DRIVING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS // CHRISTMAS CALENDAR 2020

Monday December 21st

Stefan was awake when I woke up. He was in the same position that he was in when we went to bed, and I started wondering whether or not he had even slept at all.

"Good morning," I whispered and kissed his warm shoulder blade. I rubbed his naked back.

"Have you slept well?" I asked. He nodded.

"You little liar." I got up from the bed. "Why didn't you sleep?"

"I just couldn't," he mumbled and didn't move. I frowned.

"You were scared that if you fell asleep, he wouldn't be there in the morning, weren't you?" I asked softly and sat on the bed, gently running my fingers through his silky locks. Stefan didn't answer.

"Oh baby," I whispered and leaned down to kiss his shoulder. I felt bad for him. He was trembling under my hands, trying to hold back tears. I combed my fingers through his hair again soothingly.

"I'll tell you what. Why don't you stay at home and get a couple of hours of good sleep and rest, and then you can come to school later if you feel like it?"

Stefan nodded a little and I planted a gentle kiss on his cheek before leaving the room, turning off the lights and closing the door softly. I walked downstairs where Damon was enjoying a cup of coffee in the kitchen.

"Hey," I greeted him with a smile. "Stefan's staying home from school today. He's not feeling so good."

"What's wrong with him?" Damon asked.

"Well, he just had a lot of trouble sleeping. Will you keep an eye on him while I'm gone?"

He nodded. I smiled and left for school. I couldn't find Caroline for the first hour or so and some of the lunch break passed without her too but then she rushed to us.

"Guess what?" She said excitedly. She didn't give us time to say anything, she just continued right away.

"I got permission!" She cheered. "Our lovely principal will announce it in the gym after lunch and then we have to get to work. We only have a few days before showtime, so we have to work fast. Where is Stefan when you need him?"

She looked around to spot him.

"He's at home, Caroline. Damon's with him." I said.

"Damon?" Elena looked at me in confusion. "I thought he left town?"

"He came back home yesterday, but Stefan's having a hard time at the moment, so I asked Damon to stay home with him today."

Caroline sighed in annoyance.

"Typical." She said grumpily.

"Easy." I said. "Staying home is fair when you don't feel well. He'll come tomorrow. I'm sure."

Caroline nodded a little. When the bell rang, we were all called to the gym, and Caroline stood proudly beside the principal as he said that she was going to make the show a success.

"I am of course sending my prayers and thoughts to Mrs. Jenkins family. She would have wanted us to finish the show and have our times to shine in the spotlight. I am looking forward to the show and our rehearsals," Caroline said after being handed the mic. We were allowed to go home after that, so we all could prepare for our rehearsals.

I went to Stefan's room, seeing him asleep on the bed, soft breaths escaping him. Damon was sitting beside him, gently combing his fingers through the dark blonde locks and massaging his scalp.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Hey," Damon smiled kindly to me. I sat beside him on the bed.

"How long has he been asleep?" I asked.

"A few hours give or take. He's exhausted. He'll probably sleep through the rest of the day." Damon said. I nodded. Asked him how long he had been sitting like this.

"Well, I came to see him, expecting that he had already fallen asleep but he hadn't. I told him to sleep but he wouldn't. Then I said that I wasn't leaving before he was sleeping and then he said that he didn't want me to leave. So then I took a seat on his bed and started doing this and he was out within long," Damon chuckled. "Same old Stefan. He could never keep himself awake for very long."

I smiled a little.

"Would you like me to take it from here?" I asked. Damon chuckled softly.

"I've been alive for 180 years, Luna. I don't mind sitting and comforting my baby brother for a few hours."

I got up from the bed and looked at Damon.

"You're a good brother, Damon. You know that right?"

"I'm sure I could do better." He said.

"You don't have to. What you already do is enough."