The week that followed Damon trying to kill Jeremy was one of the longest of Elena's life. Stefan 2.0—the cold and detached version of himself—refused to let Elena near the cellar though she promised over and over that she would never release him. Whether it was really fear that she would release Damon or simple pettiness, anytime she got near, Stefan blocked her path.
Although Elena truly missed the feelings of love and freedom she had while near Damon, more than anything, she missed his honesty. She and Jeremy were about to go through with one of their riskiest plans ever and she desperately wanted Damon's input and advice.
She could almost here what he'd say:
No. Nope. Never. Not gonna happen. Put a fork in it cuz you're done. There's no way I'm letting you, a baby vamp who can't step on an ant without wanting to hold a memorial service, and the Little Hunter Who Couldn't take on an original. You've come up with a lot of terrible plans in your life but this one takes the cake.
She smiled thinking about it because she knew if push came to shove, when he realized he couldn't change her mind or lock her in the cellar, he'd come up with a plan that would actually work. Knowing Damon, he'd be the main player while she stayed in the shadows and watched but at the end of the day, they'd have a dead Original and a fully complete hunter's mark on Jeremy's arm.
Instead, she was stuck dividing her time between plotting with Jeremy and trying to sneak past Stefan.
After yet another failed attempt, Elena returned to her house trying to hold in the tears that had threatened to fall since learning she was sired to Damon. Since Damon had sent her from the lake house. Since the disastrous day in the library with Stefan. Since the man she loved tried to kill her brother. Since the other man she loved shut her out and started fucking her enemy. Since everything became too much for her to handle.
She wished her parents were here. And Jenna. And Ric. The people that she wanted to lean on had died.
Even the people she had left couldn't help.
Bonnie was, as Caroline called it, "balls deep" in expression magic.
Caroline was dealing with a grieving boyfriend, being stalked by Klaus, and trying to decide her loyalties between Elena and Stefan.
Matt was… well…. Matt. He'd be there and support her the best he could but Elena knew it wouldn't be enough.
Jeremy was her partner in crime but she knew he was still dealing with his strong vampicidal tendencies that seemed unusually focused on her. She needed someone to comfort her; not someone who might try to stake her as she cried into his shoulder.
Stefan was out of the question. Although he had saved Jeremy, he wasn't exactly a shoulder to cry on. She knew the minute she acted on her feelings for Damon she was going to hurt Stefan badly but, selfishly, she thought he would always be there for her. They had both fought so hard for their love through so many obstacles and yet they were further away than they had ever been. If she were being honest with herself, which—let's be honest—wasn't really her forte, she always thought they'd find a way back to each other. It was hard to believe their love was over.
And Damon. She would have liked to lean on Damon right now. No matter how bad things got, he was there for her. Even back when she was a human constantly denying her feelings for him and pushing him away, he was still there. Regardless of the situation, he would make a joke or check her out or do something to bring levity to the situation. That's exactly what she needed now.
Instead she was all alone.
Alone.
The word echoed in her head and she finally succumbed to the tears that had threatened so long. She barely made it to the couch before her knees buckled and she collapsed with body-wracking sobs.
An hour later and she had no more tears to cry but the dry sobs that followed were almost worse. She had no doubt that she could continue to cry for the rest of the night but was distracted by the buzzing of her cell phone.
As much as she wanted to ignore it and let it go to voicemail, she knew that in a town like Mystic Falls, answering a phone call could be the difference between life and death. She pulled herself together enough to answer without it being blatantly obvious she had been crying.
"Hello?"
"Elena?" Caroline's voice came through the phone. "I know we're still kind of… off because of the whole Damon-sire-bond slash marathon-group-therapy-session-with-Stefan but I really miss you."
Elena let out a shaky breath. "Yeah, me too."
"I shouldn't have judged about Damon. It's just, you know how I feel about him and what he did to me and I just like Stefan so much and think you guys are so good together." Caroline let the words out in a rush. Now that Elena had given her an opening she was going to take advantage. "But even with my own personal feelings, it's up to you and I'm sorry. It's none of my business and I should have just been there for you. I should have just been your friend."
Elena waited for a moment trying to decide whether Caroline was done speaking or not. She knew from years of experience that once Caroline got talking, it was next to impossible to stop her until she was good and ready to. When Caroline said nothing, seemingly waiting to see how Elena would react, Elena spoke up.
"It's ok, Care. I know you were just looking out for me in your overprotective-not-always-appreciated-way. I just wish you could have been there for me rather than being there to lecture me."
"I'm so sorry. Are we… ok… now?" Caroline asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Unless you stake me or steal my daylight ring I'll pretty much always forgive you," Elena said. No matter how angry she was, it was almost impossible for her to stay mad at Caroline for long. She was just so bubbly and persistent. It was like having a rainbow waved in your face; as much as you wanted to ignore it and hate it, you couldn't.
"Great!" Caroline perked up instantly. "Well, I have to go. I'm still helping Tyler deal with the whole 'mom getting killed by his evil sire' thing. But carve out a night for me soon because we are going to have a girls' night and I am going to learn how awesome Vampire Elena is."
"I can't wait," Elena said hanging up the phone with a smile on her face.
Although she wasn't completely recovered from her earlier breakdown, the world no longer seemed like the empty void of blackness it had been earlier. She even thought about trying to talk to Damon again when Jeremy called.
"Jer, what's up? Are you gonna be home soon?"
"Hello, dearest Elena." A sinister, yet mocking voice, responded. In any other context, hearing that sexy British drawl could make a girl weak in the knees but it caused Elena to go completely numb with a cold ball of fear lodged somewhere near her stomach.
"Kol?" She asked, hoping against hope she was dreaming.
"The one and only. I'm not the only one here though. I have with me a former compatriot of mine; your lovely little brother Jeremy." Elena could hear him smirking through the phone.
"Why do you have Jeremy? Klaus told you to leave him alone!" Elena said in a panic, fighting the urge to vomit.
"Yes, yes, yes. You are right. However, he apparently didn't give young Jeremy the same order to stay away from me. Imagine my surprise when I return to my home to find Jeremy digging through my belongings for the white oak stake. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Kol," Elena pleaded. "Just let him go. Take me instead. You can do whatever you want to me. Just let him go."
Kol laughed with glee. "Damon mentioned you had quite the martyr complex but I had no idea it was this severe. Do you have no regard for your own life?"
"Just let Jeremy go," Elena said between gritted teeth. Her fear for Jeremy was overwhelming but the comment about Damon had been an unexpected sucker punch.
"No. I don't believe I will," Kol said with a laugh.
"No don't! If you kill him you'll have to live with the hunter's curse and—"
He cut her off. "Not if I don't kill him directly. Whoops, I just remembered, I was never very good at remembering to feed my pets…" He let the words hang menacingly over the phone. "Say goodbye to your brother and your chance of getting the cure." Kol paused before laughing. "I'm so sorry. That was terribly melodramatic of me. I was like the villain in a Bond movie. But in this movie, the villain wins. Dun…dun…dun" Kol sang mockingly before hanging up and leaving Elena stunned.