Before You Were Mine

Chapter Fifteen

A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reviewing, following and favoriting. You guys are awesome! Lots of cuteness and feels in this chapter. :)

Enjoy!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Fifteen

-Stefan-

I can smell the fire burning everywhere, the clouds of dark smoke and ash making it hard to see as we walked through the wooded and forestry areas.

"You know, if we make it out of this, I'm going to take Mel to Vegas and we're just going to get married there. Screw the whole family tradition crap." Daniel said, breathing through his oxygen mask as I watched him pat Damon on the shoulder.

"What about you, Damon?" Tyler asked, stepped to Daniel's right side as he looked out at the vast acreage that was burning while we prepared the trucks and water hoses.

"Well, I'm planning on throwing Bonnie a nice big wedding with close friends and family. I'm a bit on the traditional side. Ty, didn't you and Caroline get married at a court house?" Damon asked with a laugh as I looked on, turning back around to walk back to one of the guys from the one of the many firehouses that had joined us to fight this massive wildfire.

"We got married in her mom's backyard. You were there." Tyler stated, sighing out a breath and pulling down his face shield as Damon shrugged. I could hear my brother mumble out loud. "I don't remember much of it..I must have been pretty drunk. And, for that apologize if I tried to hit on your wife."

With my back turned just slightly, I could hear the cracking in the distance. First, a tree branch, then a few more and just as I turned back around fully to warn them all. The two large evergreen trees near the three of them came crashing down at full speed. I watch with a paralyzed fear as they crash down upon them, I can hear their screaming inside of my ears and the buzzing noise of the loud booming echoing throughout the forest.

"No, No..Daniel. Stay with me! Tyler, wake up. Please, man. Wake up!" I'm screaming, thrashing about as I feel something heavy holding me down, the same feeling is on my cheeks. The feeling is warm and soft upon my skin as so is her calm voice, telling me that I'm dreaming. "Stefan, wake up. It's okay. Shhh..It's okay, it's just a dream. It's just a dream." She says with a reassuring tone. My eyes open just a little bit with tears glazed over them. Elena leans forward, wiping away my tears with her thumbs as she gives me a sorrowful look.

"You're okay, Stefan. I promise. You're safe because you are here with me." She tells me as my eyes open up wider and I realize that I'm still in the hospital. I'm still in my bed and one of my arms is draped lazily over Elena's waistline.

"You're okay." She smiles, lifting up her hand and caressing my cheek as I watch her lay back down on the same side she had been on earlier.

"I'm sorry." I reply back, adjusting myself too so that we're still laying close to each other. We're silent and our bodies are now turned towards one another. She's staring at me cautiously as I clear my throat, wanting to say something, anything at all to kick this awkward feeling between us. However, Elena speaks first.

"Hey, it's okay..Stefan, honestly it's fine." She says softly, covering up her body and then mine with the blanket that's fallen down below to her hips. "Listen, there's something that I've been wanting to say to you for a few days now and I just didn't know how to say it because- you died on me."

My eyebrows scrunch up, my face contorts and I'm trying to understand what she's saying to me. But, Elena backs away before I can even open my mouth. I watch her get up from the bed and as she does, she runs her fingers through her hair. "You died in this room, twice during the week I was here. I thought that I was going to lose you and that I'd never be able to tell you how I felt." She recalls, sorrow on her face as she sighs out a breath and glances down at the floor.