Elena stood before a church full of people, dressed in her ridiculously expensive white frilly dress, holding hands with Stefan. He had a giddy grin plastered on his face, probably because he would be able to start counting down the days until the money would come rolling into his bank. Every so often, he would run his thumb over her hand, enjoying the fact that she couldn't punch him in front of his friends and family. The preacher was still rattling off meaningless words and Elena still had her fake smile on.
Caroline was behind Elena, holding the flowers and wiping at tears. Lily was in front of Caroline, waving at anyone who looked in her direction. Alaric was behind Stefan, failing miserably at controlling his laughter whenever Stefan would speak. Damon was behind Alaric, his eyes never leaving Elena. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze quite a few times, but looking at Stefan was no better.
Elena could see Katherine out of the corner of her eye. She was pulling small bottles of liquor out of her purse, downing them in three sips or less. Katherine was pretty much drunk by the middle of the ceremony and would begin giggling at inappropriate times. She was also dressed in all black so as to let everyone know that Stefan's marriage would not last. If only Katherine knew how right she actually was. Zach was seated next to her, paying no mind to her behavior. He was used to it by this point. He half wished that she would go find a waiter boy and take him upstairs later at the reception.
"Do you, Elena, take Stefan, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the preacher asked.
Elena was snapped back into reality when she heard her name. She looked Stefan square in the eye, letting him know that she could blow his cover right here, right now. But he didn't look worried and that bothered her. She had no other choice. "I do" she said, forcing an even bigger smile.
"And do you, Stefan, take Elena, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he asked.
Stefan focused all of his attention on Elena, looking at her adoringly. It made her want to slap the smile right off of his face. "I do" he replied.
The rings were exchanged in somewhat of a blur. All Elena remembered was how he held on to her hand longer than he needed to.
"With the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Stefan, you may kiss your bride" the preacher finished.
Stefan looked all too happy to pull her in close and kiss her in front of everyone. After all, why shouldn't he be happy? He was that much closer to 12 million dollars. But Elena let him kiss her, let him hold her against him, practically squeezing the life out of her. She could hear the guests standing and clapping and realized that she must have put on quite the performance. When Stefan pulled away from her, they were quickly guided away from the alter and back down the aisle. Elena barely had any time to think before she was being pushed into the limo with the door shutting behind them.
"Whew" Stefan breathed out. "Talk about a lot of work" he said, leaning back in his seat. Elena sat back as well, remaining silent. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She shook her head. "I'm just tired is all" she told him. She hated to think that they still had a few more hours at a reception before they could leave. There would be no honeymoon right now since Elena still had classes. They were just going to rent a small cabin on the outskirts of town where it would be peaceful and quiet. Caroline had been in charge of arranging it. Elena just hoped that the night would pass quickly so she could resume with her real life in the morning.
Stefan shrugged off her excuse. "So, about tonight ..." he ventured.
"What about it?" she asked wearily.
"You know. You. Me..." he said. Elena raised an eyebrow. "Sex" he said, deciding to get straight to the point.
"I already told you. I'm not sleeping with you" Elena said, looking out the window.
"What's the harm in us sleeping together?" he asked, staring at her. "We are legally married. Not like we would be doing anything wrong" he shrugged again.
"You might be lousy in bed" Elena replied. A small smirk wanted to form on her face at the idea of Stefan, the Playboy, being lousy in bed. But she didn't let it show.
Stefan scoffed. "Me? Lousy? Not even possible" he told her. Elena muttered something he could not understand, but he was sure it was an insult. "Tell you what" he said, turning to face her. Elena turned to look at him expectantly. "I'll make you a deal" he said. Elena inwardly cringed at the thought of him making another deal with her. "You sleep with me tonight. If after tonight you never want me in your bed again, I swear I will never bring it up again."
Elena's eyes grew wide. "Seriously?" she asked. He shrugged. "You are despicable" she told him, looking back out the window.
Stefan grinned. He was getting under her skin. "Come on now Elena" he said, placing his hand on the top of her leg and running it upwards slowly. Elena slapped his hand away. "You won't regret it" he said smoothly.
"No" Elena said. Stefan leaned away from her and sighed. He wasn't done convincing her yet, but he figured he needed to back off for a bit before he tried to convince her some more. Elena though, thought she had won this battle. Finally.
XXXXXXXXXXX
The reception was nice. Yes, nice was the word Elena would use. Person after person came up to them, congratulating them and wishing them well. Dinner had come and gone, followed by the cutting of the cake and dancing. But Elena hardly ate. And she hardly danced.
Elena had been able to peel herself away from Stefan and all the attention some time later. It felt nice to be able to breathe. She wandered down the hall of the lavish hotel, in search of a peaceful corridor to hang out in until she felt ready to go back to the crowd. Although she found a place, she was sure it would not be peaceful. She found Katherine on the floor, slouched down and leaning against the wall with a glass of champagne in her hand.
Katherine looked up at Elena as soon as she realized she was there. Katherine let her head fall back and bang against the wall as a smile spread across her lips. "Congratulations" she slurred slightly.
Elena stopped and looked at the pitiful woman before her. "Somehow I don't believe that you mean that" Elena told her, a sad expression following.
Katherine began laughing softly. "Of course I don't you stupid girl" she laughed, rolling her head against the wall. She brought the glass of champagne up to her mouth and took a big drink, spilling some of it down her dress. Katherine looked down at the mess and giggled. "Oops" she said, letting the glass drop down beside her. She then closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "You got the brother I was supposed to have" she said softly, as if she were falling asleep. "You got my Stefan."
Elena shook her head. "You have a family who takes care of you, a husband who loves you, and a beautiful little girl" Elena reminded her. She couldn't feel sorry for a woman like Katherine who literally had it all.
Katherine laughed as she opened her eyes. Elena could tell she was drunk, but she apparently was competent enough to hold a conversation. "You think any of that matters to me?" she scoffed.
"Lily should matter to you" Elena told her pointedly.
Katherine smiled. "You think I wanted that little brat?" she asked Elena. Elena felt like she had been punched in the stomach. How could a mother think that way about her own child? "She ruined my figure for nine months and then kept me up all night for another twelve" she said in disgust.
Elena felt tears prick at the back of her eyes. That little girl didn't deserve this. Better yet, she didn't deserve a mother like Katherine. "Then why are you still here?" Elena shot at her. Why didn't Katherine just leave? Have her fun with no responsibilities?
Katherine smirked. "How else would I have access to the Salvatore money?" Katherine asked.
Elena felt so sick that she needed to get away from this woman. Suddenly, she had no desire to learn of what happened between Stefan and Katherine. It was clear that the woman before her was a disaster and she took down everyone around her. "Mommy?" they both heard from behind Elena. Elena turned around immediately to see Lily standing completely still, her eyes glued to her intoxicated mother. "Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked, concern appearing in her eyes.
"Everything Lily. Everything is wrong" Katherine replied, throwing her head back again and closing her eyes, not acknowledging her daughter any further.
Elena remained frozen during this exchange, but she quickly snapped out of it. "Come on Lily, let's go back to the party" Elena said, grabbing the little girl's hand. When the little girl didn't move, Elena followed her gaze which was still on her mother. "Your mom is taking a little rest. She'll be okay" Elena lied. What else would you tell a six year old? "Come on. Let's go and find your uncle" she suggested.
This seemed to grab Lily's attention. "Okay" she said sadly, allowing Elena to lead her away. But as Elena was leading her away, Lily's head was turned around, watching her mother.
Elena kept the girl close to her as they navigated the room, searching for Stefan. He was pretty easy to spot out once they saw the crowd of men. Elena worked her way up to him, apologizing for bumping into people. Stefan smiled when he saw Elena coming his way, but a confused look appeared when he saw Elena's face. She looked upset. So did Lily. "Excuse me" he told the men, stepping around them as he made his way toward them. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Before Elena could answer, Lily burst into tears. "I want Mommy" she cried, giant tears rolling down her cheeks.
Stefan looked at Elena before dropping down to Lily's level and pulling her into his arms. He picked her up, holding her close. "It's okay, we'll find her" he soothed. Stefan felt a hand on his arm. When he turned to look at Elena, she shook her head sadly. And he understood what she meant. He nodded slowly. "Hey, why don't we go and find some ice cream?" he offered instead.
Slowly, the sobs began to retreat as Lily pulled her face away from his chest. "Okay" she sniffed. Stefan wiped some of the hair out of her face and dried her tears. Elena stepped back as Stefan began walking toward the exit. She stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before grabbing another drink and beginning to wander around the room.
"Well don't you look stunning" Damon grinned as he approached her. Elena inwardly groaned. "I see you are not on Stefan's arm anymore. Did you get bored?" he asked.
Elena glared at him. "Where's your wife Damon?" she asked. Damon chuckled. Really? She was going to bring that up again? "Better yet, where is your daughter?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Damon's cocky grin disappeared and Elena could see his mind racing. She decided to put him at ease. "Stefan took her for ice cream after she was traumatized by seeing her drunk mother on the floor in the hallway" she nearly spat.
Damon recomposed himself. "Well, my wife does know how to have a good time" he covered. Elena looked at him with disbelief.
"You are unbelievable" Elena said, downing her drink and setting the empty glass down.
"You know what is unbelievable?" Damon asked. "How many people you two are fooling with this little marriage of yours" he said. Elena groaned in frustration. He really wasn't going to let this go. "Just so you know, I have people watching you two" he grinned. Elena's expression remained unchanged, but she was fuming inside.
"Do you now?" she asked. She would have loved nothing better than to smack him hard.
"Yes" he told her. "They tell me everything" he announced. Elena raised her eyebrow at him. "I know that you two sleep in different bedrooms" he said proudly.
No way was Elena going to give him the satisfaction of being right. "You're right, we did" she announced. Damon looked at her a bit confused now. "I was staying in a separate room because I don't believe in being in bed with a man until I am married to him" she said proudly. "Now that we are married, I can sleep in our bed with him" she stated. She loved the irritated look that Damon was giving her now. But now since people were watching them, she had to be more careful. "Go on now, what else do you know?" Elena asked, crossing her arms.
"Well played, Elena" Damon told her. He stepped even closer to her. "I know this marriage is a sham, so I will have everyone I know watching you two from here on out and I will report everything I find out to my family" he threatened. With that, he walked away.
Elena felt her hand shake at the intense interaction she had just had. Damon could try all he wanted, but he wasn't going to find anything. Elena would make sure of it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Elena found Stefan and Lily in the large conference room on the other side of the hotel lobby. Stefan was sitting in a large swivel chair and Lily was perched on top of the table, eating her ice cream. Elena approached them cautiously, not too entirely sure that she was welcome. But after her run in with Damon, she needed to get out of the room. "Hey you two" she said.
"Hey yourself" Stefan said, taking another bite of his ice cream. He looked at Lily and smiled, causing her to giggle. Elena noticed a change in his demeanor when he was around Lily. He was ... gentle and loving. Things she never saw in him. "Do you want some? We can order it" he told her.
Elena shook her head. "No thank you" she said, turning down the offer. "I just wanted to make sure you two weren't causing any trouble" Elena said, a small bashful smile appearing on her face when he looked at her.
Lily turned to face her and smiled. "Uncle Stefan broke a vase and swept it under the rug" Lily announced, pointing past Elena to where the rug was slightly lumpy.
"Shhh!" Stefan whispered. "You're going to get me in trouble" he told her. He poked at her stomach and the little girl burst into a fit of laughter.
Elena opened her mouth wide in pretend shock at the news. "What do you think Lily? How long should we put him in timeout?" she asked.
Lily thought for a moment before deciding. "Like four days" she said.
Now was Stefan's turn to open his mouth wide in shock. "Four days?" he asked. "I would get really bored" he said.
"Not if I got to go in timeout with you" she said, taking another bite of her ice cream.
"That's true" Stefan agreed. He leaned back in his chair and finished off his ice cream. Elena stood there and watched the two. Elena silently wondered how Lily ended up with two terrible people as her parents when there was a good, albeit somewhat immature and obnoxious, man who could love and take care of her the way she deserved to be. It broke her heart almost to think that Stefan quite possibly might be the only reasonable adult in her life. Then it made Elena feel even worse for the child because Stefan was definitely not high on her list of favorite people. But moments like these warmed her heart just a little.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Finally" Stefan said as he carried their bags into the cabin. "I didn't think this day would ever end." He set the bags down and flopped onto the bed.
Elena stopped and looked around the place. It was small. Very small. As in, one bed in the middle of a room. There was a fireplace and candles and various decorations to make the place cozy. But there was one bed. One bed and one very eager Stefan. "Remind me to thank Caroline for this" she said, pointing carelessly at the bed Stefan was laying on.
Stefan grinned and patted the space next to him. "I'm quite happy with our sleeping arrangements" he said.
Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you are" she said, tossing a pillow from the couch at him. She grabbed her bag and went in to the bathroom to change.
Stefan sat up and removed his clothes, deciding to leave his boxers on out of respect for Elena. Was he seriously not going to have sex on his wedding night? He grabbed an extra pillow and closed his eyes.
The bathroom door opened and Elena walked out in her flannel pajama bottoms and camisole top she always wore to bed. Stefan opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Don't you look adorable" he teased.
"And don't you look severely underdressed for us not having sex tonight" she commented, putting her dress away. She walked back towards the bed and kicked his clothes to the side. She got in the bed, tucking the covers over her tightly. Stefan rolled over on his side and looked at her longingly. "It ain't happening" she said, sighing as she closed her eyes. Then she remembered her conversation with Damon earlier. "Did you know your brother has people following us?" she asked. "He knew we were staying in separate bedrooms." She opened her eyes and turned over to face him.
Stefan smiled. "That so" he said. "Well, he's moved to Mystic Falls so I'm sure he will have an even easier time keeping tabs on us" he mentioned. Elena's eyes grew wide. That was news to her. "What do you propose we do about this?" he asked her.
Elena thought for a moment. As much as she didn't like it, she was going to have to suggest it. "I guess we have to start sharing a room" she shrugged. Stefan smiled. He liked that solution. "Just because I sleep in your bed doesn't mean we have sex" she stated. He frowned. "You're pathetic" she said, shoving a pillow in his face.
He took it from her effortlessly and tossed it aside. "But I don't give up. Do I get points for that?" he asked, leaning closer to her.
"No" she answered, laying back down. This night could not be over any faster, she thought.
"Can I at least get a goodnight kiss?" he asked. Elena groaned. He really was relentless. "Come on. I won't bother you anymore tonight" he promised.
Elena sat up and looked at him. "One kiss" she warned, pointing her finger at him. Stefan agreed and waited for her to lean in to him. As soon as her lips made contact, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flesh against him. He felt her gasp against his lips and even press her hands against his chest, but she wasn't struggling. So he deepened the kiss, keeping his hold on her. When her breathing became hitched, he figured he had done his job. She wanted him. Maybe not tonight. But she definitely wanted him. Stefan let his forehead rest against hers as she caught her breath. Her eyes locked on his as she swallowed hard.
"Think that was good?" he asked her in a low whisper. "Wait until you see what I can do with my hands." Elena gasped with shock that he would say such a thing in her presence. She quickly pinched the inside of his arm as hard as she could, earning a yelp from him. "What the hell?" he asked, backing away from her.
"Just showing you what I can do with my hands" she said, turning to face away from him. A smirk formed on her face. She turned the light off. He deserved that. Her brain was right. It was a bad idea to get involved with him, physically or emotionally. But her body was fighting that idea. Her body wanted him. Bad. She lay there for a few minutes, trying to get her breathing back to normal so she could sleep.
"Elena?" she heard Stefan ask quietly. Elena shut her eyes tight, resisting the urge to smack him.
"What, Stefan?" she asked, turning back over to face him. It was dark in the cabin, but with the moonlight shining in through the window, she could see his face. He was staring at her. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed.
"Thank you" he said softly, keeping eye contact with her. "For what you did for Lily tonight" he added.
Elena looked at him for a moment before responding. "She didn't deserve to see her mother like that" Elena said. Stefan nodded in agreement. A few more minutes went by in silence. "Does she mean it Stefan? The way she talks about that little girl?" Elena asked in a soft whisper, feeling the same tears that threatened to spill during her earlier run-in with Katherine, return. Katherine had flat out admitted that she never wanted Lily. Hell, she practically talked as if the little girl was the worst thing to ever happen to her. And it broke Elena's heart. Elena silently cursed when she felt a tear fall down her cheek.
It did not go unnoticed by Stefan. "I tell myself that she doesn't mean it" Stefan whispered. He reached out and wiped at a second tear sliding down her cheek. He wanted to smile at the fact that she didn't move away from him, but the subject was not one to smile about. "To be honest, I don't know anymore" he told her.
Elena felt a tightness in her chest that she usually felt when she got bad news. But she nodded slowly and rolled back over to face away from him again.
Stefan remained where he was, trying to figure out what had just happened between them. Had they just had a moment? A real moment where they were both themselves? He shook his head. It couldn't have been. But the fact that the woman right next to him cared about his niece enlightened him. Maybe Elena wasn't so bad after all.
A/N: So what do you all think about Katherine now? Damon? Stefan and Elena's "moment"?