Running. I was running. The wolf cries were all around me. The rain was pouring and I was practically slipping down the rocks. Until I crashed into something.

Rather, someone.

"Stefan?" I asked looking up at him.

His eyes were sad. "Stefan, just come home. I can help you."

His eyes then darkened as the veins filled in underneath.

"No Stefan, its me. You wouldn't-"

Stefan opened his mouth and lunged at my throat.

"Stefan, no!" I cried fighting against the grip. "Please don't hurt me."

"Nobody is going to hurt you Elena."

I opened my eyes and looked into Damon's. "Where?" I asked still disoriented from the dream.

I went to place my hand down on the bed to get up but Damon grabbed me and helped me sit up.

I looked down, remembering the splint I had on my hand. I took some deep breaths and just sat quietly, looking at my injured hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Damon asked softly.

I sighed. "You can probably guess." I replied, getting defensive.

"Elena," Damon pleaded.

"I'm tired, Damon." I whispered laying back down and turning over to face away from him.

I felt Damon lay back down next to me and when he was sure I wouldn't protest he placed a supportive hand along my upper arm, squeezing. "It'll be okay," he whispered before turning back over onto his side of the bed.

I knew I was acting rudely towards Damon. He has been nothing but sweet to me the past few days, even amidst the arguments. But I'm afraid. I'm afraid that I'm acting wrongly towards Stefan. I shouldn't even be in Damon's bed right now. I know Damon thinks
there is no hope for him, but I can't help but know deep down in my heart that it was Stefan who called me the other night.

"I'm gonna go to Stefan's bed." I say before getting up and walking out of the room.

As I walk up the stairs, I barely recognise Stefan's room. All of his belongings have been knocked over and thrown about the room. A glint of glass catches my eye in the middle of the room. I walk over and bend down, picking up the picture frame that
has been turned over. Its a photo of Stefan and I; the one that Stefan always kept on his dresser.

"Elena," Damon says tiredly behind me.

"Did you do this?" I ask, angry tears in my eyes.

Damon looks down at his feet and nods.

I sigh, dropping the picture back to the floor and bringing my hands up to my head. "When?"

"Elena, it doesn't matter wh-"

"I said, when, Damon!"

There was a long pause.

"The night Stefan killed Andie."

I swallowed hard, clutching at my necklace. "I see."

I can't get mad at him, I finally resolved and stepped over the mess to Stefan's bed. I cleared it off before climbing underneath the covers.

"Damon, I'm sorry." I begin, bringing forth a confused look from him. "Stefan is your brother, and you two have been through so much."

Damon shifted, clearing his throat. "And I know you called Andie your fake girlfriend, but I think deep down you really did care for her. I know you didn't want her dead."

Damon continued to stare at the floor.

"Goodnight, Elena." he finally said, shutting the light and closing the door.

"Goodnight, Damon." I said as I heard his footsteps go down the stairs.

I woke up the next morning, with my "injured" hand crunched underneath my body. However, thanks to the magic of vampire blood, it didn't need to be classified as injured as I wiggled my fingers in the splint for a moment before taking if off.

I stretched, squinting at the small ray of sunshine peeking in from the curtain to Stefan's destroyed room. I decided that I was going to clean it and put it back together.

I started with picking up the overturned furniture. I then moved on to gathering together and throwing out all of the broken items that Damon smashed in his rage. The last item I came upon was the photo from last night. I looked at it witha sad
fondness. Stefan and I were so happy that day we took the picture. We had just decided that we were going to stick together, even with all of the supernatural drama. It was one of the first days I knew that I really loved him. And I need to honour
that love. Which means I need to convince Damon that Stefan can still be rescued.

After I finished cleaning I went back down to the main floor of the house, calling out Damon's name.

I found him in the library, drinking some Bourbon and reading a book. "Damon," I began confident in the speech I had gathered in my mind while cleaning. "I know you think that there is no hope for Stefan-"

"No Elena, I know there is no hope for Stefan." he replied, not taking his eyes from the page.

"As I was saying," I continued, disregarding his interruption. "I love Stefan, and I refuse to give up hope that we can find him, and bring him back home to us."

Damon sighed and closed the book, placing it on the table along with his Bourbon.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." I said, remaining confident.

"Elena, Stefan told me he didn't want to be saved."

"What?" I ask, the confidence shattered like the glass I found in Stefan's room the night before.

"Right before Stefan killed Andie," Damon began moving over so I could sit on the couch next to him. "He told me that this was a warning, that if I didn't back off, worse things would happen."

I was shocked. I knew Stefan was a ripper, and that wasn't good, but I didn't think he could ever be threatening like that.

"I told him that you wouldn't give up, but he seemed to move on without second thought that I brought you up." Damon continued. "Thats how I knew his humanity switch was flipped."

"And then what happened?" I asked, looking into Damon's sad eyes.

"Then he killed Andie." Damon downed the last of his Bourbon and got up to pour himself some more.

I was speechless. I tried so hard in my mind to come up with some sort of excuse for Stefan. But everything I thought of I knew Damon would have a good argument against it.

"So what do we do?" I asked quietly. "What can we do?"

"Nothing." Damon replied. "Wait until he hits rock bottom I guess, but I have no idea when that could happen. It could be decades. That's why I don't want you to waste your life, Elena." He walked over to me and placed his hands on either side of my face.
"I know you love him, Elena. But for all that its worth, he's gone."

I swallowed back tears. "Okay," I whispered.

"I'm so sorry Elena." Damon replied softly and delicately, like I might break. Which I very well could.

"Can you take me home?" I asked. "I just need time to think."

Damon nodded, taking my hand and leading me to his car.

After saying a quick goodbye to Damon at my door, I went up to my room and sat at my window seat with my journal.

Stefan is gone. I began writing, tears hitting the page, causing the ink of my pen to smudge. He's gone and he won't come back, at least not in my lifetime. So I have resolved to let him go.