You're sitting on the couch in the living room, the dim glow of the fireplace casting flickering shadows on the walls. The house is still, and for once, there's no urgent problem or threat looming over you both. Stefan walks in quietly, his usual intense yet composed demeanor softening when his eyes meet yours.

He smiles, but it's the kind of smile only you get, the one that says he's content, at peace in your presence, even if he's constantly battling the darkness within him.

"You know, when I'm with you, I forget what it's like to feel like I'm always on the edge of something dangerous," he says, his voice low, laced with a quiet affection.

He sits beside you, close enough that you can feel the warmth radiating from him. "But then again, we've always known that there's something about this... us that makes everything else fade into the background."

For a moment, the world outside doesn't matter. It's just the two of you, in this stolen slice of peace.