The next few days passed in much the same way as the first. Nothing more was said about Katherine's nightmare, or Elena's dream.

Amazingly, Damon had not only waited downstairs for the two women to return, but he also hadn't pushed for an explanation on Elena's red-rimmed eyes, after her initial mostly-true answer that she'd wanted to talk about her dream and she was having a bad day.

Slowly but surely, Elena's lust for blood grew more manageable, and the number of times she fed began to diminish.

By the end of the fourth day, Katherine had disappeared again, and Elena was sitting at the dining table writing in her journal.

Elena still wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Katherine, and the revelations about her past. More memories had surfaced, times spent with Katherine when she was younger, and she found herself more and more thinking of her doppelgänger as family.

A mug was set down beside her and she murmured a 'thank you', continuing to scribble down her thoughts.

"Can you even read your writing when you write that fast?"

"Yeah, Mom taught me when I was younger," Elena said absently. "Dad had typical doctor's handwriting, but Mom's was beautiful. She taught me how to do it fast, and how to do it without your hand cramping up."

"Maybe you can teach me," Damon said, sitting down beside her. "I've never mastered that. You want to talk about what's on your mind?"

Elena hesitated. "It's not your favourite subject."

"What's she done now?" Damon asked.

"Nothing," Elena said. "Turns out she was around when I was growing up, and she used to look after me sometimes and compel me to forget so Mom and Dad wouldn't freak out, and now I have to deal with reconciling everything she's done with a woman who was like a second mom to me for a while."

Damon was quiet for a moment. "I … don't know what to do with that either."

"No," Elena agreed. "I didn't think you would. Where is she?"

"Running an errand," Damon answered. "She'll be back soon. Are you going to drink that?"

Elena glanced up, only just realising that the mug he had set down was filled with blood - and was next to another one. "Why are there two?"

"Well, that one," Damon said, "I put there about an hour ago and you haven't touched, so I got you a fresh one."

"An hour?" Elena asked faintly. "And I …"

"And you didn't react to it," Damon said, with a proud smile. "And that is control."

Elena picked up the mug and took a drink. "It won't have gone away completely though, right?"

"No, of course not," Damon said. "Just like if humans don't eat, they'll eventually get hungry. The important thing is that if someone starts bleeding around you, you'll be able to help them, or at the very least have time to get a blood bag."

Elena was quiet for a few minutes, finishing her meal. Even now, she didn't feel the same burning hunger that had accompanied her a few days earlier.

When she put the mug down, Damon pushed the cold mug towards her. "Drink that one too."

Elena frowned. "Why?"

"Because Katherine will be back soon, and we thought we'd try something different," Damon said. "And I just think you'll feel better with a bit more blood in you."

There were so many things he could be talking about, so Elena took a swig of cold blood to fortify herself. "What kind of thing we we talking?"

Damon folded his arms. "Remember what I said the first night we got here? About the sire bond?"

"The thing that will make you happiest is if I don't do anything I don't want to do," Elena recited, just about stopping herself from rolling her eyes.

"Exactly," Damon said. "Remember that, okay? Keep that in mind at all times. Katherine's back."

As he said it, the front door opened and Katherine walked in, followed by a man in his early twenties, who seemed to be in a bit of a daze.

"Damon, Elena, this is Derek," Katherine said, waiving an airy hand in his direction.

"And why is Derek here?" Elena asked, although she had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Because we're going to teach you how to feed from the vein," Katherine answered.

Elena swallowed hard and took a deep breath. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt someone, but she also wanted to learn how to feed safely. "I don't suppose I can start learning on one of you?"

"Blood-sharing between vampires is supremely intimate," Damon said bluntly. "Unless you're planning on sleeping with one of us afterwards, I wouldn't recommend it."

Elena nodded. "Does Derek know that's why he's here?"

Katherine smirked. "Oh, he knows. We had a little chat at the bar while I was explaining why it's a bad idea to slip roofies into girls' drinks."

That made Elena feel a bit better. "Okay, what do I do?"

"We'll just work on feeding tonight," Damon explained. "If it goes well, we'll teach you how to hunt. If you want."

Elena nodded jerkily. "What if …?"

"We won't let you take too much," Damon said.

"But you won't always be there," Elena said. "How do I know?"

Damon grimaced. "Well, that's the difficult part. It's trial and error. You learn how much you can take over time …"

"It's the heartbeat," Katherine interrupted. "You can do it by touch or sound, but as soon as it starts slowing, that's when you stop. Anymore, and they'll be unconscious at best."

Elena glanced at Damon, whose expression was completely unreadable. "You didn't know that."

"No, I worked with trial and error," Damon answered stiffly. "So did Stefan."

Katherine gave a tiny sigh. "I really screwed up with you two, didn't I?"

"You're only just realising that?" Damon asked bitingly.

"So what do I do?" Elena asked hastily, before things could degenerate.

"Alright, I've only compelled him to go along with it," Katherine said. "You're going to compel the rest."

"Compel what?" Elena questioned.

Katherine shrugged. "Whatever you want. Thoughts, actions, feelings …"

"Or lack thereof," Damon added.

Elena eyed Derek contemplatively. "So … I can compel him not to feel fear? Or pain?"

"You heard what I said about the roofies, right?" Katherine asked.

"You don't get to take the high road on that line, Katherine," Damon said harshly. "Not after 1864."

Elena sighed. "Take a seat, Derek," she said. "This could take a while."

"For the last time," Katherine said a little coldly. "I compelled Stefan not to be afraid of me. Perhaps you could argue that if I hadn't he would have walked away, but if I hadn't he would have run screaming 'vampire' through the town square. Short of killing him, I still don't know what you wanted me to do."

"Perhaps not screw us over in the first place?" Damon suggested icily.

"They've been positively civil for the last few days," Elena said to her silent companion. "It had to bubble over eventually."

Katherine's compulsion had left Derek unresponsive, so talking to him was pretty pointless, but she was somewhat hoping that if she kept talking, they would remember she was there.

Katherine threw her hands up. "My humanity was off, Damon! You've both made your mistakes under those conditions, as has every vampire who's ever flipped the switch."

Damon stared at her. "It wasn't off. The first thing you did when you came back to town was try and get Stefan back."

"I never said it didn't turn back on, and that wasn't …" Katherine cut herself off abruptly. "I'm not having this discussion."

"Now why doesn't that surprise me?" Damon muttered. "So why did you never compel me? You compelled Stefan into letting you feed from him, but you waited until I brought it up. Why?"

But Katherine had apparently regained her composure, and she ignored the question, turning back to Elena. "You won't need to compel him not to feel fear, because mine covered that."

Elena glanced at Damon, who smiled weakly at her, and nodded reassuringly.

"Remember," he said, "you can walk away if that's what you want."

Elena took a deep breath. "No. No, I want to do this. Any tips?"

"Believe what you're telling him," Damon said.

"Be firm," Katherine added. "Don't leave anything ambiguous. If you compel someone to forget something happened that other people are aware of, they're going to start wondering why they don't remember. This guy's already wasted, and he's not the brightest spark to begin with. But if you're dealing with people who have a brain, they can realise there's something wrong."

"Like Jeremy?" Elena asked. "Damon compelled him to forget that Vicki was dead and that he found our about vampires, but he broke the compulsion after he met Anna and Vicki's body turned up."

"Precisely," Damon agreed. "It took me a couple of years to get that down."

"Couple of decades," Katherine said softly. "I had to re-compel several of your dining partners."

"Anything else?" Elena asked hastily, before another argument could erupt.

"Not with compulsion," Katherine said. "Go for it. You'll feel silly to start with, with an audience - try to ignore it."

Elena moved in front of Derek and looked him in the eye. "You're not going to feel any pain."

"I'm not going to feel any pain," Derek repeated monotonously.

"Good," Katherine said. "Now I find it easier to stand behind them and then you can use your right hand to find his pulse."

Elena rounded the couch to stand behind him, placing two fingers on Derek's pulse point. The steady beat of life beneath her fingertips sent a shiver of hunger racing through her, and she took a deep breath, forcing it back down.

"Good girl," Damon said softly. "But you can let it go now, Elena. You're going to need those fangs in a minute. Now you want to aim for the neck, not the shoulder. You can break through bone, but the mark is way too obvious, and you don't really want to get into the habit of giving blood to heal them."

"And the neck doesn't need healing?" Elena asked.

"Well, it leaves a wound," Damon conceded, "but you only need to use your fangs."

"We'll keep track of his heart as well," Katherine added. "We'll stop you if you lose control. Remember, as soon as it begins to slow, you stop; make sure you focus on the pulse, not the taste, however intoxicating it may be, and it is always more intoxicating drinking from the vein, however good your control is."

"Your compassion has always been your strength," Damon said, seeing Elena pale. "That's what's going to save you. And him."

"Stefan's didn't," Elena said shakily.

"Stefan didn't have anyone teaching him to feed properly," Damon said, giving Katherine another dirty look. "We're here, Lena. We won't let it happen."

Elena nodded, feeling her teeth lengthen. She adjusted her grip and sunk her fangs into his skin.

Blood flooded her mouth, and she closed her eyes, swallowing fervently. Damon was right - it was like comparing freshly squeezed orange juice to that from a carton.

But his pulse beat rhythmically beneath her fingers and in her ears, reminding her that this was not a blood bag, but a living, breathing human being.

Only now did she truly appreciate how awful Stefan's daily struggle truly was.

The beat beneath her fingers began to slow, and she pulled away, licking the last of the blood from her lips.

The wound was better than she expected - two marks were her fangs had been, and a very slight indent from the rest of her teeth.

"Okay, so just nick your finger, get a bit of blood out, and put it over the injury," Katherine said.

Elena did as she was told, watching the marks knit together. "That works?"

"Only on very minor injuries," Damon said. "That's why you avoid the full on bite. No compel him to forget and send him home."

Elena pulled Derek to his feet and let him do the door, catching his eye. "You got drunk and wandered off into the woods and got lost. You're not going to remember any of this. You're going to find your way back to town you came from. And the next time you think about drugging some girl for a good time, you're going to feel like throwing up."

"Nicely done," Katherine said, once the front door had closed. "Ho do you feel?"

Elena considered it for a few minutes. "I feel amazing," she said finally. "I was so worried about the bloodlust, and that I'd end up hurting or killing someone, but … Now I actually feel like I might be able to control it."

"Well, I never doubted you," Damon said smugly.

"You've got too much faith in me sometimes," Elena shot back.

Damon smirked. "Of course I do. I'm your best friend - one of us has to."

Elena laughed. Whether it was the fresh blood in her system or the fact that Derek had walked out of the house without a problem, she didn't know, but she felt better than she had in days. "I need to make a phone call," she said. "Think you two can avoid killing each other in the meantime?"

"No promises," Damon said darkly.

Katherine sighed. "Well, I am going to make sure Derek got back in one piece."

"In case you need to re-compel him?" Elena asked.

"I don't think I'll need to," Katherine said with a smile. "You did very well. But better safe than sorry."

"Thanks," Elena said, following her out of the front door. "That would make me feel better."

If she had to turn, at least she had done so during the winter, when the nights were longer and the days were shorted, giving her more time to spend outside without a daylight ring.

Waving Katherine off, Elena pulled her new cell phone from her pocket.

Damon had produced it on the second day, and refused to hear any arguments about it, saying that Elena shouldn't have to keep using Meredith's.

She'd pay him back eventually, if she could remember to do so long enough for him to forget he'd done it in the first place.

The only contact she had made with her friends was to send them all a text with her new number, repeating that she would call when she was ready.

Once she was a decent distance from the lake house, she leaned against a tree and dialled Jeremy's number.

It rang for a while, and Elena had almost chickened out when it finally connected.

"Elena?"

Elena froze, the words dying in her mouth. She hadn't realised how much hearing her bother's voice would affect her.

"Elena, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Elena said, a half-laugh, half-sob bubbling up in her throat. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't sound fine."

Elena wiped her eyes. "I'm okay. Really. Just … emotional. Are you okay?"

"I'm good, Lena. Listen, I know you're worried about Mom and Dad, and me, and our family and God knows what else, because I know you, but … I just want you to know that no matter what, you're my sister, alright? That's never going to change."

Elena sniffed. "I love you."

"I love you too. Any idea when you're coming home?"

Elena glanced back at the house. "Soon. There are a few more tests I need to pass before I feel comfortable around people. What are you up to?" She asked, just catching the beat of a bass line in the background.

"I'm at the Grill. We're saying goodbye to Tyler."

Elena closed her eyes, a lump forming in her throat. "I … Have I missed the funeral?"

"No," Jeremy said heavily. "We haven't had one for Ric either. Tyler … Caroline said he was in the old cellar, but he made her leave, and when she went back he wasn't there. We still haven't found him. She said it looked like a transformation, so he could have run out and …"

"Oh, don't!" Elena interrupted, cringing. The idea of Tyler dying alone in the old cellar was bad enough, but that thought that his body was lying decomposing somewhere … "You can't be overheard, can you?"

"Oh yeah, half of Mystic Falls is eavesdropping," Jeremy answered. "C'mon Elena, gimme some credit; I went outside when I realised it was you calling. That's why it took me a while to answer. Hang on, Caroline's waving at me." His voice became slightly muffled. "It's Elena - get out here."

"Jeremy …" Elena began.

"Elena, I know you need time; I get that, I do," Jeremy insisted. "But we all thought you were dead; we need to hear your voice."

"Okay," Elena agreed shakily.

"No one thinks any differently, Elena," Jeremy added. "We love you."

"Did Caroline hear you right?" Matt's voice asked. "It's Elena?"

"Yeah. Here - talk to her. I'll grab the others."

"Elena?"

"Hi Matt," Elena said softly. "Are you okay?"

Matt laughed weakly. "Am I okay? You're the one who died."

"Yeah, but I'm still here," Elena said. "No harm, no foul, right?"

"Did you want to be a vampire?"

Elena hesitated. "I hadn't made that decision yet."

"This is my fault, Elena."

"It is not your fault," Elena said fiercely. "I made the choice to stay in that car, Matt. Rebekah made the choice to come after me, and Meredith made the choice to use vampire blood to heal me. It's not your fault, Matt. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Are you?" Matt asked. "Okay, I mean? You're coping with … things?"

"I haven't killed anyone," Elena said. "And neither has Damon. So things are going okay, yeah."

"Good. I know things have been a bit awkward over the last year or so, and for good reason, but … you were right when you broke things off. We didn't fit, and I should have realised that rather than hanging on to something that wasn't there. And even when I did realise, things didn't get back to the way they were and I miss that, and … I love you."

Elena laughed shakily. "I know. I love you too. All of you."

"Speaking of all of us," Matt said, "you're about to get passed around, okay? I'll see you when you get back?"

"Yeah," Elena agreed. "See you."

"Elena?" Now it was Bonnie's voice that came from the phone, almost frantic. "Are you okay?!"

Elena had never been so grateful for the support of a tree; her legs were almost shaking with anxiety. "I'm alright. Haven't killed anyone, I promise."

"Well, that's a start. I'm working on a daylight ring," Bonnie said. "Give me a few more days, and I can have it ready for when you come home, rather than needing you there when I spell it."

"Thanks Bonnie," Elena whispered. "So you don't hate me then?"

"Elena, sweetie, this wasn't your fault," Bonnie said. "I know I handled Caroline really badly but I was wrong. I could never hate you. Either of you. Oh, and tell Damon that I haven't told anyone what he asked me to research, but that the only solution is time and patience."

Elena frowned for a second, before realising that Damon must have called her at some point about the sire bond. "Oh, okay, I'll tell him. He warned me, don't worry."

"Well, I wish one of you would explain to us," Caroline put in. "When we told Bonnie about you, she went a hundred different shades of pale, but won't tell us why."

Elena hesitated. "There's a chance … a strong chance, actually, that there's a sire bond between me and Damon. We're working on it."

"Elena," Stefan's voice said urgently, sending her heart into a strange somersault routine, "you know what a sire bond is, right?"

"An intrinsic desire to make your sire happy," Elena recited, feeling a stab of irritation at the assumption that Damon would have left her in the dark, "which is why the first thing Damon did when he suspected it was tell me that the thing that would make him happiest would be if I didn't do anything I didn't want to do. Since I know it's there, I'm aware of it, and I can get around it."

"Second question," Caroline said, before Stefan could say anything else, "please tell me you've got your journal."

"I do," Elena said, smiling. "Thank you for getting it for me."

"So Katherine wasn't bullshitting me," Caroline said. "She's actually helping you."

Elena's smile grew. "She is. She's been very helpful. And before any of you tell me I'm mental, I'm well aware, trust me. But there are things … Well, it will be easier to tell you in person."

"I'll be honest, Elena, the idea of Katherine teaching you doesn't exactly fill me with confidence," Jeremy said bluntly.

Elena laughed. "And the idea of Damon teaching me does? Look, I know she's done horrible things, but so has Damon. I've given him a second chance, more than once, so why shouldn't I give her one as well?"

"Just be careful, Elena," Stefan warned. "Katherine's tricky."

"Believe me, Stefan, I know," Elena said softly, "but she really hasn't been that bad."

Not that Damon would let anything happen to her if she had, but she knew better to say that aloud.

"Well," Caroline said decisively, "I need another drink - Matt, Jeremy, come help. See you when you get back, Elena."

"But we …" Jeremy began, but stopped almost immediately. "Right, helping. Coming, Bonnie?"

"Yeah, of course. See you soon, Elena."

"Bye everyone," Elena said softly. One voice hadn't joined in with the goodbyes, and she waited until she heard the door to the Grill open and close before speaking again. "I guess that was their way of giving us some privacy."

"Guess so," Stefan agreed quietly. "How are you? Really?"

Elena smiled. "I'm fine, Stefan. Really. We've been working on my control; I can be around blood for over an hour without slipping now."

"Well done, Elena - that's fantastic," Stefan said. "And fast."

"Well, Katherine had a few tricks she failed to mention to you two," Elena said. "I'm amazed Damon hasn't killed her yet."

As though his brother's name was a magic word, the easy atmosphere, even over the phone, vanished in a split-second.

"Elena," Stefan said seriously, "we shouldn't be doing this."

"Doing what?" Elena asked with a sigh. "Talking? We've always been able to talk, Stefan, about anything. Why is it so awkward all of a sudden? And don't you dare say 'Damon'," she added fiercely, "because if you do, so help me God … He has nothing to do with this."

"Except he's got everything to do with it, Elena."

Elena closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know what? I don't even have the energy to fight with you over this anymore. I don't know how many other ways I can tell you that Damon and I are just friends and that's all I want us to be; I'm not going to keep doing it."

She hung up the phone and resisted the urge to throw it into the nearby lake, shoving it into her pocket instead before burying her face in her hands to muffle a scream of frustration.

There was a gust of wind beside her, and then Katherine was leaning against the tree opposite her.

"Oh dear. Someone's having a bad day."

Elena lifted her head with a wry smile. "That obvious, huh?"

"Well, it's not quite tears in the woods," Katherine said, "but you seem to be close. You did very well, by the way. I trailed him back to town, to a bar. He took one look at a girl across the room and promptly vomited."

Elena managed a smile. "Good."

"So what did your brother say?" Katherine asked. "I figured you were going to call him," she added, before Elena could question it.

"Nothing," Elena said. "Well, not nothing, obviously, but he's not the problem. Neither's Matt. Or Bonnie, or Caroline. They were all at the Grill, saying goodbye to Tyler."

Katherine nodded. "Right, of course. Funeral?"

"They haven't found him yet," Elena said quietly.

Katherine frowned, pushing away from her tree to reach out and touch Elena's arm. "That sucks. So what happened with Stefan?"

Elena sighed, glad that Katherine hadn't pushed her to talk about Tyler. "He's convinced I have feelings for Damon."

"For Damon?" Katherine repeated sharply. "Do you?"

"No," Elena answered, looking at her curiously. "What happened to 'it's okay to love them both'?"

"I never believed you did," Katherine said shrugging. "Or, rather, I knew you did, but not in the same way. Have you told Stefan it's not like that?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't believe me," Elena said, wiping her eyes hastily, feeling tears burning in them again. "I don't blame him for thinking it, you know? He was away, and the Ripper, and then his humanity was off. And Damon and I grew close and he … We talked about it. And once we talked …"

"Any tension disappeared," Katherine finished.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, so I get why he thought it; that's not what's pissing me off. And if it was true, I would be so grateful for how he's dealing with it. But it's not true, and I'm telling him that, and he doesn't believe me."

Katherine frowned, but squeezed her arm. "I'm sorry."

Elena heaved a sigh, burying her face in her hands, hearing a rush of wind that announced Damon's arrival.

"Stefan?" He asked.

"Yep," Katherine answered, just as quietly.

Damon scowled. "Clearly Caroline's not getting anywhere."


Back in Mystic Falls, Caroline was doing her best. She had been dropping gentle hints since Elena and Damon left town and, having eavesdropped on Stefan and Elena's conversation, she had finally decided that enough was enough.

As they left the Grill and bid each other goodbye, she tucked her hand through Stefan's arm and gave him a smile. "Walk me home?"

Stefan smiled back weakly. "Sure."

It wasn't that late, but the streets of Mystic Falls were quiet nonetheless, and the two said nothing to break the silence.

For the first time in a long time, Caroline hoped her mother was working late, and her prayers were answered when they reached her house to find the windows dark and the driveway empty, save for Caroline's car.

As their pace slowed, Caroline let out a little sigh. "Do you mind coming inside for a little while?" She asked. "I don't want to be alone."

Stefan freed his arm from her hand and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I don't blame you. I can stay as long as you need me."

Caroline smiled tremulously, only half-acting now. Losing Tyler had left a gaping hole in her heart, one she wasn't sure she could ever fill.

She unlocked the front door, letting them into her house, and turned the lights on. They shed their coats and wandered into the living room, Caroline tucking herself back under Stefan's arm as they sat down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stefan asked softly.

"I miss him," Caroline whispered. "I only just got him back, Stefan, and now he's gone, and I'll never see him again …"

Once she started, she couldn't stop, and she was soon sobbing into his shoulder, while he stroked her hair.

By he time her mom got home an hour later, Caroline's tears had dried, and they were just holding each other in mutual comfort.

The sound of the key in the door broke them apart, and Stefan stood, stretching. "You gonna be okay?"

Caroline smiled weakly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Listen," she caught his hand and used it to pull herself to her feet. "I just wanted to say … Okay, this is gonna sound overly sentimental, so bear with me. I really appreciate everything you've done since I turned. So many people would have given up on me, but you didn't. You put up with all of my hysterics and my breakdowns and my stupid decisions and …"

"You were not nearly as bad as you think you were," Stefan interrupted.

"Whatever," Caroline said, smiling. "I just wanted to say that you're my best friend, and thank you, and I love you."

Stefan returned her smile, despite the slight pang in his chest. She reminded him so much of Lexi sometimes, just less … Lexi-like. "I love you too, Care."

"I'm home!" Liz called, the front door closing behind her.

"Hi Mom," Caroline greeted, as they entered the hallway. "Stefan was just …"

"Oh, you don't have to leave on my account," Liz told him with a smile. "Is everything alright?" She added, catching sight of the tear streaks on her daughter's face.

"Yeah," Caroline assured her. "It's just been a long few days."

Liz's smile wavered. "I know, Care-Bear."

"Have you found him?" Stefan asked.

"Not yet," Liz said heavily. "I've got people scouring the woods, but it's difficult when I can't tell them I know we're looking for a body."

Caroline sniffled, resting her head on Stefan's shoulder. "I just … He can't have gone that far."

"If they haven't found him in the next few days, I'll go out," Stefan offered. "Vampire senses might help."

Caroline tugged her lower lip between her teeth. "Should I …?"

"No," Stefan said, at the same time that Liz said, "Absolutely not."

"You don't need to see that," Stefan said firmly. "And I really do need to get back," he added to Liz.

"If you're sure," Liz said. She squeezed Caroline's arm. "How about I make us some hot cocoa?"

Caroline gave her a shaky smile. "That sounds good, Mom."

Stefan pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Call me if you need me, yeah?"

"I will," Caroline said, watching him walk out the front door. She waited until he had reached the road before saying, "Oh, Stefan?"

He turned to look at her.

Caroline smiled. "None of this means I'm in love with you."

Stefan opened his mouth to respond, but the door had closed. He set off for the boarding house, thinking her words over.

Was he really seeing things that weren't there?

He didn't think he was being unreasonable about the whole thing; he wasn't playing the jealous boyfriend.

He didn't have any right to, not after everything that had happened with Klaus.

His jaw clenched as he remembered everything that had happened. He could never blame Elena for falling out of love with him - he was amazed she was even still talking to him.

He had hurt her, manipulated her, fed from her

And if that was all forgivable, even once his humanity was back on, he had allowed his anger at Klaus to overwhelm him until he threatened to drive her off Wickery Bridge and turn her into a vampire - two things he was fairly sure scared her more than anything.

He had been like Damon - like Damon at his worst, because recently he was seeing more and more of the brother he remembered.

Even if Elena did somehow still love him, she was also in love with Damon, and God knew they deserved a chance.

He had lost her, through his own choices, and now he had to live with that.

Pushing the door to the boarding house open, he had every intention to go to bed, but he was stopped by the soft glow of light coming from the library.

He was fairly sure he had turned off all the lights before going out.

Or, rather, Caroline had turned off all the lights before dragging him out.

Stefan followed the light and stopped just inside the door. The woman leaning against the mantelpiece had not been here when he left.

At first, her presence was unsurprising, given the conversation they'd had on the phone - Elena was not one to just leave something hanging like that.

But in the next second, he took in the languidness of her stance and the curled hair trailing over one shoulder, and he knew. "Katherine."

The corner of her lips twitched in a smirk, proving him right. "Hello Stefan."

Although she held herself with the same easy, almost seductive grace she had always possessed, there was something in her eyes tonight that put him on edge, something raw, and her next words did nothing to assuage that. "We need to talk."