TVD S3E03/04 REVIEW: The most memorable scene for me was Elena finally meeting Stefan again. Let alone the part where he tells her, "I'm done. I don't want to see you, I don't want to be with you. I just want you to go." Talk about heartbreak. Not forgetting Damon asking her, "Are you okay?" when he got into the car and Elena replying, "Just drive," with teary eyes. I must admit, that entire episode had me tearing up so bad. The next one was as epic as well. I can't believe how in denial Elena is about her feelings for Damon! Nevertheless I do understand why she's having troubles admitting them. Fingers crossed she would finally give in, accept him for who he is, and profess her love for him soon or I'll die... pun intended.
THE TRUTH IS DEADLY, THE LIE IS NOT.
Chapter 8: Someone Like You
STEFAN'S POV
You know, I used to believe that everyone or everything had at least some good in them. But Klaus was living proof as to why I was very wrong. He was pure evil, and nothing less.
In all of the plans he made, his intention was always for the fun of watching me kill. By doing so, he brought out the monster in me. The monster I've tried many times to defeat, but failed.
"It's a part of you, Stefan," Klaus once told me, "There's no point trying to hide what you are."
Over the course of the first year, we had journeyed to almost every wolf pack in the country. Klaus' dream was to create a deadly army of hybrids that would determine the extinction of mankind, and he would be the one to lead them.
To assist him, I had to kill countless innocent people. Murder after murder, I eventually believed that I was a true ripper. Lexi was wrong – I was never going to be strong enough to pull this through.
After two years of agony and merciless acts, the day I returned finally came. I thought I would never get the chance to walk on the paths of this place again, but even with the opportunity, I couldn't bring myself to see her.
Klaus was told that the campsite of a large pack was situated in one of the dreary forests of Mystic Falls.
We invaded the place with an army of our own like wildfire. In no time, all the werewolves were tied up and bound to the tree trunks.
Whilst Klaus fed each and every one of them his impure blood, I went to search for more hiding in the tents. I tore them all apart with a swift snag.
Then it came to the last blue tent of the campsite.
I slashed it open with impellent power and before my very eyes was a teenage girl. Before she could struggle or scream, I grabbed her by her hand and I felt it – her warmth.
She's a vampire, I knew the second I touched her.
Responsively, I threw away the cape she had worn over her face. She looked ghastly familiar.
She had long, dark brown hair – straight and smooth like silk. Her almond-shaped eyes were dark and overwhelmed with horror.
It wasn't Elena, because it was highly unlikely of her to become a vampire. She would never let Damon turn her, not in a million years.
"Katherine?" my eyes broadened. She stared at me blankly when I muttered her name again. As suspected, she was Elena's doppelganger.
It was Katherine Pierce, but just not the one I knew. She didn't even know who I was.
"It's Stefan," I asked her with much curiosity, "Don't you remember?" She shook her head in response.
"Please don't hurt me," she pleaded with a cry as I walked up to her.
"What happened to you?" I asked her with much concern as I examined her condition.
"Those wolves caught me. They brought in witches and they did something to me. I can't remember anything," it was long since I last saw Katherine like this.
"Please help me," she caught hold of my arms as she knelt down to beg.
It wasn't just her face or her voice or the way she walked that made me reluctant to obey Klaus. I couldn't bear the thought that if I brought her out to Klaus, she would be dead.
The million questions in my head could wait for later.
I gained her trust when I held her hand, "I'll get you out of here."
But it was too late for any heroic saving. Klaus had overheard the both of us. As if it mattered, my hands took her behind me so that my entire body could cover hers.
He only took a single pitiful glance at me and said, "I'm disappointed in you, Stefan."
Klaus then turned away to face her, "Oh, look what we have got here. You must be more stupid than I thought to have come here, Katherina."
"Is t-that m-my name?" Katherine agitation got the best of her, "I d-don't k-know what you're t-talking about."
"Oh, you poor thing," Klaus giggled at her stutter, "What did those bad wolves do to you?"
At lightning speed, he traveled to reach her. I tried to intervene, but he pushed me till I hit the tree trunks outside of the tent.
"My dear, you're very special. Do you know that?" I overheard Klaus.
I could hear her hyperventilating out of much fear and panic. She was too afraid to even articulate words.
"Mind telling me how ended up here, sweetheart?" Klaus charmed his way as he got closer to her.
"I d-don't k-know," Katherine said in a tiny voice as he toyed with her hair, "I d-don't remember."
"Well, that's too bad. Look, you're the reason why none of my wolves are transitioning. They'll all dead because of you." Klaus added, "How unfortunate of you to cross paths with me again, my Katherina. It seems as if fate really wants you dead."
All I heard after that was a deafening scream, then that was it. I barged in subsequently, only to find myself looking down upon a dead body.
"You didn't have to kill her!" I yelled at Klaus.
"Yes, I did," Klaus stated, "She needed to die in order for my master plan to work. I can't have doppelgangers around my hybrids; that's for sure."
I remained quiet and vigilant.
"As for you, Stefan, I didn't expect you to fail me. But sadly, you did," Klaus took a step forward and punched holes in my stomach.
He added, "If there's one thing I hate, it's being betrayed. You should've known better, Stefan. I'm deeply saddened now that I have to work without any of my comrades alongside me. Oh well, you know what they say – you gotta move on with life."
Those were the last words I heard him utter.
Klaus was so sure he killed me, but he missed all of my vital organs. Maybe it was on purpose, but who would know?
Withal, I would bleed to death and most certainly die if I didn't get out of there quick. After struggling to get up, I almost believed so.
But I won't give up, not now. I had to live to see Elena again, and at long last I finally could...
STEFAN'S POV
Through the open windows with the curtains hung up, I could see Elena and Damon. They were in love, and they were happy. Everything turned out as planned.
I was truly happy for them, but what about me?
Was I better off dead instead?
– Insert song lyrics here –
I heard that you're settled down, that you found a boy and you're married now. I heard that your dreams came true; I guess he gave you things I didn't give to you.
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it. I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded that for me, it isn't over.
I wish nothing but the best, for you too. Don't forget me, I beg, I remember you said, "Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead."
You'd know how the time flies. Only yesterday, was the time of our lives. Regret's and mistakes, they're memories made. Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
– "Someone Like you" by Adele *edited to Stefan's point of view
But I chose to knock on the door, knowing that I was going to change their lives once more.
Then there she was, right before me.
ELENA'S POV
After Damon left, I made Alaric leave too. I told him I needed to be alone, mostly because I couldn't stand having them around me anymore. To be honest, I was too ashamed of myself to even look at anyone in the eye.
"Oh my god, Stefan," I gulped when I spotted his ghastly wounds from afar.
With pace, I found the blood bags Damon brought home and fed Stefan all of its contents. Hungrily, Stefan drank it all up without putting any blood to waste. His veins began to show again and his eyes changed color.
I winced slightly when he pointed his fangs at me, wanting to scare me off.
"I'm not afraid of you," I admitted to him, finding myself taking a few steps backwards as he was walking up to me.
Stefan shot me an ominous glare, "Well, you should be."
He was getting closer now, and truthfully, all I wanted to do was run. In a flash, Stefan attacked me till I fell onto the ground. He roared, reaching for my neck whilst I pushed his face away with great force.
Meanwhile, I recalled that not too long ago, Alaric had given me a syringe full of deadly Vervain. Without hesitation, I jabbed it behind Stefan's neck and watched the Vervain spread throughout his body.
He let out a series of deafening, earthshaking screams and I swore I couldn't take a second more. Fortunately for me, his suffering ended when he dozed off and swooned.
"Please be okay," I pleaded, "You have to be." I was praying for a miracle, even though they didn't come very often.
His eyelids slowly began to flutter. Soon, he even regained enough strength to stand on his own two feet.
"How's the pain?" I asked him, scanning for a reaction while I helped to lift himself up.
"Elena," Stefan was panting, "Damon's the one who needs you, not me."
"What are you talking about?" my eyes were open and wide as they sought for more answers.
"It's not his fault. I was the one who asked him to lie," he explained, "I'm the one who planned all of this. Me, not Damon."
"But I..." I shook my head in disbelief, "Stefan, I don't understand. Why would you do that? Why did he?"
"All I wanted was for you to be safe and happy, Elena. And I didn't care if I couldn't be with you anymore. I just needed you to live. You, for the both of us, have always been more important," Stefan continued, "That's why Damon did it. He loves you."
I held the intensity in his gaze, "But you never forced him to do anything. He chose to do it himself. And he had his own personal reasons as to why he kept it from me. If he did love me, he would have never. He would've helped me to find you and bring you back. He would've done all that, but he didn't. Instead, he...he..."
I couldn't finish that sentence. Tears were pouring down like rain – the heaviest fall of the year, I would say.
"You can't honestly believe that, Elena. He lied for a reason, and I know for a fact it wasn't so he could get me out of the picture. And besides, he couldn't bring me back, even if he wanted to. Klaus would kill him, and then he would kill you. He wouldn't dare pull off a stunt like that. I wouldn't even let him."
"How do you know that for sure? Because I don't. I don't have a clue," I sobbed endlessly while Stefan allowed me to bury my head in his chest.
"I don't. All I know is I cannot make things right you again. When I left you, I knew what I was leaving behind. I knew what I had to give up. But I just never knew how much I had to lose to keep you alive," Stefan brushed his fingers upon my cheeks as he soothingly caressed them.
"But you're here now, aren't you? You just have to be here," I cupped his face, "With me."
He slowly pulled away from me as he moved into an upright position, "Thing is, Elena, I'm not the one who should. Damon's been here for you throughout those years and I cannot imagine your life now if it wasn't for him. You should be with Damon."
"So you're giving up on me, just like that? Just so you can repay your debts to Damon, because he was here for me when you weren't?" I raised the tone in my voice.
"He deserves you more than I do, Elena. He made more sacrifices. He's the better choice. Just look at me!" Stefan's eyes were darkening again, "I'm a ripper. I've killed so many innocent people I've lost count – mothers, fathers, children – I've killed them all and I... I almost killed you."
Thankfully, a few seconds later, he was back to normal.
He sighed, trying hard not to face me directly, "Stop lying to yourself, Elena. You know deep down in your heart that you belong with Damon."
"Oh yeah?" I exclaimed furiously, "Then tell me this. What happened to forever, Stefan?"
Stefan was finally looking at me. He seemed shocked that I still kept that memory, shocked that I still remembered.
"I never meant it," he spoke softly, as if he didn't want me to hear it. I couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't even tell whether he was simply being earnest or deceiving.
"But you promised me," my voice was gruff from the grieving.
"I promised you a lot of things, Elena. I promised you that I would stay with you till the end of time, but I left. I also promised you that I wouldn't let anyone hurt you when I did myself. When will you ever learn that forever doesn't exist for us?" he answered truthfully as he stared intensely into my eyes.
No, Stefan, you don't mean that... do you?
Before I could utter another word, Stefan already took off.
BONNIE'S POV
I didn't think I heard the words right.
"Stefan's back?" I gasped, frightened by the alarming news.
"Stefan's back," Caroline reconfirmed it, pretending to be calm at the same time, "And by the way, Elena knows."
Without lag, I asked her, "Oh my god. Is she okay? And what did Alaric say?"
"Of course she's not! Alaric didn't say much. Damn it, Bonnie, now we're both doomed for good," we both contemplated for a moment what would happen to us for hiding the truth from Elena.
"Bonnie, you do realize she's never going to forgive us," Caroline pointed out.
"I know, Care, you don't have to remind me every second that you regret ever knowing about this," I stated.
Caroline scratched her head and covered it with her fidgety hands, "Oh, how did I even get sucked into all of this madness in the first place?"
"That's what you get when you don't mind your own business," I told her, "The same consequence for me too."
"We have to make her understand, Bonnie," Caroline reckoned, "She has to know that we didn't hurt her on purpose. I mean, we lied to her for a reason, and the reason is that we love her just too bloody much."
"Indeed," I nodded in silence.
ELENA'S POV
The door bell rang.
What on earth is going on now? Didn't I tell everyone to leave me alone? Guess they didn't hear me loud enough the first time.
"What do you want?" I grumbled before I saw Bonnie and Caroline standing in front of me with similar frowns.
"Bonnie? Caroline? What are you girls doing here? I thought you were vacationing in Hawaii for the entire summer."
"It didn't work out well," Caroline was disheartened, "Our plane tickets got messed up and then there was problem with the –"
Bonnie stopped Caroline from rambling on by saying, "We heard... about Stefan."
"Oh," I simply said, instantly dropping my head to face the ground.
"Elena, we were so worried about you," Bonnie lifted my chin and soothed the wrinkled lines on my forehead.
"We wanted to make sure you were okay. I can't believe Stefan broke his promise," Caroline suddenly muttered.
"Wait, what promise?"
She turned to look at Bonnie, who then made her say, "Um, it's nothing."
"What are you talking about, Care? Tell me," I placed my hands on her boney shoulders.
"Didn't Stefan?" Caroline didn't even look at me.
"He did. But how did you know that?" I was in deep thought. It took me quite a while to realize what happened.
"Elena, you have to hear us out," Bonnie quickly stepped in when she noticed that I had figured it all out.
"You girls knew too?" I began to cry again when I faced her, "Please tell me otherwise, Bonnie,"
None of them met my eyes or said a word. That sort of response already gave me the answer I needed from them.
"So everyone except me knew that Stefan was alive?" I was shocked more than ever, feeling so deceived.
"Elena, you know why we did this. We didn't have a choice then. You could've died if we didn't feel the need to lie to keep you alive. It was for your own good." Bonnie explained.
Caroline agreed with her, "We love you, Elena. We didn't mean to hurt you the way we did. And we're sorry, but we wouldn't change a thing even if we could."
"I know," tears were streaming down my face in a constant flow, "But why does it always have to end up like this? I'm just so tired of watching everyone get hurt for me, and the worst part is not being able to do anything about it. Oh and don't even let me begin with Stefan and Damon..."
"No matter what, we'll always be here for you, Elena," Bonnie wrapped her arms around me and Caroline joined in after.
"I hope Damon's okay," Caroline murmured softly, "I swear, after what you said, I only see him taking his ring off for a sunbathing session."
"Since when do you care about Damon?" I gazed at her doubtfully. I was surprised that she mentioned him because firstly, she hates Damon and secondly, she hates Damon, and thirdly, well you get my point.
"Since you loved him, we all did. We might act like we don't, but we do care about your fiancé even though he gets under our skin most of the time," Bonnie replied for Caroline, "You know you really should tell him that it's not his fault. It was never his fault to begin with. Frankly speaking, why were you so quick to blame him? Two years he's been with you and you still don't trust him?"
"It's not that at all, Bonnie," I continued to brood, "I don't know... I suppose I was finding reasons to push him away so he wouldn't hurt me like Stefan did. I was trying to make him leave me before he does when I'm all old and soggy."
"Trust me, he won't," Caroline maundered straightaway, "If he did, Bonnie and I will make sure he will never see the light of day again."
"I'm glad to know that," I beamed with dolorous, worrisome eyes. I really am.
STEFAN'S POV
I was right. Damon was at The Grill – his favorite place to be when he was sad and drunk, which was pretty often. Besides, the bar had an unlimited supply of bourbon.
"You have some nerves coming here, brother," Damon sensed my presence, "After all you've done, I don't know if I should even call you that."
Gulp after gulp, he continued to disregard the fact that I was just standing beside him. He was mainly focusing on consuming as much alcohol as he could find.
I said calmly, "Damon, I know you're mad at me and you have every right to, but please, just listen to me. You have to know I didn't come back to ruin things between you and Elena."
"But that's exactly what you did!" Damon went ballistic for a moment and turned a few heads.
"It was a mistake. I shouldn't have came back," I said ruefully.
"Why did you? I'm curious, Stefan."
Drunk as he was, his face turned crimson. Annoyed, I quickly put his drink down in his right hand. He willingly loosened the grip and met my grimace.
"I was dying, Damon. I dragged my whole bloody self down here because the last face I wanted to see was hers," I added, "Klaus thought he killed me, but I wasn't dead. I couldn't die, not without saying goodbye to Elena. A real one, this time. But I didn't think I would hurt her so much by returning. I didn't think I would hurt you, Damon. And I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't make things go away," he muttered dolefully, "Elena's never going to forgive me no matter what you say."
"She will," I assured him, "There's a reason why she said yes when you asked her to marry you."
Damon ridiculed, "That was long before she knew I lied to her."
"For what's worth, I owe you everything. I don't know what her life would be like now if it weren't for you," I made him look at me when I said, "So thank you."
"I didn't do it for you," he declared.
"I know," I smiled, watching him swallow an entire shot of tequila at one goal.
"Hey, I've got to ask," I questioned him, "Was it only for Elena? Or was she right about you being selfish?"
"Both," he replied immediately, "I wanted to protect her and keep her safe. But at the same time, I wanted so much more than that. After so long, I was finally allowed to love and be with her, because you were gone. And it wasn't that I was happy that you were, it's just that –"
"I understand, brother," I murmured, "You don't have to explain anything to me."
If I was in his in shoes, I would do just the same. In a way, we were so similar. Maybe that was our problem – having always to fight over a girl we both love. That's it, that's just it.
But even after all that, I couldn't let Elena go, because I was still in love with her. My feelings for her never went away, not one slightest bit since I left Mystic Falls two years ago.
Maybe Damon and Elena weren't meant to be. Maybe it was destiny that brought me back here.
It could be Elena and I after all. Our forever might just exist...
ELENA'S POV
Bonnie and Caroline headed out for a drink. They asked me to come along, but after all that happened today, I'd rather stay in bed and rest my troubled mind.
For at least an hour, I stayed up dwelling upon Damon and the words I cut him with. Feeling such regret was useless. There was nothing I could do to take back what I said.
After a while, I accepted the fact that sleep wasn't going to make peace with me any time soon.
On the stairs, I spotted Stefan on the couch as I was heading downstairs. He was flipping through all the pictures on the coffee table, including a few wedding invitations I had left there.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him inquisitively, "I thought you were gone." I walked towards him and took a seat right beside.
"I'm not going to make the same mistake again. I won't," he laid a hand on my cheek and pulled me closer, "Elena, I don't even know if I can."
"How am I supposed to know that you're not going to leave me again? Stefan, you don't know how much I've been hurting when you left," tears were forming in my eyes, "It's been two years, Stefan. Why now?"
Stefan frowned when he heard the cry in my voice.
"I had to see you, Elena," he continued, "Don't be with Damon, be with me."
Stefan cradled my face in his hands and parted his lips.
I wanted to tell him that I made up my mind about forgiving Damon, and that I understood his decisions. I was ready to love him again, but Stefan didn't let me. Or possibly, I didn't let myself.
I was bewildered as ever when he kissed me, but I did not stop him.
It seemed as if no matter how hard I tried to bottle my feelings up, no matter what I did to bury them so deep underground, they hadn't stopped existing just because I wanted them to.
They were still here – all of it, I just didn't know till Stefan touched me like the way he did before.
STEFAN'S POV
– Insert song lyrics here –
Saw you walk in to the room, thought I'd try to talk to you, am I ever glad you wanted me to.
It's been two years to the day, all the time I've been away. I know I'm not there enough, but that's gonna change. I'm coming back to show you that I'm keeping the promise that I made.
When I'm with you, I'll make every second count because I miss you, whenever you're not around. When I kiss you, I'll still get butterflies. Years from now, I'll make every second count when I'm with you.
Whatever it takes, I'm not gonna break the promise I made.
– "When I'm With You" by Faber Drive
All of a sudden, everything happened without pauses in between that I almost couldn't keep up.
Elena fumbled with the buttons of my shirt while I was on top of her. I assisted her by tearing hers apart and I threw it onto the ground without a pause, leaving her only in her underwear.
The intensity grew when I kissed her all the way from her neck to her chest. She let out a quick moan as I let my hands run through her abdomen.
"Stop," she said abruptly, placing a hand on my chest, "Stefan, we can't."
I was too caught up I didn't even bother to listen. The blood rushing through her veins had already blocked my hearing. Soon, it was all I could hear.
Fangs were unleashed and I couldn't hold them back.
I wanted blood. I wanted her blood, so I drank it.
And once I started, I just couldn't stop...
Author's note: Can you handle that? Please tell me you can. At least live long enough to write me a review! God bless you guys. Next chapter will be up probably latest by the first week of November; same reason as before. I'm really sorry for the regular delays, but hey, what can I say? I'm a busy girl. I guess I'll see you then. - wink - Oh and thanks for all the crazy awesome reviews and subscriptions. You guys are the best!
