Stefan had been in the shower until about five minutes ago. Even over the sound of the pounding water, his sensitive hearing had picked up the sound of the knock on the cabin door. Switching off the water, he'd wrapped himself in a towel and made his way back into Elena's bedroom to get ready for work, listening all the while. He smiled at the way Elena talked about her puppy. True, he had gotten covered in slobber this morning, which was pretty awkward when you were naked and there were various pieces of a very skimpy sexy santa costume scattered around the place, but Elena loved the little animal, and so far he hadn't even been tempted to eat it. He definitely thought he was getting better at this whole controlling himself thing.
Dressed and ready, Stefan made his way down the stairs, stopping in the door of the living room to watch Elena and her friend before announcing his presence. "You must be Dom," he said, walking towards the fireplace where they were sitting, Hershey running excitedly around their knees at the site of his new dad. "I'm Stefan. It's great to meet you at last." He kneeled down behind Elena, one hand automatically reaching out to pet Hershey while he placed the other gently on Elena's shoulder, giving her a little squeeze. He knew the trouble that had been caused over Damon and what they both were, and he had decided to go all out to prove to Elena's friends that he really was good for her, despite his situation. He didn't want any more trouble for her.