Sincerely Yours [Stefan Salvatore]

[65. Relationship Milestone]

[4x06; We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes]

Lucy angrily pressed her lips together as she gathered up the rest of Alaric's weapons that Damon had left on her kitchen island. She ignored the sad green eyes on her as she stomped to her closet, throwing them back into the bin she originally put them in.

"Lucy."

She didn't say anything to Stefan. She was pointedly ignoring him while she made her way to her dresser to grab pajamas so she could take a shower and wash all the blood off her body. She didn't want to say anything that'd she regret because lately, that's where her anger led her.

She loved Stefan but right now, she needed time to process everything that went on. She was taken hostage, she had witnessed a hybrid being killed, she had been shot, and she found out that not only did Stefan compel Jeremy, but he and Elena were keeping secrets for some unknown reason.

"Lucy, I'm sorry," Stefan didn't know what else to do but apologize. The lump in his throat made it hard to speak.

Everything had gone wrong. Everything. Connor was dead. The map to the cure was gone. The chance for a normal human life with Lucy slipped through his fingers before he even had the chance to grasp it.

"You're sorry?" Lucy turned to him, a pair of pajama pants clenched in her hands. "Sorry that you compelled my brother, that you and Elena are keeping something from me, or that you left when I had just been shot?"

"I'm sorry about all of it," Stefan told her, clenching his jaw guiltily. "I just—I can't tell you what's going on but I-I need you to trust me, okay?"

Lucy gave him a look of disbelief. "I do trust you, Stefan. I trust you more than anyone."

Stefan quickly crossed the loft to stand in front of her, grabbing one of her hands to hold it tightly. "Then I need you to trust that this is nothing bad. I would never put you in danger, Lucy."

"I don't care about me," Lucy pulled away from him. "You compelled my brother, Stefan. You compelled him even though you know how I feel about that—you know that more than anyone I know."

"Lucy, I—"

"Honestly, I don't want to talk about it anymore tonight," Lucy cut him off. "I-I have those interviews in the morning and then I'm helping with the set-up of Professor Shane's exhibit. I want to shower and go to bed."

"Okay," Stefan nodded in agreement; his stomach twisted from the way they were leaving things for the night but he had to give her time. She was right but so was he; she couldn't know about the cure when it was so dangerous to know. "Okay, I'll go. I love you, Lucy."

"I love you, too, Stefan," Lucy made sure he knew. Just because she was angry didn't mean she felt anything less for him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."