Florence, Italy; 2:20 PM
The streets of Florence were always crowded--especially in the afternoon. She was used to it by now.
*Used to it or not,* Elena thought grimly to herself, *I hate it.*
It was October, which meant the tourist season was winding down. She couldn't count the number of times she'd been asked to take pictures of random families posing in front of anything and everything.
Elena looked around at her surroundings and sighed deeply. Living in Florence was like going back in time to a more elegant age. The excitement of the Renaissance was all around her, as if she were reliving history.
A car horn broke Elena out of her thoughts and she rolled her eyes. She hated to see the austere beauty of Florence marred by the crowds of tourists, automobiles, and fast-food chains. If it was possible, Stefan loathed it more than she.
*Stefan*
Elena paused in front of a shop window and busied herself with smoothing her silken blond hair. *I will not cry!* she thought to herself firmly. It was useless--even as the thought came she was wiping tears from her cheeks.
"Damnit!" she swore to no one in particular. She honestly didn't know what her problem was. . .or what Stefan's was for that matter. She only knew that they'd hardly spoken to each other during the last week. They'd even taken to sleeping in separate beds.
*Stefan's choice* sang a bitter voice in Elena's head. She ignored it and instead mulled over the other changes that had taken places recently.
*We've been so happy. What happened to us?* Elena wondered as she resumed walking. She often walked during the day, frequently roaming aimlessly about the city, trying to forget the lonliness that was eating away at her. Stefan didn't like to leave the house while the sun was out--instead he would read. Sometimes he could read two or three books in one day. No matter how fast his mind moved though, he always stayed close to bed. Elena didn't fail to notice that he was weaker than ever these days--even the lapis lazuli ring he never took off seemed to be failing him in the daylight--adding fuel to the fire of his self-hatred and condemnation.
Nighttime was almost the same. At night, Stefan was quiet. His silence was deafening. Elena imagined it as a vice grip, slowly compressing her head until she felt she would scream from the pressure.
When he did talk, Stefan chose his words carefully--asking gently if she was alright, if she'd had enough to eat, was she tired, and more mundane things like that. It almost seemed like he was afraid of bringing up anything important--as if he was afraid of what she might say or do.
Elena was afraid as well. She couldn't bring herself to tell Stefan how she really felt--cold, alone, and scared of growing farther away from him everyday. Sleep didn't come easily at night. Lying in bed, she often waited for Stefan to come in and tell her how sorry he was--to shrug it off to ritualistic male stupity. She longed to feel his arms around her--it was really the only way she could sleep. Without him next to her, she didn't feel complete.
*And what about that dream?*
Elena frowned. She'd had the dream three times. Each one was the same.
*The Cemetary* Elena shuddered. The dream always began in the all too well-known cemetary of Fell's Church.
*Funny how I can never escape that place*
She was always searching as the dream began---stumbling around until she (inevitably, it seemed) came to the headstone that bore her name.
Elena usually found it was rather amusing that she was "buried" in Fell's Church, but "living" in Florence. However, there was nothing funny about gazing at her own name in the dream. . .it was frightening and ominous.
"Elena Gilbert, A Light in Darkness."
The voice echoed in her head, immediately taking her back to the particular dream she'd had the night before--when HE had come to her, as she stood over her own grave. . .
Elena tore her gaze from the cold, unforgiving marble, and turned to see who had said those words. She came into contact with a pair of dark eyes. Eyes so dark. They were almost. . .
"Who are you?" she asked the stranger.
He smiled indulgently. "Still trying to stay in control of the situation Elena? How endearing." Elena balked as he approached her headstone and casually sat on it as if it were a sofa in someone's livingroom. His smile widened when he noticed her response.
"If you must know," he continued, "I'm the answer you've been waiting for."
Elena arched her eyebrows and smiled calmly, determined not to let him have the upper hand. "Oh, really? And what exactly IS the answer I've been waiting for?"
The stranger leaned his head back and closed his eyes, as if drinking in the moonlight itself. Elena felt her breath catch in her throat when he brought his gaze back to her face. His impossibly dark eyes were framed by lusciously thick lashes that swept the flawless skin on his cheekbones. His features were finely chiseled, with a classic Roman nose, angular jaw, and a small cleft in his chin. Elena was so enraptured with his beauty that she missed his reply to her question.
"What?" she asked distractedly.
He chuckled as he stood up. Elena's eyes widened when he began to walk toward her.
"You know what you want Elena," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "It's right on the tip of your tongue."
Elena closed her eyes and felt a vision projected into her mind. *Green eyes. . .Stefan*
"Beyond Stefan."
She opened her eyes and found that the stranger's face was only inches from her own. She could feel his breath upon her cheeks.
"I--I don't--what? I mean--"
"Beyond Stefan," he repeated. "You already have him."
Now she was really confused. "But-" She gasped as his hand gently touched her cheek. Instantly her blood was on fire.
"You have Stefan," her companion said as his thumb stroked her cheek. "Now you just need a way to keep him."
Elena felt her lips trembling and her eyes welling with tears. "How did you know?" she questioned quietly.
He held her gaze as he gently took her face in his hands. "I know you Elena. I know your beauty, your fire, your importance. I know that I can help you, just like you can help me."
She frowned. "Help you? How could I help you?"
She felt the warmth leave her face as he let his hands drop. "You must help me complete the prophecy, Elena. I need you."
Elena took a step back. "What are you talking about? What prophecy?" She felt gooseflesh break out on her arms and hugged herself tightly.
The stranger began to back up as well, back toward Elena's headstone. "You must return to Fell's Church." His voice was firm. "It's the only way you can still be with Stefan."
Her throat closed up at the mention of Fell's Church. She took a deep breath and repeated, "What prophecy?"
His face was blank as he stepped away from the grave he'd been in front of. She watched as he pointed to it in a very A Christmas Carol-like manner. Her heart clenched as she turned her eyes to the writing on the stone.
"Oh God--" she heard herself say in a strangled voice.
The familiar ephitet "Elena Gilbert, A Light in Darkness" was no more. She couldn't believe what she was reading.
*Bonnie McCullough. Her Sacrifice Will Always be Remembered.*
She didn't even feel her legs give out. She was only aware of the sound of his voice and the intensity of his eyes. . .so dark. . .too dark to be brown. . .
"Remember Elena. . .I know your every move. You belong to Me. . .I am always with you."
"Excuse me, Miss? Are you alright?"
Elena shook her head and blinked up into bright sunlight. The face of an anxious tourist hovered just above her. She squinted as she looked around. The cemetary was gone, she was back in Florence, laying on the sidewalk of all things.
She smiled shakily up at the concerned man as he offered his hand to help her up. She accepted it gratefully. "Yes, thank you," she replied. "I think I just got a little dizzy. I've had a headache for awhile. I was just on my way home."
The man looked doubtful. "You fainted," he accused. "Are you sure you're alright? My family and I would be happy to take you to the hospital--"
"No." She hoped her answer sounded firmer than she felt. "You are kind, but my home is not much farther. Thank you for your concern."
Without giving him another chance to speak, she began to walk away on unsteady legs. As soon as she turned the corner, she let herself sag against the wall of the building she'd just passed. She felt the tears return to her eyes.
"It's the only way Elena. Bonnie is the only way."
The words forced her to give in to what she'd been denying herself. Curled up in a little ball, less than half a block from her townhouse and Stefan--Elena Gilbert sobbed.
* * * * *
8:49 PM
Sunsets were magnificent. Stefan was sure that he'd always loved sunlight, but living as he had for 500 years, he knew that he appreciated it more as a vampire than any human ever could.
*Especially this last week* he thought bitterly. Lately, despite the protection of his lapis ring, the sun seemed to hurt him. He knew it wasn't natural to feel like he'd run ten miles after being outside for only ten minutes. He sighed as he gazed at the brilliant hues in the sky until he felt his eyes start to blur. He shut them and barely noticed as his forehead came to rest on the windowpane. *If you were drinking blood. . .*
"No." Stefan squashed the thought before his brain could finish it. His veins were burning, but he would not give in. His happiness depended on it--Elena's happiness.
Stefen felt his jaw clench. He was doing it for Elena. He had to. The dreams had started ealier in the week.
Blood was an essential part of his life. Stefan didn't dispute that fact, no matter how much he hated it. He'd managed to calm his conscience for centuries by only drinking animal blood--by holding on as much as possible to his lost humanity. He knew that was one of the reasons Elena loved him. She respected his "moral standards". Not that he upheld them for her--he'd do it anyway, but the shining approval in her eyes was enough to make him give up LOOKING at humans, move to the forest, and call himself Stefan of the Jungle. He would do anything if he thought it made her happy. . .including sacrifice his life. . .
*It was so real. . .was it a dream?*
Stefan sighed deeply when he heard the front door of the townhouse slowly creak open two floors below him. Elena was home. He could feel her sadness and exhaustion before she even came up the stairs. Her eyes were to the floor as she entered their common room, she didn't notice he was there. When she did look up, she gasped.
"Stefan!"
He grimaced slightly at the shocked tone of voice she'd used. *What the hell happened to us?* he cursed silently. *A month ago, she'd have thrown herself into my arms and we'd be halfway to the bed right now.*
"I'm glad you're home," he said quietly.
She gave a shaky smile. "Me too. This place is becoming a tourist trap."
Her voice was light, but Stefan could hear the strain behind it. He also noticed that her eyes were extremely red-rimmed.
"You've been crying."
Elena stopped dead in the process of hanging her coat up. Her eyes grew wide as they met his a split second before she turned her face away. "It's just my allergies acting up again," she explained feebly. She glanced back at him quickly and offered him another weak grin. "The crowds really took it out of me today. I think I'm going to lay down for awhile."
Stefan frowned as he watched her disappear into their-*her*-bedroom. Her eyes haunted him. . .their beautiful blue depths filled with tears--because of him.
"Damn!" Stefan muttered as he turned back to the window. The images were running through his mind quickly. He tried to block them out--dealing with them while he was sleeping was bad enough--he didn't need it while he was awake. It didn't matter, he was fighting a losing battle.
He was stalking a deer in the forest--a stag. It was his favorite prey--it's strength and beauty was captivating. Stefan's predatory senses took over as he stealthily approached the young buck. Sniffing the air told him that the deer was not aware of his movements at all.
Suddenly there was a burst of movement from the underbrush. A rabbit, frightened by his approach, streaked across the forest floor, quickly setting the buck in motion. He was on it's tail in a moment. . .dodging and weaving through the bushes and fallen logs with extraordinary grace.
The chase was over in a matter of minutes. He heard a satisfying crack as the stag's neck broke and eagerly buried his canines into the flesh.
Stefan could almost feel the blood flowing over his parched lips. The sweetness of the liquid made him dizzy.
He drank deeply and reveled in the feel of the bucks hide against his skin. . .so soft. . .the hair was such a pale gold. . .
*Gold?!*
With a snarl he tore his mouth away from his prey. Confusion swept over him as he gazed down at the broken form in his arms. The pale golden hair. . .the lithe, supple body. . .soft skin. . .
Elena.
His horror was beyond words. He immediately felt his teeth retract and he scrubbed all traces of her blood away from his mouth, unable to look anywhere but at the two savage puncture wounds in her delicate neck. She was limp and heavy in his arms, making no movement at all.
"Elena--" he whispered hoarsely. There was no reply. He shook her--hard. Nothing.
"Oh God what have I done?" He shut his eyes to the site of her dead body, willing it to be untrue.
"You killed me."
His eyes flew open. Elena was staring at him. Her face was turned toward his in a grotesque sneer. Blood was matted in her hair and oozed across her neck, but she ignored it. Her gaze bore holes into him.
"You killed me," she repeated. "You drank my blood."
He sputtered desparately. "Elena--I didn't know--I didn't--"
Her voice was hard like steel. "You drink blood."
He flinched at the accusation in her voice. "Elena--"
"You disgust me. Look at what you've done. You killed me. And you'll do it again. . .you want to."
He stared at her increduously. "I--"
"I hate you."
Stefan felt the statement reverberate throughout his brain. *I hate you I hate you I hate you* His head began to pound.
*I won't hurt her like that.* he promised himself. He turned quickly as he heard Elena's door opening. She stood tall and elegant in the doorframe.
"I have the answer," she said firmly.
Stefan's eyebrows went up. "There was a question?"
Elena smiled serenly. "I have the solution for us. We have to go back to Fell's Church."
