A/N (Dec 26, 2016): I added more to the end of the previous chapter to aid in the flow of the story. Thanks for reading!


"Ric," I said into my cell phone receiver a few days later. "I want you to teach me how to fight vampires."

"Are you kidding Elena?" he asked.

"No." I said strongly. "Stefan hurt me, and I don't want to let him do that again. If there is any way I can defend myself, I want to know how."

"I'll pick you up at your house at 5:30am tomorrow morning."

My 5am alarm beeped incessantly at me the following morning. What I really want to do was stay in bed and sulk. But I shook my head, shut off my alarm and got up. I have to be strong in front of Stefan, I said to myself as I applied some concealer onto the two healing holes on the side of my neck. He can't see how much he has broken me.

"Elena!" Ric called from down the stairs, bringing me from my thoughts.

"Coming!" I yelled.

"So the pressure of your punch ejects the stakes." Ric said after punching two wooden stakes into the dummy.

"Easy enough," I said and punched.

Nothing happened. So I tried again, and once more.

"It must be jammed or something," I said, hitting at the side of the spring.

"You're not strong enough. Try lifting some weights, put some meat on your bones." Ric said coldly.

"Thanks for not sugar coating it."

"Do you know what this is?" Ric asked, ignoring my comment and holding up a device.

"Yeah, its a vervain grenade. I've used them before."

"Then you know the element of surprise is your only advantage when it comes to dealing with a vampire." Ric pulled the stopper off and tossed it at me. "Surprise."

"Oh my god!" I yelled and threw it into the air, to avoid it exploding in my face. "This isn't a joke to me, Ric!" I pulled off the stake ejector and threw it on the ground and went to walk away.

"You think I'm joking?" Ric said stepping in my way. "Vampires will take whatever they want, they will hurt whoever they want, and they'll do it without remorse. It's their nature."

"You don't have to use pronouns. You can say Stefan."

"Look, I get why you're here." Ric began. "Stefan hurt you. You don't want it to happen again."

"But you think that I'm crazy." I interjected. "To believe that I can protect myself from a vampire who's flipped his humanity switch."

"I think you found a reason to get out of bed this morning." Ric replied, surprising me. "And that makes you the strongest person I know. I think that you can pretty much do anything." Ric picks up the stake ejector and hands it to me, smiling softly. I think for a moment before nodding and taking it from him slipping it back on.


Today is the first day of senior year, I thought to myself as I approached the school building a few hours later with Caroline and Bonnie. They were rattling off some pep talk, but I was too busy with my own thoughts. Oh my gosh, the first day. "Today's our anniversary," I said aloud, causing Bonnie and Caroline to turn around. "Stefan and I. We met the first day of school last year."

"You win," Caroline says.

"Whatever," I replied shaking it off. "Its a new year, time for a new life."

And we were smiling as we walked into the school building, until I crashed into Stefan. I froze. "Wh-what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm coming back to school!" Stefan exclaimed. "Go Timberwolves!"

He continued walking on as Caroline, Bonnie and I shared shocked expressions.

"Oh!" He stopped, turning around. "How could I forget? Happy anniversary."

I wanted to cry, barf, and faint all at once right there on the spot.

"See you in class." he taunted and sauntered off.

Caroline and Bonnie rushed up to me. "Are you okay?" "Elena, can you hear me?" "Get her in the bathroom."

I felt myself being moved. Caroline was compelling some girls to get out. Small dots were circling in my vision. "Call Alaric," I mumbled and then passed out.


"What happened?" I heard a man's voice say. I was sitting up against a cool wall, it felt nice as I pressed my cheek against it.

"Elena? Can you hear me?"

"Alaric?"

"Yeah, I'm here." he said and crouched down taking my hand.

I slowly came to and looked around. I was sitting on the floor of the girl's bathroom at school.

"Ric, I have to take the day off. I need to train harder. I have to be ready. He's gonna be everywhere."

"Elena, right now you need to take it easy."

"No," I said and tried to get up, only to have Ric push me back down.

"Elena," Ric said seriously. "Don't be stupid."

He continued to look at me with concern, with sadness, and with love? Like a loving look that my father would give me.

"Okay," I whispered. Ric extended his hand to help me up.

"Do you want to go home?" Bonnie asked. I had totally forgotten that she and Caroline were still here.

"No," I said. "I just need a minute. If I go home, it'll just prove that Stefan has control over me in this state."

"Good choice." Caroline said. I smiled and reached over to Caroline and Bonnie, pulling them in for big hugs. "Thank you." I said.

"You'll figure this out Elena." Ric said, smiling before he exited the girl's bathroom.

I closed my eyes, took a breath, and let it out. "Let's do this."


After school had ended I went to go find Ric in his classroom. "Alaric, hey!" I called coming up to his desk.

"How ya feeling, Elena?"

"Better, thanks." I answered. "And, I think you should move back in with Jeremy and I."

"What?"

I had actually been putting a lot of thought into this, ever since he moved out.

"Ric, I know you're lonely in your loft by yourself. And you've become family to Jeremy and I."

Ric nodded, considering the option. "And despite you wanting to be moved out," I continued with a smirk. "You still wind up on our couch at least once a week."

Ric and I laughed. "I know you said I could all this on my own now, but Alaric I think you need us just as much as we need you."

"Thanks Elena." He smiled. "I've actually been thinking about how much you and Jeremy mean to me. And it wasn't right of me to walk just because it was so hard for me with Jenna and all. I pushed you guys away, and I'm sorry."

"Ric, its okay."

"If you'll have me back?" Ric asked.

I nodded, laughing. "Of course!"


After Ric moved back in, things moved smoothly. I would wake up, train with Ric. Go to school. Avoid Stefan as much as possible. When I did have to see Stefan, I would try really hard to think of the times when he was actually Stefan, and not this heartless monster. I would hang out with Bonnie and Caroline a little. See Damon once in a while at the Grill. Hang out with Ric and Jeremy at home. And things were.. okay.

I kept myself together pretty well in front of everyone. Everyone would look at me for a moment, to see how close I was to breaking, and once I convinced them (and myself) that I was okay, things would operate kind of normally.

It wasn't until I was alone that my true feelings came out. I would take advantage of these moments of solitude. I would let out desperate sighs while laying in bed, I wouldn't force myself to eat like I did in front of everyone else because of the deep pit I always had in my stomach, but most of all I would allow myself to cry. I can't even count how many times a day I choke back tears. I'm sure people notice, but I always insist that I'm okay. And they leave me alone.

I just hope that things change soon.