Did it Work?

Katherine was at the Salvatore Boarding House watching. Of course, she had come here following Elena.

She had sent away those she had watching Elena, telling them to stay fairly close, if needed, but she would take over Elena watch for a few days. It was a good idea to see what they saw anyway, in case she saw something she needed to talk to Elena about.

So she was at the boarding house, but she was paying minimal attention to Elena. It would hurt if she paid too much attention to Elena when she was this close to Damon. And she was sure her normal Elena guard wouldn't be paying much attention to exactly what Elena was doing – they would be watching everywhere else, looking for potential threats.

She was doing that, too. But she was also paying attention to Stefan. She was trying to tell if he was changing, if her words had any effect at all.

Maybe they had – it would be hard to tell until he left the solitude he was finding in the boarding house and in the woods. She would be able to tell when he was around people again. But even if he did leave now, she would be subject to the movements of Elena. But she wanted to keep an eye on him.

It was time to return to the status quo.

Bring on the Pain

"Did you see them Damon," Elena asked. "Did you see Stefan and Jenna?"

"After you gave Stefan the news and talked with Jenna?" Damon asked.

"Or before. Either way it was the same."

"Which was?" Damon asked.

"Which was devastation. These two people who love me, who I love, were devastated by what I did to them. How could I have not known what I was doing to them, or did I just not care?"

"You've always cared, Elena. You know that."

"Not enough. I didn't care enough to figure out how to do this without hurting them. And I should have been able to."

They were snuggled next to each other on the couch. The timing wasn't clear yet, but Elena knew that she would have to leave soon to fulfill Katherine's promise to Nathaniel. She was spending all the time she could with Damon now.

"You didn't want them to be hurt, Elena. They know it and you know it. Jenna has probably forgiven you already. At least she lets me hang around without too much hassle now."

"Jenna hasn't finished with me yet." Elena said. "That much she has made perfectly clear. She tolerates what I have to do now, maybe she's barely tolerating me. I don't know. And Stefan – God knows what I've done to him."

Elena just shook her head.

"He's of age. Anything that he feels because of you is his doing now. You just told him that pesky truth you tell so often."

Elena laughed humorously. "Try telling Jenna that, or Jeremy. I've really been spreading the truth."

"It's done, Elena. The past is past. Lies have been replaced by truth. Now we just take whatever comes and deal."

"Yeah. And do you know what's coming Damon? Me hurting you. I always hurt anyone who loves me, anyone I love. Always. I don't mean to. I don't want to. But it happens."

"They'll get over it, Elena."

"Will they? But it's not them I'm worried about now. It's you. Sooner or later, I'll hurt you too."

Damon laughed so much it separated them. Elena just scowled at him.

"Being vulnerable here, Damon. Opening up. Laughing at me is not appreciated."

"Do you hear yourself, Elena? You hurt me? I tried for most of a year to hurt you. And I did. And in return, you did hurt me. You did things meant to hurt me, and I did things meant to hurt you."

Elena could only muster a "Yeah" in reply.

"But that's the past. We both survived. And here we are now. If pain is what brought us here, bring on the pain."

"The pain didn't bring us here, Damon," Elena said, snuggling back up with him. "But it made us stronger. I think I can get through anything now, as long as you're with me."

It's not You, it's Her

Stefan couldn't stop thinking about what Katherine had said to him. Maybe she was right, but had he really changed? He had to ask someone else, he had to get another opinion. But he knew Elena better than anyone. Who could he ask?

And so he was again at Bonnie's doorstep knocking.

"Stefan." Bonnie said as she opened the door.

He hesitated, hoping she would just invite him. She didn't.

"Can we talk for a minute?" Stefan asked.

"About Elena, or Damon?"

"Elena."

Bonnie motioned for him to enter and showed him to a table where they sat opposite from each other.

Stefan didn't know how to begin, but Bonnie just waited.

"Katherine said," Stefan began, then hesitated realizing it might not be a good idea to mention Katherine to Bonnie. She didn't react, so he forged ahead.

"Katherine said it is my fault Elena left me for Damon. She said I changed, that I stopped helping Elena."

"And what do you think?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't think I did. I did whatever Elena asked me to."

"Most people do what they are asked to do, Stefan. But they don't ask for everything they need."

"I thought I gave her what she needed."

"And you did," Bonnie replied. "For awhile. But when she was making hard choices, doing what she had to do, I think you quit trying to give her what she needed."

"No," Stefan countered. "I've always tried to give her what she needed."

"When I messed up and almost killed Damon, Elena did what she had to to save Damon and me. She paid a price for me that I'll never really understand. And so, if she wants or needs anything from me, ever, she has it. I can't repay her, and I don't want her to ever be in such danger that I could. But she'll always have what she wants from me. Does she have the same from you?"

"She didn't save my life - not like that." Stefan said.

"Really? You were wounded, almost dead, with another vampire coming after you. And Elena knew that you needed blood to become strong enough to fight it. So she did what she had to do. She always does what she has to do. She gave you her blood. And it worked, but she paid a price. She always pays a price, but it doesn't stop her from doing what she has to."

Stefan did not respond, so Bonnie forged on. "Elena used to talk about you to me all the time. I heard about your every motion, every word – so I know things about you and her. One thing I know is that you were all she wanted – she wouldn't have ever even looked at anyone else. And because of you, she felt some connection to Damon. So she tried to help him – because of you. She usually had to go through me, her best friend, to do it. She did it because she had to, but even then it was for you."

"Then when you went a bit astray after drinking her blood, Damon began to help her." Bonnie continued. "She was still doing everything for you. But do you know what was different? Damon didn't want anything from Elena. He just helped her. She thinks he cared about you more that he would ever let on, and maybe she's right. But he helped her without expecting anything in return. He probably wanted it, but he didn't expect it. And even though he didn't get anything back, he kept helping her. It reached the point where he would do anything for her – not caring what you or I thought."

Stefan was still silent.

"I don't like Damon, I never have. He has a history I despise. He has hurt so many, done so much. I will never get past it. But Stefan, I don't have to. It's not about Damon. It's about Elena. After what she did for me, I'll let myself be surrounded by vampires just to be with her, to help her, to protect her. And I have. I like you as much as I have ever like any vampire, and I don't completely trust you. I certainly don't trust Damon or Katherine. But I will stand next to them and anyone or anything else to be with her. Can you say that?"

"I don't know," Stefan finally said.

"Figure it out, Stefan. If you care about her the way I think you care about her, and believe me, I'm on your side, you have got to get over what she has done, the choices she has made. She did what she had to do. I'm alive because of it and so are you. And I wish she would give up Damon. But she won't, not without a choice. A choice that will be as fiercely protective of her, as loyal to her as he is. Someone who loves her as much as he does. If that's not you, please find whoever it is. Or I'll be standing next to her and Damon for as long as we both live."

OK, I completely give up. I, John Reed (which may or may not be any part of my actual name) do hereby swear that I will never again bemoan or complain about this group of stories that will just not go away. I will just share, when they come, when I can. For as long as I live, or may otherwise exist.

For some godforsaken reason, this bloody game remains afoot. Play if you wish…