Until This Lie Do Us Part

Chapter 13

Elena turned to look at him, continuing to hold his hand. She looked down at her feet, not finding the courage to look up at him. "I just don't want to be hurt again. Fake relationship or not, I don't think I could go through something like that again" she said quietly.

Stefan reached his hand up and touched her face, causing her to look up at him finally. "I would never hurt you like that" he spoke softly. Elena could see the sincerity in his eyes and she felt guilty for questioning it. "One day, maybe you'll trust me. When you're ready" he smiled, resting his forehead on hers. "Come on. Let's go inside" he tried again.

Again though, Elena didn't move. "I do" she said, causing him to stop. "Trust you, I mean" she explained quickly. "Because you're all I have right now" she added. She would have never told anyone that so soon. Especially not after the first relationship she was in. But she needed to be honest with him. And it was the honest truth. With her parents dead and her brother and best friend on the other side of the country, Stefan was literally the only constant person in her life right now.

His lips were on hers before she could process anything. Her body was pulled close to his, his arms around her. "See?" he asked her breathlessly. "I'm not so bad" he smiled.

Elena felt warmth fill her even though it was so cold out. "I could do worse" she agreed. Stefan leaned in to kiss her again, but she covered his mouth with her fingers. "I'm ready to go inside" she told him.

He simply nodded, grabbing her hand.

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"Where have you been?" Damon asked, not bothering to look up from his drink as he stared at the fire.

Katherine tossed her purse on the table. "Out" she answered defiantly.

"Out" Damon repeated with a sarcastic chuckle. "It's been four days" he reminded her.

Katherine seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then she dismissed it. "Where's Lily?" she asked.

Damon laughed. "Where is she always at during this time of the day?" Damon asked. Katherine's defiant look slipped away slowly as she took in his comment. "She's in bed" Damon reminded her. "Not that you would know since you're never the one to tuck her in" he added for spite. An angry expression appeared on Katherine's face as she turned on her heel to go upstairs. "Where are you going?" Damon asked as he caught her wrist.

Katherine yanked her hand away but it was no use. "To see Lily" she said through gritted teeth.

Damon shook his head. "No. If you wake her, she won't go back to sleep. And she has school tomorrow" he said on the verge of anger.

Katherine glared at him for a few moments before giving up. "Fine" she spat, yanking her arm away.

Again, Damon held on to her. "This has to stop Katherine" he warned sternly.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Or I'm done" he replied, letting go of her arm and getting up. Katherine watched him with wide eyes as he left the room.

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Elena stared at Stefan's bed as she heard the click of his door shutting behind them. This was it. This was her attempt at trusting him. But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run from that room and never look back. This was only going to complicate things between them. But she reminded herself of how her body reacted when he was so close to her. But it would make her vulnerable. But she wanted this. "No more buts" she whispered to herself. She could do this. It was going to be okay. Because it was Stefan. He was one of the good ones, she reminded herself. She hoped anyways.

His arms slowly snaking around her from behind brought her out of her distracting thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her quietly, resting his head against hers.

She shook her head. "Nothing" she said, turning to face him. She leaned in and kissed him, attempting to quiet both of their thoughts. When she pulled away, she walked towards his bed, trying to decide on how she should go about doing this. Clothes. She needed to get out of her clothes. Elena grabbed for the hem of her shirt and began to pull it over her head when Stefan stopped her. She turned slightly to look at him.

"I believe that is my job, when the time comes" he said with a silly smile that briefly made her forget about any anxiety that she was having.

"I just thought ..." she began, though he was quick to cut her off.

"No more thinking" he said, pulling her close. Elena nodded, realizing that he was catching on to her hesitancy. Then, without warning, he spun them around and Elena felt herself falling on top of Stefan as he landed on his bed. "Just feeling" he added, his hands moving under her shirt as he reached up and kissed her.

Somehow, he ended up on top of her, but Elena couldn't remember when it had happened. They had been kissing lazily for quite a while now. It was nice. And he was an amazing kisser.

When his hands slipped under her shirt again, this time pulling it up slowly, Elena sat up some so he could remove it. She was relieved when he let her do the same to him so she wouldn't have to be the only shirtless person in this situation. He leaned back over her and began kissing her once again, enjoying the feeling of more of her skin against his.

The more time she spent in that bed with him, kissing him and touching him, the more her anxiety started to slip away. By the time every piece of clothing was off of both of them, a smile of her own appeared. Her skin tingled and the only relief was his touch.

When Stefan had first laid eyes on her, he had known that she had what it would take to pull off a lie. Not because she was a natural born liar, but because she was smart and passionate. What he hadn't seen initially, was how beautiful she truly was. He made a mental note of every part of her body that he thought was worth knowing. He also memorized her reaction to everything he did so that he would be better prepared the next time. And there would be a next time, based on that satisfied smile she had on her face.

Stefan leaned into her ear, kissing it softly a few times. "You're so beautiful" he whispered.

Elena's eyes shot open and her expression became guarded. "You ... You don't have to say things like that" she told him.

He recognized that she was attempting to push him away yet again. Her eyes were looking everywhere but at him now. "Hey" he said, cupping her face gently. When she finally looked his way, he smiled. "I can say whatever I want to say" he told her. "You're beautiful" he repeated. This time, Elena didn't shy away. She looked into his eyes and decided that she believed him.

Elena felt herself smile at what she was about to say. "You were right, you know" she said. He raised an eyebrow at her. Of course he was right. But right about what? "I am enjoying myself in bed with you" she said.

Stefan smiled proudly. And he hadn't even gotten to the really good stuff yet. "You haven't seen nothing yet" he told her. Elena's eyes went wide with excitement and wonder right before she was lost in another one of his searing kisses.

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Elena was still smiling when she awoke in the early morning. Stefan's arms were still wrapped securely around her, his chest pressed firmly against her back. Just the way he had been when they had drifted off to sleep.

A kiss pressed against the back of her neck let her know that he was awake. "Good morning" he said sleepily.

Elena smiled. "Morning" she said quietly.

She felt Stefan move her hair away from her neck and then he remained still for a moment. He was staring at a scar, about two inches long, on her upper back. He had found it the night before, but in their heated lovemaking session, he hadn't wanted to bring it up. "What's this from?" he asked quietly, tracing over the scar with his finger. Elena tensed upon feeling where he was touching her. "Did he do this?" Stefan asked quietly. All Elena could do was nod, remembering the counter she had been thrown into. The blood. The pain. The pleading.

Stefan kissed where the scar lay and pulled her closer. He knew that Elena wanted nothing more than to move on and forget about everything that Derrick had done to her. But Stefan couldn't help but wonder if Derrick had forgotten about her too. Was Derrick out there searching for her and planning on getting her back? Stefan had to know. And that meant finding Derrick.