Elena was standing, looking into her full length mirror in her bedroom, looking back and forth between a pink cardigan and a silk and lace blue tank top. She heard her bedroom door open and grinned, "I thought you were never coming back. I can't decide between these two. What do you think…?"

She turned around and stopped dead, her eyes widening and her mouth hanging open, "Oh, my God…"

Stefan was lounging in her doorframe, grinning, "Hey, Elena."

She took a step back in disbelief, "Stefan…?"

He smiled wider, "You thought I was never coming back, didn't you?"

Elena was unsure of what to say; she hadn't seen him in over five years. "What are you doing here?" she finally choked out.

Stefan shrugged, "I came to apologize for everything that I've done to you, and beg your forgiveness."

Elena shook her head in disbelief, "You… you left… you left with her…"

"I know. I know I did. I'm sorry for that, and for Klaus, and…"

Elena laughed shortly, "You're sorry for Klaus? I've seen more of him in the past five years than I have of you! We're friends now!"

Stefan raised an eyebrow, "I guess I missed the memo."

She frowned, "You've missed a lot of things, Stefan."

Stefan walked up to her, and Elena took a step back, running into her mirror. He looked into her eyes, grinning, "You know that I still love you, don't you?"

Elena's eyes widened in shock and her grip tightened on her mirror behind her, "What…?"

"I love you. I never stopped loving you… I was an idiot for leaving with her. Can you ever forgive me?"

Elena stared at him in shock, speechless, and he smiled taking her speechlessness as a yes. But, when he began to lean in to kiss her, Elena turned her head away, "No, Stefan."

He frowned, "No? What do you mean, no…?"

"I mean no, as in I can't forgive you. You left me. You cheated on me. I can't forgive you for what you did… and I've moved on."

He blinked a few times, obviously a bit surprised. Then he frowned, "You've moved on, as in now you're sleeping with my brother?"

Elena gasped, "I'm not sleeping with him…!"

"Really? You expect me to believe that you've been here, alone with him for five years and he hasn't screwed you yet? How stupid do you think I am, Elena?"

Elena glared, "I haven't slept with Damon!"

Stefan grinned, "Well, if you really haven't, it has to be because you were waiting for me to return. Well, here I am." He stared into her eyes, compelling her, "Kiss me."

Elena stood completely still, and Stefan grinned and leaned in again. He froze when Elena's hand came in contact with his jaw in a rough slap. He put a hand to the spot she had smacked him, and turned his eyes up to look at her. She was glaring daggers at him, "Who the hell do you think you are…?"

Stefan's eyes traveled down to his neck and he snorted; in replacement of the necklace he had given her was a golden, heart shaped locket with intricate designs on the locket itself, her initials, EG, in the center in a loopy writing style. "I see you have a new locket," he sneered, and Elena's hand flew up to the necklace protectively. Damon had given it to her exactly a year after Stefan left them, for he was worried that she was no longer wearing vervain. It had been a simple, sweet gesture, and the beginning of her truly falling in love with him. Of course, she had loved Damon for years before that, but hadn't been able to show it without feeling guilty. Now that she had no reason to feel guilty… she hadn't been sure what to do with herself.

Of course, Elena loved the locket. She adored it and never took it off, much to Damon's pleasure. It may not have been an antique, but it was special just the same.

Right now, it was her only line of defense against Stefan. If he ripped it from her neck, he could do anything he wanted to her and she wouldn't be able to protest. He had just began to advance on her again when a blur shot through her bedroom door. Seconds later Stefan grunted in surprise and Damon materialized on top of him, holding him in a strangle hold. Elena gasped in relief, and Damon looked at her, "Are you okay?"

A small smile tugged at her lips, "I am now."

Those three words were the only reassurance Damon needed. With that he turned back to his brother, who was attempting to bite him in order to get free. Damon grinned, "Not as tough as you'd like to think you are, huh brother?"

Stefan glared at snapped at him again. Damon grinned, "You're lucky Elena cares about you, or I'd snap you like a twig…"

"Damon," Elena said, grabbing his attention. When his blue eyes were on her, she bit her lip, "He tried to make me kiss him. He tried to compel me even after I told him I didn't want to."

Damon's lip twitched, infuriated. He turned back to Stefan and, before his brother could get a word in edgewise, he punched him square in the nose. Stefan swore loudly when blood began to gush from the broken area on his face and Damon stood up and started to kick him furiously. "You fucking bastard…!" Damon roared while he beat his brother to a pulp and Stefan moaned, "Stop… I'll leave… stop…!"

Damon finally stopped kicking him and bent down, lifting him up by his shirt, "You, brother, are going to get the hell out of this town. If you ever come back, I'll beat you senseless, and if you ever darken her doorstep again, "Damon snarled, pointing to Elena, "I'll kill you."

He threw Stefan down on the ground, his nose still bleeding, and walked over to Elena. "Are you okay?" he asked her, and she nodded. Her eyes suddenly widened, "Damon, look out…!"

Damon whirled again to find his brother lunging for him, fangs bared. Damon struck him, sending him flying into the wall. Numerous picture frames fell with the impact, the glass shattering. Stefan glared and, a second later, was simply a blur. The door downstairs slammed, and he was gone. The two of them stood in silence for a moment; then Elena whimpered. The next thing Damon knew she was running into his arms, sobbing.

"Hey!" he said in shock, leading her over to her bed and sitting them both down, "It's okay…"

"No, it's not! He thinks after five years he can just waltz back into my life like nothing happened…!"

"He's gone, Elena…"

"But he can come back! He's been invited in, Damon! All he has to do is rip off my necklace and he can do whatever he w-wants to me…!"

Damon frowned as he stroked her hair. "Shh…" he whispering comfortingly, kissing her hair. "It's okay… we're not going to be here, remember? We're going to be in France…"

Elena choked back a sob, "But what if he f-follows us…?"

"Elena," Damon said firmly and she looked up at him, "You're safe with me. I'm not going to let him get anywhere near you ever again."

She slowly nodded and Damon kissed her forehead, "Come on; let's finish packing, alright?" he gave her a small grin, "We have a plane to catch tomorrow morning, remember?"

She wiped her eyes and smiled, nodding. She stood up and walked over to her mirror and picked up the two shirts she had been planning on asking his opinion about. She gave him a small smile as she held them up, "Pink or blue?"

Damon grinned as he stood up and walked over to her. He took the shirts out of her hand and examined them, grinning at the blue tank top. He placed them on her dresser and pulled her into his arms, wrapping one around her waist and taking her hand, "Definitely blue," he purred in her ear as he began to waltz her around her bedroom.

Elena smiled at the reference to the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, and began to allow him to lead her in the musicless dance. As he guided her around her room, she knew everything was going to be alright.

As long as she always let Damon lead, she would never again fall into harm's way.