Stefan hadn't wanted it to come to this. Despite everything Damon had done, he didn't want to see his brother dead. But he was out of options. He grabbed a stake from another part of the cellar, barely registering the sounds of another car driving up. He raced upstairs, opened the door, and found himself face-to-face with Elena and Bonnie.

"We know what you are," Bonnie said without preamble.

"And that you had Damon locked up in your basement," Elena added. "He made me let him out…" She glanced at the stake in Stefan's hand. "Though I suppose you probably noticed he escaped by now."

Stefan swallowed. "I saw your car, Elena…my god, I was sure he'd killed you."

"Pretty sure he tried," Elena responded, grimacing. "And he took my bracelet. I don't suppose you found that downstairs?"

"No," Stefan said apologetically. "You're welcome to look, but I think I would have noticed it." He stood aside to let the girls into the house.

"Is Damon still here?" Bonnie asked worriedly.

Stefan shook his head. "Long gone."

Elena started to enter the house, then froze, a sudden thought occurring to her. "Are there any other vampires around?"

"Damon and I are the only two in town that I know of," Stefan assured.

Elena and Bonnie both heaved sighs of relief and walked through the door. Stefan closed it behind them and followed them toward the cellar. "Just to warn you, Zach's body is still down there."

Bonnie grimaced. "Ugh."

"So he did kill that guy," Elena muttered.

"Wanna tell me what you were doing here in the first place?" Stefan asked warily.

Elena and Bonnie shared a glance before Elena answered. "Uh…snooping. Trying to figure out whether you were really a good guy or not."

"And what did you decide?"

Bonnie lifted her chin. "We think you're okay. But if you prove us wrong, I will set you on fire."

Stefan looked unimpressed. "You don't even know how to control your power, do you?"

"…I'll get the hang of it," Bonnie insisted, not wanting to admit he was right.

"You should talk to your grandmother," Stefan suggested. "Sheila can probably help you."

Bonnie frowned. "You know my grandmother?"

"We met back in the 60s."

"Oh, god." Elena clapped a hand to her mouth as they reached Zach's body.

"I warned you," Stefan said apologetically.

"Let's just look for the bracelet and get back upstairs," Bonnie muttered, nauseous.

Elena looked around the cell. There was no sign of her bracelet. "Why does it burn vampires, anyway?"

"Someone put vervain in it," Stefan explained. "It protects you from mind compulsion. I put vervain in that necklace, too. I didn't know about your bracelet, and I wanted to protect you. And with Damon on the loose again, it's probably a good thing you gave it to Caroline." He glanced around the cell, also checking for the bracelet. He didn't see it either. "Zach has—had—a pretty big crop of vervain. I can make you some other form of protection."

"What about me?" Bonnie demanded.

"You're a witch. You're naturally immune."

"Oh. Good to know." Bonnie swallowed. "Since the bracelet isn't here, can we talk upstairs please?"

"Please," Elena agreed.

Stefan led the way back upstairs to the parlor. Once they had all sat down, Elena stared at her bare wrist. "My dad gave that bracelet to me. And he gave one to Jeremy. He used to say they were magic. Does that mean that…that he…"

"Knew about vampires?" Stefan finished. "Probably. Couldn't say for sure, I didn't know him."

"Maybe he read the same journal you did," Bonnie offered.

"Journal?" Stefan repeated curiously. "Is that how you found out about me?"

"Sort of," Elena admitted. "I kept noticing weird things about you and Damon, and Bonnie got this really weird witchy vibe from you…we put all the clues together, and Bonnie guessed that you were vampires. I didn't believe it at first, but then I read this old journal to learn more about 'the original Salvatore brothers', and my ancestor very clearly believed in vampires."

"Johnathan Gilbert?" Stefan guessed.

"Yeah, him." Elena's eyes suddenly widened. "Oh god, you must have known him. That's so weird."

"Not very well, but yes," Stefan confirmed. "What else did you learn from his journal? How much did he know?"

"He—" Elena began, but broke off when Stefan's phone rang.

Stefan pulled out his phone, checked the caller ID, and grimaced. "Damon. I better answer it, he'll be pissed enough as it is." He answered the phone, and Elena and Bonnie heard half a conversation from which they gathered that Damon had killed again and now wanted some kind of ring from Stefan.

Stefan finally hung up, looking worried. "You need to get out of here. Damon will probably be coming back here, and he's threatened Elena. Go to Sheila; she can help Bonnie with her powers and I'm fairly certain Damon isn't invited into her home."

"But we have more questions," Elena objected.

"We can talk tomorrow," Stefan offered. "Damon doesn't have his daylight ring, so he'll be stuck inside. I can probably hold off returning it for one day. Any more, though, and he'll go after anyone and everyone until he gets it."

"Fine," Bonnie agreed. "We'll go to Grams."

"Oh, and for the love of god, please don't tell anyone about vampires," Stefan added. "I think Sheila knows, but no one else can. If you've read Johnathan Gilbert's journal, you know how disastrous that could be."

"We'll keep quiet," Elena promised.

Sheila Bennett was very concerned to hear that her granddaughter had gotten mixed up in vampire business, but she had no problem letting Elena sleep over for her own safety. Nonetheless, she shooed Elena up to the guest bedroom so that she and Bonnie could have a nice long chat about their family legacy as witches.

The next day, Sheila insisted on keeping Bonnie at the house for more family history lessons, so Elena went to talk to Stefan by herself. Stefan demanded that they meet somewhere in the sun, so they got an outdoor table at the Grill.

"So," Stefan said, unfolding his napkin. "I believe we left off with you about to tell me what you learned from Johnathan's journal."

"I know Katherine was a vampire," Elena began. "And apparently, she 'corrupted' you and Damon, which I assume means she turned you."

"Not sure that's what Johnathan meant, but yes, she turned us," Stefan confirmed.

"If that's not what he meant, then what did he mean?"

"You know both Damon and I were…involved with her," Stefan said, a slight crease in his brow. "Father became convinced she'd compelled us. And he was right. She was seeing both of us at the same time, compelling us to keep it secret from one another."

Elena gasped. "That's awful."

"Damon and I used to be best friends," Stefan said wistfully. "But Katherine tore us apart, pitted us against each other. We both invited her to the first Founder's Ball. After holding her decision over our heads for days, she finally chose me. I didn't care that I had gotten something my brother wanted. I didn't even care if it hurt him. I only knew I wanted her."

A waitress brought their food, and Stefan told Elena about Katherine's plans for eternity with both brothers. The more Elena heard, the less she liked Katherine. From the sound of things, Damon had been a good person before he met her.

"What was Damon like before Katherine?" Elena found herself asking.

Stefan frowned, but answered the question. "He was the best brother I could have asked for. Sometimes I think he was more of a father to me than our actual father. Father never got along with Damon; Damon was headstrong and not afraid to disagree with him. He stood up for what he believed in. And he stood up for me. It wasn't until much later in life that I realized how much he…he protected me from…our father."

Elena swallowed, sensing that their father was a sensitive topic. "Do you really think that part of Damon is gone completely?"

Stefan sighed. "I don't want to think that. I keep hoping that somewhere, deep inside, he still has some shred of humanity. But…I can't find it. I tried to reach Damon…and he killed Tanner just to prove that he was past saving."

Elena swallowed again. Even after everything she'd learned, she was having a hard time reconciling this savage monster with the 'mysterious stranger' she had met right before her parents' death.

Stefan pushed aside his empty plate. "Come on. I want to show you something."

Half an hour later, Stefan stopped the car at what appeared to be a random spot in the middle of the woods. Elena warily got out of the car. "Uh…what are we doing here? This seems like the perfect setup for another 'animal attack'…"

"I would never hurt you," Stefan said seriously. "I don't feed on human blood. That's not how I choose to survive."

"Then how do you survive?"

"Animal blood keeps me alive, but not as strong as Damon. He can be very powerful." Stefan grimaced. "That's not why we're here. Come on." He led Elena toward a very old-looking statue on a brick pedestal. "Once upon a time, this was my family's home. Half a century before the boarding house was even built. Damon and I were both born here."

"Oh my god," Elena whispered, noticing ruins that must have once been an impressive mansion.

"Burned down early in the 20th century," Stefan said wistfully. "Used to be grand."

"I've always loved antebellum architecture," Elena commented. "I wish I could have seen it when it was still standing."

"I wish I could show it to you," Stefan replied. He crouched down by an old stone bench and dug something out of the ground. "Damon's daylight ring," he explained, holding up a ring that was nearly identical to his own. "It's how we walk in the sunlight."

"Johnathan Gilbert never understood that," Elena noted.

"Daylight rings are rare," Stefan continued. "Since the roundup in 1864, I have yet to meet another vampire who had one."

"Where'd you get them?"

"Katherine's handmaid Emily—Bonnie's ancestor—was a witch. Katherine had Emily make rings for both Damon and me." Stefan flipped the ring in the air, then put it in his pocket. "Come on. We should be heading back."

When they got back to Elena's house, they discovered a problem: Vicki had come over, and she was acting strange. Jeremy and Matt both thought she was high, but Stefan recognized the signs of a transitioning vampire and privately shared his realization with Elena. Vicki soon freaked out and ran off. Matt and Stefan both went to look for her, while Elena stayed to try and soothe Jeremy.

A little after sundown, the doorbell rang. Elena answered it, only to immediately attempt to slam the door in the visitor's face. Damon effortlessly pushed back at the door and forced it open. Elena took a deep breath. "Jeremy, go upstairs." Thankfully, he obeyed.

Damon held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Relax, I just came to return this." He pulled a small, tissue-wrapped object out of his pocket. When Elena made no move to take it, he carefully unwrapped it to reveal her bracelet. "I haven't done anything to it," he promised. Seeing that Elena still wasn't convinced, he tapped the charm with his finger and burned himself. "See?"

"Why would you want me on vervain?" Elena asked warily.

Damon gave her a shrewd look before answering. "Because the next vampire who catches you without it might not care whether you live or die."

"Oh, and you do?" Elena said skeptically.

Damon raised his eyebrows. "I compelled you to run, didn't I? After four days without blood, no way I could have resisted the urge to drain you dry if you'd hung around. And believe me, I was tempted. I compelled you to protect you. And if you don't take back the bracelet, I will compel you to do that too."

Elena finally took the bracelet and put it back on, not taking her eyes off Damon. "Stefan said you threatened me last night."

"I threatened to go to your house," Damon corrected. "Baby brother drew his own conclusions about what I would do when I got here. Speaking of which, do you know where he is?"

"He's out looking for Vicki," Elena responded, a bite in her tone.

"Don't look at me with those judgey little eyes," Damon scoffed. "Girl's gonna thank me for what I did to her."

"Did you thank Katherine?" Elena challenged.

Damon frowned. "Been talking to Stefan, have you? There are multiple sides to every story. Any time you wanna hear mine, feel free to ask. But not right now, because I need to find Stefan." He turned to leave, then paused and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, tip for later—be careful who you invite in the house." With that, he was gone.

Elena closed the door, staring at her bracelet. Just when she thought she had a good grasp of what was going on, Damon turned everything on its head again. Despite what he'd done to Caroline, Vicki, Tanner and who knew how many other people, she was starting to think he hadn't been faking the softer side she'd seen in him.

Later that night, Stefan returned to report that despite his best efforts, Vicki had completed her transition and then run off. "I'll find her, and I will show her that she can live like I do," Stefan assured. "I will make sure that she does not hurt anybody, Elena. I promise you."

"Thank you." Elena sat on the porch swing, staring at her bracelet. "I think you were wrong about Damon. I think there is still humanity in him."

"What makes you say that?" Stefan asked curiously, sitting next to her.

Elena held up the wrist with the bracelet. "The reason we couldn't find this is because he was waiting for the chance to give it back to me. He didn't tamper with it or anything, it still has vervain in it."

"Are you sure?" Stefan asked worriedly. "He could have compelled you to think that."

"Try it," Elena suggested, holding out her wrist.

Stefan stared into her eyes. "Jump up and down." He waited a few moments, but Elena did not move. "Okay, he really did give it back untouched. Why?"

"He said…he said he wanted to protect me. He said that yesterday, when he told me to run for my life, he was compelling me so I'd get out of there before he could hurt me."

Stefan furrowed his brow, then his eyes widened. "And earlier tonight, he saved my life. He said he reserved the right to kill me himself, and I thought he probably just didn't want me dying before I could give him back his ring…but maybe you're right. Maybe there's a part of him that still cares."

Elena looked up at him. "So…now what?"

Stefan stared into space, thinking hard. It looked like he'd been right, the night Tanner died—Elena was the key to Damon's humanity. And though Stefan still had feelings for her, he suspected that if he truly wanted his brother back, he was going to have to let Elena go. He liked Elena—but he needed his brother. He always had.

"Reach out to him," Stefan said. "If he didn't hurt you when he was starved out of his mind, he probably never will. Reach out to the part of him that's still human. Show him it's okay to feel, to care. Make him want to."

"And you?"

"I'll try too. But I've been trying for years, without success. In the past few months, you've made more progress than I have in the past century." Stefan smiled sadly and stood up. "You're a remarkable girl, Elena. Damon and I are both lucky to have met you."