Nights Spent With You
Aug. 19th, 2011 01:25 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lynzie914Title: Nights Spent With You
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Caroline, Stefan (Implied Caroline/Stefan but it can be read as friendship as well)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1197
Disclaimer: Trust me when I say, I don’t own anything.
Summary: Her mother had a habit of working nights and Caroline had never liked being alone.
Author’s Note: Written for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
cw_land big bang challenge. Prompts habit and family. Set post "Daddy Issues", AU as in Stefan and Elena never got back together.
It wasn’t uncommon for Stefan to find Caroline waiting for him in his bedroom. Sometimes he was more surprised not to find her there. Her mother had a habit of working nights and Caroline had never liked being alone, even before the werewolf attack.
The first night that she showed up, he found her outside, pacing in front of the door as though she wasn’t sure what she was doing there. He wasn’t sure why she was there so late, but when he placed his hand on her shoulder and she blurred forty feet away before she turned around to look at him, he understood. Caroline was incredibly strong, he had seen it when she was dealing with her transformation. She was so much stronger than he had been when he was that young, sometimes he thought that he was stronger than he was now. But she was still a seventeen year old girl, still had so much of her humanity left inside her, and what she had gone through would have been hard on a more experienced vampire. He didn’t know what had happened to her, she still hadn’t talked to him about it, but he had seen the haunted look in her eye and he would give anything to be able to take that night away, to be able to compel the memories away.
That first night they stayed up together, watching TV and eating cookies, because they seemed much more comforting than a bag of blood. They didn’t talk much, both unsure of what to talk about, but he had hoped that it had helped her, that it had provided her some sort of comfort. She was gone before Damon woke up, back to her house to pretend she had never left.
He wasn’t surprised when she showed up again the two nights later.
It became an unspoken custom between them and slowly their nights together became more than just someone else to keep them company. They talked about what was happening in Mystics Falls and she questioned him about what his life was like before he came back here. He never lied to her; never held things back like he sometimes tried to with Elena or Bonnie. He wanted her to know who he really was, who he had been, wanted her to know that the feelings, the temptations that she was having, he had gone through too. She always understanding and she always had a spin on things that he would have never considered. She made him smile sometimes, reminded him of what it meant to be happy, of what it meant to be human.
She fell asleep one night in the middle of a Twilight Zone marathon, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand grasping his arm in his sleep. He fell asleep sometime after, the best night sleep he had had for quite some time.
The next night he noticed her shifting on the couch, not so subtlety shifting closer to him. When he asked her what she was doing she had looked away embarrassed and mumbled under her breath that the night before had been the best sleep she had had in weeks, maybe since she had been turned. She had felt safe. And who was he to take that away from her?
Eventually it just seemed silly to stay on the couch when they knew that they were just going to end up asleep, they had stopped with the pretenses of television and food a while ago, and they had moved to his bedroom. She had been a bit hesitant the first night, trying to stay strictly to what she had designated to be her side of the bed and away from him. But as the nights continued, she seemed to get over her problem and she took to resting her head on his shoulder again, her hair tickling his neck.
Now it was hard to sleep without her. He missed her hogging the covers and her hand resting on his stomach. He missed the way she talked in her sleep. And he found himself wishing that her mother would spend every night working, so she would be there to sleep beside him. He didn’t get much sleep when he was alone anymore.
“Hi.” Caroline said as he closed the door behind him.
“Hi” He said smiling at her. She looked tired and he remembered that she had spent the day with her father and that that always took a lot out of her, even though she always denied it.
They silently climbed into bed, Caroline sliding closer to him as he turned off the light. Tonight she rested her head on his chest and moved her hand up rest above his heart, her fingers stroking the skin softly.
“You okay, Caroline?”
“Yeah, just thinking.” She told him.
“Anything you want to share?”
She didn’t say anything, just continued stroking his skin above her heart as if she tried hard enough she would feel it thumping again.
“Sometimes I wish that I could come here every night. That I could just stay here, not have to go back home.&rdquo
“Did something happen with your mom?”
“No, we may be dysfunctional, but we’re just as dysfunctional as were before, nothing more added to it. I just…I see my dad and he’s so happy with his new life, his new family. He spent all these years living a lie and I can just tell how happy he is now that he doesn’t have any of those secrets. I’m…never going to get to have that, never going to get to have my coming out moment, I never get to have a family of my own that accepts me as me. I’ll never be able to tell them and I just…I never get to forget that. I can’t forget that. I don’t have that problem here. I get to just be me and I don’t need to hide it.”
He felt a tear drop hit his chest and his hold on her tightened.
“I mean the downside is Damon, but I can live with that. I’m used to him at this point.”
“You know, you’re welcome here any time Caroline. This house is always open to you.”
“Thank you” she whispered, sniffling a little.
“You know, you’re wrong,” Stefan told her, lifting his hand to stroke her hair. “You do have a family that accepts you for you. You have me.”
She turned her head up to look at him, tears shining in her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face.
“If I show up at your doorstep someday with my bags packed, are you still going to say the same thing?”
“Especially if you show up at my door with bags.” He told her with a smile of his own.
“Good.” She said, lying back down so that her head was on his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck like it did every night she stayed.
Stefan couldn’t help but wish that day would come quickly. She was his family and he didn’t want to spend any more nights away from her than he had too.
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Characters: Caroline, Stefan (Implied Caroline/Stefan but it can be read as friendship as well)
Rating: G
Word Count: 1197
Disclaimer: Trust me when I say, I don’t own anything.
Summary: Her mother had a habit of working nights and Caroline had never liked being alone.
Author’s Note: Written for the
cw_land big bang challenge. Prompts habit and family. Set post "Daddy Issues", AU as in Stefan and Elena never got back together. It wasn’t uncommon for Stefan to find Caroline waiting for him in his bedroom. Sometimes he was more surprised not to find her there. Her mother had a habit of working nights and Caroline had never liked being alone, even before the werewolf attack.
The first night that she showed up, he found her outside, pacing in front of the door as though she wasn’t sure what she was doing there. He wasn’t sure why she was there so late, but when he placed his hand on her shoulder and she blurred forty feet away before she turned around to look at him, he understood. Caroline was incredibly strong, he had seen it when she was dealing with her transformation. She was so much stronger than he had been when he was that young, sometimes he thought that he was stronger than he was now. But she was still a seventeen year old girl, still had so much of her humanity left inside her, and what she had gone through would have been hard on a more experienced vampire. He didn’t know what had happened to her, she still hadn’t talked to him about it, but he had seen the haunted look in her eye and he would give anything to be able to take that night away, to be able to compel the memories away.
That first night they stayed up together, watching TV and eating cookies, because they seemed much more comforting than a bag of blood. They didn’t talk much, both unsure of what to talk about, but he had hoped that it had helped her, that it had provided her some sort of comfort. She was gone before Damon woke up, back to her house to pretend she had never left.
He wasn’t surprised when she showed up again the two nights later.
It became an unspoken custom between them and slowly their nights together became more than just someone else to keep them company. They talked about what was happening in Mystics Falls and she questioned him about what his life was like before he came back here. He never lied to her; never held things back like he sometimes tried to with Elena or Bonnie. He wanted her to know who he really was, who he had been, wanted her to know that the feelings, the temptations that she was having, he had gone through too. She always understanding and she always had a spin on things that he would have never considered. She made him smile sometimes, reminded him of what it meant to be happy, of what it meant to be human.
She fell asleep one night in the middle of a Twilight Zone marathon, her head resting on his shoulder and her hand grasping his arm in his sleep. He fell asleep sometime after, the best night sleep he had had for quite some time.
The next night he noticed her shifting on the couch, not so subtlety shifting closer to him. When he asked her what she was doing she had looked away embarrassed and mumbled under her breath that the night before had been the best sleep she had had in weeks, maybe since she had been turned. She had felt safe. And who was he to take that away from her?
Eventually it just seemed silly to stay on the couch when they knew that they were just going to end up asleep, they had stopped with the pretenses of television and food a while ago, and they had moved to his bedroom. She had been a bit hesitant the first night, trying to stay strictly to what she had designated to be her side of the bed and away from him. But as the nights continued, she seemed to get over her problem and she took to resting her head on his shoulder again, her hair tickling his neck.
Now it was hard to sleep without her. He missed her hogging the covers and her hand resting on his stomach. He missed the way she talked in her sleep. And he found himself wishing that her mother would spend every night working, so she would be there to sleep beside him. He didn’t get much sleep when he was alone anymore.
“Hi.” Caroline said as he closed the door behind him.
“Hi” He said smiling at her. She looked tired and he remembered that she had spent the day with her father and that that always took a lot out of her, even though she always denied it.
They silently climbed into bed, Caroline sliding closer to him as he turned off the light. Tonight she rested her head on his chest and moved her hand up rest above his heart, her fingers stroking the skin softly.
“You okay, Caroline?”
“Yeah, just thinking.” She told him.
“Anything you want to share?”
She didn’t say anything, just continued stroking his skin above her heart as if she tried hard enough she would feel it thumping again.
“Sometimes I wish that I could come here every night. That I could just stay here, not have to go back home.&rdquo
“Did something happen with your mom?”
“No, we may be dysfunctional, but we’re just as dysfunctional as were before, nothing more added to it. I just…I see my dad and he’s so happy with his new life, his new family. He spent all these years living a lie and I can just tell how happy he is now that he doesn’t have any of those secrets. I’m…never going to get to have that, never going to get to have my coming out moment, I never get to have a family of my own that accepts me as me. I’ll never be able to tell them and I just…I never get to forget that. I can’t forget that. I don’t have that problem here. I get to just be me and I don’t need to hide it.”
He felt a tear drop hit his chest and his hold on her tightened.
“I mean the downside is Damon, but I can live with that. I’m used to him at this point.”
“You know, you’re welcome here any time Caroline. This house is always open to you.”
“Thank you” she whispered, sniffling a little.
“You know, you’re wrong,” Stefan told her, lifting his hand to stroke her hair. “You do have a family that accepts you for you. You have me.”
She turned her head up to look at him, tears shining in her eyes, but there was a small smile on her face.
“If I show up at your doorstep someday with my bags packed, are you still going to say the same thing?”
“Especially if you show up at my door with bags.” He told her with a smile of his own.
“Good.” She said, lying back down so that her head was on his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck like it did every night she stayed.
Stefan couldn’t help but wish that day would come quickly. She was his family and he didn’t want to spend any more nights away from her than he had too.
