I held him for what didn't quite feel like hours, so I was surprised when the sun peeked over the top of the trees. Noticing the newly brightened forest at the same time, Stefan lifted his head to look at me.

His eyes were red, his cheeks blotchy. I'm not sure if we'd been in and out of sleep or really just sitting here in silence for so long. I'd found, as a vampire, that time felt different than before.

His hands found my face, thumbs stroking my cheeks.

"Thank you," he said sincerely, his voice a little shaky after not speaking for so long.

I smiled weakly. He looked at me as if fully realizing what I'd done for him. Held him all night as he mourned. And then realizing for the first time that I'd lost someone too. He slid his fingers around neck and pulled my head to his chest. He must have figured it was his turn to offer me comfort.

He didn't know what I knew. That somewhere along the way, I'd become stronger than him. Or colder. I wasn't sure which. If I let myself think about what just happened, I could sob violently into the night over losing Bonnie. But I wouldn't. Because what good would that do. I still allowed him to hold me and stroke my hair. For him. For me. It didn't matter. What mattered was that I'd taken stock of what I had left in my life and who and what was important. And Stefan topped the list.

The sun continued to rise in the sky, warming the forest floor. I pulled my head from his chest and kissed his cheek. It was warm and soft and I lingered a little longer than I normally would have. We deserved it. I pulled away and gave him a smile. He gave me a final squeeze before releasing me.

It felt strange to not be touching him after so long. The otherwise warm clearing suddenly felt chilly. I stood and stretched my legs. He did the same.

I considered the day, the time, if I needed to be anywhere. Before realizing that none of that really mattered anymore. I slipped out of my jacket and tossed it to the ground.

"Come on," I said, extending my hand toward him.

He arched a perfect brow at me, "...where are we going?"

I circled him mischievously, slipping my arms around his waist from behind and lifting up on my tip toes to whisper in his ear, "Anywhere."

He turned around in my arms in an instant and lifted me up in a hug, before slinging me over his shoulder.

"Sounds great." he said, carrying me out of the woods unceremoniously like a sack of potatoes. I giggled and it felt strange after the night that we just had.

I watched as the bench where we'd spent the night disappeared from view. And couldn't wait to watch Mystic Falls do the same.