"Trying hard to speak and fighting with my weak hand.
Driven to distraction, so part of the plan.
When something is broken and you try to fix it.
Trying to repair it, any way, you can." –X&Y

Stefan Salvatore was a chronic worrier. He would never deny that. But more often than not the worry was justified. Especially with his brother back and reeking as much havoc as possible before one of them abandoned Mystic Falls again. Damon had already claimed a number of victims, some have survived, and others have not. That was why Stefan was heading to the hospital now. Damon had been tormenting Caroline not long after he arrived; the most recent attack resulting in more of a collapse of mental state than just physical. The girl had lost a copious amount of blood. Stefan had decided the night before to have a quick trip to the hospital and make sure his brother hadn't left more than a trace of what happened than they could afford. If he was strong enough, he would compel her to forget, just in case. He knew he had to do something about his elder brother. He clenched his fists, trying to calm himself. He had been trying to do something for over a century.

During the Lockwood party, he was able to spike Caroline's drink with vervain, blending into the background until Damon fed on her. After his brother was weakened, Stefan had dragged him to the cell in the basement. He kept telling himself he would leave him in there to starve, but, in truth, Stefan had been hoping his brother would reach some kind of revelation while in there. It was the hope that Damon would see that they could have a good life here again, and be the brothers they once were. Stefan shook his head bitterly. Though a few surprises had come into play, it had not been enough to deter his brother from causing trouble.

Damon had reached out to Caroline, and was able to compel her to let him out of the cell. It had ended in him nearly draining her of blood and killing Zach. Stefan felt himself mourning his nephew. He was also aware a front had been taken away. What were they going to say, he left town? Eventually people were going to wonder why he hadn't returned. Then what? Stefan sighed, deciding to put away that predicament for now. Approaching the nurses' station he put on a polite smile. "Could you tell me what room Caroline Forbes is in?"

The woman at the desk couldn't be past twenty-one as she fumbled about to look up the room number. "Oh, I'm sorry sir. It says she can only be seen by immediate family right now. It was her mother's decision. If you would like to speak to her, you can obtain her permission to put you on the visitor's list."

Stefan gave a quick look around before leaning into the girl. "But I'm already on the list. Maybe you overlooked my name."

The girl nodded, her eyes blank, while she automatically gave him the number. He let out a low breath; the act almost draining him, more than he anticipated. Getting to the room, he noticed it was tidy. As if no one was occupying the room. Looking at the door number, he confirmed it was the right room. Even if they were still fighting, Stefan figured Elena would have mentioned something if Caroline had gotten out early.

"Stefan? What are you doing here?"

Spinning around, Stefan saw Caroline with a duffel bag in her hand. "I came to see how you were doing. I thought you were stuck here for a few more days."

Caroline rolled her eyes, "Please, if I have to spend one more night in this tiny room with only four channels, I'm going to turn into a rampaging lunatic."

Stefan mustered out a laugh. Caroline appeared normal, in good spirit, anyways. The girl's demeanor did not look to one who had been attacked. "So you're okay?"

Caroline suddenly got a faraway look on her face. "Stefan, I know he's your brother. But he's not good...the things he did...what he did to me..."

So she did remember, in fragments, but they could be linked up if she recalled enough of them.

"Shouldn't have been done in the first place," he finished for her. "I know none of you believe this, but I am doing all I can to make him stop."

He had to be subtle about this. He didn't want the compulsion to backfire and later on come back to her. He stepped close enough that she looked up and said, "Caroline, I want you to remember Damon hurt you. I don't want you to remember how, but that he did. And know that you need to stay away from him."

Caroline nodded mutely, and he hoped it took. They bantered for several more minutes, making polite conversation before he excused himself. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he made his way down the corridor. For the last 100 years, Damon had chased him down wherever he went, and for most of those run-ins Stefan wondered if he would be doing mankind a favor if he just gave in and staked his brother. He took another deep breath before his sensitive ears picked up on a familiar voice. Changing course he went into the section of the hospital that held the doctors' offices. Peering into one of the windows he caught sight of another blonde.

"Alidah?"

The girl gasped and swiveled around, "Stefano? What are you doing here?"

Stefan smiled, he could not place the reason, but her surprise made him giddy. He had to keep telling himself since he laid eyes on her that it wasn't possible. That this wasn't the girl he cared for when he was human; even if they did look perfectly alike, and had many common tendencies. The hardest evidence being that he could hear her heart beating, giving the signal that blood was whooshing through her veins. She was alive. A true living thing. So Stefan began to make other theories, the biggest one, that she was another doppelgänger, like Elena. But that particular answer didn't fit quite well for some reason. He knew it wasn't sitting with Damon either. Stefan knew his brother had been following and watching the girl. Even if she was indeed, a carbon copy, Damon would still want possession of her. Shaking out of the reverie, he looked at the girl in front of him.

"I was just visiting Caroline." He noted her discomfort at the topic. "I think a better question is what you are doing here?"

Alidah shrugged a shoulder. "Oh, just the standard doctoring trip. I visited with Caroline earlier, too. I was glad she was able to talk them into letting her out today. I know she goes bonkers when she's cooped up for too long. It's not her nature; she always had to be doing something."

She began to play with a stray piece of string on her shirt nervously. "I haven't decided how I feel about what happened. Everyone else has kind of concluded that your brother is a sadistic piece of shit, and that you're partly to blame as well for letting it go on and not telling anyone. I admit it was pretty shitty, but I don't know, I guess I feel more disappointed in you than angry about it."

Stefan reared back at her bluntness, having to cover up a laugh by turning it into a hacking cough. Yep, they're certainly alike. He suspected she was changing the subject, and since he wanted to avoid the current topic, he decided to turn it back on her. "So what does 'standard doctoring' entail?"

Soon they found themselves seated in the back of the waiting area, where they were able to talk more freely. "Usually how it goes is: the doctors will check my levels, see that my blood cell count is too low, and I get a transfusion. Before those tests get back I sometimes get a CAT scan, and then get pumped full of drugs I have no idea how to pronounce, though they give me a lovely packet that explains what they're all for. It usually gets thrown in the garbage when I scan over it and still can't make heads or tails of it."

She had sunk deeper into her seat, and Stefan got the sense that she was embarrassed of this. Shooting down his own nerves, he reached out and gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. Then a thought struck him, "So where's Elena or Jenna? You can't take yourself home after all that."

She smiled a bit cleverly. "No, the doctors frown on that. Besides I don't like driving anyways, but I change my appointments around so no one knows when one actually is. I shouldn't have to disrupt their lives; it's bad enough I had to barge in on them as it is. Anyways the two of them coddle too much. I know they mean well, but they make me feel like glass when they try to make me feel better. So I like it better to just sneak here and grab a cab home."

Stefan scrunched his eyebrows, that didn't sound very safe. Not if she were as out of it on the medication as he pictured. "If it's all right, I'll keep you company while you wait." And stay until you get out. He grimaced, wow, that sounded kind of creepy. But there was no way he was going to let her go out in a cab where something could happen. This was Mystic Falls, after all: where everything happened, but no one hears about it, or ignores for a better term.

"How many times have you done this?"

"Only twice, I have to come every two weeks, and Elena kept finding out my appointments until I got stealthy about it."

Stefan smiled. Elena and Alidah were both too compassionate and stubborn for their own good. It was refreshing how the two looked out for one another. Whenever one talked about the other he couldn't help but hear the exuberant love in their voices.

It was very different than their ancestors had been. Stefan remembered how Katherine's nose scrunched up in disgust at their first encounter. He and Damon were keeping Rosemary company after a brief rain had hit and the three decided to go looking for frogs. Somehow it had resulted in a mud fight, and she had rolled with Stefan until she had him pinned.

"That is not is not something ladies of stature should do."

Katherine sounded rueful; perhaps she had already hatched her plan for the two brothers by then. But Rosemary, unabashed by her tone, stood and smoothed her skirts. Adding a tender smile she said, "And how are we supposed to act, Miss Pierce? We are not made of porcelain; we should have fun as well as anyone else."

Rosemary had wanted to befriend the girl, both girls being orphaned and well-traveled. Rosemary believed they would have been good companions. She learned quickly that would not be the case and tried to warn the boys that something was wrong with the newcomer. When Stefan had come to realize Katherine's true intentions, it had been too late. Stefan felt a shiver, glad to be out of the past. Looking next to him, he found Alidah had fallen asleep against him; her hand resting on the crook of his elbow.

How was it possible to care so deeply for one girl and be in love with another? He knew he wasn't being fair. But just as Rosemary before her, Alidah had found a nesting place in his soul and done it so inconspicuously that the day he comes to realize, it hit him like a bolt of lightning. It had jolted him, and made him feel newly alive. Elena was incredible in her own right. Except…A part of him said that sooner or later she was going to change. Due to events or maturing she was going to fade into someone else. It might not be for the better. Alidah, on the other hand, would find ways to adapt to trauma, like knowing of his kind; but in the end her innocence and sincerity would remain intact. Well, the majority overall. He wanted to preserve Elena and protect Alidah. All that could result from this would be chaos. Like last time.

"Alidah?"

Stefan looked up to see a nurse gazing their way, he sat up and lightly shook the blonde. "Alidah? You got to go with the nurse."

She blinked up at him a few times, her eyes still lightly glazed over. She then stretched languidly and yawned, she gave him a sleepy smile, before heading off to the nurse.

The older woman gave a motherly regard, "You haven't been sleeping again, have you? Well, at least your boyfriend was kind enough to make sure you got here. The other nurses and I were wondering when someone would snatch you up." The woman gave a warm smile his way and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Oh, no, he's Elena's boyfriend. He was here visiting our friend."

Stefan's eyebrows quirked, amused at the girl's embarrassed frenzy.

"Well, it's still sweet that he came in with you."

As the two women left his ears picked up a meek, "Yeah, it was."

For the next hour, he had been trying to text Elena. So far he had gotten nothing but a few vague responses – "yeah," "okay," or the ever popular "we'll talk later." Something was off, and it wasn't just about the fight regarding Damon and Caroline. Even this far away, Stefan could feel Elena's apprehension and knew he would have to talk to her. The nurses were kind enough to keep him posted on how far Alidah was on finishing her treatment and wasn't very surprised to see one coming to him now.

"Hon, she's finished with everything, but we think she's having an adverse reaction to the transfusion. I promise it's not anywhere near life-threatening so we won't keep her overnight. But she is very woozy and a little disoriented. We just can't let her go out alone in this condition. So we are really glad you stayed."

Stefan nodded, "I wasn't going to let her go home in a cab anyways."

The nurse smiled. "We figured as much, but we will need you to sign her out. We also want you to talk to her guardian to keep a watchful eye on her. We'll send some information on what to look out for and a direct line in case this turns into something she needs to brought back in for. Obviously, the best thing for her right now is plenty of rest and to keep her hydrated. Anything too strenuous could set back the transfusion. So just be sure her family knows to not let her do any chores or extracurriculars for at least two weeks. We've only known her a little while but she seems the type to not always do as she's told, especially when it is staying in bed. I don't know why, but when you teenagers are told to rest in bed is when you want out of it the most, any other time you'd sleep in for days."

Stefan smiled. "No, I haven't known her long either, but I don't believe she's one that likes being told what to do. I'll make sure she gets home safe."

The nurse beamed at him, her eyes soft. "You're a good friend. We already detached the IVs from her, and if she's up to it, you can leave when you're ready."

He was led down the hallway and found Alidah, relaxed, tucked away on a hospital bed. Her head lolled slightly towards him when he approached. "Stefano!" she called gleefully. "You're a bad boy; you said you were leaving when I got back here."

Her speech was slurred, and if he didn't have drunk speak as a second language, he would not have been able to tell what she was saying. Yeah, the meds must be working on her, overtime. Reaching for her, he helped her sit up.

"Ready to go, Alidah? Upsy daisy."

In just that split second of putting her in the wheelchair, he could feel how weak she actually was. She had not been able to hold onto herself at all, and it left her weight completely dead on him. Not that it was a problem for him, physically, but it did scare him how affected she was.

It wasn't until that got to the parking garage, when Alidah spoke, "Stefano?"

"Mm-hm?"

"I don't want to go to class, okay?"

Stefan gave a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry about school. All you have to do for the next few days is rest."

He was able to load her into his beetle and buckle her in, her head bobbing wildly as he maneuvered her around. She finally settled and peered up at him, her brows knitted together in confusion, "I don't think I want to do that either. You might not want to drive me. I think I might want to throw up."

The nurses, on his departure, warned him of this as well, and Stefan pulled out the bag they gave him. "Here you go. Try not to look out the window, and just try to focus on something in the car. If you get sick, let it out. I'll get you home."

She tried to smile up at him, as sickness washed over her again; she laid her head upon her lap. Nothing major happened, she did need the bag twice, and Stefan would rub her back whenever he didn't need both hands on the wheel. Pulling up to the house, he realized it would just be easier to carry her to bed. Halfway up the walk, the door flew open, Elena emerging, looking ashen.

"What did you do to her?"

She sounded angry, but Stefan could see that she was also afraid. Of him. He didn't know what to say. Was it possible she knew? Could Damon have ratted him out? If he had, then that meant they were both in trouble.

"Elena, don't fuss. I snuck a doctor's appointment. If Stefan hadn't been there, I'd be stuck there tonight. Stefano wouldn't hurt us."

The last bit was barely a mumble, as Alidah fell back to sleep, but it was enough to make Stefan freeze a bit at the comment.

After laying her down, she reached for his hand. "I just…I need to ask. Stefan, I keep seeing things. It feels like remembering. But how can I remember something the same way if it's different?"

What was he supposed to say to that? He had no idea what this was either. Let's just say she were Rosemary – what could have caused her to lose her memories? Not to mention the fact she was still alive. It was too bizarre to comprehend. So he opted to patting her hand. Briefly scolding himself for wanting to kiss her forehead; semiconscious or not, it was too intimate a gesture between them. Making sure she was comfortable, Elena walked with him to the living room.

"Elena –"

"No, let me talk Stefan. I've been doing a lot of digging lately. At first I felt nosy and not very trusting about it. But so many things weren't adding up with you. And then the other day at the car wash when the old man said he knew you. From the fifties. It was…I went back to talk to him, then I found footage…"

She was pacing and raking her hands through her hair. She was nervous and overwhelmed. Stefan figured the best thing he could do was to keep silent and try to salvage his self when she was done.

"I went to your house to call you out on it. I saw you there in black in white. But it was you, at the same house."

Stefan stiffened; she went to the boarding house? Had Damon encountered her? With how pissed he was about everything, especially coming to find out his ring was gone, it didn't seem that likely. Elena might be in a crazed tirade, but she was untouched. It was still unnerving. He knew, after their first encounter, that all this was going to come out sooner or later. Seeing what Elena pulled from her bag, he reeled back, and knew that time was now.

"This…is one of the last pieces of puzzle I needed. What the hell is this, Stefan?"

They were photographs. He was sure Damon didn't know he still kept them; after all, he was sure his brother had his own locked away somewhere. But to see them in Elena's hands, they were his undoing. He should feel anger or betrayed. Did she really have any right to go through his personal belongings? Sure there was distrust on her part. But did that warrant her to rifle in his past? Perhaps he should feel those things, yet seeing her, and more so, seeing those pictures, all he felt was guilt.

There were three pictures: one being of Katherine and Rosemary separately in their own portraits – dated, of course. The other was of him and Rosemary together. Each time he looked at that picture, no matter how hard he tried he could not see past the forced smile that was plastered on her face. He went to take the pictures, when Elena snatched her hand away before he touched them.

"Tell me what this is, Stefan, please."

Stefan hunched his shoulders, "Look, I'll tell you whatever you want to know. But Elena, if you have any trust for me left, will you give it to me now and let me show you something? Call someone to sit with Alidah, and we'll go there and talk. I promise you, if you hate me that much, you will never have to see me again. Just let me give you some of my story."

Elena looked back at the pictures again, a saddened disbelief in her eyes as she looked at them. In the end, she had picked up the phone and had Caroline and Bonnie come over to watch Ali. Stefan knew Elena was scared, and decided to let her drive them in her SUV to let her feel more in control of the situation. Her grip on the steering was tight, and he sighed. They rode in silence except for when he needed to give directions. He knew it was only a matter of time before he had to tell his tale; despite the fact that he relived those events in his mind every day, it was bittersweet to have that moment finally here.

"There's nothing here, Stefan."

He could hear the waver in her voice. He pictured how she was seeing this situation: out in the middle of the woods with someone who seems a stranger, to her, that defied time. It didn't really take a genius to come to the realization that this could be a murder scene.

"If you look a little closer you can make out the skeleton frame of a house. I used to live here, it was my home, a very long time ago."

"How long is a long time?"

"1864."

Elena took a step back; he could already tell that her mind was starting its refusal of the information.

"What are you, Stefan?"

It was the moment of truth, all or nothing, time of rejection, horror, and then repugnant ridicule. "I'm a vampire, Elena."

"That's impossible. They don't exist."

Stefan saw her going through each stage as her mind adapted. Growing up to believe one thing to be a fairy tale, only to have it become fact. It was unreal. At times it was still unbelievable to him.

"The photo of the woman you look like is the one who turned me. Her name was Katherine Pierce.

"Katherine? You mean the girl you both dated? Damon made it sound like –"

"Like I was still grieving? I've grieved for a lot of things but Katherine certainly hasn't been one of them. After turning I had plenty of time to learn what kind of person she was and playing Damon and I against each other was her way of having fun."

He watched Elena place her head in her hands, battling herself, wanting to bolt from the scene. He knew, and he wouldn't stop her.

"Damon's a vampire too. Of course. Is it you or him killing all those people?"

"It's Damon. I chose to only feed on animal blood, while he…did not."

"People are dead. You and your brother are vampires. One of which nearly killed my best friend. And the girl that turned you both was apparently a crazed, manipulative bitch who happens to look exactly like me. Or me like her…Whatever. That sum it up so far?"

"Pretty well, actually."

"What about the other photo? The girl that looks like Alidah? Was she a vampire too?"

Stefan rubbed at his neck, "I have had a long time to come up with suspicions of her being different. But a vampire, no."

"So, she was different though, right? Why did they come here?"

"We believed Katherine to be an orphan who needed a place to stay as she moved up north. Rosemary had moved here from overseas. She and her brother were orphaned as well, but her brother had already become an established inventor. So he was used to travelling around to do business with investors. He thought Mystic Falls would be a safe place for his sister and attendant to stay."

"So they didn't move here together? Katherine and Rosemary?" The way she said their names gave onto one getting a bad taste out of their mouth.

"No, Rosemary moved here at least four years before Katherine's arrival. Damon and I became very attached to her during that time. She with Damon more than I, you would say. Rosemary was a good person, for all that happened, and tried to help whoever was in need of it. Wanting to be friends with everyone, including Katherine."

"I'm going to take a guess that didn't go over too well."

Stefan shook his head, "After a while, Rosemary steered clear from Katherine; she had found out Katherine's true nature. She had tried to warn Damon and me, but my own emotions conflicted me and I wouldn't listen to her. By the time I came to my senses it was too late."

"Stefan, please listen to me. She isn't what she seems. Her only intention is to hurt you."

"Sounds very familiar, doesn't it?"

"Pardon me? What on earth are you talking about?"

"Father told me you turned down the proposal."

The girl stepped back, suddenly clutching at her sleeve. "Is that why you won't listen? Stefan, you know I love Damon and he –"

"Is never going to marry you. That's his way, Rosemary, don't you see that? He's fickle and flighty and will never take care of you. Father may only be after your money, and Damon your fancy, but I want to give you stability and lasting happiness. Not just a fleeting moment of it."

Rosemary turned, looking indifferent at his declaration. "And you decided the best thing was to do all this when? After what happened to Rosalyn? Is that when you wanted my hand? After the girl you were engaged to was murdered?"

"You know I wasn't in love with her. Yes, of course, it was a tragedy, and I feel awful about the whole thing. But it wasn't murder, Rosey, it was an animal attack. Maybe in a way, it was fate."

"That's a bunch of nonsense, and you know it, Stefan Salvatore. I wouldn't be surprised if your Katherine hadn't been behind the whole thing. Rosalyn was killed and the girl just shows up on your doorstep the next day? You can't be so blinded by her that you can't see something is wrong with all this. Some of the things the council is saying is true, and she is a vampire, Stefan. And dangerous. I've been talking to her handmaiden, Emily, and it's horrendous the atrocities she's inflicted on people. Emily and I both want it to stop. I do not want to kill her or the other vampires but if we can get her and the lethal ones out of here -"

Stefan cut her off, grasping both her arms harshly as he pulled her in closely. "You are not going to do a damn thing. There are some of them killing but Katherine is not one of them. And you better not be going around spreading these rumors about her or -"

"Or what Stefan?"

It was only whispered, but it jolted him enough to collect himself and see the terror and sadness in her eyes. He stepped back and ran a hand through his hair, the anger he had ebbing away as regret set in.

"She has compelled you. Please Stefan, I won't stop you anymore. But please, just once, drink this. See if things become more clear for you."

She handed him a small vial that he knew held vervain, having his father and many of the townspeople brandishing similar ones. He held her hand as took the vial, her sad face looking up at him. "I know you're trying to find something to help you feel, Stefan. But she...she will be your downfall. I wish you could believe me when I say I'm only telling you all this because I do care about you immensely. You've become part of my family. Please, just don't let something happen that you'll regret."

He brushed his knuckles against her cheek, her words momentarily penetrating to his core. After everything that had happened in the last few weeks he wondered how much he already regretted.

"What are you two doing out here so late?"

The two turned to see Damon careening toward them.

"We were discussing Miss Pierce. Is there anything you would like to add on the subject?"

He hadn't meant to say that, certainly not as brutally, but his brother's sudden presence flared his jealousy and rage back to life.

Damon stood toe-to-toe with him, his gaze venomous. "I'm afraid I do not, brother." Damon turned his back on him, discussion closed. "You, my dear, should not be out this late. Especially out with such a chill in the air. What if you were to become ill again? I want you healthy and well to have you on my arm during the harvest ball. Now, come with me, my little bird, or Miss Miyu will have both our heads."

Rosemary giggled, her worries temporarily forgotten, as Damon draped his coat over her shoulders. At the same time, he steered them both in the direction of her house. Before they were out of view, Stefan saw Damon face him again. The look on his face was a hard warning. Then they were gone.

"If Damon loved her so much, why would he cheat on her?"

"We were both trying to escape the expectations of our father and Mystic Falls. But Damon...he wanted more. He wanted to turn into a vampire so he could turn Rosemary. Like Alidah, Rosemary was constantly sick and Damon didn't want to lose her. So he went through the motions with Katherine to get what he wanted. Except, he didn't."

"But he was turned. So what happened?"

"It was my fault. I just couldn't see past my own jealousy. Rosemary was right, I had been compelled. But only to an extent. Whether Katherine meant to or not my feelings for Rosemary stayed. Damon had begun talking to her brother about preparing an engagement, and her brother decided if Damon could be self reliant and prove he could take care of Rosemary, then he could have her hand. I don't know why, perhaps it was the mere fact I had been wrong, but it just enraged me."

"So what did you do?"

"I outed Damon. Without his true motive, but enough to cause heartbreak."

"What are you talking about, Stefan?"

"It has come to my attention that Damon had been entertaining Miss Pierce...Privately."

"That is preposterous."

"Where do you believe he is right now, Rosey?"

"He's tending to the horses so the two of us can go riding this afternoon."

She sounded so sure, Stefan smiled sardonically. "So you wouldn't mind taking a walk with me then?"

Part of him was trying to pull back, not wanting to rip all these relationships apart. Not wanting to hurt Damon nor Rosemary. But a deeper, more primal part of him was spurring him as they walked on. That part of him was telling him to stake his claim and make everything known. Now. That it was time to take what was rightfully his. Whether that be Katherine or Rosemary. They had reached the bedchambers when Rosemary began to pull back.

"Stefan, I don't feel right being back here. What if your father is about?"

"Trust me, he's not. Give it just a bit more, and we'll be there."

"Where? Where are we going?"

"Damon's room."

She already knew the layout of the house, and Stefan could tell she was only feigning ignorance to distract him. Approaching the door, he watched as her posture stiffened and go rigid as she crossed her arms. With that he flung the door open, revealing a scantily clad Damon and Katherine. Damon had frantically moved to throw on his clothes, but Katherine only looked at Stefan in impressed enjoyment.

"What a naughty boy you are, Mr. Salvatore."

Stefan flashed the brunette a quick grin, only for it to bottom out as he caught a glimpse of Rosemary. To say she was heartbroken would prove to be an understatement. She was silent, but tears were coursing down her face as she clutched at her midsection. He reached out for her.

"No! You stay away from me!"

It took him a moment to realize she was talking to Damon, now dressed, haphazardly, trying to console her. She reared back and slapped him with all the strength her slight frame could muster.

Before walking off she turned to Stefan, her expression blank. "You're more guilty than he is."

With that, she fled, Damon trailing behind her.

"What happened after that?"

"Not long after the incident, Rosemary went missing. Damon and I never found her. We were led to believe Katherine had someone take her captive and was being held in the old church. When they were rounding up the vampires, I was hoping to make up for my error in judgment and help Damon rescue Rosemary. It only led to us being shot, and then begin our transitions. When that happened I was finally able to see and think more clearly." After the initial bloodlust, anyways. "I was able to see the terrible things I had done and have been trying to rectify them ever since."

"So what happened to Katherine? Did she get sent to the church?"

Stefan nodded, "It's sad, yet in a way it was for the best. Going to different places, we have encountered plenty of people who had been entwined with Katherine. She had a good track record of leaving things more bad than good behind her. Damon was more angry he hadn't the chance to kill her himself."

Elena looked up at the sky. "The sun's starting to set."

It was a basic instinct in humans to feel safer in the daylight, and after everything said, he wasn't going to push her any further today. Driving back to Elena's was as uneventful as the drive from. It was silent. He didn't believe anything else was going to be said, until Elena spoke as he was getting into his car.

"Stefan, thank you for telling me everything. I could tell it wasn't easy for you. I also understand that this needs to be kept quiet for a while, but it's...too much to handle. I don't think I can be around you for a while. Not until I have a grip on this."

Without a look back, Stefan was left alone, again.

Wanted to thank and congratulate my beta - Sable Supernova. She just got a new baby sister! :) Also I might actually be getting better at this English thing. How did I even pass English the first time? I'm looking over all the basic things and I'm realizing we never learned any of it at my school. It's crazy. But I'm furthering along. I know what I have pictured in my mind for the next two chapters, it's writing them down that's getting in the way lol. Thanks!