The Lockwood Mansion, 1864
"Look who found his dancing shoes, "Katherine teased him. Stefan leaned in to kiss her as Katherine stopped, "No touching, Mr. Salvatore those are the rules."
Stefan smirked and said, "I thought you don't believe in rules." Katherine laughed and Stefan saw his brother, Damon watching on in agony.
"My brother is still upset that you chose me to escort you." Stefan informed her. Katherine replied by saying, "Well Damon needs to concede that his brother is a better dancer."
Katherine looked over Stefan's shoulder and told him, "It looks like he found someone to occupy his time." Stefan then saw a girl with brown curly hair holding hands with his brother. "Erin," Stefan whispered.
He tried to go to her, but Katherine stopped him, "Stefan don't." He saw Damon escorting Erin somewhere, and Stefan tried to follow. A door closed behind them, and Stefan called, "Erin." He opened the door, and the scene changed.
He was at The Mystic Grill in modern day. Stefan looked around, and then he spotted Erin at the pool table like she usually was when they would hang out here. She held a pool cue and motioned at him, "It's your turn." She said.
Stefan smiled and took a step towards her as Damon came out and teased, "Be prepared to lose." Damon then placed a kiss on her lips, something Stefan had wanted to do for so long.
Erin smiled at Damon as Katherine came up from behind Stefan. "It hurts," She started. They both looked over to see Damon helping Erin with the pool cue, holding her close. "Now you know how I feel."
Katherine reached for Stefan's face and urged, "Don't fight it, Stefan. You loved me once, you will again." Stefan saw Damon kiss Erin's cheek, and he once again attempted to walk towards her. The scene changed back to the Founder's Party. "I love you, Stefan. We will be together again, I promise." She said and hugged Stefan close.
Stefan gasped as he woke up. He felt someone in his arms, probably Elena he guessed. He stroked her hair, "Hey you okay?" Elena asked. "Yeah, just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." He answered. As he stroked her hair, he realized that it was curly. This was not Elena or Erin.
He shot up from his spot and hissed, "Katherine." She gracefully sat on the bed and purred, "you have to admit, I am getting better at this." They both stood their ground as they looked at each other.
"It was easy to get inside your head, have you completely forsaken your nature?" She mocked, and flashed towards her, only to be pushed back, "Are we really going to do this again? We both know that I could rip you to shreds and do my nails at the same time."
Stefan got up from the ground and groaned, "What do you want?" "I wanted to see you, I missed you Stefan." She said, only half truthful. "Indulge me for a little while, please?" Katherine added.
"Why are you back in town?" Stefan asked his ex. "Three reasons: you, you, and you." Katherine told him, putting up three fingers in the process.
"You see, I can't really get that down. It just gets stuck in my throat." Stefan said. "Well you know, it's the truth. Deep down inside that gorgeous body of yours is the Stefan that fell in love with me too." Katherine dragged a finger down his chest and stared at him, pouting.
Elena and Erin sat at the Grill, studying for History. All of a sudden, a gust of wind came past them, and Damon appeared at Erin's side. Elena gasped, but Erin did not find it surprising. Damon talked to Elena and looked around, "So this is where you spend your time when you are not stabbing people in the back."
Elena rolled her eyes and sneered, "I tricked you into telling the truth, that's not stabbing you in the back. That is using your own tactics against you." Erin clicked her pen and stood up from the table.
"Where are you going?" Damon asked her. "I thought I made it clear Damon, give me some space." Erin retorted, angry that Damon was not staying away from her. Elena put her book in her bag and got up from her chair as Damon said, "Okay, see you two at Jenna's barbeque."
"How do you know about Jenna's barbeque?" Erin asked him. "It was my idea. Jenna knows Mason Lockwood, so I figured a social gathering might help me get to know the guy." Damon said snarkily as Erin waved her hands in the air. He then added, "So I told Ric, to tell Jenna." Erin then started motioning towards the door to Elena, but she just questioned, "Does Jenna know, because she is not exactly your biggest fan."
A waiter came over and dropped a pie in front of Damon "Perfect, thank you!" He told her as she gave him a wink in return, making Erin roll her eyes. "Well, I'm hoping that this peach cobbler might help pave the way."
Damon then got up and started to make his way past us as Elena asked, "What are you up to?" Damon made sure his arm was touching mine as he told her, "I'm going to get some silver into Mason Lockwood and prove that he is a werewolf." "What! Stay away from Mason, Damon!" Erin ordered, but Damon ignored her and walked out of The Grill.
Katherine sat in the living room of the Boarding House reading as Stefan came up behind her. "You shouldn't read someone's journal." Stefan scolded her.
"I know, I'm sorry. It was just too tempting, just seeing all of your inner thoughts and feeling sitting on your desk for me to read." Katherine replied, and Stefan just handed her a cup of blood and took his journal from her hands. "Damon's private stock." He informed her.
"Oh, that's right! You don't do human, I read that." She stated mockingly and sipped the red liquid. "I also read about your recent werewolf sighting. That must have come as a surprise." Katherine added.
"What do you know about werewolves?" Stefan asked her. "I know not to pet one. Their bite kills, Stefan. It's best to steer clear of them during a full moon." She joked. "And how do you know this?" He questioned her.
"Who do you think was responsible for getting rid of the vampires in 1864?" She answered by asking him a question. "The founding families." Stefan responded, and Katherine played with the magnifying glass on the table. "Spearheaded by?" Katherine asked him again. Stefan raised his eyebrows and said, "The Lockwoods."
Katherine smirked and continued, "You remember the Founder's Ball, don't you? The one you were dreaming about?" Stefan nodded and replied, "I was your escort." "That was before you and Damon knew about my little secret." She mentioned.
"From the moment I met George, I knew he would be a problem." Katherine explained, telling the story. "So your saying that all the Lockwoods are werewolves?" Stefan inquired, but Katherine disagreed. "The werewolf gene runs in the Lockwood family, not that they are all wolves."
"How many werewolves are out there? I mean, is it just limited to the Lockwoods?" Stefan was very curious, and he knew that Katherine held all of the answers he needed. "No, there are others. Not many, practically extinct. Mainly they exist in tv shows and some really bad movies." Katherine said, sipping the blood in the glass.
"My turn to ask a question," She whispred, and then she grabbed something and laughed. Stefan was reminded of Erin in that moment, but shook his head. Erin was nothing like Katherine. "Why did you keep this picture? Why not tear it up, burn it?" She showed him the picture that Elena found in his room the night Erin got into a car accident.
"You wanna know why I came back? Well I have a better question, why did you? For Elena? No. For Erin? Maybe. But you came back here to fall in love with me all over again, didn't you?" Katherine stared at Stefan as she said that. Stefan looked at the ground, but then he suddenly rushed towards the woman the ruined his life.
"What is it about you that makes me still care?" He whispered, his face inches away from hers. They looked into each other's eyes before they pressed their lips to the other's. Out of nowhere, Stefan plunged a needle full of vervain into Katherine's back, and she fell onto the couch.
Stefan carried his ex down the stairs and into the basement, chaining her to a chair. "Now, where were we? That's right, you were about to tell me why you came back to Mystic Falls, weren't you?" He asked her. Katherine looked at him weakly and said, "You didn't have to do this."
"Answer the question." Stefan snapped. Katherine weakly attempted to fight against the chains, "I came back for you." She informed him yet again. "We are gonna play by my rules now." Stefan stated before putting gloves on and getting some vervain.
Katherine cowered back in fear as Stefan took steps towards her. Smoke came into the air as soon as the vervain touched her skin. Katherine screamed in pain and Stefan growled, "Answer the question." "You're going to torture me now?" Katherine asked him.
Still in her face, Stefan replied, "I'll do whatever it takes for you to tell me the truth." Backing away, Stefan slouched against the stone. "Later that night, at the Founders Ball." Katherine started, but Stefan interjected. "I don't want to hear stories about the past!" "Yes you do, Stefan. That's exactly what you want to here." Katherine told him.
"What did he want?" Stefan demanded. Katherine said nothing, so Stefan pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Thanks for letting us invite Caroline, she could use a day of distraction." Erin thanked her aunt while Elena poured the chips into a bowl. "Well, that's not the plus one I'm worried about. Tell me, why is Damon coming?" She complained while looking straight at Erin. Erin looked at her aunt, offended.
"Because Alaric is a pity taker. Cmon Aunt Jenna, be nice." Elena told her. "I'll be nice when Damon learns to keep his paws off of Erin." Jenna retorted, pointing at Erin. Then, Mason walked into the room with a big grin on his face. "Ha! I found the shot glasses!" HE exclaimed.
"And that would be my exit." Elena said, and when Mason could not see her, she winked at Erin and mouthed, 'Go for it.' Erin blushed at her twin sister's antics and stayed with Jenna and Mason. "you're here ten minutes, and I am back under the bleachers at the pep rally." Jenna smiled as Mason hugged her.
"Just like old times." He said, and smiled at Erin. "Only, I didn't swipe this bottle from my old man." He added, pouring shots. Alaric then entered the room, "The expensive stuff, I like you already." Mason looked at him and said, "Just glad to be invited."
Jenna then added, "Well, thank Ric. This was his idea." Mason looked cautiously at Alaric, "Really?" He asked. "Yeah, well you know, I thought it would be nice to meet Jenna's old high school friends. Erin here has told me plenty of embarrassing stories, but I wanna dig up a little dirt." Alaric then squeezed her shoulders as Mason smirked.
"Oh, I've got dirt, alright." He laughed. "Yes, but my dirt is better." Erin teased him. Jenna took her shot glass and raised it. "I have no secrets, only dirty shame." They all cheered as Erin muttered aloud, "And these are the times I wish I could drink." They all smirked and Jenna told her she could have one shot only.
Damon then walked in, lowering both Jenna's and Erin's moods. "Damon." Erin stated with clear annoyance in her voice. "We're just doing shots, let me grab you a glass buddy." Alaric greeted him. It got awkward once Jenna told him, "Here, use mine." She then proceeded to scurry out of the room with Alaric on her heels.
Damon then came up to us and said to Mason, "She doesn't like me very much." Damon winked at me, and I rolled my eyes. Mason seemed to notice and he took the pressure off me, "We haven't met, Mason Lockwood." The men shook hands and Damon said in a fake friendly voice, "Oh, hey. Damon Salvatore."
"I know, "Mason replied and added, "I've heard great things about you." Erin scoffed at that, and they both looked over at her. "Who have you been talking to? Because he's a dick." Erin then walked away, two sets of eyes were on her as she left. Erin then made her way to the porch where Elena and Caroline were and told them that the food was ready.
Erin and Caroline walked arm in arm to the table and laughed at some old stories.
"You know, we can sit here as long as you want. And when you start to desiccate, there's a tomb with your name written on it." Stefan told her. Katherine looked up at him. "I've been doing all the talking, it's your turn." She said.
"Do you pretend to be human when you're with them? Is that the appeal?" Katherine squinted her eyes at the man she loved, trying to figure him out. "I don't pretend to be anything when I'm with them, that's the point. I just get to be myself." Stefan replied honestly.
"Does Elena know that you love me? Or better yet, love her twin sister?" Katherine asked. "I don't." He stated, getting up from the chair. "That's where you're wrong, Stefan. Don't you remember bringing me home that night? Your family had taken me in…" She trailed off, telling the story. "Go ahead, Stefan. Torture me, keep me captive, drain my body until it turns to dust. It will never change the truth, I never compelled your love. It was real, and so was mine."
"Dress, ballerina!" Jenna yelled. Mason and Erin laughed at her drunkness. "You should have seen her in high school, she was way worse." Mason told her, we both chuckled. Damon glared at him, but Caroline distracted everyone with her yelling, "Puppy! Puppy in a tutu!"
"Dog! Dog! You ain't nothing but a hound dog!" Jenna laughed. Mason whispered the answer in Erin's ear and she shouted, "Dances with Wolves!" They all looked at her in astonishment as Damon answered, "And Mason and Erin win AGAIN." Jenna started her complaining phase then, "How is that a wolf?!"
Elena was in the kitchen, taking the cobbler Damon brought and put it on a plate. Damon then stalked out of the living room, seeing Erin and Mason getting cozy. "Aunt Jenna's getting tipsy." Damon informed his brother's girlfriend. "Would you stop plying her with alcohol?" Elena sighed.
"But I want her to like me." Damon argued. "How's Operation Lockwood?" Elena asked him, and Damon whispered in her ear. "He's my new bff." Elena rolled her eyes and turned to face him, "Or he is Erin's new BFF and you are jealous." Elena saw the look on Damon's face and smiled her victory smile.
"Look who's talking Miss 'Jealous of my boyfriend and sister'." Damon sneered in her face. Two could play at this game, he thought. Before either of them could say anything more, Jenna came in with a smile on her face.
"Isn't this fun?" She laughed, mostly talking to Elena. "Yes, thank you so much for inviting me." Damon spoke, mostly in a fake enthusiastic way. "Did I have a choice?" Jenna asked, slurring her words a little. "I know what you must think of me," Damon started. "No, you don't. You have not dated you. I have dated many you's, and I'll be damned if my niece gets hurt the same way I did." Jenna argued.
"I'm a work in progress." Damon offered, hurt that the two women in his presence both think he would hurt Erin. Something then caught his eye, "Oh, those are fancy." Jenna started folding napkins and said, "Thanks. My mother's silver set." Elena and Damon then locked gazes and he smirked.
"Hearing the truth after a century and a half of denial must be overwhelming." Katherine sighed. "It wasn't real, I remember you compelling me." Stefan argued. "Only after I showed you who I really was. You were so afraid of me that I had to take away your fear." Katherine retorted. "Well, whatever feelings I had back then have all turned to hate." Stefan told her.
"Love, hate, such a fine line. I can wait. Anyways, George Lockwood was causing all sorts of trouble. He used the vampires as a cover up, told the founding families about us. But he was willing to strike a deal." Katherine explained. "What kind of deal?" Stefan asked curiously. "A deal to rid the town of vampires." Katherine said.
"You knew that they were going to burn the vampires in the church." Stefan stated, and Katherine nodded. "I practically lit the match." She said emotionlessly. "They were your friends, they were your family, and you just sold them out." Stefan went on. "Without blinking." Katherine agreed to his assumptions.
"Mason, why don't you start us off?" Damon told him, placing the cobbler in front of him. Mason looked at Damon, and knew what he was planning. Mason then reached and grabbed a slice of cobbler with his hands. "I apologize, I'm an animal." He said.
They all chuckled awkwardly, and then Erin walked into the room. They were all relieved to have the teen there with them. She then sat down in the empty chair between Mason and Damon. "So, Mason, you and Jenna never dated?" Alaric questioned him. Mason shook his head and replied, "no, she was always lost in Logan Fell land."
Erin raised her eyebrow and asked "Really? Logan Fell?" Jenna sighed and said, "No judging! Logan was my first mistake. Mason was a catch, he had girls lining up. And if I remember correctly, little Erin here had a big crush." Erin's eyes went wide and her cheeks turned bright red.
"Jenna!" She yelled, embarrassed. "Really?" Damon asked, looking between Mason and Erin. Mason smirked at Erin, he had no idea that she liked him. "I always pegged you for a lone wolf." Damon mocked, and Erin glared at him. Under the table, Erin kicked Damon in the shin, and he raised an eyebrow at her.
"I think I'll have that shot now." Erin mumbled before getting up and pouring herself one. "I'm sure I wasn't half the lady killer you were." Mason retorted, causing Erin to snicker in the background. Mason then raised his beer and cheered, "To new friends." They all clinked their glasses together, and they drank, including Erin who downed her shot.
Elena then walked into the kitchen and spoke, "Sorry to interrupt, but Erin, uh I need your help." Erin nodded and said, "Yeah sure. Well, bye guys I will see you later." Mason then proceeded to stand up and hug Erin. They said goodbye and Erin saluted at Alaric and Jenna, and gave Damon a feisty glare before leaving.
"So what's the problem?" Erin asked her twin. "Caroline is going to drive us to the Boarding House. Stefan hasn't gotten back to me all day, and I have this bad feeling." Elena informed her, and they both made their way to Caroline's car. Caroline pretended to drop her keys, but she actually bent down and popped a hole in the tire.
"What did George get in return for giving you your freedom?" Stefan asked, back in his seat. "Something he wanted desperately." Katherine answered vaguely. "So you sent 26 of your friends to their death just to fake their own? No, you were running from something, what is it?" Stefan pieced things together.
"Everyone has a past, Stefan. Mine needed to stay far away, but thanks to you my plan nearly failed before it even began. When George said that the roundup was eminent, I made sure to see you one last time. But your father used your love for me against you, he poisoned your blood. And Damon, being Damon, nearly ruined everything." Katherine told.
"We came for you, we tried to save you." Stefan said bitterly. "Well, I didn't want to be saved." Katherine argued. "That means that Damon and I died for nothing, for nothing!" Stefan was more than angry at the woman in front of him. "No, Stefan you died for love!" Katherine yelled.
"Jenna just brought out Guitar Hero. You might be tired of mutiny." Mason informed Damon. "Well, I just happen to like Guitar Hero, so you, my friend, are barking up the wrong tree." Damon mocked as he poured himself some more alcohol. "Okay, enough with the innuendos, you're hilarious. You don't think I know what this barbeque is about?" Mason told the vampire.
"How do you know about me? Your brother was completely clueless." Damon asked him, suspicious of the guy. "It doesn't matter, I'm not your enemy, Damon." Mason argued. Damon glared at him, "You tried to kill my brother, and you are currently putting the moves on my friend." "That was a mistake, I didn't chain myself up in time. I have no control over myself once I shift." Mason tried to assure him.
"What, no obedience school?" Damon mocked him once again. Mason wasn't laughing. "I'm serious. Let's not spark some age old feud that doesn't apply to us." Mason said, and Damon raised an eyebrow. "Do you expect me to believe that you're in Mystic Falls planting peace trees?" Damon sneered.
"I lost my brother, my nephew lost his father, I'm here for my family. Let's be above this." Mason put out his hand for Damon to shake, and he did. Once Mason walked away, however, Damon took a knife from the drawer of Jenna's silver set.
On the road, Elena said, "Thanks for this, Care. I appreciate it." Caroline looked at Elena and back to the road she sang, "Here we come, to the rescue." Erin gave her a weird look and asked, "Why are being so snippy?" Caroline sighed, "It's my own drama. I'm sure that you two will beat the odds. Not that there is any study to pull odds from. What is the ratio of success for vampire- human couplings? I'm guessing no."
Elena and Erin were both shocked nad annoyed that Caroline would say something like that. "Okay, Caroline." Elena snapped. Caroline then apologized as a song came on. Trying to lighten the mood a little, Erin spoke, "I love this song." Caroline pressed a button and yelled into the car, "What's playing?" A voice answered and Erin chuckled a little bit when Caroline whispered, "Ta da!"
Suddenly, something went wrong with the car, and they were forced to pull over. They waited a few hours for a tow truck to come, but it never did. "I'm gonna call Jenna." Erin informed them, tired of waiting. "No! Let me call the tow again, and I can use my mad girl voice."
"We can just walk from here," Elena claimed and grabbed Erin's hand, but Caroline stopped them. "I can't just leave my car." "We can come back for it." Erin reasoned, hoping that Caroline wouldn't fight with them over it. "Just give me a minute, guys." She snapped.
Elena then got frustrated, "Caroline, what part about 'I'm worried about Stefan' didn't sink in?" "What's the rush? Why are you rushing to a relationship that will never work?" Caroline blabbed, and Elena looked extremely offended. "Care, I know that you're upset about Matt, but can you stop projecting it onto me and Stefan, please."
"I'm not projecting anything, Elena. You're human, he's a vampire. You will be 70 and in diapers and he will still be smoking hot! And you will never have his children, Elena! You are too maternal to not have children!" Caroline rushed out. Elena looked extremely shocked and caught off guard by this information.
"Where is this coming from?" Erin asked her friend, concerned and worried. "I'm just trying to be her friend." Caroline told them. "Well, do me a favor and stop trying." Elena snapped. The tow truck then appeared in their vision as Elena said, "There's the tow, we're going to walk."
Caroline then grabbed Elena's arm and squeezed, "Ow, Caroline, you're hurting me." Erin saw the vulnerability and fear in Caroline's eyes and questioned, "What is wrong with you, Care?" Just as Caroline opened her mouth, the tow guy asked her a question. Elena said something snarky, grabbed Erin's arm, and stormed away.
Mason parked his car at The Grill, and right as he shut the door, he saw Damon. "Damon? What, more dog jokes?" Mason said as Damon smirked. "No, those got old." Damon then stabbed Mason with the silver knife and made his way towards Mason's car.
The werewolf pulled the knife out of his chest and uttered, "I think it was werewolves who started the whole silver myth." Damon looked shocked, and he knew that this was a mistake. "Duly noted." Damon said. Mason looked at his bloodied shirt and complained, "And I was really looking forward to Last Call." Mason strode up to Damon with a smile on his face.
"Now you've made an enemy. And about Erin, may the best man win." Mason said before going back to his car.
"You gonna tell me why you came back here, or are you just playing another game?" Stefan questioned her. "Have you not heard a word that I've said? I answered that question five times over already." Katherine groaned, getting real tired of that question. "Fine, then make it six." Stefan demanded.
Katherine rolled her eyes and stated, "I want what I want, Stefan. And I don't care what I have to do to get it. My list of victims is a long one, and I have no problem adding one more name to that list."
"C'mon Katherine. If you wanted Elena dead, you would have done it by now." Stefan pointed out. "Still can. And who said anything about Elena? If I have to, I will snap Erin's neck like a twig and you know it." Katherine threatened. Stefan then flashed up to Katherine at the mention of Erin's name and pointed a stake at her heart.
Stefan hesitated and looked at Katherine for a moment, he couldn't kill her, she looks too much like Erin and Elena. "Guess you don't hate me as much as you thought you did. I don't want you seeing Elena anymore. If you don't remove her from your life, I will kill everyone that Erin loves while she watches, and then I will kill her while you watch."
Stefan then flashed up to her again, revealing his vampire side and choked her, "Don't you ever think for one moment that I will not kill you." Katherine then broke out of the chains and pushed Stefan against the wall. "I have been sipping vervain every single day for the last 145 years. You caught me by surprise once, I wasn't going to let it happen again. It doesn't hurt me, Stefan."
He was confused and shocked, it wasn't possible. "What? Why?" He asked breathlessly. Katherine then got down to his height and said softly, "I told you. I've missed you, Stefan. I just wanted to spend some time with you."
A voice cut them off. "Hello? Stefan?" They both recognized it as Elena's, but then they heard another. "God, you don't have to yell, Lena. He has vampire hearing." Erin. A mischievous look came across Katherine's face and she plunged the stake into Stefan's leg. He cried out in pain, and hoped that he would make it upstairs in time.
The twins walked into the living room of the Boarding House when they felt another presence in the room. Erin looked over her shoulder to see a woman who looked exactly like her. Katherine, she thought. "You must be Erin and Elena." Katherine looked them both older, and now understood why everyone loved Erin Gilbert, she looked exactly like Katherine, from the hair to the clothes.
"How is this possible? How do we look exactly alike?" Elena asked breathlessly. Erin stood the way Katherine was, she was looking at her doppleganger thoroughly and curiously. Katherine then walked up to Elena and touched a piece of her hair, "You're asking the wrong questions." Katherine said, feeling powerful because Elena was so intimidated and scared by her.
Erin just stared at Katherine as she made her way towards her after she said something to Elena. "I think you are more of my twin than Elena is." Erin muttered, causing Katherine to smile in amusement. But, she heard Stefan rushing towards the living room, so she disappeared.
"Elena! Erin!" Stefan called and he ran in. Elena looked like a deer in the headlights, while Erin's face remained stoic. "Are you two okay?" Stefan asked. Elena shook her head and answered, "Not really." "Speak for yourself, Lena. I'm fine, and she was really pretty." Erin said. Stefan looked at her, his eyes telling her that he was not amused.
"Are you okay?" Erin questioned Stefan, looking at the state he was in. "Not really." He told them. Elena then ran into his arms and hugged him. Stefan looked up at Erin from Elena's embrace, he had no idea how she was so calm.
Once they dropped Erin off at home, Stefan and Elena went to The Grill. They walked in and saw Caroline who apologized to Elena. She then sat down at the table next to Stefan, her emotions bubbled into one, anger.
"I'm starving." Stefan complained. "Well, spending the day with your jealous ex will do that to you." Elena snapped. "Listen, I know you're upset, but we have to take her seriously. Today was all about the lengths that she would go to." Stefan replied calmly.
"If she was going to hurt me, she would have. Erin and I were standing right in front of her." Elena told him. Stefan sighed, "Elena, you caught her off guard. It doesn't mean you're safe." Elena stared at him, open mouthed. "I am not afraid of her." She snapped. "Well, you should be." Stefan argued.
"If Katherine had her way, we'd we breaking up right now." Elena pointed out. "If today taught me anything, it's that Katherine is used to getting her way." Stefan said. Elena glared at her boyfriend, "You're not saying that we actually do what she says…"
Stefan put his face in his hands, "Listen, she is sadistic, okay? She threatened Erin, she threatened everyone." Elena raised her eyebrows and retorted, "Yeah, I get it. She's dangerous, but every day that we are together, it's dangerous. Why are you giving her so much power over our relationship? Do you still love her?"
Stefan rolled his eyes at Elena's insecurities. "No, it's the reality of our situation." Elena made a face and snapped, "Well, reality sucks." She then lowered her voce when she realized she yelled that part. "This is what she wants, she wants us to fight. She wants to get between us, okay? I love you, Stefan."
"She's not the only one who has Elena. Look, I do love you, but if we stay together, your sister will die, my best friend will die. It's too much of a risk, I'm sorry." Stefan explained to Elena. Elena looked hurt, but she nodded and exited The Grill.
Elena stormed into the Gilbert house with tears in her eyes. Stefan and her had never really fought before, not like that. Jeremy and Erin were watching a movie in Erin's room. "I can't believe you are actually making me watch this!" Jeremy complained. Elena laughed as she eavesdropped. "C'mon Jer! It's a classic!" Erin urged him, eating from a tub of Ben & Jerry's. "High School Musical is not a classic! It's torture!" Then Elena came in. "Hey, what happened?" Jeremy asked his sister. Elena just shook her head and climbed into bed with the two of them, just like they used to do when they were little. The last time they did this, their parents died.
"Me and Stefan got into a huge fight, and now I don't know where we stand. I think he broke up with me." Elena sobbed. Erin and Jeremy pulled her into a hug, and Erin held Elena while she cried. They all said nothing, they just watched High School Musical for the night and fell asleep in Erin's bed.