"He did what!" Elena heard Bonnie scream from the other end of the phone. Elena realised that she could not deal with all that was going on, on her own so she decided to call the girls for some advice. "Where is he? I wanna kill him! I'm coming over now!" Elena sighed. She was sick of talking about it, crying about it, thinking about it, anything to do with what happened this morning. She just needed her friends.

Ten minutes later, Caroline and Bonnie turned up and hugged her as soon as they came in the door. This was what she needed. Holding the need to cry she smiled at them both for being here for her. Stefan was the one who was normally there first to talk to and that thought caused Elena to feel a slight pain in her chest. "That bastard needs a serious talking to Elena. How dare he hurt you like that!" Bonnie spitted out. She did not mean to sound so harsh but it had to be said. All she had ever seen Stefan do is be perfect for Elena. She knew that he had always liked her but did not say anything. She knew that they would eventually get together - well at least she always thought they would and stay together after. She never thought that Stefan would do this to her.

"I know Bonnie, but I can't change what has happened. I have known Stefan all of my life. He is my best friend! I just don't get it. That was out of character for him completely. I guess he never liked me. I was just a girl he wanted to sleep with all along." She said looking down at her hands.

"Now stop that Elena. That is not true. How do we know that Stefan was not like this all along? And if anything all I have ever seen that boy do is drool over you! He would do anything for you Elena. Ever thought he might have been freaked out by this? I mean it is a big step for you" Caroline stated being the other side of reason. It was always clear that she was pro-Stefan no matter what.

"But it not the point Caroline. He slept with me and left there in the morning. If he was freaked out he shouldn't have slept with me in the first place! What would possess a man to walk away from someone he has slept with when he had - by your own words Caroline - 'drooled over me and would do anything for me'?" she stated. She did have a point but Caroline could not help but think that something was going on that Elena was too upset to see. Could Stefan really just walk out on Elena without a valid reason?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"What do you want Katherine?" Stefan grunted her way

"Well hello to you too Stefan. Can't someone just walk in and say hello anymore?"

"Just leave me alone." Stefan groaned. He really was not in the right state of mind to be talking to Katherine right now.

"Oh come on Stefan, we're friends! Nothing has changed that much since we broke up, has it?" she muttered to him

"Just feeling the need to get away from here now" He answered starting to get up from his seat

"Wow. Someone really is in a bad mood today aren't they? What's eating you?" She asked with a little hint of concern lingering in her voice. Stefan hesitated to tell her but she was the only person who he could probably talk to about this without siding with Elena. Them two never really saw eye-to-eye on anything. Especially when Stefan and Katherine started dating.

"I slept with Elena last night." He started with Katherine's face turning to surprise. "...and then this morning I was looking at her and I could not believe what had happened. It was all so sudden and it was amazing! She looked so beautiful lying there asleep, and I loved everything about that moment and yet... I don't know why but I started to panic. I guess I was so worried she was going to change her mind about it and I left the house... and I've been here for the last few hours trying to sort my thoughts out."

"And what have you come up with so far?" Katherine asked

"Nothing. What I did was horrible and I can't go back now. I've left it too late to do anything. I really like her Katherine and I've really fucked up here." He said with his head in his hands. Katherine sighed "You have not fucked this up just yet. Yes it was a terrible thing that you did but it was because you was confused about what had happened. You got scared. Everyone gets scared every now and then. It's not the worse thing in the world to have happened. Have you tried to call her?" She answered. Stefan shook his head. "You like Elena right?" Katherine asked. Stefan nodded and smiled broadly "Well then get that phone out of your pocket and call her! Get her to talk to you! Get her to see that you didn't mean to do anything like that. Show her that The Stefan we both know wouldn't have done anything like that intentionally." Surprised by what came out of her mouth Stefan thought about what Katherine said. She did have a point but this was Elena. Nothing would get pass her ever. She was not one to forgive lightly. He had been there enough times when someone had been horrible to her in the past and she never forgave them, so why should she forgive him now? Despite it all, he got out his phone and called Elena's number.

Five missed calls and 10 texts later Stefan started to give up. Walking back to the boarding house hoping to find some hard liquor there so he could drink the night away and forget. He realised he was starting to walk towards Elena's house. He contemplated walking up to the house and even though his mind was telling him not to and to give her some space his body thought otherwise and he found himself knocking on the front door. He waited there for quite a while and tried again. This time he heard someone walk towards the door. Expecting it to be his brother Jeremy or her Aunt Jenna, he was surprised when Caroline opened the door.

"Get the message Stefan. She doesn't want to talk to you." Caroline said with a look of disgust on her face. She was so disappointed in him. Before Stefan could say anything Caroline continued "You know what Stefan? I always thought you two would get together because I thought you was the good guy! Obviously I have been misinformed all of these years!"

"Listen Caroline... I can't begin to describe how bad I feel about this morning. I had dreamt about what happened with Elena for years and I was an idiot for leaving her there this morning. I got scared! I never pictured leaving her there! I was always meant to wake up next to her! Please. Just let me talk to her. I need to talk to her." He pleaded. It took all of Caroline's will to not let him in the door to talk to her. She could clearly see how sorry he was, but she was mad at him too for hurting Elena. Under Elena's instruction she did not let him past the front door.

"I'm sorry Stefan I can't let you do that. She is beyond mad with you. We all are! She has been crying since yesterday and I would be damned if you think I would let you talk to her and upset her even more!" She shouted at him. Hurt plastered over his face he nodded "Okay I get it. But tell her that I will do whatever it takes to make her talk to me. She is my best friend. I don't know what I would do without her in my life. Please Caroline just get her to talk to me. I don't want to lose her... Please just tell her that if she does not want to talk to me before, I will see her at the fundraising ball next week. I wanted to ask her to be my date this morning but, clearly, I have messed that up so... See you Caroline." he smiled weakly at her and started walking home. With a huge amount of guilt rising in Caroline's chest she shut the door and turned to Elena. She had been sitting in the kitchen and could hear everything that was said.

"See? He just got scared. He still cares for you." said Caroline

"I know. I heard... But what do I do? Do I talk to him? Do I give him the silent treatment? I just don't know. I don't even know that I could forgive him." Elena said. She really was confused about it all and given the fact that she heard Stefan say that he got scared and walked off made her think that she may have over-reacted.

"I think... that you should talk to him. Give him a chance to explain himself. Stefan has always been one who was good with words and he clearly wants things to work out with you two. I mean.. five calls and ten texts in less than an hour? You're lucky to normally get one off him anyway!" she laughed. Elena had to laugh. Stefan was not one for technology given half the chance. With that one thought she smiled. It was one of things that she loved about him. They both would prefer to be sitting next to each other talking instead of on the phone all night. Thinking about all of the nights that they spent just talking to each other revealing everything and anything to eachother, Elena started to think. She was still furious with him that he just left her there feeling humiliated, but he never was the type of person to do that in the first place to anyone! Thinking that she needed to be adult and civil about this, she decided to send him a text.

'I heard what you said to Caroline but I need some time to think. I am still mad at you but I am not pass the point to not talk to you. I will be at the ball at 9pm.'

Stefan could not help but smile when he saw the text. Katherine was right, for once, and he was grateful for her pushing him to talk to her. Now he had a week to find the right words to say to Elena to make him forgive her again. He could not wait...