Rated T

A/N After seeing the end of 3X09- Homecoming, I knew I had to write my own ending, considering that Elena and Damon did not know the truth about Stefan's actions, nor were Stefan and Elena reunited at the end. So it's a bit fluffy, but I also wanted to keep some element of realism in as well. So Stefan still wants revenge on Klaus, and is still planing on leaving Mystic Falls for a little bit. This is what I came up with, hope you enjoy!

"Hey, listen to me. We'll survive this. We always survive. Trust me."

"We're never getting Stefan back; you know that, don't you?"

"Then we'll let him go. Okay. We'll have to let him go."

Stefan entered the house quietly, as quietly as possible. He did not want Elena or Damon to hear him. He merely came to collect some items from his room that he needed before putting his plan into action. Damon had every right to hate his guts, and Elena had every right to finally decide to let him go. Although knowing that she was so willing to do so sent a ripple of emotions cascading up and down his body and throughout his soul. She had come this far, why was she giving up now? But he didn't have time to contemplate such matters. Klaus. He was the reason they were in this mess to begin with and Klaus was going to pay.

He had heard Damon's cell ring downstairs and from his end of the conversation it was Katherine calling from the road to tell him she was sorry for the failure of the plan. If they only knew. He wondered how his brother would feel knowing he saved Damon's life rather than kill Klaus. Would Damon gladly have sacrificed himself if it meant killing Klaus? And Elena. Elena. All this time he didn't have access to those feelings and now just thinking about them they came flooding back in. The way I'd hurt her, fed on her, called her names, said terrible things to her, made her feel like nothing. It makes sense she'd let me go.

Stefan had gathered a few old journals for when times got boring waiting for Klaus to come find him. (And he would find him, Stefan knew he would eventually). A key to the warehouse he had planned to use, a couple stakes lying around his room in case he received any trouble from the hybrids. Then he snuck downstairs and stole some blood bags from the freezer. He was tip toeing his way up when he came face to face with Damon.

"I thought we had a visitor." Elena was right behind him.

"Stefan?" Her eyes searched his and found something there, something familiar. Something that had been lacking ever since that fateful night in the Mystic Falls High School cafeteria, where Klaus compelled him. But when her eyes met his, he looked away, not wanting to reveal his emotions.

"You ruined everything!" his brother spat. "Do you even realize…"

"I did it for you." Stefan interjected before Damon could finish scolding him.

"You..wait, what?"

"We pulled the plug on the plan when we realized that if Klaus died, his hybrids were compelled to take you down with him. There was no way you were going to get out of this alive, Damon."

"You and Katherine foiled the plan to save ME?" He didn't sound mad now, more surprised than anything.

"Yes." Stefan took a deep breath,waiting for his brother to get angry again at him leaving after the so called Homecoming dance at the Lockwood Mansion. Because even if Stefan saved his life, he left, making everyone think he was loyal to Klaus.

"So if you're really back, why did you leave before? And what's with sneaking back into the house and the bag your carrying?" Damon did his eye thing, shifted his weight to one foot like he was playing detective.

"I have a plan in action to get revenge on Klaus. I have to leave now. I decided to make you both think I had defected back to him because I didn't want anyone I care about near this. It's too dangerous." Elena eyed Stefan curiously when he mentioned caring about people. Did she not know he had his humanity back?

"What about Katherine, is she in on it?" Damon was very interested now it seemed.

"She's setting things up for me before I get there. Then she's taking off. The last thing she needs is getting killed by Klaus after running for as long as she has". Damon nodded as though he understood completely.

"I'm helping her, and don't say no little brother. Where is she? Give me the address." Damon was emphatic about it. "When she takes off, I'll come home. But I want to nail him too, just as much as you."

Elena was eying both brothers back and forth. A few seconds passed. Stefan internally debated involving Damon. All this time he tried to keep him safe, alive. His whole deal with Klaus was to save Damon's life. If something happened to him, Stefan would literally die inside.

"This isn't your decision Stefan, I'll call Katherine back if I have to and get it out of her."

Stefan sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay fine. She's moving Klaus' family out of his truck. We're sort of holding them hostage."

Damon smiled. "I like your style little brother. Okay, I'm out, I'll be back."

Elena noted that Damon did not hesitate to leave her with Stefan without any "protection." She knew it in her heart now, Stefan was back.

Elena waited to speak until Damon was out the door. "Stefan? Did Klaus, did he.." She trailed off.

Words failed at a moment like this. Stefan wanted to leave and follow Damon. He couldn't feel all of these emotions right away. It was too much. But he couldn't walk out on her, not again. "Yeah, he gave me my freedom, my humanity back."

Elena had tears in her eyes as she nodded and smiled. She reached for him, and he pulled away. She looked wounded.

"Elena, I don't know how much of this I can go through right now, I can't allow myself to feel too much at once, it'll wreck me, take me down."

She seemed to understand this as she nodded again. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Stefan talking again.

"The things I did to you Elena. How I treated you. I…" He began to get choked up. "I never wanted that. I never wanted you near any of that. I hurt you. More than I ever thought I could. I hate myself for it." Tears were now freely falling down his cheeks and she was crying too. He buried his face in his hands and sat on one of the steps to the stairs. She responded by saying the only thing she knew she could say that would do any good.

"I love you Stefan."

He looked up at her, red faced, full of tears and whispered, "How can you? After that… after all that?"

"Because I love the real you. And that wasn't the real you."

He shook his head and buried his face again. She moved over to him and sat next to him. She put her arm around him. "Hey, don't hide from me." He slowly lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. Those words she used the first night they were ever together, seemed to calm him, and triggered something in him.

"I don't blame you Elena, for saying that you'd let me go before. I want you to be happy, more than anything. I love you, so much. If Damon makes you happy…"

"Wait…what?" She had no idea where this was coming from. Letting him go? All at once she understood. He must have overheard them before they caught him in the house. "Stefan I said that for Damon's sake. He was practically going nuts over the fact that the plan didn't work, throwing things around, breaking china. I had no intention of letting you go. I just wanted Damon to think so, so he wouldn't have a nervous breakdown."

"But Elena…I know you kissed him. It's okay." This was breaking his heart, breaking it into a million pieces, but he was trying to do the right thing, the noble thing. What she wanted.

"Katherine. Katherine told you." Stefan nodded. "Stefan he was on his death bed and I thought he was going to die any minute. It was a goodbye kiss. Nothing more. It just kills me to think… to think that you were with Klaus making that horrible deal at the same time." Tears streamed down her face once more as she said this. Stefan didn't know what to say, but then she continued. "I wanted to die, just crawl up and die when Katherine came marching in and told us what happened. It should have been you I was kissing Stefan, no one else!"

He pulled her into a tight embrace. Their first real true hug since he was really back. She held onto him for dear life. He held her close and inhaled her scent once more, which didn't mean much to him under compulsion, but now it meant everything. He felt her heart slamming against his chest and the quickness of her breaths. He could not control his feelings, and he didn't want to. Not these ones anyway.

He pulled her back and looked into her eyes. He softly smiled. He wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Elena," he whispered. "I've been such a fool. I'm so, so sorry. I can't even begin to tell you…" she put her hand over his mouth.

"Just kiss me." And so he did. He slowly captured her mouth with his, and was immediately hit with the sweetness of it, the intoxicating taste of Elena, that he hadn't had in forever. He couldn't wait, he delved his tongue deeply into her mouth, searching for its mate, and when her tongue met his, she moaned, and they danced together for what seemed like an eternity. She exited his mouth to plant kisses along his jaw line, his neck, his cheeks, his nose and over his eyes. Then she connected with his mouth again and he repeated the process on her.

Things would have inevitably gone to the bedroom if Stefan didn't gently pull back at some point. "I have to go. I still have to take care of Klaus."

"Stefan I'm worried about this. You only just came back. What if you get hurt, or compelled again, or killed!"

He smiled at her, knowing she'd be worried every minute. "I'll be careful; I know what I'm doing. As long as I have his family he won't dare touch anyone I love."

A few seconds went by before she asked. "So, you were with Katherine, and she helped you save Damon, and she's helping you now?" She asked, trying desperately to not sound jealous, but he knew her all too well.

"Actually, she only told me about Damon. I'm the one who saved him, I made that decision all on my own. And yes, I asked her to help me because I needed an extra hand and didn't want anyone I care about involved." He kissed her again, picked up his bag and made his way to the front door. He turned around. "You look cute when you're jealous."

She simply smiled and nodded. She knew that he had her. In so many more ways than just one. He opened the door, paused and turned around again. "Elena, you did save me. I didn't think I could feel this much so soon, I didn't think I could handle it, but I can. And I have no idea why. I only think it might be because of you."

"I love you Stefan, please be careful."

"I will, I'll be home soon."