Well, I don't own any of these characters :)

(Set right after 04x16).

Enjoy!

Gentle.

She lit the fire, sat on the sofa, rubbed down her tears, leant back, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The faceoff she had with Elena at the forest still ached, and then the thought of never seeing Tyler again…

Then tried (unsuccessfully) to swallow another sob, and suddenly heard someone going down the stairs. As she knew he would.

He sat by her side, saying nothing. Soon her left cheek met his right shoulder, and she felt warm but itching tears rolling down to his shirt.

"He's never coming back." It felt like a rocket coming out of her organism, burning everything in its path.

As an answer, he took her hand, squeezed it lightly, and she could almost see his big green eyes widening in sympathy for her pain.

"I'm sorry." His thumb caressed the back of her hand and she felt so safe it hurt.

Because there he was, solid as a rock by her side, his presence warmer than the flames of the fireplace. And even though everything seemed so shattered, there he was, leaving her with a comfortable feeling of security.

And then, with a not so heavy heart, the void almost passing unnoticed, feeling the slight pressure of his hand on hers, she fell asleep.

A.n.: So. Hm. I wish I could say something like "I literally don't know where this came from", but I do lol I'm slightly obsessed with Steroline and it's their fault, not mine. I mean. I never – ever – wrote anything Vampire Diaries-like, or even thought about writing it, but I had these ideas of their relationship and I felt the need to write at least this one (yes, there's more lol). I don't know if it's ooc or not, so, if you think it is, I won't mind you saying so. And English isn't my native language, so, pretty pretty please, correct the mistakes I have surely made

Take care,