A/N: Steroline is my otp and I had to write something. It set after 6x07 fallow a few spoilers from 6x08 but that's it, it goes on a different storyline from there. The story contains Delena because I'm not an Elena/Delena hater. Also this is my first fanfiction and English is not my first language, so please go easy on me.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to own the vampire diaries in any way they belong to Julie Plec and L. J. Smith I'm just writing for fun.

Summary: "This. This never happened." Her words burned him. The day after Christmas he found himself passed out in the grave yard, with the worst hangover of his 166 years of existence, and that says something. He really screwed up| Post 6x07

"So what's the deal with you and Barbie?" Damon asked when they pulled up at the gas station.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked back confused.

"Well Enzo told me something very interesting about how-Of course he did." Stefan groaned and slammed the door angrily.

Honestly he had no idea what's going on with him and Caroline at the moment. Last week she pretty much admitted to have a thing for him after Enzo, of all people, pointed it out for him.

Saying he's been having a hard time with it would be an underestimated, he just couldn't understand why. Why him. Him. When he's been nothing but a dick to her over the past few months. She could do much better. Heck, she deserves so much better. But the thing that really troubled him was that he didn't even notice. How could he not have notice?

"Wow. You really don't see it do you? "

Lexi's words seemed to hunt his mind a lot more now. Deep down he cursed himself for being so oblivious, and it's not as if he hadn't felt anything back. He did. Still does. He just didn't realize it. Just like Caroline said.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Alaric joined their conversion while Damon filled the tank.

They were on their way to Portland, and hopefully the Gemini Coven. Once Damon explained more about the time dimension he and Bonnie (who apparently still alive) were at. Stefan and Alaric decided tag along Damon as they too owed it to Bonnie for bringing them back.

"Apparently vampire Barbie as a thing for Stefi here." Damon explained with one of his famous smirks.

"Oh, you mean you didn't know about that?" Alaric sounded surprised.

Both Damon and Stefan turn to look at him stunned.

"You knew"? Stefan exclaimed. "Yeah." Alaric rolled his eyes" You didn't have to be a genius to see it, especially after we found out you left. She was heartbroken." Alaric answered looking at him with slight anger in his eyes.

That broke Stefan's heart even more.

Great, just great. Everyone, and he means everyone, saw it but him. Lexi, Enzo, Matt, Alaric, Elena even Liv knew.

"What the hell did you do?" Elena nearly screamed at him as she took the seat next to him.

"Hello to you too." Stefan replied sarcastically and took another sip of his bourbon. He's been sitting here, Whitmore's college bar for the past hour or so drowning in self-pity. Fortunately for him Liv was still at the bar, studying for whatever and let him stay as long as he paid for his drinks.

"I'm serious. When I came back to the dorm I heard Carolinr crying her eyes out. " She gave him a nasty glare and poured herself a drink.

"I tried to talk to her but she pretended to go to sleep. I called Matt after she really fall asleep, he told me what happened with her mom. And since she asked him to take care of mom for her, it means that she's fine. I know it has something to do with you. So just tell me what happened." She finished and glared at him.

Stefan sighed and looked down to his drink. The last thing he wanted to do was to make Caroline cry, again.

"You found out she has feelings for you didn't you?" She said quietly once she saw he wasn't going to talk.

"You know?" Stefan asked, Elena nodded slowly.

"I've sort of figured it out, and then she told me herself, after the swimming hole."

So after their intense (to say the least) conversation.

He's expression must have been as miserable as he felt cause Elena suddenly blurted out "I've been there you know. Heard the whole thing. "

Stefan just looked up at her as she kept going slight guilt on her face.

"I wasn't going to eavesdrop till I heard what she said, and when you left...the look on her face made me realize why that hurt her so much. Because she was falling for you, she has for a while now and you practically rejected her." Elena sighed and finished her drink in one gulp

Stefan felt a huge lump in his throat.

"... If even just a small, little part of you came back to check on me... Then stay."

This was precisely why Stefan hadn't said goodbye, called, or hasn't listened to any of her voicemails. He was trying to start over, have a new life without anything or anyone from his past holding him back. And Caroline, well she was the hardest one to leave. Hearing her voice would have made him go straight into the car, drive back to her and beg her to forgive him.

"What about you? How did it go with Damon tonight?" Stefan asked in a poor attempt to change the subject.

"Ha-ha, no. Don't you dare try change the subject on me Stefan Salvatore. We are going to talk about this." Elena told him.

"I'm not trying to change the subject I really want to know, he's my brother." Stefan reminded her.

"Yeah right." Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you're just dying to know what's going on between your brother and you're ex."

"You don't remember, but I was actually okay with you guys being together. Not at first of course. But that's because I was still in love with you then and I thought we belong together. But I was wrong. I fall in love with the human you, and I loved you after you turned as well. But you, you were already falling for Damon. Even before you turned, when you were still with me." He said drowning his words with another glass.

"And that's okay. If there's something I can't hold against you, it's how you felt." Stefan rushed to say when he saw that Elena was going to apologize.

"But it's not okay Stefan. I wasn't being fair to you." Elena said.

"It's fine Elena. Really." Stefan smiled at her. "We weren't meant to be, I see that now. You and Damon bring the best in each other. When you guys were together it was the happiest I have seen you since you've turned. I've realized that he made you happy, the same way you made him. And that's all that mattered. Once I saw that it was easier for me to move on. Let you go. And I have."

Elena looked at him with awe "Always so understanding. That's one of the things I love about you." Elena smiled at him back.

"I know that I loved him. I do. I even saw why tonight. He's so passionate and dangerous, reckless... Loving. I just don't remember any of it, probably never will too." Elena let out a sad laugh. "But that was my decision and I have to live with the consequences of it. And if what we had was really meant to be then I'm sure I'd fall for him again." She pauses and stares into space.

"But it's not what we are talking about here." Elena exclaimed suddenly "You were going to tell me what happened tonight." She said demandingly.

"Fine." Stefan said in defeat and explained everything to her starting with Enzo's rescue mission.

"I don't blame her." Elena blurted once he finished "You were a dick."

"I know" Stefan got up to take another bottle since they finished the first.

"Why didn't you stay?" Elena suddenly asked in a wondering tone.

"What?" Stefan was confused when he returned to the table

"Why didn't you stay?" She repeated her question "When she asked you to. I don't know if you feel the same or not but I do know that you care about her, a lot. So why didn't ya?"

Stefan sighed and took a deep breath before answering

"Damon was gone, Lexi was gone, the two people who were always there. Lexi was already dead and I've made peace with it a long time ago, but for a second there I thought she will come back. And yes Damon and I may not always be at the best terms but he was always there. So when they died I felt so...helpless, and Caroline was there. She saw me at what was one of my weakest moments and helped me get back up. I think that scared me. To know how much affect she had on me. How much I become depended on her. Everything went to hell that night, literally, and yet her. Her voice made me believe that everything will be okay. The same thing happened when the Travelers tortured me, her voice brought me back."

Stefan paused for a moment straggling with his words." I knew I couldn't keep relaying on her to be there every time something bad happens, because one day she possibly won't. So I left. I tried to start over with a life she wasn't going to be part of. Perhaps it was because I was starting to feel something for her, I don't know. And I know I could have dealt with it better, yes. But I was really messed up; it felt like the best thing for me to do at that moment. I realize now how much what I did must've hurt her and I will always regret it. "He looked down avoiding Elena's eyes focusing his to the table.

"Wow." The voice came from the back of the bar, made them both jump, they completely forget that Liv was still there.

"You're a real jackass you know that? Lock up when you done." she tossed Elena the keys and then left.

"She's right." Elena said after a moment.

"I know" Stefan sighed.

"Stefan. Woo-ho earth to Stefan." Damon's voice pulled him back to reality.

"Ha?" Stefan answered

"I asked if you wanted a blood bag like two minutes ago" Damon said getting back in the car "I think I might have some in the back-ha yes" He yelled in victory as Stefan and Alaric got back in the car too.

"Want one? Or are you still on your little rabbit diet?" Damon teased him handing him a blood bag. Stefan took it without much enthusiasm.

"What got you all broody?" Damon wondered noticing his mood.

Stefan didn't answer just kept his eyes on the road while drinking his blood back.

"Oh hell." Damon exclaimed when it hit him "You have feelings for vampire Barbie!" He laughed. "I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier. Did you?" His question turned to Alaric.

"Ha...I suspected it a little. Never knew for sure." Alaric answered wearing identical smug smile to Damon's; Stefan rolled his eyes trying to ignoring them

"Relax Stef I totally get you, she's hot and makes you happy and all." Damon pointed out 'Great sex too." He added" I mean that girl knows what she's doing, Like really knows- I don't have feelings for Caroline Damon." Stefan interrupted him mid-sentence yelling, annoyed.

"Sure you don't." Damon said mockingly "Yeah it's not like you just yelled at him for reminding you he slept with Caroline or something..." Alaric joined him "Could that be jealousy?" He asked Damon in fake shock.

"I believe it was Ric. If he's like this with me no wonder he hates Enzo so much." Stefan groaned, they both kept it up all the way to Portland.

Although deep down he had to agree with them.