A/N I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING! I ONLY OWN THIS PLOT! Thanks to my beta Elena Rain!


The next day was a weekend so it was just the two of them again. They were sitting at the kitchen table having some breakfast when Stefan spoke. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"What is it that makes you so scared of the others? I mean, Bonnie and Caroline never hurt you a day in their lives and yet you're scared to death of them. I'm the one who ripped your throat out."

Elena sighed. "I've never been scared of you, and I never will be scared of you. What you did wasn't you, it was the ripper and I know you're not him."

"Ok, but why the others?"

Elena sighed. "I don't know. I used to, and then one day I just…" she shrugged. "…I just stopped trusting them."

"Wait a minute," Stefan said suddenly, "Tell me again why don't you trust your friends?"

"I don't know. I used to trust them and then one day I just stopped."

"Elena, I think you might be under compulsion."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean if you were really scared of the others by your own choice you'd have reasons why and yet you can't think of one."

"Well I…I can't remember being compelled."

"You wouldn't. Nobody ever remembers being compelled, unless you're a vampire of course, but for humans…you wouldn't remember."

"How do we find out for sure?"

"Well…I could call Lexi, she's got these special tricks now that she's a Ghost maybe she can find out?"

"Sure."

Stefan laughed. "Just like that?"

She nodded. "Why not, Lexi is so awesome."

"So you're scared of everyone but Lexi, Jeremy, and I?"

Elena nodded. "I guess so, I don't know am I?"

Stefan smiled gently. "We'll figure this out. Just hang in there."

Stefan kissed her head grabbed his phone.

"Lexi, hey, it's me, listen I need a favor…."


A few minutes later Lexi knocked at the door.

Elena answered. "Lexi, come inside."

"Thanks, even as a ghost I wouldn't be able to enter."

Elena giggled.

They both went back into the kitchen.

"SO, what's wrong?" Lexi asked.

"We think, Elena might have been compelled and that's why she doesn't trust anyone else."

"Well it's possible, Klaus figured after ripping her throat out she'd fear you, knew there was no sense in making her fear Jeremy and he never knew about me so…and we're the only three she does trust."

"But, he knew, Elena I would be back together."

Lexi shrugged. "I don't know, but there is one way to find out."

"How?" Stefan asked.

"Ask her why but listen to the tone of voice she says it in."

Stefan looked her in the eyes. "Elena, why are you scared of your friends?"

"I don't know. I used to trust them, and then one day I just stopped."

"She keeps saying that same thing."

Lexi nodded. "And her voice is sort of monotone and emotionless like it had been rehearsed right?"

"Yeah…"

"She was compelled. Otherwise she'd have good reason, also if she really was scared of the others she never would have left Jeremy with them alone. Deep down she knew she could trust them so she left with you." Lexi explained.

"How is he?" Elena asked.

"Great, last I checked he and Bonnie made up."

Elena smiled. "That's great."

"They were in the middle of a tickle fight when I left."

Elena giggled. She could just picture it.

"So, she's been compelled how do we break it?" Stefan asked.

Lexi slapped him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" Stefan asked.

"Seriously? Have you learned nothing from Elena? You broke your compulsion now it's up to Elena to do the same thing."

"With Love…." Stefan said.

Lexi nodded. "She has to gain the trust back from her friends, if they're love is strong enough they can break the compulsion." Lexi said.

"Sounds hard." Elena said.

"It's not, because you don't even have to try, trust me I wasn't trying when I broke my compulsion." Stefan told her.

"Why don't we four girls go shopping tomorrow and we can hang out."

"Oh um…I….I don't know."

"I'll be there, you can trust me." Lexi said.

She looked to Stefan. He nodded. "You should go, you'll have fun, and if something happens Lexi can protect you."

"I don't know, Stefan? What if they hurt me?"

Lexi sighed. "See, this is what I thought, in theory all we have to do is get her to hang out with the others and it will break the compulsion, sounds easy enough, but that compulsion is going to be the reason she's scared of going to hang out with her friends."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. I'm sorry." Elena said as her eyes filled with tears.

"No, Baby, don't cry." Stefan cooed. "Hey, come here." Stefan pulled her into his arms. "Shhh, it's ok. You don't have to be sorry. It's not your fault."

"Elena, what if Stefan comes with us? So that way, we'd both be there with you? Plus He's strong so he can carry a lot of bags."

Elena just sniffed and shrugged.

"We can come back here so that way you can always come home to where you feel safe." Stefan told her.

"I'm still scared of Klaus catching me." She whimpered so soft only a vampire would have heard it.

"Baby, Klaus is dead, we destroyed him. He burned to death. You don't have to worry about that anymore."

"I have to fear, Klaus even after he is gone. I always have to fear him."

"Oh no," Stefan whispered. "No, no."

Lexi sighed. "He compelled her to always and forever fear him."

Stefan nodded and hugged her tighter. Maybe she was right, maybe the reason she never spoke about what happen is because she really didn't remember anything.

"Look, Elena, Stefan and I, we can keep you safe. Klaus can't hurt you anymore." Lexi said.

Elena nodded.

"If I come with you tomorrow will you feel better?" Stefan asked.

She nodded. "I just feel safe with you and when you aren't there I'm scared something bad will happen and someone will hurt me."

Stefan kissed her head. "Nobody will hurt you with me around."

She clung to him. He kissed her head once more. "Ok, I'll come with you. Tomorrow we can go shopping with the girls and Lexi and I will both be there to make sure you feel safe."

She nodded her head. Stefan looked to Lexi. He was worried and Lexi knew it. To be honest she was too. Compulsion was strong especially on humans. The things Klaus had compelled Elena to do were good in his case but now getting her to break through those compulsions would be harder than they thought. She just hoped tomorrow helped her at least a little bit. Otherwise they'd never help her through this.


The next day everyone met at the mall. Elena was actually nervous, she knew she shouldn't be but she was. She walked inside with Stefan and cuddled herself closer to his side. He had his arms wrapped tightly around her. He wanted her to feel safe and comfortable.

The met up with Lexi in the food court.

"Hey, where are the girls?" Stefan asked.

"Getting lunch, I warned Caroline to be a little...well less Caroline but I don't know if she'll listen." Lexi said.

"Thanks, you going to get anything?"

"Nah, I already ate."

Stefan chuckled. "Me too."

"Which one did you have?" Lexi asked.

"Half and half just like you taught me." He said in a mock tone.

"Good boy." She cooed patting his head.

He rolled his eyes and glared at her. He smiled when Elena giggled.

"Oh you think that's funny? Well how about this?" He started to tickle her sides making her giggle harder and squirm. He chuckled and stopped as they other girls walked over.

"Hey, guys, you made it. Are you going to eat?" Bonnie asked.

"I grabbed something before I came." Stefan said. "But Elena waited for you guys."

"What do you want, I'll buy." Bonnie offered.

"Um…no thanks I can get it." Elena spoke in a soft shy voice…a voice that wasn't natural for Elena.

"I'll take her; she's going to get the chicken parm." Stefan smirked. She nodded and the two of them walked off to the past stand.

"Wow, she really isn't herself." Bonnie said.

Lexi nodded. "I think especially now because she knows that she was compelled and that she is supposed to trust you it makes her feel guilty and scared that you're angry with her for not trusting which adds to her fear of being physically hurt by you."

"Isn't there some kind of spell you can do to reverse the compulsion?" Caroline asked.

"I wish, if there was I would have helped Stefan a lot sooner."

"Well we've got to do something."

"Just give her space, if you push too hard you could end up pushing her away for good. Let her be in control just be normal and she 'll start to trust you too again."

Stefan and Elena came back, Stefan was carrying her plate. They all sat down at the table as the girls ate.

"So, Elena is your brother ticklish? We got into a tickle fight the other day and he won because I couldn't find any of his ticklish spots." Bonnie started.

Elena giggled. "No, he's not ticklish at all it drives me so crazy sometimes."

"Wait, that's not true, when we were like 12 or something we were having a sleepover and he was bugging us so you threatened to tickle him if he came into the room again and we never saw him again." Caroline said.

"Well if he is I don't know where." Elena said. "My Mom knew but….she never told me"

"Let me ask you guys a question when you have your tickle fight is he always either sitting with his feet firmly placed on the ground or standing?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah, now that you mention it he does." Bonnie said.

Lexi nodded. "I thought so; he's ticklish on his feet. By sitting or standing he's protecting his feet."

"How did you figure that?" Elena asked.

Lexi just smirked and looked to Stefan. His eyes went wide. Elena grinned. "No way, Stefan is ticklish on his feet?"

Lexi nodded. "Yep, always has been, just be careful he will kick you trying to get away."

Elena looked at him with a smirk.

"What are you smirking at? You're still more ticklish than I am. You can't tickle me right now, however I can tickle you."

He started to tickle her sides. She burst into giggles and started to squirm.

"I can tickle here or here, "he moved to her stomach and she bent forward to crush his hand, almost face planting her food. "Or here, and here…" he moved to her ribs and up to her underarms. Her soft child like giggles turned into full blown breathless, soundless laughter as she squirmed around in the chair.

He chuckled and stopped. Everyone laughed.

"Hey, Stefan, is Damon ticklish?" Caroline asked.

"OH yes, way more than I am, it's actually very funny, when you tickle him he laughs like a school girl." Stefan laughed.

Everyone else laughed with him.

"Do you guys remember when we were little and we used to have tickle fights to see who was the most ticklish?" Caroline asked.

"Loser had to pay for the pizza." Elena giggled and nodded.

"Which most of the time was you." Caroline teased.

Stefan chuckled "Elena lost?"

"Not all the time, Caroline lost a few times too." Elena muttered.

"What about you, Bonnie?" Stefan asked.

"Well little did I know I had put a spell on myself to so it didn't tickle."

Everyone laughed.

"We used to have so much fun." Elena smiled softly.

"Remember your 13 birthday party Elena?" Caroline asked. "It was supposed to be an all girls sleepover but Matt and Tyler crashed it."

"Yes! Then I pretended to hear my parents coming so they dove under the bed where we had put the pizza and they face planted what was left." Elena giggled.

All the girls burst into giggles. "We took their picture and till this day I use it as black mail." Caroline said.

"Did they ever get caught?" Stefan asked.

"No, they left before my parents could figure it out. "

"But it was a lot of fun, you mom came up so many times telling us to go to bed but we stayed up all night just talking and giggling!" Caroline said.

Bonnie nodded. "That's when we made our promise to each other."

Elena nodded.

"What promise?" Stefan asked.

"To be friends forever, no matter what life threw at us."

The three girls shared smiles at each other. Elena's eyes filled with tears, Stefan was right, she didn't have to try, and the compulsion broke all on its own.

"I love you guys." She choked out.

"Elena! Don't cry!" Bonnie said.

They all got up to hug. Stefan and Lexi smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all. The true test would be Tyler, he was the other hybrid and he was who Elena was most afraid of, that wasn't due to compulsion.


Later on that evening Elena and Stefan were back at the safe house lying in bed cuddled together.

"I'm very proud of you, Elena; you broke the compulsion and faced your fear." Stefan said.

Elena smiled softly. "It was just like you said, I didn't have to try, it just sort of…happen. I was just sitting there and then the next thing I knew I wasn't scared of Bonnie and Caroline anymore. I knew they were my friends and that I could trust them. It just happened."

"Yeah, that's how it was for me too. One second I was annoyed by "having" to "babysit" you and then when I saw you fall something snapped inside me and I knew that if I had lost you that I'd never be able to forgive myself and that I had to safe you for me, not for Klaus."

"I always thought compulsion was unbreakable."

"Well most of the time it is because you don't know you're being compelled so you never try to break it."

Elena nodded. "I'm glad I have you and Lexi to tell me when I've been compelled."

He chuckled. "Well just in case you should we need to get you another vervain necklace or bracelet or something."

"Yeah, Rebecca took my old one."

Stefan smiled softly and kissed her head. "So, you trust all your friends again? Does that include Tyler?"

Elena tensed, which gave Stefan all the answers he needed.

"Wha-what do you mean…of…of course it does."

"Elena, Baby, Tyler is a hybrid I know that makes it harder for you to trust him."

"He was…different, Stefan. He wasn't the same Tyler I knew."

"Because he was sired, Damon told me. But, lovely, you need to understand being sired is like when a vampire compels a vampire, once the "master" dies the sire wears off. He is no longer linked to Klaus and he no longer feels the need to serve Klaus."

"What if he does? What if he wants to finish what Klaus started? What if he wants to kidnap me and take me away from you to create hybrids?"

"Lovely, I will not let Tyler hurt you."

"What if he bites you?"

"Elena, Baby, please don't worry. Have you even seen Tyler since we've killed Klaus?"

Elena shook her head. "I've seen him at school but I never talk to him anymore. Not since we learned he was sired."

"He might be different now that Klaus is dead. The only reason he was acting like that was because he was sired…think of it like compulsion. Tyler was compelled to stay loyal and act the way he did. Now that Klaus is dead the compulsion would wear off."

Elena nodded.

"I know it's hard for you to trust any hybrids after what you've been through but you've got to remember its Tyler not some random stranger. He is an old friend of yours. I don't think he'd ever physically hurt you."

"I hope you're right."

Elena sighed.

Stefan kissed her head. "Let's get some sleep."

Elena was out like a light within minutes. Stefan couldn't sleep. He knew trusting Tyler was something she'd have to do in order to heal but if Tyler hadn't changed then she'd never trust him again, and worse than that, she'd never get over what happen to her.


A/N Elena sees Tyler in the next chapter. What will happen? Is Tyler still sired or he is back to being Elena's friend? Elena finally talks about her experience with Klaus, will it help or make it worse? Leave me your thoughts in a review.