Stefan watched as Elena ran towards his brother and felt his heartbreaking. The look on her face, that look of desperate relief mixed with joy, told him all her needed to know. Elena loved Damon. He tried to cling to an excuse, it was the sire bond, it had to be the sire bond, but Katherine's words haunted him.

"Sire bonds don't create love Stefan, they created because of them." She'd told him back in New Orleans, just after they'd figured out about the bond. He didn't believe her then… or at least he didn't want to. It was Katherine after all, she never tells the truth… except for when it suits her. Stefan could see now that it suited her back then, no one could look at Elena now and think her love wasn't real. He turned away, he couldn't watch this, he couldn't watch them.

A sharp cry from Elena had his head whipping around and in that moment he his undead heart stopped. Jeremy, who we'd knocked out, was standing behind Damon with a wide eyed look of horror on his face, while Damon fell to his knees. There was a stake protruding from his chest, a look of shock on his face. Elena was rushing forward, catching him in her arms as she sobbed.

"No. no no no no. Damon, Damon. It'll be okay, it's okay, he must of missed." Elena cried hysterically as the sunk to the ground together, her hands fluttering desperately over every inch of him. Damon was gasping and Stefan knew it wasn't going to be okay, it would never be okay again. Damon's hand slowly drifted up to hold Elena's face, caressing her cheek. He was gasping, his words barely audible, but I heard them loud and clear

"I love you…"and then he was gone.

Elena clutched at his body, her body wracked with sobs as she mumbled to herself, or perhaps to Damon. "No, no you can't. You can't be dead. I love you. I love you. I love you. You can't be. You said you'd never leave me again, Damon. Wake up, wake up. Just open your eyes."

Stefan felt like his heart was in a vice. His brother was dead and the girl he loved was flooded with overwhelming grief. Her brother had just killed her lover and he wasn't sure how she was going to react once he brain caught up with her. He slowly inched forward, tears flooding his eyes.

"Elena…" he said softly as he came near. It only took a second, just the sound of his voice and she was up like a shot and coming at him. Stefan's body slammed into the wall and he felt Elena's hand crushing his windpipe.

'THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Elena raged. "YOU DID THIS!"

"Elena… it's" Stefan didn't know what platitudes he could offer, Elena wasn't likely to listen to reason. She was feeling all her grief and anger at the same time and Damon wasn't here to calm her down. Stefan didn't think he could ever fill his brother's shoes in that department… or any department now.

"No. You couldn't just let me go. It's your fault, you had to look for the stupid cure. You had to try and 'fix me' and you turned my brother into a monster!" Elena's eyes had gone black, this was the vampire side in control running on rage and grief. He had to reach her… somehow.

"Elena we have to," Stefan gasped as Elena's hand plunged through his chest. He felt her tiny hand wrap around his heart, her nails digging into the organ. "Elena!"

"I want to rip your heart from your chest. I want you to feel like I feel, Stefan. I want to so desperately" she said and then he noticed the tears streaming down her face. "I… I could kill you right now."

"But you haven't Elena, you're still you. You don't want to do this." Stefan said, each word as painful as the last.

"No, I want to Stefan, but I can't" she said and her grip loosened the slightest fraction, but not enough. "You're still his brother." she said. Stefan looked at Elena and knew she wasn't lying, Damon even in death was still protecting him.

"Elena…" Jeremy's voice cut through everything, it was like being doused with cold water. Elena turned her head, hand still gripping Stefan's heart, and peered at her brother. The hunter was gone, he was no longer present and it was only Elena's baby brother staring at them. "Don't hurt him, Damon doesn't want you to."

Elena released her grip and shoved Stefan away from her as she slowly walked towards Jeremy. "You killed him!" She screamed and Stefan prepared himself to pounce on her. No matter what Jeremy had done, she would never forgive herself if she killed her brother.

"I know. I'm going to make it right. I'm going to fix this." Jeremy cried.

"How Jeremy? How are you ever going to fix this?" Elena screamed, her heart was scattered in pieces on the floor and Stefan wasn't sure there was any glue that could put it back together.

"We'll bring him back. Bonnie brought me back, she'll find a way to do it." he said. "She has." Elena's eyes cleared and her fangs receded. "Elena he's here, he's still here. He's right next to me and…"

"And.." Elena said, her voice so broken Stefan thought she would collapse.

"And he says he's never going to leave you." Jeremy's words seemed to sober his sister, her tears stopped and she straightened.

"He's right. I'm not going to let him. Even if it takes me an eternity I'm getting him back." There was a careful, matter of fact tone to her voice. She didn't sound like Elena right now, the warmth was gone.

"Elena" Stefan said carefully. She was on the edge, she may have already fallen over it.

"I'm getting him back Stefan." She looked at him with hard eyes. "No matter what." she said with a tiny smile, but it wasn't Elena's smile, it was a smirk. It was Damon's smirk, the one he wore when he first came back to Mystic Falls.

Elena had flipped the switch.