Stefan let out a breath watching her sleep soundly beside him and moved his hand down her hair a few times.

Getting clean was harder than he thought, but he was so glad that Bonnie was with him because she always knew what to do. He wouldn't know what he would do without

"Baby?" He lightly shook her. "Wake up," he did so again.

"Hmm?"

"We have to go."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here. Someplace far."

"Why?"

"You just have to trust me."

She opened her eyes frowning at his expression then sat up a little. "Stef, we have no money. Well not enough to go anywhere far. Can it wait two weeks?"

He thought. "I don't know."

"Does it have to do with that guy we saw?" When he didn't answer, she continued. "Who was that?"

"It doesn't matter,"

"It does. It matters to me."

He let out a sigh then avoided her eyes. "He's my brother."

Her eyes went wide, "Brother? You never told me you had a brother?"

"I never wanted you to know. He's bad news, Bonnie. I never wanted to be found."

She frowned and held him close kissing the side of his head. "Okay. But we have to wait or else we'll be living on the street. I can call my cousin and maybe she'll let us stay with her for a month while we find something."

He nodded then held her tighter. "I love you. Don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"I won't. I promise."

He let out a breath then pulled away to kiss her sweetly. "When do you have to go to work?"

"In about two hours. Come visit me?"

He nods then kisses her again before she gets up to go take a shower. Once he heard the water run, Stefan gets out of bed heading towards the closet and digs in the duffle bag he keeps hidden in the corner of the room. He takes out the blood bag and tears it open before drinking its content in all but five seconds. He repeats three more times wanting to be strong when he faces his brother later today.

"Babe?"

"Yeah?"

"Come shower with me?"

"I'll be there in a second," he decided to drink another then stuffs the empty bags back into the duffle before stripping heading into the bathroom.

;;;;

Stefan let out a breath before sitting next to his brother asking for a beer.

"Let me guess. Bonnie has no idea."

"How do you know her name?"

"I'm your big brother, Stef. It's my job to know these things."

"Well stop. Stop being my brother, I don't need you."

He chuckled. "Oh you need me, Stefan. Who else is going to be there for you once she runs away once the beans spill? Just like Hanna and Michelle."

"Bonnie's different."

"And how is that?"

"She promised me."

Damon sighed running his hands down his face. "Stefan. You can sometimes act like a three year old. She promised you? That's how you know she won't leave you because she promised you?"

"You don't know her like I do. I've been a shitty person and she deals with me. I did shitty things, she still loves me."

"Doing shitty things and being a monster are two completely different things. You can't expect to hide this from her forever."

"Why are you here? Why ruin my life?"

"I'm not ruining anything, I'm helping. The sooner you tell her, the sooner your pain goes away. We can be brothers again, on the road, just like old times."

He chuckled then nodded in realization. "So that's why you're back. You're lonely."

"I do not get lonely."

"Okay, sure."

"I can't be a good brother and look out for you? She's going to break up with you, Stefan and something tells me that you're not going to take this lightly since you claim that she's different. You'll kill yourself."

Bonnie looked over hearing the bells to the front door jingle then smiled seeing that it was Stefan who walked through. She moved away from behind the counter and hugged him before kissing him a few times.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too." He kissed her then hugged her. "You'll never leave me right? You promised,"

"I will always be there for you, babe. You can tell me anything." She hugged him tighter knowing that he was in need of the comfort.

She's noticed that he has trust issues, meaning that she has to swear and promise on a lot of things and lately it's been that and wouldn't leave him. She knew that whatever he needed to tell her was serious and she hoped that she could keep the promises she made. If she didn't, she knew that he wouldn't take it lightly, he would respect her and leave her alone, but she was terrified of what he would do to himself.

Stefan pulled away grabbing her face in his hands. "I need to tell you something, baby."

She frowned seeing the look in his eyes. "Are you leaving?"

"No, I would never leave you here. I never want you to think that or say that again. You're with me always."

"Then what is it?"

"We'll talk tonight. I'll make your favorite and we'll talk. Okay?" She nodded and he moved down to kiss her longingly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed again before he walked out causing her to sigh.

;;;;

Stefan sat the lasagna on the table and cut her a big slice then kissed her head. Bonnie smiled and watched as he sat in front of her and grabbed her left hand with his. He moved his thumb across the back of her hand as she started eating with her right. She told him that she had a long day at the bookstore so he knew that she was hungry and decided to wait until she was finished before he told her the news.

"Oh, babe, I talked to Lynn and she said that we can stay with her for awhile. If you still want to leave."

"I want to."

She frowned. "Then why don't you sound like it?" She didn't want to rush him into telling her whatever he had to tell her so she's been patient but hoped that this would lead to exactly that.

"Bonnie, I… I'm…I'm not fertile."

She blinked a few times. "What?"

"I know I said that I wanted to have babies with you, but the truth is that I can't. I'm unable to."

"O-oh. I uh, …Well, there's always adoption, right? I mean that is if we really want kids. I mean, they're a huge responsibility and—"

"Wait, that's not exactly what I wanted to say." She watched him stand and move the seat closer to hers then sat back down. He looked at her hands before grabbing them in his. "You asked for my darkest secret and I lied to you when I said I didn't have one."

"Okay," she turned more towards him.

"Baby, I love you so much. More than anything in this entire world and I- I will never hurt you and I need you to know that."

"I know that," she kissed him. "What is it, babe?"

"Bonnie, I. I'm a vampire." He closed his eyes waiting for her scream or for her to move her hands out of his hold but she does none of that. He opens his eyes and sees her looking at him.

"Are you okay? Do you have a fever or did you smoke something?"

"Bonnie you have to believe me. I'm a vampire, I drink blood for fuck sake." He regretted his words as he watched her face change.

"I don't know what to say. Maybe you need a nap or something."

"Bonnie-" he sighed looking down at his lap. He didn't want to do this but this would be the only eat that she would believe him.

She gasped lowly seeing his face change before her eyes. The veins under his eyes like she remembers seeing, his eyes redden and her eyes grow wide once his fangs lengthen. Sitting right in front of her was a vampire. She's dating a vampire. A…vampire.

Stefan quickly catches her as she faints and he decides to move her to the bed.

Bonnie blinks her eyes awake coming face with him then gasps moving backward. His heart broke into a thousand pieces and she saw it.

"I'm sorry,"

"You're leaving me?" He asked as his eyes swelled with tears.

"No. I'm sorry I backed away, I didn't mean to."

"You're not leaving me?"

She shook her head letting a tear slip. "I promised."

He let out a breath then moved her hug her tightly kissing her head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He pulled away then met their lips three times. "You're all I need. I can understand if you're scared, but I will never do anything to hurt you physically. You're my number one."

She nodded then kissed him. "Can you tell me the story? Of how it all happened?"

He sucked in a breath before letting it out. "Anything for you."

She smiled then crossed her legs.

Bonnie listened closely as he told her the tale. He was twenty when he found out that he had colon cancer and it was getting worse since the medicine he needed was expensive and he couldn't afford it all the time. His brother would help him out whenever he could because though they don't like to admit it, at the time they couldn't live without each other. Damon needed his brother, just as Stefan needed him.

He doesn't know how Damon became a vampire, but one night, he tricked him into drinking some of his blood saying that a witch made a mixture that will cure him. He trusted his brother so he drank and before he knew it, a pillow was over his face and he was struggling for his life to breathe. When he woke up, he was confused on how he was still alive, he remembers dying and was wondering if he was in some part of purgatory.

"Wait, so he killed you?" Bonnie asked intrigued.

Stefan nodded and continued. "So then I see him walk back in the room with a girl. I'm wondering what the hell is going on and he tells me that I'll be cured if I drink this girl's blood. I refuse because I was so confused, I had no idea what was happening, what I was, how I was still alive. Then I feel my fangs lengthen once he turns her and I see the blood on her neck and he pushes me towards her and something snaps within me then I drink her blood. Almost all of it."

Bonnie's mouth opens slightly just as her eyes widen. He went on to tell her about how he became a monster and since Damon didn't want to deal with him, he left him all alone after he turned him into a monster. It did nothing but make it worse no matter how hard he tried to get better, it just kept getting worse.

He hated Damon for leaving, for giving up on him and if it wasn't for this little girl, he would still be that ripper.

"Little girl?"

"Her name was Delilah. I never fed on children, not ever. She saw me feeding and I had no idea that she was behind me. When I turn I freeze. Vampires were not welcome and I have lived well in the shadows so I just knew she would scream and expose me. When she doesn't, I ask why she isn't scared or screaming and by this time my face is back to normal and I wipe away the blood, but there's still some left. She tells me to come closer and I do so intrigued by this little, brave girl and she kisses my cheek." He paused thinking back. "She kisses my cheek and tells me that I don't have to be bad. That if I was good then she wouldn't tell on me," he chuckled. "Then she hugged me and I just hold her back and something switches within me and I get better. I keep watch over her like she was my own child, sometimes making myself known and others just from afar. She grew up to be an amazing and beautiful woman and married a great man and had children and because I knew that she was alright, that's when I decided to move."

He goes on to say how he ran into Damon who was glad that he changed his ways, and they stayed together for a decade staying in different places, meeting other vampires and people and he thought that it was going to be this way forever, but then he realized that his brother was more of a monster than he led on.

He didn't care who he drank from, who he hurt, what laws he broke. Stefan tried to ignore his brothers ways, but he snapped when he killed a pregnant woman for no reason. Luckily, the baby was saved, but Stefan couldn't take anymore. He left without a word or trace and moved to New York knowing that this would be the last place that his brother would look for him.

To stop the cravings and to numb his pain of realizing what his brother was, he started doing drugs to get away and ignore everything. Then he met Bonnie fifteen years later thanks to a mutual friend. He's always found her attractive, but never wanted to go there with a girl again because every time he found himself in a relationship with a human, it always ended with them running away.

"But you couldn't resist me," she teases smiling.

"You're right, I couldn't." He kissed her. "And I'm glad that I couldn't because you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much."

"I love you more."

They shared a few kisses before laying down and they held each other in their arms. He kissed her head a few times then closed his eyes getting some rest for the remainder of the night.

;;;;

Stefan reached out his hand then sat up quickly when he didn't feel her beside him. "Bonnie?" He got out of bed and got up searching and calling for her.

Did she leave him? Did she just runaway because she got scared? Was it happening all over again?

"Bonnie?!" His breath got heavy and his head snapped to the door hearing it open then let out a breath when she walked inside.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he hugged her close. She kissed the side of his head.

"I thought you left me."

She frowned then sat her bag down to wrap her arms around him. "I'm here to stay. Unless you do something to really piss me off."

He chuckled letting out breath through his mouth. "I'm sorry I thought that."

"It's OK, Stefan. Just don't think it again."

He nodded pulling away before he kissed her. "Where were you?"

"I had to get something from the store," she said walking to the bed. "Hey, are we still planning to move or is that not necessary now that I know?"

"It's necessary. My brother is still out there."

"Is he really that dangerous? I mean what he did was years upon years ago, maybe he's changed?"

He lightly grabbed her shoulders, "He doesn't change. This happens more than you think and sometimes he drags me down with him. I do not want to go down that road again. Not when I have you."

She looked into his eyes then nodded. "Okay. You know him better than I do so I trust you."

He nodded then kissed her before moving over to the kitchen. "I was thinking uh, that I take you out tonight."

"With what money?"

"I have a little something lined up for later today and I'll use what I get paid for us."

"And what is it that you have lined up?"

"It's just a little job, no big deal."

"If it's no big deal then why won't you tell me exactly what it is?"

"Can I please just do something for my girl so that we can enjoy a nice dinner? Please? Because she deserves it so much and I need to be a better boyfriend."

She sighs rolling her eyes. "Fine."

He smiled then turned to the microwave hearing it beep. She laughed as he cursed picking up the hot bowl of noodles from the microwave dropping it on the counter. "Baby, seeing your baby in pain shouldn't be funny." He teased stirring the noodles with a fork.

"Oh whatever. You've laughed at me plenty of times when I was in pain."

"That's not true," he picked the bowl up this time with an oven mitt walking over to the bed.

Bonnie backed against the headboard as he got situated in front of her. "It is true, but it's OK." He blew on the fork of noodles then fed her before feeding himself. "When is my baby leaving me?"

He smiled then looked at his watch. "Three hours. When we're done eating, we can have sex for two."

She chuckled. He leaned in to kiss her for a few seconds before pulling away and fed her another fork of noodles.

Bonnie whined as his lips moved off of her as he got up from the bed. "Babe,"

"You wanna eat all good tonight? I have to get ready." He kissed her four times before heading to the shower.

He looked left and right before knocking on the door and walked in once it opened and kept walking forward until the door closed. Rogue smiled looking him over before walking up to him placing her hands on his shoulders and leaned in smiling as he moved his head away.

"I can't."

"And why not?"

"I'm with someone."

"That never stopped you before,"

"I've changed. Now tell me who needs to die so I can get paid and take my girl out for dinner."

Rogue let out a breath then reached on the hallway table handing him a folder.

;;;;

Bonnie smiled as he walked through the door. "That didn't take long." She kissed him.

"I told you it was just a little something." He kissed her back then wrapped his arm around her. "Now put on that dress I like so we can go out tonight."

She smiled and headed to the closest and once she closed the bathroom door, Stefan started taking deep breaths filling his lungs with air before letting it out through his mouth. The kill made him want more, but he needed to control himself. It's been awhile since he took something on like this so he needed to do his ritual, but when it wasn't working, he reached far behind the cabinet and pulled out his bottle of scotch and drunk half of what was in the bottle before putting it back.

"Babe?"

He jumped slightly turning to see her. "Yeah?"

"Everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"You're so jumpy. And you won't stop tapping your ring against the counter."

He moved his hand away not noticing that he was doing it in the first place. "I was just thinking of something I forgot and was wondering if I should go now or later."

"Oh. Just go now since I'm not ready yet." He nodded then told her that he would be back.

Bonnie sighed and walked back into the bathroom to strip and pull the dress up her body. It was a soft peach color with a sweetheart neckline and loose skirt stopping once it hit the floor and also a little train to follow. She already washed her face, so she applied her makeup staying with natural colors because she knows that Stefan likes her that way the best.

Once she stepped out, Stefan was back buttoning his suit jacket. He smiled seeing her. "Look at my phenomenal woman." He kissed her gently twice then took her hand leading her out the door.

They took a taxi and some minutes later were pulled up in front of a grand building. Stefan paid the man and got out to open Bonnie's door. She smiled and took his hand and together they walked inside.

He kept one hand around her and the other on the right side of her face as they danced to the slow tune. After a nice dinner, Bonnie begged him to take her dancing and Stefan couldn't refuse her. He took her to the nearest jazz club and held her looking deep into her eyes. He didn't want to look anywhere but in her eyes and he was glad that she wasn't opposed to it.

Bonnie looked up at him loving the way that he would always look at her. He may have been a shitty boyfriend in the past, but even through it all, she knew that he never stopped loving her, not even for a second.

His head drew closer and their lips met kissing slowly like the beat of the song. His hold around her tightened as the kiss deepens and he moves his hand to squeeze her ass gaining a moan from her. Bonnie pulls away for air breathing deeply as she did so feeling Stefan's lips on her neck.

"Never…stop loving me,"

"Never," he repeated eight more times kissing up her neck. "You're stuck with me and only me till the end." Their lips met longingly once then once more.

"You promise?"

"I swear."

Their lips met again and as the song ended, he took her hand leading her over to the bar to get them drinks before sitting at an empty booth on the other side of the club. He sat as close to her as possible and kept one hand on her at all times.

"Babe?"

He caressed the side if her face, "Yes?"

"Um, what you said about not being fertile…is that really true or were you just stalling?"

He was taken aback by her question. "I… It's true. Us, we can't-"

She looked away, "Oh,"

"I'm sorry." He moved both hands to her face, "Don't leave me, please don't,"

"Trouble in paradise?" They looked over seeing Damon with a smile on his face.

"Go. Away."

"And miss all the fun, I don't think so." Stefan felt his fangs slip as he sat across from them. "So tell Dr. Damon what's the problem."

"Burn in hell."

"I'm sure I will someday, but not today." His eyes switched over to Bonnie seeing her quickly wipe away a tear. "What's wrong?" He asked like he truly cared.

Stefan returned his attention back to his love and frowned seeing her glossy eyes. "I'm sorry, I love you."

"I just always pictured us-"

"I know, I- let me make it up to you. Anything you want, I'll do it, I swear."

"I don't want you to do anything."

"Bonnie,"

"I need some space. I'll meet you back at our place."

His heart dropped to his stomach but nodded and moved back letting her free. Stefan watched her go doing everything in his power to not follow after her.

"That was intense." Damon said in amazement. "It's like I was watching a TV drama right in front of me." When his brother didn't respond, he sighed. "Seriously, what happened?"

"Why do you even care?" He stood then walked away leaving his brother sitting there alone.

An hour was the longest he could wait before he headed back to their apartment. When he noticed that she wasn't there, he started to panic but sat on the bed waiting for her to return and two hours later, she did.

Bonnie paused at the door before walking more inside kicking off her heels.

"I don't want us to go to bed angry or upset,"

"I just don't understand why you told me what you did last year."

"What did I say?"

"You asked me when are we having babies and I asked you if you wanted them and you told me that you wanted them with me. Why even say something like that in the first place when you knew it was impossible?"

"I'm an idiot, I'm so sorry, baby. I love you, I wanted that with you, I still do and I foolishly let it slip. I'm sorry. I didn't know it would mean this much to you,"

"It doesn't, I just… You put the idea in my head and I never truly let it go. I always thought of it happening as an accident but you'll be so happy and excited that I couldn't turn it away. We'll have a girl and just be a family."

He stood quickly walking over to her, "We can still be a family. Remember what you said, we can adopt or foster or get a donor, anything you want. I'll do anything, I'll agree to anything, just please don't leave me. I need you, I need you, I need you. You're everything to me. Everything."

"Why?"

"You're my soulmate."