A/N: Thanks to Rachel and the other guest reviewers for your nice comments. I'm glad you like it and your words made me want to make this chapter perfect. Well, some things happen, but it all turns out okay in the end :)

This is the last chapter and I will not be continuing this anymore, though I will definitely be writing more Steroline fluffy smut in the future. Probably some more angst too since I'm an angsty person but they're such a cute couple, it probably won't be too much.

Stefan was awakened the next morning by a car door slamming. Still groggy, he sat up a little to look at the time. His eyes widened when he saw it was almost noon. Damon and Liz must be here by now.

As quietly as possible, Stefan slipped out of bed to put some clothes on. But all he found was his boxers and pants. He suddenly recalled that his shirt, along with his other clothes he had packed, were out in the living room.

Fuck.

Well, at least he wasn't Caroline. He looked at her lone article of clothing on the ground, her thong, and shook his head while smiling. They were obviously a little too preoccupied last night to worry about what would happen the next morning.

Once he was halfway decent, he left the room (sure to close the door) to find Damon helping Liz to the couch. Stefan's heart almost stopped. He had no idea where they threw their shirts, Caroline's bra and leggings last night. He'd much prefer if his brother and her mother didn't find them.

"Hey Liz. Damon," he greeted them as he looked around the room nervously.

"Stefan. Good to see you," Liz smiled weakly. She looked about two steps away from death and the thought saddened Stefan way more than he thought it would.

"What's this?" Damon asked as he picked something up from the end of the couch. "Missing something, Stef?" he smirked when it turned out to be Stefan's dark plaid shirt.

He tried to shrug nonchalantly but was panicking a bit on the inside. Why didn't they just take it to the bedroom in the first place?

"Were you guys playing strip poker or something?" Damon snorted when he picked up Caroline's shirt next.

"No," Stefan scowled, grabbing the shirts from his brother. "How long are you staying here?"

Damon looked at Liz before shrugging. "Until she kicks me out, probably."

"I wouldn't kick you out, Damon," Liz sighed. "You're pretty much my only resort to having a friend."

"Gee, thanks, don't I feel extra special now," Damon chuckled.

The door behind Stefan opened after that and Caroline came out wearing nothing but a sheet. Her eyes were closed and she was yawning when she walked out, unfortunately. "Stefan, do you know when th-" she stopped abruptly, noticing the room was much fuller than she expected.

"Oh, so I guess it wasn't exactly strip poker. In that case, Blondie, I think you might need this," Damon grinned, reaching behind the couch to retrieve her bra.

Caroline turned so red, she was afraid she was going to self combust. Her mom was looking between her and Stefan but she didn't say anything so that was a plus. Caroline was just thanking her lucky stars that she didn't come out naked like she had originally planned, but seeing Stefan's clothes missing inspired her to at least cover up.

Stefan luckily snatched up her bra from his brother and also picked up her leggings before handing them to her. She gave him a tight lipped smile before disappearing behind the doors again.

He finally slipped his shirt on, hitting Damon on his head as he passed by to pick up their bags that they left near the door.

"Since she doesn't have a dad, I guess I'll have to give you the talk. No sleepovers, no keeping her out after 11, and absolutely do not get her pregnant or it'll be the last thing you do."

Stefan resisted the urge to slap his brother again by flicking his ear when he passed by him again. He knocked on the door lightly before saying "It's Stefan."

The door opened a tad and he was quickly pulled through before she closed it again. "Seriously?" she asked, peeking at the door as if Damon had X-ray vision and could see them.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think we'd sleep so late. I guess we just got caught up in the moment." Stefan couldn't help the little smirk that grew on his lips.

"Shush! He can hear you!"

"Care, I'm pretty sure he already knows. It's fairly obvious."

Caroline huffed, shifting the blanket before dropping it completely and digging through her bag that he brought with him to get dressed. "Well I'm supposed to be here for my mom, not frolicking in bed with you. God, imagine how she must feel! I leave her saying I'm going to fix up this place and then she finds me with you-"

"Are you feeling guilty?" When she shifted her eyes, he sighed. "You're allowed to be happy, Caroline. You're allowed to have a life still."

"But what if I'm so wrapped up in you, I miss her last moments?" she asked almost silently.

He rubbed his mouth with his hand, not exactly sure what the right answer would be. "If you want to put a pause on this, that's fine. I'm still your friend and I'll be there for you no matter what. It's up to you."

Her eyes started watering, thinking about her impossible decision. "I don't want to give you up right after I got you," she mumbled.

"You don't have to. We can just tone it down a little."

He was being so considerate for her and her situation, she almost actually started crying. "Thank you, Stefan. I just would like today with her," she said as she pulled her last article of clothing on.

He nodded and pulled her into a hug. "First and foremost, you're my best friend. Your best interests are always at the front of my mind."

"Always looking out for me," she sighed, mirroring the words she said to him back when their friendship was still new.

When they finally left their room, Caroline immediately hovered over her mom like a hawk. She grabbed pillows to lift up her feet, almost smothered her in blankets, and kept a steady supply of cucumber water on the side table.

Damon stood back and watched in amusement as his brother tried to find his spot in her life. The contrast between Caroline's neurotic tendencies and Stefan's laid back personality was never more clear.

"Hey, bro," he nodded to the door when Stefan once again was pushed aside as Caroline rushed past him.

Stefan followed him out onto the porch and he was suddenly assaulted with memories of kissing in the sunset. He hoped for many more sunset kisses in his future.

"What are you doing with Caroline?" Damon asked point blank. Stefan raised his eyebrows in question. "Just a few months ago, you were denying any feelings for her, and now you're having naked sleepovers?"

"It's not like that," Stefan sighed, digging his hands in his pocket.

"You've known that she liked you for months now and suddenly you want to jump into bed with her?"

"It's not like we didn't talk about it first," Stefan defended himself, feeling a little attacked. "I just wanted to be sure of what I was feeling for her before I did anything."

"And what are those feelings, do tell."

"I just... The thought of being without her again terrifies me. Seeing how much I hurt her hurts me more than she'd ever know. And when I'm with her..." he shook his head, looking out into the woods. "I'm not even saying this right."

"It's okay. That's how love is. You can't describe it in words," Damon said, finally believing him. "Just don't hurt her. She's been through enough and she's much further along in this than you are."

"I know, she told me she loved me last night," Stefan admitted.

"What did you say back?" Damon asked with wide eyes.

"I'm the one who started it. I told her I was falling in love with her first. She knows where I'm at and she's willing to wait until I get to here she is."

Damon nodded, any qualms he had about this relationship officially erased. "Then go get your girl," he clapped his brother's shoulder with a smile.

It wasn't that easy, though. True to her word, Caroline was preoccupied with her mother the entire day. At one point, she had to step out to buy groceries to make dinner. And by making dinner, she meant having Stefan and Damon make it because she couldn't cook for shit.

Liz tugged on Stefan's shirt sleeve as he walked by her, making him stop. "Can I talk to you for a moment, Stefan?" she asked, her voice wavering a little.

"Of course," he replied softly, sitting in a chair next to her.

"Thank you for taking care of my little girl," she began, her eyes starting to tear up. Stefan just nodded and placed his hand on top of hers. "I'm still afraid she's going to lose it once I'm gone, but I'm glad she definitely has you with her."

"Definitely," he agreed.

"I'm glad that you're happy, both of you. I know you don't think I'm privy to everything, but I know you've been through your fair share of heartbreak."

Stefan nodded and looked down, but tried to smile for her.

"Caroline really loves you, and I know you want what's best for her. I just hope you realize that she'll never do any better than you because you actually care for her. You died protecting her before. So thank you for letting Caroline find her happiness as well."

"It's my pleasure," he smiled at her. Literally, the perv in his head added.

Caroline burst through the doors carrying a large bag filled to the top with groceries. "I know only one of us really needs to eat and it's hard for you to keep down anything so I figured we could make a bunch of your favorite things and you can just choose whatever you want to eat at the moment."

Stefan immediately went over to take the bag from her arms and brought it to the kitchen. There was a myriad of ingredients inside: tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, spaghetti noodles, salmon, even an entire chicken.

"You seriously want to make all of this?" he asked her when she came in with another bag.

"No. You and Damon are going to make all of this while my mom and I start season six of Friends," she smiled at him, bumping his hip with hers before leaving the room.

Stefan chewed his lip as he tried to figure out the best way to put a meal together with these random ingredients. Caroline had ushered Damon in the kitchen as well, but the older Salvatore mainly sat on a stool making fun of how whipped his brother was after just one night together.

"You know Caroline has always had me whipped though," Stefan smirked as he put the spaghetti in a pot of water.

"Everyone has you whipped. I'm surprised you haven't grown a vagina by now," Damon laughed, earning a tomato being thrown at his head.

Eventually Damon stepped in to help, claiming that he made the best spaghetti sauce known to man. The dishes they made didn't match at all but it was better to make everything than to face Caroline's wrath if they didn't.

She seemed pleased when they called the females into dining area where the table was stacked with food. "See, Mom, this is how you train men," she poorly whispered as she helped Liz sit at one end of the table. She took the seat next to her so Stefan sat across from Caroline while Damon took the chair at the other end.

Liz barely touched anything on her plate, but that didn't stop her daughter from piling it high with a sample of everything. From the outside, she looked like her usual cheerful self, but Stefan could see in her eyes that she was really worried about her mother.

Dinner didn't last long since the only human was done eating within ten minutes of sitting down. Stefan volunteered to clean up and started hand washing all the dishes in the sink.

A few minutes in, Caroline leaned against the counter next to him. She looked exhausted, probably from putting on a happy facade when everyone could see her mom was looking worse than ever.

"You wash, I dry?" she suggested and Stefan gave her a small smile as he nodded.

They worked in silence for a bit, but it was a comfortable silence. Every time their fingers would brush together when he passed her something to dry, it made him desperately want to wrap her in a hug. And once they were done, he did just that. She was trying to turn around and leave when his arms caught her around the waist and pulled her towards him. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Am I staying in your room tonight, too?" he murmured as he rested his chin on her hair.

"There's only three rooms, so unless you want me and my mom to share... or you and Damon share... or me and Damon share-" She laughed as Stefan began tickling her to stop her from talking.

"Very funny. I think we'll get along fine." They looked at each other for a few seconds before Stefan brought his hand up to her cheek and pulled her into a kiss. He didn't intend for it to go any further than a peck but soon he had her pressed up against the counter with a leg between hers. Her lips were like a drug; he just couldn't get enough. How they had gone through four years of friendship without trying this at least once, Stefan would never know.

Damon cleared his throat in the doorway, making them finally part from each other. "Maybe you want to take this to your room? You don't want to scar Mama Forbes with the sight of you guys fucking on the counter, do you?"

Stefan pursed his lips from his brother's vulgar words. There was no way in the world you could describe what they did last night as 'fucking'.

"You're just upset that you're not getting any," Caroline huffed, placing a hand on her cocked hip.

"Who says I'm not getting any?" he asked incredulously.

"Elena had her memories erased and you guys just got back to a good place," she explained as if it was obvious.

Damon didn't say anything and instead smirked at both of them.

It took about half a second for Caroline to catch on. "Oh, ew!" she exclaimed, making a sour face. "I don't need to know about this."

"You're the one who brought up my sex life! Besides, do you really think I want to know about my brother's?"

"Knowing the perv that you are, yes," she deadpanned.

"Okay, guys. That's enough," Stefan stepped in, wrapping an arm around Caroline. "Let's get ready for bed."

Damon snorted but she ignored him. "I have to help my mom. See you in the room?" They shared a kiss before she left Stefan alone with his brother. Damon wiggled his eyebrows at him, making Stefan roll his eyes.

"Remember, tonight, the walls have ears," Damon snickered.

"Well maybe if they mind their own business, they won't," Stefan warned him.

"Whatever you say. I'll sleep with earplugs. Just try not to get too loud," Damon smirked again before leaving to go to his own room.

Stefan first put all the clean dishes away before heading to Caroline's room. No, their room. He smiled at the thought of sharing things with her now. Sure, he loved the sex, but it was the intimacy in everyday things that he loved most about being in a relationship. Of belonging to someone else and having them belong to you.

The sheet was on the ground from earlier when Caroline made a makeshift dress out of it so he made the bed. Although he was sure they were just going to mess it up again shortly. He also changed into some sweatpants, forgoing a shirt, and laid down on the bed to wait for Caroline.

He was okay if they didn't sleep together tonight, though he was really, really hoping for it. And judging by the way she was kissing him earlier, she wanted it too.

The door opened, pulling Stefan out of his musings. Caroline smiled tiredly at him and began changing. He was happy to see she opted to put on his old shirt and then slipped into bed with him.

"Is she okay?" he asked softly. She didn't answer him, instead leaning against his chest. "Turn over," he whispered to her. She followed his instructions without question, laying on her stomach. He got behind her, straddling her thighs as his hands lightly slipped under her shirt. He pushed it up until it pooled at the top of her back and then began gently kneading her muscles.

"You're really good at this," she sighed, adjusting herself so Stefan could work out the tough places.

"You need it. I can see the toll this is taking on you," he told her as he reached the part of her back covered by her bra. He hesitated for a second before undoing it to expose more skin. He did an entire massage, making sure to reach every muscle group he could. Once he was done, he got off of her and watched as she breathed slowly and deeply. Assuming she was sleeping, he slipped under the covers and was about to go to sleep until he felt her tugging at his arm. He turned over and immediately she covered his mouth with hers.

His lips felt like home, something she didn't know she desperately needed until just now. Hooking her leg around his hip, she pushed him over until she was on top. Their lips stayed connected until she sat up to take off her shirt. Her bra dangled loosely from her arms, which Stefan promptly took off of her. He sat up so they could continue kissing as she began grinding her hips against his.

"Let me do something for you," she mumbled against his lips before pushing him down again. He propped himself up on his arms, watching as she scooted down his legs and brought his pants with her. Her hands immediately gripped his cock and he let out a groan. She started out with a faster stroke than last night and didn't hesitate to take the tip into her mouth after a few moments. She kept her lips taut, making it feel like he was sliding into the tightest place ever. He couldn't stop the moans escaping his open mouth as she took him in deeper until he hit the back of her throat. To his surprise, she went even further, managing to fit the entire length of his cock in her mouth. She could only do it for a few seconds, but they were a glorious few seconds.

She pulled back and gave him a more sensible blowjob, sucking on the end while her hand pumped the rest of his shaft. He held her hair back, partially so it wouldn't get caught in her mouth, partially so he could touch her, and partially so he had a better view. The gentleman in him felt guilty that he wasn't doing anything for her in return, but it felt so damn good he couldn't stop her. She started bobbing her head, matching the rhythm of her hand. Her tongue was stroking him as well, making him pant. When she brought another hand up to fondle his balls, he knew he would be a goner.

"Wait, wait, wait, stop," he gasped out, pulling her off of him. "Holy fuck, where did you learn to do all that?"

"Would it make me sound like a whore if I said a lot of practice?" she shyly smiled, but he could sense a little insecurity in her voice.

He pulled her up so she was straddling him again and brushed her hair out of her face. "Never."

They went back to kissing intensely, and soon Caroline couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't even wait to take her panties off, instead pushing them to the side before guiding Stefan inside her. He moaned again but she cut him off with her lips. They desperately kissed each other as she started slowly riding him, hoping to muffle their moans at least a little. One of his hands reached down and rubbed circles on her clit. There was something electric about the way they moved together, raw and vulnerable, completely dependant on the other. Stefan was about two pumps away from blowing his load when it happened.

Caroline jumped off of him like she had been shocked. She had already thrown her shirt on and was running out the door by the time Stefan could wrap his head around what was happening. He slipped on some boxers and followed her, though he already had a pretty good idea of where she went.

When he entered the room, Caroline was leaning over her mother in a panic. Liz was choking on something, her eyes watering as she struggled to breathe. Damon came in behind him, his face twisted in worry.

"Go get her water," Stefan demanded him before moving to Liz's side. "Calm down," he said sternly to her, praying that his compulsion would work. "Try to breathe slowly." Liz's wide eyes were connected to his as her breathing slowed down. She still sounded raspy, which Damon helped when he came back with a glass full of water. "Try to drink some of this," Stefan told her without an ounce of compulsion. Her shaky hands guided the glass to her lips with Caroline's help.

After she took a few sips, she sighed and closed her eyes. "Thank you," she said hoarsely. "I think I'm okay now."

"Are you sure, Mom? I can stay with you." Caroline practically climbed into bed with her until Damon put a hand on her arm.

"No, it's fine. I'll stay. You go back with Stefan." A mischievous twinkle in Damon's eye told Stefan that he knew exactly what had just been interrupted but now was not the time to be making jokes at their expense.

Caroline looked utterly conflicted. As much as she wanted to curl into a ball and have Stefan hold her all night, she was afraid her mom's life was rapidly coming to an end. Stefan wrapped an arm around her shoulder and rubbed her arm. When she looked up at his face, he merely raised his eyebrows, leaving the decision up to her. As much as she loved the freedom he gave her, sometimes it was annoying.

"It's okay, Care," her mom piped up. "I'll see you in the morning."

The promise sat heavy in the air and Caroline continuously nodded as if trying to convince herself it would be true. "Okay, I'll see you first thing." She took a last look at her mother lying in bed while Damon got comfy in a lounge chair in the corner before leaving the room with Stefan.

She seemed to barely hold it together as they settled into bed and Stefan knew that finishing what they had started was definitely off the table for tonight. He instead pulled her into his arms and held her as she started silently sobbing. When her cries finally died down and her breathing evened out, he reached over to kiss her cheek.

"Tell me what you want me to do?" he whispered to her.

"Just hold me." He tightened his grip on her and they were silent for a couple of moments. "Thank you so much for today. And every day. I'm so sorry for leaving earlier." He could practically feel her blush burning through her face.

"Don't worry about it. This isn't about me, it's about you. You never have to apologize to me."

Caroline sighed as she wrapped his arm tighter around her. "Why are you so good to me?"

"Because I'm yours," he replied immediately. It was the best answer he could've given and when she finally fell asleep, it was with a smile on her face.