A/N: Meant to have this up before Thursday, but better late than never, right? I obviously do not own TVD.

Stefan walked outside of the house. The last thing he expected was for Elena to come out behind him. "Stefan. Did you really not feel anything?" She asked.

"When?"

"How do you do that?" Elena asked him. "Act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything? Because I can't do that. I feel, I feel everything."

"Elena, stop." Stefan told her. He was trying to fight off his emotions, but for some reason, being around Elena made him feel everything.

"I'm not going to stop, Stefan." Elena said. She was determined. She knew that in spite of everything he'd done in the past few months, he was still Stefan. She could see him struggling. "Because I don't believe that you feel nothing."

"What, you think I want to be this person? I hurt you, Elena. I bit you. I hate myself for what I did to you." He admitted. Somehow, it felt better for him to let her know. He'd had his switch on for a while now, but usually remained distant from her until now.

"Then show it! Do something, Stefan, anything is better than trying to convince me that you don't care." Elena told him. She had brought her hands up to his face.

"Elena, I…" He began. He looked at her and knew this wouldn't work anymore. The next thing he knew, their lips met. Neither of them knew how it happened or who initiated the kiss first. All they knew is that they were where they belonged at the moment.

After a while, they broke apart. "I'm sorry." Stefan whispered.

"It's okay." Elena told him. "I forgave you about that incident a long time ago."

"I don't see how you can still…" He cut himself off. "What about Damon?"

"Look, he's a good friend. But he's not the guy I'm in love with." Elena said.

"It's not going to be easy, though."

"When was it ever easy?" Elena pointed out. "You need to learn how to forgive yourself. It's the only way to get rid of the guilt. I learned that after the car accident."

"You were guilty about it?"

"I felt so responsible for what happened to them." She admitted. "It was partly my own fault, anyway. Caroline finally snapped me out of it, saying that I had to get it together and realize that just because they came to get me, it didn't mean I was responsible for the car accident."

They both stood there, silent for a moment. "That's really good advice." Stefan finally told her.

"That's just the way she is. Sometimes it comes out harsher than intended, but she always knows what to say." Elena said. She looked at the ground briefly before looking back at him. "So, what about us? Are we okay?"

"I think so." He told her. "Just promise me you'll be more careful."

"I will." Elena said, stepping into his embrace. "I love you, Stefan. It's always been you."

"I love you, too, Elena." He whispered. They looked at each other for a second. Then they shared another kiss. They knew that it wasn't going to be easy, but at least in this moment, they still had each other.

A/N: Thanks for reading. By the way, if you could read and review for my other story, The Protector Diaries, which should be updated soon, I'd appreciate it.