Hey guys, thank you for the lovely reviews :) I'm glad you are liking it so far. I also feel like elena should have to earn Stefan's love again. Right now, I don't feel like she deserves either of the brothers :/ anyway hopefully you enjoy this chapter :)

Elena's P.O.V
I just knew. I knew it was him. It was like something was pulling me towards him. I couldn't describe it. I didn't want to think about it either. I was just glad that he was back.
However, I knew he had flinched away from me but he acted like nothing had happened. I didn't want to say it but it did hurt a little. Although, I did understand why he would hate. After everything he had gone through, he had every right to not want to be near me.
"I'm so sorry about everything!" Caroline said as they hugged.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" Stefan asked her. He was right to ask that question. Caroline wasn't the one who should be sorry, it was me.
"While you were suffering we were off having fun. We had no idea. It must have been awful. I can't... I can't imagine. Oh god stefan." She said hugging him again.
"It's fine Caroline, I just need some rest." He said to her. "I'll see you guys later." And with that he walked away. We all just stared at him.

Stefan's P.O.V
I could feel their eyes on my back but I didn't turn around. I walked into my bedroom. It was the same as always. I closed my eyes but I didn't totally shut off. Even though they were whispering I could still hear them.
"Stefan's been drowning over and over again he has every right to be a little off." Caroline said. "So what are we going to do about him and about Katherine."
There was a pause.
"Why don't you stay behind and look after my little brother while elena and I go find Katherine." Damon suggested.
"No." I heard elena say. "I want to help stefan." Damon gave her a look. "Why would I want to help Katherine? After everything she has done to each one of us?" She asked.
"This isn't about her. It's about Silas. We can't let him get what he wants especially after what he did to Stefan." Damon said. "Anyway is there another reason why you want to stay with stefan?"
"I thought you said earlier that you were secure enough with our relationship." She argued.
"That was before you were having weird dreams about him!" Damon argued back.
"I said before that nothing will change when we find Stefan and nothing has changed." Elena told him. "I still love you." She said in a softer tone. It felt like a knife were slicing into my heart, deeper and deeper. After all this was over, I had to get away from here. Far far away from here. From them.
"Okay, why don't we just think of a plan when Stefan is here. I think that he would want to be a part of this after what Silas did to him. And anyway we don't have any way of stopping Silas so when he does come after us, he'll just kill us." Caroline said. There was another pause. And then I heard Caroline's voice again, "I do wonder why he came back? I mean after everything that happened to him, you'd think that he'd run far away from this place, wouldn't you?"
I stopped listening after that. I let the darkness encompass me as I fell deeper and deeper into sleep.

There felt like there was a fire burning within my lungs. I tried to take a breath but only water filled my nostrils. My eyes opened and all I could see was water. I was trapped again. I tried to push the safe doors open but nothing happened. Oh god! Help! I tried to scream out but there was no sound. I needed oxygen. I needed to get out of here. I could feel myself fading into the darkness.
I jolted up. I put my hand on my chest trying to slow my breathing down. Even when I wasn't in the safe I still felt like I was there. I needed to get away from here. I needed to get some fresh air.

I quickly went downstairs but before I could get out of the house I heard a noise.
"Stefan?" I heard her voice from behind me.
I stopped but I didn't turn around.
"Where are you going?" She asked me.
"I need some air." I told her still not looking at her. I couldn't look at her. I couldn't look into those eyes after all the pain she had caused me. I didn't want to. It hurt to look at her. To see those big brown eyes, her brown wavy hair. It hurt knowing that she was never going to be mine.
"Do you want me to go with you?" She asked softly.
"No." I said a little harshly. "No, no thanks." I said a little more softly.
I put my hand on the door but she was there in front of me. "I think we need to talk. Talk about what happened to you. Talk about us."
"Please move." I said.
But she wouldn't budge. "No. I know that you're not okay. I know that it was agony in that safe, I could feel your pain." She said to me, her hand reaching out to touch my face. I flinched away from her hand.
"You don't know what it feels like. I was drowning over and over again while you were with my brother. The only thing that kept me from switching everything off was you. You. Of all people, the one that caused me the most pain was the one that was giving me hope. Do you know how ironic that is?" I told her. She opened her mouth to say something but I stopped her before she could. "Getting out of the safe made me realise a lot of things. Once we find Silas and kill him, I don't ever want to be here, I don't ever want to see you, speak to you or be anywhere near you because all you do is cause me pain." I paused for a moment and looked into her eyes, which were welling up with tears. "Nothing has changed. There is nothing to talk about. There is no us." I lightly pushed her to the side and walked out the door. I didn't want to turn around to see the hurt on her face. All it would do was make me feel guilty and I didn't want that. She chose my brother over me. She had to live with that. She couldn't have it both ways.