Months later...
It was during the second verse of We Belong Together by Ritchie Valens when Caroline finally looked up at him. She'd been glued to his body for who knows how long, swaying to the music from the record player in his room. No real intention of ever removing herself. Stefan seemed content enough to just hold her. Intermittently reaching up to smooth a hand down the back of her dress, to rub his thumb across the back of her exposed neck, his cheek against her temple. It was warmth and comfort and home. And it was high time.
She pressed her lips to his softly. Just a whisper of a touch. She could feel the tingles running from their connected skin through her body, a slow and pleasant flicker. A preview. His hands dropped from her back only to cup her cheeks, gently tilting her head to the side to kiss her more deeply. Caroline could swear she was floating, when she looked down to see that they were.
"Stefan!" she scolded, laughing and gripping his arm.
He returned them to the ground with an amused smile.
"What can I say? You sweep me off my feet, Caroline Forbes," he teased, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks, delicately, like she was pieced together from scraps of silk.
She giggled and lowered her eyes, wrapping her arms back around his neck, sighing in contentment as she rested her head on his warm shoulder. She had always expected to feel nervous when she finally came to him, to give herself to him at last. But all she felt was relief. From tension she hadn't realized she'd been suffering so much from until it was finally eased.
"I'm so glad you're here," he whispered into her hair, dragging his fingertips across the V of skin exposed on her back from the dip in her baby blue cotton dress.
She smiled against his shoulder, glad for the same. That she was here. That he was here. Nothing besides pure love, pure joy seemed right for this evening. Not after everything they'd been through. Yesterday and for the past few years, really. Yesterday, though, had been exactly what she needed to snap her out of her self-imposed loneliness. If torture is ever what anyone needs.
Lily had read her son like a book, seen in an instant how desperately he needed Caroline. So it was Caroline she had gone after to hurt him. Locked her up. Tortured her. It was nothing Caroline wasn't used to, sadly. She'd heard Stefan's pleading screams, which had hurt almost as much as the knife plunging into her stomach at her captor's fancy, or the vervain soaked ropes around her wrists. They weren't holding her in as much as the threat of the guard outside hurting Stefan was. She'd watched in horror as Stefan had barged in, pulled his ring off, engulfing himself in flames and grabbed the guard outside of her cell, burning them both.
She'd gotten out barely in time to run pass the burning Heretic, toss a blanket over Stefan, slip the ring back on his charred finger. She didn't breathe as she watched him, watched as the life returned to his body, painfully slowly. Too much, she thought, I have to do this too much. Watch him die.
So she showed up at his house the next night, with hearts barely hidden behind her eyes and an out of place spring in her step with one intention...to watch him live. And to live herself.
She hadn't had to say it. The words weren't necessary. He had taken one look at her and known. I'm ready. I'm tired of waiting. It was written in her eyes. In her peaceful smile.
"Stefan," she said. And it was evident in his name on her lips.
He smiled, his eyes sparkling, and gave a slight nod, understanding. Extended his hand in invitation. She gave hers immediately, confidently, without a hint of hesitation or doubt. Let him lead her up the elegant stairs to his room. She felt a still peace in her heart and fluttering excitement in her stomach as he closed the door behind them and put a record on. 50s love songs. She arched an eyebrow at the choice of music.
"Don't get any ideas, Mister Salvatore," she joked, as he walked back up to her and took her into his arms, moving along with the music.
"Wouldn't dream of it, Miss Forbes," he said back with a crooked smile.
He gave her a twirl and pulled her back to him. They hadn't danced since the house party. The last house party they'd had before things had REALLY fallen apart. No one came to Mystic Falls anymore. It was basically a ghost town. Or a vampire town, as it were. It wasn't safe. Not for them. Not for anyone. But they wouldn't discuss that tonight.
And so they were dancing. And kissing. And apparently floating. Caroline wouldn't have expected anything less from her first real night with Stefan. From the second she had laid eyes on him, he had made her heart race. Now he made it full. She lifted her head to look at him again, bringing her fingers to his face. She stroked the smooth skin of his cheeks, trying to will away the visions of his charred flesh. She squeezed her eyes shut involuntarily.
"Hey," he whispered, closing his hand over hers, "Hey, it's okay, I'm okay. You're okay. We're here now. We made it."
She opened her eyes and looked at him, warm assurance in his green eyes. We're alive. We're happy. We're here. Caroline nodded, her eyes stinging with joyful tears. Stefan wiped a tear from her cheek and pressed a kiss to the salty skin. Her heart continued to thump steadily, swelling more and more with her impossible love for him.
"Make love to me, Stefan," she whispered against his lips. Remind me we're okay. Make me feel alive.
She looked up to watch him react. To his credit, he managed to keep a steady face. But she smiled slightly in satisfaction when his adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. The dreamy music played on in his dim room. It looked just the way it would have in the 50s, she thought. They didn't look that different either. Her hair swept romantically off of her neck, curled and pinned away from her face. Her dress fluffing out from her cinched waist. Him in a tight white t-shirt and jeans. If only they could go back, and she could have been with him forever.
Her train of thought was interrupted by his fingers on her waist, his lips on the bare skin of her neck. She was brought back to the moment in an instant, a gasp leaving her mouth at the feeling of his mouth opening against her neck, his tongue meeting her skin. Her fingertips made indentations in the soft cotton of his t-shirt as she grasped his shoulders.
The soft music created an atmosphere of eery timeless romance as Stefan reached around her with one hand and found the zipper at her back. He dragged it down her back slowly, placing kisses on her neck as he did so. She held her breath as she felt the fabric loosen around her, the sleeve slip from her shoulder. His mouth found the bare skin there, kissing and nipping her softly. Her lips fell open as he looked up at her, the moment between them more intense than she could have imagined.
His dark eyes sought hers for confirmation, his breath quick, hands roaming the exposed skin of her back and shoulders. She felt herself nod once, slightly and quickly, eager for him to continue his exploration. He pulled the dress from her arms and she helped him slide down over her hips and they watched as it fell in a pool around her feet, which she then stepped out of. Stefan picked it up and laid it neatly across a chair. Caroline smiled at the gesture. He was helping her keep control.
As he turned back to her, his eyes turned impossibly darker. Having kicked her heels off hours ago, she was left standing in matching pink lingerie and thigh highs so impossibly pale pink that they were nearly invisible except for the lacy band high on her leg. She imagined she looked deceptively innocent. Or at least that was the look she had been going for. Stefan didn't take his eyes off of her as he walked back to her, circling her in his arms.
"Perfect," he breathed against her ear, the few loose curls blowing and ticking the side of her face, rubbing his hand across the skin of her lower back.
Caroline sucked in a breath at the combination of his warm breath in her ear and the impressive bulge pressed against her through his jeans. Suddenly, she felt impatient, desperate for him. She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, slowly dragging a hand up his stomach and chest, bringing the shirt along with her until she pulled it over his head. She took in the sight of him finally shirtless before her. His body as perfect as ever, his skin flawless. Unburned. Unmarked. She stroked her palms across it, appreciating that he was in front of her, beautiful and safe. He pulled her back into a hug and they sighed in unison at the satisfaction of their warm skin pressed together. Like ice to a burn.
Stefan lifted her suddenly, one hand sweeping under her legs and the other holding her around the waist, her legs wrapping around him. She gasped in surprise and he took the opportunity to kiss her as he carried her to his bed. She could feel her heart thumping hard in her chest as she returned the kiss eagerly, her hands running through the back of his hair as he laid her back onto the comforter.
He pulled away for long enough to unbutton and unzip his jeans. She watched him undress in front of her, her body pulsing with need and want and love for him. She pulled him back down and kissed him again as he reached around her to unhook her bra and pulled down her panties. He hummed in appreciation at the sight of her bare body, his lips kissing a path between her breast and down her stomach, across the lace of her stockings. Caroline's head was spinning, the only clear thought on her mind was having him inside of her as quickly as possible.
She took his face in her hands and pulled him to her, placing kisses on his cheeks, his jaw, his neck. His hands roamed to her breasts and explored them gently as she lavished him with kisses. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him to face her.
"Please, Stefan," she pleaded, kissing his lips and cheeks in featherlight pecks.
The veins around his eyes flashed in desire before he grabbed her thigh and pulled her toward him until they were lined up to fit together perfectly. He entered her slowly as his tongue explored the shell of her ear and her neck, his barely restrained moans vibrating against her skin. She gasped into his shoulder and dug her fingers lightly into his skin as he entered her completely.
The pace they created together was just what she needed. Hard without being bruising, fast without being frantic. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, enjoying the feeling of him covering her completely, absorbing the sounds of his pants and moans through his chest. He kissed her with an impressive amount of attention considering he sounded to be getting near to sweet oblivion, with her trailing close behind.
Their finish was together, perfectly, with whispered exclamations and slow, wet kisses and exhausted, heavy bodies reluctant to separate. Caroline rested her head on Stefan's bare chest, her up-do half fallen down and Stefan's fingers playing in her loose curls lazily. She listened as his heart thumped beneath her ear, soothing her worries. Her own heart beat steadily in her chest, but gave an extra little thump anytime reality settled in on her. They were together. Alive and together.
"So much for not trying anything," she lifted her head and said, giving his side a little pinch with the hand that was tossed across his stomach.
"You started it," he chuckled, giving the curl between his fingers a tiny tug.
"It was the music!" Caroline giggled, "No wonder people in the 50s were always necking all the time."
"Necking?" Stefan laughed against the top of her head.
"Yeah, necking," she giggled back, snuggling closer to him, and allowing the perfectly comfortable silence to settle back over them, eyelids pleasantly heavy.
The record player eventually turned itself off, the jarring clink of the arm settling back into its resting place catching their attention.
"Damon's not here, we should sleep in shifts so we're not caught by surprise," Stefan said, fingertips stroking long lines on her back.
"Ugh," Caroline groaned in disgust, "Shop talk already?"
"Unfortunately," Stefan said, giving her a reassuring little squeeze, "I don't want what happened yesterday to EVER happen again."
She smiled a little at his concern and nodded in agreement. The stakes were raised now. In so many ways. So much to lose and so many ways to lose it.
"You sleep first," he said, hands back in her hair, compulsively, "I'm not tired."
"You sure," she mumbled against his chest, already giving herself over to sleep, feeling more at-peace than she had in as long as she could remember.
"I'm sure," he whispered, placing a kiss on top of her head.
"Such a gentleman," she said, with a sleepy smile.
His chuckle vibrated through her body and she hummed in contentment. She drifted off to sleep, Stefan's strong heartbeat her lullaby, his fingers familiarizing themselves with her skin her sedative. The idea that it was all false security, dangerous over-confidence, buried not too far in her mind. But the weight of this moment of happiness enough to keep all that down for now.