This was the loudest, most disruptive silence any of them had ever heard. Elena's eyes had not left the floorboards beneath her feet. Bonnie was the fist to interrupt the quiet.

"Elena, it's not your fault." She said and turned to her friend, who's hand remained held by Stefan's, but Bonnie didn't notice.

"I know." Elena whispered looking at the floor. But the truth was she didn't know. All she knew was that Caroline was in danger all because of her cursed Petrova bloodline. Of coarse she thought it was her fault. "If it's okay, I would kind of like to be alone." She breathed, guiltily.

"Sure, sure." Said the witch she grabbed her bag, and gave Elena a quick hug around the shoulders. Elena's eyes remained on the ground. Bonnie started to walk out of the room, until she noticed Damon hadn't moved, and he had no intentions to either. So she pulled his arm, and forced out of the living room and into the library with her, to give Elena a moment.

Stefan tried to vacate as well but she did not let go of his hand. He looked at their intertwined fingers and then up at her face. Her eyes had not parted from the floor, as she let a tear fall. With his free hand he cupped her chin with his index finger and brought her face parallel to his.

"did you want something?" he asked sweetly.

"yeah," she said almost ashamedly. "i wake up every day not knowing if i'll live, or die. on rare occasion does the option of both come around, and now that it has... i think i'd rather decide after the fact. i'd like to know if death is something i can survive" she waited searching his eyes, to see if he understood.

he nodded and brought his wrist to his own lips. biting gently, and offering it to her. she took his hand in hers, and drank. as neatly and as little as she could.

"Stefan… last night… I was wrong to yell at you, like that." She said reluctantly, as she wiped a drop of blood from her lips.

"No, no Elena you were completely right." He said and squeezed her hand only slightly tighter. Another tear came streaming down her face. "Elena the reason I choose not to feel is because it's easier. Sure the real Stefan loves you, but I just… I can't let him in. It hurts too much and I'm just afraid that…"

"That what?" She inquired her voice just above a whisper.

"That you wouldn't choose me even if I were that Stefan. That you would choose Damon all the same." He concluded.

"What?"

"Oh come on Elena please don't make me repea-"

He was cut off by her lips against his. Though chapped and salty from crying, he couldn't imagine, or for that matter remember, her tasting any better. Their fingers remained entangled at their sides. With her free hand she reached up to caress his face, moving back to the base of his neck and up to run her fingers through his hair. Still completely blown away, it took Stefan a minute to contemplate the situation. After a moment, his extra arm reached around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The remained in that position. Their lips locked, her mouth opening only slightly to invite his tongue inside. They continued to taste each other and remind themselves, of just what they had walked away from 5 months back. He felt like he needed to bring her closer to him even though there bodies were already pressed together. He couldn't get enough of her. He had completely lost his train of thought. He was entranced by the passion that he would never let go of again… but he didn't have to. In an instant she pulled away and used the hand he had been holding all the while to slap him. Hard.

" Oh my Gosh! I'm sorry!" she said, in such a frenzy, and reached out to him only to stop herself. He was swaying on the spot, less from the impact of her slap but more of the surprise it enveloped.

"What am I doing?" She asked, and looked at him as if he should know. "No, we don't have time for this I'm sorry, Stefan." She said in genuine apology. "Any ways… me and Bonnie and I, oh dear lord." She said and shook her head. He couldn't help but smile a little. She was just as confused as he was. "i have to help her practice the spell. she needs to get her energy up, and i should really... i should be there... i think she would want me to help her. for moral support, and spiritual, and such i think she would just like me there you know? " she said snapping her fingers to remind her self.

"so you're leaving." he said as if to help her along in her obviously harried thought process.

"so... we'll be at the place at the side on the other side of the Lockwood property." She managed. "So… yeah I will see you…later, or whatever, I don't know I have to go." She said and scurried out of the room.

She came into the library and grabbed Bonnie by the arm and led her out of the house.

"What are you doing Elena?" Bonnie asked.

"We should go" Elena interrupted. she led bonnie out of the house.

"Get in the car I have to talk to you." Elena said walking Bonnie around the car, to the drivers seat. Bonnie pushed her off.

"Thank you, Miss Gilbert, But I can escort myself into my drivers seat of my car." Bonnie said sarcastically. Elena walked around to the passenger seat and climbed in the car.

"Soooo…" Bonnie started.

"I kissed Stefan."

"Say wha?"

"What do you mean what? Did you not hear me?" Elena said, frustrated.

"Okay, okay, Easy!" Bonnie lifted her hands up in surrender. "So, when? Just now?"

"Yes, and I was a total spaz!"

"What?"

"I was the one who kissed him, and then I slapped him, and then I was an idiot, and now my head hurts."

"Okay, it's okay." Bonnie said soothingly. "but... can we talk about this later?"

"Yeah, yeah, Of coarse. I'm being silly. We need to focus on getting Caroline back… Let's go."

"Okay" And they started up the car. They had forgotten that the two vampires inside could both hear the conversation.