I remember the days after Stefan first came to town. It was a time where I felt absolutely alone, but after one day, I was filled with hope, hope that everything would get better, hope that I would happy, and hope that the upcoming year would fill me with joy. Those days with Stefan were the beginning of a love story almost everyone in town new, but they were also the memories I held closest to my heart.
Walking through the halls of Mystic Falls High School brought back a tidal wave of memories, especially when I saw the plaque that said "Cutest Couple" with our pictures underneath from Junior year. The halls were absolutely epic, except for a few wandering students, considering it was the first period, which meant that I could roam wherever I wanted. One of the teachers I didn't seem to recognize stopped me in the hall.
"And you are?" he said, sending me a glare, which slightly terrified me.
"Elena," I said, wanting to get out of this uncomfortable situation. I needed too, but I was just hoping one of my old teachers would show up. I still wanted to replay all the memories from what was both the best and worse year of my life.
Everyone assumed that I was still brokenhearted over Stefan, so they let me visit quite constantly. Especially my sophomore English teacher who worked on the yearbook as well, considering he saw all the pictures from the dances, which also meant that he was the only other teacher that seemed to know the two of us best besides Ric. I seemed to have a pretty good relationship with him. Part of me thinks that he was responsible for all those years of the two of us winning "Cutest Couple" all those years. He seemed to like me enough to do that for us. I didn't even think about it until now and the thought made me laugh. No matter how cheesy they were, I was just reminded of how much I love him. They also seemed to excite Caroline, considering how much she loved our relationship for some odd reason. Not that I minded it, though—actually, I had done the same for her and Klaus on many occasions. I snapped out of my trance, heading towards the gym because that was where most of our memories were, during both our best and worst times.
"What are you doing here?" I jumped at the sound of the cheerleader coach. I was even surprised that she recognized me.
"I thought it would be nice to come for a visit."
"I thought you would have stopped by. If I recall, you and I haven't spoken in quite some time?"
"Are you still coaching the cheer team?" I hadn't heard much about the high school. However, I was still able to hear the fireworks that went off at the football games. They seemed to still be going strong on having one of the best times even after Stefan left.
"I have an assistant coach that's been coaching six months," she said. "I've had a lot more time on my hands. A nice way to close the school year if I say so myself. Where were you planning on going next, Elena?"
"I was going to head over to the gym," I muttered and fiddled with the locket around my neck.
Following the hallway down and to the left was where the place that held so many memories was located. I was overcome with a wave of memories and feelings whenever I seemed to walk into this room. Considering the fact that we were each other's hope, this was the area that showcased just that, which tended to make me even more sentimental—What would have happened if these moments never did?
Walking around the room, I took everything in. I noticed the red colors in the room, noticing how similar it was to blood, but pushing the thought to the back of my mind. Those thoughts just reminded me of his Ripper stage, how the entire thing hurt him, and how he must be feeling right now.
There was no doubt that he was well-liked by almost everyone, but I also knew that he could also be making a number of enemies. He was also known as a hero, as well as the good brother. This was why everyone was shocked to see him hated and off the wagon, considering everyone who actually knew him could see how much of a perfect boyfriend he was.
I looked back around, deciding whether or not I should leave. It was hard to believe that almost six months had passed since the day I got that dreadful phone call. Part of me seemed close to giving up on hope, but I knew I couldn't, more so because what would he do? He would never give up on me. His words were a constant symphony in my mind that pulled me through every day:
I will find my way back to you, Elena! I promise!
It was also best that I wasn't entirely alone.
After all, I didn't know what that would feel like, to not have anyone to confide in. It was one of the many things that kept me sane throughout this dark period.
"Elena?"
The voice that snuck up on me caused me to jump slightly. I turned in their direction, trying to appear as calm as possible. I turned around, cautiously waiting to see who it was. I wasn't really in the mood to have to fight for my for my life. In this moment, I just wanted a little bit of peace.
"Elena? I'd advise you let me come in. It's not good to deal with this kind of stuff alone."
A gasp escaped my lips, shocked to see who it was. It was at first a sea of high school until they all cleared the hallway. It was a face that I expected and didn't expect to see—the witch I had grown so fond of in our short months—the New Orleans witch, Davina Claire.
"Please," Davina softly smiled. "You can tell me whatever you want. I won't push you." That thought alone had made my smile brighten. It was seeming that Caroline was too much pushing, which was enough pushing to push me away.
"I don't want to go out anywhere out in the open," I commented. I was slightly nervous that someone would overhear something that would make everyone want to move.
"Okay, sounds good. I can have Kol compel whoever's classroom you want."
I wrapped my arms around her, silently thanking her for everything she's done for me.
"There's nothing you could ever do to push me away."
"Davina, that is exactly what I needed to hear right now. I haven't really been in the mood to dump all problems on everyone at the current moment."
Davina closed her eyes, almost looking like she was flash backing to something. I immediately put my arms around her once more.
"I know what it's like. I went a year without seeing Kol. It was almost unbearable," Davina remembered. "I can't image what it has to be like for you. You have been in love with Stefan for six years, right?"
I nodded my head slowly, remembering everything we went through, but blinking back the tears. They regretfully spilled over and Davina wiped them away. I smiled gratefully at her, burying my face slightly in her shoulder. She gave me comfort in a time as dark as this.
"Elena," Davina soothed. "I'll have Kol compel us Alaric's room. Maybe...maybe that'll give you a home away from home. Whatever you want, I'll make it happen. I just want you to be happy."
I smiled lightly at her last sentence. It took everything in me not to hug her again, but I restrained myself.
"I can actually imagine you pulling through with that," I replied instead. It still shocked me how comfortable I felt around her and how much she understood me. I smiled lightly at her for a moment. "Always remember how much I love you."
We then went to Alaric's classroom and had a nice heart-to-heart conversation.
Bonnie had shown up to my house later that evening. She also seemed a lot happier. I didn't know exactly why, but I also didn't question it. I knew that Klaus and Caroline were doing cake tasting tonight for the wedding. It still shocked me that it was this close. After everything she had gone through, my best friend was finally going to get married to someone who deserved her. I was just hoping that Stefan would be back for it, considering the fact that he was supposed to be Klaus' best man.
"Hey," I said to her as she walked into the house.
Bonnie let out a shriek that could've turned all the humans and vampires in Mystic Falls deaf. Suddenly, she calmed down, joining me on the couch and had a smile plastered on her face. She took my hands in hers, squeezing them tightly.
"What's up with you?" I asked her.
"Oh, um, I found stuff out," Bonnie commented and twirled her hair around her finger. It seemed to be the first time she was this nervous, but she wouldn't tell me why.
"You usually don't act like this, so I would advise you to tell me what's up." She had seemed to relax, so I thought this would be the best time to approach her. "Did something happen that I'm not aware of?"
"Yes!" Bonnie shouted, shaking the couch and me by how much she was jumping up and down. "Yes, something did. Why didn't Davina tell you earlier?"
I shrugged my shoulders. She just rolled her eyes, continuing to tug on my hands. Her eyes were the brightest I had ever see, which made me happy, but I still didn't know why. All I knew was that she deserved this more than anyone I knew.
"Are you sure Davina didn't tell you earlier?"
"Yes, I am sure. Why won't you tell me?" Now, I was as eager to know as she was to tell me. All she did was continue to smile, eyeing me up and down. I raised my eyebrows at her, wanting to know what the big excitement was, but not wanting to pry. I then grabbed her hands tightly in mine, looked into her eyes, and hoped she would tell me.
"Elena, I'm pregnant, but we haven't told Caroline yet," her voice exclaimed. Then, I put my hand down onto her stomach.
"That's amazing," I replied happily.
Bonnie watched my shocked expression and I noticed she looked like she was about to cry. Along with that, she wrapped me in a hug, which made me even happier.
"Would you like to be the godmother, Elena?"
"I would love to. I am beyond honored," I smiled. It was true. The fact that Bonnie trusted me enough to take care of her child meant everything, considering the fact that the chances of me and Stefan having kids were slim to none, but this would be a good enough second. I was glad that one of us would have been able to work this out.
"I'm glad you think so," she answered and made her way to the kitchen. The light in there was about to go out, so I made a mental note to change it.
"Bonnie?" I commented. She turned to me with a smile.
"What?"
"Let me know if you need or want anything," I told her and grabbed myself a drink, keeping an eye on her.
She quickly raised her eyebrows at me when she noticed I was staring. Why did she find it so confusing? We all had to treat her like she was two people instead of one.
We had eaten dinner later that night. Despite what Bonnie claimed, her pregnancy cravings were definitely kicking in already. She ate twice as much as I did, which was saying something because I hadn't eaten anything that day and was practically starving. Because I knew how territorial she was over her food, I made sure to keep our conversation about that to a minimum. Like any pregnant woman, I knew she would be extra hormonal, especially about the littlest things she wouldn't be concerned about before. There was only a small amount of her food left when she finished, but she insisted that I keep it for later.
"Do you have anything you want to do now?" I asked Bonnie. Knowing Bonnie, she wouldn't outright tell me if she needed anything because she didn't want to bother me. She just shook her head, but I wondering if something was wrong with her.
She quickly smiled at me and sat her hands in her lap. I felt like watching a movie and knew that it could possibly cheer her up. I quickly got up from the couch and put the movie in. The movie was "Before I Fall" and it got good reviews, along with the fact that the cast was extremely good looking. I looked over and started snickering lightly at her, noticing that she was practically inhaling the entire bowl of popcorn. She also seemed very entranced in the movie, which didn't surprise me, considering the fact that she had read the book first and loved it, but it was still very surprising to see.
"That was a really good movie, Bonnie," I said. Why was she being so quiet? It was starting to become quite concerning. I realized how late it was, so I just assumed that she was tired. She let out quite a loud yawn.
We had gone to bed shortly after, but my mind was wandering more than usual that night: I was excited about the fact that Bonnie was pregnant and the ache in my heart from missing Stefan seemed to be getting worse as I thought about what the future would hold for us. It seemed like no matter what I tried to do, sleep was being extremely stubborn when it came to taking over my body that night. I would just roll on my side and stare up at the ceiling and repeat the action every few minutes. Sleep finally came after a few hours and I was immediately thrown into a dream world.
"I got you a present," Stefan smiled, wrapping his arms around me. Because it seemed that almost everyone in Mystic Falls wanted to go on a road trip, it seemed like we were one of the few that wanted to stay.
"Thank you," I slipped his hand in mine and he twirled me effortlessly into his chest, which caused a smile giggle to escape to from my lips.
In the night sky, we heard fireworks erupting from the sky, causing me to raise my eyebrows at my boyfriend. The night seemed truly beautiful, I thought, taking in how the splashes of color seemed to reflect the emotions I was feeling so well. He grabbed my hand and vamped me up to the roof of the boarding house.
"What do you think?" Stefan asked. "I wanted to make this Fourth of July special."
I looked back at him, nodding, and a huge smile formed on my face. Is this what he did to make up for us missing the parade or did he have the idea beforehand? I was definitely surprised by this; something he seemed to do for me often.
"That's great!" Stefan exclaimed. He slipped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer, resting my head on his shoulder. Instantly, I remembered why he was my hope and always would be.
As they continued to go off, we were continuing to stare at them in awe. There was something about this moment that felt like it was I ever needed and nothing else in the world mattered; there was no other way that I would have loved to spend this day. This moment, this place, brought back so many memories that I would always cherish in my heart.
"Is this why you were okay with me not wanting to on the road trip?"
Stefan just looked at me with a smug smile on his face. I knew he probably didn't want me to know, considering he was always secretive about that kind of stuff, but his expression gave that away, so I burst out laughing...and he joined me before long.
"I guess there's nothing I can ever hide from you," he responded once the laughing fit was over. "How did you realize it? Turns out I can't even surprise you once." He seemed shocked and slightly shocked that his plan hadn't worked out.
We just gazed into each other's eyes for a moment and just expressing how much we loved each other silently. This seemed perfect, considering it was the type of moment the two of us never got any more, a moment that was completely and utterly private and our own.
"I guess we should head back inside," Stefan commented and helped me down from the roof.
I shuddered slightly, realizing how good sitting in front of the fireplace sounded. I smiled lightly at him as we went inside, watching as he wrapped a blanket and wrapped me up in it. Who knew that this is what the night would lead to? I certainly wasn't expecting it. After all, I was just planning on staying home and watching movies.
"Tonight was great. What did I do to deserve it?"
"Just because you love me," Stefan said. "I know it can be challenging and difficult at times."
"It's really not," I replied, wrapping my arms around him.
"Elena, do you have any idea how much I love you?" Stefan asked.
I smiled, nodding slightly, while also trying to keep the tears from falling from my eyes.
"I can't wait to see wait the future has in store for us," Stefan said and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. After a moment, he pressed a kiss onto my forehead.
I placed my hand in his and took in the moment. Today was everything I needed in a long time, considering how stressed out I was with all the prepping for Bonnie and Damon's wedding, but this seemed to take my mind off of it.
"Me neither," I whispered and looked up at him with a smile. I never wanted to lose feeling this way ever again.
I watched the fire, admiring Stefan's face that was being illuminated by it. The sight was certainly hypnotizing, not being able to tell which was hotter. I rested my head on his shoulder, remembering everything that we had gone through, as well as pressing a kiss to his cheek. He muttered something like "I never want to lose the way I feel about you? Why was I even worried about losing him in my sleep?
A moment later, I woke up in a cold sweat. Reflecting on the events of my dream, a small sob escaped from my lips. I hoped that Bonnie didn't hear that. However, it seemed that she did.
"Elena?"
I held my breath, hoping that she would just think that I fell back asleep.
"Will you please tell me what's wrong?"
I smiled at her lightly. "I had a bad dream. Don't worry about it...it wasn't real."
I heard her sigh. I smiled at the thought of her just leaving it alone. The last thing she needed was my delusions to just add to her issues.
"Do you really think I'd dismiss that, Elena?"
"I hoped so," I grimaced back. "Why are you so good to me?"
"Why do you think? You're my best friend."
"I guess you got that right. Everyone should have someone like you in their life. They'd be missing out otherwise."
My plans to have Bonnie just drop the subject failed miserably, but I guess it was something that needed to be done. I guess it wouldn't be smart to leave her in the dark after everything she's done for me.
"I think you're terrified that he'll come back and forget about you. You're wrong—Stefan would never let go of you and break your heart—he left town because—"
"Because he didn't want to hurt me," I finished for her. This caused more tears to fall from my eyes.
"Don't cry," Bonnie answered. "I just want to see you happy...and Stefan does too. We're the two most protective people over you—"
"Bonnie!" my voice cracked. "I don't want to cry anymore, but if you get any sappier on me, I will. Can you just stay here with me?"
"I would never leave you," Bonnie said and I could tell that she meant every word of it. "I want you to try and go to bed, but I'll be here if you need anything."
"You're too good to me. You insert yourself into my issues. Even if they're not yours to deal with. No matter what. I don't know what I would do without you, but I don't really want to find out.
"What makes you think I wouldn't?" My tears couldn't control themselves and were spilling over by the end of it. I wrapped my arms around her. "Look at everything we've both been through, Elena. We've helped each other the entire time. I wouldn't know I was a witch without you...I wouldn't have met Damon without you. Aren't those good things that have come out of the crazy situation. If you think about it, we wouldn't be as strong as we are without them, along with the fact that we all found the epic loves of your lives."
Before I knew it, my eyes seemed to flutter shut and sleep overtook my body once again. I could feel Bonnie leave my bed, but I knew that she would never take her eyes off of me: She had too many bad memories of things that had happened when Caroline was asleep, considering that seemed to be one of the effects that caused all the drama to start, so we both didn't want to relive those moments ever again.
"Why hasn't he came back to me yet?" I grumbled in my sleep and knew that those words could have caused Bonnie's heart to break.
I woke up first thing in the morning with the sun shining brightly in my eyes. I jumped out of bed and decided to make two cups of coffee.
"Elena, you're insane! Please tell me you got enough sleep!" Bonnie's voice hollered at me from upstairs.
I jumped because I didn't know she was up. However, she did look extremely well-rested. She met me downstairs, making herself a cup of tea, but she still seemed to have a permeant smile on her face. It made her smile like an angel, like everything about her was glowing: There seemed to be golden flecks in her eyes, her teeth were whiter than I had ever seen them, her skin seemed to glow in the dewy way that didn't make it look that she was sweating, and her tousled bedhead looked almost natural.
"What has you up so early?" she said to me.
"What do you mean?" I walked over and filled our coffee mugs up.
"Why did you wake up at practically the crack of dawn?"
"I'm an early riser. I honestly don't know what's been up with my body recently."
"I honestly have no clue how you do it!" She sipped at her coffee, jumping slightly from how hot it was. I took the cup from her, placing a couple ice cubes in there. "How can you stand for your coffee to be that hot, Elena?"
"I don't know," I laughed. "It must be all the years of hot caffeine that's been coursing through my veins." I glanced at her with wide eyes when I noticed something on the counter.
"I'll have to take lessons from you. You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Don't worry about it, Bonnie," I muttered, keeping my eyes on the background.
She looked back behind her. She mirrored my shocked expression, the both of us not knowing how to react to it.
"I don't know what that is," I said once I had finally caught my breath.
Bonnie went to grab it, fingering the cover very lightly and said to me, "Open it, Elena. I need to know if it'll help us in any way."
When she gave it to me, I was very hesitant on opening it. Every part of me wanted to open it, but it could give me hope or make me feel like drowning. I finally flipped the cover open—his handwriting was written messily on the messages, but I was still able to see what it said, my hand coming up to my mouth when I realized what it said. Judging by my facial expression, she came over, reading what was written on the pages.
"Your wishes finally came true," Bonnie replied. "Stefan's okay."
I smiled once those words left her lips and kept moving my gaze from the Bonnie to the book. Once the whole thing sunk in, I started dancing around the kitchen.
The entire thing was exactly what I needed, especially after the six months of him being gone. There was something about this moment that filled me with more hope than ever before. The letter seemed sweet and genuine like it wasn't written by someone who had spent half a year ripping heads off of people. Because of that, I knew that he would come back to me. Whenever that day would be, how much time would pass, whatever happened to the both of us, I would know that we would finally get our happy ending. I had finally found a home with him...I couldn't risk losing it again. It would be like how it was after my parents died, causing me to return to the broken girl I was.
"Who knew after everything, something like this would finally happen?" Bonnie interrupted my thoughts. "You thought that he was gone for good because you hadn't heard anything from him, but he's better now. That's the best news we've received in months."
Bonnie's words were exactly what I was thinking, but I was also thinking about how much I wanted him to be here with me. I brought my eyes back to the notebook, lingering on every word he said, picturing him writing them as I did so. The image was slightly painful. However, I knew that if I waited a little bit longer, he would be here in what felt like such a short amount of time. There was no way I was going to give up on him.
"You're right," I said and turned to her, the smile on my face growing.
"How are you feeling? What's on your mind?"
"I'm just glad to have people as amazing you guys in my life," I said and continued to drink my coffee.
Bonnie drank her tea and sat down next to me at the table.
"Is there anything you want to do today?" Bonnie asked, wiping her upper lip free of coffee.
"There's a garage sale in town if you want to go to it?" Bonnie smiled lightly. "Did you have anything planned today."
"I was just planning on spending it with you. There's nothing else I really want to do. Is that what you want to do?"
Bonnie smiled. I could tell that she was doing everything in her power to make me happy. It made me realize how much I didn't deserve her, how much she had been there for me through everything when she didn't have to, along with the fact that she was keeping me sane through the darkest time of my life, which was exactly what I would do for her. Could I ask for a better best friend?
Bonnie looked at me, a smile accenting her facial features. She chuckled at me slightly, but I just threw a glare in her direction.
"I was lost in thought," I began. "I really am happy to have you...but, I'm pretty sure you're tired of hearing that, Bonnie."
I could tell that she had tears in her eyes and I felt bad, but it was something I wanted her to hear, especially because I knew what it was like to feel unappreciated. I had been hurt, used and abused by people more times than I could count, but it all made me a stronger person. Maybe that was why this whole thing with Stefan hurt so much, because I was afraid to lose him, along with the fact that he truly did make me happiest, but I knew he would never fail to restore the feeling to me.
A/N: I am very excited to have this chapter up!! It was just filled with so much Stelena, Bamon, and Bonlena. I'm obsessed. Also, all credit for Elena's dream goes to Tara_Is_A_Unicorn. On other note, I was beyond excited for Bonnie's pregnancy and having Elena be the godmother.