A/N: The new story is Silent Prayers, and will focus largely on Stefan and Elena, but other characters, mainly Damon, will also be introduced.

I posted the summary on Twitter and on this site and it has been fun watching you all try and guess what is going to happen! I am really hopeful that this story will be a great one as well as an emotional rollercoaster as well.

Hint: If at any point in this story you think things are moving fast, good. I want you to feel that way, as it will play an important piece in the storyline later on : )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Vampire Diaries. This story is for entertainment purposes only.

Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Charleston, South Carolina. Hands down, probably the most beautiful place he had ever lived. The salty ocean breeze made even the warmest day of the year bearable. Sure, there were hurricanes every now and then that kept you indoors, but overall, he enjoyed the rich history the city held, being one of the oldest in the state.

The College of Charleston had been a perfect fit for the past four years, offering him a beautiful, quiet campus to earn his degree in finance. He could not wait to put it to use.

"I'm really going to miss this place" Caroline said, snapping shut the plastic container that had housed her salad from lunch. She was looking around the campus, taking it in.

Stefan smiled at his friend, agreeing with her completely. He hadn't known anyone on campus four years ago, so making friends with such an outgoing social butterfly like Caroline had been necessary. "You're not leaving Charleston, are you?" Stefan asked, turning to look at her sitting next to him on the perfectly manicured lawn in front of the fountain.

Caroline shook her head. "I think I'll try and find a job and see what happens" she answered. "My dad lives here, so at least I'll have some family around" she added, taking out her chapstick and applying a fresh coat to her lips. He was planning on sticking around too, since he loved the city so much and his older brother lived there. It made the most sense for him. "Hey, thanks for volunteering this morning" she said, almost forgetting to thank him. "I wasn't expecting such a large group of interested high school seniors to show up today for campus tours."

Caroline Forbes. Volunteer coordinator for student affairs. Double majored in business and psychology. And minored in physics just for fun. Stefan didn't know how she managed to do it all. Caroline was all energy and no stop. She would be graduating with him in two weeks, top of her class. She truly was a world wonder. "No problem" Stefan told her. He hadn't really minded walking a group of high school seniors around all morning, answering questions and showing them the campus. If nothing else, he could add it to his resume. "Now I get to go and study for my Finance 418 final" he told her. The last final exam he would ever take as a student at The College of Charleston.

Caroline patted his shoulder before standing up. "You've got this" she told him. "You're like, the smartest guy I know when it comes to numbers."

Stefan laughed slightly as he stood up too. He was freakishly good with numbers. Always had been. A degree in finance fit him perfectly, and so would his new job as a financial analyst for a private firm he had interned with the past two summers. "Thanks, Caroline" he told her. "Good luck with the second group of high school students" he said, waving goodbye to her as he watched her jump into action and start directing volunteers nearly the instant she left him.

Stefan tossed his garbage away and was about ready to head for the library when he spotted her.

He took a long moment to study her. He noticed first her long, pin straight chocolate brown hair that fell to the middle of her back, and then her long tan legs that looked amazing in a pair of khaki Bermuda shorts paired with a navy blue button down shirt. She looked casual, yet professional. She also wore glasses with a small black frame which gave off an element of sophistication. She hugged a notepad against her chest as she stood amongst the group of high school students, waiting for the tour to begin.

Stefan's eyes couldn't stop staring. He was completely in awe of her. She carried herself with such maturity, and yet, there was this innocence about her as well. She stayed at the very back of the group, taking in everything around her.

She was absolutely beautiful.

Stefan's eyes never left sight of her as he walked to where Caroline was standing, directing a volunteer. "Hey, can I join another one of these groups and help out?" he asked.

Caroline was scratching notes down on her clipboard. "I thought you had a final to study for?" she asked, not bothering to look up from what she was doing. She was in her zone.

"I'd like to help out some more. I can study tonight" he insisted.

She nodded. "Okay. You can join Andrew's group. Poor soul has all the ones asking questions every two seconds. He barely gets his answer out before someone else asks another" she explained.

But that wasn't the group the beautiful girl was in. "Actually, I was hoping I could join Jenny's group" Stefan told her.

Caroline shook her head no, scratching out something she had written. "She doesn't need help. She's doing a kickass job with these tours" Caroline said.

Stefan hated to be insistent, but he might not ever get the chance to talk to this girl if he couldn't spend some time with her. "Please, Care" Stefan said, almost pleading with her.

Caroline looked up at him, saw his eyes trained on Jenny's group, and then zoned in on what had caught Stefan's attention. Caroline smiled. "The brunette in the back?" she asked, biting down on her pencil as she assessed the girl that her friend was so smitten over. Stefan blushed. "She would be an incoming Freshman" Caroline reminded him, thinking about how young that girl most likely was. Probably 17 or 18.

Stefan kept his eyes on the girl though. "I know" he replied. He'd most likely be four years older than her.

Caroline laughed softly. "Sure, go ahead. Knock yourself out" she said, nodding towards the group Stefan so badly wanted to join.

Stefan squeezed Caroline's arm lightly as a silent thank you before walking quickly to catch up to the group of high school students that had just started their tour. Their tour guide, Jenny, was taking them towards the stadium and track. He felt suddenly nervous walking up behind the girl he had been admiring. She glanced over at him when he fell into step next to her, but she quickly turned her attention back to Jenny who was speaking loudly about sports on campus. "Hi" Stefan said, turning slightly so he could look at her as they walked.

She looked over at him again and met his eyes that were light green and welcoming. "Hi" she said, giving him a small smile.

His heart nearly melted. Not only was she beautiful, but he could tell from her voice that she was a sweet person. "I'm Stefan" he said, holding out his hand to introduce himself properly.

She looked at his hand and then rearranged the notebook in her arms so she could grab his hand, shaking it politely. "I'm Elena" she said softly.

Stefan smiled and he swore she blushed. "That is a very beautiful name, Elena" he told her, holding her hand for another moment before letting it go. She opened her mouth to say something, but didn't quite know what to say to a compliment like that. "So you're thinking about coming here for school in the Fall?" he asked. Then he felt dumb, because of course she was considering it if she was touring the campus.

Elena nodded though as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "So far, I really love the campus" she told him. "The city is really beautiful too" she added.

Stefan's eyes lit up. She enjoyed the city of Charleston as much as he did. "Have you been down to the beach yet?" he asked. That was probably one of his favorite spots. Beautiful blue and green water and light brown sand that sparkled under the sun.

"I haven't had the chance yet" Elena answered. She had stopped paying attention to the tour guide up ahead, finding her conversation with Stefan to be much more interesting. He was extremely handsome, though not much taller than her. Maybe six inches or so. He wore black slacks and a dark gray dress shirt with a matching tie. All of the volunteer campus tour guides were dressed up, as per Caroline's request. "Are you … part of this tour?" Elena asked, smiling at him curiously.

Stefan smiled back at her. "I did a tour earlier this morning, and I decided to help out this afternoon too" he explained.

Elena nodded, accepting his answer. If he had been giving tours, that meant he was graduating at the end of the semester in a few weeks. "Well, I'm glad you decided to help out in my group" Elena told him. Then she looked away, shy over what she had just told him.

Stefan continued to smile. "Me too" he told her.

The tour lasted nearly two hours. Then the students were free to roam around campus on their own. Most were spending the night in a dorm or a nearby hotel. But that was optional and some were even going home that evening.

When the group dispersed, Elena was left standing alone with Stefan. "So …" she said, trying to decide where to go from there.

Stefan realized that she was hinting that they would probably be going their separate ways. He had to act fast. "Would you like to go to one of the parties on campus tonight?" he asked, inviting her. "One of the sorority's is having one tonight. They're pretty tame" he said, realizing that maybe partying wasn't her thing. He sensed her hesitation.

"I can't" she told him, feeling bad for rejecting his offer. She didn't want him to think she didn't want to go. "I live about five hours from here, so I have to leave by six to get home" she said, clarifying why she couldn't go.

"Oh" he said, glad to know she wasn't rejecting him because she wasn't interested. "How about an early dinner, say around 4?" he asked. He wanted to spend more time with her.

Elena looked surprised that he was so persistent in asking her out. Wasn't he like four years older than her? She had heard of times when upperclassmen sought after the incoming freshman, typically for sex. But there was something about Stefan that made her think that wasn't his goal for her that night. "Okay" she said.

Stefan's eyes lit up. Had she really just agreed? "Great" he said with a smile. It was just after two. "Should we meet up right back here at four?" he asked. That would give him at least an hour to study. Or to prepare for his date with Elena.

Elena smiled as she nodded. "That sounds great" she told him. "I have a few things on campus I want to check out" she said, easing his worry that she would have nothing to do until they met back up.

"Perfect. I'll see you at four, Elena" he said, giving her one last smile before he turned and began walking away. He had no idea what he was doing, but he had a really great feeling about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Stefan was sitting on a picnic bench when she arrived sharply at 4 PM. Stefan was dressed much more casually in blue jeans and a burgundy polo shirt. He stood immediately when he saw her walking down the sidewalk. He was so happy that she had shown up. Even though he had arrived half an hour early, he was having thoughts about being stood up. He only knew her first name, so it would be difficult to find her again. "Hi" he said, smiling at her.

"Hi" she said, smiling shyly at him as she stopped in front of him. She hadn't changed, but she did have her purse with her.

He stuffed his hands in his pocket nervously. "I thought I'd take you to Fleet Landing. It's on the water" he told her.

She smiled, loving the idea of being close to the water. "Can we walk there?" she asked. She wasn't too oriented with the area just yet.

Stefan shook his head no. "I mean, we could. But it would be faster to drive" he explained. "I'm parked across the street" he added, pointing to his green Jeep Wrangler.

She followed Stefan across the street and he opened the passenger door for her. "Thank you" she told him, climbing in. He shut the door for her and ran around to the driver's side. Elena took a moment to survey the inside of his vehicle. It was fairly clean with a vanilla air freshener.

Stefan pulled away from the curb and started down the road. He shut his radio off, hoping to be able to talk with her. But her attention was out the window, taking everything in as they passed by. He really wished she was staying another day, because he would have loved to have shown her around. "St. Mary's is one of the oldest cathedrals in Charleston" Stefan said, pointing off to their right.

Elena's face was practically out the window as she admired the beautiful architecture. "It's so beautiful" Elena said, making a mental note to explore the cathedral if she ended up attending school in Charleston.

Stefan smiled at her enthusiasm, so he continued to point things out to her during their short drive. A few minutes later, the water came into view, as did the smell of the ocean. Stefan found parking along the street and thought that 4 PM was the best time to come for dinner because the Saturday night dinner rush had not started yet. He jumped out of his jeep to get Elena's door, but she had already let herself out. She was staring out at the water in amazement. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked.

Elena nodded as she turned around to face him. "I love the ocean" she told him.

Stefan led the way into the restaurant, holding the door for her. They were seated outside at a small table that overlooked the water. Stefan ordered a Sprite, remembering that she wasn't old enough to drink. She ordered ice tea. Both opened their menus and scanned the contents. Elena noticed that some of the menu items were a little pricey. "Order anything you want" Stefan encouraged. Then he leaned over the table to whisper. "But the Carolina crab cakes are the best, if you like crab" he told her with a small smile.

Elena smiled as well. "I do" she said, closing her menu and trusting his judgment. The waiter, who appeared to know Stefan, took their orders. When they were alone again, Elena smiled at Stefan who couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. "This is really nice of you, taking me out to dinner" Elena said. She hadn't been out on anything that even closely resembled a date in over a year. And any of those dates had never been at a restaurant like the one she was at with Stefan.

Stefan's eyes lit up. She was happy to be there with him, and that made him think that maybe they could see each other again. "I'm really glad you agreed to join me" Stefan told her. "I usually go out to eat with my brother and, well … he's nowhere near as pretty as you are" Stefan said. Okay, so it was a line. But it was an honest line at least.

Elena failed to hide the fact that she was blushing. But no one had called her pretty in a while either. "How old is your brother?" she asked, noticing Stefan's entire face light up when he realized he was going to get to talk about his brother.

"Damon is 32. He's 10 years older than me" he said, giving her a hint as to how old he actually was. He hoped it wouldn't be an issue that he was probably four years older than her.

Elena played with her water glass. "So, you're graduating soon?" she asked. Stefan nodded. "What did you major in?" she asked curiously.

Stefan felt himself release the breath he had been holding. His age didn't seem to be a big deal to her. "Finance" he answered. "I start working September 1st at a private firm here in Charleston" Stefan added, making sure to let her know that he was planning on sticking around.

"Finance huh?" Elena asked, smiling.

"Yeah" he said, smiling shyly. "I'm not as boring as my major sounds" he promised her. She laughed, and he thought it was such a beautiful sound. He was falling more and more for this girl every minute. "I just do really well with numbers" he said.

"I think anything can be interesting as long as there is passion behind it" she told him, stirring her ice tea with her straw.

Stefan smiled and completely agreed with her. "So what about you? What do you hope to study?" he asked, taking a genuine interest in her.

Elena smiled brightly and Stefan could tell that she was passionate about whatever it was she planned to pursue. "Marine Biology" she answered. "I'm fascinated with marine animals" Elena added. She loved reading about them, seeing them and studying them. "But I'm also really interested keeping their environments safe for them, so studying toxicity levels in the water is something I'd like to explore too."

Stefan was impressed with how detailed her plans were. She really had her heart set on marine biology before she had even started any classes. "What's your favorite marine mammal?" Stefan asked her, feeling himself lean closer to the table.

Elena didn't even have to think about it. "Sea otters" she smiled.

"I like those too" he told her. She smiled some more before looking down at her tea.

Their food arrived and they spent the next hour eating and talking about the college Elena was thinking about attending. Stefan really hoped that she would attend the College of Charleston. He wanted to get to know her even better. Sadly, his evening with her was coming to an end.

"You sure you don't want dessert?" Stefan asked.

Elena shook her head no. "I'm so full" she told him. "I couldn't possibly eat another bite."

Stefan smiled as he waved the waitress over. "The chocolate raspberry cupcakes are amazing. You can take one to go and eat it on your trip back home" he told her, ordering two so he could take one home as well.

Elena was disappointed to see the night coming to an end when Stefan parked his jeep at the spot on campus where they had met earlier. He hopped out of the jeep and went around to open her door for her. Elena stepped out and held her box with her cupcake. "I had a really great time tonight Stefan. Thank you" she told him.

Stefan smiled at her. "I had a really great time too, Elena" he told her honestly. He hadn't had this great of a time on a date in forever.

Elena smiled back. "Goodnight" she told him, knowing she had to get to the bus station and buy her ticket to go back home.

He leaned in suddenly and Elena's heart stopped when she thought he was going to kiss her. She didn't know if she wanted him to kiss her after one date. But she relaxed when she felt his lips land on her cheek. "Goodnight" he told her, leaning back and smiling.

Elena felt herself smile even more as she began walking away from him, still blushing from him being that close to her. She hadn't planned on going out to dinner with anyone while she came to tour the campus. She didn't even know why she had agreed to go out with someone she didn't even know. But spending time with Stefan had been a really nice change for her.

Elena crossed the street when she heard Stefan call her name. She turned around and saw him looking at her. "I'm graduating two weeks from today. Do you think you could make it back down?" he asked, hoping to give her an excuse to come visit so he could see her again. "I can show you more of Charleston" he added.

Elena hesitated. Of course she wanted to, but two weeks was soon. "I'm not sure I will be able to" Elena said, watching his enthusiasm slowly fade. She felt bad, but it just wasn't going to be possible. Or would it? "I'll try" she found herself saying.

"Hang on" Stefan said, opening his jeep door and reaching inside for something. He grabbed a pen and wrote something down on his brother's business card, then walked over to her. "This is my number" he told her, handing her the card. "Call me sometime" he said, flashing her a hopeful smile.

Elena took the card and let her eyes scan the phone number. He backed up and waved to her as he retreated back to his jeep. Elena waved at him too, closing her hand around the card. When she turned around and was faced away from him, she began walking.

She heard Stefan drive off and she turned around just in time to see him disappear down over the hill. Elena smiled, thinking Charleston was already pretty amazing.

A/N: Hmmm … things are starting off a little too good to be true for my stories, eh?