Dear beloved readers, I am so sorry this took so long. It seemed my muse really wanted me to kill off Alaric, and I simply could not have that…Elena doesn't need to lose her only parental figure left in her life.

Nonetheless, this story isn't meant to be tragic. I want to keep it simple, but still complicated because of the way the characters feel. As we all know, emotions can sometimes be more complicated than the actual matter at hand. My main goal is to capture Elena's inner conflict over her feelings for Damon and Stefan, how she finally deals with it, and how she comes to make her decision. Plus, she needs to fix things with Damon asap.

With that said, Enjoy! =D

Chapter 3: Truth and Closure

And I'll never make it without you

I need a second chance

'Cause I wanna make it about you

I'll make it my last stand.

It took a moment to say,

It wasn't you, it was me.

I couldn't let you in.

Now I'm ashamed I pushed you away from me.

Now I'm afraid it's too late to save again.

Last Stand- Adelita's Way

Elena lay sprawled out on her best friends' mattress, staring at the ceiling wondering when things would go back to normal, if that was even possible anymore. She just couldn't seem to keep her thoughts, feelings, and emotions straight anymore. She was taking her anger out on the wrong people, not taking responsibility for her actions, and it was really starting to eat at her from the inside out.

A week had gone by since the night her other best friend refused to talk to her, and as far as she knew, it was going to take a lot to repair that relationship. They could all blame Damon as much as they wanted, but the fact of the matter was that someone had to do the deed in order to stop Esther and save Elena. In any case, it could have been worse—they could have killed Abby, leaving Bonnie to pull herself together again from the loss of another family member. But she knew Bonnie didn't see it that way. To have her mother turned into a vampire was equally as bad in her eyes. The good thing was that thanks to Caroline, Abby Bennett was making astounding progress as a vampire. Nonetheless, it didn't change the fact that Elena was the reason for all this suffering—even her own suffering.

She really had no idea when all her relationships had gotten so screwed up. First, Stefan left town with Klaus, returned as Stefan the ripper, and now suddenly he seemed to care again. He still loved her. She was happy that there was hope for him, but she knew she could never love him the same way again. Somehow, their simple conversation that same night had helped her realize this. She supposed it was a good thing, but she still needed to talk to him about it.

And then there was Damon. She felt a strange combination of guilt, sympathy, and anger towards him. Guilt for everything she had put him through, including all the times she said the wrong thing, and wrongly accused him of something. Sympathy for the situation he was in, that she had ultimately been the cause of. And anger because, even after her attempt to make things right with him, he had left town—just left, without a word. And she had no idea why.

She was hurt that he would just leave her like that, after he had promised her he would never leave her again. At the same time, she supposed she deserved it, but it didn't make the pain of dealing with his absence any more bearable. She wasn't sure why she fought so hard to deny her feelings for him. It's not like the rest of her friends didn't see it happening throughout Stefan's human blood binge the last six months.

Caroline sat on the edge of the bed with her hand resting reassuringly on Elena's arm. She understood the inner conflict that was going on in Elena's mind right now. She could hardly tell her best friend that Damon was no good for her and she was better off without either Salvatore brother. Sure, she didn't like Damon all that much, but he had been there for Elena—he had protected her. And he loved her. Besides, she was currently stuck in an awkward situation herself, trying to fight the onslaught of feelings that Klaus had unbelievably managed to bring out in her, and keep her mouth shut about the whole ordeal. This was proving extremely difficult because she desperately needed advice, but there was no one she could talk to about it. Yes, falling for that evil vampire hybrid was far worse than Elena falling for Damon. At least Damon had proved himself worthy of her love.

She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she wasn't sure how long Elena had been crying silently on the pillow next to her. "Oh god, Elena, I'm so sorry….I know you miss Damon. But I just know he'll come back. You need to stop worrying so much, and just let things happen however they are meant to…" her voice was tender and motherly. She realized she was also giving herself the same advice. "But I think you need to figure out how you feel about Damon and Stefan. And I mean really figure out how you feel. When it comes down to it, which one could you never live without?" She paused, allowing Elena to mull that one over for a few seconds, before continuing, "I think you will find you know the answer to this question already…"

Elena sat up and stared with open admiration at Caroline for the honesty. "But what about Bonnie? She's already so upset with me, if I allow myself to…."—she hesitated with her words—"love Damon…How could she ever forgive me for that, after what he did to her mother?"

"Elena…she's going to be mad, there's no doubt about that." She sighed. It was amazing how much this conversation also applied to her own life. "But she sees how much Damon cares about you, and even though he would go so far as to turn her mother…I think in the end, she could set aside her misgivings and be supportive, just as she has done time and time again. She just wants you to be happy. She wants us all to be happy…" She smiled softly, and then gave Elena a tight hug.

Elena knew her blonde friend was right. They all wanted the same thing—to just be happy, and live a semi-normal life again. She wiped the tears that had clung to her cheeks, and left the bed to gaze out the window. She truly missed Damon. She knew that when—no—if he returned to Mystic Falls, she had to make right all the wrong she had done to him, and tell him how she really felt. She did already know the answer to Caroline's question. She had already lived without Stefan. Damon had never left her like that. Sure, their relationship was unpredictable and scary to her, but it was also exciting. It was strange to admit after being in love with Stefan for so long, but the answer was simple enough—Stefan she could live without; Damon she could not.

When she arrived at home that night, she was surprised to find the house empty. She went to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of water, and almost dropped the glass on the floor as she turned to find Stefan standing less than three feet away from her.

"Oh god, Stefan, don't scare me like that!" she exclaimed, trying to calm the adrenaline rush that suddenly rushed through her nerves. She observed the apologetic expression on his face, and sighed. "I suppose you are here to talk….about what happened the other night? I'm sorry I just left like that, I should have explained—"

"—No, it's fine. You were already overwhelmed that night. I shouldn't have said anything. My apologies," he bowed his head slightly in a courteous manner. "That's all I came here to say so…I'll be going now." He moved past her quietly, heading for the door.

"Stefan, wait." She stepped forward to grab his arm before he could use his supernatural agility to disappear in the blink of an eye. "Can we just talk? We used to be able to talk about anything… and all we do now is hold everything back." He seemed reluctant, but when he looked her in the eyes and saw the look of hope and expectation, he just couldn't resist. He nodded, and they moved into the living room to settle slightly uncomfortably on the couch.

They sat in silence for a few minutes while they both tried to think of the best thing to talk about first. In the end, it was Stefan who surprisingly spoke first, and the words that came out of his mouth were laced with guilt.

"I'm sorry… for everything that I have put you through since I left. I know you understand why I left…I couldn't let Damon die." Elena could see how hard this was for him to say, after shutting off his emotions for so long. She scooted closer to him on the couch and rested her hand gently on his thigh.

"Stefan, you don't have to do this… I don't blame you for anything. I'm done blaming everybody else for things that are out of my control…somehow, all this crap has to come to an end, and I will fight until I see that day." There was a moment's silence while Stefan considered her words.

"You really have changed." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

She thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Well, losing almost every family member you have, and the man you love will do that to you..." She looked down at her lap and then rose from the couch to stand by the window, staring out into the dark yard in order to hide the tears that threatened to reveal her true sorrow. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't still painful to think about the tragedies of the last two years of her life.

"Elena…If I could go back and do things differently, I would do it in a heartbeat." Stefan spoke softly; regret apparent in every syllable, and she heard him rise from the couch. He stopped directly behind her, and tenderly wrapped his arms around her. They stood there like that for a few minutes, as they both stared out the window into the night, lost in their own thoughts.

Elena thought about the relationship they used to have. He was showing the human side of him again, and had she not already decided she couldn't be with him anymore, this moment they were sharing definitely would have changed everything. It felt good to be the arms of the man she loved once again, but just like the other night, she noticed that being with him didn't feel as right as it once did. The stars and the planets didn't seem to align whenever they were together anymore, and that was something she had learned to accept.

"Stefan, there's nothing you could have done. Klaus' blood was the only way to save Damon. Sure, maybe the steps you took to get it could have been avoided—somehow—but the fact is that Klaus still would have done everything he could to make us suffer, whether you were directly involved or not."

Again he paused—it seemed he was doing a lot of that—before he continued. "Can you ever forgive me?" he spoke gently into her ear, and she turned to face him, placing her hands on either side of his face.

"I've already forgive you, Stefan." It felt like she was piercing his soul with her beautiful brown eyes, and he tried to look away, but she held firmly. "Listen to me, you have proven to me that you still care, and I know it's hard for you to be having this conversation with me…but it means more to me that you can imagine."

He smiled at her, but the smile didn't touch his eyes. He just stared at the girl in front of her, and wondered if there was any hope for them again. She lowered her hands and stared back, trying to figure out what he was thinking at the moment. Then he decided to take a chance—one last chance. He raised his hands to cup her face and stooped to place a gentle yet earnest kiss on her lips. They were full of warmth, and he breathed in her familiar scent, remembering all the moments like this that they used to share so passionately.

Elena had definitely not expected this kiss. It was tender yet full of meaning, and it was such an innocent gesture that she felt tears welling up in her eyes. Yes, she still loved him—she loved him dearly—but this wasn't right. She had to tell him how she felt, but she had no idea how. She broke the kiss, and looked up at him with a sorrowful expression.

"Stefan… I—"

"No, I need to say something," he paused. "I meant what I said the other night. I still love you. I know that I can never make up for all the pain I've caused you, but let me try."

She opened her mouth to speak, but found that she was at a loss for words. He was being one hundred percent sincere, that much she was sure of and the look of hopeful desperation in his eyes made her feel guilty once more. She knew she had to tell him that there was no future for them. She had to make it clear that things could never be the same no matter how hard they tried. Most importantly, she had to tell him that she had feelings for his older brother, and that she wanted to see where that relationship could go. She knew how difficult it would be for him to accept it, and his actions in the last ten minutes made it extremely difficult for her to break it to him.

"Stefan… I will always love you. I have no doubt about that. But things need to change… they can never go back to the way they used to be."

His face fell and he lowered his eyes to the floor. "I see….I should have suspected you would say that. Still, I wish I had chosen differently and things wouldn't have to be like this…" He pressed his lips gently to her forehead, and closed his eyes tightly as if to shut out his emotions once more. It was more difficult than he expected, but he had to. "I think I will be leaving now."

"No, wait," Elena spoke quickly so he wouldn't disappear. "There's one more thing I need to tell you. I don't want you to find out by anyone other than me, because it's only fair…"

Stefan didn't even have to guess what she was about to tell him. He already knew. "You have feelings for Damon. Yeah, I'm aware. It's not too difficult to tell."

She nodded, looking slightly taken aback. "How—?"

"It doesn't matter. I stand by what I've said before, you can do better than him. But I'll give it to him that he really does love you… so, good luck." It was difficult for him not to be bitter towards the two of them, but he knew he had lost her the moment he left, and Damon had been there for her through it all, good times and bad. He was in no place to be angry with her for falling for his brother in his absence. She was only human after all, and she had feelings that he had ignored. In the end, it would always be his fault that he lost her to his older brother.

"Stefan…I'm sorry," she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't be."

She opened her mouth to retaliate but in the blink of an eye he was gone, and she was left alone once again. She curled up on the couch with the afghan that was draped over the back, and cried. She wasn't entirely sure why she was crying. Maybe it was the fact that she finally had the closure with Stefan that she had needed all along. Or maybe it was because that was the easy part and now she had to convince Damon that her feelings were real this time. She thought about calling Caroline or Bonnie for advice, but they already had enough to deal with, and she didn't need to add her own drama to the mix. So she dialed the number that she had called about 50 times that week already.

She wasn't surprised to hear it go to voicemail, but it hurt more than she could imagine not knowing where Damon was or if he was even alright, or if he was fine and simply ignoring her incessant phone calls. Eventually she cried herself to sleep without even moving from the couch to her bedroom, but as she was drifting off only one wish plagued her thoughts.

The only thing she wanted in the world more than to see Klaus impaled on a stick was to hear Damon's voice again.

Woo. That was much longer than I anticipated. They just didn't want to shut up long enough for me to wrap the chapter up.

I finally was able to get this done after a very inspirational walk around the beautiful city of Prague today. I really hope you like it, and will still continue to read and review despite how long it took me to update.

~Aya Mae