When Stefan finally arrived, he noticed three things simultaneously- the first thing being, of course, the hysterical Jenna, who was screaming and sobbing with abandon into the arms of Liz, the sheriff. The second was Damon, standing off to the side, not far from Elena, looking like he wasn't sure what to do with himself. And the third was Elena herself, sitting on the bench in front of her house, staring off into the darkness.
He approached Damon first.
"What the hell happened here?"
Damon eyed him with an unnamable expression, before pulling him out of earshot of Elena, who hadn't even seemed to notice Stefan had arrived.
"Katherine. She's back. She killed John."
Stefan's brow furrowed automatically.
"But- his ring- how is that possible? He should have just gotten back up."
But Damon was already shaking his head.
"Our girl knows the tricks of the trade, it would seem. She sliced off most of his ring hand before gutting him. Effective, but messy. Elena…walked in on it. But Katherine was already gone."
Stefan swallowed, staring over Damon's shoulder to Elena. She was still just sitting there. Not acknowledging anyone or anything. She wasn't even wearing a coat- she must have been freezing.
"Meanwhile," Damon continued, nodding to the police officers, "Jeremy decided it was a good time to kill himself. Swallowed a couple dozen pills. They already carted him off to the hospital, but they still don't know if he'll make it."
Stefan looked back to Damon, confused with his story.
"But- how do you know it was Katherine? If she was already gone when Elena walked in?" Stefan noted the palpable change in Damon's face. It seemed like he was almost…ashamed. Definitely nervous. But within seconds he returned to his serious demeanor.
"I know it was her. But that isn't what's important right now. Elena, she's…there's something…wrong with her." Damon turned towards Elena; both Salvatores staring at her with similar expressions of worry and confusion.
Stefan remained silent, knowing that whatever was wrong with her wasn't physical pain.
"She hasn't moved, Stefan. After the cops came and Jenna started crying and Jeremy was discovered…she came out here and she hasn't moved since. She won't reply to anyone, she won't talk. I don't even know if she's blinked."
Damon re-crossed his arms and looked over his shoulder at his brother, raising an eyebrow in a way that only Damon could manage, to convey distress. "I think she's broken."