Stefan's POV

"Argh!" was all I could manage at the point of day. At this point in time. I tripped over a couple of overgrown roots that had protruded from the ground and although the pain wasn't too bad, the splinters that now stuck into my leg were wooden so it felt just like a normal splinter would be like to a human. Not too bad a pain, but painful enough. I grimaced as I plucked the little pricks out one by one, annoyed.

I looked up at the sky. Actually, I didn't need to. I could tell that it was night time from the pure fact that the only light that brightened my vision was that of the pale moon, whose light seemed less heightened by the inky sky tonight. Poor moon. She must be feeling sickly for grief alone can do that to you. I should understand. I was just as poorly as she was, and I smiled a little, a small sad one, that we should be kindred spirits regardless of such a distance. Not that I wished it on anyone to be sick and pale with grief. Not after what I've been through…Not after…what I'm sure Elena must be going through right now.

I wanted to box myself for leaving her like that. "You selfish son of a bitch.." I kept muttering to myself. But was I really? I had to do what was right, right? And even though it killed me, I had to go and find out what was really going to harm Elena. Better me than her. Besides, she had Damon and as much as I wanted to scourge the idea from my head, it was still s small source of comfort that warmed my heart slightly. Damon was with her and no matter what that would mean for Elena…if it meant that she might fall in love with…I the tree closest to him but quickly withdrew my hand from the dented bark, for fear of making it topple over, which would have made a lot of noise and the last thing I wanted was to draw attention to myself. Damon had always had his ways of charming people and Elena…I wouldn't say she wanted to love him more than me, but she would try to repel his charms right? For me?

Leaving her was the most selfish thing I have ever done and I would never forgive myself for it, but Isobel, Elena's birth mother was back and that changed everything for me, really.

A while ago, I forget the exact date, was it few months ago? Isobel came back to warn us. Isobel studied criminology at Duke and let's just say she has become a very sufficient digger and she tipped us off that Katherine was coming. Well, she tipped me off anyway and told me to tell Damon. I didn't. I just…I don't know why the hell I didn't, actually.

Anyway, At first I didn't believe it myself, but then a few days later, Isobel turned up dead when I went to her temporary house to ask more questions. Then, going back to the boarding house, I found a message. It was a small square of parchment, an elegant, narrow scripted was scrawled across the page in black ink. It was from Katherine. The parchment requested that I "go catch her" or she would continue killing people. The slower I got to her, the more people she would kill. No doubt another of her sick games that she always had a strange way of knowing how to manipulate people into playing.

Luckily, I knew where Katherine was. She was at the most expensive house in Grove Hill. Figures. I snorted, Katherine always did enjoy the luxurious. I didn't want to take a car, for fear of drawing too much attention to myself and quite frankly, I wanted to take the long way there. Elena was safe. No doubt Damon would be with her. It was night and…oh fuck…so what if Damon was with her? Shit. I wished I could believe that Damon was just innocently watching over her, but I somehow don't think that I should put my faith in that statement.

I kept running, ducking the low hanging branches until I reached the quarry. I sat at the edge of the lake, turning back to look at the shack that I had once woken up in, all those years ago when I was shot. By my father. For trying to save Katherine from that fucking church. How I wished she had just perished in that fire. She got away though. Goodness knows how. I can't believe I fucking died for here. My brother and I both.

I slipped out of my shirt and trousers, leaving my boxers on and dove into the lake. The moon seemed to cast a silvery sheen over the top of it, and the surface donned a pearly, transparent sort of glow that made it all the more appealing. I didn't make as much as a few small ripples in the lake, almost as if I was afraid of causing too much disturbance in the lake's peaceful demeanour. I stayed under the surface of the lake for a while. I opened my eyes and wasn't surprised to see, or rather didn't see anything. The lake was inky black and even the moon's light hadn't seemed to penetrate it.

I liked it.

Just floating.

Sinking

Thinking.

Reflecting.

I flapped my arms downward, pushing the water up. As I breached the surface of the water, I swallowed in gulps of cool, night air.

I swam back to the edge of the lake and clambered onto the grass. I think this was the spot that Damon was at that day. The day after I was shot in 1864. The day he told me that Katherine was dead.

I lay back on the grass, looking up at the dark sky. There were few stars that night. I noticed one star hanging, all by itself in the corner of my vision. Far away from the others.

The star could almost have been me.

I was alone and there, with the clump of other stars were Elena and Damon and all my friends. Caroline…Matt…Bonnie. All of them were out of reach.

I felt hot tears start to well up in my eyes and I let them fall. I was tired and all too lonely to bother trying to suppress them. I was miserable and there was no other way to it. I missed my friends. I even miss Damon's annoying bantering. I miss the smell of the fire that always burned at this season in the boarding house.

I missed Elena. So, so, much. I was so jealous of Damon for being able to spend time with her.

I was the younger one. Damon's the one who's supposed to be running away and fighting. Not me. I just wanted to be with Elena. Comfortable.

I closed my eyes. I only meant for them to close briefly, but as soon as I was engulfed in the darkness, I found comfort in it.

In no way did the darkness compare to Elena, but its aura was warm and it felt safe.

I knew where to go though. Grove Hill was only a few kilometres away from here and I would reach there before Nightfall tomorrow.

I shuddered to think what awaited my there, but the sooner I faced Katherine? The sooner I could…get away? Yes. Get away and lock her up somewhere and go back to Elena.

I had it all figured out in my head, but I knew, that it would not be. I knew. As much as I tried to suppress the nagging doubt from my mind, I knew that all would not be well when I got to Grove Hill. Katherine always bode ill.