BEFORE THE TIME, IT GOT AWAY FROM US,
[ in which , stefan salvatore somehow
managed to get the original hybrids'
twin sister to fall in love with him due
to a...
WHEN KARA WOKE UP that morning, the light was beginning to creep in through the thin curtains, making the room appear soft and golden. There had been a thunder storm last night, and it seemed to have passed, leaving behind a faint, earthy scent of rain that still lingered in the air. Her hand stretched out instinctively, searching for warmth, for the steady rise and fall of Stefan's chest beneath her cheek.
But her fingers met only the smooth coolness of linen, as if his side of her bed had been empty for a while. Her eyes fluttered open, and he was gone. Panic began crawling beneath her skin as her breath hitched. She pushed herself upright, blankets falling away from her body. Her heart pounded against her ribs in an instant panic.
No. No, no. Had he─? She couldn't finish the thought. Her mind jumped to the worst: that his death had come in the night, quiet and cruel, while she'd been asleep ─ while she'd been holding him. She glanced toward the corner of the room where his boots had been left the night before.
Gone. The panic bubbled in her throat once again... but then, she heard it. Loud and clear. Laughter. A low, warm sound drifted up from downstairs, and a familiar voice followed it, faint but unmistakable.
Stefan.
Relief crashed over her in a wave so strong her legs nearly gave out. She didn't even take time to get dressed properly ─ just threw on one of Stefan's discarded shirts that still smelled like his cologne and zipped down the stairs with vampire speed, her heart still in her throat.
She found them in the sitting room.
Rebekah was lounging on the couch with a glass of blood, lazily flipping through one of Klaus's old sketchbooks. Stefan stood beside her, leaning over to look at something she was pointing out, his expression relaxed but curious.
"I still think this one looks like me," Rebekah was saying, tracing a finger over a charcoal drawing of a girl in a flowing dress.
"It kind of does," Stefan replied, smiling faintly.
Kara skidded to a halt at the edge of the doorway, breathless.
"Stefan." Both of them looked up.
His expression softened immediately when he saw her, and she was across the room in a blink, launching herself into his arms. He caught her easily, letting the sketchbook slip from his hands as she buried her face into his chest.
