Stefan thought about Elena constantly. He missed her insistently. The love he had felt for Rebekah was nothing in comparison to what he felt for Elena. He would sacrifice everything to protect her, he would die for her. But he knew he could never go back to her, they could never be together again. He hoped she would let him go; he didn't want her wasting her life chasing after him. He wanted her to fall in love again, and be happy. Stefan would never grow old, he couldn't give her the life she wanted – the life she deserved. So he would forever watch her from afar, always loving her, but never having her. He was not worthy of her. The things that he had done in his past, the things he was doing with Klaus, shamed him. If Elena knew she would never look at him the same way again, he had betrayed the trust she had given him, so willingly. And Stefan couldn't bear to see Elena hurt again. He would love her for as long as he lived, protecting and cherishing the memories of their relationship, dreaming of her, trying to be strong because keeping her safe was more important than his own feelings.

He would always protect Elena.