Elena Gilbert's POV:
Sunlight filtered through half-drawn curtains, painting warm stripes across the rumpled sheets.
I reached across the bed, seeking Stefan's familiar warmth, but found only cool emptiness. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the morning light as reality settled in.
One week. He'd been back for one week.
I pulled his pillow closer, breathing in his scent - cedar and something distinctly Stefan - as I tried to organize my thoughts.
The boarding house creaked around me, its ancient bones settling in the morning warmth. Rising, I wrapped myself in Stefan's discarded shirt from yesterday and moved to the window.
He stood in the garden below, perfectly still, staring at something I couldn't see. Even from here, I could sense the difference in him. The way he held himself had changed - more alert, more intense. Like a predator at constant attention.
I watched him for a moment longer, wondering what thoughts moved behind those green eyes. What memories of his time with Klaus haunted him. What parts of himself he'd sacrificed to come back to me.
"Stefan," I whispered, knowing his vampire hearing would catch it.
He turned immediately, looking up to find me at the window. His face transformed, the brooding expression giving way to something softer, something meant only for me.
He smiled - that rare, genuine smile that still made my heart skip - and gestured for me to join him.
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In the kitchen, Stefan moved with fluid grace, preparing coffee. I leaned against the counter, watching his hands - the same hands that had killed for Klaus all summer - now carefully measuring grounds into the filter.
"You slept late," he said, glancing at me with a hint of concern.
"I'm still adjusting to the new normal," I admitted. "You being back, Klaus being in town..."
Stefan handed me a mug, his fingers lingering against mine longer than necessary. "I know it's a lot."
I took a sip, savoring the rich taste. Stefan always made coffee better than I could. "What time is the... appointment today?"
His posture shifted subtly at the mention - shoulders squaring, jaw tightening. "Four. Klaus says the lab work from last week's sample showed promising results."
"That's good, right? The sooner his experiments work-"
"The sooner you're free," Stefan finished. He moved closer, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "That's the goal. Breaking his dependence on your blood."
I leaned into his touch. "Have you heard from Damon?"
Something flickered across Stefan's face - a darkness that hadn't been there before his time with Klaus. "No. And I don't expect to anytime soon."
His phone buzzed on the counter. Stefan checked it, his expression hardening. "Klaus. Confirming today's meeting."
I nodded, watching him type a response. This was our routine now - careful conversations about blood donations and experiments, Stefan's protective presence, the constant shadow of Klaus hanging over everything.
"Elena," Stefan said softly, setting down his phone. "Are you okay with all this? Really okay?"
The question caught me off guard. "Do I have a choice?"
"We always have choices," he said, his gaze intense. "They're just rarely good ones."
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The first blood donation with Klaus had been three days after Stefan's return. I remembered the drive to the mansion, Stefan's hand tight around mine, his thumb tracing circles on my skin as if to reassure himself I was really there.
Klaus's lab had surprised me - sterile, modern, more hospital than vampire lair. Klaus himself had been clinical, almost detached, as he explained the process.
"Just a small sample today, Miss Gilbert," he'd said, preparing the equipment with practiced ease. "Nothing to concern yourself with."
Stefan had positioned himself beside me, never more than an arm's length away, his eyes tracking Klaus's every movement.
One of Klaus's hybrid assistants had entered with supplies, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent. "The girl's blood smells even better fresh," he'd commented, eyes darkening.
Klaus had silenced him with nothing more than a look - a subtle warning that had the hybrid retreating immediately.
"Your brother has been calling my hybrids, Stefan," Klaus had mentioned casually while labeling my blood sample. "Quite persistently."
Stefan's jaw had tightened. "Damon's always been persistent. It's his least endearing quality."
Klaus had smiled, not looking up from his work. "Among many, I'd imagine."
I'd watched this exchange with growing confusion - the strange respect between them, the boundaries neither crossed.
It wasn't the dynamic I'd expected between captor and captive. It was almost like... colleagues. Friends, even.
On the drive home, Stefan had held my hand the entire way, his grip just tight enough to betray his anxiety.
"Klaus was different than I expected," I'd ventured.
Stefan had kept his eyes on the road. "Klaus is many things. Simple isn't one of them."
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The Mystic Grill hummed with lunchtime conversation as Caroline slid into the booth across from me, her blonde hair bouncing with her characteristic energy.
"Okay, spill," she demanded before even setting down her purse. "How are you really doing with Stefan back and Klaus setting up his creepy hybrid laboratory in town?"
I smiled despite myself. Caroline's directness was exactly what I needed. "It's complicated."
"When is it not?" She flagged down a waitress, ordering coffees for both of us. "Is Stefan... okay? After everything with Klaus?"
"He's different," I admitted, tracing patterns in the condensation on my water glass. "More intense. More protective."
Caroline raised an eyebrow. "Protective or possessive? Because there's a line."
"It's not like that," I said, surprised by my own defensiveness. "He's been through a lot. We both have."
"I get it," Caroline said, softening. "Tyler's freaking out, by the way. He heard Klaus is looking for local werewolves."
My stomach tightened. "Stefan mentioned something about that. He's trying to make sure Klaus doesn't force anyone."
Caroline studied me for a moment. "There's something else. What aren't you telling me?"
I hesitated, the weight of everything I'd finally been confronted about, about Damon pressing down on me. About what he'd done to Caroline herself. The words hovered on my lips, but I couldn't form them.
"It's just a lot to process," I said instead. "Stefan being back, the blood donations, everything."
"You seem different too," Caroline observed. "More... I don't know. Serious?"
I forced a smile. "Having a Big Bad Hybrid breathing down my boyfriend's neck does that to you."
Caroline laughed, but her eyes remained concerned. As she launched into a story about cheer practice, I glanced toward the window and froze.
Stefan stood across the street, watching us. He wasn't supposed to meet us. Wasn't supposed to be here at all.
"Were you following me?" I asked as Stefan fell into step beside me outside the Grill.
"I was worried," he admitted without apology. "I wanted to make sure you were safe."
"In broad daylight? At the Grill? With Caroline?"
Stefan took my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. "Klaus isn't the only threat in Mystic Falls."
We walked in silence for a moment, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. I noticed how he subtly adjusted our path to keep me on the inside of the sidewalk, away from the street. How he tensed slightly when strangers passed too close.
Instead of pulling away, I found myself leaning into him, drawing comfort from his vigilance.
"You don't seem bothered by it," Stefan observed quietly.
"By what?"
"Me showing up unannounced. Checking on you."
I considered this as we turned onto a quieter street. "Before all this - before vampires and doppelgängers and sacrifices - I might have been. But now..." I squeezed his hand. "Now I understand what safety costs."
Stefan's eyes softened as he pulled me closer. "I just got you back, Elena. I can't lose you again."
The intensity in his voice should have alarmed me. Instead, it wrapped around me like armor.
The boarding house door stood slightly ajar when we arrived. Stefan immediately tensed, positioning me behind him as he approached cautiously.
"Stay here," he whispered, his body coiled with tension.
Before I could protest, he disappeared inside in a blur. Seconds later, he reappeared in the doorway.
"It's fine," he said, relaxing slightly. "Delivery from Klaus."
I followed him into the study where several ancient-looking books lay on the desk, along with a note in elegant script: "For our research. -K"
Stefan examined the volumes with unexpected enthusiasm. "These are grimoires from the 15th century. Exactly what we need for understanding the blood magic components of the curse."
I watched him leaf through the pages, his fingers tracing diagrams with practiced ease. "You really believe this will work? Breaking Klaus's curse completely?"
"It has to," Stefan said, his voice taking on an edge I was still getting used to. "The theory is sound. If we can identify the exact magical signature in your blood that nullifies the curse, we might be able to synthesize it. Create a permanent solution."
"And then Klaus wouldn't need me anymore," I finished.
Stefan looked up, his eyes intense. "You'd be free, Elena. Free to choose whatever future you want."
It hung between us - the unspoken question of after, of forever. I moved closer, drawn by the passion in his voice.
"Whatever happens," I said, "we face it together this time."
Stefan pulled me to him suddenly, his kiss more demanding than before, claiming rather than asking. I responded with equal fervor, my hands gripping his shoulders as if to anchor him to me.
When we broke apart, his eyes had darkened, pupils dilated with desire and something deeper - something almost feral in how intense it was.
"I won't lose you again," he whispered against my lips. "Not to Klaus, not to anyone."
Later, as Stefan traced the veins in my wrist with gentle fingers, I gathered my courage. "I need to say something."
He looked up, his expression guarded. "What is it?"
"I'm sorry," I said, the words tumbling out. "About kissing Damon. When he was dying. I know it hurt you, and I-"
"Elena," Stefan interrupted, his voice carefully controlled.
"No- I need to apologise. I hurt you," I insisted. "You were gone because you saved his life. You sacrificed everything for him, for me, and I betrayed that."
Stefan was silent for a long moment, his fingers still tracing patterns on my skin. "It happened. It's over now."
The simplicity of his response surprised me. The Stefan who'd left would have tortured himself over it, analyzed it endlessly. This Stefan seemed to have compartmentalized it -acknowledged and set aside.
No- it wasn't that. He seemed to be able to see through me- see the sincerity there.
"I just need you to know it was a mistake," I continued. "A huge one."
His eyes met mine, searching. Whatever else he found there seemed to satisfy him. He pulled me closer, his arms wrapping around me with that new possessiveness that somehow made me feel safer rather than confined.
"You're here now," he said simply. "With me. That's what matters."
As I rested against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart, I realized I felt truly safe for the first time since his return.
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In the bathroom mirror, my reflection stared back at me, unchanged despite everything. Same brown eyes, same straight hair, same face that had caused so much suffering because of its resemblance to Katherine.
I thought about the conversation with Stefan, his forgiveness of my kiss with Damon. But beneath that forgiveness, I'd sensed something else - a hardness, a possessiveness that the old Stefan would have fought against.
And I'd welcomed it.
The realization should have troubled me. Instead, I found myself examining why it didn't. Why Stefan's increased intensity felt like protection rather than control.
Maybe it was because I'd finally seen Damon clearly. Heard Stefan lay out every terrible thing his brother had done - to Caroline, to Bonnie's grandmother, to Jeremy, to me. Things I'd overlooked, excused, rationalized away.
I remembered Caroline's vacant eyes when Damon was using her. Remembered Bonnie's grief over her grandmother. Remembered the terror when Jeremy's neck snapped.
I remembered Stefan offering himself to Klaus to save Jenna, only for Klaus to kill her anyway- that was how much he loved me...
How had I been so blind for so long? How had I allowed Damon to remain in our lives after everything he'd done?
The answer came with uncomfortable clarity: I'd been following Stefan's lead. Stefan, who forgave his brother again and again out of guilt, out of love, out of obligation.
Stefan who chose to save Damon's life, and serving Klaus because of that for a century- giving away his life with me.
Choosing Damon over... me.
No- that wasn't fair... I can't blame Stefan for not protecting me- us. Yes, it's Stefan's job as my boyfriend to protect me- as the man I love to make sure we are safe, but... I was the one who always feared what it would mean for Stefan to push Damon out.
For him to choose me, and throw Damon out of his life.
I wanted- I wanted to be different from Katherine and prove it. By bringing both him and Damon together, rather than what she did- tearing them apart.
When Damon killed Lexi, Tanner and Vicki- Matt's sister, his attempts to compel me, and kiss me- he was ready, ready to kill Damon, but I... I stopped him.
I asked him to give Damon a chance at redemption.
But Stefan has changed. And... so have I.
(Maybe... Maybe that's why I like his possessiveness so much. He's chosen me- chosen me over Damon. Over anyone.
And I... I love it.)
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I found Stefan in the library, surrounded by the grimoires from Klaus, his brow furrowed in concentration. Without a word, I placed a blood bag beside him - an acknowledgment of what he was, what he needed.
He looked up, surprise flickering across his features. "Thank you."
I settled beside him on the couch, close enough that our shoulders touched. "Find anything useful?"
"Maybe." He showed me a diagram of interconnected circles, symbols I couldn't decipher running along the edges. "This describes how blood magic can be transferred, transformed. It might explain why your blood works with the hybrids."
I nodded, watching his face as he explained the theory. This Stefan - focused, strategic, brilliant - was captivating in a different way from the brooding, guilt-ridden guy I'd fallen for.
"What happens after?" I asked suddenly. "If Klaus doesn't need my blood anymore?"
Stefan's hand found mine, his thumb tracing circles on my palm. "Then we figure out our next chapter. Together."
I leaned against him, comfortable in the silence that followed. He kept one hand on me at all times - on my knee, my shoulder, my hand - as if needing the constant reassurance of my presence.
"I used to think about college," I said after a while. "Northwestern, maybe. Journalism."
Stefan smiled, but there was sadness in it. "You still can."
We both knew it wasn't that simple anymore. Not with doppelgänger blood, not with vampires and hybrids, not with the supernatural world that had claimed me the moment I was born as a doppelganger.
Sometimes I think about what would've happened if I never met Stefan... I would probably be dead. Dead on Klaus's altar. Without Stefan coming, would Bonnie have even known what to do? Would my best friend have been able to even save me and herself from Klaus?
The answer is... probably no. Without Stefan, I wouldn't have everything I now have...
Stefan's phone rang as we were preparing for bed. His expression changed immediately upon seeing the caller ID, a mask of careful neutrality sliding into place.
"Klaus," he said by way of greeting, his voice neutral.
I watched his face as he listened, noting the subtle tightening around his eyes.
"Yes, I remember... No, I haven't taken any today... I'll be there within the hour."
He hung up, turning to me with resignation. "I need to go."
"Now? It's almost midnight."
"Klaus says..." he hesitated- he was hesitant about telling me this, I could see it in the tightening of his jaw, the look in his eyes- but he promised me- no secrets. Not anymore.
"He's ready to... restore some memories. From the 1920s." he finally said.
I blinked, processing this. "The 1920s? You knew Klaus before?"
"Apparently," Stefan said, reaching for his jacket. "I don't remember it. He compelled me to forget our friendship decades ago. Now he wants me to remember. It's why he's been so obsessed with me."
"And you need to be vervain-free for that," I realized, anxiety rising. "Stefan, this is dangerous. If he can compel you to remember, he can compel you to do anything."
Stefan's expression hardened. "I don't like it either, Elena. But I've agreed to be his right hand. I gave my servitude for Damon's life - a deal that's still in effect. And I keep my word Elena, I can't go back on it."
"But-"
"It's better to cooperate than to make him snap," he explained, his voice turning pragmatic. "If I refuse, he could just as easily kidnap me and bleed the vervain out of my system. At least this way, I maintain some control over the situation."
I wrapped my arms around myself, hating the logic even as I understood it. "How can you trust him?"
"I know Klaus well enough by now," Stefan said, and something in his tone caught my attention. "He won't break his word on this - his pride wouldn't allow it. Breaking his word would mean admitting he can't make his word reality, and that's a weakness he refuses to show."
"You sound like you almost... respect that about him," I said, surprised.
Stefan paused, considering. "As... reluctant as I am to admit it, we do share that trait. When I give my word, I keep it. So does he. It's one of the few things about Klaus I can rely on."
I moved closer, placing my hands on his chest. "And what if he asks you to do something terrible after he restores these memories? What then?"
"Then I'll deal with it- it at least won't be anything that harms you, harms what we have." Stefan said with quiet determination. "But right now, this is our best path forward. Every piece of information I gain about Klaus is another potential advantage."
As he prepared to leave, I caught his arm. "Just... come back to me. The real you."
Stefan kissed me, lingering longer than usual, his intensity almost desperate. "Always, Elena. No matter what memories return, nothing changes how I feel about you."
I stood in the doorway long after his car disappeared, wondering what would happen now- hoping that nothing bad happens.