fifty shades of stefan } { don't believe the lights are shining, any place but there [1904]

[somanyadjectives]

[Continued from here.]

Ten years, as promised, and Stefan doesn't forget. Evening of the first night of the World's Fair has him standing on the bridge facing the statue of Saint Louis, hearing the faint sounds of revelry in the distance. There is so much he wants to do and see, but a promise is a promise, and he isn't going to abandon his date for the evening.

Provided, of course, that she remembers and elects to attend, but that's another matter entirely. For however long it takes, he will wait.

The past decade hasn't been a particularly easy one. The absence of his brother is starting to weigh on him, and while he wishes he knew where Damon is or what he is doing, he also knows that Damon promised him an eternity of misery. That is a promise that he knows Damon fully intends to keep, no matter how sorry Stefan is. He can only hope that he can keep being better, top prove to him that he isn't the burden that Damon believes to be saddled with.

Damon left because Stefan couldn't control himself. Clearly allowing Lexi to teach him control and prove that to Damon is the only way to try and bridge that gap between them.

All the same, he stands and waits for Diana, the first thing he's been excited for in almost ten years. If she doesn't arrive on the first night, he'll continue to wait for every night until she does arrive. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later, though. There is so much of the fair to see.

[Continued here.]

Comments

[somanyadjectives]

"Clarence," he says with a nod. Not a bad name to start with. He glances back to her with a smile. "So tell me about Clarence." He's not planning on mocking her at all, he promises. "Seriously, I want to know. I won't make fun of him, or you."

[diana_abel]

She gave him a dubious look. Perhaps it wasn't that she didn't trust Stefan, so much as that Selene had already given her a fairly brutal ribbing over this one, far worse than anything she'd ever received for Joseph.

"He's a...sweep," she said, almost bracing for the laughter.

[somanyadjectives]

His eyebrows climb a bit at that, confused by the terminology for the moment. "Like a chimney sweep?" He doesn't sound like he's going to laugh, so don't assume he will.

[diana_abel]

"Yes," she admitted.

And, as Selene continually berated and reminded her, so very incredibly beneath her.

Only he wasn't.

Stefan would forever receive all the credit for reminding Diana that she was still alive. That her life could go on, even without Joseph. That she had passion and she had excitement and that she could have other people. But Clarence was a human. And, for the first time in a hundred years, he was her human. And it wasn't for his clothes or his status or his titles.

He made her smile.

[somanyadjectives]

He nods a moment in agreement. The idea of anyone being "beneath" them is laughable to Stefan. "Interesting. How did you meet?" It's easier to understand the choice if he's heard the whole story.

[diana_abel]

The fact that he was taking her seriously--at a time when no one ever took her seriously--made Diana curl her arm a little bit tighter around his. And she gave him one of her most brilliant smiles as a reward.

"He was hired to sweep the chimney in Liam's east coast estate where I was staying," she said. "But we actually met on the street. Near that little tavern where you and I went dancing after the opera."

[somanyadjectives]

"Ah," he gives a bit of a grin. "So it seems like things worked out well for everyone then." More or less, at any rate. It's good that she has someone, though. Having someone in your life can keep you grounded in interesting ways.

[diana_abel]

If there was one word that could never, ever, ever be applied to Diana--at least on her own--it was 'grounded.' But Stefan was right, of course. Having people in her life to care about did wonders for her. And when Diana cared, she cared with everything in her being.

She turned toward him, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I don't think I ever thanked you properly. That night changed my life."

[somanyadjectives]

"For the better, I hope. Otherwise I would be surprised you're thanking me." He's teasing mostly, but he's glad that he's been able to help her, even if it's in a little way. It's something he's been struggling to do as a vampire. It makes it hard to find the balance of helping people versus wanting to tear their throats out.

[diana_abel]

"Well, of course for the better, you goop," she said, nudging him in the ribs with her elbow. "But if we keep this up, I'm going to start gushing. And believe me, you don't want to see that."

And they didn't have the time to waste.

"Pick an exhibit. Let's visit something."

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan agrees - there was certainly too much to see for her to start gushing. He scans the tops of heads for a moment, before nodding towards what looked like a giant wire dome. "Shall we investigate the aviary?" It goes with her dress if nothing else.

[diana_abel]

"Oh, I love birds!"

It was easy to see why. They were rather like her in a lot of ways. Delicate. Flighty. And, of course, they were called songbirds for a reason.

Well, the ones that actually sang, anyway.

"Yes! Let's!"

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan grins before turning and leading the way through the crowd, doing his best not to cut and elbow his way into the exhibit too much. If there were any problems, he could probably compel them away, but he didn't want to have to.

This was a bit about being human - if only for a little while.

[diana_abel]

She walked with him, happy holding onto his arm. And more than happy to play pretend and be human for a little while.

Still...

"You must have been doing something new and exciting in the last few years."

[somanyadjectives]

He takes a deep breath, considering for a moment. "I spent some time in Europe. Not incredibly long, but long enough. I had never been there before."

[diana_abel]

Diana let out a delighted little squeal, digging her fingers in his arm. "Where did you go? I want you to tell me everything. Did you go to Paris? Please tell me you went to Paris! You'd be crazy as a bed bug to visit Europe and skip over Paris!"

Selene hated how much Diana rambled about Paris. But she could never understand the sheer delight that she took in the city of lights.

There was no finer place to fall in love, for one thing.

[somanyadjectives]

He laughs a bit at her excitement before nodding. "I did spend some time in Paris, yes. It was my first time, so I wanted to try and take in as much as I can. It's quite a lovely city, when you take the time to explore it properly."

[diana_abel]

"A romantic city," she insisted. "Probably twice as much now, without the silly powdered wigs."

True, they'd been at the height of fashion. But that never made them any less absurd in her mind.

One of the few times Diana had ever rebelled against what was fashionable.

"What did you see? Did you visit the university library?"

[somanyadjectives]

"Unfortunately no. I did visit most of the museums though. The Louvre is amazing." Among other things. But in some ways it was too much to see and he didn't get to see everything he wanted to.

[diana_abel]

A shame. She could still breathe in the scent of the library, when she wanted to. But she supposed not everyone would find it as desperately romantic as she did. Diana came to it from a unique perspective, after all.

"What about Montmarte?" she asked, her French accent still impeccable. "I've heard stories . They say that it's positively wild out there." The tossed her head back defiantly, letting her hair flutter around her, to suggest how she felt about that.

Envious.

[somanyadjectives]

"I did," he says with a nod, a small smile crossing his face. "Beautiful view. And perhaps not as wild as it could have been, but I found it enjoyable all the same."

[diana_abel]

"A beautiful view?" she asked, prettily raising her eyebrows. "What were you looking at?"

It seemed that Diana would never let go of her romantic notions. Especially regarding other people's lives.

[somanyadjectives]

He shrugs a bit of that. "The city. The view from the city. Pretty much everything in Paris is beautiful in it's own way."

[diana_abel]

She couldn't hide a little childish disappointment, either that Stefan wasn't playing the game or that he genuinely hadn't found a pretty girl or two in Montmarte.

Either way, her sulkiness was put aside as they entered the aviary.

"Oh, look," she gushed.

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan grins as he looks at the birds around them, pleased that they went from darkness into a world full of color. "This is amazing," he says with a small smile as he makes his way further into the room.