. I swallow hard. This smile, it's a threat. "might we use the witch for a little truth telling of our own?"

Nervous, I guess, I smile back and shrug, "What do you mean?"

Very cool. Very calm – too calm, Klaus turns the glass again, his eyes cutting from me to the tumbler and back again. "All of this time I've thought that out of every person in the world in more than a thousand years, it was only you I could trust."

This tension, I just cant stand it! In an effort to ease my nerves and hopefully calm him, I go to hug him – it's been so long since he's acted unsure about my love for him… probably all the way back to Naples… I have no clue what he's talking about or why he'd suddenly not trust me! My only guess is my friendship with Stefan, but I've more than explained how I feel for Stefan and I thought Klaus understood that there was zero threat there – none.

My fingers have barely made it to his shoulder before he bows up, grabbing my wrists and stepping towards me with his eyes burning into my face.

"Klaus!" It's a quiet whisper in a scratchy voice that has to match the fear on my face. "What? What did I do?"

"Is it even my child, Caroline? Hm?" I think I hear Elena screaming, but Klaus keeps moving forward and I stumble back trying to match his steps until my body is against the cold, stainless steel refrigerator door. In a seething tone, he asks, "Are you lying about that too?"

"Klaus, what are you talk-"

"I'm talking about Damon Salvatore!" I tremble from the sound of his voice alone – he's the love of my life, my soulmate, but Klaus has a hatred that courses through him and transforms into a monster of unbelievable darkness. "I'm talking about how you've humiliated me by sleeping with that disgusting excuse for a man!"

I shake my head – totally confused, terrified.

-Elena-

I was sitting on my bed, bawling into my hands as I listened to the sound of my baby brother fighting the man that killed our parents and hearing his confession looping over and over in my head when the door broke. But it's been a few minutes since Stefan ended the fight and the glass breaking seemed to have come from inside, so I've quickly wiped my face and blew my nose and I'm heading into the kitchen when my over-zealous emotions fly from raging anger to raging jealousy.

There he is again – my Greek God of a husband with his big hands cradling Caroline's face and those green eyes of his looking softly into hers.

Thankfully, I don't scream at him, or throw the second punch of my entire life – as I get closer I hear Caroline's gasping breath and cries and feel the frequency with Stefan… he's angry. Like, Mystic Falls angry. Like violent angry – what's wrong with me that this feeling is comforting? Furious Stefan feels warm to me. Stefan off the rails feels safe, like nothing bad will happen… atleast, not to me. My very own white knight, my soldier.

"Is he always like this?" Stefan asks, searching Caroline's face. "Answer me!"

"Stefan?" I say his name in such a way that I'm asking a hundred questions at once.

Answering one –Do you know I don't like you holding her face so intimately? – Stefan steps back, clenching his jaw and running both of his hands through his hair, and leaving Caroline leaning against the table.

Answering another – Why are you so angry? – his voice is the closest thing to a growl that I've heard come from his beautiful mouth since the night he killed Kol, "Klaus hit her."

"No!" Caroline whines, wiping her wet cheeks – I notice she's not looking at me, my eyes dancing between Stefan and Caroline's blonde hair. "It was an accident!"

Possessed with some untitled emotion that is an equal mixture of fear and anger and worry and shock, I take wide strides into the kitchen and move in front of her, taking Caroline's face in my hands – a mirror image of Stefan's hold – and lift her face to mine.

"It's just little!" Caroline's eyes are wide, wet with tears, her lips trembling and a small gash just in front of her earlobe is dripping a bit of blood down her cheek. "Some of the broken glass hit me! Not Klaus!"

"I'm going to fu—" Stefan's sentence turns into a grunt, slamming his fist into the cabinet door, leaving speck of blood from what I assume is a busted knuckle on the white wood.

"What happened?" I'm trying to keep my voice calm, my hands steady, but honestly… I kind of want Stefan to kill him.

Caroline opens her mouth to speak, but Klaus' voice carries in from the garage and Stefan bolts out of the door with his hands in tight fists.

"Stefan! NO!" Caroline tries to reach him, but I manage to stay just enough in her way that she misses grabbing his arm and I don't look too obvious.

Just before slams the door, he looks back at me and I don't know if I'm telling him Im okay, he and I can talk later, or giving him permission to handle Klaus – but I'm fine with any way that he takes the very small nod I give him before returning my attention to Caroline.

-Stefan-

He's standing at the end of my SUV, leaning against the bumper and talking on his phone. I'm sure he knows I'm out here. He has to know that I know he hit Caroline, but he doesn't even acknowledge my presence – continuing to talk about flights back to the States as I pick up flat head screw driver from the Craftsman toolchest that sits just to the left of the door.

I've slipped the handle up my sleeve just enough that the metal is hidden by my forearm and wrist – the sharp end resting in my curled fingers and palm.

"Hang up."

Turning his head to me slowly, Klaus has that sly smile on his face that he uses to try and disarm you… trying too hard to play it cool.

Holding his finger up to me, he asks the person on the phone about a flight tonight and the fact that he's putting me on hold just goes all over me, so with my free hand, I grab the phone from his ear.

Letting his cool demeanor slip, Klaus bows up at me and I have a quick set of flashback of the many times I've gone up against him… finally, we're equals. The thought makes me tingle, dropping the screwdriver through my finger and letting the handle slip into my wrist.

Klaus catches it just about the same time I feel a small smile play at my lips – My words to Jeremy were truer than even I knew. Killing is easy. Killing is rewarding – I had to admit it, but it's not the killing that hard to do, it's living with it afterwards. Oddly enough, I don't think I'm going to feel regret about what will hopefully be my final kill.

"Oh, so this is where we are now, brother?" Klaus almost coos his words to me – I swear he's not even a little threatened by me. Surely he realizes that as human, it's all a level playing field now.

Turning my head to the side a bit, popping my neck as my finger tighten around the screwdriver, the other hand at my side, fingers waggling with anticipation, I correct him. "I am not your brother, Klaus."

Cocky, Klaus nods an agreeance. "True. I'm not qualified to be, I guess, with my vast amount of morals and high-standards and good deeds in comparison to that miscreant you happen to share blood with." Even though I realize nothing he's said is untrue, it just turns up my anger a notch when Klaus talks about Damon. "But, rest assured, Stefan – Damon has probably not had the time to move in on your wife as he's been sleeping with mine."

Damnit, Caroline. My grip on the screwdriver relaxes a bit. I'm trying piece that together – when would they have had a chance to meet up? Maybe while Damon had abandoned Katherine and Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie had gone into town – and I don't see Klaus make a much-too-quick move, taking his phone and the screwdriver from my hands.

Literally, I don't see him – he's that fast.

I step back – suddenly on the defensive. "Klaus?"

He gets my question – I mean, I'm probably looking at him like he's on fire so the question can't be too hard to pick up.

"No." He laughs, slipping his phone back into his pocket, then inspecting the flat head metal. "Not a vampire, my friend."

I watch the long piece of steel as he steps closer to me and I take an equal stride backwards and consider all of my defense plans… I'm backed into a garage with a wall to my right and the SUV to my left… I have no options. If he comes at me, I'm done for. I decide to keep him talking – Klaus likes to talk, especially about himself.

"How? How'd you do that?"

There's that smile again – the one that doesn't quite reach his eyes and seems to be a bit wider than his natural grin. I feel the back of my shoe hit the concrete wall and I know I can't go back any further just as Klaus lifts the screwdriver towards me – pressing the flat steel point against my chest.

I've never been good at reading him – I've known Klaus for a total of probably ten years now, and honestly I've never known anyone as hard to figure out as he is. So when he stops the pressure of the metal against my chest bone just short of being painful and gives a chuckle, I have no idea what he's planning on next.

"That spell broke the vampire curse, but I was blessed with two curses, remember?"

Like I said, I can't read him, but I'm almost sure that his light tone is covering a bit of anger, resentment maybe…

"You're still a werewolf."

Dropping the screwdriver from my chest, he tosses in the air, quickly flipping it around and catching the handle in his palm with the metal pointed towards him – gesturing for me to take it – responding in a solemn tone, "In the flesh."

He gives me a few minutes to process as he activates his phone again and taps through a few screens, raising his eyes to me only when I go to put the screwdriver back in the drawer. I can feel the beginnings of a major headache coming on – there's been far too much drama for one day – when Klaus says, "I love being rich! While you're pitiful excuse for family have to stay with you another night, Caroline and I will be leaving in only a few hours – first class, leather seats, full service, champagne – all the works."

"So what now? You're going back to Virginia to be with Elijah and Rebekah?" I ask, figuring out how I'm going to tell him Caroline won't be making the flight. "How do they feel about you being the only supernatural in the family?"

Like he's telling me the most useless bit of information, Klaus sighs, "They don't. I killed them." My wide eyes and slightly gaping mouth must tell him I need more information as he continues without me asking, speaking as he types out a text, "You saw what they did to Caroline – burning her, stabbing her. No one will hurt my wife and live to see the morning." I hate when I agree with Klaus, but I know that feeling all the way down to my bones. After a few seconds of silence, letting that settle in I guess, he looks up and me, giving a friendly smile when he says,"We're going to need to get on the road."

I'm basically signing my death sentence, I know, but that's not going to happen – he's not going anywhere with Caroline. "No. Caroline can stay here."

Klaus rolls his eyes and gives a much too loud hmph, "I didn't mean to cut her! Are you serious! Have you seen that perfect face of hers?" I don't budge, my arms crossed tight over my chest and my eyes locked with his. "Stefan! I got angry – you know how I can be when I lose my temper!" When I continue to hold my ground, Klaus adds, "I've never hit her. I will never hit her. But she is my wife and she will be going on that plane with me."

Swallowing hard, I clench my jaw and nod a simple 'no'.

I can almost see anger flowing up Klaus' neck, flushing his face – I'm about to stand, ready to put up a fight, when the door from the laundry room opens and Caroline comes out… walking straight into Klaus arms.

-Elena-

I can't look at Damon. I just. I can't. So until he and Katherine can either get a hotel room or find a flight, I'm staying in my room.

I heard him say he didn't mean to kill them – but what weight does that hold when he could have saved them! Stefan was hunting near-by when he heard the tires screech and the crashing through the guard rails – and by near-by, I mean about a mile away. Damon was already there! Damon was right there and he could have saved my father… maybe even my mother! So maybe he didn't mean for the car to wreck, but he just as much killed them as if he would have ripped out their throats…

And now this thing with Caroline and Klaus!

I know she swears he didn't do it on purpose and that he's never done it before, but let's be honest here! That's not exactly out of the realm of possibilities for Klaus! I knew that something about him was off – almost too good to be true. Now I can't stop all the terrible thoughts in my mind from wondering just how much of him was false to cover up the Klaus that we are all used to. When Stefan came in to check on me, he told me that Klaus admitted to killing his siblings! He said that Klaus is still a werewolf. Before Caroline and he left, I'd tried to pull her aside and ask if she thought about what that meant for her unborn child, but she seemed so protective of Klaus. She wouldn't leave his side… well, other than during the long, sobbing hug she gave to Stefan, that is.

Seriously, I've got to get a hold on this jealousy. Like now. Today.

Klaus shook my hand, kissing the top of it and making me want to puke, then gave Stefan this big bromance hug that I could tell made Stefan almost as nauseous as the hand kiss made me. Then Caroline hugged Stefan – no big thing, just a hug – then moved to me and squeezed me really tight and was almost crying. She asked me to move back for the hundredth time, reminded me about getting pre-fitted for my maiden of honor dress, hugged again, then went to get in the car. With Allie at my side, Stefan and I wave by as they start to back out of the driveway… I'm thinking, okay, there's 1/3 of the problem gone, 2 more to go, when the rental car stops and out comes a bawling Caroline! She's running back up the driveway to hug me again – half smiling cause she knows she's silly like this sometimes and half heartbroken about leaving me. So I let go of Allie's hand and start to hold my arms out to her when I notice that her line of projection is just a bit off if she's coming to hug me…

She slams into Stefan. Arms around his neck, his around her waist. I don't know if he said it back as she was literally sobbing by now, but she dropped an "I love you!" in the middle of her bawling into the curve of his neck. So I stand there, feeling like a fool, watching my best friend clung to my husband and his hand rubbing across her shoulder blades.

So after what seemed like an eternity, she finally steps back and blows Allie a kiss, leaving me with a 'Bye, Elena.' – so I guess I know the pecking order now. Caroline is Stefan's friend, then mine. Got it.

I've offered to take Bonnie and Jeremy to Bangkok tomorrow since Damon and Katherine haven't found a flight out yet, but until then I'm holed up in my bedroom with Bonnie and Katherine playing with Grayson, Lola, and Liam, and Allie laying next to me 'writing' in her journal. I know, I know, I'm her mother so I'm crazy biased, but she's just so stinking cute! When she was younger, we'd get up in the morning and have coffee together – black for me, and plain old chocolate milk for her – now that Stefan's with us, I get to sleep late and the dawn-bonding has become their thing while she and I have started journaling.

Usually, I help her – ask her questions like how was your day, what did you learn in school, who did you play with, what was the best part of your day, the worst part – then help her with any spelling or writing (Side note – she hardly has any, my little Salvatore genius!). I'm just to wound up and stretched tonight though, so she's doodling really. Looks like she's working on her cursive capital M's. Pretty sure she's practicing M because of this sweet little dark haired boy in her class named Moosa that she has a crush on. It's driving Stefan crazy – all the Moosa talk, but I get along with his mom pretty well and they have fun playdates, so I just laugh at Stefan and his over-protectiveness.

I hope he laughs at my over-jealousness…

Liam has been really fussy, getting worse by the minute, and when Bonnie gets up from the floor with him cradled and throwing a fit, I already know before she says, "I think it's time for Mr. Crabby to get some sleep!" What I don't know is who she's speaking to – me or Katherine – when she adds, "Will you watch Lola for a minute?"

It's very odd-awkward when we both say, "Sure" in the exact same voice coming from photo-copied mouths.

Katherine frowns at me and I just shrug – whatever.

I think Katherine has been waiting for a minute alone with me, because the instant the door shuts, she starts in, "You've got to give him a break, Elena."

I'm still not used to having a twin – it kind of feels like I'm having a heated discussion with my reflection in a mirror. Even the way we move our eyebrows when we speak is the same. "Why? Why should I? He's had years to tell me the truth, Katherine!"

"And give up the only person that has ever believed he was good?" Katherine argues, nodding her head to make a point… just like I do. "Yea, that was going to happen."

I roll my eyes… just like she does – then decide Allie doesn't need to hear our much too adult conversation. "Hey babe, why don't you go see if Daddy will light the fire pit and you make us some marshmellows?"

Allie's nearly bounces off the bed with excitement, leaving her journal and Stefan's phone where she'd been sitting. "Okay!"

I stop her by pinching her yellow tee-shirt in the back and she giggles when she falls back on the bed. "How many times have I asked you to not run off with Daddy's phone?"

Still giggling and looking up at me with Stefan-green eyes, I brush back her Stefan-waved hair as she says, "A lot of times, Mommy."

Sitting his Iphone in her hand, I give my best I'm serious look even though I'm kinda finding her too cute to do the mommy-look properly, saying "Take him his phone and do. not. run off with it again, okay?"

Allie nods, then turns to Katherine, "I know how to play some of the games and I like to listen to Daddy's music and look at the pictures he takes of Mommy and me and baby Grayson." Then trots out of the room, leaving Katherine with a furrowed brow.

I'm about to start in on the Damon-topic again, but Grayson vomits right on Katherine's lavender lacey top and black skirt – It's so much that I immediately think he must be ill, but he sits back and gives a grimacing Katherine and huge smile and coo.

"That's dis-gusting!" She cries, holding up her hands like she's covered in maggots. So dramatic.

"It's fine. Really. It comes right out." Off the bed and scooping up Grayson, I get a better look now that I'm standing over her and Grayson really got her good. I don't know why I want to giggle about it. I mean, we're friends now, but at one point Katherine was my biggest enemy. "You should probably soak it though. If you wanna go get changed, I'll toss it in the wash."

As if she's about to puke, Katherine gives a silent convulsion, her body rolling up and her lips parting, hands still up in the air. "It's just. Oh my God, Elena. It smells so bad!"

Ok, I can't help it, Iaugh. When I laugh, Lola laughs and poor Katherine is left sitting in the floor with vomit all over her. "I know, I'm sorry. It just happens."

As if it's a chore, Katherine finally forces herself to look at her clothing and gives a huge, dramatic, sigh. "I don't have anything else! We were supposed to leave tonight, remember!"

Okay – makes sense as to why she's sorta dressed up. I've been wearing Stefan's button up over my bikini top and a pair of holey jeans while Katherine traiped around in a snug skirt and tank – one frumpy Doppelganger, one hot Doppelganger. "Just take something of mine." I motion to the closet.

"Will anything you have fit me?" She asks, moving to her feet.

I guess hitting Damon this afternoon as really opened up my violent streak because I'm tempted to push her down.

"I wear the same size I've worn forever, Katerina." Holding Grayson, about the best I can do is call her by her given name – which she hates to hear, by the way. My reflection smirks a bit, looks me up and down with eyes that look just like mine, as if she just can't believe it, so I add. "Seriously. Other than one dress, I'm back in all of my clothes."

"Should I take that dress then?" She asks, stripping off the tank top and revealing a very taute version of my stomach… minus a c-section scare and faded stretch-marks. UGH.

Tearing my eyes away, I shake my head no. "It's actually Ste- my favorite dress, so no." I'm not sure why I caught myself from saying Stefan, but I'm glad I did. "It's my goal dress, I guess. But anything else is fine."

Kicking off the skirt, Katherine leaves her dirty clothes in the floor by my bed like I'm supposed to clean up after her. I turn to give her a glare as she's walking into the closet and I immediately regret it – she's perfect. Her body is flawless. The bitch is even wearing a thong. I'm wearing a pair of panties I've had for like three years… bending to pick up her clothes, I decide I have got to step up my game.

And stop with the carbs. And wine.

UGH.

-Stefan-

"No scorpio's tonight?" I ask, leaning over to kiss Allie's forehead.

We've read through the last two chapters of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, and I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with this book. Allie really liked it, mainly because of all the silly characters, but I try to get her to see the meanings behind the stories – when I asked her what she thought this books lesson was, she basically read my mind. The point of life is to love, not to be loved.

So either she's just really bright, or that's yet another mark on the list of things to be concerned about regarding Allie's oddities.

"I hope not." She yawns, wiggling down deeper beneath her pink and green comforter. "I have got to get some rest. I'm going to get wrinkles."

Laughing, I brush her hair back and kiss her wrinkle-less forehead again. "You know what, I think I see one right there." I tease, tickling behind her ear. She hunches her shoulders, giggling and turning away from my hand. "And there!" I squeeze her sweet little nose before she covers her head with her blanket, muffling her laughter.

You know how I feel about Elena's laugh, right? Multiply that by… oh, maybe a thousand, and you'll get a sense of how the sound of my daughters laugh fills my heart to the brim.

"Shh, you're Mom is going to yell at us if we wake up any of the babies!" I try to quiet her, half-serious.

Nearly to the door, Allie asks, "When is Aunt Kathy going home?"

"Soon." Odd question… why not Bonnie or Jeremy or Damon? "Tomorrow, probably. Why?"

Elena has told me that I have telling eyes – I don't know if I do, honestly I think I'm pretty decent and keeping a neutral face, but sometimes I think I might know what she's talking about when I see Allie feeling conflicted. It's hard to explain, but there is a slight change on her face – maybe her eyebrows or her lashes, I don't know, but I can see she's wondering if she should say anything.

Going back to her bed, I squat down so I can look her in the eyes, whispering, "You can tell me anything. Even if you think I'm going to be mad… there is nothing you can say that would ever make me upset with you, Allie. You know that right?"

She nods, her eyes losing that odd emotion. After a moment or two more, she finally says, "Well, It's just that… I don't like that she looks like Mommy."

Yea, me neither.

-Elena-

I've just gotten out of the shower, my hair is soaking wet and bleeding water into the white teeshirt of Stefan's that I'm wearing, when he comes into the bedroom. I see him through the mirror, kicking off his shoes, socks. Removing his shirt – unveiling that Greek God body of his, with its rolling muscles and shadowed crevices. I should probably be embarrassed when he catches me watching his deft fingers unfasten his belt, but I'm not – my hand hurts, my head hurts, my heart hurts… If I want to eyeball my husband's spectacular body, I will.

I watch the muscles of his torso flex and roll, flex and roll, flex and roll, with each step as he comes to the open door of the bathroom – I feel his eyes on my barelegs.

"Where is everyone?" I ask, my gaze trailing up his to his chest.

"Bonnie and Jeremy are in bed. Katherine and Damon went for a walk." We're alone. The frequency between us revs a bit.

And just like gravity, Stefan is pulled to me and I lean back against him, finally able to relax now that I'm wrapped in his arms. He kisses my cheek, below my ear – just small, tender kisses.

"You smell so good." I sigh, turning my face against his hair, raising my hand to run my fingers through it. The moment my hand touches his head, a sharp jolt of pains shoots up my arm and I flinch.

Now concerned about my hand, our push/pull feeling falls back a bit as I turn to face him and Stefan inspects my bruised and swollen hand. Gently, he uses his thumb and forefinger to move each of my fingers up, down – sliding his touch down to the sensitive tips then moving to the next. He looks up once, finds me staring at his perfect lips like a starved animal, and gives a soft, sexy, half-smile before continuing to examine my hand. After gently pressing on the two middle knuckles and only getting a small wince out of me, I guess he's happy with the condition of my punching-Damon-in-the-face hand, because he lifts it to his lips and kisses the top of my hand.

I know. I know I shouldn't react to my husband of six years with such fever, but my mouth is actually watering as I watch his mouth form words.

"And though she be but little," turning my hand over, he kisses my palm, "she is fierce."

Locking his emerald eyes with my brown, punctuating his sentence with that hungry grin of is, I release a shaky exhale in pure awe of this man.

He places my hand against his chest, then slips his fingers into my hair, cradling my head as I turn into his touch and kiss his inner wrist. "What was that?" I ask in a whisper, just as Stefan's mouth moves against the curve of my neck.

The gentle grazing of his lips against my skin sends tremors all the way through my body, tingling my toes, "Shakespeare."

My gorgeous husband, and his big hands, and his deep voice, and his beautiful mind uses Shakespeare quotes to turn me to a shivering, burning hot, bundle of nerve-endings.

"I love you." I sigh – sometimes those words just come out of my mouth without my brain ever telling me to. My body loves Stefan. My soul loves Stefan. My skin, my lungs, my ears, my eyes… every single piece of me loves this man.

Usually, my saying I love you sets him on fire… but right now, he's still – his fingers in my hair, his other hand beneath my shirt gripping at my hip, and his lips against my shoulder.

I nearly fall down when he says, "We need to talk."

My whole body turns into this foreign substance – I can't explain it, but it's like I'm made out of jello. Like my nerves are actual shaking with fear as to what we need to talk actually means.

Moving back to look at me, he cups my face with his hands and the second I see his eyes… his very telling grass-green eyes, I know I'm about to cry. Whatever he's going to say – what we need to talk about, it's going to hurt.

"I love. You. Elena." He nods. "There will never be anyone else that I could love the way I love you. Okay?" Oh my God, I'm going to pass out… or maybe I'm about to have a heart attack. I can't breathe. "You know that. You know I belong to you. You own me. I am yours. Okay?"

So many scenarios are moving at lightning speed through my mind's eye – everything from him having some terminal form of cancer to him telling me he's leaving me – but what jumps through my filters and out of my mouth is. "But, you slept with Caroline?"

"What?" Stefan's gentle hands feel a bit less gentle, his face frowning at me with deep creases in his forehead. "No? God, why would you think that?"

"Then what?" I ask, sounding more frantic than I hoped but less than I actually feel. I push his hands from my face… I need to walk or I may have a stroke. "What happened? You kissed her? You've realized you're in love with her?"

Stefan turns in place and watches me walk out of the bathroom, pivot and come right back – I just can't stand still. "What are you talking about? No, of course not, Elena."

"But the way you are with her – something is up!" I nearly shout, heading back out of the bathroom.

This time Stefan follows me – by the looks of it, he's getting frustrated. His brow is low, he keeps looking away from me, pursing his lips. But he doesn't get angry until I say, "I knew it. I knew this was going to happen. Remember? I said it when we were fooling around in the kitchen just before Bonnie and Jeremy showed up! Just tell me, Stefan. Don't drag it out… what did you do?"

Now everything is making sense – Caroline's statement about an eternally guilty conscience. All the face holding, the way too long hugs, the much too close standing! That amazing thing he did to me in the hotel room! I'm lost in my own thoughts for a long while, but when I finally look at Stefan he's glaring at me – seething on the inside, calm on his exterior, but he can't hide what his eyes are giving away.

"You know what I did, Elena… I looked at Katherine." He nods. He looked at Katherine? Speaking in a quicker pace than usual, Stefan's voice has a flare of anger in it that both concerns me and turns me on at the same time. "I couldn't find my cell phone, so I went into the extra bedroom where Allie was playing with it earlier in the day and Katherine was taking a nap. I wasn't thinking and when I saw her, she was on top of the cover and her dress was pulled up and I saw her legs and her stomach and her underwear."

"You didn't sleep with Caroline?" What in the hell is wrong with me? Why did I just say that?

Inhaling deeply, raising his chest then exhaling loudly through his nose he shakes his head. "You actually think I'd cheat on you?"

No. I don't think that. But that doesn't take away the huge fear that he's going to figure out one day that I'm pretty much just an ordinary girl and he could have anyone that he wanted… but instead of saying that, I shrug.

He shrugs too, mimicking me. "What's that?" He does it again. "You don't know if I would cheat on you?"

"Stefan. I just. I worry." Somehow this has got turned around on me. "So you looked at Katherine. Okay. Is that it?"

Frowning, he sits on the bed and tilts his head from side to side – a motion that tells me he's getting pretty pissed off and his neck is starting to get tense. "Is what it?"

"So you saw her legs and her stomach and her panties. I mean, why do the whole we need to talk thing if that was all?"

"So now you're asking me if I slept with Katherine?" Stefan groans, shaking his head in disbelief and picking his shirt up off the ground.

He's wadding it into a tight ball when I say, "I have no idea. You tell me!"

"Elena." He sighs my name, turning his head to look at me standing at the foot of the bed. "I will never cheat on you. Never. What we have, our family – your respect… it means way too much to me to ever give up." I step closer to him, his hand taking mine the moment I'm within reach. He's looking at my fingers when he says, "I just don't understand why you don't think better of me."

Ouch. That is not it at. all.

I do my best to explain that its not him – I trust him. I trust him with my life. I know he's too good of a man to cheat, but I get so scared that I'm not going to be enough for him. That I'm going to one day wake up and be less than what he thought I was… I almost start in on how knowing that he is mine was the only thing that got me out of bed most days when I was losing a friend or a family member ever other day and constantly in danger, but I pause too long after my long spill about my own insecurities and he says, "I need to tell you what happened, Elena. But you've got to understand it meant nothing."

I sit next to him and nonchalantely take my hand from his – using pushing my hair behind my ears as the reason – "Okay" I say, all the while the voice in my head is saying, isn't that what all cheaters say?

"I get my phone out of the floor by the desk and I'm on my way out when she says my name. I thought she was awake so I turn back to her." He presses his lips together, frowns deeply and looks away from me. "She was still asleep and she says my name again… in, that way." Katherine was having a sex dream about Stefan… okay, now I'm going to have a stroke. "I don't know why or how I got caught up in that but she started… uhm…" Flashing his green eyes at me quickly, he looks at his fingers tightly laced together, fisted between his knees, then over to my feet. "She was… touching herself."

I stand up like a lightning bolt. "WHAT!?"

"I know. I'm sorry." Stefan tries, but I don't really want to hear it right now.

"So she's touching herself and saying your name and you what?!" I feel like I'm about to explode but honestly I don't know if I'm more angry with him or her. That's a lie… I'm most angry with Stefan. "You do what!?" I yell

"I.. I, I watched her."

It's funny how I can go from a rabid feeling of rage to this dead calm-water numbness… "you watched her?"

He nods. "For maybe 10 seconds."

"So…" Ten seconds! "You wanted her?"

Shaking his head no but still not making eye contact with me, Stefan says, "She looks like you Elena."

I'm just completely confused – he's watching Katherine masturbate and he's thinking of me? Yea. I doubt it. "What does that mean?"

Finally, his eyes leave the floor and find mine. "It means that I love you. That I wanted you and when I saw her, looking like you, I made a mistake! I shouldn't have gone in there, I shouldn't have looked at her, I shouldn't have stayed in the room!" I'm about to scream at him – not sure what I'm going to scream, but I know I'm going to say something really loudly, but he adds, "I hate her, Elena. I despise the woman, I want nothing to do with her… you have to know I'm telling you the truth about that."

I do. I know that. I can feel it. I can see it in his eyes. Still, I stand there staring at him and him staring back at me for a long while – just the whirl of the ceiling fan above our bed and the sound of the tide coming in before I hear Damon's voice.

"Let's go to bed." I say lazily, feeling like I've just been drug through a boxing match.

I climb straight into bed and let Stefan close the windows to keep the potential rain from getting in, take a shower, and turn the house down. By the time he makes it to bed, I'm doing a great job of pretending to be asleep and in the dark, when he kisses my shoulder and tells me he loves me, it's the first time that I've not said it back.

Taking Bonnie and Jeremy to Bangkok will serve two purposes – keeping me away from both Salvatore's until I get my feet back on the ground. If I plan it right, I can get out of here before Stefan gets back from his run…

-Stefan-

Sometimes I wish I would listen to my conscience more often – it seems like the one time I ignore that whispering warning in my head, that's when I pay the price.

I knew I shouldn't have gone running this morning. I woke up at 4:40 like always, my body set to an internal clock that never fails, and I just got up and followed the motions and went running. When I got back from the short loop and found Allie playing with Damon outside and Elena, Grayson, Bonnie, Jeremy and the Twins gone, I broke a little.

She left without saying goodbye. She spent a few hours pretending sleep and planning out her escape…

I knew Elena was going to be upset – who wouldn't be? However I didn't see her skipping town for 15 hours.

It feels strange being here alone – er, with just Allie. Damon and Katherine found a flight that leaves in two hours and the airport is a 45m drive, so after a quick breakfast with Allie and me, they left.

I left Allie with them to distract them while I tucked $3500 into Damon's Kenneth Cole bag. I didn't want him to have to go through his little brother giving him money, so I wrapped it up in a drawing Allie did of Sir Damon and put a note in from me:

Damon,
I know you specifically told me you didn't need money, but you also mentioned that I had plenty so STFU and take it. Use it for school or whatever – maybe finally go get a decent hair cut? HA!
Seriously though, brother, I'm really proud of you for working through school. It was hard as a vampire, so I can't imagine how bad it must be when human.
Take care and I hope to see you soon – clean out my room for me as I have a strong suspicion Elena will be wanting to move back to VA soon.
The Better Looking Salvatore,
Stefan

I'm sure when he finds it he'll call and gripe me out about it, but by that time we'll be in different timezones and he'll have to do it via voicemail.

You wouldn't believe how torn up our house is after just a couple of days – one of the handrails on the deck is cracked, that French door needs replacing, there are three holes in the wall of the master bedroom, blood on the kitchen cabinet, and last night's storm took off some shingles – so my day is full.

I'm sitting up the ladder to the roof when Allie comes out of the house wearing a pair of cowboy boots, blue jeans, a long-sleeved plaid shirt, and a Bob the Builder tool belt and says, "Ok Daddy, put me to work!"

-Elena-

I've sent Stefan about fifteen text messages and he hasn't responded at all – it's not like him, so once we finally got through the horrible traffic and made it to the airport, I tried calling a few times but it went straight to voicemail. My only other option is Damon, but I hate him right now so Bonnie is giving me Katherine's number.

It took a good ten hours to make the seven hour drive, so we're going to get a hotel room and wait for the next flight. I could leave them here, but they don't know their way around and they've got such small babies, I just feel like I should help.

Plus, I've got to figure out a way to make up my huge, overdone blow up to Stefan. I was way too closed off during the drive and the second Jeremy started snoring from the backseat, Bonnie dug in. I told her everything and, like Bonnie always does, she gave me the worst advice. I know, I know – it's hilarious, but as much as I love Bonnie like my sister, I also know her like one and she's the single worst advice giver, ever.

So when she said I should be really angry – I decided maybe I shouldn't be.

When she said I should maybe ask him for some time alone – I knew I had better get home and make it right.

And when Bonnie said that No, she did not think I over reacted – that's when I knew that I had. I mean, come on, he could've never of said anything to me about it at all and I never would have known. Stefan could have just kept it to himself and kept us out of an argument, but he's too good – too moral. Okay, so he spent ten seconds watching Katherine… ugh… do that. Hours earlier I'd called him his brother's name and just like that, he'd forgiven me.

So yea, when Bonnie says right, always go left.

Elena: Hey, it's Elena. Does Stefan have his phone?

Bonnie and Jeremy are somewhere in the airport trying to get the next flight out, so I'm dealing with three babies who are all getting very close to snack time. By the time Katherine messages back, I've got Lola and Liam eating animal crackers and working on a bottle for Grayson.

Katherine: Can't find it. Do you want me to give him a msg?

Elena: Yes, pls! The storm caused a lot of traffic and we missed the flight. We're going to stay the night, but I'll be home most likely by tmoro PM.

Katherine: Ok, we'll be gone by then. Sorry we didn't get to say goodbye this AM

Elena: Stefan and I got into a tiff. Nothing major… stupid stuff, ya know.

It's like the karma Gods are watching me lie and the instant I hit send, it starts raining in heavy sheets, beating on the glass of the SUV so loudly that it frightens Grayson.

Katherine: I understand – boys… he wants to know about what time to expect you.

I type out – I'm guessing around 3p. – but erase it and decide it might be more fun to surprise him. I could buy him a little 'I'm sorry' gift and maybe find a lingerie store…

Elena: Probably 7ish.

Katherine: Ok, I'll tell him.

-Stefan-

I'm exhausted, maybe a little sunburned, and the minute I got Allie into bed, I decided to finish up that cheap Gin that Damon bought so I'm also pretty wasted. Something about doing manual labor in the heat makes me want to drink, but with my helper being barely 6 six years old, I had to hold off.

She did a good job – I guess Bob the Builder taught her somethings because when I needed a bolt to replace the broken hand rail, Allie handed me a bolt. Or when I was taking the door down, I turn around to find Allie standing there with a hammer for me to use to knock the hinges out with. She wanted to get on the roof so badly, but I pulled the Daddy card and made her stay on the deck while I pulled up the eleven destroyed shingles and replaced them while it rained on me. Now that the storm is really going good, the lights have flickered a few times and I'm about to just give up on finishing with the holes in the walls.

I've got the two smaller ones repaired less the paint, but the first one I made is pretty big and the plaster and dry wall patch isn't really working the way I'd hoped. The gummy shit is dried all over my fingers and up my arm a bit – I kind of felt cliché' when I took off my shirt, but why ruin a good piece of clothing? Now that I'm laying on the floor, sipping on the Gin that gets better the further into the bottle I get, I'm happy with the decision as the floor is cold against my hot, sunned skin.

I'm almost asleep, just really close when the lights finally go out and the complete and total darkness and deafening silence brings me out of my near- slumber. If I had my phone I could call in the outage… I could listen to music… I could call Elena and beg her to forgive me for my lapse in judgment. But – a few hours after Damon and Katherine left, I found my phone in the toilet! It was killing me to not know if she made it safely to Bangkok or when she's going to be on her way back – but Damon emailed me to let me know everything was okay with them and that she'd contacted them when she couldn't get ahold of me.

So that's a good sign – atleast she's still talking to me, er updating me.

Did I sleep with Caroline? Seriously? See – that's what I'm saying, Elena has no idea how much I love her or she'd know it's not even an option. A few times throughout my very strenuous day, I found myself wondering if she's forgot that she cheated on me? That's shitty of me, right? So I'd push the thought away and go back to mindlessly working and/or playing with Allie – whichever I happened to be doing during the multiple times that thought creeped its way into my head.

When I lift the glass bottle up for another drink and miss my mouth, I decide I've had enough, laughing to myself as I sit up and consider going to take a shower in the dark. While I'm thinking it over, I take a few more drinks of the gin and before I know it, the bottle is empty.

My mind has found its way back to the whole Elena/Damon story and to be honest, I think I sit here too long thinking about it – remembering her with him, remembering him with her, watching them dancing together at the Original's ball, Damon's detailed story about Spain… and I'm tense and angry and hot and drunk off my ass when Elena's voice tremors through my muscles.

"Hey."

I'm holding the empty bottle of gin with my elbows on my knees and my head hanging between my arms, but when she speaks I look up - for the life of me I cannot explain to you how happy I am to see Elena.

My inebriated eye sight moves slower than I mean, trailing up her bare legs, across that satin dress that I love so much, hugging her body in a way that makes me jealous of a piece of clothing, finally making it to her soft, sweet lips.

"Hey" My voice is rough as I haven't spoken in hours and the gin has burnt my throat. "I missed you."

Giving me that sexy, almost shy smile, my body begins to ache for her. "I'm sorry, Stefan." Elena rests against the door frame, pushing her hip out the side in a way that curves her body to my near breaking point. I wish I could control my eyes better because she's trying to make things right and I'm having a very difficult time paying attention. "I was being immature and… silly, I guess. I don't know why I get like that sometimes."

I shake my head, swallow hard and lick my lips, wondering what her skin tastes like – "No, it was my fault, Elena. I should have never…"

"Don't." She smiles. "Let's just let it go, okay?"

God I love her… so much.

"You look exhausted." Laughing, she comes to me and runs her fingers through my hair – I cant control my head, leaning back into the sensation of her touch, my hand slipping around her knee.

When I open my eyes, I'm looking right into hers and I'm just in complete awe of her beauty – she's perfection. "You look beautiful."

Her smiles – there's thousands of them – each one with a different effect on me, but this one makes me want her so badly. It's been awhile since I've seen her smile like this – confidently, like she knows exactly how badly I need her. I watch her lips as she bends at the waist and my hand moves up her leg and I think she's going to kiss me but stops just short - slipping her hand beneath my chin she pushes me onto my back.

"Do you like this dress?" Her voice has got that rasp in it and I swear just hearing her speak is doing things to my mind that no other woman can do.

Without thinking, I give her the most honest response I have, "You're body looks amazing in that dress."

Then she giggles, stepping over me, straddling me – I have to remind myself that I cant just pull her down to the floor and have my way with her.

Lifting the hem of her dress up, slowly revealing her svelte, warm, perfect legs and curved hips, I can't take my eyes off of her as she says, "So you like my body, Stefan?" My heart starts pounding a bit harder in my tight chest.

"So much" I say through gritted teeth, my palms are tingling – I have to touch her.

Elena drops the dress beside me just about the time my fingers wrap around her ankles and my eyes are captivated by the lacy black see-thru bra and panties.

I watch her hands move down the curve of her waist, over those hips that mesmerize me, down to her legs. She's caressing her skin and making me jealous of her own touch when she asks, "Do you like my thighs, Stefan?"

I bite into my bottom lip hard, nodding and raging to touch her, taste her.

Moving her hands in an achingly slow cadence, she slips her fingers beneath the panty line, touching and teasing and I'm dying – so hard I'm hurting.

"And my hips?"

"Their perfect." I say in an exhale.

When she moves one hand over her flat, soft stomach, she releases this whispered moan, tilting her head back and her long hair falling to one side and I just cant take it anymore. In a quick motion, I sit up and pull at the back of her knee to make her sit, catching her with the other arm and rolling to her back.

"Stefan!" She laughs, I'm kissing her neck and working my way with her bra. "Wait, slow down!"

"I'm going to combust if I don't have you right now." I say through kisses and licks and bites down her chest, tugging the strap of her bra down and pulling her hard nipple into my mouth – grunting when her body reacts and rolls against me.

"Okay" She moans, her hand in my hair and her hips pushing herself against me.

When I reach to unfasten my pants, Elena somehow manages to roll us over and honestly I'm pretty surprised, but distracted by her pressure against me and her tongue in my mouth. Its almost embarrassing to admit that when she reaches between her legs and finishes unbuttoning my jeans, her touch is so unexpected that I grunt through my teeth. She's kissing me and sucking my tongue and stroking me and it feels so good that its painful. I let her run her hand up and down me for as long as I can take – I am not going to waist this on a hand job – then grab her hips and sit up, holding her in my lap.

I need just a minute – I'm too close already, so I work at her neck with my teeth and my tongue, sucking her skin harder than usual and she's giving me that sexy, raspy moan that I like – but its when she starts talking that I think I may break.

"Do you want inside of me Stefan?" She asks as she rocks up against me.

"Yes." I think it's audible. Its more of a growl than anything, but I feel her smile when she kisses my neck – and I've rolled us back to me on top – kicking of my jeans and boxers, quickly stripping off her panties

I kiss her stomach, run my hands over her smooth warm skin, graze my teeth over her nipples as I suck them into my mouth and that moaning is getting loud and so fucking sexy that I cant wait any longer. When I grab her thigh, pulling her leg up around my waist and I can feel how wet she is against me, she whispers, "Stop."

I almost curse.

I know I'm a bastard, but seriously… I hope I don't look at her with as much aggravation as I feel.

She's breathing hard and her lips have that redness to them and her eyes are so bright and wicked – I lose all my frustration when she says in a breathless voice, "I want on top."

Fine. Yes. Okay. That sounds amazing!

My hand finds the small of her back and in a quick fluid motion, I push her body against mine and I'm against the cold floor and her wet, slick, warmth slides down me in a slow, cautious way. The lower she gets the further in I am and the higher-pitched her wimpers are – her nails cutting into my chest as she braces herself against me.

"Fuck." It just comes out of my mouth. She's so wet and tight and when she rocks back her body sucks onto me and I just can't hold it in.

Seeing her body like this, her perfectly curved, soft, sensual body rocking back and forth, back and forth, and feeling her muscles squeezing down on me… its just too much.

"Stefan." Then she starts calling my name and moving faster and my hands are holding those perfect hips of hers. "You feel so good in me, Stefan."

I feel everything – her body, her wet, tight, heat, her hands on my chest, her flesh between my fingers, but I have to tell you her voice is pushing me over the edge.

"Elena." I roll my head back against the floor, bite my lip, forcing myself to hold on as I feel her getting tighter and tighter. "Elena, wait."

Leaning against me, she's rolling her hips and I'm thrusting to meet her and now she moaning right into my ear telling me I'm so deep inside of her and that she loves me and she wants me and just as I feel her body really beginning to clinch down, she gives a whispered cry, "I want.. you. Stefan, please. Please cum inside of me."

And I can't handle it any more.

I'm stronger and I'm bigger and I hate how hard she hits the floor but she doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all – her little giggle might even mean she liked being handled a little rougher than usual – but now I'm on top and she's got her legs wrapped around me and one hand on my chest and the other caressing her breasts and I don't know if I've ever fucked her this hard.

I'm watching her face and listening to her voice and feeling her wrapped around me – I love this woman to no end

"Fuck me, Stefan, please yes!" When she peaks its like her muscles are sucking it out of me and I unload. Weeks and weeks worth of want for her and unbelievable pressure finally released and I don't realize til later that I grunt and groan and moan out her name as I finish.

And it doesn't stop. I lay over on my back – spent.

Worn to the core, but I'm so lost in the after-sex haze that I don't even realize whats happening until I feel her mouth sucking me.

I slip my hand into her hair and close my eyes, feel the pressure building back up and my eyes rolling back and my muscles getting tense again.

Slurping when she removes me from her mouth, I laugh when she says, "Again… but on the bed."

I don't know if I should blame the Gin or the mind-blowing orgasm I just experienced, but I barely have enough balance to stand up, wobbling a bit as I follow her to the bed.

I freeze in place – rigid from head to toe, burning for her all over again, when she climbs onto all fours, tosses her long, silky hair over to one shoulder and looks back at me with that smile… "You're gonna be the death of me, Elena."

I haven't opened my eyes yet, but I already feel strange. Maybe I'm dehydrated after working all day yesterday and then the marathon with Elena last night… but something feels odd.

Rolling over to hold her, I wrap my arm around my wife and pull her still naked body back against mine, kissing her shoulder as she adjusts in her sleep. As long as I've known Elena, she's been a late sleeper and to be honest, I'm fine with that – sometimes I like to lay here and hold her while she dreams. This particular morning, I consider going back to sleep as I'm still really tired, and I dunno, maybe I'm catching a cold or something.

When I check the clock, I figure I've got another half hour before Allie gets up and Grayson usually sleeps pretty late like Elena, so I push Elena's hair out of the way a bit and lay my head on my arm – deciding to take advantage of my extra bit of time.

With my eyes closed, I do my best to fall asleep but I just can't relax – I know my body pretty well and something is off and there's no way I can sleep feeling somewhat tense, or empty maybe. It's hard to explain. Anyway, since I know sleeping is not an option, I open my eyes and look at the hole in the wall.

It's been a few minutes and I've planned out how I'm going to fix the hole when Elena adjust again, stretching her arm above her head then laying half on her stomach, her face turned away from me.

My wife is incredibly beautiful – she's just stunning. I could look at her all day, even the back of her head. I have the sudden strong urge to kiss her back as it looks warm and soft in the easy morning sunlight, so I push her hair away and graze my lips against her skin…

There's a tangled up hair at the nape of her neck that is throwing of this beautiful image, as it's not laying flat and straight like the others, so I take it between my thumb and forefinger and pull it out, laying in the same swipe of hair with the others.

The instant I release it, it bounces back.

I give a half-chuckle, then try again, only this time I take a bigger amount of hair and pull the whole thing up and over…

Is that a tattoo? Just below her hair line on the back of her neck, I swear I saw…

Not really being very gentle, I grab the majority of her hair in my hand and pull it up and away from her back, revealing a blackish-green M with a pointy tail.

"Did you get a tattoo?" I ask in my normal tone of voice. A strange feeling smile on my face. "Elena?" I call her name to wake her up as inspect the strange tattoo. "Hey, wake up."

"Hmmm?" She groans, turning over to her back, her hair falling from my hand.

"Elena. Wake up."

"What?" She blinks a few times, but I realize why I feel strange… empty… the very second I look into Katherine's eyes.

***MORE TO COME***

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