Stefan POV:

It'd been weeks since I'd last heard from Damon. There was no need to return to Mystic Falls because I knew Damon was strong enough to protect her. And right now, I was her only threat. After what I'd seen, I thought it would be best to lay low, preferentially far away from human beings. Far away from human blood. Slowly, I was getting my bloodlust under control, but even if I'd spent a century perfecting my self-restraint, there was absolutely no way I'd ever return home of my own accord. To her. After nearly killing her, I concluded that happiness and love just wasn't included in the hand I had been dealt. I was immortal, and I was going to have to be alone for all of it.

At night, when I was laying alone on the painful stones of an abandoned mausoleum, all I could think about was Elena. The love of my life. My soul mate, or so I thought. If I really loved her, why couldn't I stop? Why did I hurt her? Clearly, I was not good enough to have her if I couldn't control myself. If I was willing to put my selfish need to be near her and hear her voice and receive her love above her safety, I did not truly love her. When I closed my eyes, I pictured her in my mind, and the picture was crystal-clear as if I had just seen her that day. I was glad Damon was not with me, or else he would have definitely made fun of my tears that fell when I wondered if she was okay and if she felt lonely at night, like me. It didn't feel right to be away from her. I didn't even feel tethered to earth anymore. Like I could've just floated away at any moment into nothingness.

Sometimes, thinking about Elena would be too painful, so I'd turn my mind to the other problem at hand. The girl I'd seen that looked just like Elena. I remembered it all so clearly-I was living in a secluded cabin in the center of the woods and decided to test my control by entering the nearby town. At first, it was nearly impossible to ignore the thump, thump, thump of their arteries. It was so loud that it seemed like they were being offered up to me. Please, try me, they'd said. Just a taste. In order to keep suspicion off me, I ordered a coffee and sat outside, facing the small, bustling square. That's when I saw her.

I knew it was her just like I knew my own name. It was all the same-the long, dark hair hanging down her back, the slightness of her frame, the gait of her walk. At first, I was too surprised to do anything. I was glued to my chair as those tantalizing curls bounced down the street and into the local perfume shop. When she had entered with the door safely shut behind her, I inhaled greatly and took off. The sight spooked me so much that I didn't stop at my cabin to grab anything. I just ran and ran until I was across a river and over state lines. Eventually, I collapsed in a cemetery. Ever since, I'd been hoarding my seclusion and trying to stay out of sight.

Seeing non-Elena walking around should have been the greatest concern on my mind, but it wasn't. When I had called Damon, I wasn't that surprised to hear Elena on the other side with him. It only made sense since he was supposed to be protecting her. What blind-sighted me, however, was what she said.

"I need a shower anyways. Feel free to join me."

It took me a moment to realize that indeed it was Elena who said that. Regretfully, she'd never been that confident when we'd been together. It was the tone of how she said it, too, that was unmistakable in her intentions. She'd wanted Damon in the shower. With her. And what did she mean by 'anyways'? What had they been doing when I called? I was still reeling from Elena's unexpected come-on when Damon finally realized he was on the phone. Our conversation was brief, thankfully, and I didn't think he knew I was suspicious about him and Elena, which was good. Of course, I didn't want Elena with anyone else but me, especially not my brother. I knew Damon would never hurt her, which was more than I could say for myself, but I still worried about his strange obsession with Katherine, our mutual first love, even after all these years. No matter what, Damon was still the impulsive, determined vampire that I always knew, and a human death toll wouldn't bother him if he was successful. Hopefully, Elena wouldn't get caught in the cross-fires of what he wanted.

Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I heard a small snap of a twig outside the mausoleum. There was no way anyone could find me out here, though...Still, I shrank back against the shadows and held my breath as the solemn and sudden clopping of heels came closer and closer. Even as the figure entered into the doorway, I didn't move. We both stilled our bodies and waited for the other to give themselves away. There was no way that somebody could see me in here, unless they were not a human.

Suddenly, a lighter flickered on and lowered to either sides of the doorway, illuminating long-forgotten candles. As the light unmasked me and my visitor, my breath caught in my chest. No! It couldn't be. Without thinking, I wiped any stray tears from my cheeks in shock and rubbed my face, hoping this was all a bad dream.

"Awww. Crying because you miss your girlfriend?" She mewled.

It was her. After all these years. Miraculously, she was alive. Well, not technically alive, but she wasn't a pile of ash like I'd expected her to be. I didn't know how I hadn't recognized her sooner, in the square. She looked exactly the same as the day Damon and I had both died for her at the hand of our father. Those cheekbones were just as rosy, the hair was just as wind-swept, and the beauty was just as striking as before. Now, standing in the entrance of my hideaway, I could not deny her existence anymore. My sire. My lover. My nightmare. Katherine.