"So over heard the two of you?" Miranda asked making sure she was correct in what she heard. Stefan had left out most of the details feeling that Miranda and Grayson did not need to know just how many times Elena had cheated on Matt. "But you were with Matt when you went to New York." Miranda wasn't mad that her daughter and had slipped up with Stefan she had half expected something like this to happen when they went to New York.
"Great they threw us under the bus." Jenna muttered when she heard the short story Stefan gave them.
"I told you it would come out!" Ric sighed rolling his eyes at her. Of course it would come out and now Grayson would probably be having a talk with the two about how they should be more responsible adults.
"I was." Elena agreed. "I never planned on even getting along with Stefan in New York but it just happened and before we knew it we just ended up together."
"Together, together?" Grayson asked.
"Dad please don't make me answer questions like that." Elena begged.
"Grayson that is not the point right now." Miranda said. "What is the point that our daughter has cheated on Matt and it seems like it has been going on for a while now."
"Has it?" Grayson asked.
Elena didn't want to answer and Stefan didn't know what to say in fear for his life. "Yes, it's been going on since I got with Matt. Stefan and I occasionally find ourselves together."
"How could you hurt Matt?" Grayson asked. "He has never been nothing but good to you. Do you know he asked me if he could marry you one day and I gave him my blessing?"
"He what?" Stefan nearly yelled. Elena couldn't marry him, well technically not now because she was already married to him. That gave Stefan little comfort.
"What about what I want?" Elena asked. "I never said I wanted to get married right away!" She knew it was laughable considering her certain situation.
"Well looks like you were ready to marry Stefan with or without our blessing." Grayson said with venom in his voice. "Do you know what you have just done? This boy right here broke your heart and you continued to be deceitful and see him behind everyone's back. Now you are married to him. Do you honestly think he is ever going to change?"
"I get it I'm a bad guy blah blah blah." Stefan was angry. "I did hurt your daughter and that is why I am here asking for you two to allow us to annul this marriage."
Grayson stood up glaring at Stefan. "How dare you come into my home and disrespect me! You want to roll around in the sheets with my daughter, get her drunk and take advantage of that and do something so stupid as to marry her and then come and ask me to make it go away! My daughter is better than you, she deserves so much more from life than a man like you. I would never allow Elena to be stuck with someone like you for the rest of her life. I will not curse her to the same hell that your mother was cursed to with your father."
At that comment Stefan was standing almost knocking the table over with him. He was fuming. Elena had never in her life seen either man this made. "Shut your damn mouth." Stefan warned him. "You know nothing!"
"I see more and more of your father in you each day Stefan." Grayson looked on at him not backing down. "I know you see it too, I can see the fear in your eyes. You don't want to be nothing like him but you can't stop it from happening because you already are a version of him."
Stefan charged at the older man shoving the man backwards.
"Stefan!" Elena screamed as her and her mother ran towards the two men. Damon and Ric entered the room to pull the two apart. Damon had Stefan wrapped up.
"Grayson I swear to God you ever say something like that again then I won't stop. I am nothing like my father! I am nothing like him!" Stefan had tears streaming down his face. Elena could not believe that her father had gone that far. It was known around town how horrible their father could be towards their mom. He only got worse after her death, but no one ever dared to tell the brothers that they resembled their father on the inside. It was a low blow and it was one that Elena could not forgive. She may have had her on battle with Stefan going on but when it came to something like this she would always pick him.
"It's okay." Damon told Stefan. "I got ya." Damon walked with Stefan outside.
"I never thought you could be like that dad. I always admired how well you dealt with Damon and Stefan considering their dad's past, but that was uncalled for. No one deserves to be treated so unkindly." Elena said.
Grayson knew he had gone too far in the heat of the moment. He was just so angry and did not want his daughter to live a life in misery. "Elena I'm so sorry." Grayson's voice was full of regret. "I can't believe I just said that." He felt awful for his outburst and knew that it was very uncalled for because Stefan was nothing like his father. Grayson knew that much.
"Just so you know I was the one who asked him to marry me that night." Elena told him before walking away.
"Grayson I think you need to calm down and then talk to Stefan." Miranda softly told him. "I'm sorry dinner was ruined." Miranda apologized to the other guests.
"Oh no this is better than cable." Katherine laughed as Ric elbowed her in the ribs.
"Kat." Miranda scolded her. "Go after your sister."
"Do I always have to be the baby sitter?"
"It's the big sister's job." Jenna smiled remembering all the times Miranda took care of her. "Ric and I are just going to head out. Take it easy on them, I think they really belong together. Just my opinion." Jenna quickly added heading out the house.
"Stefan he didn't mean it." Elena said trying to keep the two Salvatores calm in her driveway. Stefan was no longer angry but Damon was seething. Katherine came outside and wrapped her arms around Damon hoping to offer him some comfort in her arms but it was no use.
"Katherine I have half a mind to rip your dad's head off." Damon said pushing her away from him. He looked at Stefan to see just how completely zoned out he was to the world. "Are you okay brother?" Damon asked placing his hand on his shoulder. Stefan's eyes moved from Elena to Damon. Damon could see the regret there, the guilt and shame over the event that just took place moments before. Stefan never was good at handling guilt and Damon knew that better than anyone. "You're nothing like him." Damon spoke quietly.
Stefan shrugged Damon's hand off but Damon didn't take it personally. Stefan was still shaken up and didn't want to be touched. "I should apologize." Stefan ran his hands over his face.
"He should be the one apologizing." Damon said with anger still clear in his voice. "You don't owe him a thing tonight."
"Damon." Elena scolded him she didn't care who was in the wrong Grayson was still her dad and even though he made a mistake she wouldn't let him be disrespected after their stunt in Vegas. She owed him some respect.
"Oh don't act so high and mighty Elena." Damon's icy stare met hers. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here today. So if there is someone to blame for that outburst in there its you." Damon said. Elena's eyes flashed to anger quickly at his statement.
"Damon." Katherine said in a warning tone.
"No." Damon snapped his neck to look at her before looking back at Elena. "If Elena here would have just left my brother alone then none of us would be here tonight. She toyed with his emotions!" Of course Damon knew his brother was still in love with the girl and he knew how Stefan had fought like hell to get her back for her only to date Matt. Damon had heard the two coming and going in the middle of the night when they thought he was sound asleep. He had over heard countless conversations and arguments. Damon was tired of seeing his brother endure this heartache any longer for a girl who would never pick him in the end. Stefan was good at covering it up but Damon could see through it all. He was after all his brother.
"That's not true." Elena spoke up for herself not believing what he was saying. "I never meant for any of this to happen."
"Oh you didn't? Then please tell me why you've toyed with my brother all summer leading him on only to give him false hope. You fucked him over."
"Damon that's enough." Stefan finally found his voice when he realized what was going on in front of him. Damon knew everything now and he was putting pieces together of the summer, all Stefan's mood swings when Elena would leave to be with Matt and all of Stefan's happy days when Elena was with him instead of the blonde. Stefan stepped forward to stand in between Damon and Elena to show Damon that he would not be talking to Elena anymore about that topic.
"Elena I'm sorry." Damon sighed with frustration. He never apologized for anything. "I just can't stand to see Stefan get hurt. You know I love you." Damon stepped around Stefan to hug Elena. "Besides we're family now." He smirked kissing her cheek. Elena tried to smile but couldn't. Damon was right she had toyed with Stefan all summer. "I'll see you at home Stefan." Damon said before opening Katherine's door to help her in.
"Tell dad I'll be over tomorrow to have a word." Katherine said before getting in.
Elena and Stefan stood silently for a few moments before Stefan broke the silence. "Why'd you do it?"
"Do what?" Elena asked.
"Just blurt that shit out in there? We had a game plan and you ruined it with your big mouth!" Stefan raised his voice.
"Oh excuse me for thinking about you and your future!"
"I didn't ask you to! I asked you to be on my side for once and you crossed me and put me on spot in there."
"Stefan I did what was best!"
"No you did what was best for you Elena like you always do! You are so selfish sometimes that it's unreal. You think that just because of what happened between us that you can get away with doing whatever the hell you want to anyone, especially me but you can't. That little confession back there to your parents just started a whole new war thanks to you. Your dad has every right to be angry with me but it all could have been avoided if you would have just stuck to the plan like we talked about. When are you ever going to learn?"
"When am I going to learn? Stefan I didn't fall your stupid plan" Elena air quoted the word plan with her fingers. "because it was just that stupid! You think I have to follow your every command because you assume you know best but I went with my gut. I'm sorry if you can't understand that I wanted to save your future for you. I was being unselfish by telling them the truth tonight. I put myself on the line just so you could follow some stupid dream of running the family business one day. So I'm sorry for putting your needs in front of my own you ungrateful bastard!"
Stefan laughed sarcastically shaking his head. "No matter what unselfish acts you think you do it still doesn't change a thing Elena. Maybe the next unselfish thing you can put on your list is to tell your boyfriend what a cheater you are, it would be totally best for him to know who's bed you've been in all along behind his back."
"Go to hell Stefan." Elena said through gritted teeth trying to fight back her tears. She knew he was just angry and upset about everything but she hated when they argued like this because his words cut like a knife.
Stefan smirked walking past her not looking back as he got into his car and sped away. Elena composed herself before walking back inside her house to take her parents on again for round two she assumed.
"Elena." They called her name.
"Can I please go to bed?" She asked.
"Is he okay?" Grayson asked.
"He's fine." Elena grumbled. She regretted taking his side to begin with now after how he just acted.
"I am sorry."
"Don't apologize to me. Damon was really upset with you tonight, more so than Stefan was." Elena sighed crossing her arms over her chest staring at her parents.
"What can I do to make this up to you?" Grayson pleaded.
"Get my annulment for us. I'm sure Stefan will pretend tonight never happened if you do that for us. I can't stand to be around him for another second longer so please just save me."
"There has to be reason why you married him." Miranda said not understanding her daughter's actions.
Elena shrugged. "I was drunk, asked him to marry me, bought him a ring, and found a chapel."
"You bought him a ring?" Her mom asked.
"Yep because I checked my bank account and it is down to my last penny. Look I made a mistake, I cheated on Matt, I did the unthinkable. I was acting out and when I get drunk Stefan clouds my judgment. I was lost in a moment and I wanted him. I wanted to prove something to him and myself. The whole getting married thing is still kind of a blur and I don't remember those exact reasons but they are reasons I can't take back. I want to try again though. I want to start over with Matt. I need a clean slate. Stefan deserves to be free of me. All I do is hold him back just toying with his heart when I get mad at Matt. You want to blame him but really I am the one to blame. He does everything to make me hate him and I return the favor but the truth is he has been the only one to help me through my struggles. Last year when the cheer squad was cutting school and we got busted Stefan stood up for us and stopped the principle from expelling us. Then whenever Jeremy got caught smoking pot with Vicki behind the bleachers Stefan was the one who took the fall for him saying it was his pot. Dad you don't know everything he has done for us. I am the selfish one in this. Yes, I'm still angry and yes I cannot forgive what he did but he deserves respect from you. My problem with Stefan is not yours. I am asking you as your daughter, a girl who made a major mistake to help us." With that Elena walked upstairs leaving her parents to think over what she had said.
"Grayson we owe him." Miranda told her husband.
"I'm getting their marriage annulled and first thing tomorrow I'm talking with Stefan."
"Maybe you should let him cool off. Katherine is not happy with you as of now."
"You're right, but I'm calling the justice of the peace tomorrow and fixing this mistake." Grayson kissed his wife's forehead before heading towards their bedroom. Miranda sighed while shaking her head. Her daughter had made a huge mistake and she wasn't sure this was something she would recover from. The whole Stefan situation confused her. There was something behind their break up that Miranda did not quite understand, it was sudden and Elena seemed to move on very quickly from it. She wasn't sure what to do about the two but she knew she would not ever do anything like she did tonight. Stefan was just a boy who had no parents and Grayson had crossed the line. Grayson had once loved Stefan like his own son but things had took a turn for the worse after Elena broke things off with him and it changed Stefan greatly. He was no longer the sweet boy that stole their daughter's heart for the first time. No, now he was the boy who did whatever he could to make her skin crawl with anger. Miranda hated it, but she could not save them…or could she?