Damon blinked, just to be sure that he was really seeing Katherine in front of him. It had been a really long time since he had laid eyes on her in person. "What ... uh ... what are you doing here?" he asked, fumbling over his words.
Slowly, Katherine stood from where she had been sitting. She brushed herself off and fixed her hair. "Don't I deserve a more proper greeting than that?" she asked, smirking at him.
Damon shrugged indifferently. But that mischievous smirk made him weak in the knees. It was usually something she did right before she started taking her clothes off. He prayed that wasn't her tactic now. "After seven years since you walked out on me, I'm not so sure" he answered.
Katherine continued to give him her famous smirk. "Ouch" she told him with that feisty tone he loved so much.
Damon sighed. "What do you want, Katherine?" he finally asked. He was exhausted and stressed beyond belief. Katherine showing up out of the blue was going to push him over the edge. She owned his heart, no matter how much he hated her for it.
"I heard you were doing well for yourself" she said, smiling as she motioned to the ginormous house behind her.
Damon crossed his arms. "Well, when you're single, you tend to have a lot more time to devote to working" he replied.
Katherine raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "You haven't met someone?" she asked.
Damon realized his mistake. He should have never let her know that he was still single. It gave her more power to ease herself back into his heart. "I'd like you to go" he told her. "Please." He really needed a solid eight hours of sleep to deal with her. Damon walked up the steps and brushed past her. He got his key out and unlocked his door.
"How's Stefan?" she asked.
Damon closed his eyes. What he really wanted to tell her was that Stefan was none of her business. But Katherine had raised Stefan practically since the day Damon had brought him home. Still, if Katherine cared so much about Stefan, she wouldn't have walked out on him either. Katherine only cared about herself, and that would never change.
Damon ignored her question. "Goodbye, Katherine" he said, going inside and shutting the door. Damon leaned against the door inside and listened quietly. Part of him wanted Katherine to go away.
The other part of him wanted her to knock on the door so he could let her in.
XXXX
Elena could hear beeping every few seconds or so. Other than that, it was silent. She kept her eyes closed, using her other senses to take in her surroundings. It was not a welcoming place for her at all.
Someone was holding her hand though. Stefan. That was Stefan's hand. She could tell by the way his hand fit perfectly around hers.
Elena tried to swallow, but noticed her throat was really sore. She ended up coughing instead and rolling to her side, which only hurt more.
"Easy, hey" Stefan said, rubbing her back gently and trying to comfort her.
Elena opened her eyes when she started to feel nauseous. "I'm going to be sick" she said hoarsely.
Stefan was quick to grab a small waste basket to put in front of her. He made it just in time and held her hair back for her as she threw up.
When Elena was done, she rolled back onto her back and closed her eyes, beginning to cry. She was so embarrassed. "I'm sorry" she cried softly. The last thing she ever wanted to do was get sick in front of someone like that, even if that someone had been her husband.
Stefan wet a cloth in some water and gently wiped her face for her, doing his best to make her feel better. "There's nothing to apologize for" he told her, setting the cloth aside and placing his hand on her leg. "You didn't get any on me, so no worries" he said, making light of the situation.
She couldn't help but laugh a little, even while she was crying and even though it hurt to do so. Elena placed her hand on her chest and took in a deep breath to try and calm down. She started coughing again. "It really ... hurts ... Stefan" she said in between her coughs.
"Here, try some water" he said, grabbing her water cup for her and holding it up to her lips to drink. He watched her take small sips before pushing his hand away. "Lay back, and I will go and get a nurse" Stefan said, helping her to lean back into her pillow.
He was only gone for a split second after having found someone to check on Elena. It broke his heart to walk back into the room with the nurse and to see Elena looking so miserable.
"Hi there Elena" the nurse said as she went to check on Elena's fluids. "You're coughing a lot and your throat is hurting still?" she asked.
Elena nodded. "And I'm really nauseous" she added, holding her throat that hurt when she spoke.
The nurse checked Elena's chart. "Alright, what I am going to do for you is give you something for the pain and nausea and then I am going to put you back on oxygen for a little while" she explained, making notes on Elena's chart. Then she reached around Elena for the oxygen and got her situated.
Elena looked worried. "Am I going to have to stay overnight?" she asked.
The nurse looked at Elena sympathetically. "Possibly" she answered. "Let's give the oxygen a little more time to work and then we'll talk about what will be best for you" she said, grabbing Elena's hand gently and smiling down at her. "I'll be right back with your medication" she promised before disappearing out of the room.
Elena looked down at the IV in her arm and frowned. "It itches" she whispered. She hated those damn things and was glad she was so out of it when the EMT had started it.
Stefan returned to his spot in the chair next to her bed. He grabbed her hand and gently ran his thumb over the tape holding her IV in place, trying to give her some relief. "I'm sorry you're going through this" he said softly. He felt helpless, like there was nothing he could do for her that would make things better. "I talked to Damon a little while ago and he's going to get your room set up for you" Stefan mentioned.
Elena wanted to tell him that she would rather stay at his house on the beach. But she couldn't sound like she needed him. The past six months, she had been trying to prove to herself that she didn't. She could be independent. "I want to rest for a little while" she whispered. It took a lot of effort for her to roll over on her side, away from him. Silent tears fell, but she knew he couldn't see them. "You don't have to stay here" she said quietly.
Stefan stayed where he was, having no intention of going anywhere. "I'll be right here if you need anything" he told her.
Elena closed her eyes and did her best to hide the fact that she was crying.
But he knew she was.
XXXX
Stefan put his jeep in park and shut the engine off in Damon's driveway. Elena dreaded having to get out of the jeep. But what other choice did she have? Her place was no longer livable. If it weren't for Damon, she would be living under a bridge. She was grateful for his hospitality. Damon was a good person who she loved very much. But she still did not want to get out of Stefan's jeep.
Elena did not want to accept the fact that she once again had to depend on someone else. She did not want to accept the fact that she had gone through something horrible and was having difficulty processing it. She did not want to admit that her life was a mess and she did not know what to do about it.
"He has air conditioning, and a lot more room" Stefan explained, sensing she was hesitant to be at Damon's house. She would be a lot more comfortable in Damon's house than in a house going through remodeling.
Elena thought she could hold it together. She really did. So when she broke down in tears in Stefan's jeep, she realized she was not as strong as she wanted to be.
Stefan felt his heart shatter. He got out of the jeep, walked around and opened her door. "Come here" he said, folding her into his arms. "What's going on?" he asked softly.
His question only made her cry harder. "I don't want to ... to be here" she sobbed quietly.
Stefan sighed. "I can't take you home with me, Elena" he said softly. "You'd be much more comfortable here" he said, trying to reason with her. He held her for a few more minutes, letting her calm down. When she didn't say anything more, he let go of her. "Come on. Damon's waiting for us" he said, doing his best to coax her out of the jeep.
Elena reluctantly got out of the jeep, holding onto his hand for support. She dried her eyes as they walked towards the front door.
The sweats and t-shirt she wore that Stefan had picked out from the gift shop were the only clothes she had. Her hair still smelled of smoke which was making her nauseous all over again. A shower was definitely in order. She was just thankful she didn't have to spend the night in the hospital.
"Hey guys" Damon said, opening the door for them before they even reached it. Damon's eyes searched Stefan's for a hint on how Elena was doing. Stefan just shook his head sadly. Damon smiled anyway, for Elena's benefit. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently. "Everything is set up for you upstairs. If you need anything Elena, and I mean anything, don't hesitate to ask" he said softly.
Elena refused to make eye-contact with him, because she knew she would just start crying all over again. So she nodded instead. He was so good to her when he really had no reason to be.
"Come on" Stefan said, wrapping his arm around her. He walked with her towards the stairs and they took them one at a time at her pace.
Once they made it to her room, Elena saw that it was exactly as she had left it the last time she had stayed with Damon. When she had left Stefan. Except this time, there were fresh cut flowers in a vase waiting for her on her nightstand. There was also a pair of pajamas to change into sitting on the foot of her bed. Stefan helped her sit down on her bed.
"Do you want to take a bath or a shower?" Stefan asked. He hoped she would agree to one, because her smelling like smoke was a constant reminder of what she had gone through.
Elena cleared her sore throat a little. "A bath" she answered.
"I'll go start one" he told her, trying to be as helpful as he could.
Elena could hear him in the bathroom moving around, and then eventually, she heard the water turn on. He was being so nice to her. He was being the man she had married. Kind, caring and concerned. She missed the man she had married, more than anything.
The water turned off a few minutes later and Stefan was walking back into her room. "It's ready" he informed her. "There are towels by the sink" he added.
Elena nodded. "When are you leaving?" she asked quietly.
Stefan couldn't help but wonder why Elena was so reluctant to stay at Damon's house. She got along with Damon really well and she loved it there. Or, she used to. He just hated to see her so miserable about having to stay there. "Actually, I think I might crash here tonight" he answered, surprising her. "While you're in ... there" he said, trying his hardest not to think about her naked in the bath. It was completely inappropriate given the circumstances. "I was going to run to the store. Do you need anything for the night?" he asked.
Elena eyed the clothes on her bed. She cleared her throat again, this time because she was embarrassed. "Umm ... clean ... underwear" she told him, hoping her messy hair hid any coloring on her cheeks. He looked embarrassed too for a moment, so she felt a little better. They had been married for two years. He saw her in a lot less than her underwear.
"Yeah, sure" he nodded. Picking out his ex-wife's underwear wouldn't be awkward at all.
Elena grabbed the clothes set out for her and slowly stood. She felt so weak and she hated it. "I umm, I left my bag from the hospital in the jeep" Elena told him quietly. The one with her inhaler and pain medication they had sent home with her.
Stefan nodded. "I'll grab it and leave it with Damon" he assured her.
"Thank you" Elena said, taking small steps towards the bathroom. She could feel Stefan's eyes on her the whole time, and even after she shut the bathroom door, she still felt vulnerable with him on the other side of it.
Stefan stared at the closed door for a moment, wondering if he should stay, just in case she needed help. She probably wouldn't ask for it though. Even when they were together, she had been independent. Half the time, he thought she just gave him tasks to help with so he would feel needed. Like when she asked him for help hanging pictures that she was perfectly capable of hanging herself. Or when she asked him to help take off a necklace she had taken off hundreds of times herself when he wasn't around.
He wanted so badly to help her now. He just didn't know where they stood. It should have been simple. He was supposed to meet the perfect girl, marry her and be happy. Addiction, divorce and fires where not a part of his plan. Especially not when Elena got hurt in the aftermath of it all.
With a heavy sigh, he left her room and went back downstairs. He saw Damon in the kitchen looking at his phone, so Stefan continued on his way to his truck. Elena had left her bag on the floor of his jeep. He opened it to make sure everything was in there.
When he returned to the house, Damon was on the phone. He looked up to see Stefan and held up his finger, indicating that he wanted to talk to him when he was done. "Yeah, thank you for the update. Okay. Bye." Damon set his phone down and cursed. "That was the fire department" he stated. "Faulty wiring in the kitchen sparked the fire" he explained.
Stefan sat down next to him, letting the new information sink in. "She should have never been in that house" he said, balling his fist up on the counter.
Damon turned his chair to face his little brother. "Stop" he demanded, knowing exactly where Stefan was heading. "This is not your fault. It was an accident" he reminded.
Stefan shook his head. "She's been through hell this past year because of me. She didn't deserve this. She didn't fucking deserve this!" he said, raising his voice out of frustration. He hadn't even realized he was crying. "She could have died today. If she hadn't woken up ... if she hadn't gotten out ..." he said, wiping at his eyes. He had spent the day keeping it all in and being strong for her. It was only a matter of time before he broke down. If something had happened to her ... he wasn't so sure he could recover from that. The thought was chilling.
Damon put his hands on his brother's shoulders and leaned in so Stefan had to listen to him. "But she did, and she's okay. She'll be okay" Damon told him. He had to look at the positive side of things.
Stefan nodded, because he knew his brother was right. But it still hurt. "I love her so much" Stefan cried softly. He closed his eyes as he let the pain sink in. "I don't know what to do for her" he admitted. He didn't want to come off as hovering over her, but he wanted her to know he was there for her too.
Damon squeezed his shoulder sympathetically. "You remind her that you're here for her. You listen to her when she decides to talk. And you stop second-guessing your ability to take care of her" Damon told him. Stefan opened his eyes, processing his older brother's advice. "You married her. You spent two years making her your priority. I don't give a damn what those divorce papers say. She's still your responsibility to take care of. You're the only one around anymore who knows what she needs right now" he explained.
Stefan slowly nodded, realizing that his brother was right. She had no one else around. Somehow, he needed to earn her trust back. "Thank you" he finally said, wiping at his eyes again. "I uh ... I have to go to the store and get her some things" he said.
Damon nodded and moved away from Stefan, giving him some space. "You go on now" Damon told him. "I'll be here until you get back."
"Thank you, for everything, Damon" Stefan told him. He was so thankful for his brother.
Damon felt himself getting a little sentimental. He hated seeing Stefan in so much turmoil. "The day I brought you home, Stefan. It changed my life" he said, feeling himself starting to get choked up a bit. "I'm here for you, and that won't ever change" he promised.
Stefan nodded and moved in to hug his brother briefly. Damon changed his life too. "I should go. She just got into the bath. I think she'll be okay until I get back" he said. Then he turned to leave.
"Hey Stefan?" Damon asked. Stefan turned around, still wiping at his eyes. "The medics found these in her hand when they put her in the ambulance" he said, pulling Elena's wedding rings out of his jacket pocket and holding them out for his brother. "Apparently, they were worth saving" he said, giving his brother a hopeful smile.
Stefan held his hand out and watched as his brother dropped the rings into his hand. He just stared at them for a moment, remembering the time he had placed them on her finger. One when he had proposed and the band when he had married her.
He promised himself he would ask her about the rings later, because he wanted to know what saving them from the fire, meant.
XXXX
Elena had just closed her eyes for a moment, only to smell smoke. She opened them quickly and sat up, searching around her. She was fine though, safe in Damon's home. It was just another fearful flashback of the fire earlier that day. She had been having them ever since she got in the bathtub and tried to relax. Whenever she closed her eyes, she smelled smoke, or saw flames, and her chest began to tighten with anxiety. She was so exhausted, but her body refused to let her sleep.
Elena rolled over slowly and looked at the clock on her nightstand. It was early yet. Just after 8:00 PM. She didn't know if Stefan was back from the store yet, but she had heard Damon's footsteps pass by her room more than a few times. He even knocked once to ask how she was doing and she had lied, telling him she was fine.
A light tapping on her door right then had her heart beating fast as she listened for who it might be. "Elena?" Stefan's soft voice asked.
Elena sat up some and turned on her lamp. "Come in" she answered. She rubbed at her aching throat.
He opened the door slowly. He had a bag with him as he walked inside. "Sorry it took me so long" he said, sitting down on her bed beside her. "I picked you up some clothes, and a toothbrush, hairbrush, things like that" he said, setting the bag down on the floor. All things he thought she might need the next day. "Are you hungry?" he asked. "Damon made soup."
Elena shook her head no. Then she moved to lay back down, trying to get comfortable again. "Thank you for getting me all of that" she said quietly. Those things were quite literally all she had now.
Stefan stared at her, torn between letting her rest and staying with her. "Do you want to talk about it? The fire?" he asked gently. She ignored his question. So he pulled her rings out of his pocket. "The medics found these, in your hand" he said, holding them in his palm for her to see.
Elena's eyes couldn't help but be fixated on the rings he was holding. She thought she had lost them.
"Why did you save these?" he asked, just barely above a whisper. He had to know. Did it mean something?
Elena blinked back the first tear. "Because they mean something to me" Elena said quietly. "Marrying you was one of the happiest days of my life" she admitted. Her rings reminded her of that. Those rings were the first thing she thought of when she woke abruptly to the smell of smoke and the ear-piercing alarm.
Stefan focused on her words. Listening to her tell him she was happy when she married him was wonderful to hear after everything that had happened. He didn't know what to say, without telling her that he loved her. He reached over and put the rings on the nightstand. "You should get some sleep" he said, standing from her bed. "I'm in the room next door if you need anything" he added.
Elena watched him walk away from her and her anxiety was back. "Stefan" she said, catching his attention before he left her room. She watched him turn around and face her, giving her his full attention. She decided she would be honest with him. "I'm scared" she admitted.
Stefan decided it was time to take his brother's advice and listen to Elena. She was willing to open up, and he wanted to be there for her. So, he walked back to her bed and lay down on the other side, facing her. "Tell me what's scaring you" he said quietly, searching her eyes. She looked so sad, and it was breaking his heart.
Everything. "I don't know what I'm going to do" she admitted. "I have nothing anymore" Elena told him sadly. Nowhere to live and no money. It was really hard to stay positive when her future looked so dark.
Stefan hesitated, but reached his hand out across the bed and grabbed hers to hold. "You have me" he said, smiling sadly. He wasn't sure if that was comforting for her or not. "I'm sorry that this past year has been such a mess" he told her quietly. "You didn't do anything to deserve any of this" he added, wanting her to know none of it was fair.
Elena looked at Stefan and felt his thumb gently move back and forth over her hand. His words were so genuine and she found herself believing in them. "This is the man I married" she whispered, squeezing his hand that was holding onto hers.
Stefan could see the relief she felt by having him there. He moved closer to her so they shared her pillow. He decided to give her something she wanted. "You asked me what my childhood was like" he began. His chest ached from the thought of having to talk about it. He probably wouldn't tell her everything, but he would give her something. "I ... I don't remember much about my mom" he said quietly, continuing to run his thumb along her hand. "I remember her being gone more than I remember her being around" he said sadly. "I remember feeling hungry, and her telling me to stop whining. That I was fine" he told her. Stefan felt Elena squeeze her hand again. "She's sick, like me" he said, painfully admitting that fact. "She didn't have anything to live for, to get better for" he added. "But I have you, and Damon. And I'm trying really, really hard Elena" he said, feeling his eyes start to sting with tears.
Elena ignored her own tears as she focused on Stefan's. It was a start, having him open up about his past and his feelings. She would accept that. "She had you" Elena whispered sadly. In her mind, a child was worth living for, worth getting better for.
Stefan didn't know what to say, because he had thought about that a lot. He sometimes felt angry that his mother couldn't get better for him. "Dr. Erickson asked me if I married you, so that I would have someone to take care of" he whispered. "Because I didn't have someone to take care of me ... when I was younger" he explained. It was something he thought about a lot. It made sense, whether or not he believed it was true about him.
Elena squeezed his hand again. She found it comforting, to focus on him for a change. "Maybe you just needed someone to love" she said, offering up her advice. He must have been lonely growing up.
Stefan thought about what Elena had said. That could have been true. Or maybe, it was something else. "Maybe I just needed someone to love me" he whispered.
Elena's heart ached for him. Even in the midst of such terrible things happening in her life, she still loved him and had empathy for what he had gone through when he was young. "Will you stay with me tonight?" she asked quietly.
Stefan nodded.
"Goodnight" she whispered.
"Goodnight, Elena" he said, sitting up and reaching over her to turn off her lamp. He continued to hold her hand, even after they had both drifted off to sleep.