The Donovan household—there were many memorable moments Elena recollected from her childhood. She approached the house and parked her car out front, knowing that Matt wouldn't be expecting her arrival. She stepped out of her car and walked to the front door. She reached up with her right hand and knocked on the door. She waited a few minutes before the door swung open. "Elena?" Before Elena stood a brunette woman who may have been a year or two older than she. Her hair fell in medium-length brown waves and bright green eyes shining back at her.

"Hey Vicki, is Matt home? I know that it's been a long time since we had a moment to catch up." Elena wanted to look over Vicki's shoulder. It was a surprise to her how much Vicki had changed since high school, especially know how much Jeremy had been seeing her at the time. Also, she knew Tyler had shown interest in Vicki, but she didn't know how long that relationship lasted. "Yeah, you could wait for him in the living room." Vicki stepped aside. Elena thanked her before entering the house, which hadn't changed much. She couldn't believe that Matt was still living here, not that she noticed his missing truck in the driveway. "How's Kelly?" Elena sat on the couch when Vicki entered the room to join her.

"She's doing good, still working. I know it's none of my business, but why do you need to talk with Matt?"

"It's been a while since we caught up. There's something I want to ask him." Replied Elena. She saw Vicki nod. The two of them sat in silence until both heard the sound of Matt's truck pulling up out front. Elena heard a faint call out from Matt and stood up immediately. Matt seemed as surprised to see her as Vicki had been. "Vick, mind excusing us for a minute?" He turned his attention to his older sister.

"Sure Matt." Vicki stood up and exited the room. Elena and Matt waited until they heard a door close. Even then, their conversation wouldn't be safe. The two of them had gone outside to talk instead. It was a quiet evening outside. "Why are you here?" Matt asked. "I thought everything was fine with Damon."

"Everything is fine with Damon. He's not the reason why I'm here." Elena started. "Matt, we've known each other for a long time. You are one of the only people in my life that I can talk to about this. I know that you aren't on the best terms with the Salvatore brothers, especially Stefan."

"You're asking me to be friends with him?"

"No, I want to know if there's something about Stefan that you know about. I talked with him about giving Caroline a chance. They seemed happy together. Though, I think Stefan's bothered by something he's not telling me."

"Haven't you bothered to ask him? Elena, I don't know how I can help you with this."

"Matt, I feel that Stefan's not willing to talk with me when Caroline is around or when Damon wants something from him. Even when we're alone, it seemed like he wanted to avoid talking with me for a prolonged period of time." She said. "Is there a way you could talk to him?"

"Elena, whatever you and Stefan have going on is between the two of you. I know that I've been distant lately. I've been feeling like the worst kind of friend to you right now." Matt reached out and rested his hand on Elena's arm. "I want you to know I'm happy for you getting engaged. After everything you've been through, it's what you deserve. You deserve that kind of love and happiness. I am here for you, but my advice is for you to talk with Stefan. I'm not sure if this is what you wanted to here when you wanted to talk with me." Elena smiled softly at her friend. In fact, everything he had said was what she wanted to hear in the first place. She opened up her arms and pulled him in for a hug. She felt that he returned the hug warmly. She thanked him, knowing full well that they were going to be on the best terms for a long time.

The following day, Elena was at work going over everything that had happened the night before at dinner. A part of her wanted to speak with Stefan, but she wasn't sure how he felt about seeing her. She figured she'd send him a text to ask if he was interested in wanting to meet up for coffee at Mystic Grill. After seeing his reply, she didn't want to get her hopes up. She was afraid that she could be losing him over something so small. During her lunch break, she grabbed her purse and headed in the direction of the Grill. She found a table outside and waited for Stefan to arrive. Somehow she was anxious. She saw his car approach and park in the space before the Grill. She waved him over and stood up to greet him with a hug that he returned. "Thanks for meeting with me." She said and sat across from him. She could tell Stefan hadn't slept much and wondered if she should ask him about it.

"Yeah, of course. What's so urgent that you needed to discuss with me in person?"

"How you've been doing with everything? I wanted to bring up the engage—"

"I'm happy for you and my brother. There's nothing I want more than to see my brother finally achieve all of his dreams. Our dad wasn't the best father figure to him, and I followed Damon around like a lost puppy until he left for college. He had such close relationship with our mom that I wasn't even sure he'd know how to live again. Elena, when you entered his life, it was the best thing that could ever happen to him." Stefan interrupted. "You remind him of her in so many ways. All she ever wanted for us was to keep us safe and make sure that we were raised right, as my mother would want. From how you've looked after your brother, you've always been so compassionate about the important people in your life, Damon and myself included. I don't think I could imagine my brother being with anyone else. You bring out a side to him that I haven't seen in a long time."

"I appreciate this Stefan, really." Elena smiled, feeling that there were both off to a good start.