Long lost & gone

Chapter 9

She woke up by the sound of her phone ringing.

The beautiful man beside her was still asleep, his hair was a mess but it didn't make him any less beautiful. His lips were parted and she couldn't help herself and pressed her own lips softly against his, even in his sleep he responded softly to her touch. Her phone had stopped ringing and she placed her head back down on his chest, his arms pulled her closer and his chin came to rest on her crown. She pressed a soft kiss on his chest and traced lazy patterns on it with her hand, he let out a moan and she chuckled, thinking about their night together she couldn't help herself, she wanted more. Deciding he had slept long enough, she started placing kisses on his face, trying to wake him up gently when her phone started ringing again.

She didn't want him to wake up like this, she wanted him to wake up to her, she wanted to stare in his eyes when he opened them. The ringing became really loud and she wondered how he stayed asleep, grateful for it, she untangled their bodies slowly and slid out from under the covers, grabbing her phone on the nightstand.

Stefan.

Closing the bathroom door behind her she picked up "Hello."

"Hi, it's me. Busy? I tried to call you a couple of times before." his voice wasn't the first thing she wanted to hear this morning. Not after the perfect night she'd had.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I left my phone upstairs." she had always hated lying but she noticed how fluently this one came out, she had never been good at it.

"So how is everything going? Aren't you bored?"she heard the smugness in his voice, he wanted her to miss him, to beg him to come back.

"No, I'm keeping myself busy."she kept her voice even, there wasn't any emotion in it.

"Oh" a smile came across her face when she heard the smugness disappear "so how do you keep yourself busy?"

She had to watch out, that one lie came out easily but she shouldn't push her luck "Well, there's still a lot to do for the wedding but Caroline is helping me with everything and I think we'll manage."she whispered it into the phone, she didn't want to say those things, they were true but on so many levels they were wrong.

"I can't wait to marry you, only one week left and we'll be husband and wife." he paused before quickly adding "Forever."

Those words ripped her soul apart and she wanted this conversation to end, she wanted this whole thing to end.

"Yeah." it was the only thing she got out.

"I'll be back in five days so I'll be able to attend the rehearsal dinner." she heard a voice behind him calling for him "I have to go, see you in five days, love you."

The line went dead.

She wanted to tell him that he didn't need to come back, that he wouldn't have anything to come back to, not if it was up to her. She knew that it wasn't fair to him, that he deserved to know that he was being dumped, but he hadn't been fair to her either. He had ripped the most important person out of her life without showing any regret for it, she would do the same, she would let him go through the same things she felt, the pain, the never stopping ache in your chest, the nerves that screamed for a body. She knew at first the pain would only be mentally but after a while it would become physical, she knew it, she had lived trough it and she had barely survived. She knew that what Stefan felt for her wasn't nearly as strong, nearly as deep, nearly as possessing as her love for Damon and that he wouldn't feel half of her pain but she was sure that even half of that pain would be enough to drive a person crazy, even a vampire person.

She started removing the missed calls when a text popped up on the small screen.

From : Caroline

Message : Where are you?

Her friend probably found an empty boardinghouse, she looked at the date and remembered the appointment for her last dress fitting. She wasn't going to need that dress anymore so why bother to show up?

To: Caroline

Message : Fitting is canceled.

She sneaked out of the bathroom, careful not to make too much noise.

He was still in bed, eyes closed and still fast asleep, her plans to wake him up had vanished the moment she had picked up her phone, he was here and as much as she wanted him to be awake, to hold her, to touch her, to make love to her. He was here and it was everything she had ever wanted because even if he was asleep there was no place she would rather be than right here, right here next to him, this was were she belonged, where she had always belonged.

She placed her phone back on the nightstand and lifted the sheets up so she could sneak under them. His body felt her presence and his arm stretched out in front of him, searching for her. She grabbed it and moved towards him, placing his arm around her waist.

Her phone buzzed again and she turned around gently, stretching for her phone she felt the arm around her pulling her back, tightening his grip on her.

From: Caroline

Message: Why ?

She hadn't told her friend about searching for him so she was probably worried. She knew she could trust Caroline but she couldn't give her a location, it wasn't safe for her to know. But she wanted her friend to know that her human friend was safe, that she was exactly where she wanted to be, she knew when she typed those words that her friend would understand, she would understand that the fitting wasn't necessary anymore, that the whole wedding would be canceled, that this may be the last time she would ever hear from her, that this may be goodbye.

To: Caroline

Message : Found him.

It took him another two hours to wake up and he woke up just like she wanted him to, his eyes locked with hers the moment he opened them and a small smile crept across his face.

"You 'd think that the human in the room would need this much sleep." she was resting on her elbow her cheek pressing in her palm, the other hand was stroking the raven black hair out of his beautiful face so the ocean blue eyes became the center of her attention.

He grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss on her wrist before placing her hand on his cheek "Vampirism is overrated." he pressed his cheek in her palm and closed his eyes again.

"I'm glad you're a vampire." the words escaped her mouth and she wished she could take them back. She knew how much he hated being a vampire, how he would give everything to be human again, how he wanted to grow older, how he wanted to have a normal life, a family, children, how much she wanted that family to be theirs, how much she wanted to have his children.

"And why is that?" his eyes snapped open, he tried to not let it show but she saw it in his eyes, she saw the sadness that was there.

All she could do was being honest with him "Because if you weren't a vampire, you wouldn't be here." she knew she was selfish, but she was glad that he was a vampire, not that he was a bloodsucking monster or that he could kill people faster than her eyes could blink. But because she knew otherwise she would have never met the person that was meant to be hers, she would have never known the person she was made for, she would have never known love like this. The type of love that could break you and destroy you in one second and glue you back together the next.

"And look where it brought you, I've never seen a person so broken, so hurt, so lifeless, and I've been around for a long time." his voice was soft, he knew that he was the reason that she had been that person, maybe still was that person.

"But all of that is gone now, it was gone the moment you showed up behind me in the mirror." she snuggled closer to him and placed her forehead against his.

"You didn't even think I was there." his voice sounded teasing but his eyes told her that he was still blaming himself, blaming himself because he had left her, blaming himself because he had doubted her, blaming himself for even believing a second that she could love someone else.

"No, I couldn't believe you were there. That's something totally different." her voice sounded defensive and it made him smile a little, he had always loved this stubborn side of hers. The side that would push him out of the shower when he tried to sneak in on her, the side that would keep telling him no when he tried to persuade her to ditch family night and stay with him, that side that would so easily give in and let him stay in the shower with her and let her ditch family night to stay in bed with him.

"Oh yeah? What's the difference?" she knew he was trying to push her, she let him.

"Well you had been gone for five years and suddenly you showed up behind me, I couldn't believe what I saw." she punched his chest with her fist and lifted her leg up to place it over his hip.

He placed his hand hand on her leg and grabbed her ham to pull her flush against him. They were both very naked and her whole body reacted to the intimate contact. "That's exactly the same, you just couldn't believe I was there."he sounded so smug and if she didn't love his face so much, loved him so much. She would have wiped the smugness of his face with her fist. "You know I'm right." he started placing kisses on her jaw and made his way to her neck while his hand was touching and stroking her whole body.

She surrendered, knowing she wouldn't win this fight, she only won their fights when he let her "Can you just kiss me already?" she looked down at him where he was sucking on the skin above her collarbone.

He looked up with a smile on his face, a smile that made her heart melt and he lifted himself up and lowered his face towards her, when their lips almost touched she felt him breath against her mouth "I can."

"Can you please just shut up?" he was talking to her stomach, he had been for almost 10 minutes, begging it to stop growling so that they could continue what they had been doing for the last 2 hours, begging it for just one more round, he had started asking nicely but her stomach didn't seem as affected by him as the rest of the world it just kept growling and he became frustrated with it, he had lost his patience a minute ago. She knew that she would have to be frustrated with him for ignoring her human needs but it was so funny seeing him talking to her tummy. She imagined it round, big, with a baby kicking in it, his baby but quickly removed the image out of her head, knowing that she wouldn't have that, not if she stayed with him but she would stay with him and not having a normal life with him wouldn't keep her from that, this was what she wanted, she wanted him, this is what she had signed up for.

Wanting her thoughts somewhere else she pulled him up by his hair "Why don't we just go grab a bite and in half an hour we'll be back in here." she liked the idea, she wanted to keep making love but she became dizzy by the lack of food in her body.

"I know when you're with me you're in our own little world but you can't tell me that you haven't noticed the pouring rain outside ? There are windows in this room you know." he was mocking her, her and her stomach.

"We'll just take the car." it was obvious, why hadn't he thought about it?

"The car is at the bar, remember? You came by vampire." he did the eye-thing and stared at her face waiting for her reaction, he was having way too much fun.

"That's why everything was going so fast." she hadn't noticed much about how they got here, she was glad they had.

"You seemed a little distracted." he smiled at her and pulled himself of the bed, she pulled him back so he was sitting on the edge of it and placed her head against his shoulder and trowed her legs around his waist.

"I bet I was." her stomach growled again, letting them know it was still present.

He sighed "It's never going to shut up is it?" he grabbed his boxers on the floor and moved to pull them on when they were snapped from him.

"Uh-Uh, those are mine!" she pulled her legs back and pulled them on. "And no, my stomach probably isn't going to shut up at least not until I've starved to death."

He stood up and grabbed his shirt from the floor "So you're telling me I have to get you food commando? It's a small town, people will talk."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him very smugly "How would they know? Are you going to pull of your pants on the townsquare?" she grabbed his jeans that was trown next to her side of the bed and flinged it his way.

He rolled his eyes and pulled his jeans on "If you're keeping up this attitude, you're going to walk naked to the townsquare." he lifted up her clothes and she could see that they were all ripped.

"I'll behave." she sighed defeated, she knew he was capable of letting her run around naked.

He made his way towards the door and she jumped of the bed towards him, jumping on him and bringing her lips to his.

Her stomach growled again and he put her down, laughing. "I'll be back." he lowered his voice and winked at her before opening the door and stepping trough it.

"Be safe my terminator !" she closed the door behind him smiling.

She made her way to the bathroom and pulled on the robe she had seen this morning.

She entered the room again tucked in the robe and her hair in a ponytail.

"You're not going to give him up are you?" the voice came out of nowhere.

She looked up and saw a familiar face sitting on the edge of the bed "Well Isobel, what is it with you always showing up when I'm not fully clothed?"

"He's back 2 days and he's already a bad influence. Don't talk to me like that Elena, I only want what is best for you and that's not snapping your neck because Damon is rubbing of on you." the vampire crossed her arms and looked at her threatening.

"And you think marrying Stefan is best for me?" she raised her eyebrows and her voice was full of disbelief.

"I know it is." Isobel patted the seat next to her and gestured for her to come sit next to her.

She made her way towards the bed and sat down but still left some space between her and the vampire.

"Enlighten me please." she actually wanted to hear her explanation. Not that it would matter, she knew who she belonged to, she knew that she would always choose this life, she knew she didn't want anything else.

Isobel let her hands rest in her lap and looked up, locking her gaze with her daughter "With Stefan you would have a save life, you would have a life I want for you, that John would want for you, that Miranda & Grayson would have wanted for you. Stefan is save, you like spending time with him, you love him in a certain way, he's your best friend and even if he turns you, you wouldn't be in danger."

She decided not to comment on her mom and dad's name, it was a low blow but Isobel knew it."And why wouldn't I be safe with Damon? He protected me when Klaus was coming after me, he saved me so many times, he's the safest place I know."

Isobel looked at her and she could see compassion in her eyes, maybe even pity. "I know he'll protect you, I know he's been doing it since the start but what if he's the one who needs protecting? You wouldn't die for Stefan, you wouldn't kill for Stefan but you would do it for him without thinking about it, you would die protecting him and I can't let my daughter die, I accepted the fact that you're going to become a vampire but I won't let you die protecting someone who isn't worth protecting."

She knew Isobel was right but she couldn't see what was so bad about that, he was worth protecting, he was worth her life, she would trade hers for his before thinking about it, he was everything to her and she wasn't going to let Isobel tell her otherwise "You don't know what you're talking about."

She stood up and walked towards the door preparing to open it.

"You think I don't get how much you love him, how much it pained you to be away from him? I watched you Elena, I watched you crawl in a corner, sobbing and clenching your body because it hurted so much, I've seen you do it a thousand times. You seemed to be doing better the past months and it gave me all the more reason to keep him away from you because if he would come back, he would do it all over again." Isobel stood up to and came to stand in front of her, not bothering to get out.

"I wasn't doing better, I was only doing a better job of hiding it."she stared back in the vampires eyes and she could see that the words had touched her.

"Than at least go back to Mystic Falls and break up with Stefan in a decent way, he took care of you for all those years, he deserves it, it's not in you to just leave someone hurt, it's not the way they raised you." Isobel was gone before she could answer that.

Damon walked in half an hour later with clothes and food. She would have laughed at him for looking like a drowned cat but she had other things on her mind, he seemed to notice.

"I brought the car." he looked at her expecting an answer that related to needing the car.

She looked up at him and smiled "I have to go cancel my wedding." to her surprise, he didn't look surprised, he looked determined.

"I'm coming with you."