A/N: Happy New Year everyone! It has been a while, but I dedicated a portion of today to write an update and I am so happy I did. I miss this story and you all!
"Keep them closed!" Katherine demanded as she led Stefan from the front door and down the driveway.
"They are" Stefan said, growing increasingly worried as he relied on Katherine to navigate him safely. She told him she wanted to surprise him when he got home from work that evening. He had no idea what she wanted to show him. "Where are you taking me?" Stefan asked. He felt the pavement of the road under his flip flops and listened to make sure no cars were coming. Katherine tended to get distracted and he really did not want to get hit.
"We're almost there" Katherine promised as she crossed the street with him. Once they were safely on the other side, she removed her hands from him. "Surprise" she said, allowing him to open his eyes.
Stefan stared straight ahead at a bunch of tall grass and bushes. "Uh … thank you?" he asked, not quite sure what to say to this surprise she was giving him.
She slapped his arm and rolled her eyes. "I tracked down the guy who owns this vacant lot" Katherine informed him. "It took some negotiating, but I was able to convince him to sell it for a fair price. Five acres" she explained.
Stefan stared out at the lot, starting to piece together what she was suggesting. "Katherine, this is an undeveloped lot" he told her.
"Yeah, I know. But you and Elena have been searching for a house for over a month now with no luck" she reminded. "Think about it. You could have your dream home built. Just the way Elena wants it" Katherine explained.
While it sounded like a nice idea, he had to be realistic. "That could take a year. Maybe more" Stefan said. A lot of work, too.
"So?" Katherine asked. "Rent until the house is built. Hell, stay with us" she said. "You would be right across the street from us" she mentioned.
"Which is why I'll have to decline" he told her, grinning just a little when she glared at him.
"You'd be right across the street from Jeremy" Katherine added.
Stefan turned and looked at the lot again. "That would be nice, especially for Elena" he admitted.
Katherine leaned into him and stared at the lot too. "I think this could be really great for you two. A new start" she told him.
Stefan stared at the lot for another minute before hugging Katherine. "Thank you" he told her, knowing that she went out of her way to help him find a solution to his home buying struggles. "I'll talk to Elena tonight" he promised. The more he thought about building a home, the more he hoped Elena would like the idea.
"You're welcome" Katherine said, walking with him back across the street to her house. "Don't let her say no" she told him.
Stefan chuckled. "I'll do my best" he agreed.
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"You start school tomorrow" Damon said, making good on his word to be home for dinner.
Jeremy grabbed a mouthful of spaghetti before nodding.
"You too" Damon said, smiling towards Elena. "You ready to go back?" he asked.
Elena sighed. "I think so" she admitted nervously.
"She's going to do great" Stefan said, grabbing her hand under the table. "You too, Jeremy" Stefan said, holding back a laugh at the five year old with spaghetti sauce all over his face.
"Well, I thought we would do something extra special for dessert tonight to celebrate" Katherine said, excusing herself from the table so she could go to the kitchen. She returned, carrying a two-layered chocolate cake she had made earlier that day.
"Whoa" Jeremy commented, his eyes growing wide at the sight.
"Looks amazing, Baby" Damon said, standing up and giving her a quick kiss. "I'll take these to the sink" he offered, grabbing for their plates.
"You sit. I'll help Katherine" Elena said, standing up quickly and grabbing Stefan's empty plate along with her own. She followed Katherine into the kitchen. "Hey" Elena said, approaching Katherine quietly.
"Yeah?" Katherine asked, turning to look up at Elena as she scrubbed at one of the dishes.
Elena tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "With Jer starting school tomorrow … I just … do you need help with anything?" she asked quietly. "Uniform? Books? Tuition?" she asked. It was stupid to offer, seeing as how Katherine and Damon had more money than she ever would. But she felt the need to offer, because it was her little brother.
"We've got it covered" Katherine replied.
"Yeah, oh course" Elena said, feeling stupid for even asking.
She did not want Elena to feel totally useless though. "But" Katherine said, just as Elena started to walk away. "I accidentally signed up to decorate the gym for the Christmas party this year and I could really use some help" Katherine told her.
Elena smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to help" she replied.
"Good" Katherine nodded. "You should go and get some of that cake" Katherine told her, handing Elena a stack of small dessert plates and forks.
"Sure thing" Elena told her. She went to leave the kitchen, but stopped and turned around. "Thank you" Elena told her. She watched Katherine turn towards her, slightly confused. "For not making me feel like a horrible person for giving Jeremy up" she said, feeling that familiar tightening in her chest every time she thought about it.
Katherine turned all the way around to face Elena and leaned against the sink. "You didn't give him up. You gave him a family, that you are very much a part of" Katherine corrected. "You're his sister, and you should have never had to make the decisions you've had to make with him" Katherine added. Then she shrugged. "But sometimes life gives us a shitty hand and we do what we have to."
"He's happy" Elena said, listening to her little brother in the other room laugh at something Damon probably did or said.
"We're happy, too" Katherine replied. "Like, really happy" she added. She watched Elena smile like she knew she believed her.
"We need some plates!" they heard Jeremy call out from the other room.
"I'm coming" Elena called over her shoulder. "You should come and get some cake too" Elena said, smiling one last time before leaving the room.
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Elena pulled her hair into a ponytail before pulling the covers back and joining Stefan in bed. She reached over and turned off her lamp, leaving the room dark.
"You going to be able to sleep tonight?" Stefan asked, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.
She shook her head. "I doubt it" she answered truthfully. She was so nervous to start her classes the next day. She was not sure if she was ready, and the leave of absence she had taken was doing little for her confidence.
"You're going to do great" Stefan assured her. "You sure you don't want to go with Damon and Katherine to drop Jeremy off for his first day of school?" he asked.
She shook her head no. "They should take him. I'll see him when he gets home" Elena said. She wanted Damon and Katherine to have that bonding experience with her little brother.
Stefan kissed the side of her head, letting his lips rest there for a few moments. "What classes do you have tomorrow?" he asked quietly.
"Honors Biology and Oceanography" Elena answered. They were back to back morning classes, but that meant she was finished with classes by noon and would have the rest of the day to study.
"Honors huh?" Stefan asked.
"Yeah. Probably a little too ambitious, but it fit into my schedule, so …" she said, trailing off. She had been second guessing herself on the honors class since she hit the register button.
"Hey" Stefan said, pulling her so she moved on top of him and he could see her face. He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, taking in her features. "You, Elena, can do anything you set your mind to" he told her with a smile. "And, I seem to remember you acing your last biology class" he added.
Elena smiled too as she rested her chin on his chest. "That biology class was easy" she pointed out.
"No biology class is easy" Stefan countered. "You've just got that natural curiosity about the world that makes science come naturally to you" he told her. "And Oceanography? You've got to be pretty excited about that one."
"I am" Elena agreed. Marine Biology, after all, was her major. "We get to spend some class time at the beach looking at ecosystems" she added.
"That sounds way more interesting than finance" he told her with a smile.
"Thank you, Stefan. For your vote of confidence. For pushing me to go back to school" Elena said quietly.
"You're going to do amazing" Stefan said, smiling softly as he reached up to kiss her. "You should get to bed though. Those 8:00 AM classes come early."
Elena sighed, knowing he was right. "I'll try" she said, laying her head down on his chest with no intention of moving off him anytime soon. She liked feeling his heartbeat against her ear and hoped that might lull her to sleep.
"Goodnight, Elena" Stefan whispered. He slipped his hand under her t-shirt and rubbed her back gently, hoping that might help her to fall asleep.
"Love you" she murmured.
He continued to rub her back gently until he heard her breathing even out and he was sure she was asleep.
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Elena's eyes opened exactly 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off. She was not tired and attributed it to her excitement for her first day of classes. She turned over slowly and saw Stefan still sleeping. His dirty light brown hair was messy and starting to fall into his eyes, indicating he was due for a haircut.
As nervous as she was to go back to school, seeing Stefan next to her and knowing he would be her biggest supporter made the thought of school less terrifying.
She loved him. She had always loved him, even during the heartbreaking times when she had wanted to give up. After everything they had been through, she felt like they were stronger, and she hoped he felt the same.
Elena sat up carefully, intent on shutting the alarm off before the unforgiving sound filled the room. Stefan could sleep in a little longer while she got ready.
She leaned over him as far as she could while remaining on her side of the bed. Her arm just was not quite long enough to reach. Carefully, she scooted closer to Stefan, leaning over him even more to hit the off button. Just as she was about to turn it off, she felt his hand grab her arm to stop her. Elena looked down to see Stefan looking up at her with an amused smile.
"Well, this is not such a bad way to wake up" he said, grinning slightly as he let go of her arm and reached for her waist instead, moving her completely onto his lap.
"I was trying to shut the alarm off and give you another half an hour to sleep" Elena mentioned with a grin of her own.
"Glad I caught you then, so now I can spend a few extra minutes with you" he said softly, moving his hands to her back and gently coaxing her to lean down so he could kiss her good morning.
Elena smiled as his lips moved against hers. "A few extra minutes?" she asked, feeling his hands start to work the cotton shorts over her hips.
"How many can you spare for me?" Stefan asked, groaning slightly when he felt her hips press down against his as he tried to get the shorts off.
Elena glanced over at the clock on the nightstand as Stefan left open mouthed kisses against the side of her mouth, and eventually along her neck. "Is 10 minutes enough?" Elena asked, relenting and lifting her hips enough for him to slide her shorts over her hips and down her legs.
"There's never enough time" Stefan replied. "But I'll take what I can get this morning" he told her.
"What you can get?" Elena asked breathlessly. She was already thinking of a sarcastic comeback when she felt his fingers slip under the silk underwear she was still wearing and suddenly, she couldn't form any sound except the needy moan pressed against his neck as she tried to stay quiet.
"We could always save this for later, after dinner" Stefan suggested. He smiled, proudly, when he felt her hands grabbing blindly for his sweats.
Elena groaned, frustrated with his comment and the fact that she could not get his sweats down.
"I'll take that as a no" Stefan said, smiling as he rolled her over and moved over the top of her. He pushed his sweats and briefs down, kicking them somewhere to the end of the bed. Then he worked on her t-shirt, getting that out of his way too. He kissed along her chest, outlining the curve of her breast and sucking lightly on her collarbone. Her fingers running through his hair felt incredibly good.
But he knew she was ready when her hand slipped down his back and over his ass, massaging there gently. He had to take a calming breath, because even though they were on a time constraint, he wanted to give her something to smile about when she was sitting in class, listening to the professor go over the syllabus. He grabbed onto her underwear and slid those down her legs, keeping his hand pressed against her stomach so she would lay against the mattress.
Elena lifted her head so she could capture his lips. She only broke the kiss when she felt him finally enter her and she had to bite her lip to keep from losing her mind. They were not having sex as often as they used to, and that morning only reminded her of how much she missed their physical relationship.
Stefan grabbed her lip with his own teeth, releasing it from her own. He dropped his forehead to hers and smiled as he watched her slowly smile at him. "I love you" Stefan whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek. "So damn much."
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Elena smiled as she toweled herself off in the bathroom. She had replayed the memory of Stefan's hands on her body from earlier the entire time she was in the shower. Although she missed him, they had spent way more than 10 minutes in bed together and she had to hurry if she wanted to make it to class on time. Totally worth it though.
She wrapped her towel around herself and walked back into their room to get dressed. Elena stopped when she saw a flat burgundy velvet box sitting on top of her khaki capri pants. She reached for it and opened the box, finding a rose gold diamond tennis bracelet. She smiled, admiring its beauty and the gesture. He was definitely making her morning one to remember.
Elena set the box aside and quickly got dressed. She styled her hair, put on a little makeup and grabbed her bag and bracelet to head downstairs. "Morning" Elena said to everyone as they finished up their breakfast. Jeremy was rocking a pretty cool hairdo with his khaki shorts and his navy blue polo shirt.
"Breakfast?" Katherine asked.
Elena looked at her watch and gave her an apologetic smile. "Something to go would be great" Elena said, following Katherine into the kitchen. She was surprised to see that Katherine already had a breakfast sandwich packed for her. "Thanks" Elena said, shoving it into her bag.
Katherine shrugged. "Your first day back to school. I figured Stefan might make you a little late" she said, winking at Elena who blushed from slight embarrassment at the comment. "Have a great day, though clearly, your day is already off to a pretty good start" Katherine said, eying the new bracelet in Elena's hand.
Elena tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and smiled. "Thanks. Have a good time taking Jer to school" she added. She saw the genuine smile Katherine had on her face and it was just one more reason Elena knew she had made the right decision for Jeremy.
"Have a good day at school Jer" Elena said, running her hand over his back and bending down to kiss his cheek. He wiped at his face after and it made Elena laugh. "I'll see you when you get home."
Elena found Stefan outside, moving boxes from the front seat of his Jeep to the back. "You ready?" Stefan asked, shutting the door and smiling at her.
Elena held up her bracelet. "Almost" she said, handing it to him and giving him her left wrist so he could fasten the bracelet.
He noticed she was wearing her wedding ring and he did not want to admit how relieved he was that she was wearing it to campus. Elena was gorgeous and he would not blame any college guy who took notice of her.
Elena admired her bracelet and looked up at him, smiling. "Thank you. Its beautiful" she told him.
"Just wanted you to have something special for your big day" Stefan told her.
"You're very sweet" she said, reaching up on her tip toes to kiss him. She brushed her lip gloss off his lips and smiled. "Are you sure you have time to drop me off?" she asked.
"Absolutely" he promised, taking her hand and leading her to the passenger side of the Jeep.
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Elena looked up when she heard the bedroom door open. Stefan had picked her up around lunch and dropped her off at Damon's house so she could look over all of the projects, essays and exams for the semester. Stefan had to go back to work, and even though she missed him, she appreciated the alone time to get a start on some class assignments.
When she saw Stefan coming into the room, she glanced at the clock and could not believe it was almost 5:00. "Hey" she said, closing one of her books.
"Hey" he smiled, sitting down on the bed and kissing her. "I want to show you something before dinner" he said, taking her hand and leading her out of the room.
Elena slipped a pair of flip flops on before heading outside with him. She was confused when they passed his Jeep and headed down the driveway towards the road. "Where are we going?" Elena asked as they crossed the street hand in hand. They stopped on the sidewalk and faced an overgrown lot.
"Its … beautiful?" Elena asked with a wry smile. She had no idea why they were looking at it.
Stefan pulled out a brochure with different photos of log homes to show her. "You have always loved Damon's house. We wouldn't have to build one as big, but Katherine found this lot and convinced me it might be perfect for us to purchase and build our own house, just the way we want it" Stefan explained. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got.
Elena scanned over the homes on the brochure and then looked over the lot. "We could build our own house?" she asked, slowly starting to smile at the idea.
Stefan nodded. "You design it and Damon and I will build it" he told her. He would probably contract out some of the site prep work, but he liked knowing that a home he and Elena would share would be built by him and his brother.
"We design it" Elena corrected.
"So that's a yes to the property?" Stefan asked.
Elena grabbed his t-shirt excitedly and pulled him to her, kissing him. "Yes" she said happily. "Yes."