Chapter 7

For breakfast Elena remained quiet and her and Stefan did their best to avoid any conversation of their relationship with the group. Caroline of course wasn't making things easy as she couldn't help but gush over how happy to see that everything was okay with what Caroline called an epic couple.

Needing some air Elena excused herself from the cabin and after grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler she headed out the door. Her body was stiff and she chewed on her bottom lip as she wondered over to the campfire circle and sat on the log with a sigh. After taking a sip from the bottle to twisted the cap back on and set the plastic bottle beside her as she bowed her head and let out a sad sigh. All breakfast all she got from Caroline was how cute her and Stefan were and how perfect their love was. She couldn't take it anymore, because it was all a lie. If it was true her and Stefan wouldn't of been having the problems they were.

Kicking the dirt under her shoes, Elena hunched over and just listened to the peaceful sounds of the leaves blowing in the wind and the birds chirping all around her. It had been years since she had been camping, actually she hadn't been since her parents died and she really missed the peacefulness it offered. Licking her lips Elena tugged on the hair tie she had on her wrist and pulled it off so that she could tie her hair up in a high ponytail so it was out of her eyes. After sitting there for a few moments alone she could hear the sound of trigs snapping under shoes. Looking up she saw Caroline and Bonnie walking towards her and to be honest Elena wasn't really in the mood for anymore "you and Stefan are so great" speech that they loved so dearly.

"Everything okay?" Bonnie asked as she took a seat on one side of Elena while Caroline sat on the other.

"Of course everything is fine" Caroline chimed in before Elena could answer. Elena looked up at Bonnie and forced a smile but didn't say anything before she looked out into the woods. Caroline seemed to be satisfied but Bonnie not so much.

"Elena" Bonnie said as she watched her friend knowing something wasn't right.

"Everything is fine" Elena lied as she forced a smile, before quickly looking away so she wouldn't detect hesitation. Yet although it worked on Caroline, Bonnie wasn't that easy to fool.

Bonnie stared at her friend and then let out a sigh, "Look I may be a study addict…"

"May be?" Caroline interrupted with a giggle.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and shook her head before focusing back on Elena who was now staring at her feet as if praying she wouldn't have to discuss the matter any further. Bonnie knew her best friend better then anyone and wasn't about to let things go so easily. "Elena what's wrong?"

She continued to stare at her shoes as they dug into the dirt trying to think of a lie she could tell. She did her best not to look up at Bonnie because she knew that she wouldn't be able to lie once she looked her friend in the eyes. Unfortunately for her Bonnie was very persistent and made Elena looked at her. As soon as their eyes met, tears started to flood out of Elena's eyes and she couldn't hold back any more. "Stefan and I broke up," she finally blurted out before bowing her head.

"WHAT?" Caroline snapped in shock and watched in confusion as Bonnie was hugging Elena. She couldn't understand how this was possible. Everything seemed fine over breakfast; the two had shared a hug in the morning. It didn't make any sense that they were broken up now. "NO that, that can't be true" Caroline said in horror. "Elena, it's you and Stefan," she said but Elena didn't seem to be listening as she clung to Bonnie and cried.

"Yeah I don't think it's working" Kol complained after finishing his glass of bourbon hoping to rid himself of a hangover.

"You got to suffer before it gets better," Damon told him as he finished his cup.

"I was in bad shape before!" Kol snapped back as he lay his head on the kitchen table.

"I can't believe you took their advice" Jenna said as she handed Kol a glass of water and set a plate of toast in front of him.

"I don't know what your complaining about but it's working for a me," Damon said with a smile. Kol looked up at his buddy with a grunt because if wasn't fair that someone who drank as much as him could look so good.

'That would be because instead of blood flowing through his veins he has alcohol" Stefan scoffed as he came into the room and took a seat on the sofa.

"I'd believe that" Ric said as he nodded his head.

"Says the guy who has drank as much as me" Damon snapped back.

"Can we please stop the yelling" Kol groaned as his arms covered his head that was pressed against the table. Hangovers were always the devil for Kol and anything louder then a whisper was too noisy for him. Yet much to his dismay he didn't get his wish as a loud bang of the front door slamming shut got the attention everyone. They turned to see Caroline standing there and she looked pretty upset. "Uh Oh Blondie is mad at someone" Damon said quietly to Kol as they watched the angry blonde storm into the room. "It can't be me, because nothing I do should a surprise her."

"STEFAN!" she yelled and everyone in the room turned and looked at Stefan as he was sitting on the sofa reading. Stefan looked up shocked that Caroline was here for him but as he stared at the blond with her hands on her hips he knew she meant business. "I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU!" she ordered and nodded for him to follow her outside.

With a little hesitation at first Stefan set his book down and got to his feet. Jenna was standing in the kitchen next to Alaric and the guys at the kitchen table as they watched and wondered what was going on.

"Don't worry brother, I'll send out a search party if you don't come back" Damon called out as he watched his brother leave the cabin to face the wrath of Caroline Forbes.

"What the hell do you think he did?" Jenna asked as she took a seat the table with the guys. They all shrugged their shoulders before turning back and pouring some more bourbon while Jenna sat there biting her nails wondering what was going on. "Honestly this trip keeps getting weirder and weirder."

"Lets drink to that" Damon stated with a smile and Kol only let out a painful groan as he hid his face again.

"You sure you know what your doing?" Bonnie asked Elena as the two stood in the woods after Caroline stormed off to do who knows what.

"It wasn't something we just decided out of the blue" Elena replied with a sigh as she looked at her friend who was only looking out for her best interest. "I love him, but I don't think I'm in love with him anymore" Elena said quietly before she bit her bottom lip and looked down at the ground sadly.

Before Bonnie could comments the two heard the stomping of shoes on dirt. Looking up towards the cabin both girls saw Caroline pulling Stefan by the sleeve towards them. "What is she doing?" Bonnie mumbled as she watched Caroline bring Stefan along and probably against his will.

"Caroline can we not do this now?" Stefan begged Caroline, as he didn't really feel like listening to Caroline lecture him and Elena when they are just broken up a few hours ago.

"NO. NO YOU GUYS NEED TO WORK THIS OUT!" Caroline snapped at them as she pushed Stefan in front of Elena who looked just as unhappy about this as he did. "You are going to talk, you are going to find out what is wrong and, you are going to fix it!" Caroline snapped at them.

"Caroline" Bonnie started to say but Caroline cut her off not letting anyone talk her out of this.

"You love each other, you have an epic love story of knowing each as kids that fell in love and became high school sweet hearts" Caroline stated angrily at the two.

"It's not that simple Caroline" Elena stated with a sigh.

"YES IT IS!" Caroline snapped back with her hands on her hips. "We are not leaving here until you guys make up," she told them and Bonnie just rolled her eyes knowing that there was no way to talk Caroline out of her desperate attempted to get them back together.

"Look Caroline, your support is great but we have made up our minds" Elena told her friend although her statement fell of deaf ears for Caroline. Elena had her arms crossed and was glaring at Caroline; while Stefan had his head down as was kicking the dirt.

"Noq we are going to stand out here and we are going to go over everything that made you guys fall in love and then everything is going to go back to the way it is suppose to be!"

"Caroline" Stefan said with a sigh as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"You were 15, Stefan you were so pumped about trying out for the basketball team and Elena you were doing amazing on the cheerleading team. Two days before the tryouts for basketball you broke your leg in a bicycle accident and you couldn't try out. You had been dreaming of being on the high school basketball team for years and one accident put an end to that dream. You were devastated by it because all your friends were there and you couldn't be, and knowing how upset you were Elena came and hung out at your house during the time of tryouts to keep your mind off it."

Biting her lip Elena kicked the ground as she thought back to all those times she spent with Stefan during the basketball tryouts and how she was able to keep his mind off it. Looking up she stared at Stefan for a moment before averting her eyes again.

"You two were best friends and then over the course of those two weeks you got to know each other even better and fell in love" Caroline told them and she watched as the two remembered those memories fondly.

"You two even tried playing wheelchair basketball and made up new games involving your wheelchair" Caroline said with a sigh as she remembered the time she went over to visit and the two were both so in the zone of their Wheelchair basketball.

"Wheel chair basketball is so much harder then it looks" Stefan said with a laugh as he remembered how horrible the two of them were at it.

"I was better then you" Elena teases and Stefan just laughed.

"See you can't let memories like that go to waste!" Caroline told them. "You had your first date at Mystic Grill, and although you didn't have a lot of money from your allowance, Elena you still saved up to get Stefan that leather jacket he had been eyeing for like ever. You were so excited to let him open his present that you snuck over to his house so you could give it to him a midnight." She told them.

It was true Stefan and Elena had many great memories during the time there were together. Everyone in high school new them as a perfect couple who were popular but never really took any notice of their popularity. They got their drivers license together, got their first jobs together. Elena was so excited to be part of Miss Mystic Falls as her and her mom shopped for the perfect dress and she didn't want Stefan to see it until the Founders Day Gala. Unfortunately, a week before the Gala Elena's parents were killed in a car crash on their way to pick Elena up from the Salvatore house. She never got to say goodbye and that night Elena's life shattered before her.

"Elena when you're parents died you were so devastated and Stefan was your rock" Caroline told her. "Stefan help get your mind off losing your parents by helping with the dance. You didn't want to go to the Gala but Stefan still got you all dress up and he wore a suit and the two of you danced under the stars in the backyard" Caroline told her.

Elena smiled as she thought about that night and how nervous Stefan was as he was never a fan of dancing but he did for her. That week had been the longest week of her life but he was there for her to hold her up.

"You see you two have been through so much, this can't be the end of your story" Caroline said sadly as she pushed the two closer together. "You have an epic love story and you are perfect for each other."

"Look Caroline we aren't denying that we loved each other and have been through a lot" Elena said trying to get through to her friend who seemed so adamant in getting them back together. "But things have changed" she explained but as soon as she said those words Caroline was rolling her eyes and ready to go back on the attack.

"Nothing has changed!" Caroline cried.

"YES it has!" Elena yelled as she was now tired of Caroline's rant. "We have had good times yes, but over time we've changed and a lot of it started with when my parents died. It's not Stefan's fault and it's not mine, things just changed over time and we drifted apart. We were together but at the same time we weren't. All those great memories you mentioned most of them happened before my parents died, before I felt like everything in my life had change, including my relationships with all of you. I'm not blaming anybody but after my parents died, people changed and I changed including my relationship with Stefan. After they died Stefan was there for me and over time I didn't want to lose him because he was apart of my past that involved my parents but that isn't fair to him. He is my best friend and I'm afraid that if we continue the way we are headed I will lose that part of him too" Elena cried as tears were streaming down her face now. "I'm sorry Stefan, I'm so sorry I'm ruining everything" she cried as she was about to collapse but Stefan reached out and wrapped his arms around her.

"You haven't lost me and you won't," he promised her and he then look up at Caroline as if to silently telling her that she had done enough.

As the gang slowly came back inside Caroline was still upset that she wasn't able to get Stefan and Elena back together but whether they saw it not or not they belonged together and by the end of this trip they would be back together. Bonnie walked into the cabin with her arm wrapped around Elena and doing her best to let her know everything was going to be okay. Stefan walked in last with his head down and remained quiet as he walked over to the couch and took a seat in silence.

"Oh good your back" Damon said as he was pulling a backpack along with Kol.

"Run out of alcohol, heading out to find more?" Bonnie asked as her and Elena took a seat at the table with Jenna who was watching them closely wondering what was wrong with Elena.

"HAHA, no some of us are trying to get us out of here not just deal with teenage drama" Damon told her. "But yes we are out of alcohol."

"Figures" Caroline said with a huff, as she was still annoyed about Stefan and Elena.

"When are we getting out of here?" Rebekah whined, "This place smells and I'm bored."

"You're not my problem, because I'm leaving" Damon stated.

"As am I" Kol said with a smile, "So dear sister try not to piss too many people off that that toss you in the river down the road" he told her with a smirk. Rebekah just rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Where are you going?" Bonnie asked.

"We're just gonna see what is up ahead, hopefully find that small town on the map" Kol stated as he waved the map up in the air.

"Just the two of you?" Stefan asked not sure that was such a great idea. "From the beginning you didn't want us to come what makes you think we trust you to come back?"

"I'm glad you have so much faith in me brother" Damon snapped, "For that maybe I will leave you behind" Damon scoffed.

"I'll go" came Elena's voice even before she even realized what she was saying.

"No I don't think so," Damon said with a laugh.

"Why not?" Elena snapped back as she got up.

"Because I don't want to have to listen to you complaining!" Damon told her.

"Trust me you will do enough complaining for the both of us" Elena called back. "Bonnie and I will go with you, it'll be better then to just send the two of you out there alone" Elena told him.

"Yeah don't you remember your survival tips from boy scouts?" Bonnie asked.

"No because we were kicked out of boy scouts" Kol stated.

"And that's another reason we should come, somebody has to keep you guys alive" Elena teased.

Damon rolled his eyes while he moved to pick up two other backpacks and passed them to the girls while eyeing them both closely. "Lets get a few things straight, your carry your own bag, if you get tired we aren't carrying you" Damon warned them.

Elena shook her head at his arrogance as she pulled the backpack onto her back at the same time Bonnie did. "And Vice Versa" she snapped back with a smile. To be honest there as another reason Elena decided to go and it had to do with the two people staying behind. After this mornings argument with Caroline she knew that even though Caroline had stopped for now, she was bound to try again soon so figured that by heading out for at least a couple hours would give her some much needed space from both Stefan and Caroline. Even if that meant she was stuck spending time with Damon and his snarky comments.