Bonnie has resolved to keep her mouth shut, but as she listened through the
wall of the guest bedroom located next to theirs, which she had decided on
sleeping in since the last incident, she knew it didn't matter. It was a
week later and Elena had told him anyway.
"How could you! Damn it Elena! And you _dare_ speak of trust!" He was yelling, obviously oblivious to Bonnie's presence in the room next door.
"Stefan, please…." Elena was saying, desperation clear in her voice.
"With him! Please? No Elena I can not just listen! Do you not realize what a marriage is based on?"
Bonnie heard a sob like sound that came from her best friend.
"Stefan, you know that I love you-" She was cut off and Bonnie jumped at a crash.
Stefan had flung something across the room, that much was clear. She debated running in to see if everything was all right or whether or not to just leave the house. She decided against both and stayed rooted where she was.
"Love! How can you love me Elena when you sleep with my brother! And don't tell me. Keeping secrets and lies, that is not love Elena."
There was tears in Elena's voice as she spoke. "I do. Oh Stefan you know I love you." She sounded like she was begging for his understanding.
In the room, Elena had put her hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Stefan."
He wrenched his arm away. "How could you?" He shook his dark head in disbelief.
"I….I don't know. But Stefan!" She cried, her blue eyes wide.
"What Elena? Do you think your selfish ways will get you what you want this time? Do you think I will forgive you because you simply say the words 'I'm sorry?'" His green eyes flashed in anger. "You can't always get what you want Elena. You had to have it both ways still didn't you Elena? _I'm not enough am I_?"
Stefan's voice had risen to a yell again, and Bonnie, still perched on the bed next to the wall, heard another thud. He'd thrown something else, and Bonnie knew his temper. She wondered if Elena…. But she shook her head. Even in a fit of rage he'd never lay a hand on her.
She shook her head slowly and gave another sob.
"I do love you Stefan, it's just that not the way I did. Stefan, listen, we've been growing apart recently. I don't understand it, but I can't control it." She spoke softly.
Stefan had cooled down a bit and his eyes searched his wife's imploringly.
"Elena. After all we've been through, after all that's happened and all the time that's passed you're still choosing _him_ over me?"
Another sigh. Another attempt to touch him. Another failure. She gave up and let her hand slip to her side.
"Yes."
"I'll kill him. I will."
"Stefan no! Don't you see I still care about you!"
"I'll brake his neck, that dirty-"
"No! Stop Stefan!" She reached out and this time grabbed his arm, latching on so he couldn't get out the door.
"Listen to me Stefan!" Elena said sternly, her blue eyes flashing, challenging his green. "Don't. Don't do it. It won't solve things. This feud with your brother has been going on for over 500 damn years. When the hell are you going to stop Stefan?"
There was no reply, or if there had been, Bonnie had not been able to interpret it. She felt like crying. It wasn't supposed to end this way. This fairy tale ending that had been what she'd witnessed in the clearing the night Elena came back, was being destroyed by the one person who had enough power to brake up a marriage arranged by fate. Damon.
Again, Bonnie was tempted to run in the room, take Elena by the shoulders and shake her, beat it into her head that she was making a mistake. Or are you just jealous that Matt won't accept you, and that Damon loves Elena and not you? Her mind shot.
That's crazy! But in her heart she knew it wasn't. She truly didn't want Elena to brake up what she had with Stefan, any one in the right mind wouldn't, but she knew if Elena wasn't happy, she wasn't staying. But there was a part inside of Bonnie, a part that honestly envied all that Elena had. Elena was like a magnet, taking everything that she passed- anything that would stick- along with her.
She had a force, a sheer magnetism about her, which drew people to her, strangers turned their heads to look at her when she passed on the streets, and everyone stopped when she walked into a room. She was just like that: strong, fiery, beautiful. She was Elena.
"So you're just ending it. Just like this?" Stefan questioned. The hurt in his voice made Elena falter.
"Just don't hurt him Stefan." She whispered. "And don't hate me."
Stefan turned from her, pushing her hand off him once more, just a bit gentler this time. He faced the window, his chest tight with frustration and pain. His heart felt heavy and he wanted to die. But he wasn't going to show Elena that.
"Go."
He had said it so simply. So matter of fact. Blunt. Terse. Bonnie was shocked and she knew, in the room adjoined to this one, her friend was too.
"What?" Elena asked, dazed, unbelieving.
"Go. Leave. If you want him go."
For a moment Elena didn't know if this was reality. Possibly time had stopped, or was it a dream? Was she drugged? Stefan, telling her to leave?
"Where?"
"To him. Wherever. Just don't come back." Stefan, for a split second, wished he could take back what he'd said.
Bonnie was silent, in shock. Oh..my..God.
Elena let out a loud sob. The tears ran down her cheeks and Stefan could see her reflection clearly in the window. His heart pounded, and he wanted to just hold her in his arms, turn back time, and fix whatever he had done to mess things up. Whatever had happened to make Elena stop loving him. His hand jerked reflexively, to wipe the tears away but he held it tightly in a fist.
"You don't mean that." Elena stated dumbly as more tears escaped.
"You made it obvious you want him. It's what you want isn't it?" Stefan said, coldly, brutally.
His voice became steely, harsh, like Damon's. He was capable of becoming just as cruel. And he was going to. Ignoring the pain that threatened to rip his heart in two.
"You can come back for your things tomorrow. I won't be here."
His wife did not reply. Instead she quietly removed the wedding ring from her finger, placing it on the dresser and stared at her husband for a moment more. Without another word she turned to leave.
"And Elena," He'd kept his voice the same, with no emotions revealed.
With her hand on the door she stopped at the sound of his voice. Her heart thudded again. She couldn't help it.
Even if she was no longer in love with him the way she used to be, his voice had the power to make her weak. And she remembered for an instant how his voice sounded when he said her name, whispering it in the dark, those nights where she'd been in pure bliss in his arms…
But what he said brought reality crashing back so hard she almost collapsed against the doorframe.
"Have a nice life. But remember I don't want to see you again."
"How could you! Damn it Elena! And you _dare_ speak of trust!" He was yelling, obviously oblivious to Bonnie's presence in the room next door.
"Stefan, please…." Elena was saying, desperation clear in her voice.
"With him! Please? No Elena I can not just listen! Do you not realize what a marriage is based on?"
Bonnie heard a sob like sound that came from her best friend.
"Stefan, you know that I love you-" She was cut off and Bonnie jumped at a crash.
Stefan had flung something across the room, that much was clear. She debated running in to see if everything was all right or whether or not to just leave the house. She decided against both and stayed rooted where she was.
"Love! How can you love me Elena when you sleep with my brother! And don't tell me. Keeping secrets and lies, that is not love Elena."
There was tears in Elena's voice as she spoke. "I do. Oh Stefan you know I love you." She sounded like she was begging for his understanding.
In the room, Elena had put her hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Stefan."
He wrenched his arm away. "How could you?" He shook his dark head in disbelief.
"I….I don't know. But Stefan!" She cried, her blue eyes wide.
"What Elena? Do you think your selfish ways will get you what you want this time? Do you think I will forgive you because you simply say the words 'I'm sorry?'" His green eyes flashed in anger. "You can't always get what you want Elena. You had to have it both ways still didn't you Elena? _I'm not enough am I_?"
Stefan's voice had risen to a yell again, and Bonnie, still perched on the bed next to the wall, heard another thud. He'd thrown something else, and Bonnie knew his temper. She wondered if Elena…. But she shook her head. Even in a fit of rage he'd never lay a hand on her.
She shook her head slowly and gave another sob.
"I do love you Stefan, it's just that not the way I did. Stefan, listen, we've been growing apart recently. I don't understand it, but I can't control it." She spoke softly.
Stefan had cooled down a bit and his eyes searched his wife's imploringly.
"Elena. After all we've been through, after all that's happened and all the time that's passed you're still choosing _him_ over me?"
Another sigh. Another attempt to touch him. Another failure. She gave up and let her hand slip to her side.
"Yes."
"I'll kill him. I will."
"Stefan no! Don't you see I still care about you!"
"I'll brake his neck, that dirty-"
"No! Stop Stefan!" She reached out and this time grabbed his arm, latching on so he couldn't get out the door.
"Listen to me Stefan!" Elena said sternly, her blue eyes flashing, challenging his green. "Don't. Don't do it. It won't solve things. This feud with your brother has been going on for over 500 damn years. When the hell are you going to stop Stefan?"
There was no reply, or if there had been, Bonnie had not been able to interpret it. She felt like crying. It wasn't supposed to end this way. This fairy tale ending that had been what she'd witnessed in the clearing the night Elena came back, was being destroyed by the one person who had enough power to brake up a marriage arranged by fate. Damon.
Again, Bonnie was tempted to run in the room, take Elena by the shoulders and shake her, beat it into her head that she was making a mistake. Or are you just jealous that Matt won't accept you, and that Damon loves Elena and not you? Her mind shot.
That's crazy! But in her heart she knew it wasn't. She truly didn't want Elena to brake up what she had with Stefan, any one in the right mind wouldn't, but she knew if Elena wasn't happy, she wasn't staying. But there was a part inside of Bonnie, a part that honestly envied all that Elena had. Elena was like a magnet, taking everything that she passed- anything that would stick- along with her.
She had a force, a sheer magnetism about her, which drew people to her, strangers turned their heads to look at her when she passed on the streets, and everyone stopped when she walked into a room. She was just like that: strong, fiery, beautiful. She was Elena.
"So you're just ending it. Just like this?" Stefan questioned. The hurt in his voice made Elena falter.
"Just don't hurt him Stefan." She whispered. "And don't hate me."
Stefan turned from her, pushing her hand off him once more, just a bit gentler this time. He faced the window, his chest tight with frustration and pain. His heart felt heavy and he wanted to die. But he wasn't going to show Elena that.
"Go."
He had said it so simply. So matter of fact. Blunt. Terse. Bonnie was shocked and she knew, in the room adjoined to this one, her friend was too.
"What?" Elena asked, dazed, unbelieving.
"Go. Leave. If you want him go."
For a moment Elena didn't know if this was reality. Possibly time had stopped, or was it a dream? Was she drugged? Stefan, telling her to leave?
"Where?"
"To him. Wherever. Just don't come back." Stefan, for a split second, wished he could take back what he'd said.
Bonnie was silent, in shock. Oh..my..God.
Elena let out a loud sob. The tears ran down her cheeks and Stefan could see her reflection clearly in the window. His heart pounded, and he wanted to just hold her in his arms, turn back time, and fix whatever he had done to mess things up. Whatever had happened to make Elena stop loving him. His hand jerked reflexively, to wipe the tears away but he held it tightly in a fist.
"You don't mean that." Elena stated dumbly as more tears escaped.
"You made it obvious you want him. It's what you want isn't it?" Stefan said, coldly, brutally.
His voice became steely, harsh, like Damon's. He was capable of becoming just as cruel. And he was going to. Ignoring the pain that threatened to rip his heart in two.
"You can come back for your things tomorrow. I won't be here."
His wife did not reply. Instead she quietly removed the wedding ring from her finger, placing it on the dresser and stared at her husband for a moment more. Without another word she turned to leave.
"And Elena," He'd kept his voice the same, with no emotions revealed.
With her hand on the door she stopped at the sound of his voice. Her heart thudded again. She couldn't help it.
Even if she was no longer in love with him the way she used to be, his voice had the power to make her weak. And she remembered for an instant how his voice sounded when he said her name, whispering it in the dark, those nights where she'd been in pure bliss in his arms…
But what he said brought reality crashing back so hard she almost collapsed against the doorframe.
"Have a nice life. But remember I don't want to see you again."