A/N : Thanks to all of you who read the previous chapter, and sent me their answers regarding the question at the end of chapter 3. One reader PM'ed me to point out that there are already a few fics out there that deals with the Delena dreams and fantasies. I'm sure they wrote it better too. So, on with the rest of the story then.

CHAPTER FOUR – Can't Stand Me Now

Elena was looking forward to a nice and peaceful Saturday morning alone. One of the perks of having compelled herself a new solo dorm suite in one of the quiet floors of the college residence hall...she doesn't have to deal with the hassles of having a pesky roommate. She sat by her window, with her tablet on her lap, lazily sipping a mug of warm AB negative, and began to check her emails.

She scanned through her inbox, read the important ones and deleted the spam. She sighed when she saw that Jeremy hasn't replied to any of her emails yet. She sent him another one. The usual "Hi," and "How are you doing?", only because she doesn't know what else to say. She was worried about him, and yet she's glad that she doesn't have to deal with his grief and her own at the same time. And as worried as she was about Jeremy, she knew that he was probably safer now than he's ever been in years while living in a magic-free Mystic Falls, than when he lived the past few years surrounded by supernaturals.

She was about to log out of her account, when she noticed an email from the Whitmore College Bursar's Office. She completely forgot that the tuition payments were coming up. The truth was, she has been putting it off until the last minute, mostly because she was still not sure if she's going to continue her studies at the college. She opened the email, and was surprised at the content.

"Payment received?" Elena was confused. She went through the short list of suspects in her head, and began to dial her phone.

"Hello, stranger," the casual greeting from the other end of the line.

"Hello, stranger-than-me," she greeted in return.

"Everything okay?"he asked after an awkward pause.

"I'm fine, Alaric. You shouldn't worry so much," she told her guardian.

"What? You're worried I'll get wrinkles?" he chuckled.

"I'm alright, Ric, really. Save those worry lines for my brother," she replied. "Speaking of Jeremy, have you heard from him?" she asked.

"Nope. I keep leaving him messages, but no answer," Ric informed her. "This is stupid. I should just go over there and have a talk with him personally. I'm a Enhanced Original. This magic-free hoodoo crap shouldn't affect me that much."

"No, Ric!" Elena exclaimed. She couldn't let him risk it. Not after everything and everyone she's lost. Not after all the sacrifices that Damon and Bonnie had made. "We've been through this," she said exasperatedly. Spirit magic made you an Enhanced Original. With the Other Side being gone, you're not as protected as you were, not anymore," she explained again. "We'll give him some more time. I emailed him again, hopefully he'll answer this one. Just don't do anything we might regret later," she pleaded. She's sure that Damon won't be able to forgive her if she lets his best friend die again on her watch.

"Not like I can do much at the moment," he scoffed. "It's still daytime."

Oh. Another thing that slipped her mind. "I'm so sorry, Ric," she apologized. "I've been trying to find us a witch that can make you a daylight ring-"

"Don't worry about it Elena," Ric interrupted her. "After the Liv and Luke fiasco, I can't say I blame you for not trusting another witch. I'm just frustrated that I can't do more for you and Jeremy, that's all," he sighed.

"Is that why you paid for my college tuition?" Elena smiled.

"What? I didn't do that," he denied. "See how much I suck as a guardian? I can't even keep track simple things, like school finances."

"Wait, you mean it wasn't you? Huh..." Elena though of the other usual suspect when she heard noises outside her room. "I gotta go now, Alaric. I hear someone at the door," she told him.

"Alright, I'll let you go. My classes are between 7 through 10pm tonight, so call me if wanna grab a bite to eat later, okay?" he asked.

"Okay, I'll let you know later. Bye, Ric," she said before she hung up the phone.

Caroline paced the halls, working up the courage to face her friend. It had been a while since they've talked, even longer since they've seen each other last. As a matter of fact, the last time she had seen Elena was when she had moved out of their dorm room. She sighed, as she remembered their last conversation vividly. Finally, after a long pause, she raised her hand to knock at her friend's door.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you," said a male voice from behind him.

"Excuse me," Caroline said, as she faced the man who stopped her. She recognized him as one of the Pre-Med upperclassman in campus.

"I wouldn't go in there just yet," the guy replied. "Judging from all the noises I've heard from last night, she might have a boy in there with her. Like the night before last. And the night before that..." he let his voice trail off.

"No, you must be mistaken," Caroline contradicted him. "My friend doesn't do random hook-ups," she shook her head.

"Darlin', this is normally a quiet floor, and these walls are paper-thin. And based on personal experience, those were definitely sex noises." the boy replied with a wink, as he leaned his shoulder by the doorway.

Caroline was about to tell him off, when the door opened all of a sudden, as Elena stepped outside. Based from the look on her face, she heard their conversation, and was not too happy, to say the least.

The boy held out his hand to Elena. "I'm Liam-"

"Not interested," she cut him off. She leaned closer, and looked deeply into his eyes. "Go away."

With out a word, Liam abruptly turned around, and walked away from the girls. Satisfied that the compulsion had stuck, Elena pulled Caroline inside her room.

"What were you thinking, talking to some guy we don't know about MY life?" she asked Caroline.

"Well, hello to you too, Elena," she replied sarcastically. "Just so we're clear, he was the one doing the talking, not me," she corrected her friend, before planting herself on the sofa.

"By all means, make yourself at home," Elena said curtly.

Caroline let her eyes roam around the room. "I love what you've done to the place. Very...simplistic," she chose her words carefully.

"I have everything that I need," Elena answered.

"Do you, now?" Caroline raised an eyebrow. "So...is it true? Do you have a new guy that's keeping you happy these days?" she pried.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't need another man to keep me happy, Caroline," Elena replied. "But if you're not convinced, feel free to search the premises, see if I'm hiding anyone."

"Okay, so...hottie-from-across-the-hall was wrong," Caroline said. "I'm just saying, nobody would blame you if you're look for companionship-"

Elena interrupted her. "I'm NOT looking, Caroline!"

"All I'm saying is, you have a thing for hot, lurker guys," Caroline implied.

"A guy who likes to stick his nose into other people's business? Not one of stellar qualities I look for in a man. No, thank you," Elena scoffed. "Besides, why would I need someone like that, when I already have you?"

"Ouch. You're angry. I get it. If it makes you feel any better to lash out at me, then go right ahead. I can take it. But I noticed that you didn't disagree with me when I said that he's hot!" Caroline wiggled her eyebrows.

"You think he's hot? Then you go date him." Elena snapped at her.

Caroline raised her hands in surrender. "Look, don't hate me, alright? We're all just worried about you. I'M worried about you. You've been pretty much keeping to yourself lately. I just wanted to make sure that you're okay," she told Elena.

I'M NOT O-FUCKING-KAY! Elena wanted to scream at her friend. Instead, she took a breath. "I'm surviving the only way I can, Care," she answered calmly.

"Then just move back to our old dorm with me," Caroline told her. "Or, I can move in here," she suggested. "Please, Elena...I miss you."

Elena shook her head. "I can't, Care. I just want to be left alone. I can't be around people right now," she said.

"Around people...or around me?" Caroline asked. "Elena, please don't push me away. Don't push any of us away. We can help you. We can all help each other. You don't have to go through this alone," she begged.

"Really, Care? What do you want me to do? You want me to go out on double dates with you? To smile and pretend that I'm healing, when I'm really no better than I was months ago?" Elena asked tersely. "You want me to talk to Jeremy? And tell him what? That everything's going to be okay? That 'this too, shall pass'? That Bonnie wouldn't want to see him in this much pain?" she continued. "I don't know what to say! I don't know how to act. I don't know how I can be a comfort to anyone else, when I can't even get my own shit together! I don't know how to be HERE!" Elena was practically screaming now. "Whenever I'm around you people, I have to pretend, and I can't go around pretending that I'm okay. I can't fix other people's lives when I can't even fix my own. That would make me a hypocrite, and I usually leave the hypocritical bullshit to you."

Caroline stood there, her eyes brimming with tears. "Elena, I-"

Elena raised her palm, signaling her to stop. "How's Stefan?" she asked in an accusing tone.

Caroline opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure of how to reply. Finally she managed to string a few words together. "Oh...you...you know," she stuttered. "Elena, I swear, we didn't plan this! We were going to tell you. We weren't going behind your back-"

Elena shushed her. "It's fine. I'm not angry. It's not like I didn't see it coming. If there's any two people I know who truly deserved each other, it's you and Stefan." she sighed. "I'm happy that you have one another. Really, I am," she said. "It's just...I can't...it's not fair!" Elena stammered. She took a breath, and wiped the tears she didn't know were falling from her eyes. "I have to go. You know the way out." With that, she turned around, grabbed her jacket, and headed out the down, leaving Caroline behind in stunned silence.

Elena slammed her hand on the steering wheel, as she replayed her conversation with Caroline inside her head.

That could have gone better, damn it!

She took control of her emotions, and turned on the ignition of her SUV. She proceeded to drive around aimlessly, until she remembered where she was supposed to go. She quickly turned the car around, and drove to her destination.

She reached the edge of town, and parked her car in front of a hot-rod shop. A scruffy man in his early 40's, wearing dark blue overalls and a baseball hat, immediately stepped forward to greet her.

"Welcome to Royle's Specialty Auto Detail and Restoration! Royle McCanick, at your service. How may I help you, Pretty Lady?" the man introduced himself.

"I'm just here to see a friend of mine, Stefan Salvatore. I believe he works here," Elena replied.

Royle nodded his head and smiled. He turned around and let out a sharp whistle. "Yo, Bieber! Your Selena's looking for you!" he yelled, then he tipped his hat to Elena, and walked away.

Mere moments later, Stefan appeared, wearing the same colored overalls which she guessed was their uniforms, wiping his greasy hands with a towel. He had splotches of grease on his face as well. His forehead was wrinkled, but he smiled when he saw her.

"Elena...hi. Long time no see," Stefan greeted her.

"You paid for my tuition," she snapped immediately, ignoring his greeting.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"I didn't come here to thank you," she scoffed.

"Yeah, I can see that. You wanna step inside? People are starting to stare," he told her.

Elena rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. Once inside the garage, she continued. "I don't need you to take care of me, Stefan."

"Somebody has to," he replied. "Look, Elena...you can't keep rejecting my help, just because you have this misplaced belief that Damon wouldn't want you to. On the contrary, Damon would want me to make sure that you're taken care of."

"I can take care of myself, damn it!" she answered curtly. "My parents didn't exactly leave us with nothing. I can afford to pay for my own tuition." she informed him.

Stefan ran his fingers through his hair. "Elena, ever since that night, you've been pushing me away. Hell, you've been pushing everyone away. I thought you have enough on your plate already, so I figured that paying for your tuition would give you one less thing to worry about," he explained. He paused when he got text on his phone. He closed his eyes and shook his head after reading the message.

"Is that Caroline?" she asked.

Stefan nodded. "You know, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," Elena replied. "Like I told her, I'm not angry. And it's not like you need my blessing or anything," she said.

"But it would mean so much to her if she has it anyway," Stefan informed her. "Caroline's been struggling with this. You're still her best friend, Elena. She just wants to be sure that even after everything that's happened, that she won't lose you." he explained to her.

"What does Caroline Forbes know about loss and life struggles?" Elena scoffed. "Rainbows and sunshine follow her everywhere. She's in control of her own life. She's on top of her class. She has her mom. She has you."

"You still have me too, Elena." Stefan was quick to reply.

"But I don't want YOU!" she snapped. "Oh my God, Stefan...I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that!" Elena apologized.

"Sure you did." Stefan said, taking out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, he proceeded to wipe her tear-stained face. "You think that a day hasn't passed by since his death that I don't wish I can bring him safely back to you?" he asked softly.

"I know, Stefan. I know," she whispered back. She raised her face, her eyes came into contact with a familiar vehicle that Stefan's been working on. "Is that...?" she couldn't continue, as the words got stuck on her throat.

"Yeah. Liz released that to me, since I was Damon's next of kin," he replied. There was an awkward silence, as they both stared at what was was left of Damon's Camaro.

This was how Stefan coped. He couldn't grieve properly, so he channeled his anger and turned it into something productive. He spent most of his days relearning everything about repairing cars. He compelled himself a job at Royle's shop, not because he needed it, but just so he had a place to work on his project. He appreciated the distraction it provided while he's fixing the Camaro's engine and replacing the damaged parts.

"It's still a work-in-progress, the damages aren't exactly limited to dents and scratches. But I'll have it reassembled to its pristine condition," Stefan declared, as if making her a promise.

Elena looked at the Camaro, and then stared back at him. "This is great, Stefan," she said with a sad smile. "I'm glad that you get to keep a part of him with you," she whispered, somewhat sorrowfully.

She turned around and was about to leave when Stefan gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her. He pulled on a white gold chain around his neck and took it off. He held it out in front of her.

"One other thing that Liz gave me," he said.

Elena's eyes widened in shock, as she stared at the object she thought was lost forever. "That's..." she managed to say before she choked back the tears.

Stefan placed the chain at the palm of her hand, with Damon's daylight ring serving as the pendant. "You deserve to have this, a lot more than I do," he confessed.

"Thank you, Stefan," she gasped. "You have no idea how much this means to me," she said.

Stefan wiped her tears and kissed her on the forehead. "I think I know, Elena."

She nodded and smiled, and then turned around and walked away slowly. He watched, as her retreating form disappeared inside her car. As she drove away, he wished her well.

~END OF CHAPTER FOUR~

A/N :

-Someone PM'ed me that I need to write longer chapters. This one is slightly longer. Hope you enjoyed.

-Also, an Elena/Alaric romance is a big no-no for me. Theirs is mostly family/friendship in my story.

-This chapter is mainly about Elena's state of mind and how she's (not) coping with Damon's death. And of course, the subject of what happened to Damon's Camaro and daylight ring needed to be addressed.

-Song Suggestion: Can't Stand Me Now by The Libertines

-Reviews are most welcome. It let's me know that I'm writing something that's worth reading. Thank you.