The Second Life Of Stella Salvatore

Goodbye Katherine

Hayden's POV:

We swam in the lake until it got too dark, so we got the boat back to shore and then laid down on the ground on some towels. Stella cuddled up next to me even though I was still soaking wet and probably smelled fishy like the lake water. Neither one of us said a word while we watched the sun as it sacrificed itself for the moon, just so she could breathe.

I loved sunsets and I loved seeing the many beautiful colors spread across the sky. I remember being a kid when we lived up in the mountains. My mom and I would lay on this hill that had the best view and we would wait to watch the sunset. We would be there for the sunrise too sometimes. This time the sunset seemed more glorious than I've ever seen. Maybe that was because I was seeing it with the girl I loved.

I looked over at her and saw that she was transfixed by the beauty of the fading sunset. The many oranges, reds, pinks, and yellows were reflecting in her bright blue eyes. She seemed content to be laying here with me. A smile graced her face.

The sun sank the rest of the way behind the trees and the colors faded from the sky leaving it a pitch black. Now we were laying under a dark cloak of night sky. Stella's arm suddenly pointed up toward the sky as her smile grew. "Look. It's the first star of the night." I followed her finger to find the little twinkling light glimmering happily down at us. "Let's make a wish."

I smiled as I heard the murmur of her voice as she quietly made a wish just like a young child would do. Her fingers linked with mine before she opened her eyes and smiled up at the single star again. It was then that I realized that I didn't need any wishes or anything. "Did you wish for something?" Stella asked me as her gorgeous blue eyes gazed up at me.

I felt my lips pull up into a smile as I looked at her long and fixedly. "No," She looked surprised, but I continued to smile. "I don't need any wishes. I have everything I ever wanted right here beside me. I love you."

"I love you too," She whispered. I leaned down and captured her lips with mine.

A couple of days later we were just chilling outside on the porch while Stella checked her phone. I glanced over at her to see her fingers flying across her phone screen. How does she type so fast? Maybe it was a girl thing. "Who are you texting?" I asked being completely nosey.

"Scarlett," Stella replied without looking up from her phone. "She was wondering where I was. My family had a memorial service for my mom. Uncle Jeremy can see ghosts and Scarlett said he saw my mom and the rest of my dead family. She said it took a toll on my dad." Not long after she spoke, her phone started buzzing in her hand. "Hello?" She answered it. "Oh hey, Uncle Stefan. What's up? How's Dad doing?"

I wasn't trying to listen in but because of my sensitive hearing I could hear every word of their conversation. "Damon's...Damon. He's better than he was. Listen, I thought you should know what's going on. Tyler was shot. He's fine, but the guy that shot him is some kind of special hunter. Klaus-" My ears pricked up at that name. "says this hunter is after a two-thousand-year-old vampire who was originally a witch. Your dad is determined to hunt down this vampire to cure him so he can bring your mom back."

I watched as hope slowly started to flood her face and her eyes seemed to get brighter as well. "Do you think that's possible? Would that really work?"

"I don't know. We're looking into it. Klaus and Damon are going to go interrogate the Hunter. I'll fill you in once we know more." There was a small pause. "So how are you holding up? Everything okay?"

"I'm okay, I guess. Having Hayden here has really helped." She looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back and put my hand on her knee as a sign of comfort. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for the memorial service. I..I just needed some time to myself. You understand, right?"