"Let me heal you!" Elijah agreed, his fingers gripping the doorframe with desperate energy. Elena's blood, warm and deep red flowed over her fingers soaking her shirt and trickling to the floor.

"Give me your word," Elena gasped out. She pressed her hands against the gushing laceration in her stomach.

Elijah grimaced, "I give you my word. Now let me heal you."

Elena stumbled forward falling into his arms. In the spilt second before she slipped the dagger between his ribs, Elena felt his hands support her around the waist and neck. A jolt of energy shot between them and then the dagger was in. His hands tightened as he gasped once, twice and fall to the ground. Elena collapsed beside him, blood pouring anew from her self- inflicted wound. An instant later Stefan and Damon were by her side, Stefan feeding her, healing her.

Even as she felt the pain of the gash receding, Elena felt her heart still racing, beating wildly against her ribcage. She shook deep to her core. Something had happened, something wrong. The sight of Elijah's inert body suddenly made her sick and Elena hide her face in Stefan's shirt.

"It's okay," Stefan smoothed her hair, "He can't hurt any of us now."

"Word of advice," Damon said ruefully, "Leave the dagger in."

Within minutes the Salvatore brothers had the original vampire loaded into the trunk. Elena stood, her arms wrapped around her against the deep cold that night had brought. Her skin tingled where Elijah's hands had touched her and the ache in her gut did not come from the freshly healed wound. What had happened?

"Ready to go?" Stefan brought her back to the present, "Hey, are you okay?"

Elena forced a smile to her lips, "I'll be fine. I just want to get back to Mystic Falls. We don't have a lot of time."

Stefan touched her arm, "Everything is going to be okay. We have a plan now."

She nodded, "Where are you taking—him?" Elena suddenly couldn't say his name.

"The basement. We'll keep him locked up there nice and safe where he can't get in my way," Damon interrupted, "Come on, kids. Time's a-wastin'." He looked at Elena and his eyes narrowed. "You alright?"

"She's fine," Stefan jumped in. He put his jacket around her shoulders, "Let's go."

*E*E*E*E*E*

That night Elena tossed and turned trying not to waken Stefan beside her. She felt hot and freezing, sick. Rolling to her back, Elena pressed the heels of her hands against her hot eyelids.

I betrayed him.

She choked back a sigh. What was wrong with her? Elena Gilbert had no loyalty to Elijah. How many times had he threatened her? How many people had she seen him kill without a thought or moment of compassion in his dark eyes?

But there had been compassion, even desperation in Elijah's face when he pleaded with her at the cabin. The memory of the frantic energy that had rolled off him made Elena shiver, goose bumps rising on her skin. Unconsciously, Elena slid her hands over her waist and the back of her neck feeling the tingle where he had held her.

"Elena?" Stefan was leaning over her concern on his face, "Are you alright?"

Pulling her hands away, she smiled weakly, "Can't sleep."

Stefan touched her stomach, "You're not in any pain are you?"

"No," She rolled to face her lover, "Do you think we did the right thing tonight?"

"I'm not such a fan of the way we did it," Stefan smiled stroking her cheek, "I never want you to be hurt for my sake."

"But it worked." Elena frowned, "We did the right thing—right?"

"What is this about, Elena?" Stefan pushed himself up to sitting.

"Um, I don't know for sure, but ever since we—since I stabbed Elijah—I'm just worried that I acted too rashly." Elena covered her face briefly with her hands, "I know what you're thinking. I know you didn't like the plan to begin with and now I'm flip-flopping."

"No, no," he soothed, "I don't think that at all. You're a kind, compassionate person, Elena. Even though you knew what you had to do, I know you hate the idea of hurting anyone."

"Although," Stefan smiled teasingly, "It was pretty hot watching you take out an Original."

Elena laughed weakly and Stefan wrapped his arms around her. As she leaned into Stefan's embrace, Elena reprimanded herself. Here was her comfort and safe haven; here with Stefan Salvatore.

Somewhere deep inside a germ of doubt had sprouted. As she fell into uneasy sleep, Elena Gilbert saw visions of her with Stefan, and felt every happy moment was a lie.