The power was still out as they lay there in bed, in the dark, facing one another. Their breathing had evened out long ago and the sheets no longer stuck to their bodies.
She could hear his breathing, even and steady. It was calming. "I've always wanted to get married in a church" she said quietly. She honestly wasn't even sure if he was still awake.
There was a long pause before he replied. "You never told me that" Stefan said quietly. Their first marriage happened so quick that picking a spot on the beach had seemed like a logical choice. She had never told him she would have rather been married somewhere else, so he just assumed she was happy with a beach wedding. He had been so desperate to marry her and the guilt he felt for rushing her started to sit in the pit of his stomach. If only he could go back in time, slow things down and wait to marry her until they were both ready.
Elena shrugged slightly. "I liked the beach too" she said softly. Then she moved closer to him, close enough so she could feel his body against hers. "It was a beautiful wedding" Elena whispered. She needed him to know that. She had no regrets. "And that night ..." Elena added, feeling herself blush at the memory of when they returned home to his apartment. Their apartment.
Stefan reached his left hand out and let his fingertips skim down her waist, finally settling on her hip. "That night was incredible" he whispered. The memory of their first time together was burned into the back of his mind. And he was perfectly okay with that.
Elena smiled as she felt herself being pulled closer to him. "What was your favorite thing about that night?" Elena asked softly.
Everything about that night was his favorite. From the dress she wore, to the moment she said "I do" and then when they made it back to the apartment. But he knew the exact moment that he loved the most. "When you let me put the ring on your finger" Stefan answered. "You had looked so nervous while we were standing there, listening to the officiant. But when I gave you your ring, you smiled, and ... you didn't look so nervous anymore."
Elena felt his fingers tracing the wedding band on her finger. The one she had decided to start wearing again not that long ago. The one he wanted to replace for a fresh start. "I was scared out of my mind" Elena whispered. "I had nothing when I met you" she reminded sadly. "And my parents, they had the most amazing marriage. I wanted that, and I believed I could have that. And when you put my wedding ring on my finger, I felt like I was going to get that chance to have a happily ever after, like my mom and dad" Elena explained.
"They sound like incredible parents" Stefan said, watching her closely for the first sign of a tear. Although she never talked about them much, Stefan knew that she missed them terribly, and that their death was still painful for her five years later. "I wish I could have met them" Stefan spoke softly.
"I wish you could have met them too" Elena whispered as the first tear ran down her cheek. "As hard as it is for me to see your brother and Katherine raise Jeremy, I really think it is an admirable thing they're doing. Raising someone else's child." She felt his hand brush the lingering tear off of her chin. "I was adopted" she said, admitting that piece of her family history to him for the first time.
Stefan was surprised by her announcement. "You never told me that either" he said softly.
Elena shrugged a little. "I don't really tell anyone, because they were my parents since the day I was born" she told him. They were all she knew.
"Jeremy too?" Stefan asked.
Elena shook her head no. "He was their miracle baby" she said, smiling. "They tried for a really long time to have one of their own." Her smile faded quickly. "They didn't get much time with him" she said, feeling more tears stinging her eyes.
He reached over and brushed some more tears off of her cheek. "They didn't have enough time with you, either" Stefan said softly.
The few tears she shed were nothing compared to the tears she had now. Elena wanted more than 16 years with her parents. The fact that Stefan validated that for her made her love him that much more. "I love you" she whispered as she moved closer so he could hold her.
He did just that, adjusting his body to accommodate her. "I love you too, Elena. So much" he whispered back.
XXXX
The sun felt warm as it filtered in through the bedroom window. She stretched, then tugged the sheet closer to her body, realizing that the air had kicked on at some point during the early morning hours. She had no clothes on, thanks to Stefan who had taken them off of her the night before. She blushed just thinking about it.
The thought of staying in bed all day crossed her mind. Although she had no clue what time it was, she felt tired nonetheless. Not just physically tired either. She felt tired emotionally too after talking with him the night before. After telling him how she was adopted and talking about her parents. But she felt relieved having opened up to him. Like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.
Elena sighed contently with her eyes closed, missing Stefan already. She thought about getting up and going to find him, but she knew if she waited long enough, he would come wake her up. Plus, then she would not have to get up out of the warm, comfortable bed.
And she was right. The dip in the bed caused by his weight as he joined her made her smile. His entire body hovered over hers and his lips were kissing hers gently in an effort to wake her. "Good morning" he whispered, smiling when he saw her pretending to still be asleep.
When she refused to open her eyes and acknowledge his presence, he took it upon himself to slowly peel back the white cotton sheet. Stefan bent his head and placed a kiss against her collarbone. As more and more skin was revealed, he kissed there too.
Elena's eyes opened then, adjusting to the sunlight finally. "You do realize it is Saturday morning, and you could be sleeping in, right?" she whispered contently.
Stefan just smiled as he continued kissing against her skin. He pulled the sheet down until he reached her hips. His eyes moved down her naked body and then back up again. "You're breathtaking" he told her. Stefan watched a small blush form across her cheeks and he decided to lean down and kiss her lips.
"Power is back on" he said, once he was able to keep his lips to himself again.
"I know" Elena replied. "The air conditioning turned on" she said, shivering slightly now that his lips were not fused to her skin. Elena pulled the sheet back over her.
"You cold?" Stefan asked. Then he smiled. "Maybe I can do something about that."
Elena shrugged a little. "I think you're wearing too many clothes to do something about it" she told him.
Stefan looked down at himself and smiled in agreement. He reached for her hands and laced his fingers through hers. "Care to join me for a shower?" he asked, showcasing a lopsided grin. "I'll have to take my clothes off and you'll get warm" he explained.
Elena couldn't help but grin. "Well aren't you clever" she said.
"Is that a yes?" he asked.
"It wasn't a no" Elena replied. She smiled as she felt him begin lifting her out of bed. The sheet that had covered her was now a pile on the floor.
XXXX
The buttermilk waffle Stefan had prepared was exactly what she needed when she had finally made it downstairs. The fresh blueberries and strawberries were an added bonus. "This looks amazing" Elena said as she slid into one of the seats at the counter.
"You're going to need your energy" he mentioned as he slid into a seat next to her.
Elena raised a questioning eyebrow at him as she cut into her waffle. She could already feel her mouth start to water. "How come?" she asked.
"House hunting" he answered. "I spoke with a realtor a few minutes ago and she has agreed to show us around some of the houses near here" Stefan explained. "I mean, if you want to go look. Houses are flying off the market in this neighborhood, so I thought we'd best start looking" Stefan added quickly.
"Okay" Elena shrugged, taking another bite of her waffle.
"Okay" Stefan said, glad to hear she was on board with his plan. "Then maybe afterwards, we can take Jeremy down to the docks. Let him watch the fishing boats come in" he suggested.
Elena leaned over and pressed her lips against his the moment he turned to look at her. "He'll love that" she said softly.
He smiled and captured her lips in another kiss. He was starting to second guess his plans for the day. Now, all he wanted to do was kiss her.
A knock on the front door interrupted their kiss and had them both turning their heads towards the sound. "Who would that be?" Elena asked. Damon did not get many visitors that she was aware of.
Stefan shrugged. "Not sure. I'll go see" he told her, patting her knee as he got out from his chair and headed towards the front door. Maybe his brother was expecting a package, or maybe it was someone trying to sell something. Stefan remembered that he had not shut the front gate the night before.
The knocking became more persistent the closer he came to the door. "I'm coming" Stefan said, hurrying the last few steps. He opened the door and, when he saw who was standing on the other side of it, he felt as though all of the air had left his lungs. "Mom" he managed to get out after a few moments.
She stood there, her dirty blond hair loose around her shoulders and her fingers shaking slightly. "Hey sweetheart."