The forest was silent save for the occasional crunch of leaves beneath Klaus's boots as he paced.
No, that wasn't right.
Stefan blinked, pushing the memory away. He wasn't in the forest with Klaus anymore. He was lying on the bed in the Salvatore Boarding House's guest room, arms crossed behind his head, staring at the ceiling.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through half-drawn curtains, casting golden patterns across the wall. The house was quiet - almost unnaturally so - as if it too were processing the events of the morning. The confrontation with Damon. The revelations. Elena's choice.
Elena's choice of him.
A small, satisfied smile played across Stefan's lips. She had stood on those basement stairs, her voice unwavering as she told Damon to leave. She had heard everything - every crime, every transgression Damon did - and she had chosen Stefan.
He shifted slightly, turning to look out the window at the clear blue sky. Elena was resting in his bedroom upstairs; he could hear her heartbeat, steady and comforting.
Stefan closed his eyes, allowing himself to sink deeper into the mattress. Two hours had passed since Damon had slammed the front door behind him. Two hours of relative peace. Yet Stefan's mind refused to quiet.
Had Elena truly chosen him? Did she even know what she was choosing?
Stefan wished to dismiss the thought - of course she knew - but he stopped himself. No, he wouldn't dismiss it. To know truth, one must contemplate both sides, play devil's advocate to both sides, until all other things fall away and only one thing remains: the truth.
It had been his way of dealing with everything in his first life when he was Helel - the ever-paranoid one. Never dismissing a possibility until it was 100% proven impossible.
As if responding to this thought process, Stefan's mind conjured two versions of himself in the room - not hallucinations or separate personalities, but mental projections of his conflicting thoughts.
The first stood by the window, backlit by sunlight, posture confident and assured. The Chosen side. The one who believed in Elena's choice.
The second sat in a chair in the corner, shadows playing across his face, fingers drumming thoughtfully on the armrest. The Reject side. The skeptic.
Stefan observed these projections with clinical detachment, his mind asserting itself. It was a fun way of his to imagine a debate, to finally come to the conclusion himself.
"She chose you," Chosen stated simply, voice confident. "She heard everything Damon did and sent him away. She chose you over him."
Reject scoffed, leaning back in the chair. "Did she, though? Or did she simply reject Damon's actions? That's not the same as choosing you - the real you."
Stefan remained silent, listening as the debate unfolded in his mind.
"Elena knows what she wants," Chosen insisted. "She's not naive."
"Doesn't she?" Reject countered. "Let's put aside your first life - she has no knowledge of that whatsoever. There's still nearly 150 years of your existence she knows almost nothing about. The people you've killed. The lives you've taken. The blood you've spilled."
Stefan's brow furrowed as he contemplated this. It was true - Elena knew fragments of his past, glimpses of his darkness, but not the full extent.
"She knows what I did this summer with Klaus," Stefan murmured aloud, giving voice to Chosen's perspective. "The people I killed. And she still wants to be with me."
"Does she?" Reject questioned. "Or is she simply not thinking about it because she can't deal with it? Perhaps she's telling herself you had no choice, that Klaus would have done it himself anyway. That you were just a victim of circumstance rather than a willing participant."
Stefan sat up on the bed, rubbing his temples. The debate was growing more intense in his mind.
"Elena isn't stupid," Chosen argued, pacing by the window now. "She's seen death. She's seen what Klaus has done. She knows I've killed people in the past - has seen me drink from humans. She's not blind to what I am."
"Fine," Reject conceded after a moment. "Let's say Elena has accepted that part of you. But does she truly know what she's getting into?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Chosen demanded.
Stefan stood, moving to the window. He pressed his palm against the cool glass, watching a bird take flight from a nearby tree.
"It means," Reject explained, voice measured and calm, "that you are extremely possessive of her. Possessive in ways that can be... difficult for someone to live with. There's a reason you - in your first life as Helel - never tried to get into a relationship with a girl. You were intelligent enough to understand your possessiveness and the danger that came with it."
Stefan's reflection stared back at him from the window, eyes troubled.
"If a girl betrayed you," Reject continued, "it would be possible that you'd end them. That's how possessive you are. And Elena doesn't know that about you. So how can she have truly chosen you?"
A heavy silence fell over the room, broken only by the distant sound of a car passing on the road outside.
"What are you suggesting?" Chosen finally demanded, voice rising with emotion. "That I leave Elena? Abandon her?"
"No," Reject replied calmly. "I'm suggesting you should be fair - like you were in your first life as Helel. Don't get into a relationship with someone who doesn't know what they're getting into.
It's why you as only Helel refused to get with anyone, because you couldn't convey that aspect of yourself, and you refused to be a tyrant oppressing someone by having them be in a relationship they didn't understand the boundaries of."
Stefan moved away from the window, pacing the room now, physically mirroring his mental restlessness.
"I can't do that," Chosen protested. "I can't just tell Elena about how I am right now. She's already overwhelmed by everything."
"That's dangerous," Reject warned. "If you get any more emotionally attached to Elena, you may not be able to back off when she doesn't want to be with you."
"When?" Chosen repeated, anger coloring the word. "You say it like it's inevitable."
"How do you think anyone normal could be with us?" Reject questioned, rising from the chair now. "It's a delusion. Only someone who truly understands us could be with us, and Elena doesn't."
Stefan paused at a bookshelf, fingers tracing the spines of volumes he'd collected over decades. The familiar textures grounded him as the debate raged on.
"There it is," Chosen said bitterly. "The heart of the matter. You're finally direct with it - you want me to leave Elena."
"It would be better," Reject insisted. "It's how we protect our own heart. Elena can't accept us. Better to leave while it won't hurt much, and let her have her normal life."
Stefan removed a book - an old copy of "The Great Gatsby" - opened it, then closed it without reading, distracted by the internal conflict.
"Elena can't have a normal life," Chosen countered. "Not with Klaus around, or Damon, or the Travelers, or Esther and Mikael. They will all come for her. I have to protect her."
"Why, though?" Reject challenged. "Elena doesn't truly love you - she loves an illusion that isn't truly you. Why sacrifice your life for her? If you truly care, then help Klaus find a way to no longer need Elena's blood, and let her be."
Stefan moved to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, water dripping down his features as he stared at himself, wondering which version was the real him.
"You're missing the point," Chosen insisted as Stefan returned to the bedroom. "Klaus is the least of our problems. Elena doesn't deserve all the pain that will follow if I leave her. Who knows what Damon will do when I'm not around? Damon already raped Caroline - who says he won't do the same to Elena if she rejects him without me around?"
Stefan's fingers clenched into fists at the thought, his protective instincts flaring.
"So it's better she dies by your hand then?" Reject asked quietly. "When she rejects the monster that you are, after you've done everything for her, making you snap because you can't accept her not loving you - an unlovable monster?"
The words hung in the air, heavy and terrible. Stefan sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands.
"I..." Chosen faltered for the first time. "I would control myself. I would never hurt Elena. I would leave."
"That's ridiculous," Reject scoffed. "You do everything for Elena - save her from Klaus, from Esther, Mikael, the Travelers, Silas, Qetsiyah, the Sirens - all of them. You sacrifice so much of your life, go through so much pain, make so many sacrifices for her, and she still sees you as a monster and rejects you? You really think that won't break you? You're delusional."
Stefan's body tensed, jaw clenching at the painful truth in these words.
"If I leave," Chosen said, voice rising with emotion, "Elena will die and suffer. If I don't, she only possibly will die and suffer, and only if she rejects me. It's better that she's with the Devil she knows than the devils she doesn't!"
Reject fell silent for a long moment, creating a heavy tension in the room.
"Sure," Reject finally said, "Elena could accept you, possibly, and then you'll have your good end. But if she doesn't, and you kill her, it's you who will have a life of misery and bitterness. Why not spare yourself the pain?
Why does Elena even deserve such devotion? What has she done? She's just a stupid girl who kissed your brother out of naivety, already betrayed you once - how can you be sure she won't again?"
Before Chosen could respond, a sharp vibration cut through the tension. Stefan blinked, the imagined versions of himself fading from his mind as he reached for his phone on the nightstand.
A text from Klaus displayed on the screen: an address in Mystic Falls and a simple instruction to come. Stefan stood, tucking the phone into his pocket, the unresolved debate still echoing in his thoughts.
He moved to the mirror, straightening his appearance, composing himself. The internal conflict would have to wait; Klaus was expecting him, and he couldn't afford to appear distracted or weak.
Stefan took a piece of paper from the desk, scribbling a brief note to Elena explaining his whereabouts. His movements were precise, controlled, betraying none of the turmoil within.
With one last glance toward the ceiling where Elena rested upstairs, he left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
The Salvatore Boarding House was quiet as Stefan descended the stairs, his footsteps barely audible on the worn wood. Outside, the afternoon sun warmed his skin as he started toward his car.
Whatever Klaus wanted, it would provide a welcome distraction from the war raging in his mind. For now, at least, he could focus on external threats rather than the ones lurking within.
--------------------------
Klaus's new residence was a sprawling mansion on the outskirts of Mystic Falls - a property Stefan vaguely recalled belonging to a wealthy family that had mysteriously decided to relocate.
The irony wasn't lost on him; compulsion made real estate transactions remarkably straightforward.
The gates opened as Stefan's car approached, suggesting Klaus was expecting him. He parked in the circular driveway, taking a moment to survey the property before exiting the vehicle.
The mansion was impressive - colonial architecture with modern touches, surrounded by manicured gardens that would require a staff to maintain. Klaus was clearly planning to stay in Mystic Falls for some time.
Stefan approached the front door, which swung open before he could knock. A young woman stood in the doorway, her vacant expression and the slight bruising at her throat indicating her status as a compelled servant.
"Mr. Mikaelson is expecting you," she said tonelessly. "Please follow me."
Stefan entered, noting the opulent interior - artwork he recognized from various historical periods adorned the walls, pieces that had likely been in Klaus's possession for centuries.
The woman led him through a grand foyer and into a study where Klaus stood before a fireplace, a glass of bourbon in hand, examining a painting.
"Ah, Stefan," Klaus greeted without turning. "Prompt as ever. I appreciate that about you."
Stefan remained by the doorway, hands in his pockets, maintaining a casual stance that belied his alertness. "Nice place."
"Isn't it?" Klaus finally turned, gesturing around with his glass. "I find that if one is going to settle somewhere, even temporarily, one should do so in comfort."
He motioned to a decanter on a side table. "Drink?"
"No, thanks," Stefan replied. "I'm curious about why I'm here."
Klaus smiled, taking a seat in a leather armchair and indicating Stefan should do the same. "Always straight to business. Very well."
Stefan sat across from him, maintaining eye contact. The silence stretched between them for a moment as Klaus seemed to be considering his words.
"I've been thinking about your theory," Klaus said finally. "About my mother's curse and the doppelgänger blood."
"And?" Stefan prompted when Klaus paused again.
"And I believe you may be onto something," Klaus admitted. "Which presents us with an interesting opportunity."
He set his glass down, leaning forward slightly. "If we could break the curse completely - truly break it, not just the version my mother created - then Elena's blood would no longer be necessary for creating hybrids."
Stefan kept his expression neutral despite the surge of hope this statement triggered. "You think that's possible?"
"With the right witch, the right spell... perhaps." Klaus stood, moving to a desk where several ancient-looking books lay open. "I've already begun researching. There are references in some of my mother's grimoires to the original spell she used."
Stefan rose to examine the books, careful not to appear too eager. "And you think you can reverse-engineer it?"
"Not alone," Klaus acknowledged. "I'll need help - powerful witches, specific ingredients. And your assistance, of course."
"My assistance?" Stefan raised an eyebrow.
"You've proven yourself quite insightful on this matter," Klaus said, a hint of genuine respect in his tone. "And more importantly, you have Elena's trust. We'll need small amounts of her blood for the research."
Stefan nodded slowly, considering the implications. If Klaus could break the curse completely, Elena would no longer be valuable to him as a blood source. She could be free - or as free as anyone could be in their supernatural world.
"What exactly would this research entail?" Stefan asked carefully.
Klaus turned a page in one of the grimoires, revealing intricate diagrams. "Blood magic, primarily. Examining the properties of Elena's blood, how it interacts with mine, what changes occur during the transition process."
He glanced up at Stefan. "Nothing that would harm her, I assure you. Our agreement stands - Elena's safety is guaranteed."
Stefan studied Klaus's face, searching for deception but finding none. The Original Hybrid seemed genuinely invested in this research - perhaps even excited by the intellectual challenge it presented.
"And if we succeed?" Stefan asked. "If we break the curse completely?"
Klaus smiled, a hint of his predatory nature showing through. "Then I can create hybrids anywhere, anytime, without needing the doppelgänger. My army grows, my position strengthens, and Elena..." he paused, giving Stefan a knowing look, "Elena becomes free to make certain choices that might currently be... inadvisable."
The implication was clear. Elena could become a vampire without threatening Klaus's ability to create hybrids.
"And you'd allow that?" Stefan pressed, needing confirmation.
"If my hybrids are no longer dependent on her human blood?" Klaus shrugged. "Her status would become irrelevant to me. What happens to her then would be entirely between you and her."
Stefan turned away, pretending to examine another book while he processed this information. It aligned perfectly with his own desires - a way to ensure Elena could be with him forever, without the threat of Klaus hanging over them.
But the internal debate from earlier still echoed in his mind. Would Elena want that? Would she choose immortality if given the option? And more importantly, would she choose it with him, knowing what he truly was?
"I sense hesitation," Klaus observed, moving to refill his glass. "Having second thoughts about our arrangement?"
"No," Stefan replied quickly. "Just considering the implications."
Klaus studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Take your time. This research will not be quick or simple. We have much to discuss, many details to work out."
He gestured toward a door at the far end of the study. "I have something else to show you. Something that might help with our endeavor."
Stefan followed Klaus through the door and down a hallway, their footsteps echoing on marble floors. They descended a staircase into what appeared to be a renovated basement - now a state-of-the-art laboratory.
"Impressive," Stefan commented, taking in the equipment.
"I've learned over the centuries that science and magic are not so different," Klaus explained, moving to a refrigerated cabinet. "Both seek to understand and manipulate the fundamental forces of existence."
He opened the cabinet, revealing rows of blood samples, each labeled meticulously. "I've already begun collecting data - blood from various werewolves, vampires, and my own hybrids."
Stefan approached, examining the samples. "And what have you found?"
"Nothing conclusive yet," Klaus admitted. "But patterns are emerging. The way the blood changes during transition, the specific properties that allow for the hybrid transformation."
He closed the cabinet, turning to face Stefan. "What I need now is more of Elena's blood - and your insights. You've shown a unique understanding of this process."
Stefan nodded slowly. "I'll speak with Elena. Small samples only, and I'll be present for any testing."
"Of course," Klaus agreed readily. "I have no desire to harm her. Quite the contrary - if this works, we all get what we want."
The words hung in the air between them, laden with unspoken implications. Stefan knew Klaus well enough to know there would be more to this arrangement than was being stated outright.
"And what else?" Stefan asked directly.
Klaus smiled, appreciating Stefan's directness. "Smart boy. Yes, there is one other matter. I need your help with the local werewolf population."
"Tyler Lockwood," Stefan guessed.
"Among others," Klaus confirmed. "There are more werewolves in the area than you might realize. I want them identified, approached carefully. Potential candidates for my hybrid family."
Stefan considered this. Tyler was Caroline's boyfriend - turning him would complicate things. But the alternative might be worse; if Klaus decided to turn him by force, the situation could become volatile.
"I'll help identify them," Stefan agreed cautiously. "But any approach needs to be handled delicately. These are people with connections to Mystic Falls, to people I care about."
"Hence why I'm asking for your assistance," Klaus pointed out. "You understand the local dynamics better than I do. I want this transition to be as smooth as possible."
Another silence fell between them as Stefan weighed his options. Working with Klaus on this research could provide the solution he sought - a way to ensure Elena's safety and potentially her immortality.
But it also meant deeper entanglement with Klaus's plans, more compromises, more moral gray areas.
"I'll help," Stefan decided finally. "With the research and with the werewolf situation. But my conditions remain the same - Elena's safety is the most important thing, and we find solutions that minimize collateral damage."
Klaus extended his hand. "We have a deal, then. Knight and king, working together for mutual benefit."
Stefan shook the offered hand, feeling the weight of the decision settle over him. "Knight and king," he echoed.
As they returned upstairs, Stefan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked it discreetly - a text from Elena, asking where he was.
"Duty calls?" Klaus inquired, noticing Stefan's distraction.
"Elena's awake," Stefan confirmed. "I should get back."
Klaus nodded. "Of course. We'll continue this discussion tomorrow. I'll send you some materials to review - information about the curse that might help our research."
Stefan moved toward the door, then paused. "Klaus," he said, turning back. "If this works - if we break the curse completely - what happens afterward? To our arrangement?"
Klaus considered the question, swirling the bourbon in his glass. "That depends entirely on you, old friend. I value loyalty above all else. Demonstrate it throughout this process, and our arrangement could evolve into something more... permanent. More equal."
"And if I choose to go my own way?" Stefan pressed.
"Then we part as allies rather than enemies, you would then have done more than enough to earn your freedom from the century of servitude deal we have," Klaus replied smoothly. "Provided, of course, that you haven't given me reason to consider you the latter."
The threat was subtle but unmistakable. Stefan nodded once, understanding the terms perfectly.
--------------------------
As he drove back to the boarding house, the setting sun casting long shadows across the road, Stefan's mind returned to the internal debate from earlier. The questions remained unanswered, the conflict unresolved.
Did Elena truly know what she was choosing in him? Could she accept the darkness within him, the possessiveness, the capacity for violence? And if not, could he bear to let her go?
The boarding house came into view, warm lights glowing in the windows. Elena was waiting inside - the heart of everything he wanted, everything he feared to lose.
Stefan parked the car and sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
Whatever came next, one thing was certain: he would do whatever it took to keep Elena safe. From Klaus, from Damon, from the countless threats that would come.
And perhaps, most importantly, from himself.