Hi guys. First of all, I just wanna make one little correction: In the beginning of the previous chapter where Elena looks down on the carpet and notices some red satins, she's supposed to notice red stains. Sounded a bit weird. And in the introduction, "" apparently has been automatically cut out, didn't know you weren't allowed to write that in stories...

Anyways, this is a pretty short chapter, but it felt good to end it there.

Enjoy.

Stefan'd spun around so fast Elena's eyes hadn't been able to catch the movement, when hearing the voice of the vampire who'd use to be his biggest enemy but now was... what? His ally? No, not really. Elena couldn't think that.

She herself, had just gone completely rigid and was pretty sure all the color had just drained from her face. Now she was scared. Because as she saw it, there were now only two ways for the next few moments play out. One: Stefan was still himself somewhere, but for some reason he wouldn't let her see it. If this was the case, he'd die before letting Klaus or anyone else lay a hand (or tooth) on her. And she just couldn't see how they could beat Klaus at this point. Two: Stefan had turned his emotions off. He would kill her now, without blinking. They were almost equally horrible. But she knew what she'd always choose, of course she did. She'd rather have Stefan kill her in even pure hatred than see him die before her eyes, all because of her.

"Klaus", Stefan now said and Elena obviously couldn't see his face since he was turned away from her, but his tone was welcoming.

"Hello Stefan. I see we've got company." Klaus wore his usual, charming smile that probably wouldn't have looked so much like a smirk if Elena hadn't known he wasn't such a nice guy.

He crossed the floor towards her now, and wasn't Stefan's body suddenly shielding her a bit more? She hadn't noticed him moving.

Klaus eyes were on Stefan's face for but the fraction of a second and Elena thought she could feel a quick breeze of sternness being shot from Klaus' eyes in that very moment, but the smirk was all the time maintained intact over his undeniably good-looking features and his eyes were so quickly back to politely overlooking her face, that she had absolutely no idea what emotion Klaus had had in the gaze shot to Stefan, all she knew was that he'd shot one. But maybe that was enough. Maybe that was all the confirmation she needed to be rather sure that Stefan had moved at least one inch to shield her better. Who knew?

Klaus reached Elena and Stefan was still standing as hard and still as a rock when Klaus bowed slightly to her, saying:

"The sweet Elena... To what do we owe the pleasure?"

He took her right hand to greet her by kissing the back of it and she cringed at his touch.

"Don't touch me", she hissed and instantly tried to snatch the hand back. Klaus gentle hold of it was firm, though, and he carelessly finished the movement, lifting her hand while bending a little to kiss it lightly, both he and Stefan completely ignoring her objection. The real Stefan would've done something, he would've defended her... Right?

"Well, my apologies", Klaus said then, backing a few steps, pretending to suddenly remember that he was being inexcusably impolite somehow, but just looking extremely entertained.

"I believe I was interrupting something... Please, do continue."

A few moments passed. Elena wondered what feelings Stefan's face held, wished he'd turn back to her. So she could just know.

"Let me help you", Klaus said in a very polite-sounding but in the same time genuinely cruel way. "This charming young lady was just offering herself to you. What is your answer?"

The moment that passed seemed to go on for eternity. Stefan stood completely motionless and quiet while Klaus maintained his smirk.

"I, of course, would not decline, if you're not interested. But then, why wouldn't you be? You don't care, do you? So what do you say, Stefan?"

Stefan turned then, in a flash. His eyes flickered to the vervain necklace around her neck. The one he'd once given her, in a wholly different time.

"Oh, but Stefan... You know that's cheating", Klaus, who shouldn't even have been able to see where Stefan was looking, said then.

Stefan closed his eyes for a second or two. Then he looked Elena right in the eyeballs and she almost fell over because of the intensity in his eyes. It was him. It was Stefan, her Stefan! He was back!

"Stefan!" she whispered breathlessly, unable to stop herself from falling into his arms. He returned the embrace and though she all the while had no idea what was going to go down next and was scared shitless of what would happen to Stefan now that he'd shown both her and Klaus that his feelings and humanity was still there, she was just so happy to be in Stefan's arms again that she forgot about all that for a short moment. Then she felt it. The short but sharp pain of teeth penetrating the soft skin on the right side of her neck.