WHO: Stefan and Katherine WHEN:Friday morning WHERE: Katherine's bed WHAT: Katherine's wish wears off RATING: TBD STATUS: Incomplete
Stefan knew something was different as soon as he woke up. He couldn't put his finger on just what it was, but something had changed over the night. His eyes still closed, he turned on his side in bed. His shoulders were out of the covers and he shivered as he realised it was cold. It hadn't been cold last night. His sleepy mind couldn't quite process the change. Pulling the duvet up high around his chin, he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled as he saw Elena fast asleep beside him. She looked so beautiful when she slept.
It took him all of a few seconds to realised just who it was he was looking at; Katherine. Suddenly, the last few weeks came crashing back to him as he remembered what had happened with the wishes. He was in bed with Katherine because he'd been in love with her. It sounded ridiculous, but he was here - naked, he added mentally, his eyes widening - with Katherine, and Elena was off somewhere, probably snuggling up to his brother.
Stefan quietly slipped out of bed and moved quickly around the room, picking up his clothes and pulling them on as silently as possible. When he was decent, in jeans and a crumpled white tshirt, he slowly turned to look back down at Katherine. He had known it would wear off, but in the state he'd been in, he had imagined at least some kind of pain when the wish slipped away. But it had gone just as quickly as it had come. When he had gone to sleep last night, and before when he and Katherine were..., he had been completely in love with her. Now all he could feel was disgust as himself for betraying Elena so easily. It was Elena he loved, and always would be. He'd thought their love was stronger than some wish. The guilt coursing through him made him want to be sick.
Stefan kept his eyes down, standing limply in the middle of the room, not sure what to do. He wanted to run, find Elena, wherever she was, and mostly to rip Damon's throat out for even daring to touch her. But when he let his gaze flicker to her, an overwhelming wave of sympathy washed over him. This hadn't been her fault. He had never really believed she was telling the truth about being in love with him, but he had learned so much about her in the past few weeks. They really had had a wonderful time, even though none of it was real. She had admitted things he didn't like - Roslyn and Finn - but she had been truely honest with him for the first time in one hundred and forty five years. He couldn't just walk out and leave her. Firstly, that would be beyond cruel. Secondly, he didn't want to risk her retalliating.
Licking his lips, Stefan crossed to the bed, and eased himself down to sit on top of the covers, his back against the headboard. Softly, he reached out and stroked Katherine's hair back off her forehead. She looked so innocent when she slept, as though the last 500 years of bloodshed had just melted away. Laying his cool fingers over her hair, he whispered her name. "Katherine... wake up." It was a quiet noise, but loud enough for her vampire hearing to pick up on, hoping he could wake her slowly and gently. Perhaps that would soften the blow a little. He doubted it.