mystic falls } { all of the lights

[judgy]

To Bonnie's surprise, Mystic Falls had welcomed her with open arms. As soon as she and Stefan arrived, his best friend and former girlfriend Elena pulled her off into a room filled will girls, all getting ready for the night's festivities. Lana and Lois helped her choose a dress, Elena helped with her make-up and each of them took turns with the task of braiding her hair. Dawn seemed especially fascinated with how much of it there was.

Dinner came as soon as she was ready. Stefan escorted her as promised--and she could barely take her eyes off him. All of the food was delicious and after the meal she sampled every dessert she could get her hands on.

As soon as darkness began to settle in, Stefan took her hand and lead her away from the rest of the crowd.

"Where are we going?"

Comments

[somanyadjectives]

"We are going so that we can get the best view."

He didn't want to ruin the surprise, so he just flashed her a smirk and gave her had a squeeze as he lead the way. It wasn't that far down to the docks where the boats were kept, but he still wanted to keep it quiet for as long as he could.

[judgy]

The squeeze lightened her step and brightened her face, and not just because of the implications of what he said. She'd known him only a few hours and already felt so much more of a connection than she could have ever imagined she would with anyone she might meet when she ventured outside her tower. It was a very good connection. Being with him made her feel incredible, like she could float away with the lanterns she'd been waiting so long to see.

Speaking of which.

"Are the lights starting soon?"

[somanyadjectives]

"Very soon. It's why we need the good seat." He turned from her for a moment to push the door to the docks opening, before turning to face her again. "Come on. We don't have much time left."

[judgy]

For the second time that day, Bonnie stopped to remove her shoes, then continued to let Stefan pull her to wherever it was he was leading her. The excitement was starting to build and it was obvious by the expression on her face, as well her extra speed. If she knew where they were going, she would be running ahead of him.

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan can see the excitement on her face, and it's been a long time since he's been this excited about anything himself. Not since before he had lost Damon, and while he had tried -- he's tried so hard -- this just came so much easier. He stopped at the end of the dock, letting go of her hand for a moment to steady the boat tied to the end before extending a hand to her.

"Watch your step."

[judgy]

She felt a flutter in her chest as he extended his hand, and another when she took it. Why hadn't her father told her men so gentlemanly existed? Why had he made it all sound so horrible?

Bonnie was very careful as she stepped on board, slowly taking a seat as she looked out over the water.

"I've never been on a boat before."

[somanyadjectives]

"I guess today is a day for a lot of firsts," he said with a small smile, before settling into his seat and reaching for the oars. "Have you been swimming before?"

He could guess the answer, given the fact that she had spent most of her life in a tower, but she could have been brought there after she learned to swim. It was possible.

[judgy]

She looked down as she sat, a bit of a flush coming to her cheeks. "No," she said, shaking her head. "I haven't really done much of anything."

[somanyadjectives]

"Then I guess we'll just have to make sure you get to do more," he replied as he pushed the boat away from the dock and paddled out into the middle of the lake.

[judgy]

How long she would be staying here in Mystic Falls was still in question. She had every intention of getting back to the tower before her father returned from his trip. Whatever Stefan might have in mind was worth at least another day.

Bonnie took in a deep breath, sighing as she looked around. "This is so surreal."

[somanyadjectives]

He waited until they were in the middle of the lake before responding to that, glancing back at her with a smile. "It's not what you expected?"

[judgy]

She gave a little shrug. "I don't know what I was expecting." She was quiet for a moment. "It wasn't this."

[somanyadjectives]

"It can be a lot, all at once," he admitted, before shifting to pull in the oars, before moving to settle in the bottom of the boat. Once he was sure he was steady he reached out his hand to her. "Just enjoy it."

[judgy]

Her eyes dropped to his hand, hesitating briefly before reaching out. She returned her eyes to his, smiling as her fingers slowly wrap around his hand. "I am."

[somanyadjectives]

"Good."

He gently pulled her closer, letting her settle against him so that she could look up at the stars and see the lanterns. "Just watch. You'll be able to see everything from here."

[judgy]

She leaned against him with a happy hum. "How much longer?" she asked as she shifted her hand to lace her fingers through his

[somanyadjectives]

He squeezed her hand gently, before nodding in the direction of the sky. "Not long at all."

[judgy]

Her eyes closed briefly at that squeeze before she sighed and let her head lay against his shoulder as she watched the sky. It wasn't a long wait. At first it was just a single little dot against the night that made her grip tighten on Stefan's hand in excitement. That light quickly multiplied until they were surrounded by lanterns that had floated down to the water. Bonnie couldn't help but giggle as she took it all in.

[somanyadjectives]

Stefan smiled as he watched her more than the lights. He had seen the lights every year since he was a child. It wasn't often that he got to see someone who was seeing them for the first time. It made a smile cross his face and he just leaned back into the boat, giving her hand a squeeze as he did.

[judgy]

She glanced back at him when he squeezed her hand, a bright smile on her face, before her eyes returned to the lights. "This is so beautiful, more beautiful than I imagined."

[somanyadjectives]

"Good. I'm glad it lived up to your expectations."

[judgy]

She looked back at him again. "You never told me what these are for."

[somanyadjectives]

"I'm not really sure," he said with a frown as he looked up again. "It's a very old tradition -- Shelia Bennet, the woman who runs it, would probably be a better person to ask."

[judgy]

She nodded, seeming satisfied. She would find this Shelia Bennett later.

Bonnie glanced at their interwoven hands before looking him in the eye again. "Thank you for bringing me here."

[somanyadjectives]

One hand came up, brushing against her chin gently and giving her a small smile. "I was happy to do it."