Chapter 1

"I had this speech, that I was preparing to give your unconscious body," Elena told Katherine.

"Let me guess, hate, loath, screw you, die bitch, etc," Katherine replied in a weak voice.

"Yes, plus one more thing," Elena hated Katherine, but she felt like she finally understood her. She needed to say this to her even if she would probably regret it later, "I forgive you"

"You what?" Katherine said with a confused look.

"I forgive you," Elena restated "You weren't born evil, life made you that way. You lost everyone that you cared about way too young and you didn't have a family that looked after you...sound familiar?"

"Is this the, 'we're not so different you and I, doppleganger speech because I'd be happy to skip it." God, Elena thought on her death bed she can still be somewhat of a bitch.

"I'll save it for the funeral that we probably won't have for you," Elena said trying to break very thick serious wall in the room.

"Perfect" Katherine said while exhaling.

"I just wanted to get the forgiveness part out, that's part of me that I never want to loose"

"Good for you," Katherine said, "Now, maybe you can help a girl out, give me one more syringe. If anyone is going to plunge a needle in me one last time, it may as well be you. Question of symmetry and all that."

Katherine's breathing was slower and longer Elena noticed. Elena picked up the syringe, she wasn't going to lie even on her death bed, Elena would gladly stick a needle into Katherine.

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Stefan was at the boarding house in the library, he had been trying to figure out what Katherine was up too. She was Katherine Pierce, for goodness sake, she didn't just give up. She was a survivor. The Katherine that he knew would have traveled into her daughter body. The only way that she wouldn't was if she had a better plan. But what was it?

Finally it clicked, she would travel into someone else's body. But who? It would have to be someone she knew. Someone she knew how to act like so no one would notice. Elena. Katherine had pretended to be Elena before.

He sped out of the library with vampire speed. He had to get to Elena. "Where is Elena?" Stefan demanded as he found everyone in taking shots.

"Now's not the time to try and win her back, brother we only just broke up and she's talking to your ex." Damon replied.

Without saying a word to Damon, Stefan sped upstairs to where Katherine was.

"Elena!" Stefan said as he found her sitting right in front of Katherine. Instinctively he grabbed Elena by the waist and tossed her away from Katherine, making sure to not throw her hard and that she would land on her feet. Not that it would hurt her now that she is a vampire, but he just assumed it was natural.

"What the hell, Stefan?!," Elena demanded confused.

"She was going to travel into you and take over your body," Stefan told her, eyeing Katherine. He knew Katherine couldn't hurt her, but he wanted to protect her always.

"Well, well Stefan, " Katherine said, "I guess I underestimated you, I didn't think you would figure it out."

"Well, I guess Katherine Pierce won't survive this time," Stefan said.

And with that Katherine closed her eyes. Elena and Stefan could both hear her heart stop. Katherine was dead she was really dead. Elena felt a tear slip away. A tear? Why was she crying for Katherine, she hated Katherine. She had felt like Katherine and her had connected for a moment. Sometimes she hated these heightened emotions.

"Hey, you okay?" Stefan said concerned.

Elena tried to say something, but nothing came out.

"Come here," Stefan told her knowing she needed a hug. She hesitated before entering his warm embrace. It felt so good to be in his arms again, she felt safe and at home. She had missed him holding her when she would sneak him into her room and they would fall asleep just talking, with his arms wrapped tightily around her. She missed waking up in the mornings with his arms wrapped protectively and lovingly around her.

"I don't even really know why I am crying, she practically ruined you life, I hate her." Elena replied.

"Well, I guess that just means that you are a sucker for death, Matt told me you cried for a week straight when your goldfish died when you were eight and you still refuse to get another one." Stefan said, remembering talking to Matt and Tyler when Elena and him had just started dating. They were Elena's friends and Stefan wanted to give a good impression. He invited them to go with him to the mystic grill. They ended up getting drunk, and Matt spilled all of Elena's secrets.

His response caused her to giggle. "He told you that?," Elena asked, Stefan nodded. "I am going to kill him."

Realizing how close they were, Elena started to full out of his hug. She didn't really want to but she thought if she didn't she would end up confessing how she truly felt about him. As she pulled away she looked up to his face, his lips were so close to hers. Without thinking and just acting on her feelings, she kissed him. It felt so good, she had missed his kisses.

Stefan pulled back after realizing what they were doing. "Elena," he said.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Elena said fast as she jogged out of the room and vampire sped home.

When she opened the front door, she had tears streaming down her face. she sped up to her room and just laid on her bed, thinking. Why did she do that? It was so stupid. Stefan didn't love her anymore and could never love her, after all of the terrible things she had done to him. What did she think he was going to do? continue kissing her and forgive her, confess that he still loved her like she still loved him.

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After Stefan explained to Damon and the others what had happened, excluding the part where Elena kissed him, he had to talk to Elena. He was standing in front of her debating whether talking to her was the right thing to do. He could her her muffled sobs, it hurt him to hear her like this. He decided to let himself in after knocking and no answer. He slowly climbed the stairs to Elena's room.

"Elena," he said softly letting her now he was there. She was sitting on her window bench looking into the darkness. Her makeup was smeared, her eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were tear stained. She jumped and turned her head to look at him.

She tried to wipe the makeup and tears from under her eyes. He didn't need to know how much it had affected her. "I am sorry abut what happened earlier, I shouldn't have done it, I'm sorry." Stefan nodded. "Actually you know, what? I am not sorry. I still love you Stefan. I love you, not damon."

"Elena," he tried to stop her, he loved her too but Damon broke up with her. She still cared for him, they deserved to be happy.

"No, Stefan, I need to tell you this. I had to choose before I changed and I picked you. I picked you because I loved you more. After we broke the sire bond, I didn't have the same feelings for Damon. I forced myself to stay with him, because I didn't want to believe that I gave up you for a stupid sire bond. So I asked myself if you were both going to die, who would I choose to be with? And the answer was that I would be with you, I would talk to you the whole time trying to take take you mind of the fact you were dying and then after you would take your last breath I would take a stake and drive it through my heart, so I could be with you. I couldn't stand living without you. The reason why I stayed with Damon after the sire bond was broken, because I knew that if I chose you, he would leave and at the time I needed both of you, I knew that you would always be there for me. If I would have chosen you he would have left I then I would have lost another person. I didn't think that I could handle losing anyone else. I was trying to move on with Damon, in a way he was my rebound from you, I thought that you would never love me again after what I had done to you. You shouldn't love after what I did to you. But, I don't care who or what I lose anymore. I should have been with you. I love you and I want to be with you forever." Elena was sobbing.

He turned around to walk away. He still love her but, he couldn't hurt his brother. He was about to give up the love of is life, so he wouldn't hurt his brother. For once, Stefan decided to be selfish. He turned back around to face Elena and walked towards her.

Elena wasn't sure what Stefan was going to do. He was standing so close to her. She could feel his breath. He cupped her face and leaned into kiss her. Elena kissed back with everything she had. Tears were streaming down both of their faces.

"I love you," Stefan said.

"I love you too."

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After about 2 hours of talking, they were both exhausted.

"I know its probably to soon, but will you stay with me tonight?" Elena asked. "Just lay here with me?"

"I thought you would never ask," Stefan said with a grin. He walked over to her and wrapped is arms around the small of her back and kissed her passionately. Elena moved her hands around his neck. They both pulled away smiling.

Elena walked into her bathroom to wash her face and looked in the mirror. "Oh my god, how could you have taken me back while I look like this?" Her hair was in a very messed up pony tail and she had raccoon eyes from her mascara and eyeliner.

Stefan walked into the bathroom and looked at her in the mirror. "Ew. I don't know I must have been drunk 2 hours ago and just now sobered up. Ya, I think I changed my mind." Stefan said sarcastically.

"Hey! Get back here" Elena said, reaching for him as he turned to walk away.

"Can't sorry, not interested anymore," Stefan said trying to hide his grin. He kissed her and walked back into her bedroom.

Elena washed her face and attempted to fix her hair. When she walked into her bedroom, Stefan wasn't there. "Stefan?" she called out. No answer she listened for him in the house. She heard him in the kitchen. She walked downstairs and he was getting Oreos from the pantry. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, I was just grabbing a snack for the road since I'm not interested anymore." He told her sarcastically. "Actually, you look pretty good, do you care if I stay?"

"I guess that would be okay, but what ever will we do with these cookies," she asked pretending to be stumped.

"I suppose we will have to eat them, such a tragedy," Stefan answered.

After eating the cookies, they headed upstairs and got into bed. Elena and Stefan were on their sides, Elena fit perfectly into him, his arms wrapped around her. "Goodnight'" Stefan said.

"Goodnight," Elena replied. She fell asleep wondering how she could ever give this amazing man up.