Disclaimer: The Vampire Diaries is the property of the CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

~ X ~

"Stefan!"

He turned to see that Elena had followed him out of the house, one hand half stretched out to him. When he stopped, she lowered her hand, standing for a moment chewing her lower lip.

Various emotions flashed over her face. What am I so upset about? When she greeted an uncompelled Damon after his release from the cellar her heart felt like it could burst with joy. She literally felt like her soul was singing as she hugged him.

Why then was she so upset over the revelation that Stefan had slept with Rebekah? She tried to analyze her feelings while facing an impatient Stefan.

He raised his eyebrows at her, silently asking, 'What?'. When she didn't immediately respond he held his hands out in mute appeal for her to get on with it.

She blinked rapidly trying to sort through her feelings. She had let him go right? She was in love with his brother, right? They why was she so . . . sad . . angry . . lost . . disturbed? Why did her emotions feel like they were on a roller coaster?

She decided to pick anger. It was such a straightforward easy emotion to deal with.

"How could you? How could you sleep with her?" Her eyes blazed as she clenched and unclenched her fists, teeth grinding.

"Why not?" He quietly replied, his tone-matter-of-fact. "Give me a reason."

She fumbled for words and then blurted out, "She tried to kill me?"

"We did this already. Damon tried to kill Jeremy twice. The first time because he was pissed. Well, Rebekah was pissed too. She was trying to save her family." He looked at her, fists jammed in the pockets of his leather jacket, shaking his head. "You need a better reason."

Elena licked her lips as hurt overcame her. "I thought you loved me? How could you sleep with her when you love me?" she asked plaintively.

Stefan took his hands out and spread his arms in frustration. "I thought you loved me. You didn't even wait a day before you jumped to my brother's bed from mine."

She blinked, looking disturbed. What he said should matter, but somehow it didn't.

"I was with Rebekah before you. I at least waited a decent amount of time after our breakup. And it's not like she's your sister." His reasonable air confused her.

"Stefan, I need to talk this out. I don't know why I'm feeling the way I do," she admitted.

He walked back towards her. "We don't talk things out anymore, Elena. I'm not your confidante anymore. I'm not the shoulder you cry on, the arms that hold you."

She couldn't hold his steady gaze. She looked away and swallowed nervously.

"Go to Damon and ask him to tell you not to care. Once he tells you it won't matter anymore."

"That's not true," she argued. "He can't change the way I feel. It won't work."

"Won't it?" His cynical tone irritated her.

"I'm still me. I don't have to . . . " Her voice trailed off as she pictured Matt telling her he didn't know who she was now. The person he knew would never have left Jeremy with Damon. Once again she was overcome by feelings of confusion, as if she was seeing herself through a veiled curtain.

Stefan's knowing look made her question herself and who she was, and she wasn't comfortable looking at herself right now.

She slowly backed away from him, and he turned without speaking to leave. She walked back into the house, deep in thought. She was so lost in her abstraction she never noticed a bright eyed, pain filled Damon still plastered, spread eagled, palms bracing himself, against the wall. Despair had made him use it as a crutch so he wouldn't collapse in on himself as he listened to her confess her doubts and uncertainty. He was careful to get himself under control, straightening up and suppressing all traces of fear from his face before Elena noticed him.

~ FIN ~