Silent Prayers

Chapter 58

The power was still out as they lay there in bed, in the dark, facing one another. Their breathing had evened out long ago and the sheets no longer stuck to their bodies.

She could hear his breathing, even and steady. It was calming. "I've always wanted to get married in a church" she said quietly. She honestly wasn't even sure if he was still awake.

There was a long pause before he replied. "You never told me that" Stefan said quietly. Their first marriage happened so quick that picking a spot on the beach had seemed like a logical choice. She had never told him she would have rather been married somewhere else, so he just assumed she was happy with a beach wedding. He had been so desperate to marry her and the guilt he felt for rushing her started to sit in the pit of his stomach. If only he could go back in time, slow things down and wait to marry her until they were both ready.

Elena shrugged slightly. "I liked the beach too" she said softly. Then she moved closer to him, close enough so she could feel his body against hers. "It was a beautiful wedding" Elena whispered. She needed him to know that. She had no regrets. "And that night ..." Elena added, feeling herself blush at the memory of when they returned home to his apartment. Their apartment.

Stefan reached his left hand out and let his fingertips skim down her waist, finally settling on her hip. "That night was incredible" he whispered. The memory of their first time together was burned into the back of his mind. And he was perfectly okay with that.

Elena smiled as she felt herself being pulled closer to him. "What was your favorite thing about that night?" Elena asked softly.

Everything about that night was his favorite. From the dress she wore, to the moment she said "I do" and then when they made it back to the apartment. But he knew the exact moment that he loved the most. "When you let me put the ring on your finger" Stefan answered. "You had looked so nervous while we were standing there, listening to the officiant. But when I gave you your ring, you smiled, and ... you didn't look so nervous anymore."

Elena felt his fingers tracing the wedding band on her finger. The one she had decided to start wearing again not that long ago. The one he wanted to replace for a fresh start. "I was scared out of my mind" Elena whispered. "I had nothing when I met you" she reminded sadly. "And my parents, they had the most amazing marriage. I wanted that, and I believed I could have that. And when you put my wedding ring on my finger, I felt like I was going to get that chance to have a happily ever after, like my mom and dad" Elena explained.

"They sound like incredible parents" Stefan said, watching her closely for the first sign of a tear. Although she never talked about them much, Stefan knew that she missed them terribly, and that their death was still painful for her five years later. "I wish I could have met them" Stefan spoke softly.

"I wish you could have met them too" Elena whispered as the first tear ran down her cheek. "As hard as it is for me to see your brother and Katherine raise Jeremy, I really think it is an admirable thing they're doing. Raising someone else's child." She felt his hand brush the lingering tear off of her chin. "I was adopted" she said, admitting that piece of her family history to him for the first time.

Stefan was surprised by her announcement. "You never told me that either" he said softly.

Elena shrugged a little. "I don't really tell anyone, because they were my parents since the day I was born" she told him. They were all she knew.

"Jeremy too?" Stefan asked.

Elena shook her head no. "He was their miracle baby" she said, smiling. "They tried for a really long time to have one of their own." Her smile faded quickly. "They didn't get much time with him" she said, feeling more tears stinging her eyes.